by Shaila Patel
I couldn’t have been more proud—or more terrified.
Her shuddering breaths calmed, and the words she seemed to speak to herself floated over to me. “I won’t let you leave, Liam. I love you too much, and I know … I know you love me too.” Her face crumpled once again, and she slapped her hand over her mouth.
I was diving in oceans of her love that I wasn’t deserving. I’d failed her. The pain tearing through my gut almost had me ready to collapse to my knees, but I kept walking away. All I could do was whisper my vow.
“I’ll be finding my way back to you, mo shíorghrá.”
EPILOGUE
Pietro rushed into the office of Drago Gagliardi. Their meetings were usually in the late afternoon, but apparently, Pietro couldn’t wait. His dark brown hair stuck out and his thick, dark-framed glasses sat crooked on his face. He carried a thick manila file in one hand and smoothed his other hand down his wrinkled shirt as he stood in front of Drago.
No one would ever suspect he was related to the Versaces, Drago thought, putting down his espresso. If Pietro had not been the Council’s best computer expert, Drago would never have paid him any attention.
“Buongiorno. Forgive me, il signor Gagliardi.”
“Where is your tie, Pietro?”
He had the decency to look embarrassed. “I, uh … spilled—”
Drago held up his hand. “What is it you bring me?”
He stumbled to the desk, slapping the file down onto the keyboard. Drago raised an eyebrow. Despite his superior’s irritation, Pietro grinned. “I printed them, since you like paper.”
Idiota, Drago thought.
“You were right.” Pietro said. “Those empath websites were visited by the same IP address. All from North Carolina. Cary.”
So Prince Liam had told the Kapadia girl about our world. Drago fingered the mole on his cheek. “Has Moira Whelan registered a new empath with the Council?” Drago asked.
Pietro shook his head.
This girl had more promise than the one from Memphis. Drago savored a sip of his espresso, imagining his nonno would have been proud of his efforts.
“Shall I inform the Elders, signore?”
Drago stood, glaring at him. “What was our arrangement, eh?”
“I bring you information—”
“And that is all, no?”
Pietro swallowed hard and nodded.
Drago dismissed him and rang his assistant. “Marco? Your trip to Cary was very helpful, but it is time for me to visit my new travel agency. Make the arrangements, hmm?”
After hanging up, Drago sat back, his fingers threaded behind his head. Moira thought to thwart him again, did she? If the research he’d had copied from her computer was correct, being a soulmated empath was a genetic phenomenon. If he could become this new girl’s empath mentor before Moira did, he could whisk away the lovely girl where no one would be able to find her.
Then he’d turn her into the mother of his future children—whether she wanted to be or not.
Lucky … indeed.
Soulmated – Book 1 Playlist
Mindy Gledhill – “Bring Me Close”
Splender – “Yeah, Whatever”
Dave Matthews Band – “Crash Into Me”
Ed Sheeran – “Photograph”
Calvin Harris – “I Feel So Close”
Kaskade – “Eyes”
Daft Punk and Pharrell Williams – “Get Lucky”
Don’t miss Book 2 in the Joining of Souls Series. Sign up today for my private mailing list for updates and release info! Go to http://www.shailapatelauthor.com and scroll down to the sign up box.
Thanks for reading SOULMATED. If you enjoyed Lucky and Liam’s story, please consider posting a review online at your favorite retailer or on Goodreads. A good review—even a one-line sentence—helps us authors more than you can imagine. Thank you!
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
When I started writing Lucky and Liam’s story, I could only imagine what it would be like to acknowledge everyone who helped birth this book. Now that I’m here, staring at this blank page, I’m in awe of these people. They deserve more thanks than I can give, and I only hope they get back tenfold of what they’ve given me.
My journey started with Kirsten Cyphers, Manisha Patel, and Asha Rama. They were the first ones to read my earliest draft (they deserve an award, trust me) and give me the encouragement to continue writing, continue dreaming, and continue breathing life into Lucky and Liam. Thank you, ladies. I love you!
In no particular order, I also want to thank Amber Goodman, Kavita Srivastava, Ed Green, Jeni Burns, Sophia Henry, Tiffany Picquet, EJ Mellow, Evelyn Lopez, Kimberly Bell, Harman Kaur, Heather McGovern, Ronni Hawkesworth and her daughters Lauren and Kristen, and my CRW ladies! Every author should have a team like this. Their help, friendship, and support have meant the world to me.
There’s no way I could forget Ashlynn Yuhas and Cait Spivey from Bear and Black Dog Editing. I won their Anniversary Pitch Contest, and with their help, we shaped my early draft into something more closely resembling what the story looks like today. Wow. Talk about a learning process. Thank you both because your gift gave me the courage to ruthlessly continue editing and preparing my manuscript for submission.
I kept polishing the story with the help of my beta readers and fellow authors Angela Quarles and Carla Cullen, my editor Shannon Donnelly, and my incredible agent Amanda Leuck. Whatever shine this story has is because of them. You guys are amazing. Thank you. And, Angela? You rock!
Of course, you wouldn’t be reading this if it weren’t for the team at Month 9 Books and Georgia McBride. Thank you, Georgia, for intimidating me into pitching my story to you. (Seriously!)
And last but not least, I’d like to acknowledge my family—my mom, sister, husband, and son. Their love sustains me, and I love them dearly. To my husband and son especially, they gave me the space and time to write, they kept me fed and sane, and they sacrificed so much to allow me to follow my dream. (I did drag them to Ireland for research, so don’t feel too sorry for them!) Thank you for listening to all my plot issues, thank you for all your ideas, and thank you for loving me!
I hope you enjoyed reading Lucky and Liam’s story as much as I loved writing it. Without the motivation to share this story with you, it would only be a file on my computer. Mwah!
SHAILA PATEL
As an unabashed lover of all things happily-ever-after, Shaila’s younger self would finish reading her copy of Cinderella and fling it across the room—all because it didn’t mention what happened next. Now she writes from her home in the Carolinas and dreams up all sorts of stories with epilogues. A member of the Romance Writers of America, she’s a pharmacist by training, a medical office manager by day, and a writer by night. She enjoys traveling, craft beer, and teas, and loves reading books—especially in cozy window seats. You might find her sneaking in a few paragraphs at a red light or connecting with other readers online at:
www.shailapatelauthor.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ShailaPatelWriter
Twitter: https://twitter.com/shaila_writes
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Table of Contents
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
C
hapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Epilogue
Soulmated—Book 1 Playlist
Acknowledgements
About the Author
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