He exited the highway, pulling into a parking spot and killing the engine.
“I’m going to use the restroom too. If you’re not at the car when I finish, I’m coming after you.”
“Geez, okay. I’ll hurry.”
He walked briskly to the men’s room, taking care of his business and listening to the water run through the wall that separated the men’s and women’s bathroom. He washed his hands thoroughly and dried them on his jeans. He was surprised to see her leaning up against the car when he walked out. She arched an eyebrow at him, her face rigid and angry, but her posture suggesting she was slightly amused.
“I will run, but when you least expect it. If I run every time you stop the car, you’re just going to throw me in the trunk.”
Egan winked at her, drawing an angry look from her cute little face. “You’re so right.”
He opened the door and got in, waiting for her to adjust her seat belt and settle in before he started the car.
“I’m hungry too. Do you think we could run through a drive-thru? I haven’t eaten since breakfast.”
“Of course we can.” He pulled out of the parking space and merged back onto the highway. “So are you going to tell me your name?”
“Don’t push your luck.”
Egan threw his head back and laughed. He was in over his head with this one, and he was already in love.
**
Grace rested comfortably on the sofa, her wounds cleaned and stitched, the sedative far from wearing off. Morgan curled up near her feet again, resting his head on her hip and settling in to sleep for the night. He hadn’t left her side since they first brought her in, and Olivia didn’t even bother trying to force him into his own bed for the evening. She didn’t want Grace to wake up scared and alone, and Morgan had appointed himself personal protector of their sweet friend.
Terrence and Sable retired to the kitchen with Olivia hot on their heels. The doctor had left more than an hour before, leaving an array of pills for Grace, each carefully labeled in its own pill bottle. Sitting at the kitchen table, Olivia glared at Sable from across the tabletop while Terrence moved about the kitchen, making sandwiches for each of them.
“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you. I don’t know what else to say.”
“What if something had happened to him?”
“What would you have done? By the time I knew what Egan had done, it was already too late to stop him. You couldn’t have stopped him either. There was no reason to get you worked up and distracted. Terrence had it under control.”
Terrence held up his hands, chuckling a bit as he shook his head. “Don’t throw me under the bus, Sable. This is between you and Olivia.” He leveled a gentle look at Olivia. “To be honest, it really is between you and Egan. None of this is Sable’s fault.”
Olivia glared at the man, but her anger quickly deflated and she conceded his point. She knew when she was wrong, even if she didn’t want to admit it. “It’s so late. Where is he? Has anyone heard from him?”
Sable shook his head no, his face broadcasting the worry he felt inside. Egan was out there somewhere, doing who knew what. And they had no way to get ahold of him.
Olivia reached out and squeezed Sable’s hand. For the first time since they got back. She realized Sable was really struggling to hold it together while he worried about Egan. His brother was more than a little headstrong, and obviously had no idea the danger that he had put himself in, as well as Morgan. He was off on a wild goose chase, looking for a woman who could be anywhere.
“You and your family can stay here until you find him.” Terrence set the plates in front of them, grabbing them each a beer from the fridge by the table.
A loud knock sounded on the door, pulling them out of their individual musings. Terrence stood to answer the door, checking the security camera before unlocking the deadbolt. Two men walked in, embracing Terrence briefly before stepping all the way into the kitchen. They nodded to Sable and Olivia, the first man moving to the tiny television on the counter to turn on the news. He turned the volume up loud, sitting at the table and taking the beer that Terrence passed to him.
An excited reporter stood in front of the cabin in the woods, several large tarps placed over bodies in the clearing. A larger tarp covered a body where Sable had last seen Laskin standing, though Sable wouldn’t be convinced the man was dead until he saw the body for himself this time.
“…blood bath here tonight, with human resistance members being betrayed by the very man who led them against the shifters for the past several years. While fighting off unknown assailants earlier this evening, leader of the resistance, Laskin, mistakenly revealed he was in fact a shifter. According to witnesses, he attacked members of the resistance, forcing them to…”
One of the men hit the mute button, filling the room with silence while the pictures continued to flicker across the bright screen.
