Embracing The Lion (Gray Bears 6) by Natalie Kristen

Lord Hugo. They told me that
sex was a dirty, ugly business. They spoke from experience, and I
believed them.”
    She swallowed and went on,
“But you've shown me that sex, when shared with someone you
love, is a beautiful thing. You have shown me so much, Gareth. You
have shown me the true meaning of love, strength and family. You
found me and saved me. Thank you.”
    “Thank you, for letting
me find you,” Gareth said, caressing her cheek lovingly. “And
no one can save you if you didn't want to be saved.”
    He smiled and added, “Thank
you for making the wish, Tara.”
    “Wish?”
    “Yep. You wished for a
happily-ever-after, didn't you?”
    “Yes, but...”
She frowned. “I don't understand...”
    With a grin, Gareth
explained, “Gramma and Ne-ma cast a happily-ever-after spell
for me. If my true mate makes a wish to find her true love—”
He jerked a thumb smugly at himself. “The spell will be
triggered, and our paths will cross.”
    “Wow.” Tara
blinked in amazement. “Wow! Gramma and Ne-ma must be very
powerful witches.”
    Gareth barked out a laugh.
“Gramma and Ne-ma's spells don't always work, but—”
He hugged her tight. “This one did!”

CHAPTER
SIXTEEN

    Tara laughed and chatted with
Kaylee and Olivia as they cleared the tables and cleaned up around
the pub. Gareth had just shooed the last customer out the door and
flipped the “Closed” sign behind the drunken vampire.
The guy'd had one too many bloody bourbons.
    Tara glanced over her
shoulder to see Gareth watching her from behind the bar counter. He
smiled when their eyes met, and Tara's heart skipped a beat. Her
mate was just so handsome and suave, and when he smiled at her, her
world narrowed to just the two of them.
    Olivia nudged her and
giggled. “Stop ogling my boss,” she teased.
    “I'm not...”
    “Oh yes you are,”
Kaylee joined in the teasing. “You and Gareth have been making
goo-goo eyes at each other the whole night!”
    Tara blushed. “I...”
    “Ah, to be young and
newly mated,” Kaylee sighed dramatically.
    “Oh, why can't I find
myself a handsome, hunky mate?” Olivia lamented. “Some
girls have all the luck!”
    Kaylee laughed. “I saw
you flirting with a big, sexy wolf shifter just now. He seems nice.”
    Olivia shrugged. “He's
from out of town. He's just passing through.”
    “Maybe he'll find a
reason to stay...”
    Tara continued mopping the
floor, half listening to the gossip and banter between Olivia and
Kaylee. Olivia and Kaylee were fun to work with, and she was getting
to know quite a few of the regular customers.
    Gareth had asked her if she
would like to work at The Round Table, and she had said yes
immediately. She found that she enjoyed working at the pub
tremendously. Kaylee, Olivia and even the customers were all so
sweet and helpful, and she found that once she stopped worrying about
not getting things right the first time, she actually learned faster
and worked better.
    “Winston's here,”
Olivia announced. “You better go, Kaylee.”
    “Hi!” Winston
poked his head through the door and smiled. “All ready to go?
Want a lift, Olivia?”
    “Oh yes, thanks!”
    Gareth waved them all off.
“Go! Tara and I will put everything away and lock up.”
    “Okay, bye Tara! Bye,
boss!” Kaylee and Olivia called out cheekily as they ducked
out the door. “Be good now.”
    Tara laughed. She was
getting used to the sound of her own laughter, and she was truly
amazed at how free and happy she felt. And to think that she'd
wanted to destroy herself. What a fool she was.
    When the whole place was neat
and tidy, Gareth locked up the premises and took her hand. Together,
they strolled down the sleepy, peaceful street as they walked and
talked under the stars.
    Even though Tara could walk
freely in the sun, she found that she preferred the moonlight to the
sunlight. Gareth realized that, and he would take slow walks with
her at night. He took the opportunity to show her different parts