by T. S. Ryder
Clara looked up at the man with a terrified look in her eyes, her body quivering as she looked down at her stomach. How did he know that she was pregnant? She hadn’t told anyone but Nate, and that had only been earlier that day! Trembling as she watched the man circle her, she let out a terrified noise when she saw his fingertips shift into familiar claws, her eyes going wide with terror when his claw slid over her cheek slowly.
“Hush now, don’t cry dear,” Jeremy hummed, his eyes flickering over her form with a hungry look in his eyes. “You know I didn’t have a problem with you until you started sticking your nose where it didn’t belong,” he spat, his eyes flashing murderously. “Nathaniel, he’s a fantastic alpha, but he can’t keep his damn head out of the clouds! If he had just listened to me and dropped you when I told him to, we wouldn’t be in this mess!” he explained, earning a confused and mortified look from the woman.
Straining against the handcuffs attaching her to the sturdy wood of the chair frame, she let out a squeak when Jeremy slapped her across the face, her breath hitching in her throat as a muffled sob fell from her lips.
“You see, Clara, he’s not just risking his own reputation by dating a pretty little upstart like yourself, he’s risking the security of the pack!” Jeremy pointed out, his eyes changing from pale blue into something dangerous, the irises a poisonous yellow. “I have been his second in command for years, and I will not let you ruin this pack! I will not let that parasite inside of you risk everything that our people have worked for in this god forsaken company!” he snarled, grabbing her jaw and forcing her to look up at him,
“You understand that this isn’t personal, of course?” he hummed, his nails digging into her chin painfully as she let out a weak noise of protest. “I’ve been keeping an eye on you for weeks, and I was hoping you would wise up and leave the bastard, but when I realized that you were pregnant? Oh, sweetheart, you didn’t leave me much of a choice!” He laughed, lightly patting her cheek before moving over to the counter and lifting up a nasty looking blade.
Letting out a strangled noise, Clara shook her head and attempted to get her leg free, trembling as he twirled the blade in his hand nonchalantly. This man was going to kill her. He was going to kill her and her unborn child and Nate was never going to know.
“Don’t worry, I’ll make it painless. No reason to make you suffer for my dear Nathaniel’s mistakes, hmm?” He chuckled, moving closer and trailing the blade over her shoulder slowly, slicing through the silky fabric of her robe easily to reveal the bloodless skin beneath. “It’ll be quick! Just like ripping off a band-“ He cut off with a roar of pain when her foot broke free from the binding, slamming into his groin and sending her falling backward with a cry.
Gasping as she writhed on the floor, she desperately fought to break free. The chair arm had snapped off from the back when she landed, and with her free hand, she tore desperately at the straps on her other wrist. Looking up as Jeremy lurched forward, she gasped, slapping his hand away from her and kicking upwards with a muffled shriek.
“You bitch!” he roared, attempting to get ahold of her as she writhed and thrashed away from him. She was not going down without a fight.
Gasping when he grabbed onto her hair, she yelped and felt her head lurch back. Kicking out with a cry, she managed to kick the blade away, grimacing when the blade cut into the pad of her foot in the process.
Panting and livid, Jeremy let out a snarl as he grabbed onto her throat. Lifting her up, he slammed her and what was remaining of the chair against the wall.
“Fine. I’ll do this the hard way then,” he snarled, his nails digging into her throat as she gagged and thrashed in his hold. Her vision swimming, Clara desperately clawed at his hand, her body going numb as she started losing consciousness.
Air rushed into her lungs a moment later. Landing on the ground with a painful thud, she looked up blearily as Jeremy went flying backward, her breath rasping and weak as she clutched at her throat. Coughing, she rolled over onto her side with a moan and felt hope swell in her chest as she saw Nate looming over a startled-looking Jeremy.
“How dare you touch her? She is my mate, you backstabbing whelp!” Nate roared as he threw Jeremy into the table, his eyes flashing as he shifted into his wolf form with a shudder. Dominant and stunning, his massive form loomed over Jeremy with a snarl that sent shudders down Clara’s spine.
“She was going to destroy you! Destroy us! What we’ve built for our pack!” Jeremy stuttered, stumbling away from the wolf as the man moved forward murderously. “I was trying to help you!” he cried, shifting into a wolf himself and yelping as Nathaniel leaped at him with a hiss of challenge.
Clara looked away with a shudder when Jeremy shrieked, her free hand pulling the gag free from her mouth before shakily breaking off the remaining chair on her arm and untying her legs. Moving to her feet with a grunt, she limped into the kitchen and picked up the bag that Jeremy had discarded. Finding the handcuff keys with ease, she shakily undid the cuffs and threw them aside with a shudder.
Across the room, she could hear the two wolves snarling and yipping as they bit and clawed at each other. Flinching at the sound of teeth sinking into flesh, she sank down behind the counter with a shudder, snagging onto a dish towel to bind the wound on her foot. Nate would be fine. There was no way he would lose.
The fight continued for just a few minutes longer, and with a final shriek and a horrible crunch the world went silent.
Trembling, Clara felt her breath hitch and she grabbed Jeremy’s discarded knife as a form moved around the counter. Brandishing it at her potential attacker, she let out a relieved noise when Nate held up his hands.