The first man spoke, his voice soft but steady. “There’s more. Apparently, the revelation that Laskin was behind so much of the conflict has sent a few of the politicians on the human side into hiding. The conspiracy went much deeper than Laskin, and heads are about to roll. When the smoke clears, our side is going to need a strong leader to lead both species into the future.” He looked pointedly at Sable. Terrence and the other man joined him, silently waiting for Sable to speak.
“Me? Why would I lead? Surely there’s a better candidate.”
“You are your father’s son, and you are the best man for the job. Add to that having a human for a wife and a half-breed son and you’re perfect. You’re relatable on both sides, strong, kind and a fearless leader.” Terrence finished speaking and quietly regarded his sandwich. Sable had no reason to stay, but they needed him now more than ever.
Sable looked at Olivia, at the rest of the people seated around the table. “I’ll have to think about it. We’ve built a life in Canada. We can’t just walk away from that.”
Olivia slipped her hand in his, squeezing his hand and looking into his eyes. “We can stay here for now. It doesn’t have to be forever. We’re going to stay here until we find Egan, right? Why not rebuild the community while we’re waiting? I think you’d be perfect for the job.”
Sable was shocked. Olivia had seemed so happy in their new home.
“Home is wherever you and Morgan are, Sable. It doesn’t matter where we live. As long as I’m with you, where we are is not important to me.”
Terrence smiled. Sable wouldn’t admit it, but he was considering it. With Olivia beside him, and the shifter community backing him up, he couldn’t lose.
“With Laskin dead and the anti-shifter resistance shaken to its very core, now is the perfect time to set right everything that’s wrong in our world. Humans and shifters can and have lived together in harmony. We just need a strong leader to guide the process and rebuild the ties that were severed over the last few years.”
Sable took a long, slow swig of his cold beer, weighing his next words carefully. “Can I talk it over with my wife and let you know tomorrow?”
“Of course. Nothing needs to happen tonight, but we need to strike while the iron is hot. We need to come out of the ashes with a strong leader.”
Sable nodded, “I understand.”
**
Morgan raced into the sitting room, yelling at the top of his tiny lungs. “Daddy’s on TV again!”
Olivia laughed as her son fumbled with the remote, trying to turn on the massive flat screen and flip to the right channel. In the weeks following the death of Laskin, Sable had been on the news at least once a day, if not more. As Head Elder of the Shifter Council on Human-Shifter Relations, Sable and his family had spent much of their time in the limelight.
Already the politicians responsible for the antiquated laws had been ousted; the laws abolished. Humans and shifters were free to mate as they saw fit, whether married or not. Sable’s family had served as the example of everything that was right with interspecies relationships. As a result of their ve
ry public acceptance, several families were able to come out of hiding, no longer fearing for their very lives.
The reporter began speaking, images from a rally held the night before flashing across the screen while she spoke. “While there are die-hard fighters from both sides of the resistance, by and large, the country has begun to move in a new and positive direction. Under the skillful guidance of Sable James and his supporters, politicians on both sides have begun to create and enforce laws that reverse the damaging, fear-based laws of the last decade. There are already rumors circulating on Capitol Hill about Sable James. Will he be our first shifter President?”
The television clicked off and Sable set the remote back on the end table. Morgan jumped up and ran to his father, leaping into his arms for a bear hug.
Terrence turned to Sable, a small smile tugging at his lips. “Is that true, Sable? Are you considering running?”
“Rumors are what they are, Terrence. Right now, I’m just focused on setting things right here.”
“Spoken like a true politician.” Terrence winked at him, chuckling. “You’ll be staying in Florida for a while then?”
“Yes, at least until things have settled down.” His face darkened, the pain darting across his face so quickly it was almost imperceptible. “Hopefully by then, will have heard from Egan.”
