by Lola Gabriel
She’s pregnant with my child, and she played me for a fool! If her doctor hadn’t happened to be a Lycan, I would have never known!
Reef knew exactly where he was going. He had Googled Penny’s house dozens of times while he decided whether to show himself. As if guided by an internal map, he landed on her street, shaking the pavement with the impact of his massive form, uncaring of who saw him. A part of him wanted to ensure his presence was known for miles around, but as he shifted back, he did not sense any eyes on him.
The house was small, charming, not unlike a gingerbread house in fairy tales. Reef found his legs rooted on the curb, unwilling to move. What was he going to say to Penny?
He’d envisioned the barrage of angry words in his mind’s eye hundreds of times over the past weeks, but somehow, none of the things he’d rehearsed seemed appropriate any longer, now that he knew she was the mother of his unborn child.
She betrayed me, but we are bound together no matter what.
“Can I help you?” An attractive older lady appeared in the doorway, peering at him with inquisitive blue eyes, and Reef instantly recognized Penny in the woman.
“I’m looking for Penny. Is she home?”
A shadow crossed over her face. “Let me guess—you’re the daddy?”
A wave of heat touched Reef’s face. It was true. Penny was pregnant.
“Mrs. Carling, is Penny home?” Reef asked again, finally managing to move his feet forward. “It’s imperative that I speak with her.”
“Good luck.” Mrs. Carling pushed open the door and nodded toward the back of the house. “She’s in her room—again.” She stepped aside and allowed Reef inside, again gesturing toward where he might find Penny. “Maybe you can talk sense into her. I keep telling her that moping about isn’t good for the baby, but…”
Reef cast her a confused look, but the woman returned to the kitchen without another word. Reef inhaled deeply before raising a hand to rap at the door. There was no response, and Reef didn’t bother knocking again.
Penny’s back was to him as she sat on her bed, unmoving and staring out the window.
“What are you looking at?”
She gasped and whipped her head around to stare at him in shock.
“Reef!” Penny lunged toward him, her arms outstretched, but Reef stepped back, even though it took every fiber of his being to resist. Shock colored Penny’s face, and she quickly retreated. “What are you doing here?”
“What? You thought you could just escape and be done with me?” Reef snickered. “You almost got your wish. Too bad your doctor is a Lycan.”
Confusion and disbelief twisted Penny’s face. “I never wanted to escape from you!” she cried. “Violet drugged me and snuck me out of the palace.”
“I saw you walking with her. You looked perfectly happy to be going.”
“What?” she choked. “No, Reef! I told her I couldn’t leave without sending you a message, but when I tried to fight her, she knocked me unconscious. I woke up on a park bench in Louis Armstrong Park. I swear on my life!”
Her voice rang true with conviction, but Reef didn’t know what to believe. Sprites did have the ability to cast temporary spells, such as one that could cause memory spots and hypnosis.
“I would never have left like that,” Penny insisted, reading the doubt on his face. “I waited for you to come for me. I tried to find the portal, but it was gone.”
“Find the portal? You would have killed yourself trying to go through.”
“I didn’t care. I was out of my mind. I had no way of finding you.”
“Are you okay in here, Penny?” Mrs. Carling popped her head into the room and narrowed her eyes.
“Yes, Mom,” Penny said. “This is Reef Parker.”
“Reef?” Mrs. Carling muttered. “That’s your name?”
“Yes, Mrs. Carling. Pleasure to meet you.”
“You were calling out for him,” the woman said in wonderment. Then she turned to Reef. “You’re the reason she’s been sulking about.”
“Mom, Reef is the baby’s father,” Penny explained, shooting Reef a nervous look. Rather than being nervous, he was suddenly filled with a sense of pride that he’d never known before.
“You better do right by that baby, then,” Mrs. Carling snapped. “I don’t care how pretty you might be.”
“Mom, can you give us a few minutes?”
“All right,” she said. “But if I hear all you hollering again, I’m coming back in, you hear?”
