“I’ll gladly work for you when you come back Tae,” Seraphina had told him.
Donovan was worried about her. The foot still hurt but the bones had mended as far as she could tell.
“Let me carry you back.”
“I’m fine, thank you for your concern.” Seraphina was walking with a limp and slowly. The bruise where the nymph had grabbed her made a huge purple and blue circle on her leg. Her hair was matted to her face, and she didn’t bother brushing it away. It was a relief the whole thing was over.
They made their way back to Walter’s house where Stefan was waiting with some of his men.
“We’ve decided Rytas will spend his days in Stefan’s jail. It’s much more secure than ours, and he’s tried to wrong both of us.” Walter said.
Lily ran out and hugged Jeremy. “So, glad you’re back. What about her, what’s her punishment for her part in all this?” She narrowed her eyes as she pointed at Seraphina.
"Seraphina risked her life, you should have seen what she went through to get this jackass," Donovan said pointing at Rytas who was being loaded into one of Stefan's cars.
The necklace! Was there any way it had survived the fight? Seraphina closed her eyes and unbuttoned the pocket on her dress. It was still there.
“Lily, I know you don’t like me, but I asked my mother about your necklace if she remembered.” She pulled it out and held it out to her.
Lily’s eyes widened, and she looked like she might cry, then she did. The tears poured as she took the necklace with shaking hands and opened the locket. Seraphina thought she might cry at the sheer emotion of it all.
The next few moments were surreal. Lily pulled her into a tight hug causing her sore muscles to scream. She kept thanking her.
"So, does this mean you don't hate me now?" Seraphina asked hopefully patting Lily's back lightly.
Lily backed away and straightened up. "I don't hate you, but I still don't trust you."
"Fair enough. I'll take it."
"We owe you a lot," Stefan said. "I'll make sure good ole Rytas is taken care of. I hope your former king decides to come back."
With that, he headed back to Cedar Falls with the prisoner and the rest of the Slamarian guards. Walter thanked her as well and headed back into the house. Soon it was just her and Donovan standing across from one another, neither saying anything.
"Let me walk you home," Donovan said, finally breaking the silence between them.
There was a lot she wanted to say to him. She had a lot of feelings, and she couldn't sort through them. They walked quietly back to through the forest along the stream. A couple of times he turned to her, but he turned back and continued forward.
Everything was better, Rytas wasn't a threat anymore, and she'd even patched things up with Lily sort of, the one thing she couldn't do was tell Donovan how she felt. She knew it was powerful and she wanted to be with him. Putting it into words wasn't happening as they neared her house.
"Okay thank you for walking me home."
Seraphina said as she moved slowly up to her door. He didn't say anything to stop her, so she continued into the doorway and turned to see him walking away. He was going to leave if she didn't say something to stop him. Had they not spent an intimate time together, was they’re not chemistry? Still, she remained silent.
He took a few steps and then turned around shaking his head as he walked back towards her.
"Are you going to let all this just walk away," Donovan said gesturing to his body. He wasn't smiling, so she found it hard to determine if he was serious.
"What do you mean?"
"I mean I figured you'd at least have to have another kiss. I've been told I'm irresistible to women." He made a muscle. "You know the large manly man who can also be a teddy bear thing."
"This self-promoting speech isn't earning you any bonus points," Seraphina said, but already she was moving towards him.
He smiled and reached for her pulling her into him. Once again, she felt safe in his arms and knew there was no way she could let him just walk away from her.
He bent and pressed his lips to hers lifting her and spinning her around. Her whole body came to life-like she’d just taken a dive into the stream.
"What's going on out here?” Her mother stood in the doorway her head tilted at the sight in front of her.
Seraphina wondered if she was going to get the sober mother she'd just met or the old drunk mother. Her cheeks burned with the embarrassment of being caught making out on the front doorstep with her mother. She waited standing next to Donovan with her hand on his arm as her mother continued to look at them.
“Hi, ma’am I’m Donovan. We didn’t formally meet.” He walked forward and held his hand out to Seraphina’s surprise. “Your daughter just did a great service for my clan.”
“It looks like she did a great service for you too,” her mother said smiling.
“Mom!” Seraphina was mortified.
Her mother smiled wide. “You are a handsome one, come in I’ve cooked some fish and vegetables. Come in for dinner.”
Seraphina watched as Donovan rubbed his stomach and followed her mother into the house. This was something she could get used to.
***
The End
About The Author
Amelia Wilson has dedicated her life to writing. She is a firm believer in the power of love to conquer all, and her works reflect this belief. Her paranormal romances are known for their love stories, action and suspense. She creates immersive worlds that are rich in detail and full of emotion.
