Tatsu knew that Pepper was not someone of means, and that the delicate looking bracelet he had presented to her was probably more valuable than anything she had ever touched in her life before today. Except, ironically enough, the books he had given her. Those tomes were priceless, and yet because they were clearly old, and probably because they were books, she seemed to not realize their sheer monetary worth. The bracelet was fairly mundane by comparison, at least as far as he was concerned.

Still, he tried not to show too much amusement at her reluctance to touch the jewelry. Her nervousness was not to be made light of by any means.

"I would not call it irreplaceable, Miss Pepper. No one has worn this piece in many years now and the box is more ornamental than anything, just a place to keep it while it is not being worn." Tatsu smiled faintly and sat back in his seat, simply watching unconcerned as she handled the artifact. "It was beautifully crafted by a master goldsmith from Essyrn, and enchanted by a skilled mage, some four hundred years ago, I believe. The bracelet cannot break, nor can it become tarnished, so please do not look so troubled. You will not do it harm. It is one of the multitudes of magical items I have for sale here. There are many, many more and I would be happy to show them to you."

They might be considered priceless treasures, but Tatsu was far from stingy, and while others may have thought someone of Pepper's status to be unworthy of even looking at such valuable and expensive things, well, he was far more interested in her ability and potential as a mage than the circumstances of her birth or her current financial means.

"Oh! There are so many cool treasures we have tucked away in the shop, you should really see them. I bet there are some that you would really like." Nellie spoke up excitedly, a bit of a sparkle in her eye, clearly she was quite proud and passionate about the shop she ran with her father.

"Ah, no. Not yet. I have both of ours here." Erthe said quietly, not daring to move closer right now. He was nervous, of her anger, but there were so many feelings tangled up inside of him. His earlier words had been harsh, and he regretted them. They were spoken in anger and frustration and despair.

He should not have spoken at all. Erthe shouldn't care about anything but following the orders given to him. That was his purpose. His only purpose.

"I am...sorry. For earlier. I said things I should not."

"O-okay." Mikhail didn't know what else to say at that moment. He didn't want to keep being troublesome, but he also wanted to accept that Theo really didn't mind his constant chattering. If he was being honest he wasn't usually this talkative, but the ex-slave had usually been in company he found less than pleasant. He didn't want to speak to his masters and oppressors, but the kind man who had helped him - who was still helping him - was another story entirely.

Still, he really did want to stop making them stop. Mikhail kept sneaking concerned glances over at Theo, wanting to hurry and see that the elf got some rest.

"Sure, sure..." Joss released a small cloud of smoke from his cigar as he leaned against the building next to the door and folded his arms across his chest. He wasn't fully confident that it would be fine, but the only way to really test the range of the sigils was to, well, test how far he could stand to be away from Calen without getting sick.

It was insanely annoying that the mage only felt anxious when moving away from him while Joss got downright ill to the stomach, but there wasn't much to be done about it.

"Just don't take too long, in case I do start heaving, yeah?"

"Heh." Joss was still smirking around his cigar as he shrugged again. He knew he didn't give off a good impression on almost anybody. It didn't surprise him that Calen figured he would have a lot more enemies than just demons, but he honestly didn't concern himself with much else, aside from the occasional inhuman monster causing problems for normal folks.

"Alright, seems really easy. So we just go in and leave a message, this should only take a minute." He really didn't see why the mage was so on guard.

"Big ol' nope to all of that. Anybody that becomes enough of a problem to me doesn't usually last too long, ya'know? Only problems we might have are with demons. They're not my biggest fans, if you can imagine that." Joss hunted demons, most people were pretty okay with that - except of course demons. He was good at pissing people off, but also dangerous enough that they were usually smart enough to let it go. When they didn't, well, he wasn't the most compassionate or merciful adversary.

"Does it surprise you that aside from some petty bar fights that I actually don't get into a lot of trouble?" Joss shrugged and smirked.

