You&Me: Book 4

Chapter 42: Happy Tears (Archer)

Saigon entered the house and dumped the bags right at the door. "Finally." He shuffled off toward the living room.

Shaking my head, I dragged everything to the laundry room. That would have to be a chore for tomorrow. I went to the entryway to take off my shoes.

"So, let me have it?" Saigon was sprawled across the couch with his eyes closed. "How horrible was it?"

Unzipping my coat, I put it on one of the hooks. "I liked it."

One eye peeked open. "I'm not going to tell my grandma on you."

"I mean it," I replied. "It was nice. Stressful and overwhelming—" I rubbed my arm. "I think more people than I thought know about my moon sensitivity. No one made a big deal about it, at least."

Saigon sat up. "We have to do it again in less than a month."

"Christmas?"

He nodded.

"My dad seemed excited, but I don't really get the point of it," I said. "Your grandma kept asking me what I wanted." I shrugged. "I don't know enough about human things to want something."

Saigon smiled. "I have a couple of ideas if you need a suggestion."

I scoffed. "It's a gift for me, not you." I went to sit by him on the couch.

He fell against my side. "Well, since we're together, it's practically a gift for both of us. If we combine our wishlist, we could ask for bigger stuff."

"You have this all figured." I massaged his head. "You're in it for bigger presents."

"It's a perk," he said with a chuckle. Laying his head on my lap, he closed his eyes. "I say we turn in early. I'm exhausted."

"I'd be okay with that." I traced his features. "Would you be okay if I slept in your room?"

Saigon shot up, startling me. I peered at him, wide-eyed.

"Really?" He swallowed hard. "Yeah, sure. I—"

I kissed him. "I got used to it the last few days. It's kind of nice. It's the wolf coming out in me."

"It could be our room." He clasped my hand. "Not mine but ours."

I smiled. "I'd like to try it."

He wrapped me up in his arms and squeezed me tightly. "I've never been so excited to share a room in my life."

"You're crushing me," I groaned.

Saigon let go. "I'll get it ready." He jumped to his feet and darted up the stairs.

"Ready?" I listened to him banging around, slightly confused.

With a sigh, I stood and wandered upstairs. Saigon had ripped off the blankets onto the floor and was struggling to get the sheets on.

"What are you doing?"

"It's been a while, okay?" he muttered, annoyed.

"Here." I held out my hand.

He gave it to me and I found the bottom of the sheet that smelled of laundry detergent. Giving him one side, we worked together to put the bed back together. Saigon climbed into the middle and let out a huff. Sitting down on the corner, I took off my shirt. I stood to remove my pants when Saigon darted by and went into the bathroom. I laughed to myself. It was pretty clear he was feeling a bit self-conscious.

Glancing at the two pillows, I took the right side and peered up at the ceiling as the water ran in the other room. Saigon returned soon after. He took the other side with a huge grin on his face. Leaning over, he kissed my cheek.

His breath had a minting scent.

"I guess it's my turn." I went to the bathroom to finish getting ready for bed.

Feeling a bit more refreshed, I returned and climbed under the covers. Saigon had already turned off the lights. We laid there and looked at each other. I cupped his cheek and gave him a quick kiss.

"Saigon?"

"Hmm..." He sat up on his elbow.

My hand ran over my shoulder. "I want to be with you."

His eyes grew wide.

"The sex thing still scares the shit out of me, but I'd be alright having your mark."

"Archer?" His mouth fell open.

"I talk to my dad a bit. He helped clear my head, so I could start thinking straight." I smiled to myself. "Or slightly curved because there's nothing straight about this."

Saigon moved, so his chest was on top of mine. "You're sure, though. It's not something I can take back. You understand what marking someone does to us."

I nodded. "I would never joke about this. I gave it serious thought and my time here, even among god awful humans," I laughed. "It's been some of the happiest moments. We didn't do much, but I still felt better being here with you than at the cave." I clasped my shoulder. "At least with your mark, I don't have to worry about you running away again. You won't be able to leave." I gave him a smirk. "And I plan on using that to my advantage."

Sitting up, I kissed him. He clasped the back of my neck and deepened it. I moved, so I was straddling him as we continued to kiss. His hands ran across my back.

"It'll hurt," he whispered. "I can wait until you're ready to mate officially."

I rolled my head to the side. "I'd rather you mark me now." I smiled. "I'm not a sub, Saige. It'll hurt but not as bad as you think."

He gave me a peek before taking a deep breath. "Last chance."

I didn't move and raised a brow.

Saigon kissed my shoulder before licking the area. I could feel his teeth elongate and rubbed against my skin. Taking slow and steady breaths, I prepared myself. Cradling my head, he wrapped his jaws around my shoulder and bit down. My sight went black for a moment as the air rushed from my lungs. It hurt. It hurt way more than I expected. I had asked a beta to mark me, so I shouldn't be that surprised. The pain quickly faded. I fell against him as he cleaned the wound. My skin was already pulling back together.

I noticed a glint in Saigon's eyes. "Are you crying?"

Groaning, he rubbed his face. "I never thought I'd ever get to do this. It's a bit overwhelming on my part, too."

I kissed his hands as I pulled them away. "So, how does it feel? We're engaged."

He looked so close to crying. "Amazing. So goddamn amazing."

Saigon hugged me tightly as I wrapped my arms around his neck.

"You can tell the alpha," I said in his ear. "And everyone else."

Nodding, he wiped his eyes. "Everyone is going to freak out. If Christmas wasn't so close, I bet they'd all come running here to see it for themselves." He stared at the red teeth marks.

"True. Our dads were talking about being in-laws already." I sat back and lifted his chin.

His eyes were still watering. It was sweet. Someone was actually this happy to be with me. I had overlooked the one person that loved me this much for so many years.

I touched my new scar. "I'm yours now."

He scoffed at the remark and cleaned his face. "We both know that is a load of bullshit. I'm yours. Emotionally and physically, I'm connected to you." He laid his head against my chest. "You meant the world to me before I marked you. Now you have even more power."

I rocked from side to side. "That doesn't sound too bad. I'll have a beta to do my bidding," I laughed.

Saigon peered up at me. "We're going to have a human wedding as well."

"I've accepted that I can't get out of it," I breathed.

"We'll need to get rings?"

Lifting an eyebrow, I looked at him, confused. "What?"