by Beth Caudill
“Shhh.” He wrapped her in his arms, leaned her head beneath his chin. “We can take it slow, for both of us. You can tell me about flying and I can bore you with Latin names for the plants around here.”
Her laughter soothed his soul.
The room was still bare of anything colorful. “Do you have more things to bring in? Photography equipment? Pictures for the walls?”
“No. I only carry the one camera and a computer. Everything else is in a building I rented in Research Triangle Park. When I first moved here, I was afraid to buy a house.”
He lifted her head. His lips hovered above hers. “And now?”
“Maybe I’m tired of flying alone. Of always returning to an empty room.”
Her determination lured him to forget about his own trepidation. He ached to comfort her, to embrace her. But trust, on both their parts, needed to grow.
His lips pressed against hers. It was a gentle kiss, full of promise. “I want you to stay, but I can’t leave.”
Her eyes met his. Within their bright glow, she bared her soul. “You have my heart. I’ll always wing my way back to you.”
Epilogue
Echoes of the doorbell faded as Vithar strolled down the hallway. Unusual for someone to stop by the house, much less at night. He yanked open the door and then seriously thought of slamming it shut.
Evelyn Brooks stood on his front porch.
His hands curled, but worse, he could practically feel his toes turn to talons. The urge to attack remained despite Annabel granting the woman the right to live in Willows Haven. Not all wounds healed, despite what other people wanted.
She held out a plain white box. “I couldn’t find the plate of your family. This was the best I could do.”
He cocked his head to the side, wondered if this was another trap. A little over six months remained before the terms of the curse came due. Recent events hadn’t helped Freemont’s and his paranoia levels. Doyle Vivas would do anything to see the curse reached its end.
Vithar used the connection to his twin to call for backup. “I need you at the house.”
Chances were for those who weren’t damned.
Around them, the night filled with cricket song and an occasional howl. Except for his anger, he sensed nothing amiss. His eyes met her clear ones. There was a touch of fear in her gaze, but not subterfuge. He took the box.
After lifting the lid, he spread the tissue paper and stared. Within a mahogany frame, resided a profile view of his parents. While the paper was new, splashes of dark red and a jagged border indicated the age of the initial photo.
His fingers trailed across the glass. “Thank you.”
She nodded. “You’re welcome. I’m sorry we had to take your first portrait. This was the best I could find in my archives.”
“To save a life, we would’ve done the same thing.” His voice broke. “We’ve not run into another shapeshifter before. Do you know how to reverse our curse?”
“No. I don’t. Long ago my kin helped a fae trapped in our realm. Before he returned to his enchanted land, he gave our family the gift of flight. It is passed through the blood and anyone can take a bird shape.” Her throat clenched. “Our power is not the same as what has been done to you.”
“I understand.”
“How long until the curse discharges?” Everything had an ending.
He stared off into the side woods. “Less than eight months. If I don’t find a love match within that time, we are all doomed.”
“Have you asked Annabel?”
He laughed, a hard less than pleasant sound. “She said ‘Angels don’t fall from heaven but they might drive through town.’”
“Not very helpful.”
“To say the least. That was twenty-five years ago. Our time is coming to an end and there is nothing we can do to stop it.”
“Don’t lose hope. If I can find love when I didn’t want it, I’m sure you will find your match. Darkness only wins when we give up. You’ve survived this long; a few more months won’t be as long.”
“I won’t give up on Freemont and Melisande. They are family.”
She held out her hand. “If you want someone to fly with you, give me a call. Riding the winds is all the better with a friend.”
They shook hands, and she returned to her car. He watched her drive away, his thoughts once again consumed by their bleak existence. He and Freemont were twins, meant to share their lives. Not live the half-life they’d been sentenced to.
All because one man craved that which he couldn’t have.
He walked back inside, placed the picture where his brother would see it in the morning.
“What was that woman doing here?” Freemont growled.
“She wanted to make amends.”
A grouchy harrumph was the wolf’s response. Despite everything, the touch of his twin’s mind always brightened his day.
Staring into the backyard, he hoped Annabel’s angel appeared soon. He wasn’t sure his heart would recover from being split in two. The curse created a void inside him nothing could fill.
He feared it was too late for even love to save them.
When the Tree Falls
October 30, 2016
Lifestyle
New Neighbors
Our town is growing. Thanks to the efforts of Ranger Lawke Morgan, Willows Haven borders have extended further into Gracelynne Shroud State Park. He and his daughter have moved into a cabin on the park grounds. In downtown, photographer Evelyn Brooks will open Vistas of Home in time for Christmas. Inside the shop, you’ll find fine prints of her travels, places that remind you of home. Finally, a dragon appropriated Willows Lake as her new home. She’s willing to host a weekly Storytime in the new year.
