The Falk Clan Complete Series

by C. D. Gorri

  Edric straightened and kept his half-change. He wanted to maintain his aura of power around the scheming Witch. He scented the air around her, charged as it was with her magic, the smell made him frown. Whatever she wanted, her intentions were clear, and they were not good.

  “Well, perhaps we judged you too quickly Ms. Coracao. Bringing a Dragon into the fold would certainly up your value to us,” she said.

  “First, I think you should know that my mate’s value is indefinable, Witch. Second, if Joselyn chooses to join your coven, I will always support her decisions, but do not think for a second I am of any use to you or yours. Now, my love, do you wish to have words with this person?” Edric growled and the woman quaked with fear.

  “No, Edric, and Ms. Lanier I don’t need your coven. In fact, I find your practices cruel. You use the magic of others to benefit yourselves as much as you pretend to use it to protect the forests.”

  “And just what will you use for protection then?”

  “She has me, and note that any retaliation against my mate for her choosing to not join you will be seen as a direct threat to the Falk Clan. My brothers and I take threats very seriously, Ms. Lanier,” growled Edric with the promise of retribution in his voice.

  “Oh, well, no of course, we don’t want any problems with your Clan, Mr. Falk. Well, Joselyn, I guess that is that. Good day.”

  After checking the premises and hosing the gasoline off of her back door, Edric and Joselyn left the house that she’d called home for most of her life.

  “What should I do with it?” she asked.

  “Whatever you wish, my love. It is yours.”

  “I’d like to maybe use it as a halfway house for Witches without a coven who are in need of a safe haven. What do you think?”

  “I think that sounds perfect. Just like you,” he smiled and closed the door before walking around to the driver’s side.

  “We still have some time before the wedding. What do you want to do next?”

  Joselyn smiled up at him, her eyes glowing purple.

  “I have the best idea!”

  CHAPTER 12

  Edric and Joselyn returned to the castle a few hours later and took their time dressing. It was the undressing part that kept them quite distracted. Finally, they were dressed and headed downstairs to prepare for Sander’s and Noelle’s happy event that was to take place the next day.

  Edric held her hand as they entered the dining room late, but happy. Several dozen wedding guests were gathered for the rehearsal lunch, and both bride and groom were grinning like fools. Only days ago, Edric would have scoffed at his brother for being an idiot, but not now. Now, Edric completely understood the notion to grin for days on end. He’d never felt so complete in all his days.

  Edric wanted to pound his chest and announce to the world that the woman next to him was his. He’d never felt such a strong array of emotions. Love, tenderness, the need to protect, desire, happiness. He wanted to savor each morsel, cherish each feeling. It was all so much at once, but he gladly took stock in each emotion.

  He wanted to roar in pleasure at the sight of the way her eyes crinkled when she laughed at something one of his brothers said. His blood seemed to sing every time she casually brushed a hand over his arm. And when she swayed with him to the music playing in the background, he about melted onto the floor.

  She was so fucking hot. Beautiful and sexy, brave and smart. His Witch was everything and more. All the little nuances about her, each tasty little morsel was a treasure trove, a feast for his senses. He wanted to savor and cherish each second with her.

  Her spicy saffron scent wafted into his nostrils and he reached up to touch a curl that had drifted down from the pile of them she’d pinned on her head. She wore a simple blue shirt and form fitting slacks, but she looked incredible. He wondered how long it would take him to unbutton that blouse and get those pants off.

  Would they wrinkle if he was too rough? Fuck it, he’d just rip it and buy her more clothes. He couldn’t wait until he could peel her out of them! Desire flashed through him. Es meus. His Dragon growled, and he knew she heard it too.

  His Joselyn looked at him and smiled that slow, wide grin that he loved so much. She linked hands with him and leaned her head on his shoulder just as the party began to bundle up to move outdoors. Noelle and Sander had planned an entire “Winter Wonderland” theme for the rehearsal. Part of it meant they had to go outdoors.

  “So, where are we going?”

