A Warm Heart in Winter(92)

“I don’t think that’s what’s happening here,” somebody said gently.

Which was when Blay realized Qhuinn was still very definitely conscious. And not collapsing . . .

. . . but down on one knee.

Staring up with blue and green eyes that glowed with love.

Abruptly, the room tilted and spun—and that sensation of spinning got more intense as Qhuinn took Blay’s dagger hand into his own.

In a voice that was full of emotion, Qhuinn said, “Thank you for all your support since . . . my brother’s passing. And thank you for all the nights and days before that. And thank you for all the nights and days that are ahead of us.”

“What are you doing?” Blay breathed.

“I love our middle, Blay. It isn’t without challenges, but with you? I believe I can get through them—I believe with you, anything is possible.” Qhuinn pressed his lips to Blay’s palm and placed it against the side of his face. “I don’t want to wait any longer. I want us to be properly mated. Luchas didn’t just give me one last way to honor him—he provided me with the example of one sure way to honor you. Let’s follow in his footsteps. His end came too soon, but our middle is here now. Mate me, my love? Mate me now, here. Let’s not waste even a moment. Please, make me yours. Please, be mine. Officially, before all of our family.”

Blay started to blink back tears. And then he was on his knees, too.

As he stammered to give his answer, he reflected that time was never a given, love was never to be taken for granted, and some gifts could not be wrapped and put under a tree.

“Yes. Yes, yes, yes . . .” he said over and over again as they kissed.

There was some kind of commotion around them, and when he finally returned to his body, he saw that everyone around the table had gotten to their feet and were cheering and clapping—and every single doggen in the house had flooded into the dining room and were jumping up and down.

With a laugh, Blay wondered whether their excitement was also because they were going to have to get ready for a big party.

And there was one other thing he noticed.

Out of the corner of his eyes, he saw Lassiter standing back against the wall, a satisfied expression on his face.

“He was right,” Qhuinn murmured as he looked over at the angel as well.

“About what?”

“You said yes.”

At that moment, Lassiter bowed to them. And then blew them both a kiss.

Blay refocused on his mate and felt a wave of love come over him. “As if there could ever have been any other answer?”





Talk about a whirlwind.

And yet even though everything came together in a matter of nights, it still felt like the preparations for the mating ceremony took too damned long.

Not that Qhuinn would ever have said so to Fritz. Especially considering that the butler and his staff had worked around the clock. The thing was, though, when Qhuinn had dropped to one knee and asked his true love to properly mate him, he’d intended to have the ceremony then and there.

Like, bring on the daggers, get the salt, let’s do this thing.

Cooler heads had prevailed, however—and like he could deny Bitty’s party-planning committee a chance to put on its first event?

At least it was all finally going down. Tonight. Right now.

As Qhuinn came to the top of the grand staircase and looked down at the foyer below, everything had been transformed: Black candles flickered from a hundred different stanchions, and a ceremonial table had been set up, also draped with black, and the entire household, along with Blay’s parents, were assembled on the mosaic floor, everyone in formal garb.

It was go time. For real.

Wrath was standing behind the table, George on one side, Tohr on the other. And behind them, the Brotherhood was lined up, all of them bare-chested and wearing the same loose black pants that Qhuinn had on.

“You ready?”

At the sound of Qhuinn’s favorite voice in all the world, he turned. His mate was stepping out of their bedroom and he took a moment to enjoy the sight of that bare chest and that handsome face and that red hair. On a whim, Qhuinn had gotten ready in the second-floor sitting room, just for this moment—and he was so glad that he had.

“You look amazing,” he said as Blay came up to him.

“I’m just in the same thing you are.”

“Come here, kiss me.” Qhuinn tugged his male forward until their lips met. “I’m more than ready for this. You?”

“I can’t believe this is happening. And yes, I’m soooo ready.”

Mating ceremonies for members of the glymera were highly prescribed affairs—no surprise there. Add in the fact that one of the couple was a member of the Black Dagger Brotherhood? That elevated everything to a celestial realm in terms of propriety—and there was a list of things that traditionally “had” to happen.

Not the least of which was a mandatory mourning period to honor Luchas’s death.

Yet he and Blay had decided to do all of this their way, and Wrath had given them his blessing. And as for the mourning period? Qhuinn felt as though this was all partially for Luchas. He had what his brother did not: This moment now, with his true love.

“Let’s do this,” Qhuinn said.

They each took the other’s hand and then they walked down to the assembly together. When they got to the bottom, they took the twins from Layla and Xcor, who were both glowing with happiness for them, and then they with their young went up to Wrath and the ceremonial accoutrement of two black daggers, an enormous bowl of salt, and a pitcher of water.