Remember to include their residences in your trick-or-treating plans. Let’s make sure everyone enjoys a spooky good time this All Hallows Eve.
Zodiac Shifters
Thank you for reading this Zodiac Shifters romance.
A shifter’s mate is in the stars…
Welcome to Zodiac Shifters, a collection of books with an astrological spin on love. From Aries to Virgo… discover all-new tales of paranormal romance and urban fantasy.
Zodiac Shifters features New York Times, USA Today, and other bestselling authors. Each month expect new releases based upon the twelve astrology signs.
Happily Ever After… it’s our promise to you.
Aquarius
Fated Souls
Tethered
Pisces
Out of the Ashes
Kissed by Fire
The Siren’s Promise
Bound by Water
Out of the Ashes
by Julia Mills
The mission is simple – get into the enemy camp, free the Guardians, return the demons to Hell and go home the victor. For a Daughter of Poseidon, that’s called a good day at work.
Everything is going as planned. Una, eldest daughter and Guardian of Pisces, has checked one and two off her list, and is headed to three when things get complicated. Brody Mason bows at her feet, pledging his allegiance to not only her but the gods and the Light. As a show of loyalty, he promises to take her to the portal from Hell and with his own blood help her close the door on the Underworld. This one act will rid the world of evil forever. There’s only one problem…he’s a Hellhound.
It doesn’t matter that there’s fire in his eyes or that he smells of brimstone, she can feel the truth in his words. It also doesn’t hurt that with just one glance he sets her heart ablaze and her pulse racing. Not that this is about love or lust, it is all about saving the world, protecting the humans, defeating evil…or is it?
One leap of faith leads Una and Brody on a race against time and facing the fight of their lives. Hiding from Poseidon, Hades and an army of Guardians led by her sisters, this couple may have the best intentions but in the end, isn’t that what paves the road to Hell?
For more information and buy links, check out the zodiac shifters website.
Out of the Ashes: A Zodiac Shifters Paranormal Romance: Pisces
by Julia Mills
“They have invaded the entire western and southern borders. I fear the coast is next. I’m going to need you to go and help the humans with this battle. They are ill-equipped and just not strong enough to fight evil on such a widespread scale.”
Una looked at her father, Poseidon, the god of the sea, as he stood beside his periscope with a worried look. She’d never, in all the millennium since her birth, seen the great god anything but confident and unencumbered by the woes of the Earth and Her human population, but this was different and much more personal. She hated to see the deep lines feathering from his glowing blue eyes or the downturned expression emphasized by her thick white mustache and beard.
Family issues sucked, especially when you were a deity and your whims effected the world as everyone had come to know it. Hades, Una’s uncle and Poseidon’s older brother had caused trouble in the past but nothing so catastrophic or life threatening to the beings Una and her sisters had been charged with keeping watch over.
Named the Guardians of the Zodiac, the Daughters of Poseidon had long been protecting Earth and her humans from afar. Una could scarcely remember the last time her boots had walked the terra firma, smelled the sweet scents of the many blossoms and tasted of the bounty only the small blue and green planet had to offer. It had always been their directive to lend assistance from afar, never to cross paths with the humans and always remain the deities they were intended to be. Things had now changed. Una would be the first of her sisters to fight alongside the ever resilient race with the hopes of saving them from certain demise. The first to do what they’d been training for since they were old enough to hold their weapons.
Bowing, her bow at her side, the Guardian of Pisces asked, “When shall I leave? Shall I take Drákon?”
Without turning away from his view of the Earth, Poseidon nodded, “You will need to leave this night, my daughter. When the veil between our worlds is the thinnest. By all means, take the dragon with you. You will need the help.”
Breathing a sigh of relief, Una called to her constant companion and training partner, Drákon, a centuries old sea dragon her father had given the power to change from his original form to that of a human man. “We’re a go. Put on that flesh suit you’re so fond of and meet me in a hour at the docks.”
“Hell yeah,” Drákon cheered, using the human vernacular he’d been studying for centuries. “Yippee ki yay…”
“Whoa, there cowboy,” Una smiled, glad she’d been paying attention when her companion read out loud. “That’s a good way to meet the pointy end of Dad’s trident.”
“Duly noted.” The ancient being was once again all business. “See you at the docks.”
Working hard to chuckle and happier than she could admit to be leaving the pomp and circumstance of her father’s court, Una answered, “See you there.”
For more information and buy links, check out the zodiac shifters website.
About the Author
Beth Caudill resides in North Carolina with her husband and two children. Her home is lined with bookcases and overflowing with books, though she does not claim the computer manuals, those belong to her husband. In her life prior to becoming a stay-at-home-mom, she worked as a technical support analyst and quality assurance software tester. Now she plays chauffeur and cook for her family and fits in writing when she can.
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