by Susan Bliler
King flicked a dark look at Jenny and it was all warning. Jenny snorted an, “I know!” before shooing King from the room.
Once alone Jenny heaved a sigh of relief. “You wanna wait while I run your blood and urine? Or do you want me to call you later with results?”
Lilly reclined back on the table. “I’ll wait. King’s going to see Monroe and I need a break.”
Jenny smiled. “Okay. Be back in a few.” With that, she left the exam room.
Forty long minutes later, Lilly was pacing the exam room when Jenny returned, her face flushed and her eyes dancing wildly as she rushed in and closed the door before, surprisingly, locking it behind her. Jenny’s eyes gleamed with excitement. “It took!”
The two simple words had Lilly reeling. Blindly, she reached for the counter to steady herself. “Really? I’m healed? So soon? Is that even possible.”
Jenny’s eyes brightened and she smiled, shaking her head as she grabbed both of Lilly’s hands and leveled her with a stare. “No, Lilly. It took. It worked. You’re pregnant!”
“No!” It couldn’t be. Not this soon! “You must be wrong. It’s too soon. We just…” She ran the gamut of her emotions, first shock, excitement, and then fear, quickly followed by trepidation. Slowly she shook her head as her body began to tremble. “I-I didn’t think it’d work. Are you certain?” Her eyes shot to Jenny’s. “Are you one hundred percent sure?”
“That’s what took me so long. I ran the tests and re-ran them. I ran ‘em four times. I knew it looked promising from your ultrasound, but this! It must have been the claiming, the halo. Aren’t you excited?” Jenny squealed, pulling Lilly into a bruising hug. “It worked, Lill! It actually fucking worked!”
Chapter 21
She’d been a damn fool!
After several pre-natal screenings, and with a half dozen bottles of pre-natal vitamins shoved into her purse, Lilly raced from the infirmary back to her cabin before King could return.
Setting her mug of hot chocolate on the counter in her kitchen, Lilly paced nervously. Why she’d thought sleeping with King would get him out of her system, she had no idea. He hadn’t left her system, in fact, if it were possible, she wanted him more, and she hated herself for it. She’d fallen for him. She couldn’t extinguish the inexplicable and unwarranted hope that pulsed through her when the vision of a future with King flitted through her, and it was infuriating because she knew it wasn’t what he wanted. She was a lovesick fool chasing the God of her idolatry and he was more than disinterested. He was oblivious.
If he were disinterested, I wouldn’t still be wearing this. Slender fingers clamped around the halo that still hung around the slender column of her throat like a tag of ownership. He could have taken his halo back, but he hadn’t, and other Walkers had seen it. In Skin Walker eyes, Lilly belonged to King.
Lilly paced nervously. She’d decided to tell King of her conception. He was due to arrive any minute, and her belly was in knots!
Her plan was to be calm, smooth, and authoritative. She’d simply tell him what had happened and that it’d be the end of it. But I don’t want that to be the end of it. A frown tugged her delicate brows down. She was attempting to hide from herself the fact that once he heard the news, a part of her was hoping King would profess his love and they’d live happily ever after. It was a foolish dream. Regardless of what he’d said when they’d been together, King’s plan had always been to return to his base at the end of the year. Sure, he’d told her differently, but men often made false proclamations when they were balls deep in a woman’s moist heat. The thought had her cheeks flaming. She still couldn’t believe she’d asked Monroe to send King to her. She shook her head, and a smirk tugged at her lips. She still couldn’t believe that King had obeyed the order. It had to have meant something didn’t it? The fact that King had come to her so willingly. Sure, it meant he wanted to get laid!
A knock on the door jerked her out of her reverie and she smoothed trembling hands down the front of her jeans as she paced to the door like a woman being led to the gallows. As soon as the door was open, King leveled his gaze on her and his nostrils flared. He was scenting her already. Attempting to gauge her mood.
“King,” she stepped to the side, making a sweeping motion with her hand. “Please come in.” God this was it! Time to come clean. With his back to her as he entered, she jumped right in, knowing she’d lose her nerve if he looked at her again with those possessive, green, eyes.
“You know I was injured. You knew the state of my body, of the damage done to me.” Her hand brushed over her abdomen as she kept her eyes pinned on his boots. “Dr. Houlton was certain that she could heal the damage with Walker…samples. She had a list of candidates. During the course of our experimentation, it was suggested that actual copulation with a Walker would be more successful, which is why I had Monroe send you to me. I…”
“Wait.”
Lilly’s eyes jerked up and she was surprised to find confusion registered on King’s handsome features.
“What? Am I going too fast?”
“I was informed of no experimentation on you and I certainly wouldn’t have permitted it.” His expression darkened. “And I wasn’t aware that there was a list of potential candidates,” his scowl deepened to a dangerous rumble. “Was I even on this list?” His hands curled into tight fists, jealousy evident in the taut lines of his body. His nostrils flared and his lip curled back as he demanded with a snarl, “Were there others, Lilly?”
Eyes round, Lilly breathed, “No! Just you, King. There’s only ever been you.”