"Mm." Joss didn't answer right away, mulling over the words as he puffed on his cigar, glancing towards the people at the entrance of the alley. He hadn't actually noticed the way Calen had tried to block him from them.

"Well, they are protection sigils." He finally said, sighing with a shake of his head. "I don't really know how they work. They can do all kinds of things that we don't know about yet - and won't know until it happens."

"Yup." Joss sighed, they didn't have much choice. He fell into step behind Calen, following the mage with slumped shoulders. They didn't get far before the demon hunter had pulled his cigar case out of his coat, putting one between his lips and a quick gesture of one hand caused the end to spark to life. He pulled in a deep drag before blowing out a small cloud of smoke and glancing around.

"You look nervous Frosty." Unlike Calen, Joss looked fairly relaxed, as if they were on a casual stroll and not traversing one of the most dangerous cities on the face of the planet.

"Nope." The answer was followed by another sleepy grumble as Tobias nuzzled even more against her. His hand trailed down her back and over her hip, giving a light hum as he felt her hands rubbing his back.

"Do we have to move? I'm so comfortable." He didn't want to give up the warm tangle of their bodies yet. Pleasant memories of the previous night filtered through his mind and he felt himself smiling against Tessa's hair. His voice was low and slightly gruff from sleep. "Did you sleep well darlin'? My dreams were filled with you and our future home. I can't wait until those dreams are real."

"Mhm." It was barely a reply, but they were both already starting to drift. They had certainly managed to wear themselves out. Tobias felt it was absolutely worth it as he fell asleep completely wrapped around Tessa.

His dreams were peaceful, filled with images of his mate and their little ones laughing and playing together at their humble country home.

Deep brown eyes opened groggily the next morning, but quickly shut again as Tobias buried his face into Tessa's hair with a sleepy grumble. He was too comfortable and warm to wake up already. They were still very tangled up together and he was pleased about it as he gently squeezed her to him a little tighter.

Tobias could only cling to Tessa, allowing her to comfort him. She was his lifeline, his everything. He truly didn't know what he would do without her. Tessa had become his whole world, and they were growing that world together with the new life nestled safely in his mate's belly.

"I love you both so much. I can't wait either, it's going to be so amazing when they get here and we get to hold them for the first time." Tobias knew that was going to be one of the happiest moments in his entire life, the day he got to hold his first child in his arms. The wolf was just as eager to see their pup, gleefully awaiting the day they came into the world.

"Let's try to get some sleep now, love. We can start thinking of names tomorrow." He reached a hand up so that he could run his fingers lovingly through Tessa's hair as he pressed a soft kiss to the top of her head. They were thoroughly entangled together, and he couldn't think of a more comfortable way to sleep.

"Me too." Tobias said with a admittedly slightly sappy smile as he snuggled up to his wife happily. He still had trouble really believing it. She was Tessa Slate now. This gorgeous, loving, kind-hearted woman was his wife. How he had managed to deserve her he would never know. Although he still wasn't convinced he did deserve her, because as far as he was concerned Tessa deserved everything.

He would give her the world if she but asked him for it.

The sound of her suddenly giggling as she was nuzzling into his neck made that same sappy smile return. Tobias loved hearing her laughter. It was the most beautiful sound.

What she said next had his heartbeat rising once again. They were having a baby. It wasn't that he didn't know that, of course he already knew, but just being reminded once more of it had him grinning broadly and pressing a loving kiss to his mate's temple.

"I hadn't either. There's a lot of time still, but I can't believe it. I - I never thought baby names would be something I would have to think about." Tobias felt his eyes well up - just a little. When he had become a werewolf he truly thought he would never have a family, and that had been devastating to him, because building his own family had been what he'd wanted more than anything else in the world.

He had thought that dream was dead.

Tobias hugged her tightly to his chest once again, nuzzling into her hair. "I love you so much. You and this baby mean everything to me. Without you nothing else even matters."

