EUAN: Outback Shifters #3

by Chant, Zoe

  It sounds freaking amazing!!!!

  “That would be acceptable,” Delilah said, with as much coolness as she could manage. “I’ll look forward to hearing from, uh, your PA.”

  Davy said his goodbyes and hung up, but to be honest, Delilah was barely able to take in a single thing he said. She felt like she was floating above her body, somewhere up by the ceiling. For a long moment, all she could do was stare down at the phone in her hand, her stomach churning, her heartbeat doing double time in her chest.

  “So, I take it that was Davy?” Euan’s voice jerked her out of her wild reverie.

  “Uh, yes,” she said, staring up at him, wondering if she looked as crazed as she felt. “He – he wants to buy some of my paintings.”

  “So I gathered,” Euan said, walking across the room to her. Reaching down, he smoothed her hair back from her forehead. “And I’m not surprised at all. They’re beautiful, Delilah. Just like you.”

  Delilah bit her lip. She still couldn’t quite believe what had just happened.

  Maybe I’ll wake up tomorrow and find this is all just a dream, she thought, as she raised her head to meet his mouth with hers. But right now, I just don’t care.

  “Oh, hey –” Delilah said, pulling back a little just as their kisses began to grow more heated. “I didn’t finish my sketch of you. Don’t you want to be drawn naked by a soon-to-be internationally renowned painter? That’d be pretty awesome, right?”

  Euan smiled. “No – not just any internationally renowned painter. Just you.” He paused, going back to where he’d been standing by the window, where the light was just perfect. “Though you can promise me this isn’t going to end up in some corporate office in London or something, can’t you?”

  “Oh, no,” Delilah said, her smile as she picked up her charcoal and let her eyes drift over the delicious V of his hipbones turning just a little wicked, “this one’s definitely just for my private collection.”

  Euan laughed, and Delilah found that suddenly, amassing her private collection could wait. She knew that in most galleries there were rules about not touching the artworks – but this was her bedroom, and here, she could do what she liked.

  She tossed her sketchbook aside.

  “Actually, I changed my mind,” she said. “Come here.”

  After all, she thought as Euan leaned down to kiss her again, his hands sliding through her hair as he lay her back down on the bed, I’ve got plenty of time to make all the drawings I want.

  Forever, his heartbeat seemed to answer hers as their chests pressed together, their lips locked. We’ll have forever.

  Epilogue

  “Keep your eyes closed, just for a moment longer,” Euan said.

  Delilah licked her lips. “Okay, but… you know I’m being eaten alive with curiosity here, right? It’s not my birthday or anything, so why the secrecy?”

  Despite the nervous feeling in the pit of his stomach, Euan smiled. He hadn’t felt truly nervous for a long time – tense anticipation before a mission was something he knew well, but that was different.

  I feel like I’m a teenager worried about my first crush or something, he thought, resisting the urge to shake his head at himself. But then, that was pretty much how Delilah made him feel – only without the terror that his crush wouldn’t give him the time of day.

  No. We know our mate – we know our hearts are the same.

  His lion rumbled to life within him, eyes opened to contented slits. Despite everything, it was still a relief to Euan every time he heard it – every time he sensed its presence within him. He was still getting used to it, still having to check now and then that it really was still there.

  “You’ll see soon enough,” Euan replied to Delilah, his hands on her shoulders as he guided her along the darkened hallway.

  “All right, well, lucky I trust you so much,” Delilah said with a laugh. “Because believe me, my imagination is just running wild right about n—”

  Delilah never got to finish her sentence. In the next moment, there was a loud cry of ‘SURPRISE!’ and the lights snapped on – the sound and sudden light was enough to make Delilah’s eyes spring open, as she stared around her.

  Euan watched her face as she took it all in. Hector, Callan, Rhys, Trent and Brooke were standing in a group along the back wall, along with Hector’s mate, Myrtle, who was back from her moth-hunting trip, and Ella, Callan’s mate, who’d arrived back from a big scientific conference a couple of weeks ago. All of them were smiling, and all of them were clearly waiting for Delilah to notice the surprise they’d spent this afternoon preparing for her.

  “I – you guys –” Delilah stuttered, her eyes widening as she noticed what her real surprise was: all the paintings she’d been hard at work on for the last month and a half, hung on the walls of the gallery space Euan had been able to quickly rent.

  She blinked, mouth hanging open, eyes as wide as Euan had ever seen them.

