by Meg Ripley
“You okay?”
“Sure. I’m just tired of running down there all the time.” Almost the entirety of the Austin conclave had been killed or arrested, thanks to President Kelso’s fanatical hopes of domination. It was a sad day for the shifter residents of that area, not because they mourned their elected Alpha so much as they mourned the fact that he’d ever gotten into office in the first place. Delilah and the other members of the Dallas conclave had been working diligently to help their counterparts to the south. “The more work we do down there, the more corruption we find, even going back to the most recent election itself. I have to wonder just how far Kelso’s madness reached.”
Vance reached across the table and touched her hand. It was the lightest caress, not too much to make her feel suffocated or overwhelmed, but just enough to let her know he was there for her, no matter what. “You’re doing a good thing,” he reassured her. “Rose is going to grow up knowing that her mother stood up for what was right, and that she wouldn’t tolerate anything less. The shifter citizens of Austin will be grateful to you, too.”
“I hope you’re right. It’s been a bit of a mess down there. Mostly, we’re just trying to make sure everyone is taken care of. We’d suggested a registry to them quite some time ago, back when one was started here, but of course they didn’t bother. They, like most conclaves, have nothing set up for medical care. I’m starting to realize that Kelso didn’t let us extradite Paul Grimes not because he was trying to protect him, but because he didn’t really even know what was going on with the man.”
“Don’t take the burden too heavily on yourself. You’re doing a good job.”
A knock sounded on the door, startling them both. Usually, their excellent hearing told them as soon as a vehicle turned in the long driveway, but they’d been lost in their conversation.
“I’ll get it.” Vance went to the door, and a moment later, he returned with President Whiteside, and Delilah jumped to her feet.
“Sit down, my dear. I didn’t mean to interrupt your supper.” He waved Delilah back into her seat before bending down and touching his fingertip to Rose’s nose. “And I’ve got a present for you when you’re done eating, my little sweet.”
Rose responded with a potato-covered grin.
“Has she shown any other signs of shifting yet?”
It’d been quite the talk of the community once word got out that Rose’s freshly shifted teeth had played an essential part in defeating President Kelso. “Not yet,” Vance answered. “We think she was just so upset that she couldn’t help it at the time. I’m sure we’ll see more from her soon.”
Delilah was always happy to see the man. They’d worked together for a long time, and she was already close to him even before everything went crazy. The laceration and surrounding bruise on his forehead was reduced to a thin white line to remind them of that horrible night. Still, it was unusual for him to stop by without calling first. “What brings you here, sir? I think I’ve got everything prepped for tomorrow morning’s meeting.”
Harris Whiteside sat down in the remaining chair and leaned forward with his elbows on the table. He looked tired, and his casual clothing made him look much older than usual. The lines in his face seemed a little deeper in the kitchen lighting. “Yes, I still plan to have a meeting in the morning. That’s when everything will be official, but I wanted to tell you first. I won’t be running for president again in the next election.”
Though she wasn’t completely surprised, Delilah’s heart broke a bit for him. “You’ve been such a good leader, though. It would be a shame to lose you now that we’ve got so many things going for our territory.”
“Exactly. Best to quit when I’m ahead.” He waved off her next attempt at protesting. “I’m going soft, Delilah. I should’ve taken a harder stance with Kelso and his cohorts. It might’ve saved lives, and it certainly might’ve saved the two of you a lot of heartache. I was overthinking things instead of going with my gut. That’s a sure sign that I’m ready for a rocking chair in a cabin instead of a leather chair in an office.”
“I understand.” It would be tough to see him go. He’d served more terms than anyone else in Dallas, and he deserved every election he won. “It’s the end of an era.”
“Yes,” he said with a nod and a twinkle in his eye, “but it’s also the beginning of a new one. It’s up to the voters, ultimately, but I know who’d I’d like to nominate.”
“Who?” Delilah asked eagerly. Several names ran through her mind.