Tobias kept his face buried against his wife's shoulder, giving soft, apologetic kisses to the bite as he tried to catch his breath. His arms remained firmly around her, keeping them pressed close together as they recovered from the intense lovemaking.

He felt amazing.

The werewolf was more than happy to collapse onto the bed with Tessa, relaxing against the mattress while clinging lightly to his wife. A satisfied smirk quirking his lips as he basked in the afterglow. Her words had him lifting his head so that he could look into her eyes, the gold softening in a loving warmth.

"I can say the same about you, Tessa Slate." Tobias lifted one hand so he could gently cup her face, pressing a soft kiss to her forehead. "You make life worth living."

The wolf didn't respond with words. He didn't need to speak an answer - raw, primal actions would speak louder than any words.

Their ragged, panted breaths mingled as Tessa began to match his movements, bodies falling in sync with one another as he took her. Tobias kissed her again and again, mouth and tongue hard and dominating. The wolf was more than happy to claim his mate, to assert to them both that Tessa was his and no one else could ever have her.

When her head tilted back, Tobias dipped his head so that he could attach his mouth to her throat, nipping and sucking at the hot skin with possessive growls. He loved the way her hands clutched at his back, her fingers digging in didn't hurt at all.

"I'm so close, Tessa." Tobias lifted his head so that he could look down into her face, despite the intense, hard pace there was something soft and loving in his golden eyes, "Reach it with me."

His arms wrapped around her, holding her body tightly to his as he adjusted his thrusts so that he would drive hard against that place he had hit, that had made her stutter and beg. He held it for as long he could, waiting to feel her body reach that breaking point, and when she did, Tobias buried his face against her shoulder to muffle a cry of bliss, teeth finding her skin and biting down harshly as he spilled his hot seed deep within her.

"Minx." Tobias accused with a ragged breath at her drawing out her teasing that moment longer, not that he really had an ground to stand on. He had taken his sweet, delighted time teasing her after all. Still, he found himself biting his lip extra hard as he watched Tessa slowly kissing her way back up his body.

One hand stayed tangled in her hair, lightly cupping the back of her neck as their lips met, the other had moved to run over her side and back as she rested against him. The way her hips rocked against him had a sharp breath escape him.

It was hard to focus on anything but her and the things he was feeling, both emotionally and physically. Tobias shuddered as she whispered his name. His body was almost painfully tense, everything was overwhelming as his breathes came out in ragged pants. His eyes dilated sharply as their lips came together in yet another heated kiss, her words ringing in his ears.

Gods she was irresistible, too good to be true. Hearing his mate tell him how badly she needed him was almost enough to make him lose control then and there.

A few moments later the werewolf felt his heart stutter, mind reeling from the words whispered in his ear. For a split second Tobias wasn't sure he had heard correctly. The wolf was sure though, and the golden glow completely overtook the brown in his eyes. His hands gripped his mate, quickly rolling them so that he was pinning her to the bed once again.

"Be careful what you ask for, my love." His voice was a low, husky growl, and there was an edge to it. Tessa could probably tell by now just how close to the surface the wolf was. Tobias kissed her fiercely even as he shifted his hips, lining himself up so that with one quick, hard thrust he could hilt himself inside her. A mix of a groan and growl was muffled into the kiss as he began moving his hips, the motions not tender, but made to drive himself deeply into his mate with every stroke.

If her goal was to bait the wolf, then she had succeeded.

"Maybe," Tobias panted, looking down at her with a mixture of adoration and anticipation, "But just 'cause I'm biased don't make it any less true."

Any man, and plenty of women, would have agreed with him. Tessa was a gorgeous woman. Of course the idea of another looking at his mate lustfully caused the wolf to emit a low growl as the gold brightened in his eyes. He had to bite his lip and squeeze his eyes shut to rein in that brief, irrational spark of jealousy.

Nobody else was there. She was his and he was hers.

