Gareth and Thomas obeyed. Angela looked utterly exhausted, but her smile was pure joy. Judith put the babe on Angela’s belly.
“Hey there,” she said in a soft voice. “Welcome, little one.”
“Who’s cutting the cord?” asked Judith. She held up a gleaming pair of gold scissors.
“Where did those come from?” exclaimed Thomas.
“Did I mention I was a magical spirit?” She held out the scissors. “Which daddy will it be?”
“We’ll do it together,” said Thomas.
The men, as one, held the scissors and cut the umbilical cord.
“Judith, maybe you can give the little guy a cleanup while I help Angela with the afterbirth?” Abby waved away the boys. “You go with her.”
Gareth and Thomas did as they were told.
* * *
“Good news, people,” said Cyn as she strolled into the room. “We’ve killed the snake, and we don’t have to worry about vampire bitch and alpha asshole anymore.”
“The Ladon apparently ate them,” said Reese. “Helluva way to die. Couldn’t happen to a nicer duo.” He paused, looking at Gareth. “Sorry. I know Craig was your brother.”
“Half-brother. And we were never close. I was a cub born to one of the alpha’s mistresses—and I was never officially allowed into the royal family. Craig spent most of his life figuring out ways to torment me.” Gareth leaned down and kissed the top of Angela’s head. “This is all the family I need.”
Angela looked up, her face one of contentment as her son suckled her breast, having his first meal. “Cyn, what happened to you? You’re completely soaked.”
“I had to jump in a lake and wash snake guts off me.”
“It didn’t help with the smell,” said Thomas, his nose wrinkling.
“I didn’t have any soap handy. Sheesh.” Cyn looked at Angela. “When do I get some cuddle time with the little guy?”
“You are not holding this baby until you’re clean,” admonished Angela.
Aris and Kane put their arms around Cyn. “Don’t worry,” said Aris. "We’ll make sure we soap her from head to toe.”
“Squeaky clean,” agreed Kane, grinning.
“Well!” said Judith. “Isn’t this wonderful? The Ladon is no more, there’s a new life in this world, and y’all have already started a community of mixed paranormal beings.”
“What are you talking about, Hunter?” asked Reese.
“Hunter?” Kane looked taken aback. “You’re the Hunter—the protector spirit of the Valiant Colony.”
“Call me Judith.” She lifted her hands up. “This town is deserted. It’s hidden away, far from the humans. It’s a perfect spot for supernatural beings to live.”
“She has a point,” mused Gareth.
"Craig is dead,” said Thomas. “What about your colony, Gareth?”
“I’ve never been interested in being alpha of the Harper cats. Craig’s manic pursuit of pure bloodlines is what drove me away to begin with. Let someone else take up the mantle.”
“There is another reason—a favor, if you will, for you to settle here. Come, let me show you.” Judith waved her hand. Thomas, Gareth, Reese, Cyn, Kane and Aris disappeared with her. She left Abby behind to stay with Angela and the baby.
In the blink of an eye, the seven of them arrived at the clearing where the Ladon lay massacred. Despite the darkness, everyone could see the carnage left by the dead serpent.
“Yuck,” said Judith.
“Tell me about it,” muttered Cyn.
“Into the cave, everyone.” Judith led the way. Luckily, everyone had supernatural eyesight and found it easy to navigate in the dark. In the back part of the cave, they came upon a large hole. At its bottom, they saw a soft red glow.
“That’s your heart?” asked Reese.
“Yes.” She turned to them. “If I left here, with you all protecting it, I will be safe. And I can continue to protect the Valiants—and this new town of yours.”
“I’m tired of running,” said Cyn. “I’m all for settling down.”
“The location makes it ideal—and easy to protect.” Kane nodded. “What do the rest of you think?”
“Yes,” said Thomas.
“I’m in,” added Gareth.
Everyone looked at Aris. “Well, I’m not leaving,” he said.
“Excellent. You are now bound to the Valiants, and to me, by pledging yourself to—what’s the name of this place again?”
“Hellion Hill.”
