“Rick, is that you?” she asked. Nina really wasn’t up to entertaining anyone tonight, especially not Rick.
“No,” the voice growled as anger seeped into it.
Nina’s heart kicked in her chest. She’d know that voice anywhere. Was it really possible? Had he come back? “Riot?” All her hopes and dreams of the future were riding on the answer to that simple question.
He stepped forward cautiously, almost as if he were afraid that she’d send him away.
“I was hoping it was you,” she gasped and rushed up onto the porch.
Riot automatically opened his arms and caught her.
“I didn’t think I’d ever see you again,” Nina said.
“Does that mean that you wanted to?” he asked.
She looked up into his face and grinned. “Silly, silly man. How could I not?”
His brow furrowed. “But you sent me away.”
Nina stepped back and her chin dropped. “I know. So much was going on. I just couldn’t handle anything else, including you. You came into my life like a storm, sweeping me up, making me forget about everything…at least for a little while.”
“I am sorry about your grandfather,” he said.
“How did you know?” she asked.
“I wanted to leave. Started to. But something kept me from going. It was you,” he said softly. “I just couldn’t imagine my life without you.” Riot took a deep breath. “So I stuck around. Waiting. Watching. Listening to you cry, when all I wanted to do was rush over and hold you.”
Nina shook her head. “But you didn’t.”
“No, I couldn’t. You needed time to grieve,” he said. “I know you still need time, but my time is short. I had to take one more chance before I left for good.”
Nina opened the door to her house and turned on the light. “Please come in.”
* * * * *
Riot’s hearts were hammering in his chest. What if she rejected him again? What if he’d made a mistake by coming here? He watched Nina put her purse down on the table. She played with a stack of mail on the table, straightening an already neat pile. Was she stalling because she didn’t know what to say to him? Blood roared in Riot’s ears as something akin to panic struck.
“I know I am not much to look at,” he said. “But I vow that I will always take care of you and treat you well. My fealty normally lies with my King, but I’d gladly transfer it to you, if you’d find it in your heart to give me another chance and come with me.”
Nina turned to look at him. She seemed to search his face. Looking for what, he did not know. It was only when the light struck her brown eyes that Riot noticed the ring of red around the outer part of her iris. Elation filled him, but he quickly stomped on it. She hadn’t given him her answer yet. Until that happened, he would assume nothing.
Time seemed to run backwards as Riot waited. Torture, pure torture. He dropped to his knees before her. “Please Nina, I must have your answer. I do not think I can last another moment without it.”
Her lips twitched, then spread into a smile. “Yes!” she said.
“Yes?” he asked, fearing he’d heard her wrong.
Nina nodded her head. “I said, yes.”
Riot jumped to his feet and pulled her into his arms. His lips brushed hers, then deepened into a passionate kiss. His muscles locked as her body softened against him. Riot wanted to throw her down right here, right now, but there wasn’t time. He forced himself to let her go.
“Thank you.” Nina had slipped beneath his defenses, easily dismantling them until all that remained was love. Their bond would continue to grow and soon there would be two Great Bears roaming the wilds of Planet Zaron. He couldn’t wait to show Nina his world and the mountains that existed there.
* * * * *
Nina wasn’t sure why he was thanking her, but she knew she’d made the right decision. There was no doubt in her mind. Her grandfather would approve. She looked toward her ceiling and thought of Harold. Thank you, Grandpa, for bringing him back to me, she thought as she squeezed her eyes shut.
“We need to gather your things and go.” Riot brushed her cheek.
Her eyes opened. “Right now?”
“Yes,” he said.
In the end, it didn’t take long to get her things together. Nina didn’t want or need much that was left in the house. She wrote a note to the clinic. The Sheriff’s Department would eventually find it. Rick would only stay away for so long before he came looking for her. She wanted to make sure that no one worried, especially her best friend, Kim. She placed her things by the door and turned to look at Riot.
“Where are we going?” she asked.
He grinned. “Where else? The sky.”
* * * * *
Four hunters had chased the Great Bear into the sky, but they hadn’t managed to permanently bring him down. Yet one woman with soft brown eyes and a big heart had slayed him with a smile.