Nodding, Terrence cocked his head to the side and his eyes slid to the floor. The room was silent as they each took a moment to ponder the whereabouts of Egan. He hadn’t been a casualty of Grace’s rescue efforts. In truth, he’d disappeared without a trace and without any contact in over a month. Each day, Sable seemed less and less certain his brother would be found alive, and Terrence could tell it tore him to pieces.
“I was thinking, Sable. This house is yours. The only reason I was able to purchase it was because it was wrongly seized from you when you fled. If you’d like it-”
Sable held up his hand, silencing his friend. “That’s a very generous offer, but Olivia and I talked about it, and we want to get something with a little less,” he paused, searching for the right word, “history. We’re going to stay close, in case Egan comes back. But we want to buy a place that's ours without all of the back story and sour memories.”
“I completely understand. Stay here as long as you need to, don’t rush into a purchase just to get out of my hair.”
“Thank you, Terrence. I appreciate your hospitality more than you know.” He clapped the man on the back, smiling broadly at his old friend.
“It’s the least I can to for the leader of our new beginning. You’re destined for big things, Sable. I’m happy to be a part of that.”
The two men were silent for a moment, each considering his role in the new age of alliance between the two species. Both men had dreamed of this change their entire lives, and now that they were so close it was hard not to lose themselves in the excitement of it all. Their grandchildren would never know a time where they had to hide their identity to protect their families, and their lives.
Sable’s cell phone rang. Looking at the caller ID, he excused himself to take the call in the hallway. Olivia strained her ears, her curiosity getting the better of her as he gave monosyllabic answers. He ended the call quickly, stepping back into the room and motioning to Olivia.
“Terrence, would you watch Morgan? The realtor just called and she’s found the perfect house.”
“Of course, take your time.”
Grabbing Olivia’s hand, he all but dragged her out of the house to the car. His excitement was infectious, and Olivia caught herself nearly running along beside him to keep up.
Epilogue
The realtor drove away, leaving Sable and Olivia with the keys to their new house. Olivia looked around, drinking in the colors and the textures of the walls. Her footsteps echoed in the empty house, muted only slightly by the plush carpets. Morgan was going to be beside himself with excitement when he saw the back yard, complete with a tree house and low hanging zip line.
The family who had had the house built never moved in, fleeing to a safer area when the fighting first broke out. Everything in the house was new and untouched, and Sable promised they’d hit the furniture store in the morning to furnish it. By week’s end, they’d be in their new home.
Wrapping his arms around her, he pulled Olivia in close and nuzzled her neck.
“I love this place, Sable. And there’s enough room for Grace, if she wants to stay”
Sable kissed her neck and chuckled, the vibration tickling her softly. “I don’t think Grace is going anywhere.”
Olivia pulled away from him, looking over her shoulder and regarding him with confusion. “What do you mean she isn’t going anywhere? She’s almost completely healed. She can move anytime.”
Sable kissed the end of her nose and winked at her. “She is healed and she could have moved at any time. You don’t think she was sticking around for you, do you?”
Suddenly, it hit her: The lingering touches, Terrence’s attention to her every need. His tender care and dressing of her wounds as she healed. Sable was right, Grace was exactly where she needed to be.
“So what in the world are we going to do with five bedrooms? Even if Egan comes back, we’ll still have more room than we could possibly need.”
Sable cupped Olivia’s cheek and tilted her head up for a deep kiss. “Who said we were done growing our family?”
Olivia returned his kiss hungrily, her nipples hardening against her shirt as his tongue darted into her mouth. She put her arms up over her head, inviting him to remove the delicate knit sweater. He didn’t need to be told twice. He pulled the fabric over her head, letting it fall to the floor as he continued to kiss her.
“Sable, there isn’t even furniture yet.”
He lowered her to the floor, pushing her skirt up and sliding her lacy panties down. His hand stroked her wetness as he looked into her eyes. “Who needs furniture?”
THE END
Message From The Author:
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The Tiger's Pregnant Bride Page 18