“Are you okay?” he whispered.
Polly nodded. “Yes. I’m okay. Are you?’
He nodded.
Thunder’s father strode forward and looked in disgust down at Eztli. “You and your men will be held by the loyal clans of the area, until your trial is held. Do not expect mercy from me or my mate, Eztli. Take him away.”
He watched with fury as Eztli and his men were dragged out. Shane rushed over to Polly and wrapped his arms around her. Even though they were both naked, they weren’t embarrassed. They were like siblings, and nudity wasn’t a big deal among dragons, after all. Shane pulled back and grinned at her.
“Let’s get you home.”
A wave of longing washed over her as she thought of the little castle by the sea, her father, and the people who loved her without even knowing her. “Yes,” she agreed. “Let’s.”
Chapter Sixteen
The king and his mate walked several meters ahead of them, arm in arm. The lines and age that had marked the king for so many years, had disappeared and he walked with a light step that Gilbert had never seen before. He whispered in Jessica’s ear, and she giggled like a schoolgirl.
It was going to take time for the king and the clan to forgive their Queen Consort for running away and talking Polly with her. All those years… they couldn’t be given back. But, looking at the love so visible on their faces, Gilbert couldn’t help but think that perhaps there was a chance that they would have a happy ending after all.
Beside him, Polly sighed. When he glanced at her, he saw that she was smiling softly.
“I’ve never seen Mom so happy before,” she murmured. Her hand squeezed his.
“She has her mate back. That would make anyone happy.” He tugged her to a stop and looked seriously into her eyes. “How are you holding up? I know that it’s been a huge change. Especially since everybody is still calling you Patil.”
She shrugged. “It was my name. I’m thinking about reclaiming it, actually. I like Polly, but Patil… it’s more me, you know?”
He nodded. He could only imagine what this all must be like for her. But if one thing was certain, it was that he was going to be there for her, every step of the way. He squeezed her hand again and her smile widened.
“As for the rest of it… I’m doing good. I’m still working on forgiving my mom, but I’m going to get there. I had a long talk with my dad,” here she beamed, “and I learned more about the curse… I can’t blame Mom for trying to spare me that fate, as much as I disagree with what she did. Our relationship is a little tender right now, but I think we’re going to get there eventually.”
He brought her hand to his lips. “Good.”
She started walking again. The king and his mate had disappeared, and given that they were right near a dense stand of trees, Gilbert thought it was a good idea to turn around and head the other way. A loud moan from the trees told him it was a good idea, and he and Polly raced back down the path.
“Ew!” She giggled. “I didn’t need to hear that. Have they no shame?”
“Probably not.” Gilbert laughed. “Now, so we don’t have to dwell on that. I heard you talking with the Freeman boys earlier. Any juicy gossip?”
Polly rolled her eyes, but the change of topic worked. “Yeah, actually. Shane and Kayla have finally set a date to be married. Apparently, there was some discussion about whether they were going to, since they already know they’re mates and it’s not necessary, but Shane wants an excuse to throw a giant party for her, so… And Bernie is pregnant again. Xavier’s going to have a little sister soon…” She made a face as the faint sound of her mother begging for more drifted to them. “Speaking of younger siblings, how likely do you think it is that they…?”
Gilbert shook his head. “Doubtful. They had a hard time conceiving you.”
“Because of fertility issues or the curse?”
That was a debatable point. He sighed, knowing what she was really asking. “All the tests that I’ve done show that the king is better. The neurological damage is reversing itself. It’s giving me a lot to work with on my research, actually. It’ll do a lot to help humans suffering from neurological diseases.”
Polly bowed her head for a moment before peeking up at him. “He hasn’t been able to shift yet.”
“But he’s breathing fire. Last week he couldn’t even do that.” He squeezed her hand comfortingly. “We just have to be patient. It’ll happen soon.”
Polly nodded. They walked on in silence, and he considered what it must be like for her. She had only just gotten to know her father, and while he wasn’t going to be suddenly taken from her, there were still fears about a relapse. He was certain everything was going to be fine, though.
His mind turned to Claire Perry and her mate. Officially, the Emperor was still hidden from the world. His parents wanted to give him as normal a childhood as possible. Gilbert was doubtful about how that would actually work, but nobody knew Thunder’s identity yet. Well, other than a still-small group. Claire and Eztli were both imprisoned, although Thunder had removed the curse on them for their child’s sake. He was a wise little boy, full of empathy. Gilbert could only imagine how wonderful it would be when the time came for him to step into the role of leading all the clans, uniting them again at last.
His grin widened when he glanced over at Polly again. She had a lot to learn about the culture she had come from, but she was also going to be able to see all her dreams realized. The clan had paid off all her debts, and she was going to go back to university in the fall. It would only take her an hour to fly to and from campus every day. That was about how much time she would have spent on the bus had she lived in the city.
He was so excited to see all of her dreams realized.
She caught his grin and returned it, looking puzzled. “What are you grinning about?”
