There’s paparazzi everywhere as well. Emily is chatting with them. Ash’s parents already have paintbrushes in their hands, as do the guys. I didn’t invite all of them because we’re a formidable bunch when we’re all together. I had planned on inviting Forge, but he couldn’t make it. I invited Stephan instead. Then, of course, there’s Night and Tri.
“Candice and Tri are chatting,” Ash says, smiling.
“Don’t hold your breath.” I squeeze her thigh. “Tri isn’t the relationship type.”
“They’re joking and laughing,” my beautiful girlfriend says.
“Tri is a fun, happy guy, but he’s not the settling down type. I wouldn’t be surprised if he takes her home one more time…but there won’t be anything more. I’m telling you.”
“You weren’t the settling down type either.” She lifts her brows.
“You’re right, but it’s not every day a guy meets his soulmate.”
Ash’s gaze softens. “You’re so sweet.”
“Don’t get your hopes up about Tri and Candice.” I kiss her softly. When I look up, Emily is giving us the evil stink-eye.
“We’d better go before we get into trouble,” Ash says. She obviously caught Emily’s expression.
“I’ll fire her if you want.” I’m grinning.
“Nah,” Ash laughs. “I like her.”
“I thought she scared you.”
“Oh, she totally scares me, but she’s great at her job.” Emily decided to get the media to do a piece on Buns and Breads. How the local community is helping save the Newfolk local bakery. How I came to the rescue of my girlfriend and her family. Everyone is chipping in to get it repainted. It looks like the paparazzi are loving it.
“We’re paying you back,” Ash says as she gets out of the car. “Every last cent.”
“We’ve had this conversation. I only wish you’d let me do more.” I put my arm around her.
“No,” she shakes her head, “you’ve done plenty. Our front-of-house is bigger, and it’s going to be gorgeous when it’s finished. We have a bathroom for our customers. I’ve bought great furniture.” She reaches up and kisses me.
“You could do with more equipment and—”
“Stop!” She sticks her fingers between my ribs on my side, and I bark out a laugh. It turns out that I’m ticklish. I never knew.
The paparazzi have their cameras trained on us. I hear the whir of clicks as they lap up our affection for one another. Emily isn’t giving us the stink-eye anymore.
“Mr. and Mrs. Shaw,” I say as we arrive outside the bakery. Out of the corner of my eye, I see Tri make a face. He has a paintbrush in one hand and a blob of paint on his cheek. Stephanus and Night are too busy painting to pay attention to me. They’ve already done a whole section of the wall.
“Call me Janet,” Mrs. Shaw says. I hug her, and she giggles.
I let her go and see my mother walking through the open bakery door. “You came?” I smile broadly.
“Of course. I wouldn’t miss it. I went to check out the bathroom. It’s lovely.” She beams when she sees Ash. “Hi, sweetie,” she says, and they hug. “I hope my boy is taking good care of you?”
“He most definitely is,” she says.
I hug my mom, as well. “And are all of you still coming for lunch tomorrow afternoon?” She looks between Ash and me, and Ash’s parents.
“Looking forward to it,” Ash says.
“Can’t wait,” Ash’s dad chimes in.
I hold out my hand to him. He has a huge smile on his face as we shake. “Did it arrive?” I ask.
“Did what arrive?” Ash narrows her eyes at me.
“Hush, hon’,” Ash’s dad reprimands her. “This is talk between men.”
“Oh, really now?” She looks between the two of us. “What’s going on?”
My dad points through the Buns window, which is much bigger than it was before. It’s been widened to let in more light. I see the coffee machine under plastic on a table in the corner. “You didn’t!” Ash gives me a dirty look when she spots the machine too.
“It’s my old machine,” I say, holding up my hands. “I got a new one and was going to throw it out.”
“Right,” she says, the start of a smile lifting the corners of her mouth. “You were chucking that out?”
“Yes.” I shrug. “I don’t need two of the things.”
“Exactly, Ash.” Her father looks very serious. “You’re still going to show me how to use it, son?” Mr. Shaw asks me.
“Absolutely.” I nod
“That’s naughty,” Ash whispers to me.
“My middle name.” I wink at her.
“I thought it was Willa.” She sticks her tongue out at me.
I choke out a laugh.
“I need to talk to you about our new menu, Ash. There are a couple of things I want to add,” her dad says, smiling.
I want to laugh because Ash seems to be having the opposite problem with her father now. At first, he didn’t want to change at all, and now he wants to do too much all at once.
“We can definitely talk about it, Dad. We’ll do that tomorrow at lunch?”
Her father nods. Ashley resigned from the Zeus Group. My girl feels that it would be inappropriate to work for any part of my organization. So uppity! Thing is, I know that she loves being a pastry chef. Buns and Breads is where she belongs. She’s taking a business management course while Buns is being revamped. She’ll start on a greatly reduced salary, which is fine because she’s agreed to move in with me. It’ll save her on rent. Of course, she’s offering to pay me back every cent. I fully intend to make her pay it all back; I have enough money, so she’ll pay me in other ways. I don’t plan on telling her that, she’ll get mad.