“Yes, ma’am,” Reef said.
Penny’s mother left them alone, and Penny stared at him with imploring eyes.
“I can’t believe you’re here. I thought you were happy I was gone. I thought—” She choked on her next words, and tears welled in her eyes. She lowered her head in shame. “God, I’m sorry,” she mumbled. “Damned hormones.”
Reef was at her side, relief sinking his shoulders as he embraced her tightly. “It’s okay. We’re okay now.”
“Are we?” Penny mumbled. “What’s going to happen when you go back to the Hollows and your brother learns we’re together? I thought he was going to come after me, too.”
“I’m not going back to the Hollows, Penny, and the same deal as before still applies. As long as you’re with me, nothing will happen to you.”
She peered up at him with shining eyes. “How many times are you going to save my life?” she murmured, burying her face into his neck. Reef inhaled deeply, the smell of her sweetness filling his nostrils. She was exactly where he’d wanted her for so long, snuggled in his arms, enveloping him with her aroma.
Gods, I was such a fool. She was waiting for me to save her again, and I almost let her go. “I will save you as many times as you need it,” he swore. “You and our baby.”
Penny dropped her head back, the tears of happiness streaming down her face, and she kissed his lips gently.
“I love you, Reef,” she said, her breath teasing his face.
“I am so glad,” Reef sighed. “I will never doubt us again.” His hands slid over her still-flat belly, and they exchanged a private smile.
“It’s just the three of us against the world now,” Penny said.
“Now and forever,” he agreed.
Epilogue
“Reef, please hurry up!” Penny cried for the fourth time. “I’m going to be late, and—”
“I’m right here, darling. Don’t fret.” Reef appeared, juggling Jason in the baby carrier, a diaper bag in his hands. Penny instantly relaxed, her heart melting slightly at the scene before her. “See? Ready to go.” Jason cooed in his holder, and Reef bounced him a couple of times, a grin on his face. “Now who’s being slow? Let’s go.”
He gently batted Penny with the diaper bag, and the two hurried out to greet the limousine parked at the curb of the sprawling colonial mansion they had called home for the last year and a half. It was just north of Baton Rouge, close enough to Penny’s parents that they could visit but far enough away that they didn’t pop in unexpectedly.
The chauffeur opened the door, and the small family slid inside.
“I still can’t believe this is happening,” Penny whispered when the car pulled away. “I mean, is this happening?”
“It’s happening,” Reef answered softly, moving in closer to her, the weight of Jason between them. “And you deserve it.”
Penny smiled widely, shivers of excitement coursing through her body. “I couldn’t have done it without you, you know?”
“Yeah, I know,” he teased. “I wrote the book, after all.”
Penny laughed. “You may not have physically put your fingers to the keyboard, but you have to know that you are my muse.”
“I think you had a few muses,” Reef replied dryly. “You had a variety to choose from in the Hollows.”
Penny’s smile faltered slightly, and she studied her husband’s face with concern. “You know, you can still go back. You can even take Jason to meet his uncles. After we figure out the best w
ay to secure my immortality, I promise I will go back with you. I’m just not entirely sure I want someone turning me into a vampire. I am still hoping to find a way to be turned into a dragon.”
“We have a lot of options, but you don’t have to make that decision today. I have no interest in going back. I have my life here with you and our son,” Reef said firmly, but Penny could hear the wistful tone in his voice. There was no denying that he thought about his home often, no matter how much he downplayed it.
“But, hon—”
“Penny, today is about you and the success of your book. You’re a professional writer now! You have a deal, and you’re going to your first book signing. Forget about me for one minute. Enjoy your success, okay?”
Begrudgingly, Penny nodded. “Fine. But tomorrow…”
“Yes, yes, tomorrow you can try to get into my head.” Reef leaned forward to grab the bottle of champagne from the ice bucket, squishing Jason’s chubby face slightly, and the infant cooed loudly. “He’s a dragon, all right. No pain receptors at all.”