Judith grimaced. “That’s a terrible name.”
“How about Sanctuary?” asked Thomas.
“Much better. You have pledged your loyalty to the town of Sanctuary, and are now under my protection.” She linked her arm around Reese’s. “Let’s get you and your home. Those babies of yours will be up soon.”
“And we have a babe of our own to tend to,” said Gareth.
“And a whole town to build,” added Cyn. She smiled. “I think we’re going to love this place.”
All About That Sass
A Sassy Ever After Story
Pride Command #1
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_______________________
Chapter One
Gareth Harper sat at the scarred wooden table in Wolfe’s Den, a shifter bar he’d been partial to since he’d been in the area. The werewolf family that owned the place welcomed all who entered. In here, he felt safe. He’d been alone since his half-brother, Craig, had banished him from the werecougar colony. Gareth was considered a pariah and no werecat within the Harper territory would give him the time of day. Outcast. The word tasted bitter on his tongue. But the alternative was death, and he wanted to live—even if that meant a wanderer existence.
Gareth looked around the bar. The worn but comfortable furniture, the yeasty smell of beer, the easy smiles of both staff and customers—he took it all in. He needed to move on soon, but his reluctance to give up the unexpected solace he’d found in Wolfe’s Den stalled him.
“Gareth,” said a female voice, filled with warmth. He knew immediately who’d said his name. He looked up and saw the smiling face of Barbara Wolfe, the matriarch of the Wolfe family. She checked on him every now and again, and it felt good to be cared for … even if it was only for a little while.
“How are you?” he asked.
“I’m right as rain,” she said, sliding the coffee in front of him. “You’re the only furball in here who prefers coffee to alcohol. This is a bar, you know.”
He grinned. “I like being different.”
“That’s good,” said Barbara, her gaze sliding across the room. “Because I think that young lady wants different.”
Gareth followed Barbara’s unabashed stare.
Whoa. His heart tripled its beat—the result of an undeniable attraction to the woman sitting at a corner table near the windows.
His body strained toward hers as though they were magnetically connected. Every molecule in his being screamed, “Her. Her. Her. Now. Now. Now.”
“Well, then,” said Barbara. “My work is done.” She patted his shoulder and left him alone to drool at the gorgeous female within catching distance.
Gareth knew by her scent that she was a human. He never thought a human female would trigger his mating urges. The very idea baffled him. In the protected Wolfe territory, many outcasts made their homes in the forests and the small towns that comprised the area. Either the lovely lady was passing through, or she lived somewhere nearby. Not for the first time, he felt the urge to settle down, put down roots. But why? And with who? Making home with someone was a pipe dream.
Okay, moron. Get. A. Grip. He looked around the dark bar with its neon drink signs and empty stools. He tried to find something to take his mind—and libido—off the brunette. It took less than thirty seconds for his gaze to return to the woman.
His cock got hard. Rod-of-steel hard. And the fantasies his mind spun about the woman made his body rigid with desire. Gareth gave up pretense and stared openly at her. She was curvaceous, wi
th the face of an angel. Her cheekbones were rosy, her lips fully kissable, her nose turned up just a smidge at the end. There was shimmering beauty about her. Abstract and untouchable. Goddess-like.
Lust heated his blood, thrummed through his balls and did more damage to his cock. Her flawless skin required little make-up. Her hair was the color of milk chocolate and her eyes sparkling amber. She was medium height, luscious beyond reason, and dressed for the cold weather in boots, jeans, sweater, and a leather jacket. She sipped her coffee and read something apparently riveting on her tablet.
She lifted her gaze and caught him in the act of checking her out. Schmuck! Get out of here before you do something really stupid. Like tell her, “Oh, I think you might be my mate. By the way, I’m a shifter. Let’s get busy.”
His stomach clenched. No. No way. He’d been banished from the territory where his family lived. His brother had made sure his banishment had been public, humiliating, and permanent. Gareth had been the only threat to Craig’s claim to alpha. His older brother had always been a soulless dick.