  “What –” she stuttered, clearly lost for words. “How –”

  “I know it’s not a fancy gallery or anything like that,” Euan said. “But I wanted you to see them hung up properly before Davy sent them away to their new homes in New York, London, Rio – wherever they’re going. I know you’ve always wanted to see your work being properly exhibited, and this was the best I could do.”

  “It’s – it’s amazing,” Delilah said in wonderment, leaving his side to walk slowly to the middle of the room. “They look… they look different when they’re hung like this. Or maybe that’s just because I’ve been working on them so hard, it’s weird to see them at a distance now.” She shook her head, turning back to Euan with a sudden expression of comprehension. “Wait – is this why you were so insistent on getting me out of the house this afternoon? So you guys –” she turned to point at his team, who were standing sheepishly in the corner “– could sneak in and get my paintings and bring them here?”

  “Guilty,” Trent said, holding up his hands in a gesture of surrender. “But when Euan told us about this idea, we knew he wouldn’t be able to pull it off on his own. So we pitched in to help.”

  “And don’t worry, I made sure everything was handled with care,” Brooke said. “Detecting art forgeries is one of the skills I’m trained in, so I know a bit about moving delicate paintings safely.”

  “I can’t believe you guys,” Delilah said, eyes still wide. “You – you did all this for me? But it must have been so much trouble –”

  Myrtle, Hector’s mate, came forward with a smile. “Hey – one thing I’ve learned about this whole ‘being a shifter’s mate’ thing is that once you’re in, you’re in. You’re like family now. So of course we did this for you. It wasn’t a problem at all.”

  Euan blinked, feeling his chest tighten as Delilah stared at Myrtle, tears in her eyes.

  Myrtle was right, of course – there weren’t many humans who were mates to shifters, and the ones who were tended to become fast friends. He knew Delilah tended to be shy, and it warmed his heart now to see how readily she accepted a hug from Myrtle, a huge smile on her face.

  Our mate is content. She’s pleased with what we have done for her, his lion purred, as together they watched as Myrtle led Delilah over to one of her paintings – a huge abstract work, which Euan could appreciate was beautiful to look at but wasn’t sure he’d ever truly understand – to ask her a few questions about it, which Delilah, judging from the light in her eyes, was only too happy to answer. They were joined after a moment by Ella, Callan’s mate, who seemed just as eager to get to know Delilah better as Myrtle.

  We are lucky, his lion said as Euan watched Delilah talking to the two other women. She is ours. And we are hers.

  Believe me, you don’t need to remind me how lucky I am, Euan told it. I already know.

  “So, what’s a classy girl like Delilah doing with a drop-kick like you?” Trent’s voice in his ear pulled Euan out of his contemplation of Delilah’s shining eyes and brilliant smile. In the past, Trent’s teasin
g, irreverent humor had annoyed him to the point of snarling at him – but now, Euan just couldn’t find it in himself to get mad.

  Maybe it’d been getting his lion back. Maybe it’d been finding Delilah. Maybe it had been the mission they’d been on together, trying to stop Lev and Alisa. Or maybe it’d been some combination of all three – but Euan had found himself with a new sense of closeness to his teammates that had been missing before.

  “I don’t know, Trent,” he said, raising an eyebrow. “Just lucky, I guess.”

  “You can say that again,” Callan chimed in, his eyes on Ella. “Believe me.”

  Euan pulled in a deep breath. He hadn’t thought he’d ever feel part of a team – he hadn’t thought he’d ever want to. He’d never been part of a team. It had always been him working alone – or with Sam, the only partner he’d ever wanted. And after Sam had died…

  Swallowing, Euan turned to look at them. Without Hector, Callan, Trent, Rhys and Brooke, he knew he never would have agreed to take on the job of bodyguarding Delilah. He knew he would have passed the job on to someone else, no matter how much of a hole it would have ripped in his chest. But they’d convinced him he could do it – that he could overcome the limitations of being without his shifted form. That they would give him all the backup and support he needed to get the job done, and keep Delilah safe.

  And beyond that, without working with them – as a team – who knew what Lev and Alisa might have accomplished?

  “You look very serious for someone who’s watching his mate having such a nice time,” Callan remarked, in his usual quiet, understated way. “I hope you’re not overthinking this.”

  Euan couldn’t help but smile, letting out a low, soft laugh. “No. Not about that, anyway. I was just… just thinking about how lucky I am.”

  Expressing plainly how he felt was something Euan wasn’t used to doing. But he was amazed at how easily the words came to him now – well, how relatively easily, anyway. He still felt a little uncomfortable, but he pushed past it.

