Rogue Rider

Forty-four

Reseph finished scooping grain into a bucket and popped the lid onto the bin. Impatient snorts told him he was moving too slow as he hauled the feed to the stalls at the end of the barn, where Sammy and Conquest waited. The two horses had struck a friendship that, to be honest, baffled Reseph. Conquest wasn’t the nicest of stallions, but he’d taken to the gelding and liked to hang out in the barn with him.

“You two are goofballs,” Reseph muttered as he poured grain into their troughs.

He headed back to the house, casting a quick look toward the clearing where, just beyond, they were building a cabin for Tracker. The warg refused to live any farther away, and despite Jillian’s desire to have him stay in the guest bedroom while the cabin was being constructed, he preferred to sleep in the barn.

Reseph stomped the snow off his boots on the porch and went inside the house, where Jillian was waiting, curled up on the couch under a blanket, two steaming cups of hot cocoa on the table in front of her.

“Critters are all fed and happy.” He glanced over at Fang-Doodle, who was dozing in his usual spot in front of the fire. “Some of them are a little fatter and happier than others.”

Jillian narrowed her eyes at him. “I hope you aren’t talking about me.”

Grinning, Reseph sank down on the couch, straddling her on all fours. “What, you aren’t happy?”

“Jerk.” She gave him a playful swat on the shoulder, but a frown followed on its heels. “Are you sure you’ll be happy here? It’s in the middle of nowhere, not much to keep you busy, and we get tons of snow—”

“Shh.” He brushed his lips over hers. Emotion welled up in him, filling him so completely that he could barely breathe, let alone speak. “I’m sure. I spent so much time keeping busy and being empty. But out here, with you, I don’t need to be busy. I feel like I’m finally whole. I’m five thousand years old,” he rasped. “But the day you found me in the woods, that’s when my life started.”

Jillian gripped his collar and tugged him down on top of her. “I spent so much time worrying that no man would ever be what he appeared to be that I didn’t realize being more isn’t always bad.”

“So you’re glad I’m not the man you found in the snowbank?”

“Oh, you are that man. But you’re so much more, too.” She rolled her bottom lip between her teeth and gave him a hesitant glance. “I feel terrible though… I haven’t had time to get you anything for Christmas.”

“Are you kidding me? You’ve given me everything. I even have my family back because of you.”

Now that everyone was sure Reseph could control Pestilence, he and Jillian were welcome at his siblings’ houses, and they’d all popped over here as well. Thanatos had even allowed Reseph to hold Logan. They still had to work on getting the hellhounds to come around, but Reseph figured there was plenty of time for that.

“Speaking of which,” she said, “we’re invited to Than’s place for Christmas dinner tomorrow. They said if Tracker is back from his pack by then to bring him, too.” She sighed. “I’ll bet he’s never celebrated Christmas.”

Seriously doubtful. Few human holidays were celebrated in Sheoul. “Let’s pick up something for him tomorrow. I know a great electronics store in Tokyo.”

“See?” Her hands traveled slowly down his back, massaging as they went. “That’s what I mean about being so much more than the man I found in a snowbank. Who else can take me shopping in another country in a matter of seconds?”

He nuzzled her neck. “Wanna know what else I can do in a matter of seconds?”

Shifting so he settled between her thighs, she arched under him, and her voice went deep and husky. “Oh, I’m very well aware of that.”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah. And I think I do know what to give you for Christmas.” She gave him a naughty smile. “But first, you have to unwrap me.”

Oh, how Reseph loved presents. “And then you unwrap me?”

“Mmm. Very, very slowly.”

Jillian followed up on the slowly thing. After he was naked, she spent an hour worshipping his body and doing wicked things with one of the candy canes on the tree.

As Reseph lay sated and exhausted, tangled with her in front of the fire, he could only think that hundreds of Christmases and thousands of presents had come and gone for him, but this one, above all others, was the best. The Apocalypse was over, his entire family was whole and happy, and he’d been given the greatest gift of all.

Love.