“Still, I wish you wouldn’t test him,” Penny grunted as the limo cruised down the interstate. She found herself looking at the baby out of the corner of her eye, wondering what his growth was going to be like. She had seen no indication of any supernatural traits, but Reef had told her they weren’t apt to come out until he was older. It filled her with both excitement and worry.
“You’ll never have to worry about him being picked on in school,” Reef joked, but Penny couldn’t help being concerned about the kind of attention he might attract. “You forget that hybrid children are born all the time,” Reef assured her. “There are ways to ensure they are protected, and we will do the same. Don’t worry about anything, all right?”
Easy for him to say, Penny thought. I’m the mother. All I do is worry about everything.
“There it is,” Reef said, handing her a goblet. “You better drink fast. We’re already here.”
The Barnes and Noble seemed to appear out of nowhere, even though they’d both been dozens of times.
But this is different. Today I’m here as an author, not a customer.
The limo slowed and stopped, letting them out. As soon as Penny stepped onto the curb, she was met with a small crowd of well-wishers, and a joyful grin met her face.
Elsa and Violet were one of the first ones to greet her.
Violet gave her a warm embrace. “Thank you for convincing Reef to allow Elsa out of purgatory and for his help with my son. We haven’t had any more trouble from his biological parents.”
Penny smiled. “Being a mother, I understand that you were only doing what you could to protect your family. I would have done the same.”
Before Penny could say more, a hand on her shoulder caused her to turn, and Penny was suddenly staring at her sister’s face for the first time in almost two years.
“Cate!”
They embraced heartily, both with tears in their eyes.
“Oh, Penny, I’m so proud of you,” Cate mumbled. “I can’t tell you how sorry I am for everything that happened between us.”
Penny waved her hand dismissively. “It’s water under the bridge. Let’s not talk about it, okay?”
“Okay, except…” Cate leaned forward conspiratorially. “I just wanted to tell you that Ryland got married and lost all his money in the stock market. His wife divorced him, and he’s living in the corner of Jensen and I-10, in a rooming house. He got fired from Veriday for harassing a girl he dated after you.”
Surprisingly, none of the information gave Penny any pleasure to hear, and she shrugged her shoulders.
“That’s terrible,” she murmured.
Cate’s eyes widened in shock. “That’s great!” her sister corrected. “He got what he deserved. He ruined your life.” But Penny shook her head and looked lovingly at her family.
“No,” she replied softly. “He inadvertently gave me a new lease on life. I just didn’t understand right away.”
Cate’s mouth parted, but before she could speak, Penny’s eyes darted over her head, and her own lips gaped. “Reef!” she choked, stepping back in fear.
“What—? Oh, gods, what is he doing here?” Reef stepped protectively in front of his wife as Wilder caught their eye. Instantly, he appeared, and to Penny’s shock, he extended a hand.
“Penelope! Congratulations on your book!”
She didn’t know whether to touch it, but Wilder appeared sincere in his efforts, and she reluctantly accepted it under Reef’s watchful eye. To her surprise, Wilder pulled her closer and whispered, “Let’s forget all that unfortunate execution order business, shall we? We’re family now!”
He stepped back before Penny could respond and turned his attention to Jason.
“Ah…” Wilder sighed, a happy smile forming over his lips. “Strengthening the bloodline. Perfect!”
“Who is that?” Cate purred in Penny’s ear, and Penny yanked her sister away.
“He’s not for you,” she snapped. “Off you go.”
“Killjoy.”
Reef and Penny exchanged a charged look, and she could read his mind as clearly as if he was in her own head. Is this a truce? Are both our families coming around?
It was a tentative but hopeful thought, one they would broach with highly cautious optimism.
“Ladies and gentlemen!” an employee from the bookstore called from the front doors. “Can we have a round of applause for Penelope Parker, author of Hollow Days?”
The crowd cheered appreciatively, and Penny took a step forward, all her doubts forgotten. She was exactly where she wanted to be in life now, and nothing would ever take that from her again.