Gareth slid out of the booth, put on his coat and put a $5 on the table to cover his untouched coffee. As he reached to push open the front door, he found long, pale fingers wrapped around his wrist. Startled, he looked into the gaze of the woman who had tilted his world on its axis.
“Hello,” she said. Her eyes sparkled with humor and intelligence and — oh shit — attraction. His gaze drifted down to the hand on his sleeve. Her nails were neatly trimmed and coated with clear polish.
“I’m sorry,” she said, her smile revealing a dimple near her right cheek. “I didn’t realize you were mute.”
“I’m not,” he said.
“Ah. My name’s Angela Ross. And you are?” She had a Southern twang, which was delightfully softened by her honeyed voice.
He cleared his throat and managed to say, “Gareth Harper.”
Angela leaned close, and the floral scent of her perfume drifted around him. “Would you be up for a little experiment, Gareth?” she asked. “I’ve never been with a werecougar.”
Shocked, he stared at her. How had she known about his dual nature? “What are you talking about?”
“Oh, sugar, you don’t have to lie to me. I know you’re not a shifter like those portrayed in movies.” She spoke in the same tone one would use to discuss the weather. Gareth drew in her scent. Definitely human. And pure delicious female. He tended to forget that some humans knew about shifters. Members of his colony kept themselves under wraps. Too many assholes had tried hunting them—and gotten dead for their efforts.
But here, in the Wolfe’s territory, it was different.
“Angela.” A tall man joined them, his mossy green gaze assessing Gareth. His eyes held curiosity, not hostility. Still, when the fellow wrapped his arm around Angela in a clear show of possession, Gareth wanted to bare his fangs and rip off the guy’s limbs. He tamped down the urge. The man had silvery blond hair tied back in a leather thong. His skin was pale, almost luminescent. He was dressed in the same casual way as the woman—jeans, sweater, boots, and jacket. He was lean—had a swimmer’s build. He had no underlying scent. In fact, he had no heartbeat, no breath.
Vampire.
Gareth had never met one.
The man extended his hand and Gareth took it, held it in a tight grip and pumped. “My name is Thomas Moore.”
“Gareth.”
He looked at Angela. “He’s the one?”
She nodded. “I felt the pull, like you said.”
“And did you?” asked Thomas.
Gareth blinked. “Did I what?”
“Feel the mating urge with Angela?”
Gareth’s mouth dropped open. “Why would you want that? Isn’t she yours?”
“I don’t belong to anybody except myself,” said Angela. “I choose my life.” She winked at Gareth. “And my partners.”
Thomas leaned over and kissed the top of Angela’s head. “Isn’t she magnificent?”
Gareth nodded numbly. Had he fallen into an alternate universe? He’d never imagined finding a mate, much less one who was already in a relationship.
“We consulted a psychic,” said Angela. “She said we would find the one we needed if we went to where the wolves rule. We figured out the Wolfe part—but they owned more than one place. This was the fourth one we’ve tried.”
“Yeah. That makes total sense. Not crazy at all. Um, I should probably go,” he managed, his voice hoarse.
“We have a cabin with a toasty bed,” offered Angela. Gareth suppressed the shudder of delight that accompanied Angela’s hand squeezing his shoulder. Then her slim fingers sifted through Gareth's hair. Gareth swallowed his sigh of happiness. “You know you wanna.”
Yes! agreed his cock, you really do wanna. Occasional lovers had been only sips of water in the desert of his love life. Still, he hesitated. There was an undercurrent of emotion here that he didn’t understand. It rippled between the three of them—a powerful, connective energy.
“Please.” Angela’s blue eyes were filled with naughty promises. “I won’t bite.”
Gareth leaned forward and bared his canines, growling. “I can’t make the same claim, sweetheart.”
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All By My Sass
A Sassy Ever After Story
Pride Command #2
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Chapter One
Abby Shafer stood in the long line of women and wished this scenting ceremony was over with. Seriously, the Valiant werecougar colony relied too heavily on traditions that were no longer relevant. Like when the new alpha and all the other bachelors chose mates from all the eligible females in their small colony. The rest of the world did things like dating and falling in love—but the shifter communities were all, “Let’s sniff each other and see how that works out.”