  That was what being on a team was about, after all. He couldn’t be the lone wolf anymore, on no one’s side but his own. Not only for the sake of being a good mate for Delilah, but also for the sake of his new teammates.

  “And don’t you forget it,” Brooke said, raising an eyebrow at him. “Though if you ever do, I’ll be here to remind you. Delilah’s clearly a special girl, Euan. I’ll kill you if you somehow manage to mess it up.”

  “She is special,” Euan said, feeling his expression soften as he rested his eyes on Delilah’s face as she chatted and laughed with Ella and Myrtle. “But I wasn’t only talking about her. I was talking about you guys as well.” He swallowed. “I never really said thank you to you for any of the things you did for me. For helping me see that I could protect Delilah. Without you guys, I probably would never have – never have –”

  Euan’s words stumbled to a halt.

  I guess I still need more practice at this after all, he thought, grimacing.

  “It’s okay, we know what you mean,” Trent said, giving him a lopsided smile. “Don’t jump to this kind of high-level emotional stuff right away, Euan. Build up to it a bit. We understand.”

  Euan knew that in the past, he would’ve been irritated at Trent’s words and assumed he was making fun of him. But now, although he felt a little exasperated that Trent apparently couldn’t resist making a joke, he mainly felt gratitude.

  “Thanks,” he said, nodding. “Believe me – I appreciate it.”

  “And the offer of reminding you how lucky you are stands,” Hector said. “Any of us would be happy to do it. Finding your mate changes you, Euan. I never thought I could raise a kid, but I wouldn’t swap Myrtle and Ruby for anything in the world.”

  Euan’s heart thudded. He knew exactly what Hector meant. Before he’d met Delilah, he hadn’t imagined he could feel so much love, so much rightness at being so open with another person. He’d never thought he could be so open with someone else.

  But our mate has shown us a different way, his lion said.

  It was true. Euan knew he still had a long way to go, but thanks to Delilah – thanks to everyone here tonight – he now knew he could do it.

  We don’t need to be alone anymore.

  Euan swallowed as Delilah looked back over her shoulder at him, flashing him a brilliant smile. She was so beautiful – and smart, talented, and, most of all, kind.

  She is everything we ever could have dreamed of, his lion said, contentedly flexing its claws and curling its tail around itself as Delilah made her way across the floor to him.

  “Well, let’s leave you guys to it,” Trent said, a smile in his voice, as together he and the others moved off, joining Ella and Myrtle in admiring Delilah’s artworks.

  “I can’t believe you did this,” Delilah said when she reached him, raising a hand to touch his cheek gently. “You and all the others I mean – there’s so much work here.”

  “Takes a little less time for shifters to get this kind of thing done,” Euan said.

  “Hey, let me enjoy my moment, thinking of you all slaving away here just to give me this gift,” Delilah laughed. “But seriously – no matter whether it was hard work or not, just the thought that you guys would do this for me…” She trailed off, blinking, her eyes growing moist.

  “I’m sorry it’s only small, with just us,” Euan said. “But it was obviously a little last minute, and I wasn’t sure if you’d want anything bigger.”

  “No, no, this is wonderful,” Delilah said, shaking her head. “I feel like I’ve been working so hard on them for so long, it’s been difficult for me to actually… see them, if you know what I mean. Looking at them now, properly hung… I feel like I can imagine them hanging in some fancy office now. Or in a big gallery, even!”

  “It’ll happen for you, Delilah,” Euan told her, putting his arm around her shoulder. “I don’t have any doubts about that.”

  “I know you don’t.” Delilah’s voice was soft as she looked up at him. “And looking around here, I think I believe it a little more too. But for now, I don’t need – or want – anything else. This is perfect.”

  Perfect, Euan thought, as he lowered his head to kiss her.

  And she was right.

  The story continues in Trent: Outback Shifters – coming soon!

  A note from Zoe Chant

  Thank you for buying my book! I hope you enjoyed it. If you’d like to be emailed when I release my next book, please click here to be added to my mailing list.

  Please consider reviewing Euan: Outback Shifters even if you only write a line or two. I appreciate all reviews, whether positive or negative.

  The cover of Euan: Outback Shifters was designed by Isabelle Arden.

  More Paranormal Romance by Zoe Chant

  Outback Shifters Series

  Hector

  Callan

  Euan

  More coming soon!

  The Lost Dragons Series

  A Mate for the Dragon

  Fated for the Dragon

  Destined for the Dragon

  A Bride for the Dragon

  Bound to the Dragon

  See Zoe Chant’s complete list of books here!