“Woah! Hey, it’s ok! It’s me,” Nate panted, wiping the blood on his face away and waiting until she let the knife clatter to the ground before pulling her into his arms. “Are you ok?” he rasped, pressing his face to her shoulder and allowing her to crumble into his arms.
“He was going to kill me!” she croaked, shock rolling through her body while his powerful form cradled her to his chest gently. Pressing a kiss to the top of her head, Nate nodded, scooping her up into his arms with a shudder.
“I know he was. I’m so sorry, Clara,” he whimpered, carrying her into the bedroom and quickly swaddling her in a blanket. “I’m taking you to the hospital. I’ll call someone to take care of that bastard.” He closed his eyes, a shudder rolling through his form. “I thought he was my best friend, and then I saw him standing over you like that. I never thought he would do something like that to anybody,” he croaked, as he held her shaking form to his chest.
“You saved me,” she whispered against his chest, tears staining his shirt as his grip tightened around her shaking form.
“Course I did, you’re my everything,” he whispered against her shoulder, trotting down the stairs towards his car. Melting against his chest, Clara allowed herself to be enveloped in his comforting embrace. She didn’t think she could ever be more in love with a person than she was in that moment.
Chapter Seven
Recovering for the next few weeks left Clara with a lot to think about. Mostly, her relationship with Nathaniel, and the growing love she had for the life growing inside of her. The attack had left their lives in a sort of chaotic jumble. Their business life was put on hold in favor of pacifying the police, the media and their coworkers with an explanation of what had happened and how Jeremy had wound up dead on the floor of Nathaniel’s apartment.
Fortunately, the majority of the scandal had wound up pushed under the rug in favor of an investigation into Jeremy’s motives. The police settled on some sort of crime of passion and determined that Jeremy was simply jealous of the relationship that Clara and Nate had. Clara honestly didn’t care what they thought. She just wanted things to go back to normal.
By the time that the investigation was over and done with, Clara had just reached her nine-month mark. Just before their child entered the world, Clara decided to resign f
rom her position within the company.
Of course, she didn’t have any intention of stopping her career forever. She had every intention of returning back to the hustle of corporate life but decided she would rather spend the first year or two of their child’s life at home. Nate had been reluctant to let her leave the business for so long but agreed that if he couldn’t be at home with the baby, at least she could be.
“Riley, don’t put that in your mouth, hun,” Clara scolded, scooping her daughter off the ground with a frown when the baby snagged onto a stick she found on the grass of their back yard. At only six months old, the child was already completely mobile. Her father’s genes allowed her to progress far more quickly than an average child.
This, of course, left Clara needing to give the child far more attention than the average baby required. She didn’t mind, of course. The little growls and squeaks that the child let out were endearing, and she couldn’t think of a single day that she didn’t wake up happy to hold her little girl in her arms.
“How are my girls this morning?” Nate grinned, wrapping his arms around his lover’s waist and kissing their daughter’s face with a chuckle while she squealed and hid against her mother’s shoulder.
“Just fine. We need to get her something a little sturdier than the baby teething rings, though. She keeps destroying them.” Clara chuckled as Riley chewed on her own fist with little razor-like teeth. “She takes more after you, I think.” Nate laughed at this, shaking his head.
“Wait until she starts randomly changing shape,” he grinned, winking at his flustered wife with a laugh. “Nonsense, she’s got your eyes, your hair. She is very much your little girl,” he insisted, kissing Clara’s cheek and scooping his daughter into his arms. “How bout we start lunch, huh?” he asked Riley, who let out a babble of excitement and clung onto her father’s fingers.
Smiling, Clara watched as her lover moved inside, her heart fluttering softly in her chest. She had never thought she’d be so happy living a life like this. She had insisted that she would never get married, let alone have kids, and yet there she was, watching her husband and daughter dance in the kitchen with a warm feeling in her chest.
Of course, her life was still far from traditional, she mused, laughing as her husband let out a squeak of pain when the child sank her newly grown teeth into his finger. Shaking her head, she moved inside. It looked like her husband needed her to rescue him, and she was more than happy to do so.
On her arm, she could feel the mark that combined her and her mate start to flood with warmth, her eyes sparkling as she moved up to her mate and scooped her child into her arms. Her world was a bit strange, but to her, it was perfect.
*****
THE END
Bonus Book 3: Taken by Two Hockey Dragons
Description
A curvy lawyer with a secret crush PLUS a hot hockey star who is a Dragon Shifter PLUS his sexy buddy who is need of a mate!
Michelle Handsworth loves to flirt with her famous hockey playing client Cain Samson. With his blond hair and blue eyes, Cain is the handsomest man she has ever met, but innocent flirting is as far as they could go. As his attorney, nothing can ever happen between the two of them.
At least, that is the excuse Michelle gives every time Cain asks her out, but it isn’t the whole truth. The real reason Michelle is determined to keep distance between her and Cain is because she can sense a dark and strong magic within him.