Amelia can be contacted at her Facebook page or through her newsletter.
http://www.ameliawilsonauthor.com/
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Preview: A Rizer Wolfpack Series Book 1
Love Beyond the Wall
A Rizer Wolfpack Series Book 1
By:
Amelia Wilson
CHAPTER ONE
Cara couldn’t sleep.
How could she? In the morning, she would be forced into a marriage with Aldrich. It didn’t matter that she didn’t want to marry him. Cara had no other alternative. Not anymore.
She could still remember what it was like before the town had walls built over ten feet high surrounding it. There were mountains in the distance, beautiful sunsets. Back then Cara thought she’d climb those mountains. She thought she would escape her father and leave all the ugliness behind.
People would talk about the big cities beyond the mountains. Cities that welcomed all walks of people, even the new race of people who changed their shape. These big cities still had the kind of things that Cara’s mother used to talk about. Taxi cabs, television, and phones that made communication possible across great distances.
The cities who did not fight against the shifters were allowed to carry on as they were. People like Cara’s family, who rejected the new race were pushed out of the established communities and forced to build new towns, and ways of surviving without any contact with the Shifter accepting cities.
Eventually war broke out among the shifter cities. At least that was
what Cara heard. People left the cities, and so did the shifters. The order of the world forever changed.
Cara thought that perhaps the shifters were misunderstood by the people of her town. She wanted to believe that the world would eventually return to the kind of order it once held. She wanted to believe that the shifters were good.
Then they came.
The creatures who walked like men but were not men at all. They were monsters, wild beasts. Every man attacked by them died. Their bodies were brought back in pieces.
It wasn’t long after the hunting party was slaughtered that the wall was built. At first it was only five feet high. When more hunters were killed outside the wall, the townspeople added to the wall. It grew higher every year, cutting out more and more light from the people inside.
For seven years Cara, and most of the people of Aldrich Town, were trapped behind the walls. It was a cage, and it was only going to get smaller for Cara when she married Aldrich.
The man was in his forties, while Cara was not even twenty years old yet. Cara knew him to be a cruel man, just like her father.
If it wasn’t for Cara’s uncle, Mortimer, she might not know that there were men who were kind.
The men of the town angered easily. Many of them took out their frustration on anyone weaker than they were. When this happened, it was up to Aldrich if the person causing trouble got to stay, or was pushed outside the wall to be killed by the shifters.
All matters were taken to Aldrich. When Cara once asked her uncle why Aldrich was in charge he said, “He owns the food. Aldrich owns the weapons. He owns the wall. Aldrich owns the people of his town because without him they starve, are defenseless, and die.”
When Cara’s father took to beating her, the neighbors called in Aldrich. Cara was thirteen years old when he came to her house that night to answer the complaint. He arrived with a rope, ready to tie up her father because he was not interested in justice so much as he was interested in not being bothered.
When he saw Cara, he entered the home and sat down at the dinner table with Cara’s father. He promised to spare him if he kept her untouched by other men.
A virgin.
Aldrich said he would return for her when she was ripe.
Cara didn’t understand most of what he’d said, but she knew she didn’t like how he looked at her. She didn’t like the way Aldrich would follow her home from the schoolhouse after that.
She was relieved when Aldrich married Paulina. Cara thought that since he’d married, Aldrich had forgotten her. Cara believed she was free of him.
Up until two days prior, Cara believed that she would be like every other young woman in town and choose who to date and who to marry. When Aldrich came knocking, Cara knew she’d been mistaken. Aldrich hadn’t forgotten her. Not at all.
Her father opened the door for Aldrich. When Cara saw him her body froze with fear. There was a rumor that Paulina died. Cara chose to believe it wasn’t true. After all, Paulina was only twenty-three. How could she die so young?
Aldrich married Paulina when she was nineteen. Cara heard people say that Aldrich never let Paulina leave his house. Since Cara’s father rarely allowed Cara to leave without an escort, she thought it must be the same kind of restrictions for Paulina.
Once though, when she passed by Aldrich’s house on her way to work, Cara saw her. Paulina was standing in the window glaring out at the light as though she’d been in darkness for so long she couldn’t adjust. She was bruised, too skinny, and she was crying.
Since Aldrich was the only kind of law in Aldrich Town, Cara felt helpless to do anything for Paulina. Cara remembered that look of desperation on Paulina’s face, it wasn’t a sight she would ever forget.
Aldrich entered Cara’s home. Cara could only think of the terror on Paulina’s face. She stood, backing away from the table. Aldrich’s brown eyes were so dark they were nearly black as they followed every move Cara made.
Cara’s hands were shaking. She fisted them. Cara didn’t like the pleased look on Aldrich’s face when he saw the clear sign of fear. Narrowing her eyes, she dared to meet his gaze.
Aldrich’s cutting eyes widened, the bloodshot vessels in his eyes darkened. His pale face and pointed chin lowered as his heated gaze ran over her. His gray teeth looked sharp as his thin lips curled back.
