by Cara Wylde
“Yes, I bought her. I want you to know that I didn’t do it because your husband asked me to help him keep his promise to her brother. I bought her because she truly is the perfect bride for my Fyrstur.”
“Then, why isn’t she here?”
“Because Eric isn’t here.”
“I don’t understand.” She turned to look into his eyes. “It’s the annual summit and Eric Drekinn isn’t here? I thought an ancient clan like yours would never miss such an event.”
“And we didn’t. I represent Eric and Clan Drekinn.”
Avelyn paused for a second and studied his face. She had no idea why, but she got the impression that Viggo had suddenly become a bit… sad.
“Is there something I’m missing? Viggo, you can tell me.” She stepped closer to him, and because he was so tall, she had to crane her neck to see his golden eyes. “I thought I’d never be able to forgive you for…” she swallowed heavily, “… for Sabine. But what’s done is done, and now my best friend is part of your clan. If she accepted your offer, she knows why she did it, and I fully support her. I hope we can be friends… you and I. I hope our clans will keep working together and supporting each other, because I want to be close to her. She’s my best friend, and she’s done so much for me.”
“Wolves and dragons… now that’s an alliance that’ll go down in history.”
“Yeah, and you know what the funny thing is?” She chuckled and he finally looked down into her blue eyes. “It will be wolves and dragons brought together by a Vulpes bride and an Aquilae bride.” He laughed, but he didn’t ask her what she meant by that. He knew, then. Delyse had told him she wasn’t supposed to be in House Lupi and that she had all the traits of House Aquilae. That was a good thing. Her friend had always liked to be completely honest.
Viggo stopped laughing and went back to his serious, professional expression. “Eric Drekinn is still asleep.”
“What… what do you mean?”
“Exactly that. When a dragon-shifter falls into a deep slumber, he or she can only wake up during a total solar eclipse. Just as the wolves have a strong connection to the full moon and the foxes to lightning, dragons are bound to solar eclipses. Eric has woken up a couple of times in the past 700 years, but he always wanted to go back to sleep right before the solar eclipse ended. By our calculations, the next total solar eclipse will be in three years. Then, when he wakes up, I hope Delyse will be the one to convince him to stay awake.”
“Wow! That is one fucked up tradition!”
“It’s not a tradition… We can’t change it. Our slumber is entirely dependent on the total solar eclipse. We can’t fall into it or wake up from it as we please.”
“I see… But what about Delyse?”
“She will stay at Alma Venus Boarding School three more years and wait for her husband. I’ve already talked to Miss Delacroix and her father, and they agreed. There’s no other way.”
Avelyn looked at her glass of champagne, but she didn’t feel like drinking anymore. Three years. It felt like an eternity. But if it felt like an eternity to her, who wasn’t directly involved, what did it feel like to Viggo, who had to fill in for his Fyrstur three more years?
“So, three more years of loneliness for you…”
“What do you mean?” He was genuinely confused. Why did Avelyn Blackmane care about his personal life?
“You can’t take a bride before your Fyrstur. You’ve already been alone for over 700 years. Surely, you must want a wife and children by now. If Eric does wake up and decides to stay awake for Delyse’s sake, then maybe you’ll be free to finally build your own family.”
Viggo studied her carefully, surprise dancing in his beautiful eyes. She was, indeed, a very interesting woman. And a good friend. A friend who cared.
“Maybe I will. Maybe I won’t. Who knows?”
Avelyn wanted to ask him why he was being so vague about it, but changed her mind. It wasn’t her business. For some odd reason, she realized she wanted him to be happy.
“I’m getting hungry. Let’s go back inside,” she said.
***
“Are you tired yet?” Max’s arm went around Avelyn’s waist and pulled her body towards his. She snuggled into his embrace and rested her head on his shoulder.
“Oh, I’m really tired. But it’s been a fun night.”
“The longest night of the year…”
They were on the same balcony where she had talked to Viggo hours ago, waiting for the sunrise. Her feet were killing her, and she was feeling a bit tipsy, but she was in a great mood.
“This has been one hell of a ride,” she said.
“You bet.” He kissed the top of her head. “But I’ll dare say the future looks promising. Once the Council issues the new law, the fox-shifters won’t be a threat anymore. Even Councilor Willamar had to admit that without the information Karl and I brought we might have gotten into huge trouble soon. Getting back our positions as advisers is just a matter of time now.”
“Yes. The future does sound promising. I talked to Viggo earlier. He said Delyse is perfect for Eric Drekinn, and he really believes she will convince him to wake up and stay awake. The clan needs its Fyrstur.”
“Eric has run away from his responsibilities for too long.”
“You know…” Avelyn hesitated for a second. The sky was beginning to brighten, the first sunrays breaking through the thick darkness. “You know… everything would have been perfect if… if we went to the Schloss now and Christine and Val were there, with little Nikolas.”
Max hugged her tighter, but didn’t say anything.
