by Thorne, Elle
“Yeah. And—”
Almost as if she’d been cued, Astra squealed in the other room. The sound of chairs scraping was followed by sounds of joy.
Kane peeked. “They’re hugging.” He shook his head. “Astra’s something else.”
“That’s a fact,” Jake agreed. “So what’s my little girl going to ask her?”
“She really should ask you both, at the same time, but you know Astra—she does things the way she wants.”
“True that.”
“She wants to know more about this elemental stuff.”
“Mae doesn’t really know that much. She said she left that life behind, didn’t do the training or something…?” Jake couldn’t elaborate on it much. Mae wasn’t always interested in discussing it. Instead, he reached for the coffee grounds. “Guess I really should make some coffee.”
* * *
Mae released her hug on Astra. Had she really just asked her to do that? “I don’t know.”
“Please. I can’t do this without you. And I don’t want to. I want Dad there too.”
“I’m…”
“Mae. I have to. I simply must. And it’s the last tie I have to my mother. I know she was just like me.”
Mae sighed. This was difficult. It pulled on her guilt for having Jake when Anna was dead. But she loved Astra dearly. “Yes, I know your mother had ties to the elemental world.”
“You don’t have to stay if you don’t want to. Just take me there and introduce me to them. Show me. Then if you want to leave me, you can. Kane and I will stay. But I must—absolutely must—know more. I have to learn about this elemental thing because otherwise it feels like sometimes I’m riding a tornado.”
Mae knew that feeling. And she’d run away from it.
“Okay, after you return from your trip to Europe, we’ll look into going to see the Order. You’ll meet Circe. And Marco.”
And hopefully nothing will happen.
Epilogue
A few days later…
Jake rolled over. They were laying in the bed at Mae’s.
He leaned closer and took her rosy-tipped nipple in his mouth. Her nipple hardened instantly and he could scent her arousal.
He flicked the hard nub with the tip of his tongue. “It’s time.” His hand courted the other nipple with lazy circles that made her quiver.
They’d spent the whole morning in bed, teasing, tempting, tasting. They’d had breakfast in bed, such as it was, because neither wanted to let the other one go for long.
He rolled her over, on her hands and knees, pulled her body tight against his. Pushing her legs apart, after a morning of foreplay, he’d reached a point he couldn’t wait anymore. He felt her moist pussy against his throbbing cock and spread her legs, and sheathed himself into her with one swift and sweet drive.
“Ahh. Christ. Mae.” The sweetness of her heat, the tightness of her muscles pulled the groan from him. He lay on her back, his next grown captured by the white flesh of her shoulder. He lifted her hips, pulling her in tighter and began to ride her, taking her gifts as his own prizes, and giving her the treasure of his love.
In and out, he pushed and pulled. The force between them stronger than gravity, his bear and her elemental joining in the eternal dance and battle.
When she began to convulse, a scream beginning, he clamped down on her, taking the soft flesh of her shoulder in his mouth. The opposite side of the one she’d been marked on before.
He clamped down, letting his canines breach the flesh, and then he paused while the pleasure of the couple bond became so powerful that they both began to climax together.
“Jake,” Mae whispered.
He licked the spot, sealing the wound. “Forever.”
* * *
“Want to make it official?”
“How can it be more official than what you just did?” Mae touched the couple bonding mark. It tingled and was warm to the touch. She’d missed that sensation.
It was on the other side of her neck from the mark Brad had given her. Jake hadn’t wanted to discredit or diminish the love she and Brad had shared.
Then a thought occurred to her. “Jake Evans, if by ‘official’ you mean a wedding, absolutely not. Preparing and waiting for Grant and Chelsea’s was enough for a very, very long time.”
He winked. “So you’re passing on a honeymoon?”
“How about an un-honeymoon?”
Jake raised a brow, as if he were suspicious. “What are you thinking?”