He took a step towards her and stopped, “Was I on the list?”
“No. But I wanted it to be you. T-that’s why I asked Monroe to send you to me.”
He took another step and stopped again as if holding himself back. She wasn’t afraid. She knew he’d eat his own heart before ever harming a hair on her head, but still she didn’t want him getting the wrong impression.
“Jenny gave me a list of candidates to choose from. I didn’t want any of them. I chose you. I only ever wanted you.”
His now black eyes lowered to her abdomen. “You were hoping to heal inside.” His head snapped up. “Why?” He didn’t wait for a response and Lilly could practically see the pieces of the puzzle falling into place. “You needed a sample from the source. Copulation.” He took another step closer. “You said you weren’t mine because I’d be leaving.” Another step. “You wanted a Walker that wouldn’t tie you down. No complications.” One more step and he was directly in front of her, his voice came out both terrified and awed. “Lilly?”
Swallowing hard, she balled her hands into tiny fists. “I’m pregnant, King. With our child.”
***
King didn’t trust what he’d just heard. Since meeting Lilly, his intense need for her was constantly giving fuel to his fevered imagination. He’d wanted her from the instant he’d seen her. He wanted her laid out before him, taking all of him, accepting all of him as he claimed her. He wanted her swollen from his seed and with his child. The first time he’d realized he wanted a family with Lilly it had hit him like a kick to the balls, and one that he’d never truly recovered from…until now. Hope surged to the fore and he was having difficulty quieting the jubilant beasts within who were already certain of what they’d just heard.
He blinked hard and commanded his body to move. It refused. He was frozen; clinging on the precipice of what could be his greatest joy or his greatest let down. His ears strained so hard that he was picking up sounds from two cabins down. “What did you say?” The words were spoken quietly, almost as if he was afraid to ask. Afraid to discover he’d misheard.
He watched indecision war on the most beautiful face he’d ever seen. “I-I’m…” her head dipped as if she were losing her bravado. “I’m pregnant.” She looked up and leveled him with clear blue eyes. “From you.”
King staggered his feet to keep from reeling at Lilly’s admission. Could it be? His nostrils flared as he
scented her. Suddenly, he dropped to his knees and gripped her hips, gently pulling her until his nose was buried against her abdomen. He inhaled again and there it was. Barely there, only just the slightest hint of new life, but it existed and it was a glorious combination of his and Lilly’s scents. An emotional growl rumbled up from the back of his throat and he hugged Lilly’s waist, burying his face there lest she see the emotional tears that flooded his eyes.
“King,” her voice was timid as one of her hands gripped his shoulder while the other buried in his hair. “I know you didn’t sign up for this.” She massaged his scalp, as only a lover would. “I want you to know I’m not expecting anything, and…” her voice broke as tears slipped free. When he pulled back to look up at her she smiled weakly, “And I’m so damn grateful for this gift. You’ve given me back something that I thought I’d lost forever.” More tears slipped free. “When your year is up and you go back to your post, I want you to know that you’ll never have to worry about the baby. I love it so much already that I can barely breathe.”
King swallowed down the emotion clogging his throat and responded with fascinated realization. “Me too.” He saw hope flash in her blue eyes and it bolstered him. “I’m not walking away, Lilly.” His voice rang with promise. “I’m staying here, with you, and we’re raising our child together.” He stood and without another word, he bent and gathered her in his arms. When he looked down, he was relieved to find that trust shone in her pale eyes.
Lilly swallowed hard at the feral lust that darkened his eyes. His look was intense and sent a shiver coursing through her. A growl rumbled from King’s chest and sent a punch of lust shooting through Lilly straight to her sex. She wanted him.
Keeping one arm wrapped under her arms, King released her legs and shifted her body so he was holding her with her arms and legs now wrapped around him. One strong arm shelved her ass to effortlessly hold her up.
Lilly groaned and tried to stop the responsive roll of her hips. She couldn’t. Regardless of what her mind said, her body instantly recognized its match, its mate. She was dying with the need for intimate touching. “King?”
He was already moving, and the friction created by each of his steps had her clit throbbing as she continued to rub against him like a contented cat.
In her room, King placed her on her feet and stripped her bare before ripping his clothes off. He stepped into her and she had no choice but to back up as the warm, satiny, slide of his skin against hers pushed her toward the bed. Once the backs of her knees found the mattress, he eased her down and crawled over her. His eager little kitten spread her legs, allowing him to settle in the craddle of her hips before she reached for him.
“Lilly,” he braced over her and grabbed one of her hands. “Do you know that you are mine?”
Staring at him, she thought on his words before silently nodding. Few things in her life had ever felt right, but belonging to King was the truest she’d ever felt.
His eyes darkened and he frowned, not taking his eyes from hers. “Do you know that I love you?”
She inhaled sharply and shook her head.
King pulled back, straightening to rest on his heels. He pulled her up until she was straddled across his thighs. One hand clamped on her bare ass, pulling her closer while the other smoothed up her back, flattening her breasts against his chest. Her willowy arms wrapped around him. “I do love you. I love you more than I’ve ever loved anything or anyone, and you make me proud to have the honor of being your mate.”