She tapped her foot on the wood floor thinking about how being viewed and chosen like a steak in a display case was less romance and more grocery store. Why not just go to the Gardner General Store and stand in the deli section with all the rest of the meat?
She looked around the room feeling more and more antsy. Her mother, who sat next to Daddy in the second row of the pews filled with proud parents, stared at her with brows furrowed. The look in her gaze was: Stop fidgeting. Her dad’s expression echoed the same sentiment.
Crap. Abby inhaled a steadying breath and tried to keep her impatience from manifesting as jittery movement.
Abby couldn’t help but think about her life. She had been the fifth child. The only girl. The weakest one born to her family. Some werecougars left weak kittens in the woods -- either to die or to prove they had the strength to survive. But even though she was a mewling, tiny thing, her family chose to keep her. She was nurtured by them. Loved, but not coddled. They expected her to pull her weight. To do as well as her bigger and stronger brothers. To take care of herself.
They also prepared Abby to take her expected place in the Valiant Colony. Her father was among the cougars that patrolled the borders of their territory. He was an enforcer—considered what humans called blue-collar workers, and not part of the upper echelon. Yet he seemed satisfied with his life. In fact, her whole family seemed happy with their lives. But as the youngest child of cougars with lesser rank, expectations for her future were mundane and common. Either she followed her mother into administrative work or she joined her father as an enforcer.
All of them were taught to fight at a young age. Abby learned to defend herself, but she wasn’t one to seek violence when cleverness and intelligence could more easily win the day. Her curiosity made her unafraid to ask questions. To dream bigger. To want more. Her heart yearned for freedom, but her familial duty kept her compliant.
So, when Reese Valiant assumed leadership as the new alpha, custom dictated that all the singles had to mingle. Abby felt anxious, excited, worried, and scared.
Reese Valiant was a little broody and a lot sexy. Abby had watc
hed him from a safe distance since she’d hit puberty and knew what it was to desire. But she had no pie in the sky dreams that Reese would pick her. No alpha in his right mind would want Abby. She was what her Mom called “voluptuous,” which really meant she was thick and curvy. Aside from not being a skinny ninny, her family was too low in rank. So, she wasn’t a serious contender.
Not being considered competition had its advantages. While she was growing up, other girls rarely picked on her. Of course, that may have been because she had four protective older brothers who were handsome and more than willing to satisfy the bedroom urges of willing females. And they did not take kindly to slurs against their little sister. The long-held rule of “I can pick on my sibling, but you can’t,” was very much gospel in their family. Abby had gotten used to being ignored, even looked at with pity. She didn’t care about the opinions of others, anyway. She didn’t need their approval.
She was only here to please her parents—at least that’s what she told herself. They knew how she felt about the colony’s archaic expectations. But still… she hadn’t wanted to disappoint them. They’d always loved and cared for her, even when traditions dictated otherwise, and she figured it would cost her nothing to honor this one small aspect of colony life. However, she refused to acknowledge the niggling worm of hope that she might catch a certain man’s scent over the course of the night.
Reese was too intuitive for a male, especially for an alpha male. In the old days, his choice to think rather than to act would’ve made him appear weak. But anyone who knew him knew Reese Valiant was every ounce an alpha. He’d proven himself time and time again in physical and mental agility. He broke long-held records for both physical acumen and strategy. His father had been alpha, and Reese had been the firstborn. Even so, no one could say he hadn’t earned his place.
The door opened, startling Abby, and in strode Reese Valiant. Her heart fluttered at the sight of him. A few inches over six feet tall, golden amber eyes, dark hair cut short, and a jaw so sharply square it could probably saw a board in half—yeah, the man was drool-worthy. Add to that all those muscles tucked into a custom-tailored suit and fancy shoes, and you had all the sexy you could want.
Sassy Ever After: I'll Sass If I Want To (Kindle Worlds Novella) (The Pride Commands Book 3) Page 4