“Is that Mrs. Elliot?” Ash asks as she peers across at a group of people painting just ahead of us. “I see quite a few of our old clients…” Her eyes are wide. “I can’t believe it. This is great. They came back.”
I squeeze her tight for a moment. When I let her go, she gives another gasp. “Oh, and there’s Simon and his family.” She waves at a tall, lanky guy. He waves back. I see his four kids with paintbrushes in their hands. The youngest is very small, two or three years old. A lady holds his hand. They look happy. I want kids with Ashley. I never wanted them before. Now that I’ve met the right person…I find I can’t wait. I asked Ash to marry me a couple of days ago, but she turned me down flat. I’m going to have to work for it, which I love. Hopefully she doesn’t make me work too hard.
Emily appears at my side. “You two need to get to work,” she whisper-yells at Ash and me. Then she hands us rollers and paint trays. “Get busy. The paparazzi aren’t going to wait to get action shots.”
I laugh, because it’s funny how things have changed. There was a time I hated the press; lately, we’ve been calling them. We start painting because if I don’t, Emily will kick our asses. I stay just long enough for the photographers to get some shots of us, then I turn to Ash, “I’ll be back in a few.” I wink at her. “I’m going to say ‘Hi’ to the guys.”
“I’ll join you in a minute,” my girl says. “I’m just catching up with your mom.”
That’s another thing I love. My mom and my best lady get along so well. I kiss Ash, and the cameras click like mad behind us.
“Glad you could finally join us,” Tri says when I reach the guys.
I chuckle. “I have my duties.”
“You want to get yourself tied down.” Tri laughs. I notice how Candice’s eyes cloud. I say hello to her, and she smiles and waves.
“You give us huge shit about being on time, and you’re late,” Night says, brows raised.
“Something came up.”
He chokes out a laugh. “I’m sure.” We paint and talk for a while. Ash joins us. We joke and laugh. The photographers eventually leave. I notice that Stephan has disappeared. I see him painting inside…all alone. I’m sure he’s just worried about someone accidentally touching him. His life can be a bit of a n
ightmare. Our powers can also be a curse.
I see that Ash is with Candice. I’ve organized a food truck to arrive in the next fifteen minutes. I decide to go and check on Stephan before they get here.
“Hey,” I say. “Wow!” I add when I see how much of the inside he’s already painted. “That’s impressive.”
He keeps on painting. Going at it, hell for leather.
“Is everything okay?”
He turns to me. I can see from his eyes that everything most definitely is not okay. “You know that incident that happened last weekend?”
I nod. Long story short. Rage, Stephan and Jarrod had a run-in with some non-humans. We’re not sure what they were exactly. We don’t know where they are now. We know nothing!
“One of them touched me…a woman.”
I nod. “I take it you saw something.” I lift my brows. “Something bad,” I add when he doesn’t say anything.
He shakes his head. “I got nothing from her.”
That’s mostly the case with non-humans. Something has to be really bad for Stephanus to see a non-human’s future. “What then?”
“She did…see something.”
I frown. That means. That… Wait what?
“She saw something from my future, and it wasn’t good.” I notice for the first time how pale he is. His hand is shaking a little. I watch his Adam’s apple work. “It wasn’t good at all!”
Lord of Destiny is on pre-order now
About the Author
Charlene Hartnady is a USA Today Bestselling author. She loves to write about all things paranormal, including vampires, elves and shifters of all kinds. She lives on a couple of acres in the country with her husband and three sons. They have an array of pets including horses and a gecko named Pickle.
She is lucky enough to be able to write full time, so most days you can find her at her computer writing like mad. Charlene believes that it is the small things that truly matter, like that feeling you get when you start a new book, or when you look at a particularly beautiful sunset.
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Also by Charlene Hartnady
The Chosen Series:
1# Chosen by the Vampire Kings
2# Stolen by the Alpha Wolf
3# Unlikely Mates
4# Awakened by the Vampire Prince
5#Mated to the Vampire Kings (Short Novel)
6#Wolf Whisperer (Novella)
7# Wanted by the Elven King
The Chosen Box Set Books 1-3
The Program Series (Vampire Novels):
Book 1: A Mate for York
Book 2: A Mate for Gideon
Book 3: A Mate for Lazarus
Book 4: A Mate for Griffin
Book 5: A Mate for Lance
Book 6: A Mate for Kai
Book 7: A Mate for Titan
The Bride Hunt Series (Dragon Shifter Novels):
Book 1: Royal Dragon
Book 2: Water Dragon
Book 3: Dragon King
Book 4: Lightning Dragon
Book 5: Forbidden Dragon
Book 6: Dragon Prince
The Bride Hunt Box Set Books 1-3
Water Dragons (Spin-off to The Bride Hunt):
Book 1: Dragon Hunt
Book 2: Captured Dragon
Book 3: Blood Dragon
Book 4: Dragon Betrayal
Earth Dragons :
Book 1: Dragon Guard
Book 2: Savage Dragon
Book 3: Dragon Whelps
Book 4: Slave Dragon
Book 5: Feral Dragon
Book 6: Doctor Dragon
The Shifter Night Series:
1# Untethered
2 Unbound
3# Unchained
Complete Box Set Books 1 - 3
The Feral Series:
Book 1: Hunger Awakened
Book 2: Power Awakened
Book 3: Hate Awakened
The Dragon Demigods:
Book 1: Lord of Fire
Book 2: Lord of Hell
Book 3: Little Lords
Book 4: Lord of Life
Book 5: Lord of Rain
Boo6: Lord of Destiny
Demon Chaser Series (No cliffhangers):
Book 1 Omega
Book 2 Alpha
Book 3 Hybrid
Book 4 Skin
Demon Chaser Boxed Set Book 1-3
Excerpt of Hunger Awakened
Chapter 1
Oh no!