Whiteside and Vance exchanged a knowing look over the table. “You, my dear,” the president said with a laugh.
Her body was suddenly so heavy, she didn’t know if she’d ever be able to get out of her chair again. “Me?”
“Who else?” Whiteside looked at her warmly as he put a hand on her shoulder. “Delilah, you stood up the way a leader needs to, and you defeated a very evil man. Then you came back and ran the conclave like you’d been doing it all your life while I recovered. Anyone else might’ve demanded a vacation after that, but not you. You’re still working on both the local problems and those in Austin. I’ve heard nothing but good things about you, and trust me, I’ve heard plenty.”
She flushed at the notion. Moving up to such a prestigious position was what she’d always dreamed of. Delilah didn’t want it for the same reasons that Kelso did. She had no interest in power or control for their own sake, but for the purpose of helping all the shifters who needed it. To her, it was about service more than leadership. Even though she was already as close as she could possibly be in her current position as vice president, the leap seemed like a big one. “That’s very flattering, but I don’t know if I can do it.”
“Yes, you can,” Whiteside countered. “You practically do the job anyway, and I don’t think you’ll have any problem getting votes. You can be sure I’ll do everything I can for your campaign.”
They discussed the matter a little longer before Whiteside headed home. Rose had her bath and went off to bed, and Delilah and Vance were left alone for the rest of the evening.
“You’re going to wear a hole in the floor if you keep pacing like that.” Vance caught her by the waist and held her close.
“I can’t help it,” she sighed. “This whole idea of becoming president makes me nervous.”
He pulled back enough to look into her eyes. “It’s an excited kind of nervous, though, isn’t it?”
Delilah smiled up at him. “You’re not supposed to be able to read my mind unless we’ve shifted.”
Vance lifted one shoulder. “Who needs rules? I never really followed them anyway. Besides, it doesn’t take a mind reader. I just know you. This is what you want, and it’s certainly what you deserve. But you’re unsure about taking on a bigger role that might keep you away from Rose. It all sounds too good to be true, so you’re afraid it isn’t. But darlin’, I think Whiteside is absolutely right. You’re perfect for the job. You don’t have to worry about anything here, because I’ll take care of it. That’s the thing, Delilah. You can have your peace and solitude when you need it, but you’re never really alone.” He took her hand in his and brought it to his mouth, kissing the back of it gently.
A thrill shot through her body even at such a small gesture. “And I don’t think I want to be alone right now, either.”
“You don’t have to ask me twice.” Vance gathered her in his arms, holding her easily as though she weighed nothing. He kissed her soundly on the lips, reminding her of just how much she meant to him. “Would you care to join me in my room, future Madame President?”
Delilah laughed as she put her arms around his neck. “I don’t think I could refuse. I love you, you know.”
“I know.” He kissed her again, his tongue tracing along the lines of hers. “I love you, too.”
He ascended the stairs quickly with her in his arms, his hands already roving over her body. By the time he snuck past the nursery and nudged the bedroom door open, she could feel his hardness throb
bing against her hip through his jeans. Vance laid her on the bed as he continued his caresses, eagerly sweeping his palms over her body. “I love you for so many reasons,” he moaned into her ear between kisses along her neck and jawline. “I love how smart you are, how stubborn you are, and what a good mother you are, but this body of yours... when I’m inside you, I just can’t get enough.”
The lamp in the corner had been left on, illuminating the hardwood paneling and the custom-made king-size bed. Delilah was spending more nights in there than in the room Vance had set up for her lately, and she knew for certain this would be another one. “You keep talking to me like that and I’ll never leave.”
“Good.” Vance had moved down, and he pressed his lips against her navel as he stripped off her running pants and left a line of kisses down each leg before trailing his lips back up to capture her in his mouth. “That’s exactly what I want. You. In any way. In every way. I just want you.”