  “Ah, well, Noelle is kind of a nature nut, and even though it is twenty degrees outside, she and Sander have planned a hike around the property followed by an outdoor rehearsal luncheon. Don’t worry it’s in a tent with lots of firepits!”

  “The cold doesn’t bother me, but what about you?” His concern was real. Joselyn was a Witch, but as far as he knew, she still felt cold.

  He didn’t like the idea of her discomfort and wanted to scold his brother for such a foolish notion. Sure, Dragons survived and even thrived in arctic conditions, after all, they made their own heat. But what of Sander’s mate, she was a normal? And his Witch?

  “Oh, I’ll be fine, baby, I’ll just hold on to you if I get cold,” Joselyn’s reply brought heat to certain parts of his body that now felt a little more than uncomfortable in the tight black pants he wore. Oops. Note to self, invest in baggy jeans.

  “Of course, love, you hold onto me whenever you like,” he grinned and kissed her neck.

  They followed the wedding guests through the planned two-mile hike around the castle grounds. Edric made sure Joselyn brought a warm coat complete with accessories before they stepped outside.

  “Thank you,” she said as he helped her over a patch of ice.

  The woods were sparsely covered with snow, but someone had done a fantastic job at clearing the path. He imagined his brother had a hand in that. Sander had a way with snow and ice.

  “This is gorgeous,” Joselyn gasped a she took in the long icicles that covered the huge pine trees, almost as if someone had put them there.

  As a matter of fact, Edric knew that Sander had. He’d also placed carved ice statues every fifty feet or so. There were hearts, wedding bells, doves, a dragon, and lastly an exact replica of the bride and groom in ice that brought tears to many of the guests’ eyes, including Noelle’s. Her mother snapped pictures while all the guests raved over Sander’s artistic abilities.

  “You are more beautiful than any of my brother’s efforts, Joselyn,” Edric felt himself tense.

  Suddenly, he felt inadequate. He could never do things like that. He did not have the gift or the skill. He was good with his hands and with knives, but not much else. What if she grew bored of him? As if she could tell what he was thinking, Joselyn squeezed his arm. Then he realized, she probably could tell.

  “Of course, I can tell, psychic Witch, remember?” She smiled at him, and he felt warm inside.

  “Edric, I don’t need you to make me ice statues or tapestries. I don’t need the fanfare. You should know that I’m not the kind of person you will have to constantly shower with gifts or entertain to make me happy.”

  “Then what do you need, Joselyn, I will give you anything I have. I want to make you happy, my love.”

  “I need you, Edric. Just you. You are the only thing I’ll ever want.”

  He didn’t think it was possible, but right then, Edric fell even more in love with her. His Witch who wanted nothing, but his heart.

  “You’ve got me, minha bruxa, for all eternity. I love you.”

  “Good.”

  “Good? That’s all you have to say?”

  Her laughter rang out as he picked her up in his arms and twirled her around much to the amusement of the few guests who were near them.

  “Oh stop, I’ll get dizzy!”

  “Good, I want you dizzy! And as off balance as you’ve made me, you wily Witch! Now tell me what I want to hear,” he spun around again and tickled her.

  “Oh, Edric, stop,” she giggled and
kicked her feet, “Okay, okay! I love you! I love you!”

  He stopped spinning and dropped her slowly to the ground, her body plastered to his. Their breath mingled, and he growled softly as he claimed her lips.

  EPILOGUE

  Edric turned to Joselyn and smiled widely at simply the sight of her. In just forty-eight hours his life had turned completely upside-down and around. The thing was, this Dragon Shifter had never been happier. He was complete. Finally.

  “Did you enjoy the wedding, my love?” he asked his mate as she laughed at the display of the new bride feeding her husband wedding cake.

  “Oh yes, the ceremony was beautiful, and this is just amazing,” she sighed and wrapped her small hands around his bicep, snuggling close to him. He frowned, not that he minded the closeness, but the fact that he might have disappointed her did not sit well with him.

  “Are you upset at all that we didn’t have something like this, something more traditional? We still could you know.”

