Cosmic Trifecta

by Anna Lewis

  * * *

  The next few days passed in a blur. Maria felt like everything was moving far too quickly, and she loved every single minute of it. She was swept up in the plans from a new leader, the new leader being Lucas. There was talk of a truce with the dragon hunters, of abandoning the war. They still moved from place to place and it was starting to light up Maria’s heart in ways that she didn’t think were even possible. It was perfect, it was breathtaking, it was everything that she could want and so much more.

  She loved every second of it, and it made her heart race. She abandoned any thought of ever calling the dragon hunters again. Jake had been kicked out, humiliated and injured. He had been brought to justice.

  Maria would never feel right ending another’s life, so she felt that this was a good compromise. She was flying high and she never, ever wanted it to end. Everything was perfect, Maria was happy and she felt like nothing could ever shatter the beautiful joy that was buzzing in her chest and pounding at her spirit. It was perfect, absolutely perfect. She had everything she had ever dreamed of, and so much that she hadn’t even admitted to herself.

  It wasn’t until several days later, when she was sitting with Lucas in the headquarters tent, sipping on a warm drink, that disaster struck.

  It started abruptly, a man running into the tent, yelling that there were dragon hunters on the horizon. Lucas turned to her, anger and shock etched into his features, “Did you call them?!”

  His voice was angry and harsh, but Maria could hear the hurt throbbing beneath a mile away. He felt hurt, betrayed and Maria was reeling.

  “No! I’d never do that!” Maria cried, desperation and anger lacing her words, “I wouldn’t turn on you.”

  Lucas glared at her with a face full of thunder. “Then how the fuck did they find us?! You’re the only one with ties to them!” His voice was low, but he might as well have been shouting. It pierced Maria’s chest and she felt sick.

  Before she could say another word, Lucas had turned, left the tent and was running down the main strip, barking orders.

  “Lucas!” She called out after him, but it was futile. There was no stopping him and Maria felt a lead weight sink down her core and shake her deeply. The dragon hunters. How had they found them? She didn’t even have her phone and she sure as hell hadn’t contacted them in any way, shape or form. So how the heck had they been found?

  Confusion and panic swirled around in Maria’s head. As she stepped out into the camp, she found it in chaos. Everyone was yelling, bikes were being revved and people were arming up. It was panic, it was pandemonium, and Maria just couldn’t understand how everything had gone from perfect to this in a matter of minutes.

  Lucas had turned on her, the camp was in shambles and everyone was in danger of losing their lives. Maria didn’t know what to do, but she did know that she had to stop this. At all costs.

  Her heart pounded as she left the tent and fled into the fray. She was horrified to see the fire that surrounded them, the yelling men and roaring dragons, the way they all yelled and fought and swore.

  The violence and bloodshed, the screaming. Maria felt dizzy and sick, feeling like she was spinning out of control, losing her grip on reality, everything slipping from her fingers in a spectacular crash. It shattered around her and left her feeling shaken, but still she plowed on.

  As she glanced around, she found that she knew so many of these people, the bikers that yelled and roared, the hunters that waved their weapons. She knew these men and women. So she knew who she needed to find. She needed to find Travis. He would be here—she knew it.

  She needed to find him and she needed to find Lucas. Her heart pounded as the sky darkened, red blazing across it in a bloody wave that made her feel sick with fear and awe. She weaved between bikes, between dragons and humans.

  “Travis!” she yelled, her voice stronger than she could have ever dreamed it could sound. It was born out of fear and panic and the anger at all of this violence, senseless, senseless violence that never had to happen. It was terrifying. She choked up at the blood, but coughed, took a deep breath, and surged forward.

  “Travis! Come out, you coward!” she yelled. She was ready, ready to take on Travis if that’s what it took, ready to do anything that she could.

  When she rounded a corner, her heart stopped. She felt her blood freeze in her veins, the color and life draining out of her world. She thought she was ready for anything. She wasn’t. She had found Travis, but she wished that she hadn’t. She had found him.

