by Maggie Walsh
Russell Savage has been around since the dawn of time. He is the original shifter and has spent most of his life fighting in one war or another as well as hoping that one day he would be blessed with a mate. Little did he expect to find him, clinging to life, as the last victim of a serial rapist and killer in Crystal, Colorado. Going on pure instinct and need, Savage whisks his mate to the place he has called home for thousands of years.
Gill wakes in a strange place, with a gorgeous stranger watching over him, explaining that he is the ultimate of shifters and Gill is his mate. All the promises Savage makes about love, safety and acceptance is something out of the romance novels Gill loves to write. However, how can he believe Savage when his own parents never offered any of the same. Little did Gill know how easy that would be but underestimating how far his family would go to get him back threatens the life Gill and Savage are trying to build.
How will Gill and Savage unravel the evil Gill’s father has started so that Gill can finally find love, peace, and paradise, in a place they call…Savage Island.
Savage Heart
Savage Island 1
By
Cree Storm & Maggie Walsh
MM, SHIFTERS, PARANORMAL, AND SCENES OF VIOLENCE
A Cree Storm and Maggie Walsh book
www.creestorm.weebly.com
www.maggiewalshauthor.com
CREE STORM AND MAGGIE WALSH BOOK
Savage Heart
Savage Island 1
Copyright © 2018 by Cree Storm and Maggie Walsh
Edited by Ann Attwood
First E-book Publication: November 2018
Cover design by JP Graphic Designs
All cover art and logo copyright © 2018, JP Graphic Designs and Cree Storm and Maggie Walsh
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED: This literary work may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, including electronic or photographic reproduction, in whole or in part, without express written permission.
All characters and events in this book are fictitious. Any resemblance to actual persons living or dead is strictly coincidental.
All characters depicted in sexual acts in this work of fiction are 18 years of age or older.
Dedication
To all our loyal Eternal Flames readers...welcome to the new world of Savage Island...
Table Of Content
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Epilogue
Cree Storm Other Books
Maggie Walsh Other Books
Eternal Flames/Eternal Flames Maddox
About Cree Storm
About Maggie Walsh
CHAPTER 1
He spread his wings wide and soared higher, loving the feel of the rush of air as it ran through his feathers. Flapping his wings harder, he flew up, luxuriating in the warmth of the sun as it kissed his face. Once he reached his desired altitude he evened out, then turned and began his descent.
Closing his eyes, he felt the wave of magic wash over him, allowing him to shift into another of his limitless beasts. In an instant, where feathers once covered his form, his body was now protected with scales of armor, and he tripled in size. Talons from his Argentavis magnificens, bird, were now sharp claws of his dragon, and his long feathery wings replaced with very large leathery ones.
Pulling his wings back, he allowed himself to glide on an air current, enjoying the freedom he felt, and let the wind whip him around the southern tip of the island below. As he flew over the tropical forest his gaze focused on his mansion home as it became more visible rising over the curtain wall that surrounded his compound. The metal roof of the large structure shone brightly with the sun's reflection.
The current changed course and took him back out over the vast expanse of the South Pacific Ocean. His gaze swept over the horizon and he smiled to himself at the sight. The sky was a beautiful deep cerulean blue, devoid of a single cloud. The air was fresh and clean, and the water as far as he could see was a glittering mirror reflecting the sun off the small waves, creating the look of endless glittering diamonds.
A blast of water suddenly rose up into the air from the surface of the water, catching his attention. He smiled again as his gaze zeroed in on a pod of humpback whales making their way up north.
Dropping lower, he beat his wings and turned right going back over the land and doing a final sweep. As he drew closer to the massive private compound and flew over the curtain wall surrounding the keep, he took notice of the female picking items from the herb garden in the corner. Another presence caught his attention and he noticed the man picking cucumbers, peppers, and an assortment of vegetables from another garden, then placing the items in a large wicker basket. As he fully passed the wall, he descended lower until he landed gracefully in the center of the courtyard known as the keep, then closed his eyes and allowed the change to take over again.
Now when he opened his eyes, he looked at his surroundings through his human eyes and once again drew in a lungful of the fresh air and smiled. He always loved coming home.
In the uncertain times of the past few hundred years, his time here on his island had become less. Then over the past twenty years or so, he once again served in a military for man, and in the last ten years had found a group of men he had become attached to who he felt he needed to watch over. Men, some human, some shifters, who had become like sons to him. They were family. And recently his new family had met members of beings he considered family from long days gone by who he had been separated from but was so thankful to have them all back.
Now, once again, things were changing. Not only in the world but for him personally. He had been around since before the creation of dirt, since the real dawn of time and had spent more than his fair share of those years alone. Finally, after many millennia, he would not be alone anymore. Fate had finally smiled down upon him and he could come home for good.
