Stranded: A Mountain Man Romance

by Piper Sullivan

  Once they were seated in the town car with Leo driving, Roman explained that his father was in a private estate they’d retrofitted as a hospital. The doctor who cared for him lived there so that he could be in close proximity to his patient.

  She also learned that the doctor happened to be a very close family friend of the Williams bear clan as he, himself, was a bear shifter.

  After offering these few explanations, Roman fell into a contemplative silence and Josephine chose not to disturb him. Pulling both the Bear and the Wolf Scrolls from her bag, she opened the Bear Scroll and began deciphering the cuneiform texts.

  Even though she knew deep within her heart that Roman’s dad would be saved, she also wanted to be prepared should Roman ask for the other ritual. Luckily the Bear Scroll didn’t ask for anything other than the two participants and a simple chant to sever their ties.

  “Where did you get the ingredients for the Wolves’ counter-spell?” Josephine asked as the thought suddenly occurred to her. The Wolf Scroll called for the blood of the original caster as well as blood from the victim’s sire in order to successfully lift the curse.

  Roman shifted uncomfortably in the seat next to her and produced a small pouch from his inner jacket. Offering it to her, he gave a small shrug and waited for her to study the contents.

  Inside she found two vials: one, containing Rafe’s blood and another one, unlabeled. Holding the unlabeled vial up before her, she arched an eyebrow in question.

  “Blood and other samples are taken when one of us joins the military,” he explained. “Just in case situations like this arise. That’s my grandfather’s blood,” he added with a nod at the second vial. “We keep them all in cold storage.”

  She carefully placed the vials back into the pouch and handed it to Roman. She wanted to question him as to what ‘other’ samples would’ve been taken, but didn’t feel that it was an appropriate time.

  They pulled through the main gates and Roman barely waited for the car to stop before rushing up the steps and disappearing into the house. Leo shifted the car into park and lumbered out, offering Josephine his hand through Roman’s open door.

  “Allow me to escort you in Ms. Baxter,” he offered with an apologetic smile.

  Taking his hand, she followed Leo into the house and down a series of hallways until they reached Mr. Williams’ room. The moment she laid eyes on the pale, sunken body in the bed, she wondered if perhaps they weren’t too late to save him after all.

  Numerous tubes and I.V. lines were connected to his body and machines beeped quietly from various points in the room. One large tube ran to his open mouth and she inhaled sharply when she realized it was a ventilator. Mr. Williams was no longer able to breathe on his own.

  “We don’t have much time,” Roman murmured as he bent over the bed and took his father’s hand in his.

  “What happens if we sever your ties and your father lives?” Josephine asked softly.

  Roman bowed his head and sighed. “The answer is complicated,” he admitted. “But essentially, his shifter genes will decrease and gradually, over time, he’ll become mortal. By severing his ties from me, and thus the Clan, he’ll no longer have that connection to his own bloodline. That’s the down side to using magic.”

  “If the ritual causes him to become mortal all at once, will the Wolves’ curse kill him before the doctor can cure him?” she asked, wanting to make sure everyone understood the pressure they placed on her shoulders.

  “He’ll still be a shifter,” Roman answered hoarsely. “It’ll take years for his DNA to convert. I wouldn’t suggest doing the ritual if I thought it could potentially kill him.”

  Josephine nodded. She couldn’t blame Roman for his insistence on performing the severing ritual. He wanted to protect his Clan and his father and this was the only way he could do both.

  “Is there a way for him to re-enter the Clan?” she prompted. She refused to believe that the only way to save the man was to condemn him to a mortal life and death. Having been immortal all his existence, how would he handle being simply human?

  Roman lifted his head and studied her through narrowed eyes.

  “I’m sure a genius like you can figure out a way,” he said and then smiled. “If you’ll stay on as my historian, I’ll give you full access to all my mother’s research and anything else you may need.”

  Josephine’s heart swelled with so many emotions, she almost felt like she would burst.

