Davonyé
Six months later…
I get home just after one in the morning. I been workin’ extra shifts now that Ari and I have both finished school.
She hates it—but tough. She wanna get binded—I know by her thoughts—but I don't care if we don't need a ring for it, I still wanna put one on her finger.
I got my check today, so I transferred Clarence the rest of the money for the rings, first thing this morning. I told him I didn’t want them until I’d paid them off in full. I mentioned my plans to him while we were goin’ over some things for Leblanc James & Co, and then he told me about those expandable rings that him and Abriya have got.
That was two months ago, and I told Ariella that under no circumstances was she to try get inside my mind to find shit out.
I made her promise.
L J & Co launches next month, and to say I'm nervous is an understatement. My life has changed drastically over these past six months, but I don't regret a single second of the madness cuz I'm happier than I've ever been, and that's all because of Ari.
Abriya and Clarence have decided to stay for now, but we know it ain’t gonna be long before they leave. Abriya’s pregnant again, and we’re pretty sure she wants to raise the new baby there with Amarey.
Ari and I study from home, so no more school for either of us. She’s always off messing with someone’s life at all hours of the day, so she would never have been able to stay at McGill.
Clarisha and Kenyay are back in Alaska, but Tinashe didn’t go with them. She’s gone to Africa on a teaching placement while she finishes school. Dee and Cecile had their baby boy last month, and after Ari told her that Dee Jr was her mate, she was convinced she needed to stay away from him. She’s always asking me how he is, though, but tries to act like it’s just out of manners.
She ain’t foolin’ anyone.
I reach the bedroom and see Ari sleeping in bed beside a load of schoolbooks. She’s down to only needing an hour of sleep a day now. Her need for sleep gets less and less the busier she gets and as the months go by.
My chest straight-up feels tight when I look at her. I miss her when I’m away from her, even if she does always come visit me at work. She's on my mind every single waking moment of my day, and I love her so damn much it makes me crazy.
I can’t lie and say watching Dante and Xara gettin’ married last month didn’t make me feel a way. I watched Ari’s face give away her envy, too, but little does she know that it will soon be us that’s married, and she’ll be a Leblanc, not a James, anymore.
Then she’ll truly be mine.
I resist the urge to kiss her and grab the bag from the spare room next to ours instead. I check to make sure I’ve got everything and then meet Clarence out the front of the main house.
“You ready to roll?” he asks. He’s got a bag with him, too.
“Yeah.”
“You blocked her out?”
“Yeah. She won’t be able to hear me.” I know this shit’s gonna hurt, so I don’t need her hearing me in pain and coming to find me.
“Alright. Let's get moving.”
We strip before we shift and then shove our clothes into our bags before we start to run southwest. We jump over roads and we hit a lot of water on the way, but we jump most of it and manage to avoid being seen by any humans.
I think we might have been seen by one woman, though...
After two hours of straight runnin’, we reach our destination in Michigan. We coulda got a flight, but Clarence said it would be quicker to run, and I know he don’t like leaving Abriya and Amarey for long, either.
We arrive outside a mansion on Heathfield Drive and after getting dressed, Clarence knocks on the door.
A skinny bald white guy with some serious inked-up arms answers the door and smiles at Clarence. “What's good, C?”
“Danny.”
The two bump fists and then we go inside. “You must be Davonyé.”
“Yeah. Good to meet you.” He looks hella different to what I thought he’d look like.
“Likewise. So, you wanna get werewolf inked, huh?”
“Yeah.”
“Y’know the ink stings like a bitch, right?”
“Clarence told me. It's cool.” I’ve seen his work and the man’s ink is next-level good.
He nods. “Aight. Lay down on that couch over there. Let me just get the photo...”
***
We get back to the main house just after seven in the morning. The sun's up and I can smell the wildlife waking in the woods.
“Thanks, Clarence. I appreciate that.”
“You’re welcome.”
We quickly get dressed. Clarence has become like a second dad to me over these past few months. It was hard at first, but I’m slowly allowing him to help with shit that I wouldn’t usually let anyone help with.
“Come inside a sec,” he says, so I follow him inside the house. I make sure I close the front door properly cuz Ari made this entire house soundproof, unless a door or a window’s open.
He leaves me in the kitchen for a minute before returning with a small gift bag. “This is yours.”
I feel anxious as I open the first box, but as soon as I see the ring inside, my nerves go and excitement takes its place. I check the other two boxes and feel good.
“Thank you. They're perfect.” Just how I wanted them.