He had always promised himself that the day he met his fated one would be the day he would no longer serve man and home would be his life. And home, was wherever his mate was. Now being back here on his island, with his fated mate near, a sense of peace he had never experienced before consumed him. Life was good.
“You finally decided to land I see. Well, you missed breakfast, unless of course you hunted and ate in one of your animal forms. Lunch should be ready soon. Would you like for me to serve it out here in the courtyard, or on your private balcony?” the feminine voice asked, as Lani, his housekeeper, cook, and long-time good friend, caught up to him and matched his stride.
“Has he awakened yet?” He asked as they walked toward the kitchen door.
The smile fell from her lips slightly as she replied, “No, not yet, but Grey is hopeful it will be soon. Grey has healed everything that he can. Now it is up to your fated one,” Lani replied.
“I’m sure Grey is right, Savage,” Heath said as he joined them. “You need to remember, your mate is human, so it will take him a little longer to recover.”
“Yes, I know,” Savage replied on a sigh.
“Why don’t you go wash up while I finish lunch. A nice shower and a good meal will help. Especially seeing as you haven’t slept since you brought your fated one here and have now spent hours flying around the island up there in every flight form you could mus
ter. I have to admit, I enjoyed seeing your Argentavis magnificens again. It has been so long since we have seen any of your creatures, but that extinct bird is so large and majestic, I’m always surprised it can even fly,” Lani said as they entered the kitchen and she and Heath placed their goods on the counter.
“I don’t know why with its wingspan of nineteen feet,” Heath replied with a chuckle as he took the vegetable items out of the basket and placed them in the sink for washing.
“Yeah, yeah, I know in its day, a few million years ago, it was the largest flight bird of its kind, but it still amazes me,” Lani answered then stuck her tongue out at Heath.
Savage smiled at their camaraderie as he poured a cup of coffee. “It felt great to let each of my winged beasts out to spread their wings and soar. It has been a while and now they are each content. I spotted a pod of humpbacks today. Maybe tomorrow I will let all of my aquatic beasts free and enjoy the depths of the ocean around us.”
“That sounds like a great idea. Mind if I join you?” Heath asked.
“Of course not,” Savage replied.
“You received a call while you were out. It was Commander Wells. He wants to talk to you about the missing pilot, Flyer. He wishes for you to contact him as soon as you can. He says they have important information concerning the man who is after you and Commander Wells’ team,” Lani said as she began to chop herbs.
“Damn it. I was hoping they had located Flyer by now. I’ll take my lunch on the balcony off my rooms, so I can check on my fated one before I grab a shower, then be nearby while I eat and call Wade for an update.”
“Heath and I can keep checking on him for you so you can concentrate on Wade and the mission,” Lani offered.
“Thank you, but I’ve been away from Gill for too long this morning as it is,” Savage said as he placed his empty cup in the sink, then turned and headed for the door.
“Go get cleaned up and your lunch will be waiting for you,” Lani called after him.
* * * *
After checking on Gill, who lay in his big bed and was still unconscious, Savage took a quick shower and dressed, before heading out to the balcony off his suite to find his lunch waiting as Lani had promised. He didn’t know what he would do without his small family here.
Grey, his oldest and closest friend in the world, who he had met a few millennia ago while he was scouting the Congo, served as butler and manager of his home and island.
Savage had been in his Spinosaurus form looking for a bite to eat when he stumbled upon a Giganotosaurus attacking a creature he had never seen before. It was huge at approximately twelve feet tall with a very large, solid body that was covered in dark brown hair with a patch of silver hair running down its back. In today’s world Grey would appear to be an oversized silverback gorilla, but back then he was a new and strange creature to Savage. To this day neither of them still knew what Grey actually was, so Savage just called him a Congo for the region he was discovered in. Even the paleontologists of today’s world had never seen anything like Grey. No bones or remains had ever been found.
But on that day, Savage had butted in and helped defend the gorilla creature from the Giganotosaurus and when the creature shifted into a man, Savage did as well, and they had been friends ever since. Grey and his uniqueness was one of the reasons that Savage had found this island and kept it hidden from the rest of the world. It was a place for Grey to live without fear of being discovered, as well as Lani and Heath, who were also shifters from long ago.
Without the three of them here to take care of the island and to be here for him whenever he found time to return, Savage didn’t know what he would have done or even if he would have lived this long. They were family and he needed to always protect them, as they had always protected him. And now his family would help him to keep his mate safe.
As he sat and began to eat his lunch, Grey appeared. “You’ve had a fun morning. I’ve just checked on your fated one and he looks perfectly healthy.”
“Thank you for taking such good care of him, Grey. I see Lani has included your lunch as well. Was there something you needed to discuss with me?” Savage asked as he began to dig into his meal.