“You. You’re so beautiful. And you have returned home. I know that it’s not what you expected out of life—”
“It’s better,” she assured him. “I can’t wait to learn all about being the Queen Daughter. And I have a great teacher… he’s sweet and cute and charming…”
“He sounds wonderful.” Gilbert wrapped his arms around her waist. “Can you get his number for me? Sounds like a real catch.”
Polly laughed. Then she kissed him. Their fires burned, giving them a mingled taste of smoke on their tongues. When Polly pulled back, she gave him a look he knew all too well and led him off the path, into a patch of bushes that would conceal them from the road. There, she pulled him down to the ground and rolled onto him, mouth to mouth, body to body. His hands caressed her form, he couldn’t believe how lucky he was.
He had his mate. They had their future. And everything was good.
*****
THE END
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Description
When a gang of mobsters begins stealing young girls for human trafficking a ruthless bear-shifter and a brainy bartender must put aside their differences to go after the bad guys and bring the girls home alive.
Zuri Hayes has dreams of a better life. Stuck in a small town overrun with drugs and petty crime she reads through her days and bartends at night to save for her great escape. One night when she returns from the bar she sees her you
ng neighbor being forcibly taken by a new brand of criminal. Human traffickers. Zuri quickly decides that she will do whatever it takes to get her young neighbor back safe and alive.
Chaz Colton is the ruthless enforcer of the local motorcycle club. A bear shifter with nothing to lose and no feelings to hurt, he is willing to be cold and heartless to get what he wants. There is only one caveat; he won’t shift into his bear form to get it. Since losing the love of his life Chaz hasn’t shifted to his bear form and he doesn’t plan to ever again.
As Zuri and Chaz team up for a perilous rescue mission, they must both step out of their comfort zones and step up to a dangerous undertaking. Zuri and Chaz realize that it will take more than pure animal muscle if they are to bring down the vicious wolf shifters, it will take teamwork.
Chapter One
Zuri dropped her worn copy of The Sun Also Rises into her bag and opened the door to her apartment. She jogged down the old orange-carpeted stairs and out into the evening.
She stopped at her stoop to double check that she had her cell phone, mace, bear spray, and panic alarm.
“Hi Zuri.” A soft voice tinkled up to Zuri and she looked down to see the fresh face of her young neighbor.
“Ava,” Zuri said the girl’s name and walked down to the street. Ava, her brother and mother lived in the apartment above Zuri’s. Ava was 17 and turning into a beautiful young woman. Her round face and alert eyes could regularly be seen devouring textbooks, volumes of history, and only occasionally stuck in her phone.
“How is school?” Zuri pushed her bag over her head and around her body. “Any news about colleges yet?”
Ava shook her head. “No and the waiting is killing me,” she said in the overdramatic manner of her age.
“I doubt you have anything to worry about.”
“It’s the scholarships that will be the real news though, without them it won’t matter where I get in.” Zuri could see the anxiety in the girl’s face and pang of understanding and compassion went out to her. There was something about Ava that reminded Zuri of herself. It felt like a hundred years since Zuri had been having the same worries. In the end it hadn’t mattered. Zuri had received scholarships to three of her five top schools but her mother’s battle with addiction and eventual overdose had kept her from going to school at all.
“Cogent?” Zuri tested.
“A clear and logical argument.” Ava picked up the game. The year before they’d begun the game to help Ava prepare for her SATS.
“Loquacious?” Zuri continued.
“The locker room was full of loquacious arguments over which was the best brand of mascara,” Ava said before laughing at herself.
“If you had your choice right now, which school would it be?”
“That’s easy,” Zack, Ava’s brother, said as he came up behind Ava. “She’s gaga for Oregon State.”
Zack’s hair swung over his forehead and part of his face and he spent a considerable amount of time trying to keep it out of his eyes.
“If I went to Oregon State I could still see you and mom whenever I wanted,” Ava said back to her brother.
Zuri tapped her forefinger on Ava’s shoulder. “Well, I have a very good feeling about it. Don’t fret too much, huh?”
“You going to work?” Zack asked. Zuri remembered only a few years ago when Zack had barely come up to her shoulders, he’d sprouted in the last year and now Zuri had to look up when she talked to him.
“Yup, I’ll see you two another day. Say hi to your mom for me.” Zuri gave a forearm high five to both brother and sister. They had thought it hilarious when they’d first conceived the idea of their very own handshake and now it was something they did all the time.
Zuri headed down the sidewalk and looked back to her stoop once to make sure Ava and Zack had safely entered their building.
If she had her own way she would help all the kids in town the way she’d help Ava. Zuri knew that getting a good education was the secret to getting out of Cliffs. Instead, too many kids ended up with needles in their arms, on the streets selling drugs, girls selling their bodies for a quick buck. Ava was proof that a better life could be had with hard work and a little dedication.