“When Astra gets back from Europe, why don’t we take a trip with her and Kane?” Mae swallowed the lump that sprang into her throat as soon as she’d asked the question. It made her nervous to return there. She no longer belonged there.
“Anywhere special?”
“For her it is.”
“How can I say no to the two most beautiful—and dangerous—women I know?” Jake kissed the tip of her nose.
A blue light flashed in the depths of her eyes.
Keep reading for an excerpt from the next Shifters Forever Worlds.
Controversy
Remember Vax? He made a cameo in Shifters Forever: Seduction. He’s back!
Shifter Vax Tiero runs After Dark. A nightclub that doubles as a haven for shifters. Man, did he screw up, falling for the curvy graduate student Callie Rivera.
That’s a no-no because of the Tiero Council Code. One of the tigresses is a furious, petulant visitor whose jealousy puts Callie in danger.
Now Vax has two problems. Keeping Callie alive and keeping that he’s a shifter secret from her.
Wait. Two?!?
Make that three problems because his half-brother, an equally sexy, shifter named Rafe is in from Europe for a visit. And he’s got his eye on Callie. He’ll waste no time going for what he wants while Vax is taking care of After Dark.
Two hot shifter males and a hot-tempered shifter female promise sparks, melee, and drama.
* * *
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Chapter One
Vittorio Tiero, called Vax by his friends and family, dragged his ass in the back door of his club, After Dark. Vax was the alpha of the Tiero shifter tribe in North America. The rest of his family ran the European branch.
He entered the back room of After Dark, taking a second to lean against the wall and rest. He inhaled the familiar scent of the place.
Home. Finally.
Several days ago, he’d gotten a call to prevent Kane, a bear shifter, from being killed by rovers—mercenary shifters who did dirty work. Saving Kane had solidified Vax’s alliance with the Bear Canyon Valley shifters.
Shifters were never neutral. They were either friends, or they were enemies. And enemies rarely became friends, though some were more like frenemies. If anything, an enemy became even more of an enemy as time passed.
The trip home from Bear Canyon Valley had been long. It had felt longer than the trip up, probably because the whole way there he had been more concerned about keeping Kane out of harm’s way.
Vax was hella tired and hadn’t taken a second to recuperate. He’d traveled directly from Bear Canyon Valley to get back home. No stops, no food, no sleep. Practically straight through from Bear Canyon Valley, North Dakota, to Dallas, Texas.
He was glad he’d been able to help. His alliance with the Bear Canyon Valley Clan was vital.
Though Vax’s bleeding had stopped not long after he left Bear Canyon Valley, he had other injuries. The lacerations had sealed, leaving behind scars that became fainter with every passing hour, but the bruises and bone fractures were still painful.
Rest. He needed a whole hell of a lot of rest. He locked the deadbolt behind him. He’d get a few hours’ sleep before the club opened for business. That would tide him over.
“It’s about time you returned.”
Natalya. Her tone was barely above a whisper.
Her voice didn’t need to be any louder, not with his tiger hearing. Natalya’s ire with his a
bsence was evident. She hadn’t showered or changed. She was in uniform, clearly the one from last night, judging from the smell his tiger senses picked up.
Outside, the sun was well up. Evidently, she’d been obsessing about his whereabouts. Again. Her possessiveness was getting tiresome and was totally unwarranted.
He bit back his temper and took a deep breath before responding, his blue eyes vivid icebergs of chilling emotion, his jaw clenched.
“Why? Is there a problem? Something happen while I was gone?” For emphasis, Vax pulled out his cell, checked it, and showed it to her. “I see no texts or calls saying there’s an emergency.”
He shoved the phone back into his pocket and left his hand in there, clenched tight in a fist. He didn’t owe her any explanations. What he did was none of her business, and she’d be better off if she realized that no matter who wanted them together, and no matter what she wanted, he wasn’t inclined to feel the same way. He had no chemistry with Natalya. Sure, she was beautiful, curvy, downright stunning. That didn’t mean he had to bed or mate her.