Delilah gasped, her body involuntarily writhing on the bed as he pleasured her. They were the only two people in the world at that moment, and every touch was like liquid warmth through her body. She wrapped her leg around his torso, closing her eyes against the dim light to concentrate on the way his tongue felt against her warm flesh. There were no other men like Vance. Delilah could draw so much comfort from the brush of his hand against her shoulder or the touch of his bare leg against hers in bed, yet it only took a look or a word to change the energy he injected into her. Delilah felt it now in the shivers and contractions he sent rippling through her, making her come to life in a way that was completely separate from her job in the conclave or as a leader.
Vance stood, the glow from the lamp illuminating his muscled body as he unbuttoned his shirt. Delilah put her hands behind her head and pulled at her lower lip, happy to watch the show as the light limned every hard line. She’d come to admire the strength in him, both physically and emotionally. “How long are you going to keep teasing me like this?” She hooked her heel around his leg and pulled.
He dropped to the bed, but he kept himself up on his arms, taunting her with the length of his body so close above her, yet not touching. “As long as I can,” he replied as he stroked a finger from her jawline down her neck, across her shoulder, then down to skim the roundness of her breast and the inverse curve just before her waist, leaving a shiver of pleasure in his wake. “Never mind. I’m just teasing myself now.” Vance plunged inside her, filling her, bringing with him the part of her that had been missing for so long.
Delilah let herself fall completely into the rhythm of their bodies, feeling the way her blood thrummed in her veins and inhaling the scent of soap and hay from his skin. He held her in his arms as he moved against her, but she knew now that he didn’t hold her because he wanted to hold her back. He held her to love her, to support her, to lift her up to all that she could be.
Her breaths turned to gasps and then to cries of pleasure as he moved, the world tipping sideways and upside down as Delilah lost all sense of time and space in favor of the universe that expanded inside her body. She clung to him, her muscles tensing as she demanded more, his body giving and giving until she felt the tremble of their rapture synchronize and pull them that much closer together.
Falling back into the right dimension and her own body, Delilah reeled for a moment as Vance laid down beside her. He arranged the covers over them, always concerned she’d get cold, and wrapped his arm around her waist. “You all right?”
“Yes. God, yes.” She still felt as though she couldn’t catch her breath. He was good at doing that to her. “I think that was just what I needed, too.”
“You’re still worried about this whole presidency thing.” It was a statement, not a question. He knew her now, and there was no point in trying to deny that.
“I’m sorry. It’s hard not to think about.” Her tryst with her mate had been a welcome respite from all the cares in the world, and many of them rested so squarely and heavily on her shoulders on a regular basis. She couldn’t keep the world out forever, but it felt so good to have Vance at her back both literally and figuratively.
He nuzzled against her neck, his stubble scratching and tickling her until she melted into a fit of giggles. “You’re still going to do it, aren’t you?” he asked.
She moved her hand down to cover his where it rested on her stomach, their fingers intertwining. It’d been nothing short of flattering to hear President Whiteside recommend her for the job. She imagined the other current members would support the idea, and it was the chance of a lifetime. Delilah already had so much that she wanted and needed out of life. Her understanding and loving mate was at her side, and the sweet child they shared was the most wonderful thing in the world. Helping her fellow shifters and leading them into a new age of modern life was irresistible. Delilah tightened her grip on Vance. “Yeah. I am.”
“Good.” He dropped a kiss on her shoulder. “Now that I have the easy question out of the way, I have a harder one for you.”
She smiled, thinking he was being facetious and was ready for another tumble. “Yeah?”
“Will you stay here with me? Not just tonight, but forever.” Another kiss was a warm press on her skin.
They’d already acknowledged their love for each other. They knew they were meant to be together, and there was no way they could live apart. But she knew what he meant. He didn’t want her down the hall in her own bedroom anymore. Vance wanted her there, at his side, in his bed.
Delilah turned, burrowing into his embrace. “Absolutely.”