  “Shall we get started?” Roman prompted.

  Standing solemnly over his father’s unconscious body, Roman took a small scalpel and gently pulled it across the flesh of his wrist. After doing the same with his father’s wrist, he pressed the two bleeding wounds together.

  A palpable weight shot through the room and Roman doubled over in visible pain. When Josephine started toward him, he thrust out his hand to keep her at a safe distance.

  “It worked,” he panted and pulled his wrist free of his father’s. The doctor stepped forward and wrapped Mr. William’s wound before turning to tend to Roman’s who simply waved the man away.

  “Mine’s almost healed,” he explained and then turned to face Josephine. “Let Dr. Hemp have the Wolf Scroll and translation. He’ll have to do the rest on his own.”

  Doing as she was told, Josephine offered the parchment to the doctor and then allowed Roman to lead her from the room.

  Chapter 14

  How long did it take to save one life?

  After hours of pacing the hallway before Mr. Williams’ room, Leo suggested they go back home. Since they were both pretty exhausted from the night’s events, Roman agreed.

  Now they simply waited on the call from the doctor. Robert had begged for them all to eat dinner, but nobody could manage to take a bite while they awaited news.

  It seemed childish that she expected everything to immediately be fine, but now they had to wait until the doctor gave them the results. Magic was difficult and often slow when it came to healing.

  Josephine escaped to the library and began her research on how to keep Mr. Williams’ bear shifter genes alive. She knew she had time to figure things out, but she had nothing else to do besides wait. She refused to think about what would happen should he not make it.

  Roman found her, hours later, buried beneath a mountain of books and various documents. She raised dry, bloodshot eyes to his and couldn’t stop the flood of tears as they rained down her cheek.

  “I can’t focus,” she admitted shamefully. “I’ve always found peace and comfort in my work, but now, I just can’t concentrate.”

  Roman clucked his tongue and gathered her into his arms where he began murmuring words in some other language. A large part of her wanted to dissect the language, identify it and then analyze it, but her brain was too tired to do much more than allow herself to be coddled.

  “Everyone is gathered in the parlor,” Roman murmured against her temple. “Why don’t we join them? Robert has a fire going and he and Leo are playing chess. I can have him fix you something to eat,” he offered.

  “No,” she refused softly. “Let’s just go and be with them. I’m too tired to do much more than breathe.”

  “As you wish,” Roman agreed, lifting her into his arms, he carried her down the hallway and into the parlor. Neither Robert nor Leo glanced up as they entered, their minds too occupied with the game of strategy and wits.

  Roman gently lay her on the lounge chair seated before the fireplace and then lowered himself to sit on the floor at her side. He laid his head back against the velvety material and Josephine couldn’t help but run her fingers through his hair.

  Finally, the phone rang.

  Roman jumped and raced across the room, snatching it from the receiver.

  “Hello?” he barked.

  She, Robert, and Leo all waited with baited breath as Roman remained silent as he listened to the voice on the other end. He nearly dropped the phone when he whirled around towards them.

  “He’s going t
o live!” he exclaimed with a relieved laugh. “I can’t believe it. He’s going to live,” he breathed and nearly collapsed against the table. “My father is going to live.”

  “Roman,” Josephine cried as she went to embrace him. He hugged her tightly against him. They’d spent all day waiting for news and the sun was now dropping past the horizon outside. In the last hours of the day, Roman’s father had been saved. Even though they now faced a new dilemma and possibly a difficult quest, the William’s family would continue and The Midnight Den would survive.

  “Let’s give them some privacy,” Robert whispered to Leo as the men ducked out of the room with knowing smiles.

  Roman’s warmth felt comforting against her. Soon, the room was cloaked in darkness. She approached a lamp to turn it on, but he pulled her back against him.

  “We can find a way to reverse this,” he told her, touching the bite. His desperate eyes searched her face. “You don’t have to be connected to me if you don’t want to.”