Turning his back on her, he made his way down the dark hallway, his tiger vision requiring no lighting. He could hear her following closely behind. He scented her anger, though he didn’t need to scent it to know she was irritated with him. That was her usual MO. Always angry, always pouting because she wasn’t getting her way. She hadn’t changed since she was a little girl. He cursed his father for having arranged her stay. He cursed himself for agreeing to it, giving her a job at After Dark, allowing her to work alongside his sisters, if only to keep the peace between their tribes.
“Vax. Stop.” She put her hand on his shoulder, her claws digging into his flesh.
He didn’t wince or show he’d been hurt earlier. The first thing she’d do was tell his tribal sister tigresses he was wounded. He didn’t need the drama.
“What?” He turned slowly to face her, shrugging her hand off his body. “I’m tired. I need to get to bed. What’s up?”
“Don’t you think you owe me an explanation of your whereabouts? You can’t just vanish for days.” She flipped her blonde hair behind her and cocked a perfectly arched brow, her light eyes gleaming with angry fire.
“Natalya.” Vax drew in a deep breath. “I don’t answer to anyone. I had business to take care of.” He didn’t want to hurt her feelings, but, no matter how many times he’d told her they wouldn’t be mates, she’d refused to accept it. Maybe more bluntness was called for.
Nah, the hell with it; he was too tired to deal with any drama right now. “Tell everyone I’m back. I’ll be in my quarters until opening time tonight. Let them know I’m sleeping and I won’t be answering my phone.”
He turned from her before she could give him an argument. After making a sharp right, he used his key for the elevator, taking it up. He leaned his forehead against the cool metal finish of the elevator, allowing the whirring sound of the machinery to calm him, to remind him he was home, that he’d be able to sleep—fully. No more of the one-eye-open while he tried to catch a few minutes’ nap like it had been on the road. Sleep on the road had been an epic adventure in failure. Here he could rest, knowing his building was as impenetrable as a fortress.
A few moments later, with a ding and a whoosh, the elevator opened to another hallway leading to the penthouse.
Vax and the rest of the Tiero owned the entire building, leasing out a few of the lower floors and keeping the rest for the Tiero businesses. The top floor, the forty-fourth one, held his apartment and his office.
He locked the door to his place, something he rarely did when at home. His door was always open to the rest of the tribe.
After stripping his clothing off, he jumped into bed, the cool sheets providing comfort, the sunlight blocked by blinds.
His club and his territory, as well as his tribe, should have been the only things on his mind. Being the alpha of a tribe of tigers and tigresses was no small thing in a metropolis the size of Dallas. There were always shifters encroaching on his territory, trying to stake a claim, looking to pick a fight or settle a grudge.
That should have been the only thing on his mind, but it wasn’t. A pair of brown eyes, a set of killer hips, and a curvy ass were at the forefront.
Just as his eyes closed, his mind wandered to a dark-eyed, luscious brunette.
Callie.
Chapter Two
Calliope—Callie—Rivera clocked in at After Dark then went to the employee dressing room to check her appearance in the mirror. Yup, she looked as flustered and harangued as she felt. She’d just wrapped up typing a paper for her professor. What the hell had she been thinking when she decided to pursue her master’s degree? I coulda gotten a job, done the nine-to-five thing, but nooo, here I am, the eternal college student. She shook her head at herself in the mirror, questioning her sanity, and pulled her tailored “uniform” down.
Uniform was the wrong word. It was a sexy little evening number, just like all the rest of the “uniforms” she and the other hostesses had been provided.
The Tiero didn’t mess around. After Dark hostesses were better dressed than many of the patrons. There was no doubt this was a class act, a nightclub meant to rival the top nightclubs in the country, as well as in Europe.