  And she had found Lucas.

  Lucas was coughing, an expression of shock on his features. A sharp, lethal looking sword had pierced him, and he was bleeding out fast. Travis withdrew the sword and shot her a triumphant look, “You might have abandoned the dragon hunters, but I got what I wanted, in the end.”

  “Lucas!” Her voice cracked and she rushed towards him. Travis lifted the sword and pointed it towards her, stopping her in her tracks, “Jake told me exactly where to find you, and how you’d switched loyalties,” he hissed. “I should never have trusted you.”

  Maria stared at Lucas, slumped on the ground, barely clinging to consciousness. Her blood boiled and panic fluttered inside of her. She needed to find a way to fix this. She searched hard for the answers, and it hit her in a flood of memories, the way her father had instructed her.

  “I invoke my right of ius vendendi pace!” she yelled, and everything seemed to stop. Her voice echoed and the fighting stilled.

  The triumphant look on Travis’s face seemed to melt right off. “Your what?!” he growled.

  “Ius vendendi pace.” She stared him down, her eyes hard as stone, glaring at him.

  Panic pounded in her heart, making her feel dizzy and sick but still, she stared him down, determined not to let this bastard win.

  Travis was shaking with fury, but all eyes were on him. He hadn’t banked on her knowing about this right. Most people didn’t, and Travis was powerless against it. The right to end a feud, a battle, unless due reason was given for a fight, and discussed with council.

  She stood firm, calm, even as she panicked about the blood that Lucas was losing.

  “Fine,” he growled, a dark, sour note in his voice. “Fall back!”

  Amongst startled protests and confused men, Travis barked order after order, forcing a retreat on the battle that he had started. Forcing them to back up and leave the dragon shifters alone. Many were injured, the dragons having put up one hell of a fight. They probably would have won.

  But Maria could not stand the bloodshed, could not stand the horror of the fight for another moment. Besides, she didn’t think Lucas had much time left at all.

  She ran to his side, falling to her knees in the dust and looking him over. He was drifting in and out of consciousness, and Maria felt tears welling up in her eyes. She turned, “Someone call 911, now!” Men grabbed their phones and Maria turned back to Lucas.

  She took his hand and shivered at how cold he felt. “Lucas…” She murmured, her voice thick with unshed tears, “Lucas, hold on. We’ll get you through this.”

  “I’m sorry,” he mumbled, voice barely a whisper. “I should have trusted you.” His breathing was labored and he was so, so pale. He trembled, his hand shaking in hers and Maria felt panic cut through her like a knife.

  “No, no, it’s okay. It’s okay.”

  “You were amazing.” He managed a smile. Then his eyes fell shut and his breathing slowed. Maria felt panic overwhelm her and she fought the urge to grab him and shake him until he opened his eyes again.

  “Lucas?”

  Nothing.

  “Lucas!”

  By now most people had filed out, bikes revving and driving away. It was organized, the tents being packed up, the injured being left, tended two by one or two people, the aftermath reduced to some charred ground, damaged bikes and bloody men.

  “I’ll handle the PR,” a man beside her murmured. He had dark, serious eyes. “I’ll also handle the polic
e. You just worry about Lucas.” His eyes filled with worry for a second, but only for a second, before he turned and moved through the carnage.

  They must have had a plan, for raids, for things like this. That must have been why everyone fled so quickly. It was so organized, like they were expecting to be attacked. Maria could barely focus on anything but the feel of Lucas’s hand.

  When the ambulance arrived, she refused to leave his side. She huddled in the back of the ambulance while they stemmed the blood flow and stabilized him. She trembled with fear at seeing Lucas so quiet and so still. He was strong, confident, wild.

  He wasn’t like this. This was so wrong. Maria felt the tears well up in her eyes and she fought them back with all her might. If she lost him, she didn’t know what the hell she would do. He had become everything to her in such a short amount of time.