“I keep thinking about them…”
“Me too…”
They were silent for long minutes. It seemed like the sun had a hard time penetrating the heavy London clouds. A shy, golden beam would reflect into a window, then it would disappear back behind a cloud. It was like a fight between night and day, darkness and light. A short, but intense battle. Everyone already knew how it would end. The sun struggled a couple more minutes then sent a strong, well-aimed beam that hit a window and exploded in a thousand smaller beams, signaling that light had finally gathered its forces to chase away the darkness and take over the city.
“It’s time to go home,” Max whispered in Avelyn’s ear.
“Let’s wait a minute longer. I’ve seen a lot of beautiful sunsets, but never such a glorious sunrise.”
Max laughed lightly. “Because you’re never awake to see them. Let me tell you a little secret: they happen every day.”
END OF BOOK SIX
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Alma Venus Shifter-Brides (The Complete Series)
Four Paranormal Shifter Novels
Amazon US | Amazon UK
Now you can read the full series at an incredible price! If you have Kindle Unlimited, read it for free!
Dive into the world of the Alma Venus Shifter-Brides! Get four standalone novels at an incredible price, and enjoy the stories of four beautiful, amazing women who are trying to make their own destiny in a world where humans are an inferior race!
The peace treaty between humans and shape-shifters was signed over a century ago. One of the clauses says that humans must provide shifters with young brides to give them heirs and ensure the perpetuation of their species. Today, all over the world, special boarding schools take girls from orphanages and give them the most exquisite education, preparing them to become brides for the enemy. If a bride reaches the age of 25 and no shifter wants to buy her, then she is given two options: serve in a shifter brothel, or starve on the streets. Society would never accept a bride who failed to accomplish her duties.
Sold to the Alpha – Avelyn is determined to regain her freedom and never marry a shape-shifter. When Alpha wol
f Max Blackmane buys her, she uses all the tricks she can come up with to escape. Before she knows it, she falls in love with him. But Max has dark things in his past, dark things he keeps hidden in the dungeons under his castle.
The Hidden Alpha – Amelia has always wanted to marry a wealthy shifter and live a simple, normal life. She is bought by Seth, the Beta of Clan Sylfur, for his fox-shifter Alpha, Blake Sylfur. But her husband ignores her, and Amelia falls in love with Seth. Her betrayal might ruin her forever.
Claimed by the Dragons – Delyse has waited for three years for her Alpha, ancient dragon Eric Drekinn to wake up from his hibernation and claim her. When she finally meets her husband, she’s already in love with his Beta, Viggo. What she doesn’t expect is for the two dragons to agree to share.
Taming the Alpha – Claudia is worried that no shifter will ever want to buy her, and when Karl Blackmane shows up, she wonders if he bought her just because her friend, Avelyn, insisted. All she wants is to make Karl happy, but his dark, twisted past threatens to ruin their marriage.
More Books by Cara Wylde
Alpha’s Feisty Mate (Arcane Affairs Agency)
BBW Wolf-Shifter Romance
Amazon US | Amazon UK
Curvy Skye Watson is through with bad boys. For once in her life, she wants to meet a nice guy and have a serious, probably boring relationship. After three months of waiting for said nice guy, she can’t take it anymore. Out in the club with her sister, Nina, and their friends, she sets eyes on Aiden Ashwood, the new hunk in town. He’s tall, bulky in all the right places, covered in Norse tats, and his whole demeanor screams “danger!”. How could she possibly resist? A one-night stand never hurt anyone, right?
Alpha wolf Aiden Ashwood is on a mission. The quiet town of Misty Falls is being terrorized by a rogue werewolf, and the townspeople aren’t even aware of the threat lurking in the shadows. The Arcane Affairs Agency sent him to investigate the three “animal attacks” in the past two weeks, and find the killer. Aiden has always been an efficient and focused agent. He closed all his cases without so much as breaking a sweat, and he expects this one to be no different. But then, hot, feisty Skye ends up in his bed, rocks his world, and leaves in the morning. He should have claimed her as his mate when he had the chance… Now he’s not even sure he’ll find her again.
Soon, Aiden realizes the “animal attacks” are not the town’s only problem. Witches seem to be involved, and where there are witches, there’s always trouble. When he finds out one of the Watson girls might be a witch, he prays it’s not Skye.
Alpha’s Feisty Mate is a full, standalone story. What to expect: a sassy, curvy beauty who might be lying about a couple of things, a hot Alpha who will do anything to protect her, and a sneaky villain who’s set on ruining them both.
Carpathian Wolf (Shift Your Fate, Book 0.5)
BBW Wolf-Shifter Romance
Amazon US | Amazon UK
Rebecca Gilbert is a sexy, curvy, and confident woman who knows what she wants. She’s a successful and respected chartered accountant in New York and seems to have her life figured out. The only problem is she can’t find the right guy to share it with.
Sick and tired of the dating scene, stressed because of her demanding job, Rebecca needs a new perspective. That’s why she takes her friend’s advice and goes to see Kassandra, who is well-known for her abilities as an…empath. The old woman doesn’t only feel what Rebecca feels, but also knows exactly how to help her. However, when she tells her to pack her bags and board a plane to Europe first thing in the morning, Becca thinks she’s insane. On the other hand, she does need a vacation.