After Dark may have dressed its employees in the classiest possible attire, but that wasn’t the draw. The draw was Sanctuary, the enclosure housing an assortment of tigers, mostly white tigers, and had them on view for club patrons. Sanctuary was a glass-and-bar structure that took up the whole forty-third floor of one of the Tiero Towers high rises—one of two side-by-side buildings, built for, owned by, and managed by the Tiero family. The glass glowed gold in the Texas sunsets. Five glass-covered walkways connected the buildings, allowing occupants to travel from building to building without venturing outside. The Tiero Towers ranked amongst the most extravagant and coveted buildings in Dallas.
Tiero Tower One had a floor dedicated to a habitat created for tigers. Partiers from far and wide made After Dark a must-see on their visit to the Dallas Metroplex.
Callie adjusted her outfit again. The dress—uniform—was much sexier than she was typically comfortable with, attracting attention that wasn’t always welcome, but the money was good. And hey, it’s not like I’m stripping or anything. If she’d been slinging wings and beer, she’d be wearing less, and it’d be less classy. At least here, Mr. Tiero—Vittorio, she corrected herself. Vittorio didn’t like the employees using formalities when they talked to him.
“Not Mr. Tiero. Just call me Vittorio,” he always said.
She’d noticed his sisters called him Vax without permission, but she wasn’t about to do the same.
Heat washed over Callie’s body at the thought of the gorgeous owner of the club. Stupid, really. Why did she think he’d ever look twice at her? Okay, she wasn’t a dog. No, far from that, but all the blonde-haired beauties who worked here—like Natalya—were far more likely to get his attention. Yeah, well, whatever. She had her degree to worry about, not lusting after the boss. The very hot boss, with dreamy dark eyes, black hair, and a face that makes you think the only place it belongs is right above your pussy. Or your face, she corrected herself.
Oh yeah, the man’s face was sexiness personified. Don’t forget the body, she reminded herself. That, too. The fine-ass body she’d love to worship with her tongue.
Oh, jeez. For real, control yourself, woman. She would have fanned herself, but right that moment, speak of the devil, Natalya walked in.
For some reason, Natalya hated her. Callie didn’t get it. She’d never done anything to the tall blonde. She’d never been rude or even unkind. In fact, Callie had never exchanged more than three words with her in a single sitting. It was usually just a “Hi,” or something to that effect.
“Callie.” Natalya’s sneer took some of the pretty off her face.
“Hi.” Callie tried to muster up a smile.
Natalya fluffed her hair and left the room. Anna walked in right after
.
Callie exhaled a whoosh of a sigh. “Where were you? You’re late,” she told her best friend.
“I see you were busy with your other best friend,” Anna teased.
“She hates me. She’s as dangerous as the tigers upstairs at Sanctuary.”
Anna laughed at Callie’s description of Natalya. “She’s probably more dangerous. A jealous woman or, you know that saying, a woman scorned…”
“What are you talking about?” Callie whispered, looking around to make sure none of the dressing rooms in the back were occupied.
“She clearly has a thing for Vittorio.” Anna smirked. “And he spends way more time than he should with his eyes on you.”
“You’re crazy. Look at me.” She waved her arms around her body as if she were a game show hostess. “And look at the figure that just walked out of here. Pshaw. He’s not checking me out, trust me.”
Natalya had curves, sure, but Callie had them in spades—and then some! What made Anna think Vittorio liked this much curviness?
“Whatever.” Callie laughed and pulled her top up a notch, covering some of her cleavage. It was way too low-cut for comfort.
“Leave it alone. You’re going to kill your tips.”
Tipping was allowed, and hostesses benefited from that as they almost seemed to serve as tour guides, taking patrons from one area to another, facilitating, assuring good service. After Dark took up the entire forty-second floor, so it was an easy place to get lost in, and to lose someone else in. Not to mention the club had a kitchen in the back, and the patrons on occasion needed sustenance. A chef was there to provide a multiple-starred selection to choose from.