  She took a deep breathe, the tense air of the room nearly suffocating her. “Roman, I’m not sure that we need to do that…”

  The seconds passed between them like hours as she saw him processing her answer. Even in the darkness, she felt like her face was flustered before him.

  “I mean, what I’m saying is...Would it be alright if we stay like this for a while?” she asked softly as her hand went to cover the bite. His breath tickled her ear as he leaned towards her.

  “You’ve helped me save my father,” he reminded her. “You can have whatever you want.” Her heart jumped nervously.

  “Does that include you?” The question was out of her mouth before she could help it. Heat swirled around them. He let out a rumbling laugh as he leaned into her.

  “Only if I can have you,” he countered in a hoarse voice. “All of you.”

  She squeaked in pleasant surprise when he pounced. His rough hands moved against her body as if they were making music on her. She moaned and pressed her lips against his. He pressed her against the table behind them with a primal growl, a delicious sound that made her blood heat.

  When he rubbed himself against her, she captured his bottom lip to nibble it. His tongue pressed against her attack and he ravaged her mouth. They broke apart, panting. Her chest rose up and down, the hardened nipples peaking beneath the thin fabric of her shirt. His fingertips found them and she threw her head back to moan as he caressed her breasts.

  “Josephine!” His growl made her tremble as his hands made quick work of her clothes. Her fingers desperately tugged away his own clothing. She moaned in sweet agony as his hardness brushed up against her slick entrance. He pulled her into a hard kiss. She arched her back and pressed up against him with a satisfied groan.

  “I can’t wait any longer,” she whispered in a hoarse voice. The outline of his member against her spiked every lustful nerve within her. She wanted him. She needed him. To feel his love as he thrusted into her.

  They pressed together. Savagely, a primal urge thundering between them to touch skin against skin. Even in the dim light, she felt his hesitance. She grabbed his hand with a firm reassuring squeeze. He nodded against her, his tongue playing with the bite, earning a gasp of pleasure from her.

  He grasped one of her legs to hook behind him. Her skin was melting in bliss while he positioned himself at her entrance, yearning for him to fill her. With a light touch, he barely pushed himself into her while his fingers began to work magic just above her entrance. She gasped with pleasure and whined, writhing beneath him.

  “Please!”

  “I love you,” he said. Slow and soft, before he thrust inside of her with a husky groan.

  “Again,” she begged him. He was quick to follow her lead, thrusting in and out of her. She felt the pressure building in her as she began to respond to his movements with her own rhythm. Their breaths became quicker together as the starlight began to cloak them in a dreamy haze.

  “Fuck,” he groaned. His pace quickened. She felt a sudden rocketing in pressure as her muscles squeezed around him, a sensation that brought her to her peak.

  “Roman!” She cried out for him and threw her arms around his neck. She needed to feel the deep rumbling of his chest as he growled against her. He threw his head back with a deafening roar as their pleasure peaked together.

  “Josephine!” he screamed her name as they rocked against each other into blissful ecstasy. They collapsed against one another, the desk cold beneath them.

  “Bed?” she suggested weakly. He nodded, sweaty forehead slick against her naked chest. He grabbed her in his arms and carried her down the hall to his room. He dropped her gently with a grin on the soft bed. She moaned gratefully as she buried her face in the fabric and felt him lay down beside her. His hands trailed her sides.

  “You can continue to research the Midnight Den,” he said. “I can help you prepare documents. We just need to leave out certain parts.”

  “I wasn’t planning on revealing the bear magic,” she teased with a smile. His dazzling eyes seemed to glow in the faint moonlight.

  He smirked. “Do you remember what I told you in the beginning?”

  She furrowed her brow. “What?”

  “Not to fall in love with me,” he said slyly as his hand want to cup her face. “Here you are, though.”

  “I don’t see you complaining,” she pointed out as she propped herself up on her elbow. His wicked grin fell to her naked breasts, exposed as they slipped from beneath the sheet.

