Claws and Effect

by Amanda Arista

  “Violet Jordan is a woman. She is a writer and a girlfriend and . . .”

  Chaz cleared his throat and held up my left hand, the sparkling diamond announcing itself in the light between us.

  As he looked over the shoulder at the interruption, Tucker’s smile just got wider.

  Jessa shuffled over and punched me on the arm again and then leaned against me. She wrapped her arm around mine and squeezed. This wasn’t exactly how I wanted to tell Jessa, but this wasn’t exactly how I wanted to spend my Saturday night either.

  Tucker again addressed the crowd. “What I mean to say is that she is Violet Jordan. She is not strong because she is Haverty, she is strong because she takes the power and makes it her own. She is strong because she is just Violet Jordan. And she will be an amazing Prima.”

  The crowd didn’t exactly burst into applause but there were nods and sighs of relief and for a moment, I knew everything was going to be all right. At least for tonight.

  A laugh bubbled out of me. “It’s not the St. Crispin’s Day speech, but I’ll take it.”

  I moved away from Chaz and put my hand on Tucker’s shoulder.

  “He’s right,” I looked around them and knew them like I knew the characters in my head. I knew the eagle and the dogs and the wolves and the Oh god, rabbits. I choked down the flurry of remembrance for a moment.

  “I’m a clean slate. I have seen what Haverty made you do or did to you to keep you hiding. I’m not going to get into long details here because I feel your exhaustion, I know you that you have lives that need to be put back together.”

  I turned back to Chaz. “And lives that need to be lived.”

  As I surveyed the crowd, as I once again felt the power that they had given me, the briefest whiff of brimstone caught my nose and I smiled. “Tomorrow will be different and we will face that different together. Now go home, and if you don’t have a home to go to, see Tucker.”

  I backed up and into Chaz. His arm slid gently around my waist.

  “How about we take our advice?” he asked.

  I shook my head. “I have to help Tyler with Cristina.”

  I looked down at the empty spot where her body had rested and then looked around the ballroom for Tyler.

  I closed my eyes and felt for his heartstring. It was raw and angry, and I knew that I couldn’t do anything about that tonight. He needed time to heal that kind of a wound, there was nothing that my mystical voodoo could do for that.

  “I’ll find him,” Tucker said.

  “And when he kicks your ass with grief?”

  “I’ll take over from there,” Nash said.

  I reached out a squeezed Tucker’s arm. “You got this, Riko?”

  “Of course, Prima.”

  I didn’t protest at the title. There was no fighting it now. I turned to Jessa and reached out my hand. I didn’t even notice that it was the one with the ring on it.

  She scurried up to me and took my hand to look at the little ring.

  “You know what this means, right?”

  I saw it in her eyes and it wasn’t a Key Holder thing or a Prima thing. It was a best friend thing. “You want to plan a wedding?”

  Jessa’s answer was a squeal of joy as she wrapped her arms around me and Chaz.

  “Can you give us a least three days before you bombard us with magazines?” he choked out as she squeezed.

  She let us go and I pulled her toward the exit. It was a slow quiet walk. I could still feel the weight of the pack on my shoulders, but also felt the stalwart strength of the man I loved and the best friend I didn’t deserve.

  “Why three days?” Jessa asked.

  I looked up at Chaz who just pressed his lips together to stop the boyish smile. I curled my arm around his and leaned my head on his shoulder as we made our way back to the car.

  Shadow bounced around my feet and zipped around.

  I stopped. “Don’t you want to stay with Tucker?”

  Shadow sat, his black eyes glittering up at me.

  “Fine.”

  He got up and followed us to the car.

  AFTER WE DROPPED off Jessa, when Chaz opened the front door to my town house, I ran to my couch and threw myself face down on the grey cushions.

  “I missed my couch,” I said into the fabric.

  He walked around the bottom floor doing god knows what and then rolled me over on the couch so he could lie down. My head naturally nestled against his shoulder.

  “So that really happened?”

  “Yep,” I said as I took in a deep breath of his scent.

  “Should I get out the white board again so you can figure out what you’re going to do?”

  “Can we talk about it tomorrow?” I groaned. “How about we talk about what ring you’re going to wear?”