Riot planned to work hard everyday to keep that smile on Nina’s face. If he was able to do that, then he’d die a happy warrior. Until then, he planned to live with his new mate, love without restriction, and enjoy every moment they shared together.
Epilogue
Riot held the summons in his hand as he pushed open the stone doors to enter the Great Hall. He couldn’t keep the smile from his face, as he strode down the long aisle toward the man seated on the crystal throne.
King Eros looked up when he entered, his aqua blue eyes watching him closely as he approached. A pale brow arched as he took in Riot’s grin. “I heard your search was successful. I wanted to see for myself, now that you’ve had time to settle in.”
Riot dropped down onto one knee. “That it was, Your Majesty.”
“She must be quite a woman to put up with you,” he said.
Riot’s grin widened. “That she is.”
“I look forward to meeting her,” the King said. “Did you have any trouble this time around?”
Riot thought about mashed potatoes. “Not at all, Sire. Everything went smoothly.”
Eros’ lips twitched. “Is that so?”
Riot met his gaze. “As good as I could hope,” he said.
The King stared at him for what felt like an eternity.
Riot fidgeted under his unwavering regard. Already he longed to return to Nina’s side. He’d left her lying in bed, sated and sleeping. Riot had promised to take his new mate to the mountains today. No way would he disappoint her. Not even for his King.
The silence stretched between them, thickening the air.
Riot thought about deep fried, shrimp Po Boy sandwiches with remoulade sauce and fries. His stomach growled loudly, shattering the tense silence.
King Eros laughed. “I see that you did not take my advice.”
“What advice was that Sire?” Riot asked, genuinely confused.
“You didn’t eat before you came to see me.” The King chuckled.
Riot’s face flushed. “Won’t happen again, Sire.” But they both knew that it would.
“Go enjoy your new mate, Phantom Riot. Take good care of her,” the King said, dismissing him.
He rose from his kneeling position. “I will, Your Majesty. That’s a promise.” One promise Riot could keep.
* * * * *
The forest rose like a Leviathan around Nina, blotting out the light green sky and dual orange moons. If not for the trees’ anise-colored bark and dark purple leaves, she’d swear Redwoods surrounded her. Except this wasn’t Earth. It wasn’t even the same solar system. This was planet Zaron.
“What do you think?” Riot asked, indicating to the mountains ahead. His expression remained open, hopeful. It was one of the many reasons that she loved him. He rarely tried to hide his emotions.
Nina stared at the jagged range. It reminded her of the Grand Tetons…if they’d been injected with steroids. “Impressive.” And they were. The whole place was amazing. Very different from Earth, but not in a bad way. It was just going to take a while to retrain her brain to
accept all the new sights, sounds, colors, and aromas.
“Do you like it?” he asked. The same insecurity she’d seen in his eyes the first time they’d made love appeared in a flash. Her answer meant a lot to him.
Nina nudged Riot with her fur-covered shoulder. The tension left him, replaced by relief. Nina was still getting used to shape-shifting into a bear. It had taken what felt like forever to learn how to walk on all fours without falling over. Her speech still wasn’t clear, but somehow Riot understood her. “I love it,” she said. Her voice was garbled like she had a mouthful of gumballs. “And I love you.”
His muzzle dropped open in a distorted smile, then Riot rumbled. “Let’s get going.”
Nina nipped at his flank and took off running. Her big paws slapped the ground as she raced through the trees. The sweet scented air filled her lungs, making her euphoric. She couldn’t outrun Riot and really didn’t want to, but it was always fun to try, since he had an enjoyable way of punishing her, when he finally caught up. These woods weren’t like the ones in the Smoky Mountains, but with Riot by her side, it was home.
# # #
AUTHOR BIO
Jordan Summers has twenty-five published books to her credit. She is a member of Novelist Inc., International Thriller Writers, Horror Writer’s Association, Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America, and Romance Writers of America.
www.JordanSummers.com
Table of Contents
PHANTOM WARRIORS: SABER-TOOTH
PHANTOM WARRIORS: TALON
Cut Scenes from TALON
PHANTOM WARRIORS: RIOT
AUTHOR BIO
Phantom Warriors Volume 2 Page 24