“I still can’t believe that you had a mating ceremony,” Tao said to Trey. “There isn’t a romantic bone in your body.”

“Oh and you’re a regular Romeo, are you, Tao?” Taryn’s question was rhetorical.

“Hey, I admit it – the likelihood of me ever having one is slimmer than slim.”

“Same here,” said Trick. Ryan grunted, agreeing with him.

Trey tskd. “You say that now, but it’ll be different when you meet your mate. They have a way of always getting what they want.” He gave Taryn a mock scowl. She smiled brightly.

Dante snorted. “Look, I’m not saying I wouldn’t have a ceremony. You know me, I love parties and if there’s an excuse to throw one, I’ll do it. But if you’re insinuating that anyone could have me wrapped around their little finger, you’re damn wrong.”

Marcus turned to Dominic. “With all your lines, they’ll be wrapped around your little finger,” he said sarcastically. “There’s no way a woman could possibly resist your charm.”

Dominic smiled. “Or my dick. Don’t worry, I won’t get it out. I don’t want you all to get intimidated. And in the interest of health and safety, I think it’s better that he’s not unleashed.”

Taryn gaped when Greta laughed. Laughed! “Excuse me a sec,” said Taryn, standing up, “I need to pee again.” Seeing that Marcus and Trick were trying to hide laughs, she smacked them both over the head as she passed the table.

“Hey, wait, I’ll come with you,” called Shaya. “So how are you feeling?” she asked as they walked, gesturing to Taryn’s belly.

“Fine, just irritated by the constant need to pee. How are you?”

“I’m good. Speaking of pee, I swear I almost peed in my pants earlier. Isn’t Dominic hilarious! I haven’t laughed that hard in a long time.”

“Yes, he is. And very cute. So is Nick.”

“Don’t start trying to play matchmaker.”

“Would I do that?” Taryn asked with mock innocence. Shaya snorted. After a quick journey to her en-suite bathroom to answer the call of nature, they both descended the steps of the mountain. To Taryn’s complete surprise, Lance was waiting for her at the bottom.

“I’ll just go back to the party and wait there,” announced Shaya, her expression confused.

Taryn faced her father and raised a brow questioningly.

For a few seconds, he just looked at her. Then, having cleared his throat, he finally spoke. “I’m not going to make excuses for any of my behavior toward you, but I will tell you that a big part of it was that you looked so much like your mom that it made recovering from her death that much harder. I know that’s not an excuse, and like I said, I’m not going to make any. Why are you looking at me like that?”

Her frown deepened. “It’s just that you sound, well, normal. I’m not sure whether that means we need to increase your medication or mine.”

He rolled his eyes. “Anyway, as I was saying, a decent father would have been there for you after your mom’s death. Maybe another father wouldn’t have shoved you aside on discovering that you were latent, or maybe he would’ve done exactly as I did. But I lied when I said that her mom would have turned her back on you. She never would have done that.”

“I know. You’d also be lying if you said that we’d still be having this conversation if I hadn’t managed to overcome my latency.”

“Maybe. It’s not something that anyone has ever done before, as far as we’re aware. Your strength has made me see you in a different light, I suppose.”

“I know you didn’t do it for me, but I’m thankful that you helped with the battle – if we hadn’t had the numbers we needed, many of us could be dead right now, including Trey and our child.”

“You’re right. I didn’t do it for you. But, still…I’m glad none of you are dead. And I’m glad you have found your true mate. I know from what I had with your mom that’s it’s something that can’t be equaled.”

“Everything okay, baby?” asked Trey as he stepped out of the trees.

She’d known he was approaching and had sensed his concern for her through their bond. Clearly he’d felt the awkwardness she was feeling as she spoke with Lance. “Yes, fine.”

He held his hand out to her, looking at Lance speculatively. “Come on, let’s head back to the party.”

“Perry, Oscar, and I are leaving now. They’re waiting for me by the car.”

Taryn pouted. “So soon? But I haven’t had a chance to poison your beer yet.”

Rolling his eyes and sighing, Lance gave both her and Trey a nod before disappearing through the trees, heading for his car.

She took Trey’s hand and let him lead her back to the party. Just like the time they went to a mating ceremony at Nick’s territory, Taryn and Trey didn’t bother dancing with the others. They saw little point in embarrassing themselves in front of their guests by revealing just how little rhythm they had. As Taryn wasn’t allowed to drink any alcohol, Trey was sweet enough to refrain from having any himself to be supportive. Who would have thought to the psycho highlander could be so sweet?

Feeling Taryn’s head lean on his shoulder, Trey smiled. “Tired?” Naturally she denied it and sat upright again. Every day she was usually wiped out by the time she’d finished dinner and went for a nap. Today had been especially tiring for her and she obviously needed sleep. He stood and lifted her from her seat, curling her legs around him. “Come on, you need to lie down for a little while.”

“No, I don’t. Stop fussing, I just wanted to lean on you and have some contact with my mate. God forgive me.”

If she hadn’t yawned, he might have believed her. “Shut up,” he said gently when she went to object.

“How many times do you have to be told, hussy? Listen to your body – if it tells you that you need to sleep, then sleep.”

Taryn smiled at her. “Thanks for reminding me how important it is that I take care of myself, Greta. I’m not sure what I’d do if you weren’t around. Although it’s fun thinking about it.”

Before the argument could become heated, Trey carried her out of the clearing, inside the caves, and then into their bedroom. Having placed her carefully on the bed, he lay beside her and pulled her flush against his body. She found her own little groove and fit there like the last piece of a jigsaw, making him whole. She made him whole both inside and out, and he couldn’t understand how he’d functioned without her before she came into his life.