  “Edric, I told you already, I don’t need all this, the dresses, the people, the flowers, and all the bells and whistles. I just need you. Besides, I don’t have any family except for you and the rest of the Falk clan, and they are all here! This is perfect.”

  “But no one knows-”

  “Even more perfect! It’s our secret for now. Let’s cherish it.”

  Edric leaned forward and kissed his wife of three hours on the tip of her perfect little nose. He’d wanted, no, he needed, to make their mating official in the eyes of all that walked the Earth. Dragons could be funny that way.

  More territorial than most shifters, his ruby rose proclaimed her as his, but should he catch anyone looking upon her skin he might rip their heads off. Best to give her a ring, or at least that had been his thinking.

  After they’d watched Sander and Noelle at the rehearsal lunch the day before, he’d gotten the craziest, most wonderful idea in all his five-hundred plus years on Earth. He took his mate to the rooftop of the castle in the middle of the night and in one moment of magic and mystery, he’d turned into his fiery ThunderDragon.

  She’d gasped at the forty-foot-long ThunderDragon with his shining red and orange scales, his enormous wingspan, and his long, spiraled horns. He was quite impressive, if he did say so himself.

  When he’d connected to her mind and told her his plans, she’d smiled so beautifully and readily agreed. It was simply a matter of her climbing onto his back on the soft blanket he’d had her carry up from the bedroom and just like that, he’d whisked her away to a local justice of the peace.

  The man also happened to be a Werewolf and wasn’t the least bit alarmed when a bright red Dragon landed in his backyard in the middle of the night with a Witch on his back. In fact, he’d greeted them with champagne.

  The Falk Clan had a treaty with the local Macconwood Pack, and all the Wolves in the vicinity had been alerted to their presence. So far, they’d been a friendly lot. The older Wolf who’d performed their marriage ceremony was no different.

  It took all of thirty minutes, and then Edric and Joselyn flew back to Castle Falk. They’d spent the rest of that magical evening wrapped in each other’s arms. The vows they spoke with their bodies more binding than any words could ever be. He’d reveled in her magic as it pulsed and wrapped around his own, kissing his soul as he kissed her skin. A true communion of Shifter and Witch like none he’d ever heard.

  The next day, they watched with matching grins as his brother, Sander, and Noelle spoke their vows with almost identical, secret smiles on their faces. Edric was not surprised they wore the same expressions as Sander and Noelle as they shared their first dance as man and wife.

  No one seemed to notice the two of them, and that was good. Edric had no wish to steal their moment away from them. He looked down at his own wife and smiled. He felt his ruby rose throb and swirl on his chest and saw in her eyes that hers did the same. Life and love pulsed through their bond and he experienced a feeling of utter peace.

  It was a sensation like no other. He dropped his forehead to hers and twirled the large ruby ring he’d given her around Joselyn’s finger. Edric opened his eyes and watched as she looked down at it, a curious smile on her face.

  “I think Noelle was right, my love,” she said.

  “How’s that?” he asked.

  “Red really is my color.”

  He laughed at that and wrapped her up in his arms. The spicy scent of her magic filled his nostrils, and he let his thoughts wander to the ways he’d revel in it later that evening. Es meus.

  When the band leader invited all the guests to join the happy couple, Edric whispered in her ear as he led her to the dance floor, “You look so fucking beautiful in that red gown, my love, but not as amazing as you will when I peel it off you, with my teeth.” Later. Grrr.

  “I can’t wait, as long as I get to return the favor,” she said sliding her hands up his sculpted chest. He loved the feel of her even through the silk shirt of the tux he wore.

  He’d never tire of wanting her. That was one thig he was certain about. He held her molded to his body as they made their way through other couples on the floor. They might as well have been alone for all the notice he paid them. She was all he ever needed.

  “You are my heart, Joselyn Coracao Falk, my life, and my love. For always. Es meus. Minha bruxa. My sweet and sexy little Witch.”

  The end.