  The trip to the hospital was hell, everything moving either too quickly or too slowly. The hours waiting for him to wake were even worse. She stayed with him through the night, arguing with the nurses to be allowed to stay. They asked her no questions—everything was handled, just as the shifter had promised.

  It wasn’t until the following morning that Lucas stirred. Maria’s eyed widened, her heart catching in her throat. Hope leapt in her soul and she held his hand tighter.

  “Lucas?” she whispered, barely daring to believe.

  Then he shifted and coughed and his blue eyes opened wide.

  “I love you,” she blurted out, and before he could reply, she kissed him. It was gentle and sweet and everything that their previous kisses were not. Maria wished that it would last forever, and when they finally broke apart, Lucas was smiling, a tired, genuine sort of smile.

  “I like the wake-up call.”

  Maria laughed and it was like the bubble of anxiety in her chest had finally popped. And as she sat there in the hospital, holding his hand, she realized that the dull lump of misery in her chest was missing.

  She finally felt whole.

  * * *

  The wind blew through Maria’s hair and she gripped the handlebars for dear life. Lucas was behind her, his hand encircling her and stroking her breasts through the fabric of her shirt. Maria moaned, wriggling her hips and backing up into him with a gasp.

  Her head was spinning and she felt lighter than air. Lucas was all healed up now, and the club was back and stronger than ever. She’d been accepted as one of them easily, even though she was a human with a dragon hunter past.

  Maria gasped with pleasure as Lucas undid the buttons of her shirt. She heard him chuckle as he realized that she had no bra on.

  “Naughty. I like it.” He grasped her breasts in his hands and she moaned with pleasure.

  He tweaked her nipples and Maria thrilled at the air that brushed their skin. Out here on the side of the road, anyone could see what they were doing. It both thrilled and terrified Maria and she was starting to learn that she really loved that mix. She panted for breath as he lifted her skirt and pulled down her underwear.

  She stepped out of it easily and bent over a little more, wriggling her hips suggestively as she moaned, “More, Lucas.”

  “With pleasure,” he groaned into her ear. Then he was pushing inside of her, his girth filling her and making her head spin. She groaned with longing as he began to thrust. Her head spun, her body trembled, everything seemed to hum with pleasure and excitement.

  Everything was falling into place. Her boring life was behind her, as was her life in shadow and dark mystery. Here there was light and action, adventure and a man of passion who swept her away, mind, body and soul.

  She shivered as he increased his thrusts and she had to hold on tighter to the bike to try and keep her balance. He moved harder and faster and the friction against the seat made Maria’s head spin. It was all consuming, overwhelming, breathtaking.

  She gasped with pleasure, moaning as he teased her skin. She breathed in his scent, felt his breath on her neck, and the heat inside her overwhelmed her. Pleasure tingled through her every pore, blinding her to everything but the feel of Lucas.

  Maria’s climax hit her hard and fast, making her shake and shudder with pleasure. It overwhelmed her, flooding her core, making her gasp for breath as she was blinded by the feeling.

  Lucas climaxed soon after, and she heard him groan into her skin, felt him shudder and hold her tight. It was perfect, blissful, overwhelming. Maria sunk onto the bike and Lucas did the same. It was a long while before either of them dared to move.

  Lucas shifted first, helping Maria adjust her skirt and do up her blouse. She panted as she caught her breath, turning and doing up Lucas’s belt. He grinned at her and tugged on his shirt, sweeping her into his arms.

  Maria felt like she was about to melt, shivers running through her body. He leaned in and kissed her, chaste and sweet, “I love you, Maria.”

  Everything was perfect. Just as it should be.

  THE END

  = Bonus Book 13 of 20 =

  A SEAL Bear’s Mate

  Jack’s hand shot out, looking to get a grip on anything. It was pitch black, but he still willed his eyes to focus on something to get an idea of where everything was around him. It helped. His hands found a pipe and he tugged at it to test its stability before swinging onto it and using it to launch himself back onto the balcony above it.

  His heart was hammering in his chest, but he loved the thrill of it. The odds were stacked against him. He was alone in the dark, no weapon, and virtually no escape, unless he counted the one way he entered which was being infiltrated as he stood calculating what his next move was going to be.