THE END
I hope you enjoyed the Special Ops Shifters: Dallas Force series! Flip the page for a preview of Gabe’s story, Secret Baby For The Soldier Bear, book 1 of the Special Ops Shifters: L.A. Force series.
Preview of Secret Baby For The Soldier Bear
Special Ops Shifters: L.A. Force
1
Gabe Vinson scanned the dusty parking lot just before he stepped into the bar. It was a force of habit that he doubted he’d ever be able to drop. His time with the Delta Force had kept him constantly vigilant. Sure, there didn’t seem to be any threat from this place. Vance wouldn’t have invited him there if that were the case. Gabe smiled, thinking of some of the times they’d shared before Gabe had moved on to Delta and reconsidered. Or maybe he would have…
He found his old friend at the bar and slid onto the stool next to him. He glanced at the chalkboard menu on the wall and the clean tables scattered around the place. “This isn’t quite like the shit holes we used to frequent.”
Vance laughed and took a sip of his beer. “Yeah, it’s a little cleaner than those. And hey, you won’t get any sand in your whiskey here.” He gestured at the barkeeper to pour Gabe a drink. “How are you holding up?”
“Well enough,” Gabe said with a sigh, scratching his fingers through the short beard he’d grown out ever since his medical discharge. “You know how it is. You think when you get out that everything will have stayed the same, but it’s all different. All the girls you used to date have gotten married and had kids. Some of them even married your buddies, so they’re not interested in going out, either. Your family wants you to come visit, but they don’t know how to talk to you anymore. And even though they say they want to hear what you’ve been up to, you can only tell them so much.” He nodded at the bartender for the shot of whiskey and took a sip, enjoying the burn.
“I’m sure it’s even worse for you. The Delta Force doesn’t fuck around with that sort of stuff,” Vance agreed. “I’m mighty glad you made your way back around through Dallas, though. There’s something I wanted to talk to you about. You said you were trying to figure out what to do with yourself now that you’re out.”
“Right.” Gabe knew that Vance was a member of the Special Ops Shifter Force, a group of veteran soldiers with special skills on top of their ability to shift. It was supposed to be a secret, and it still was when it came to the human population, but the more work the Force did, the more w
ord spread about them throughout the shifter community. Right now, they’d essentially achieved rumor status. It sounded like just the kind of work Gabe would enjoy, but it wasn’t as though the Force just stuck a ‘Now Hiring’ sign in the window when they had a vacant spot.
Vance looked casually over his shoulder. The bar was loud, and no one had been rude enough to sit down right next to them. “Well, have you decided where you want to live?”
Gabe let out a snort of laughter. “One place is about as good as another to me as long as it’s stateside. I came from a military family, so I’ve never been in one spot for very long.”
“How do you feel about Los Angeles?”
“L.A.?” The grizzly tossed back the rest of his drink and let is swirl on his tongue as he thought about it. “I guess that would be all right. Just like any other city, right?”
The cowboy tipped his head from one side to the other. “Sort of. It’s got a hell of a lot of people in it, and a decent percentage of them just happen to be shifters. There are more of them than the local conclave has been able to keep track of, actually, and it’s recently come to light that some of them are forming gangs. It could be incredibly dangerous for shifters as a whole if this is allowed to get out of hand.”
“What exactly do you want me to do about it?” Gabe had spent his entire military career trying to hide his true identity from anyone who was pure human, and the other soldier shifters he managed to find were few and far between. The idea of connecting with so many more people like himself was an intriguing one.
“Not just you, but a group. See, the SOS Force was started in Washington, D.C. by Dr. Drake Sheridan, a Special Forces Medical Sergeant. As the need for the Force expanded across the country, the Dallas unit was formed. After you came to see me on the ranch, I talked a bit with the guys in Dallas and with Drake himself. It seems that we may need to start up yet another unit, this time in L.A. We’ll have to find all the right people to staff it, all shifters, all former Special Ops.” Vance pointed at him with the mouth of his beer bottle, his eyes steady. “I’ve recommended you.”