A new country, a strange language, a small medieval fortified city in the heart of the mountains… It’s safe to say Rebecca is forced to step out of her comfort zone. The empath told her she’d find her destiny here. She doesn’t know much about destiny, but she knows the tourist guide, Emil Severin, is one of the hottest men she’s ever seen. Green eyes, dirty blond hair, a wicked smile, and an adorable, panty-melting accent–yes, he’s exactly what she needs. Emil seems to want her too. In fact, he can’t keep his hands off her. Then why is he holding back? There’s something he doesn’t want to tell her, something that prevents him from taking her hard and fast. Well, tough luck, because Becca is determined to find out what it is. If Emil is, indeed, her destiny, then she’s not letting him go without a fight.
Bear Unbound (Shift Your Fate, Book 1)
BBW Bear-Shifter Romance
Amazon US | Amazon UK
Beautiful, curvy Amber is ready to reclaim her freedom. She's had enough of her husband's lies and she's done with his family's weird rules. She's getting a divorce, and she's taking her 8-year-old daughter with her. Oh, and she's determined to stay away from men. For now at least. But her best friend, Rebecca, has other things in mind. She takes her to the one place where Amber can find what she's truly looking for: Shift Your Fate. Instead of advising her to leave her past behind, the empath Kassandra reminds her there was someone else before her ex-husband, someone who could have made her happy, if only she had given him a chance.
Tyler Atwood lost contact with Amber ten years ago, when she married Stephan Castell. He had a choice to make then: tell her the truth about her husband, or step aside and leave them be. He chose the latter. Amber wouldn't have believed him anyway. Bear-shifters? An Assassins' Guild hunting supernatural people? On second thought, it was better if she never knew. Now, Amber is back into his life. Being with her puts both of them in danger, but how could he resist? She's always been the only woman who could tame his bear.
Secret Baby Lion (Shift Your Fate, Book 2)
BBW Lion-Shifter Romance
Amazon US | Amazon UK
Olivia Jensen has been running away from her past for too long. An incident she’s trying to forget made her leave New York two years ago. She had no intention of coming back, but when her son’s life seems to depend on her courage to return home, Liv will step on her pride, face her fears, and do everything to save him. Confused as to why her baby is acting strange, she ends up seeing Kassandra, an empath. After all, when all doctors fail, a mother will try anything. She doesn’t like what Kassandra advises her, though: to find the father and tell him that he has a son.
Tristan Ward doesn’t know what to think when Olivia, the woman he has been dreaming of all this time, knocks on his door. They only spent one night together, and then she was gone. Why is she back? What does she want from him? On second thought, none of it matters as long as she stays. He has a secret of his own, but telling her the truth would probably mean scaring her away for good. First, he needs to show her that she is his mate, and then he will tell her he is a lion-shifter.
Unfortunately, Olivia and Tristan don’t get much time to know each other and build up the courage to reveal their secrets. When a jealous witch tries to poison Liv, and the Assassins’ Guild kidnaps her son, they are forced to leave the past behind, forgive each other, and fight to bring their lion cub back home.
Fairy Tales with a Shift (5 Bear-Shifter Novellas)
Amazon US | Amazon UK
Once upon a time… Princesses didn’t dream of Prince Charming, but of a strong, Alpha male who could save them, steal them, take them somewhere far away and love them in delicious, sinful ways their royal education would never deem acceptable. These are the Princesses who lived happily ever after with their fated bear-shifters.
In this anthology, you will find 5 bear-shifter novellas written by Paranormal Romance Author Cara Wylde. They are all standalone stories, with no cliffhangers. Enjoy!
Bearly Sleeping – A steamy retelling of Sleeping Beauty. Princess Rose doesn’t believe in the curse and is about to make a huge mistake. It’s up to Tavian, her fated mate, to make things right.
Scarlett and the Bear – A hot, fast-paced retelling of Little Red Riding Hood. Scarlett is about to be sacrificed to an evil werewolf. The last thing she expected was to be saved by a noble bear-shifter.
Bearly Hunted
– A sweet retelling of Snow White. Nieve is kidnapped by the man who was supposed to kill her, but instead fell in love with her.
Bearly Cursed – A sexy retelling of East of the Sun and West of the Moon. Brenda accepts to become the bride of a polar bear to save her family from the harsh winter. What she doesn’t know is that her bear is a Prince under a curse.
Aimée and the Bear – A heartwarming retelling of Beauty and the Beast. When Aimée wants to steal red roses from the garden of an abandoned mansion, she ends up thrown into the dungeon by the beast who lives there.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Cara Wylde loves to write about strong, feisty women and their hot Alphas who will do anything to make them happy. Her books are filled with romance and just a dash of mystery, suspense, and that eerie atmosphere she fell in love with reading too many gothic novels. With a master's degree in Comparative Literature, she can't help but play with tropes and themes from various genres, trying to come up with fresh perspectives on the paranormal characters her readers love so much. Vampires, shape-shifters, demons, witches... Cara will always make sure they get their own twists.
When she's not writing, Cara is reading, planning her next story, or daydreaming. Her idea of pure heaven is a day filled with nothing but her laptop, a huge coffee pot, relaxing music, and a new, exciting project.