“King,” she licked her lips as tears stung at the backs of her eyes. “I love you.”
His mouth descended on hers . His kiss was explosive and demandingly possessive as he devoured her mouth, her body, her heart, and her soul with feral possession.
Lying in King’s arms hours later, Lilly traced her finger over his chest. “Do you hope it’s a boy or a girl?”
He contemplated a moment before saying, “I hope our child is healthy. I hope it’s all you want. I hope I’m a good father. I hope this isn’t just a dream.”
Her eyes welled with tears and they slipped free onto his chest.
“Don’t cry, my queen. I didn’t mean to upset you.”
“I’m not upset,” she pulled back to lean over him so he could see the sincerity in her eyes. “I’m happy.” She bent and kissed her Walker. She spoke against his lips, “I’m so impossibly happy, my King.”
Strong arms wrapped around her and pulled her flush against his body as King whispered, “Me too, my queen.”
Exclusive Excerpt
Skin Walkers: York
by
Susan A. Bliler
York entered the too small bar and hid a wince at the scent of sweaty bodies mingled with cigarette smoke and something that closely resembled sewage. He’d been in the Philippines for three days and was following a lead that he hoped would take him to his target.
He scanned the bar and his heart thundered to a halt. “Shy?” What in the hell is she doing here? She’d cut her hair! Her, once waist length, auburn locks were now shorn to a sexy little bob that framed her beautiful face. His eyes scanned the bar for Leto, and not finding him, York took a step toward Shy and froze.
She hadn’t seen him because she was engrossed in a conversation with a tall, wiry man with pale, dry, hair that looked like a thin pile of hay sitting on top of his head. The man reached for Shy and when he did, she pulled her arm back, balled her tiny hand into a fist and punched the man square in the face.
Immobilized by shock, York couldn’t believe that the little Shy he knew had just attacked someone…anyone! He remembered her as quiet and timid and…well, shy. His moment of surprise was short-lived though as Shy jumped back out of the now angry and bleeding hay-hair man’s grip.
If York thought he’d been shocked moments earlier he was outright stunned when Shy winked at the man before lifting a foot and kicking him hard in belly sending the man doubling over then onto his knees as the air whooshed out of him in a great, “Oooomph!”
York was about to spring into action to defend Shy when she finally turned and faced him. Their eyes locked and it happened. After years of waiting, hoping, and yearning…
York’s gut wrenched as if he’d just been gut checked by a fucking semi. Dropping to his knees, he tried to suck in an agonized breath as he heard a high-pitched whine and a flash of light winked off his halo to momentarily blind him.
Curling his fist into his still clenched abdomen he roared as his incisors elongated. He knew he was in public and should have better control, but he couldn’t hold the partial shift back. He knew it! He’d known it all along…Shy belonged to HIM! Even through the agony of the affliction, his full lips curved into a smile. York McDonnough had finally found his angel!
About the Author
My pack territory is in Central Montana, between Stone Crow Estates and the North Fortress. Born and raised in an untamed location that bridges the gap between rolling prairies and majestic mountain peaks, I am born to a family that also bridges the gap between cultures. My father’s people boast a fiercely proud Scottish ancestry while my mother’s tribes descend from two savagely beautiful and unique nations that inspire my Skin Walkers series.
I'm a huge fan of MMA, boxing, hockey, 30 Seconds to Mars, Linkin Park, DMX, the Killers, and 21 Pilots. I also love to read because it encourages me to write. (I hate it when authors add that they love coffee and chocolate. Really? Who doesn't love coffee and chocolate?) Anyway, I love beer...kidding. I don't love beer but we are engaged in a very serious relationship. (Mom, please don't call me when you read this.)
Check me out at www.susanbliler.com
Please leave feedback. I actually read your opinions/suggestions and try to adapt my work accordingly.
Thanks for reading my books and thanks to my awesome fans for all the support and feedback. A’hau.
Other Books by Susan Bliler
Territory PrequelTerritory: Prequel: Susan A. Bliler: 9781477694046: Amazon.com: B
ooks
TerritoryTerritory: Susan Bliler: Amazon.com: Books
Prince of CatsAmazon.com: Prince of Cats (9781481106757): Susan A Bliler: Books
FuriousAmazon.com: Furious (9781481171663): Susan A Bliler: Books
Skin Walkers: ConnSkin Walkers: Conn: Susan A Bliler: 9781479127917: Amazon.com: Books
Skin Walkers: LetoAmazon.com: Skin Walkers: Leto eBook: Susan Bliler: Books
Skin Walkers: Monroehttp://www.amazon.com/Skin-Walkers-Monroe-Susan-Bliler-ebook/dp/B00EQJL8FM/ref=la_B0064C7QPU_1_3?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1384979240&sr=1-3
Table of Contents
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
DEDICATION
Prologue
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
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Exclusive Excerpt Skin Walkers: York
About the Author
Other Books by Susan Bliler