Her shoulders slumped while her heart pounded. Vicky forced herself to maintain eye contact as Patrick walked towards her. Maybe she was reading too much into the look on his face. Maybe …
“You’re broke,” her accountant said, dropping a file on her desk before planting his hands on the wood surface and staring down at her.
Vicky knew her finances were bad. She hadn’t realized they were quite this bad. That it had happened this fast. “Broke, as in …?” She widened her eyes, sucking in a deep breath. Maybe he was being a bit too dramatic.
His stare softened. Patrick took a seat in the chair across from her. Oh boy! “Broke as in, sell your wheels. Broke, as in, watch your furniture get carted away. Broke as in, you’re in the minus.”
“Shit!” She pulled the file closer, not opening it. “Dammit! I can’t believe this. How is this possible?” She knew the answer to her own stupid, stupid question.
“You have very little revenue still coming in. The overhead on this place is through the roof.”
“What about my half of the money from the sale of the house?”
“Gone. I repeat, your overhead on this place is high.” He looked around them, making a whistling noise. Vicky knew exactly what he would see. A spacious, well-appointed office with a waiting room out front. There was also her personal assistant. And the view. Her magnificent view of the park. “Image is everything,” she mumbled.
Patrick snorted. “You’re telling me. Problem is, image costs money. All of this costs more money than what you have coming in. A lot more.”
“I don’t get it.” Anger burned inside her. Vicky tried hard to get herself back under control and failed. Her world was crashing down around her. Just when she had started to feel marginally better. Just when she thought she could get over what that bastard had done to her. She jumped to her feet and paced to the large window, for once, not even seeing the green grass, the trees, the dogs on leads, the joggers, the ducks on the lake. None of it. “How is it that Jeff cheats on me and he’s doing better than ever, while I’m on the verge of losing everything?”
“I’m so sorry, Vicky,” Patrick offered. “It isn’t fair.”
It didn’t make her feel any better. “No,” she responded. “I really need to know. He lied, he cheated, he’s the bastard in all of this.” Her business partner ‒ make that ex-partner. Ex-husband. He was her partner once though, for better or for worse. In both business and life. The Love Doctors. The two of them had been the couple to see. The relationship specialists. “I got to keep the name, yet, he still manages to get the clients.” The Love Doctor. She felt like laughing. It hadn’t helped her one bit. Her clients had disappeared quicker than candy at a birthday party. They all went to him now.
“He’s a bastard. No doubt.” Patrick shook his head. “What he did to you, Vicks …” More shaking of the head.
“Why then?” Her voice broke. “How is he still in business? Moreover, how is he still thrivi
ng? I don’t get it. I don’t.” She shrugged her shoulders once. They felt heavy. Everything inside of her felt leaden and weighted.
“He may have cheated but he ended up moving in with her. Jeff and his fiancée are very happy. At least, they look it on the surface. You said it yourself, image is everything.”
Jeff and that woman were happy and it made her feel physically ill. They had the family home, the dog, the … Arghhhh! She couldn’t think about it without getting upset. Let alone talk about it. Would it be rude if she covered her ears and started to make noises so that she didn’t have to listen to any more of this?
“Kerry is starting to show.” No more, please. “She has that whole glowing thing going on. She’s young and pretty and glowing and they make a really beautiful family. The wedding date has been moved up so that they can get hitched before the baby comes. I don’t say this to hurt you, Vicky.”
It did hurt though. Vicky bit down on her lower lip to stop it from quivering.
“I really don’t.” He reached over, looking for a second like he was going to clasp her hand and then thought better of it. “Point being,” Patrick continued despite her discomfort, “they look happy. They paint a perfect picture. The general population would rather buy advice on love from Jeff.”
“So, I’m the woman who couldn’t keep her husband? There’s something wrong with me then?” She pointed to her chest.
Patrick didn’t say anything. She pulled on her ponytail, letting her fingers slide down the length of her hair. “He cheated with a woman almost ten years our junior. I left him. I left his sorry ass. It wasn’t the other way around. No one knows that, do they? They don’t know how he begged me to forgive him. How he got on his knees. No, they see them playing happy families and assume there’s something wrong with me.”
“It’s not fair. It’s really wrong and yet …” Patrick shook his head, “that’s what the numbers are saying. I told you not to get that billboard. It cost more than what you had, Vicks.”
Lord of Rain (The Dragon Demigods Book 5) Page 28