“I remember when I got mine and Abriya's. Makes you feel a type of way, don't it?”
“Definitely.”
“You know how you gonna do it yet?”
“Not a hundred, but I'll figure it out.”
Ari don't really like fancy shit, so I know I ain't gotta try impress her. She didn't even want rings for the binding, but there's somethin’ about the thought of seeing a ring on her finger every day that makes me feel good inside.
“She still want that binding?”
“Yeah. I'm only gonna ask my Mom to come anyways.” I also know Aura don't really deal with many people.
“Well, we'll be there, so just let us know.”
“We will.” I shake his hand. “Thanks for everythin’. Not just for the rings and tonight, but for everythin’ you and Abriya have done for me since I changed.”
He nods thoughtfully. “You're a good man, Davonyé. Abriya and I see you, and we're more than happy with you as our daughter’s mate.”
“That’s good to know.”
Clarence really don't say much. I could swear he hates me sometimes by the looks he gives me.
He slaps me hard on the back and I roll my eyes. He always does that shit. It's like he wants me to know he can still kick my ass if he wants.
I pick up the rings. “I'm gone. Goodnight, Abriya.”
“Night, Davonyé,” I hear her reply from the bedroom.
I get back to mine to find Ari sat up in bed waiting on me.
“And where have you been?” she asks, smiling curiously.
I give her a look. “You tellin’ me you been a good girl and not snuck a peek?”
Her smile disappears. “I promise you, I haven't.”
“Chill, Bae. I believe you.” I put the gift bag down on the bedside table before sitting next to her on the bed.
She looks sexy as fuck, especially wearing that little tiny vest, with her curls wild and free, but I need a shower first…
She eyes the bag but looks back at me. “Soooo, where did you and Dad go?”
“Take off my sweater and I'll show you.”
She frowns. “Okay...” My sweater disappears from my body and I watch her eyes widen as she looks at my new ink.
She carefully touches my chest, tracing the letters of her name in script above the image of her face in ware form. I had Abriya take pictures of her last week so it wouldn't look so bait.
It’s times like these when I miss us being able to hear each other’s thoughts, but once I’ve asked her to bind to me, I don’t intend to do it again.
Her finger keeps tracing my ink. Her touch is gentle, but it still makes my dick hard as fuck.
Her eyes finally rise to find mine. “Baby... I love it.”
“I love you.”
She kneels to kiss me, holding me tight around my neck, and I hold her around her back. “I love you more.” She pulls away from me to look at my ink again. “I want one.”
Her eyes swirl and then they stop. I frown. “What was that about?”
She’s suddenly naked and then turns to the side. My ware face is inked over her hip and thigh with my name lengthways along the curve of her ass.
“Damn, Ari... That shit is sexy.” I run my hand over it but end up grabbing her ass and pinning her down on the bed. “You tryna make me insane, Bae? Cuz I swear you making me.”
She shakes her head and then pulls me closer to kiss me.
I pull away from her. “I need a shower. I been running for hours.”
She shrugs like she don’t care but bathes me with magic. I notice she uses Armani Code on me, too. I know she likes that one.
I trace her tattoo with my hand, and even though I can't see it, the thought of it being there turns me on like fuck. I grab my dick and slowly guide it inside her before holding her thigh and sinking deeper into her tight heat. She arches her back and closes her eyes. The sight of her when I'm inside her is life, I swear.
“You ain’t know how hard it is not to put a baby in you while you lookin’ so damn beautiful.” I run my tongue along her jawline before biting her chin. She moans, breathlessly, and the sound makes my dick throb like hell inside her.
I roll my waist and give her the slow strokes that she's come to love recently. Hell, I do, too. Shit is intense.
She presses her nails into my skin and I groan as I kiss her neck. I gently begin nipping and sucking on her skin until I reach her shoulder. I know she’s expecting me to bite her hard, but I don’t. I don’t always wanna be rough with her. She’s my Queen, and more than anything, I wanna treasure her, protect her, and keep her safe.
I raise my head to look at her. Her eyes are closed and her mouth is parted as she gasps from me touching those sweet depths.
Fuck… she gets me way up in my feelings.
“Ari?”
She opens her eyes to look at me and I look back into those dark spheres.
“Bind to me. Be my wife, Bae.”
She nods her head and then her eyes shimmer with unshed tears. “Yes.”
I slowly kiss her soft lips and as she holds me tight against her, I swear I feel like I’ve just become the richest man in the world.