  “How about we talk about the man now sleeping on your writing chair?”

  I leaned up to see Shadow already comfortable on the seat. “The guy’s had a rough night. I think he deserves it.”

  Chaz pulled me in closer. “So we can really, you know, progress in our relationship?”

  I leaned up and looked down at him. Contented hazel eyes looked up at me. “In theory, it was us holding us back all along.”

  “Why didn’t anyone tell us?” He started to caress the tiniest bit of skin just above my jeans.

  “I don’t know. Let’s think. How about everyone we asked was part of the ‘let’s breed a super panther’ parade?”

  Chaz grumbled but under that grumble was a very contented fiancé. We’d talked about a lot of things in the five hours in the car. Of where I grew up and why turtles and what sports he had wanted to play in high school but couldn’t because of his calling. And what he was going to do the next time the Cause called him on a mission.

  “I can’t believe you thought I cheated on you.”

  “The evidence was very convincing.”

  “Do you plan on spying on me often?”

  “Do you plan on answering your phone?”

  Chaz smile turned into a grin. “Not for at least three days.”

  Epilogue

  THE MOMENT WE burst through the hotel room door, Chaz’s hands were on me. Not that they hadn’t already been as we left the wedding, or on the elevator ride up to our room. His hot lips pressed against my neck as his arms slid around my waist to keep me close.

  I barely got the door closed before he unzipped the bridesmaids dress. I laughed as I held it against my chest. “At least let me get my shoes off.”

  He chuckled against my cheek. “No, I like the heels.”

  He moved behind me faster than I could see and pulled the zipper all the way down. My hair pulled up, he sent a cascade of feather light kisses down my neck. Just as I relaxed against his strong frame, he pulled the dress clutched at my chest and pushed it all the way down to the ground.

  Standing in the puddle of the purple and neon green atrocity that was Sera’s bridesmaids dress, I raised an eyebrow. “I don’t think it’s fair that I’m practically naked and you’re still in a tux.”

  “Neither do I.”

  Chaz tore off the tuxedo jacket and kicked off his shoes, both landing haphazardly across the room.

  “Don’t take all my fun away,” I pouted as I stepped out of the pit of lavender, feeling slightly exposed in my bra, underwear and neon pink high heels.

  Chaz swooped me up and carried me across the suite to the bed. I laughed as he tossed me on the white downy comforter.

  “What has gotten into you?”

  Slowly, he began to unbutton his white shirt. I could smell the starch that the cleaners used but as soon as his strong chest was exposed, all I could focus on was the hot manly muscles beneath it.

  His golden eyes trained on me, he narrated slowly as he plucked the buttons open. “We have three days in a hotel room with no one from the pack to bother us.”

  I leaned up on my elbows and watched as he slid the shirt down his perfect arms and let it drop to the floor. He put his knee on th
e bed between my legs and leaned forward to crawl towards me. “I’ve got one of the sexiest, funniest, and most powerful fiancés in the country. I plan on making the most of these three days.”

  He hovered above me and I realized that I couldn’t stop smiling. But then again, neither could he.

  Chaz leaned down to kiss me, his honey tasting mouth hungry yet happy. I guided my fingers down his solid chest and curled my leg around his.

  In one swift move, I had him on his back as I straddled his hips

  His mouth parted surprised. “That’s a new one.”

  “Been working on ground wrestling.”

  He grabbed my hips. “I like it.”

  I looked down at him and traced his newest flesh wound with my forefinger. Even it was perfect.

  “God you’re beautiful,” he breathed. He reached up and pulled me down to him softly and kissed me.

  His hand trailed down my neck, my clavicle, to my breast where he slid around to undo the clasp of the strapless. As he released the bra, I sighed with relief followed quickly by pleasure as his mouth followed behind his hands and caught a very ready nipple between his lips.

  He sat up to better kiss my chest, my neck and I felt him grow taught beneath me. My entire body sizzled as I pulled his face to mine and kissed him again, allowing the excitement from it to permeate my being.

  There was no panther in this, no Legacy fighting me, because this was love. And if it was magic or power or whatever you wanted to call it, we were safe because we were together.

  And then my cell phone rang.

  I stopped and looked down at Chaz’s golden hazel eyes and his swollen pink lips.