Protecting His Mate
Hollow Earth Dragons
1
Sometimes, against all odds in a place like the Hollows, a bizarre silence would enshroud the caverns. It almost echoed, despite there being nothing to hear, but Wilder Parker could feel the serenity in his bones. The phenomenon had nothing to do with his supernatural abilities. It was almost a spiritual, inner-peace idea, which he embraced wholly.
Today was not a day for such an experience.
“You have got to be shitting me, Wilder,” Owen growled. “You expect me to pick up the slack on the Authority?”
“Can’t you see that I’m up to my eyeballs in my own ventures?” Wilder snapped back. “Cut me some slack here, Owen.”
His brother peered at him with unsympathetic hazel eyes. “And whose fault is that? Wilder, you’ve gotta let up on your craziness sometimes. It just isn’t worth the hassle. If you were a mortal, you’d have had a hundred coronaries by now.”
“If I were a mortal, Owen, I’d be dead a thousand times over by now. What’s your point?”
“My point is,” Owen said, “you’ve got to learn when to just say no—I’m done.”
“Forgive me if I’m not taking advice from you,” Wilder interjected, waving his hand dismissively. “Should I take this to mean you’re not going to help?”
“I would say that’s a safe assumption. I’ve got my own life to lead, Wilder. I can’t do this ‘rule the Hollows’ crap anymore. I just don’t have it in me.”
Wilder’s mouth tightened, and he focussed his attention on the computer screens on the surface, ignoring his brother entirely. I should have expected such a response. I would have been better off asking Lennox. At least he still has some fire left in him.
“Wilder…” Owen said imploringly. “Don’t sulk. It’s not becoming.”
Sulk? I don’t goddamn sulk! Wilder thought. I get shit done! How many thousands of years will it take these ungrateful heathens to realize that?
Wilder couldn’t be bothered to explain his position for the trillionth time. Instead, he snapped at Owen, “Forget I asked. Get out of my office.”
Owen stared at him, his lips parted, but he didn’t speak another word, as though he had reconsidered his own position. Then he spun to oblige his brother’s snarky request.
As th
e door closed, Wilder sat back heavily in his chair, shaking his head. A familiar sense of anger and defeat filled him, but he clenched his fists, willing himself to be calm. It didn’t seem to matter how much time went by—the lack of respect he got from his brothers never diminished.
Never mind that I work my ass off to sustain the Hollows, he thought grimly. Never mind that my businesses thrive while they are still figuring their shit out. I’m always the bad guy here.
He would have thought that after eons of enduring the same level of disdain, he might have thrown in the towel, sat back, and let his siblings fail without his help, but that wasn’t in Wilder’s nature. He couldn’t just sit back and watch things deteriorate when he could help.
No matter how those ungrateful jerks see me. They are still my brothers, and it’s my duty to protect them.
A knock at the door forced his current dilemma out and toward the threshold.
“What?” Wilder demanded. The door opened, and Cybil entered, her eyes trained on the tablet before her.
“You have a meeting on the Sunside in less than an hour,” she informed him, her tone crisp as always. “You’ll never make it unless you fly.”
“Shit.” He had forgotten about the appointment in New Jersey, and Cybil was right—he would never make it unless he flew from the access portal to the city. It was still daylight, and he didn’t want to risk it. “Cancel it,” Wilder muttered, rolling his cobalt eyes upward. Once upon a time, he would never have forgotten such a thing.
I’m losing it. All the responsibility is getting to me. And here I am, taking on more crap; crap that someone else dropped the ball on.
He reminded himself that it hadn’t been Reef so much dropping the ball as it was him quitting, but it was all the same to Wilder—he was still the one who had to pick up the slack.
“I’ll try to cancel it,” Cybil replied, but something in her tone told him that she didn’t think she would manage it. “I don’t think the agent is going to be happy, Wilder. This is the third time we’ve rescheduled.”