“What are you saying?”
“We’re life mates, Jerred,” Giselle said softly, looking up into his face. For an instant, joy chased across his features, and then he seemed to clamp down on the emotion firmly.
“This isn’t a joking matter, Giselle,” he said. “You have no comprehension how unlikely it is that we could possible be life mates.”
“And yet that is exactly the case,” Grania said. “And I think you know that already, young man. You’re just afraid to give in to your happiness. You’re afraid to believe it’s real. But it is.”
Jerred suddenly sagged against her, clutching her so hard Giselle though she’d fall over. He caught himself quickly though.
“This is more than I could have imagined,” he muttered, giving her a soft kiss on the mouth. “Giselle, I love you. Will you do me the honor of sharing my life?”
“Oh, hell yes,” Giselle said. “Don’t be ridiculous. I don’t suppose you want to open up a bar, do you?”
He shook his head, and started laughing. “Can we discuss this further?” he asked. “I think we have quite a few things to talk about.”
“Not least of which is you getting out of the spying and smuggling thing,” Giselle said. “Or at least I hope you’ll consider it. I don’t think I can handle another run-in with Josiah.”
He kissed her, his mouth slanting over hers in a gesture that was frankly carnal. Giselle sighed, allowing herself to fall into the kiss. A second later they were brought up short by a discrete cough.
“As much as the Goddess celebrates physical love,” Velor said softly, “I believe I wouldn’t be overstating my bounds by requesting you celebrate yours in private.”
Epilogue
Jerred landed the small shuttle with a gentle thump and flicked off several switches. He left the view screen on, though, and Giselle could see a largish group of people standing to one side of the landing pad.
She had never been more intimidated in her life.
“Relax, they won’t bite,” Jerred said softly. “In fact, I’m imaging they’ll be very happy to meet you. You and I represent their hope for the future.”
“You really should have told me about this before we got together,” Giselle muttered softly. “If I had known marrying you included marrying an entire estate of people, I might have thought twice.”
“Why do you think I didn’t tell you?” he asked archly.
He stood up and led her to the shuttle’s doorway, which opened with a touch of his hand. A set of stairs had already extended itself from their ship.
“Come on,” he said. “It’s all right, I promise. They’ll be happy to meet you.”
“Even your mother?” she asked softly. “The thought of her scares me. She looked so stern in the pictures you showed me. Are you sure she’ll be able to handle a daughter-in-law who isn’t Saurellian?”
“She’ll just have to learn, won’t she?” he replied. “Don’t worry about it. She’ll love you. They all will.”
Giselle rolled her eyes, knowing that would be too good to be true. They walked down the stairs, and a young woman broke free of the group, running up to hug Jerred.
“I’ve missed you so much, Jerred,” she said. He squirmed awkwardly, and then pulled himself free of her embrace.
“Giselle, I’d like you to meet my sister, Krissandra,” he said. “Krissandra, this is Giselle, my wife.”
Giselle smiled hesitantly. She extended one hand to Krissandra, but the young woman pulled her into her arms.
“Thank you so much for bringing my brother home,” Krissandra whispered in her ear. “You can’t imagine how happy we are that he found you.”
“Krissandra, let the poor girl go,” another woman said. Her voice was stern and cool. Krissandra pulled away, and Giselle found herself face to face with a woman who could only be Jerred’s mother.
She was tall and slender, her hair pulled back to the nape of her neck. She wore a full-length gown, one that should have seemed old-fashioned but was entirely elegant instead.
“You must be Giselle,” she said slowly. “I must admit you are not what I expected in a daughter-in-law.
Of course, I had long since given up hope of ever having my son back. I cannot thank you enough for finding him and saving him.”
Giselle nodded her head, dumbstruck. The woman’s tone was so cold that her words hardly sunk in.
“I have waited many years for this day,” she continued. “I understand that you once owned a bar?”
Giselle nodded again, her stomach sinking. Jerred came up beside her, reaching around her waist with one arm. She felt his support and love, and she felt more confident.
“Yes, I owned one for five years,” she replied. “It was very successful.”
“Good, your business skills will serve you well here,” Jerred’s mother replied. “You’ll find that our family estate is just another kind of business. I’m very happy that he found someone who has the skills and intelligence to take my place.”
“I wasn’t planning on taking your place,” Giselle said, horrified. The other woman smiled at her kindly.
“Of course you will,” she said. “You’re his life mate, and he is our heir. My darling, welcome to our family.”
For the first time she smiled, and Giselle felt a weight lift from her shoulders.
“I’m honored to be a member of your family,” she said softly.
“And we’re honored to have you.”