Luckily it was easy to have any stray thoughts driven from his mind as he felt her mouth on him. He couldn't fully swallow the moan that rose up, though he did keep it muffled by once again biting his lip. It was so hard as he saw her looking up at him, just that small glimpse through they curtain of silky dark hair. His fingers stroked through her hair and he allowed himself to gasp out soft, quiet moans as he let his head fall back.

"Tessa, oh gods." Tobias had to lie back and brought the hand not tangled in his wife's hair to his mouth in a fist, just pressing it against his lips to muffle a sudden whimper of pleasure. "It feels amazing. I - I won't last long like this, but darlin' I want to be inside you. Please."

Tobias groaned softly into the kiss, heart thrumming wildly in his chest at the intensity behind it. She could be so very shy at times, but also fierce. It was so attractive. He loved both sides of it, her blushes were so adorable and the assertive, needy, almost demanding side was incredibly sexy. This woman could be the death of him and he would die happy.

Just like right now, her hands running down his body was enough to leave him hot and panting, eyes burning golden and bright as he realized what she was doing. She had him biting his lip, eyes hooding lightly as he rolled off her so he was on his back, or would be if not for propping himself up on one elbow so that he could watch her, free hand running his fingers through her hair. He loved the way her cheeks flushed.

"You're so gorgeous." Tobias breathed quietly.

Feeling the way her fingers tightened in his hair, Tobias growled softly. It felt nice, the way it pulled just a little, and his eyes closed as he savored the soft mewls that came from her as he pushed her over the edge. He slowly stilled his motions, withdrawing both hand and mouth from her as he lightly rested his chin on her stomach, looking very pleased with himself as he gazed up at her adoringly.

"I love you too." Tobias tilted his head slightly into her touch, eyes closing lightly as he enjoyed the warmth of her hand against his cheek and the feel of her hand petting his hair.

"Mm. I hope not." His eyes flickered softly as he smirked at her, crawling his way back up her body until he could press his forehead against hers. Tobias reached between them so that he could loosen his pants enough to slide them off his hips, freeing himself from what had become terribly confining and uncomfortable.

It was hard to thing clearly, mind clouded in a haze of passion as Tobias simply basked in these heated moments, reveling in each sound of pleasure he drew out of Tessa, adoring the way her body arched and reached to his touch.

Was this the closet to a truly normal day with his wife that he'd experienced so far? At the Varrys household they had been restricted to secretive trysts, and the time in the woods, while deliciously intense, was while they were fleeing from Erik Varrys's wrath. Sure, they had been on their way to start a normal, quiet life together as a family, but there had still been that looming threat behind them.

Here, now, there was no anxiety over what would happen to them because of her family, no fear of being discovered doing something forbidden. Tobias was just a man loving his wife in that moment, and he felt such a sense of love and peace beneath the lust.

"Don't hold it back, Tessa." He had lifted his head for just a moment, enough to look up at her through lidded eyes, voice husky as he laid one arm over her hips to hold her in place, the other moving between their bodies so he could gently sink two fingers into her waiting heat as his mouth moved back down to cover that little sensitive button, softly massaging it with broad strokes of his tongue.

Tobias felt his entire body shudder and had to pause, lips still pressed against Tessa's skin. Hearing his wife beg for him was insanely hard to resist. Had his earlier begging had the same impact on her? There was certainly a part of him that wanted to give in and indulge his beautiful mate. Another part fought back, not wanting this to be over too quickly.

"Patience darlin'. Let me savor this." His eyes raised so he could look up at her with that smoldering golden heat. A moment later he turned his attention back to leaving a burning trail down Tessa's body with his mouth, pressing a tender kiss on the soft swell of her lower stomach.

A final shifting of his body had him situated perfectly, hot breath washing over his mate's sex for a few moments before his tongue languidly took his first taste of her in what felt like forever. Tobias couldn't help but let out a low, growling groan, licking his lips before his tongue darted out in earnest, eagerly caressing over the most sensitive parts of his beloved.