He pushed up the sleeves of his red shirt. “Take off your dress,” Aldrich commanded. His eyes opened wider as he spoke. His hands opening and closing like he wanted to grab her.
Cara looked to her father. He was the only one who could protect her from Aldrich. Sure, her father was hard hearted, and short tempered but he did love her. Cara was certain he would do something.
He nodded to Cara, telling her without words to obey Aldrich.
Cara’s face burned with anger at his stab of betrayal.
How can he just stand there?
“No,” Cara said.
Aldrich towered over her. He was crowding her space trying to intimidate her to his will. Cara pressed her lips together as they too began to tremble.
Aldrich’s hand shot out taking hold of her long blond braid yanking hard and pulling her head back. Tilting her chin up so that she had to look at him. His rough hands groped her breasts as he breathed into her face.
“You need to see who is in charge, don’t you?”
Cara was terrified, but she couldn’t stand his hands on her body. Reaching up she raked her nails across his face and kicked him as hard as she could.
Only a small grunt sounded before his hand wrapped around her neck. He choked her, yelling in Cara’s face as she fought for air. “I’m going to teach you to obey, Cara Warden. You will be my wife.”
Her name on his lips was a death sentence.
Aldrich held her up in the air, her feet dangling. The whites of his eyes were bright as he bared his filed teeth at her. His sharp chin stabbed into her cheek as he pressed his face into her hair. He groaned a disgusting sound.
Cara continued fighting for air but wasn’t getting any. She kicked out wildly and caught him between the legs. It was all that saved her from Aldrich choking her until she was unconscious, or dead.
He dropped her.
Cara backed away scooting across the floor. Her breath was coming fast and ragged but she couldn’t get enough. Aldrich’s eyes were crazed with rage. Cara was certain he’d kill her for what she’d done. The scary part of it was that she hoped he would.
Instead Aldrich cradled his crotch with both hands as he glared across the space at her. When he was able to stand upright again he pointed at her.
“I’m going to break you, Cara.”
Her father came forward. He grabbed Cara by the front of her dress and hit her hard in the face. It hurt but fear of what would happen next was stronger. The room was tilting as she tried to see where Aldrich had gone.
Is he coming? Is my father really going to hand me over to him? Aldrich’s worse than any creature that could be outside the walls.
“I will come for her Thursday,” Aldrich told her father. “Make certain she is here and ready for me.”
When the door slammed, Cara relaxed. She stopped struggling against the dizziness and gave in to the darkness that filled her vision.
Her father apologized when she woke. It was strange for Cara, because he did actually appear sorry. It was the only time she’d ever seen real remorse in his brown eyes.
“Aldrich will starve us if we deny him. We would both die if I refuse him.”
“I’d rather starve to death than let Aldrich take me,” Cara told him.
“I know,” he’d answered. “But I wouldn’t.”
He didn’t lock her in her room or in the house because there was no where she could go. Nowhere to run away from Aldrich. No one would hide her. If Aldrich found her hiding with anyone, he would starve the entire family.
Her uncle Mortimer and his wife were the only good people she knew. Even though her father rarely let her see them, she loved them and their chil
dren. She loved them too much to have them starve for her.
Cara sat up on the mattress that served as her bed.
Thinking of Paulina in that house, looking out like she’d forgotten what the sun felt like, made Cara feel smothered. Even the thin worn blanket on her legs was too much. She pushed it off and onto the floor.
Cara needed to get outside. She needed to breathe in the cold air.
Pulling on her hand-me-down boots, she spotted her shawl on the hook by the door. Cara wrapped it around her shoulders. On an impulse, she grabbed the scissors from the tabletop as she passed by on her way out the front door.
As soon as she was outside she felt a little better.
The air was frosty. Her breath looked like smoke in the dark. Cara breathed hard, like she did after Aldrich choked her. She walked away from her father’s house. It was the first time in five years she’s been in the town without an escort. It was the last bit of freedom she’d ever get.
Cara walked through the small town finding herself on the main square. Aldrich’s house was up ahead. Cara looked up, spotting Paulina’s handprints still on the glass of the upper window.
Cara remembered Aldrich’s hand around her braid, his face in her hair, and his breath on her neck. Rage and revulsion burned up her fear until it was gone.
Raising the scissors, Cara chopped off her braid at the nape of her neck. Just like that she felt lighter. She knew her father would be furious, and she knew Aldrich would be too.
I’m done being afraid.
The town horn sounded, signaling a change of the guard. Cara spotted the guard climbing down the tall ladder to go report and trade places with the next guard on duty. She watched him with disbelief.
The guard tower is empty.
She’d dreamt of stealing the ladder enough times that as she watched the guard walk away Cara wasn’t sure if she were dreaming again.
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