Chapter 408 – At the Beach

Cora

When I blinked open my eyes, I gasped at the gorgeous sight before me. The ocean stretched as far as the eye could see, and at the horizon, just the tiniest sliver of sun was visible, finally sinking below the waves.

To my left and right, a breathtaking beach extended in both directions—perfect white sand where the surf gently crashed, lined with palm trees and scrubby forest. Not a single human building was in sight.

All this beautiful, untouched nature made the luxurious beach daybed I was sitting on even more incongruous. I laughed, looking down at it. But my laughter faded as I admired my flowing white dress, the crisp white sheets, and the warm breeze against my skin. The bed had four posts from which gauzy fabric flowed, and candles were scattered around it.

It was so incredibly beautiful that I gasped. Then I gasped again as I saw a handsome man walking toward me across the beach.

“Hey, gorgeous,” he said, grinning, hands in his pockets. “Looks like it worked.”

Laughing in wonder, I shook my head at my mate. “I thought…I thought it was supposed to be a forest!”

Roger shrugged, looking around at the beautiful landscape, the evening breeze lifting his hair. “That’s Ella’s dream state. I guess this is yours.” He turned to me, a small smile playing on his lips. “Thanks for letting me in.”

“Come sit!” I said, scooting over to make room. My mate obliged, seating himself on the bed. I looked him over, laughing. “Why are you dressed in linen pants?” I asked, wrinkling my nose.

“You dressed me like this!” he protested, waving a hand at himself. “I have no control!”

“I did not,” I laughed, shaking my head. “You look like you’re going to Margaritaville to listen to some Jimmy Buffett.”

Roger glared at me, then closed his eyes, concentrating. In a blink, his clothing changed. He was now in more familiar black pants and a white button-down shirt—though less crisp than what he might wear with a suit. Definitely more beach casual.

“Oh,” he murmured, looking down at himself. “I guess it was me.”

“We could have just taken it off,” I said with a shrug, scooting closer and reaching out to touch him, running my hand over his shoulder and arm. To my surprise, he felt completely corporeal, just as he did in the real world. “Can you feel that?” I asked.

“I can,” he confirmed, a pleasant shudder passing through his body. He took my chin in one hand and leaned in to kiss me—a soft touch of his lips on mine. “Can you feel that?”

“Mmhmm,” I said, leaning back and grinning.

“This is so cool,” Roger said, flopping back onto the bed and staring up at the sky with a wide smile. “Now we can hang out all the time—all day and all night.”

“Nah,” I said, leaning back and resting my head on his shoulder. “Sometimes I’ll lock you in dream jail when you piss me off. And then I’ll come here and have dream margaritas all by myself.”

“Cruel,” he growled, playfully snapping his teeth at me, making me laugh. “Just as I said.”

“Oh yeah!” I said eagerly, sitting up and looking around, remembering where it all started. “Where’s my wolf?!”

“I don’t know,” Roger said, sitting up beside me and looking around as well.

“Why don’t you know?” I asked, turning to him, confused. “Haven’t you done this before?”

“No, Cora,” he said, playfully rolling his eyes. “You’re my first mate, which is kind of required for the exercise. I’ve never done this before either. Everything I know about this comes secondhand from Dominic.”

“Oh!” I said, and then I started to laugh. He sat up and laughed with me, even though he didn’t know what was funny.

“What,” he murmured, taking my face in his hands and kissing me between words, “what’s so funny?”

“It’s just so cute,” I whispered, still giggling. “Usually, I feel like the naive one with all this wolf and shifter stuff! But finally, we’re on the same playing field! I get to pop your dream cherry!”

Roger laughed, nodding and kissing me, pulling me back onto the bed.

“Anytime you want, Cora,” he murmured against my mouth as his breathing grew heavier. “You’re the boss in your own dream—I’m ready when you are.”

“Really,” I murmured, rolling him backward so I could straddle his hips, placing a knee on either side of him and laying my stomach flat against his. I ran my hands through his hair, bringing my mouth back to his. “Anytime I want?”

But before he could answer, Roger and I both gasped, our eyes widening. “Oh my god,” I said, freezing on top of my mate, staring into his face.

“Did you,” he whispered, not daring to blink, “did you feel that too?”

I sat up, my hands flying to my stomach. That feeling…it was from the baby—

And then, suddenly and unexpectedly—

It came again.

A single, steady pulse of… happiness.

“Oh…oh my god,” I murmured, tears springing to my eyes. “Seriously, Cora,” Roger said, his voice shaking. He propped himself up on his elbows. “Am I imagining this?”

“No,” I said, shaking my head vehemently and laughing a little, desperately. “I mean, unless we’re both imagining the same thing. Do you…do you think it’s the dream?”

“Or,” he said, reaching out to tentatively touch my stomach, “is our son actually…”

“…happy,” I finished for him.

We got our answer the moment Roger’s palm pressed against my stomach, because it came again.

Happy…happy…

Then I really did burst into tears, burying my face in my hands. Roger sat up, wrapping his arms around me, and I felt his shoulders shaking with his own tears.

Because our little boy—he was finally big enough to be more than just a bundle of cells in my body—a little person feeling his own real feelings, big enough to share them with us through the bond—

And we’d received our first one. It shattered my heart to know that the first thing he was telling us was that he was happy.

“Oh my god,” Roger said, still crying. He took my face in his hands and kissed me, passing his own feelings through the bond to me, and to the baby through their shared bond, which was connected to mine. Roger sent the baby joy, happiness, pride, and love—

And I sent it all too—

But I worried we were overwhelming the baby, so I stopped—

“Don’t stop,” Roger said, his lips still against mine. “Let him feel it.”

So I didn’t. I passed my baby all the love in my heart, my excitement to meet him, and how much of a treasure he already was to me—

And the baby started passing it all back faster now—

Happy, happy, happy.

Roger and I cried harder, laughing together, holding each other tight.