by Anya Nowlan
He would move slowly across the study, to the door where the onlookers stood, and then make like he was about to attack them. So far, all the groups that had come to the door had been led by a guide who was not Samarra. Though a few of them had given him odd looks – maybe his motions weren’t wooden enough, or whatever – no one had seemed to catch on that he wasn’t the ‘real’ spooky prop.
He’d used the same entrance that Thomas had used to get in, sneaking in through the kitchen and making it to the study between a few groups. That plan had come to fruition after about an hour of standing on the corner of the block, trying to choose the words he wanted to say to Samarra.
In the end, scaring the bejeebus out of her seemed like the only way to go. How the hell he got to that decision, he still didn’t know.
Hearing laughter in the distance, Vix readied himself again. He sniffed at the air and his heart beat faster in his chest. He could definitely smell Samarra this time.
On cue, he started moving forward just as the small group appeared at the door. In front of them stood Samarra, smirking slightly and looking as beautiful as ever.
With his heart pounding in his chest, Vix moved forward. Instead of stopping where he was supposed to, though, he kept going, tossing the knife from his hand. The crowd screamed and Samarra took a surprised step back, but she wasn’t fast enough to escape Vix. He grabbed her in his arms as the cackling laugh track came on, the group of three or four guests scattering and running off.
“What the hell!” Samarra screeched, pushing her fists against his chest.
“Shh,” Vix chuckled ominously. “I am the ghost of boyfriends future!” he said as ominously as he could, twirling Samarra around.
“Vix?” she asked with surprise.
He set her down and threw the damn tarp off himself. Samarra stared at him, her mouth gaping open.
“I-… um… what?” she stuttered, though she smiled.
Good sign.
“Look, I know this is ridiculous,” Vix started, pointing at the discarded fabric, “but hear me out, okay?”
“Okay,” she said tentatively, looking around as if to check whether there were cameras rolling.
It was just her and him, though.
“So, here’s the thing. I know the last twenty-four hours have been crazy, insane even. Things have moved really fast. What I didn’t get to tell you this morning was that I sort of like it crazy. I like the fact that you won’t back down from a challenge and you walked out of that insanity with your ex with your head held high. I want to see you again. I think we have something special going on here and I’d like to explore it. What do you think?”
He quieted nervously, almost shaking in his spot. The haunted house had finally succeeded in really scaring Vix, because the wait between saying what he needed to say and waiting for Samarra’s answer seemed to take forever. It was just a few seconds, though.
“But… you fly around all the time and… well, I didn’t want to make you feel obligated to do anything. You already had to save me last night, I didn’t want to force you into anything,” Samarra said, looking more nervous than Vix could even imagine seeing her.
She’d never looked more vulnerable.
He stepped up to her and pulled her into his embrace again, gently. This time, she returned the hug, pressing her head into his chest and inhaling deeply.
“The fact that I need to fly around all the time means I can come to wherever you’re throwing an event. Looking at this one, I’m sure you’ll be awesome event organizer eighty percent of the time, and a barista twenty percent of the time soon enough. And we’re in no rush. We can take it as slow as you need us to. I just know I couldn’t live with myself if I didn’t try and make it work with you. Trust me on this one, I know what I’m talking about.”
Samarra looked up at him and for a moment, Vix thought he could see tears in those beautiful eyes of hers. She blinked them away quickly though. When she nodded, Vix found out what it felt like to have butterflies in his stomach.
His damn brothers had been right about those as well.
“Is that a yes?” he asked softly.
“It’s a yes.”
With that, there was nothing left to do but to kiss her again. When they both came up for air though, Samarra had another curveball ready for him.
“On one condition, though,” she said sternly.
“Anything.”
“You’ll never surprise me on Halloween again.”
Vix grinned, kissing her forehead.
“Okay. I’ll save all my surprises for the rest of the year, then.”
“That’s a deal.”
It was an arrangement Vix could definitely live with.
Epilogue
Samarra
“That has to be one big house,” Samarra mused, as they drove through the narrow roads leading to Shifter Grove in a big red pickup truck. “You’re telling me your whole family will be there?”
It was Thanksgiving and Samarra was yet to meet any of Vix’s kin. That was alright with her, seeing as they’d barely spent time together, but apparently Thanksgiving was a thing with the Frosts, one that she was not allowed to miss. She may have been putting on a grumbly act, but that was mostly because she was nervous as hell.
Meeting the parents was usually the height of horrific for any ‘normal’ girlfriend, but Samarra had to meet all of Vix’s brothers, their wives, kids, and apparently a crotchety uncle as well, all in one go!
I haven’t backed out of anything just because it’s a little bit scary, so I won’t back out of this, Samarra told herself, watching Vix expertly handle the big truck.
“It is a big house,” Vix agreed. “And yeah, I think the whole gang should be there, for the most part. Probably missing a few brothers who are out working, but it’s down to the single ones now. We get ‘family passes’.”
Vix winked at her, bringing a blush to her cheeks. He’d been referencing that a lot – family. Though it was sort of weird to hear it from a guy so early in the relationship, Samarra had quickly become accustomed to it. The thought of having a big family appealed to her, so that probably had something to do with it.
“Uh-huh,” she said softly, grinning.