An empty soda can rolled along the sidewalk with the fresh Oregon air. Zuri bent and picked it up. She turned and threw the can six feet where it slipped perfectly into a community trash bin.
A whistle passed through the air and she forced herself to ignore it. She had learned a long time ago that it was pointless to respond to the usual whistles, catcalls, and kissing noises she heard when she walked along her neighborhood streets.
The year she turned fifteen, when her hips and butt blossomed into the full figure of a woman, Zuri had learned that her body was going to be noticed by men.
The Smoke Stack was only a few blocks from her apartment building and she would have enjoyed the walk if she weren’t constantly forced to defend her own space. A car passed her with music flowing loudly from its lowered windows. She turned up her own music and let the sounds of the world disappear.
Music had long been her escape. It closed her off from the world that threatened at every turn to overtake her.
Out of the corner of her eye Zuri saw a hunched older figure walking toward her. She pulled out her earbuds.
“How are you doing today, Mrs. Perez?” Zuri spoke loudly, knowing that the older woman was nearly deaf in both ears.
“Huh?” The creased and wrinkled face looked up at her and Zuri smiled.
“You good?”
Mrs. Perez smiled back and nodded, “Good, good.”
“Ok, you have a great night.” Zuri patted the curved and bent shoulder. She watched as Mrs. Perez shuffled away, a plastic bag swinging from one arm.
A roar startled Zuri and she turned to see a man start his motorcycle. He was handsome in a rugged way. She recognized the man, thick unkempt brown hair, jaw covered in stubble. His dark eyes turned toward her and Zuri quickly looked away. He was a shifter and one of the leaders of Magus Motorcycle Club. She knew enough to know that the man was dangerous. He was quiet, she’d only seen him at the Smoke Stack a few times and he’d barely said anything.
Magus was a dangerous group and Zuri knew to keep her distance. She heard stories about people who had gotten on the wrong side of Magus. The usually ended up in traction, minus a few fingers and toes. She hadn’t heard of them being violent to innocents or bystanders, but she didn’t want to test it.
She picked up her step and rounded the block.
The bar was just beginning to get busy. In a few hours she knew it would be overflowing.
“Greg.” She acknowledged the bar’s owner, who was leaning over the bar top counting out bills.
The Smoke Stack was known as a rowdy shifter bar. She saw the same faces day after day. She’d become an expert at being friendly without being personal. Soon after she’d started working as a bartender the regulars figured out that they wouldn’t be taking her home and they’d stopped pursuing her in earnest. She still got plenty of flirtations and plenty of pickup lines but everyone knew that Zuri was not on the menu.
She put a hand through her thick black curls. Her hair framed her mocha face well and highlighted the high cheekbones given to her by her mother, one of the only things she was happy to have inherited from the woman.
“Big night tonight,” Greg said as he walked up to Zuri.
Zuri pushed her bag under the counter and looked at her boss. “What’s going on tonight?”
“Some Ukrainian wolf shifters are in town, causing problems. The Magus are all up in arms.” Greg looked excited by the news. “They were here a bunch of years back, got into some dark stuff, but Magus outnumbered them four to one. Seems they came back prepared, Magus might be outnumbered this time.”
“Hmm.” Zuri tried not to get involved in the underbelly of her neighborhood. She would be leaving as soon as she had enough money and then nothing that went on in Cliffs would be of any consequence in her life. If
she could take every kid like Ava with her she would, but she couldn’t, so she just had to take care of herself.
“Have you seen any of them?” Greg asked.
“Any of who?” Zuri turned her attention a group of dirty glasses.
“The Ukrainian mobsters,” Greg opened his eyes wide.
“Nope.” Zuri turned away. Truthfully she had noticed some new men in town. It did worry her, because no one who came into Cliffs was there for a good reason. Her goal was to ignore it to the best of her ability and when in doubt use the can of mace in her bag.
She could feel Greg staring at her but she kept her focus on her hands. She pushed the dirty glasses into the warm soapy water.
“Well, I will be prepared for a busy night,” Zuri said to appease him.
“You’ll tell me if you hear anything? The guys are always trying to talk to you…”
Zuri looked up at him. “Why do you care so much?”
“I care about my neighborhood.” Greg gave an offended look and Zuri pursed her lips. She knew enough about Greg to know that there was no part of him that cared about the neighborhood. He cared about himself and his bottom line.
“Right,” Zuri said nodding, “or maybe you think they are going to take over Cliffs and you want to be on the winning side.”
Greg threw a rag over his shoulder and crossed his arms over his chest before he turned and walked away.
Five hours later Zuri knew that Greg hadn’t been exaggerating. The bar was busier than she’d ever seen it. It felt like the entire Magus club was present and accounted for. Every time she thought it couldn’t get any busier she heard the roar of more motorcycle engines pulling up outside. The men spilled out onto the front walkway. The pool table in the back was being used as extra counter space for the men to put their drinks on.
“…and can I get some wings too?” The young man looked over Zuri’s body as he asked.
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