“I just wanted to update you on the human’s condition and catch up a little. It’s been years since you’ve been home, and now with Gill here and all, there hasn’t been much time until now. But if you don’t have the time…”
“Nonsense. Of course, I would love to catch up with you. I just need to make a phone call to Wade and check on my other family.”
“Yes, Wells and his men.”
“As well as a few others. Remember the dragon and phoenix kings, and also the pixie king?”
Grey’s brows rose in surprise. “Of course. It has been many years since you have spoken of any of them. You always did consider them family,” Grey replied, then took a bite of his food.
Savage thought about the different families he had over the years and how some of them were gone to him forever, while others he thought gone, had returned to his life, and still even more, newer men he considered family, had met up with some of the old and had now become one family as well.
“Yes, Illan, Justice, Destrain, as well as the gargoyle king, Suneth, are all now together in Wade’s hometown of Crystal, in Colorado. They have now all become one big family. Wade is mated to Suneth. Illan and Justice are true mated, as well as having a third. There is so much to tell you, my friend, but speaking of that family, I need to call and find out what’s going on.”
Savage knew he was leaving them back in the States high and dry by just taking off like he had, but he had found his fated one close to death and needed to save his life. He had not waited all of these years to find his mate just to have the man die on him seconds after meeting him.
Savage placed the fork in his mouth, humming at the succulent taste of the flaky salmon Lani had prepared for him as he pulled his cell phone from his pocket to call Wade.
“Would you like some privacy?” Grey asked.
“No, stay. I want to catch up. You know, I was in Crystal with my old friends when I found Gill being attacked by this grotesque, cursed creature.”
“And what did you do?”
Savage took a deep breath then slowly released it. “I destroyed the human, then returned to my mate and carried him off here so you and your magical healing powers could save him. But I left the others behind while they were right in the middle of a clusterfuck.”
“That doesn’t sound like you at all, but it’s understandable seeing as you found your injured, and albeit, tormented, mate.”
“I’m sure that Wade has everything under control as well as all the others. Illan Sutherlan, the dragon king, is now the leader of all paranormals seeing as he sits on the top of the chain as the lead council member on the Paranormal Council, as well as one of Illan’s mates, Justice Abruzzo, the phoenix king. Like Illan, Justice is a council member, but also the mayor of Crystal,” Savage explained.
“And what exactly is special about this town of Crystal to hold such powerful creatures? And what of the humans?” Grey asked as he continued to eat.
“Crystal is a shifter town that was started by Justice many years ago. The humans who live there now are very aware of who and what is there, and they keep it a secret.” Savage grabbed his glass of iced tea and took a sip.
“You’ve known these men for some time, correct? I kind of remember you mentioning them a few hundred years ago, right?”
“I have known these men as well as Destrain, the king of the pixies for well over a thousand years, since before the Great Shuite War, which if you remember was the paranormal war that started between the dragons and the phoenix that separated all of the paranormal races to begin with and sent the pixies into hiding in another realm for many, many years.”
“Ah, yes, that war. But I thought the pixies had died off and no paranormal creature of any breed has found their mate since? Kind of like a curse by fate or something.”
&nb
sp; “That’s all very true, although the pixies only escaped into another realm that Destrain created. But Illan’s son, Daytona, and Justice’s son, Ethan, were the first to discover they were fated mates and have claimed one another. The great prophecy always spoke of the paranormal world as a whole reuniting. And it has come to pass. Once Daytona and Ethan claimed one another, paranormals from all over the planet are now finding their true mates again.
“One of my biggest surprises was to find that Illan and Justice are also true mates. It’s odd. They had each never met the other all those years ago during the war, and now they and their third mate, Avery, as well as their sons who have found a third mate also, Rhys, who is King Destrain’s nephew and a pixie, have become one big happy family. Along with a wonderful group of others.”
Grey’s brows rose again in surprise. “That’s amazing how fate works.”
“Now, as well as creating a new council, Illan and Justice run Crystal, and King Destrain has purchased a town not too far from Crystal called Maddox, where they are building places for the paranormals to come together and live in peace. Once the pixies returned not too long ago, the fairies and elves followed, as well as the vampires who had been in hiding since their creation, but they have now been acknowledged by this new council. Their king, Ezra, is also creating a town not too far from the others which the vampires can finally call home and not have to live in the darkness anymore,” Savage explained.
“With the reunion of their two breeds, Illan and Justice now live in Crystal with their extended family, which includes Wade Wells and his brother Rory who were born and raised in Crystal and had always known of the existence of phoenix shifters. So as you see, my extended families from all these different times have found a way to come together in one place, well, two or three, places, but all together if you know what I mean.”