  It wasn’t a familiar ring. I’d set Tuckers to sound like the klaxon from Star Trek because it was always red alert with that one. Jessa’s was some harpy thing that she hated and which made me laughed because she hated it. This was just the normal ring.

  “Do you need to get that?”

  “No.”

  “Could be Drew apologizing again for firing you.”

  “He’d e-mail.”

  “Could be Jessa with more wedding ides?”

  “I told her I’d maim her if she called this weekend.”

  The ringing stopped and I smiled, ready to get on with the business at hand. Nothing was getting me out of this bed. Let the rest of the world go around in circles for a while. I was staying right here.

  Then the voice mail alert went off. It was important enough to leave a voicemail.

  Chaz pulled away. “Are you going to check that?”

  “Nope.”

  He leaned back on the bed. “Violet. You of all people know how important some calls are.”

  I huffed and gave him the best glare that I could manage. He was going to keep bringing up the fact that I thought he was cheating. I had a feeling this was going to be like my throwing people against walls with the constant reminding.

  Slipping on his tuxedo shirt from the floor, I walked across the room to where I’d dropped my purse. I pulled out the still glowing phone. The number across the screen a Dallas or LA area code.

  “Huh?” I said as I pressed the voicemail button and waited.

  “Violet, this is Waylon Jordan. Your cousin. I’ll be in Dallas in about three weeks and, well, I just really need to talk to you. Call me back.”

  A chill settled in the middle my shoulders forming a tight little knot. I saved the voice mail and stared down at the phone.

  “Violet?”

  I walked slowly back to the bed and sat down, still staring at the phone in my hand. “Something’s wrong. Waylon only calls when someone’s going to die.”

  Glossary of the Wanderer Universe

  Wanderers: Descendants of the first race of beings created by the earth itself from the magic it possessed.

  The Cause: A fraternity of Wanderers who have vowed to protect the balance of humans and Wanderers. Current elected leader: Yasmina.

  Avion: Regional manager of the Cause, responsible for assigning agents to jobs to help out other Wanderers. Each has a special skill suited to their calling.

  The Order: A brotherhood of Wanderers who believe that they should be ruling over humans. Lord and Master: Jovan

  The Veil: The magical border between the human realm and the Neveranth, a world created for the pureblood Wanderers who grew too powerful. It grows thinner as the magic in the human realm fades.

  Species

  Guardians: Known for their extra strength, quicker healing, and speed. Each with their own magical talent.

  Grifters: Known for their extra strength, quicker healing, and their abilities to track down Wanderers. Each with their own magical talent.

  Shifters: Ability to use their magic to change their physical form into that of an animal. Increased healing and body temperature.

  Seer: Known for their ability to see the past, present, future. Usually only one of the three.

  Elementals: Known for their ability to use their magic to manipulate their elements.

  Fey: Known for their ability to change perceptions and see the unseen

  Pack/Pride/Pard: A bound group of shape-shifters.

  Prima: The leader of a group of Shifters.

  Shala: The teacher and healer within a group of Shifters

  Riko: The protector within a group of Shifters.

  About the Author

  Amanda was born in Illinois, raised in Corpus Christi, lives in Dallas but her heart lies in London. She has a husband who fights crime, one dog who thinks he’s a real boy, and another who might be a fruit bat in disguise. She spends her weekends writing at coffee shops, practicing for the day that caffeine intake becomes an Olympic sport, and plotting character demises with fellow writers Wolvarez, Killer Cupcake and Keith (names have been changed to protect the not-so-innocent).

  Visit www.AuthorTracker.com for exclusive information on your favorite HarperCollins authors.

  Also by Amanda Arista

  Diaries of an Urban Panther

  Be Impulsive!

  Look for Other

  Avon Impulse Authors

  www.AvonImpulse.com

  Copyright

  This book is a work of fiction. The characters, incidents, and dialogue are drawn from the author’s imagination and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual events or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

  CLAWS AND EFFECT. Copyright © 2011 by Amanda Arista. All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the nonexclusive, nontransferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, downloaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins e-books.

  EPub Edition January 2012 ISBN: 9780062113177

  Print Edition ISBN: 9780062133342

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