Atticus had never wondered why, and often times, resented the emotions he was capable of. His life would have been so much easier had he felt nothing like Bane had demanded and wanted. But now, he could see those same emotions as benefits—because of Danica.
“The redemption you seek has already been given, dear boy. Every action throughout your entire life has shaped you. Do not concentrate on the bad deeds you have done, focus on the good ones.”
Gaia waved her delicate hand once more, and snippets of Atticus’ life appeared in his mind. Him helping Sage when she had suffered under Draven's hand, him disobeying Bane when he ordered untold horrors to his fellow coven members, offering his own wrist to Killian when the others would just as soon see him die. He and Danica every moment where he questioned his intentions and the moment he fell in love with her and realized how truly important she was, not for his gain but for his sanity and life.
“You are worthy of love, my son. Do not shirk these gifts I’ve given you. I’m going to provide you with just one more. I cannot sever the unnatural bond you have to Bane, but I can lessen it, and I will do this for both you and Sage for a period of six months. In that time, you must build your own armies to fight him.”
“Lucas has a pack,” Atticus protested. “I have nothing but Danica, now that Sage is gone. How will I even do this? No, you ask too much. I will not jeopardize her for anyone’s plans even yours. I would rather have one day, one minute with her than to see pain or harm come her way.”
Gaia let out a sigh. “They will come to you, Atticus, seek you out. All you have to do is wait and be ready. It will not be easy, nothing in life worth anything ever is, but in the end, your pack will be just as loyal as the Valentin pack. You just have to have faith as will Matthias. Be well, my son, and care for your mate. She will save you hundreds of times during this lifetime. Take my advice and allow her to do so, she is stronger than you can imagine. I made sure of it.”
Atticus blinked, and Gaia was gone, chair and all. Danica was running down the road toward him, her face fierce and determined, her hands in the air, calling to her animals to defend him from an unknown foe. He smiled so full, all his teeth were showing, opening his arms for her to run into them, his amazing little wolf.
“Atticus, what is going on?” Danica questioned after she hugged him close, only to push him away and examine him, head to toe. Her healing magic was working through his body at a furious pace, healing the damage Lucas had caused before their meeting with Gaia. Atticus grabbed her hands, stopping her.
“I’m okay, everything is alright.” Stepping back, Atticus went to one knee, holding one of her hands in his, the other he fisted and held over his chest.
“Danica Valentin, I vow from this day forward to be the man you already believe me to be. To work tirelessly to become worthy of the love you have so freely given me and to guard our future with my strength and lethalness. To destroy anyone in your path who might cause harm to you or anyone you deem worthy of your love and commitment. This I vow to you on this day. I love you, Danica, now and forever.”
Danica, his little wolf, was crying, but she pulled him up with surprising strength.
“You will never be on your knees for anyone ever again. I don’t need such a vow, Atticus, you do those things day in and day out naturally and have since the beginning. I love you with all of my heart.”
The kiss they shared left him wanting, he even considered just stepping into the woods and taking his mate against the nearest tree, but it seemed she had other ideas. Danica started walking, but instead of going toward the pack or the coven, she was walking in the opposite direction.
After a few moments, Atticus had to ask, “Dani where are we going?”
“I’m not sure, but I know this is not where we are supposed to be right now.” Dani cutely tilted her head to the side, a quirk he was starting to love about his little mate. “I believe we only came here for the confrontation between you and Lucas. It needed to happen, but now that it is done, we need to leave.”
Atticus pulled her back, stopping her onward movement, “But Danica, this is your home. I will not take you away again just because you feel it is the right thing to do. If you want to stay, we will make it work.”
“Atticus, my home isn’t a place, it’s you.”
The End!! Or is it?
Authors Note
Livell James – A little about me. I am lover of all things inspiring and a multitude of art forms. I have told stories with photography for many years and decided to put pen to paper for the stories I feel can only be told with my words. My debut story in a planned series is paranormal romance co-written by fellow Author Chelsea Handcock. When I am not writing or taking photos, I enjoy spending time with my wife and checking items off my bucket list.
Chelsea Handcock – I am honored to have had the pleasure of writing this story along with a good friend, Livell James. I have been an admirer of his photography for quite some time. When he shared his ideas with me for this series, I became inspired. I hope our combined words, will provide the same for everyone that reads it.
Now we both would like to thanks for very special people. Sandy Ebel with Personal Touch Editing, you kept your promise and made our words shine. DeAnne, Rachele, Viridiana and Sarah thank you so much for being our beta reader, your thoughts and suggestions have enhanced the book to new levels. All our ARC ladies – you rock!!! Thank you so much for being a part of our team.
To our readers, thanks for giving this series a chance. We hope you stick with us and discover all the trials and tribulations yet to come. We hope we have left you guessing, but most of all, we hope we left you intrigued. Enjoy the ride and happy reading.
Please check out www.chelseahandcock.com for updates and future books. You can also reach either of us on Facebook at any time, https://www.facebook.com/livell.james.5, https://www.facebook.com/AuthorChelseaHandcock/.
Dirt Road Redemption (Dirt Road Series Book 2) Page 16