Vix took one hand off the wheel and put it on her knee, squeezing it slightly.
“Don’t worry, babe. Everyone will love you. Just as much as I do.”
And that was another thing. The ‘I love yous’ had been flying around since the first week of their budding relationship. It was barely a month now, and Samarra couldn’t believe she thought this to be completely normal. Revealing ones feelings wasn’t supposed to be this easy, right?
But when it’s right, its right, she thought with a sigh.
“I love you too, hon,” she said, putting her own hand on top of his.
The woods they drove through were lush and full of life. Here and there, she thought she caught glimpses of animals moving around as they drove past. Or maybe they were shifters on the move? Vix had been very clear about the fact that many of the people in Shifter Grove were shifters and there were more shapeshifters in the community than humans.
Samarra hadn’t even bothered to be surprised by it. Being around Vix had taught her to dial back the surprise a little, because nothing about this man was normal. And that suited her just fine.
It was almost nightfall by the time they drove past Wolf’s Eye Lake and the chateau belonging to the Frost family came into sight. Samarra audibly gasped as she saw the gorgeous building, lit by the lights that were left on out on the porch to welcome home the weary travelers.
Vix pulled up to it, smiling all the way. The wide driveway was already riddled with trucks and vehicles, each bigger than the previous one, but that was to be expected. There had been five Big Reds littered around the airport they landed at, with Vix explaining that the airport had to keep large open swatches of farmland as free from forest cover because sometimes the Frost brothers all decided to come home and bring their own r
ides.
Each of the airplanes was easily the size of a football field. They were amazingly maneuverable though and could basically land like helicopters, which was really the only reason why they could fit at a small airport like the one near Shifter Grove to begin with.
“It’s gorgeous,” Samarra whispered, as Vix parked the car.
“Come on,” he said, hopping out of the truck and motioning for Samarra to follow.
Slowly, she followed his lead, feeling her body tense up the tiniest bit. Okay, so maybe she wasn’t as in control of her nerves as she thought she was. When Vix’s hand took hers and he tugged her along, though, she could feel herself relaxing.
With Vix by her side, nothing could go wrong. That much had been proven time and time again already.
He led her to the front door and they stopped there for a second, listening. The inside of the house was filled with laughter and conversation, the occasional giggle of children chasing one another and playing breaking out above the rest. Samarra’s heart beat heavily in her chest. Vix turned her to face him and his hands slipped around her waist, pulling her tightly to him.
“I’m so glad you’re here with me,” he murmured, pecking her on the top of her nose.
“And I’m so glad you came back for me in that haunted house,” she sighed, admitting once again what they both knew.
“I’ll come for you every time,” he promised.
There wasn’t a doubt in Samarra’s mind that he was telling the truth.
She kissed him, but before she could really get lost in the exchange, the door was pulled open. Vix loosened his grip on her and when Samarra turned to face whoever was at the door, her mouth fell open.
No way…
“Uncle Nick!” Vix hollered, letting Samarra go and pulling the large, jolly man into a tight hug.
So maybe things weren’t going to be entirely normal for Samarra in Shifter Grove. But she definitely knew that this was an adventure that she was glad to be on.
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If you’ve missed the previous books in this series, then pick them up in one convenient bundle!:
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Don’t miss the excerpt of Anya’s next book, Big Bear Daddy, on the next page!
Big Bear Daddy Excerpt
She must have looked as lost as she felt between the rows of hammers and nails, because after a while, a deep voice addressed her. It made her jump a little before she turned around.
“Miss? Can I help you with something?”
Now how did he manage to sneak up on me? was the first thought she had when she came face to face with the man looking down at her.
He was absolutely huge, towering over Jessy’s modest 5'7" frame and looking like his wide shoulders barely fit in between the shelves. Wearing a t-shirt that accentuated his hard chest and narrow waist, and sporting the sexiest beard she had ever seen, the mere sight of him made Jessy’s mouth run dry.
“Umm, do you work here?” she stammered, trying not to gape at Mr. Sexypants and failing spectacularly.
The way his eyes flicked down for a second and moved across her curves told Jessy her appreciation wasn’t one-sided, at least. He smiled at her, the way his full lips quirked up demanding her attention in the most carnal way. Blushing at the naughty thoughts starting to run through her mind, she did her best to pull her mind out of the gutter and focus.
I’m here to find my niece, not to date, she reminded herself, yet all she could think of was how the man’s beard would feel against her face.
“No, but I thought I’d offer my help anyway,” he replied, his voice low and husky, with just the right amount of twang.
“That’s how hopeless I look, huh?” she asked, crossing her arms and trying to sound casual.
Mr. Sexypants shrugged, his biceps bulging under the thin cotton fabric of his shirt. Dark eyes glimmering, he took a step closer. The heat emanating from his body wrapped around her, the intensity of it almost making her gasp.
Suddenly, she didn’t mind being warm. Fire pulsated through her veins, pulling her towards this stranger in a way she had never experienced before.
“We’re all hopeless at something. But then we learn,” he said, studying her face closely, like he was trying to place her. “Have we met somewhere before?”
Oh, I would definitely remember seeing you before, Jessy almost said aloud, biting her tongue at the last moment.
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