by Hawk, Ryanne
A hard breath blew out of Amara’s chest and Oliver reached under the table and held her hand, lending her what energy he could. The way she trembled and the furrow to her brow told him a few things about the way Luther ran things across the pond. That would have to be dealt with. She obviously wasn’t used to praise.
His mate cleared her throat and said with a shaky voice, “You’re welcome. I’m glad to have assisted.”
“One more thing. We’d like to have you become a full member of Inked Menace. I’ll talk to Luther and put in the transfer personally,” Hammer said and waited. “We have more labs to find, and shifters to rescue.”
Oliver waited too, the breath in his lungs stilted and hard.
Amara closed her eyes and said, “I’d love nothing more than to join you.”
Oliver’s spirit jumped for joy.
“But I can’t go backward, Patrick. I’m Sergeant at Arms in my charter, a position I worked hard to achieve. It’s something I’m proud of and am not willing to give up.”
“Told you,” Maura said and leaned back in her chair, arms crossed over her chest. “Too bloody stubborn.” She shook her head and then chugged a bottle of water.
Hammer chuckled and rubbed Maura’s hand, almost absently, then he reached into his pocket and pulled out something black and tossed it to Amara.
She caught it in mid-air and as she glanced at the piece in her hand, her eyes went wide and her mouth formed an O. “But…how? Why?”
This time Brick spoke up from the end of the table. “Because Cole gave up his position and will be away from the council for an undetermined amount of time.”
Oliver lifted out of his chair and glanced over her shoulder to see what she held, and to his astonishment, it was the Sergeant at Arms patch.
“All in favor?” Hammer called.
Hands rose. Every hand at the table. He stared gawk-eyed at his brothers and couldn’t stop the smile from spreading across his face as he pulled back his mate’s head and kissed her forehead.
“I don’t know what to say,” she started to say, then stopped and took a sip of soda. “Actually, I know exactly what to say.” She patted the hand Oliver held on her shoulder. “Thank you. I accept.”
Hope bloomed in his chest, and his head buzzed with contentment. His tiger prowled back and forth, waiting not-so-patiently to give her his own version of a thank you. “Welcome home, baby,” he said into her ear and nuzzled her neck.
Amara turned and said, “I knew I was home the moment I saw you.”
Epilogue
“Are you sure you want to do this?” Oliver asked, stroking her hair as she lay on the cold, sterile table in the veterinary office.
“Yes. This thing needs to be found and removed.”
The skin around his eyes tightened and his jaw clenched. “Okay.”
Amara patted his hand and then held his wrist in a light grip. “The others have all done it. It’s not bad,” she whispered.
“I’ll be right here. You’re safe and not alone.”
An overwhelming sense of peace and love seared through the mate bond they’d forged over the past few weeks and she relaxed into the energy, letting it soothe her fears.
“Are you ready?” a man wearing a white lab coat and a kind smile asked. He had short brown hair, hazel eyes, and had worked on the majority of their shifter rescues. As she glanced at his face, noticing the stubble and tense jaw, a shade of yellow flickered through his eyes.
The unmistakable scent of earth and forest drifted up nose as he leaned closer to her with a handheld scanner to find the tracking device those bastards had implanted her with.
“Thanks Jake, let’s just get this over with so I can get on with my bloody life.” Amara glanced to her left where Marcus lay on the table, unconscious and bound. An uneasy feeling wove through her heart, but she knew it was for the best. At the very least, they’d find the same kind of tracker in him that was in her, and they’d go from there.
“Our bloody life,” Oliver said on a chuckle, bringing her hand to his lips and kissing her palm.
Guilt ate her at odd times at having led Dunstan and Betty to the van -- nearly blowing up her, Oliver, Maura, and Hammer. She knew she wasn’t truly responsible, that LexCorp had already had eyes on Inked Menace, but she exacerbated the situation by showing up looking for them, hell bent on revenge. Her people could have gotten hurt.
She pushed the thoughts away and focused her attention on her mate standing beside her, a constant presence of devotion, laughs, and love drowned out the barrage of turmoil, replacing it with comfort, and something deeper.
Primal.
“I love you, Oliver.” she said.
The skin around his eyes crinkled and he said, “I love you too, baby.”
As the machine whirled to life, Amara let go of the past, and embraced the future. A future with a sexy tiger, a crazy sister, and a new club family.
She smiled through the pain, knowing down to her bones, that it was all worth it. The entire ordeal had led her to Oliver, and with Oliver was where she belonged.
She was finally home.
The End
Please consider leaving a review at your retailer of choice and if you like what you read and want more, join the Code Blue newsletter.
Click here for the news!
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Ryanne Hawk lives in New England with her husband, four children, two cats, and a billion chickens. You can find her at her website, on Facebook, and Twitter.
If you’d like to keep up to date on her releases, news, giveaways, and ARC opportunities, sign up for her newsletter by clicking this link.
Or, locate her on the web:
http://www.ryannehawk.com
http://www.erpierce.com
http://www.facebook.com/authorerpierce
http://www.twitter.com/ryannehawk
Other works by Author ER Pierce / Ryanne Hawk
Finding Time (Marriage #1)
Lucky (Inked Menace #1)
Oliver (Inked Menace #2)
Fractured Moon (Aurelia Fridell #1) Paranormal Romance
Moon Bound (Aurelia Fridell #1.5)
Moon Justice (Aurelia Fridell #2)
Moon Magic (Aurelia Fridell #2.5)
The Hot Lunch Series: Eating Out, Hot or Cold, Table for Two, Room 306, Room 69, Room 72
Got Flash? (Flash Fiction Stories)
Mistress of Pain and Illusions (Erotic Horror with Vampires)
Duality (Cordelia Kelly #1)
Night of the Wolf (Featuring Zach from Duality Cordelia Kelly #1.7)