  Feeling around, Jack located a broom and shrugged to himself. At the very least, it should be fun, he thought to himself. A grin spread across his face as he heard two pairs of boots drop to the ground below him. He stayed pressed against the wall, his hand clenching and unclenching around the broom handle.

  With nothing else to go by, he listened for the slightest movement. He could discern which man was which by the way they moved. One was sure of himself, the other, full of hesitation, possibly apprehension. That one would not last long, no matter how well armed he was. It was that one that had climbed up the staircase and was now walking towards Jack.

  Quietly, ever so softly, he inched forward. Jack knew he was focused more on his feet than he was on locating Jack. So it was no surprise, at least to Jack, that the man was knocked out thanks to Jack’s swift skills. One more to go, but the other man wasn’t moving. His footsteps stopped a while ago, as if he was waiting for Jack to emerge on his own.

  That could be arranged, Jack thought, impatiently. His reached out with his senses and extended them by using his werebear abilities. His hearing became sharper, his eyes more acute in the dark, the blood pumped through his muscles granting him added strength. He would have the element of surprise.

  Then he heard it. The faintest rustle of fabric brushing against itself. He was walking, but with extreme caution. Suddenly, a light was thrown on and Jack blinked before leaping into action. With a snarl, he launched himself towards the second pursuer. To his surprise, the man didn’t become hesitate as he’d expected and began to fight back once he recovered from his shock.

  A thrill raced through Jack at the prospect of a good fight. He lived for these moments of thrill that were too far apart. Together they rolled on the floor and although Jack was under the man at one point, he managed to butt his head into the man’s arm, successfully knocking the gun out of his hand and off the balcony.

  Grunting, the man tried to pin him to the ground. Jack eased back, allowing him to feel like he had gained advantage over him. Once he sensed the man had grown confident in his hold, he rolled, throwing the man under him. He smirked as he secured him to a pipe that ran along the wall beside them.

  “Sorry, mate,” he said. The man began to speak to him in rapid Russian.

  “You sound upset,” Jack said chuckling. “Maybe we can get you a translator when we’re at a secure location.
” He rose to get away from the man while he contacted his team to come retrieve the men he’d overpowered. He searched the motionless man on the ground for weapons and slipped one gun into the waistband of his pants before searching the still-angry Russian whose protests had grown louder, as if the volume would make Jack understand his frustration. Hearing the distant sound of military vehicles approaching, he turned and saluted the men before leaving the same way he came in.

  Long after the tedious cycle of paperwork was over, Jack collapsed in the shoddy hotel room and kicked his boots off. Today was a good day. He loved working with his team, and he loved a good challenge. Whenever he had the opportunity to do both, he felt completely satisfied. Although he enjoyed it, he felt his age today. He wanted nothing more than to relax for a few days before returning home and then onto his next mission.

  Jack warmed up a frozen meal and ate it without tasting it. He was too tired to put effort into anything and knew once he fell asleep, he would be out for a whole day. Just as he was about to get into bed, he got a call. He glanced at the number, expecting it to be one of the higher ranking officers but it wasn’t. He didn’t recognize the number. It was, however, from Washington D.C., where he lived when he wasn’t out chasing his demons. He frowned as it continued to ring. Finally, he answered it on the fourth ring.

  “Jack.” He said tersely. There was silence on the other line, but he could detect faint breathing on the other end. “Hello?” he pressed.

  “Jack,” a voice croaked. “It’s Walter.”

  A flood of memories hit Jack with those words. He sat up straighter, his exhaustion had suddenly vanished. “Walter,” he said in alarm. Why did he sound so frail? He hadn’t seen Walter in ten years, but the man was the picture of health the last time he’d seen him. He was robust and in charge his entire life. It was hard for Jack to picture him any other way. The last he’d heard, Walter had retired a couple of years back, but he didn’t know why. He assumed it was to spend more time with his family.