  “No, I can’t complain. Not even about my mother’s trickiness.”

  “What do you mean?” she asked with a frown.

  He pulled her into his arms as they rested against the pillows together. She listened to the steady beat of his heart as he played with her hair.

  “Her craftiness caused some stress,” he admitted. “But, it did lead to some valuable discoveries.” When his handsome eyes rested on her face, she blushed.

  She’d discovered more than she thought possible too. The journey to discover the secrets behind the Midnight Den had led her to love. Strange, unpredictable love that was worth discovering for years to come.

  THE END

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  Lion Lord’s Kiss

  Prologue

  For centuries, his ancestors had been roaming the savannah on four legs. They were the true kings of the jungle, and as the legends told, destined to be kings in this life or another. With all of the power and beauty of lions, and keen minds, it was hard not to be convinced of their superiority over normal men. They often lived decades longer than humans unless, like his ancestors in Tsavo, their lives were cut short by violence.

  Today, Jay (short for Jelani), was hunting for more than a meal; he was hunting for a way out of a trip to New York. He hated the concrete without end, the dirty air and water, and the sheer volume of noise echoing off the tall buildings at all hours of the day and night.

  As the offspring of a beautiful but frail human woman and his father, the late patriarch of his Pride, the task had fallen to him as a young, unmated Lord to make the trip. The Pride would eventually come under his rule, if he continued to display his father’s strength and his mother’s sharp mind, and Jay was expected to carry some of the burden of governing. His Uncle, the current Pride Leader was aging and remained unmated. Jay had been assigned more responsibility these past five years as his Uncle’s health deteriorated. Jay also privately thought that the Leader saw these tasks as a means of taming Jay’s sometimes unstable temper. When acting on official Pride business, he was more mindful of not embarrassing his people by letting his temper get the better of him.

  As Jay slipped through the grass toward the edge of the watering hole where his prey waited, oblivious, a six hundred pound missile roared and launched itself at him, strik
ing him in the shoulder and tumbling him into the dry grass, sending up a cloud of dust and an indignant roar. Jay looked with irritation to his prey that was already vanishing in a cloud of the same dust.

  His Uncle Folami, meaning one who demands respect, transformed before him, and said, “Come Jelani, you procrastinate. Your plane leaves in two hours. I know this errand distresses you, but it must be done. It is important to the family and we trust you to handle this matter for us all.”

  “Yes, I know it is important,” he said with resignation as he turned to follow his uncle, “You can trust me with it.”

  “Make sure you do not get distracted.” Folami said with a raised brow, referring to Jay’s reputation as something of a womanizer.

  “When have I ever let a woman distract me from my duty?” Jay growled

  “Do not show your teeth to me, cub, lest I have to teach you to respect your elders…again.” Folami said, bristling. “Just make sure that your weakness for a round ass does not get you into trouble…again.”

  No matter that the incidents had happened many years ago, Folami was loathe to let him live them down. He was an aging King holding on to every scrap of authority as he watched the years slowly rob him of his ability to enforce it. Though there was more to his leadership than brute force, it still took strength to command respect. A respect his Uncle still well deserved.

  Choking down his anger, Jay simply replied “Yes, Uncle,” as the head of his family transformed back to his magnificent lion form with a slightly whitened muzzle and loped toward home with the deceptive speed of his kind. Jay did the same and followed along behind him at a respectful distance.

  Chapter 1

  Kathryn eyed herself critically in the full-length mirror that hung on her bathroom door and was pleased with what she saw. At five foot nine inches tall and with the kind of robust curves that were just too lush to pass for conventional beauty in the thinner-is-better atmosphere of New York City, Kathryn still managed to turn heads. If asked, she would describe herself as an hourglass with about fifteen extra minutes added. She had great skin, a true peaches-and-cream complexion, complimented by long, auburn hair and full, ruby lips.