Michelle isn’t just a fantastic lawyer, she’s also a witch who can sense people’s auras. She’s always been able to do it and over the years she’s learned to trust her abilities when they give her a warning. Cain’s aura, with its flickering yellows and reds and constant smell of smoke, is a huge warning.
Michelle thought Cain would be OK with her dating his best friend, Brock Thaddeus, but she’s dangerously wrong. Cain is no normal hockey star, he’s a Dragon Shifter.
When Michelle chooses another man over him, will Cain be able to control the dragon within him, or will fire consume them all?
Chapter One
He was late. He was always late. Michelle glanced up at her clock and shook her head. She was used to this kind of nonsense from her clients. As an attorney specializing in contract law, sports stars with huge egos were just a normal part of her day.
Cain Samson liked to breeze into his meetings twenty minutes late. He was huge, six-foot-five and pure muscle. His clear blue eyes were set on either side of a crooked nose that had been broken more times than he could count. He had long blond hair always falling into his eyes.
As if she had called him, Cain appeared at reception with his entourage in tow. Cain was one of the best hockey players in the world. He had three Stanley Cup championships under his belt and had been the captain of the gold-winning U.S. Olympic Hockey Team. He was, by far, her most famous client and the cocky grin he always wore told her he knew it.
His contract was sitting in front of her dotted with post-its and sign-here stickers. It was seventy pages of confusing legal jargon interspersed with huge amounts of money. Millions of dollars were being handled on these pages and it was Michelle’s job to make sure Cain saw every cent he was owed.
She ran her hand through her curly dark hair and quickly touched up her lipstick. Nothing could ever happen between her and Cain. He was her client, having a relationship with him would have been unethical and illegal. It could get her disbarred. Still, she wanted to look good. Flirting with Cain was one of the perks of her job.
Outside of the glass walls of her private office, the law firm was buzzing at the news of Cain’s arrival. Through the clear walls, she could see the receptionist, an older woman in her fifties who rarely moved, stand up and offer to walk Cain back to Michelle’s office.
There it was, that roguish smile that made all the girls, Michelle included, weak in the knees. He flashed it at the receptionist who giggled and tucked her hair behind her ear. He waved at her to sit down, indicating he didn’t need to be shown where to go. Cain knew where Michelle’s office was, he had been here plenty of times. As he strode past reception, the men of his entourage sat in the waiting area, propping their feet up on the coffee tables and pulling out their cell phones.
“Hello, Cain,” Michelle said as he pushed open her door. “How are you today?”
“Better now that I’ve seen that beautiful face of yours,” he countered. His voice was low and deep. Like a roll of thunder.
“I imagine this multi-million-dollar contract in front of me has also made your day better,” she said, determined to remain professional.
“That’s just a bonus, getting to see you is the real prize,” he stared straight at her when he said things like that. Sitting down in a chair across from her, he pressed his fingertips together and looked at her above them. He was so handsome it was almost unfair. If there had been any justice in the world, his handsomeness would have been diluted over several men, not all contained in this creature in front of her.
Creature was the right word. It wasn’t just that Cain was a wildly successful hockey player or that he was fabulously rich and handsome. The real thing that kept Michele away from him was hidden from normal eyes.
Cain was something else. She had known it from the first time he had pulled into the firm’s parking lot. The day of their first meeting she sensed him before she saw him. As the car pulled up to the firm, the hairs at the back of her neck tingled and she could smell smoke. No one else could smell it, though. They didn’t have the gift that she had. To everyone else Cain Samson was just a normal human, albeit one in great shape.
Everything that lived had an aura about it and each aura was different. Her mother, for instance, had a ring of yellow light that radiated off of her. It was calm and warm and soothing. Unless she was mad, then her mother’s aura was red and angry, lashing out at the other auras around her. The plants were surrounded with a pale green light, dogs had a bright white light that shone out from them.
Cain had somet
hing else. His aura was like nothing she had ever seen in a human. It was a swirling halo of greens, reds, and yellows mixed with the smell of something burning. There was a power in that aura she could not name. Cain Samson was not a normal man, but what he might be, she couldn’t guess. All she knew was that he was very powerful.
“You’re staring,” he said, interrupting her thoughts.
“You’re staring,” she replied looking seriously at him. Did he know? Could he guess that she too was not a normal human? She searched his gaze hoping to find something there, but she could deduce nothing past his flirting smile.
“So, let’s talk about your contract. It’s all the standard things we discussed. You’ll have a five-year deal with the Black Hawks for ten million per year. That includes some promotional stuff you’ll have to do, but we’ve negotiated that down to fifty hours per year, which shouldn’t be that hard,”
she held the contract out to him. He waved it away. “Let’s be honest, I would have no idea what anything written on that said. I trust your judgment, Michelle. If they’ve given me all I’ve asked for I’m ready to sign.”
“I do love how easy you are,” Michelle said handing him a pen.
“It’s not fair when you say things like that to me,” he said shaking his head as he signed where indicated. “It gives the wrong impression.”
She watched him, instead of focusing on his body, or his eyes, or the constant aura around him. Michelle imagined what she would spend her bonus on. Cain was a huge client for the firm and Michelle was the only lawyer he would work with. Signing his ten-million-dollar contract was a huge deal.