  The Dragon’s Secret:

  A Falk Clan Tale

  From The Grazi Kelly Universe

  by C.D. Gorri

  To my dear friend and an amazing author, Amanda Kimberley, thanks for always being there to listen to the ravings of this crazy gal! You are the best!

  Copyright 2018 C.D. Gorri

  This is a work of fiction. All of the characters, names, places, organizations, and events portrayed in this novel are either part of the author’s imagination and/or used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to person, living or dead, actual events, locales or organizations is entirely coincidental. This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. All rights are reserved. No part of this book is to be reproduced, scanned, downloaded, printed, or distributed in any manner whatsoever without written permission from the author. Please do not participate in or encourage piracy of any materials in violation of the author’s rights. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

  Tagline:

  “She just wants a little fun, he’s looking for a lifetime.”

  Synopsis:

  Melody Casper is all work and no play! She spends eighty-hours a week crunching numbers for Merlin Banking Solutions, the most secure supernaturally run bank in the world. Talk about boring!

  One failed marriage behind her, this Coyote Shifter is more than ready for a little fun! What better place to let her hair down than the annual World Banks Charity Ball?

  Nikolai Falk needs a break from the pressure of finding a mate! With three brothers wed and mated, Niko is the last single Dragon in his Clan. Called away to the city to represent the family’s interests, he attends a charity ball where he discovers the one the Fates designed just for him.

  Can Nikolai convince his sexy Coyote that she is his one true mate?

  PROLOGUE

  Nikolai Falk looked up from his laptop and cursed soundly. How the fuck was it three o’clock already?

  He groaned and quickly stretched, standing up in the process. All those lines of code had a way of sucking him in for hours on end until he lost track of space and time. Shit. His EnergyDragon growled at him.

  The beast needed to fly, to stretch his wings against the cooling skies. His ability to exercise control over technology was something unique to him. Energy came in many forms, and he simply excelled at this one.

  He’d discovered December was an unusual month in their new hometown of Maccon City, New Jersey. It was milder than fall on some days, then colder than a witch’s tit on others. Er. He’d best not repeat that colorful colloquial
ism in front of his brother, Edric.

  Dragons and Witches had some history together. Mainly an antagonistic one seeing as how those who followed the Dark had a nasty habit of killing Dragons to get their bits and pieces for spells. Fucking monsters. But all Witches were not evil. IN fact, he knew quite a few that followed the White and practiced their craft honorably.

  Either way, his brother, Edric, was more than a bit touchy about the whole Witches thing, and he did not appreciate any negative remarks about their kind. The ThunderDragon was mated to a Witch, and he didn’t take kindly to any perceived slurs against her.

  As if Nikolai would ever disrespect his newest sister-in-law. Joselyn was just great and perfect for his older sibling. Her psychic powers were benevolent far as he could tell, and she chose to remain outside the local coven. Choosing to look to her mate for protection and security. As it should be. Lucky bastard that Edric was.

  Another one mated. And he alone. Nikolai rolled his eyes as he looked back down at his laptop for a second. Hmm, just one more adjustment.

  His cell chirped annoyingly with the alarm he’d set for himself. Fuck. Good thing though. He’d never hear the end of it if he was late for his niece’s naming day!

  The ceremony was going to start in half an hour and he still had a shit ton of work to do. But not today. Being responsible for their small Clan’s finances was one hell of a job. Especially when his brothers had no concept of managing money, only spending it.

  He smirked and shook his head. Arrogance was not only a human fault. But he had a right to be overly confident. Nikolai was damned brilliant at making money. The Falk Clan’s worth was currently in the hundreds of millions. Not too shabby indeed considering where they’d been a little over a year ago.

  He jumped into the shower and hurried to dress. Nikolai had no time to revel in the hot spray of water. He washed quickly and chose a pair of navy-blue Armani slacks with a simple white silk shirt.

  Like his brothers, his tastes were expensive. Dragons loved treasure of all sorts, he mused as he tucked a strand of hair behind his ear. Besides, after five-hundred years of servitude to a tyrant, he figured they were entitled to a little luxury.