Table of Contents
CHAPTER ONE
CHAPTER TWO
CHAPTER THREE
CHAPTER FOUR
CHAPTER FIVE
CHAPTER SIX
CHAPTER SEVEN
CHAPTER EIGHT
CHAPTER NINE
CHAPTER TEN
CHAPTER ELEVEN
CHAPTER TWELVE
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
CHAPTER NINETEEN
CHAPTER TWENTY
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE
CHAPTER THIRTY
CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE
CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO
EPILOGUE
INTO FOREVER
Forbidden Love Series Book 5
Danielle James
Copyright © 2017 by Danielle James.
All rights reserved. These books or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the publisher except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
All characters appearing in this work are fictitious. Any resemblance to real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.
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Table of Contents
DEDICATION
CHAPTER ONE
CHAPTER TWO
CHAPTER THREE
CHAPTER FOUR
CHAPTER FIVE
CHAPTER SIX
CHAPTER SEVEN
CHAPTER EIGHT
CHAPTER NINE
CHAPTER TEN
CHAPTER ELEVEN
CHAPTER TWELVE
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
CHAPTER NINETEEN
CHAPTER TWENTY
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE
CHAPTER THIRTY
CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE
CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO
EPILOGUE
DEDICATION
In every book there is a place where the author doubts themselves and needs a little push. There is always some part that she cannot do on her own. This book was no different. So it is here that I would like to acknowledge those who helped me when I needed it.
First, I would like to thank Angel Editing Services for doing a fantastic job of making sure I crossed all of my T’s and dotted all of my I’s. I couldn’t hope for a better editor than Lisa Miller, or a better fan who only wants my characters to shine as brightly as they can. Lisa is so much more than an editor to this series. She is a fan, a sounding board, and a friend. (See? I didn’t even mention the times you had to tell me to get off the internet and get back to writing!)
I would like to thank my Betas. Jessica, Jerri, and Michele, your ideas and opinions are invaluable and I will forever be grateful for you.
A special thank you goes out to Grigoris Drakakis for being a down to earth and kind man. Oh, and let’s not forget, gracing the cover of this book not once, but twice. You are one of a kind, truly.
I want to thank Ambers Covers (Amber James) for making such a stunning original cover with what I gave her to work with. You are talented beyond measure and I wish you more success in your future.
I would also like to thank Cynthia Lucas Fantasy Covers for doing a beautiful job on the Special Edition cover.
CHAPTER ONE
Gage’s head was forcefully yanked back as she fisted his hair and pulled. He growled deep in his throat and thrust his hips more forcefully into her body, making her pull even harder. He bent his head and crushed his mouth into her soft lips, tasting and licking and sucking for all he was worth. Fuck, she tasted like cherry candy. At one time, when he ate food, cherry was his favorite flavor. He hadn’t eaten in more years than he could remember, not since he was young, but he would have loved a piece of cherry candy right then. He slammed his tongue into her mouth in rhythm with his hips, just to hear her make that sexy, deep moan that he loved so much. And she did. She moaned and then surprised him by catching that tongue and sucking it further. It was his turn to moan then.
Her hands released his hair and slid down his sweat-soaked back, all the way to his ass. She gave each cheek a strong squeeze and pulled him harder into her body. “Soon,” she whispered in his ear, and didn’t that just send little shivers zinging all over his body. He knew exactly what was about to happen. He felt her tighten around him from the inside out and he could feel the tingle building in his lower back. He hoped he could hold off just long enough to make her shout his name again.
And then, she did. “Gage!” she shouted into the night.
“Fuck yes!” he growled as he hooked his arms under her knees, raising them up to give him all the access he could want to throw himself into her in a wild rhythm that sent them both flying.
As they lay together catching their breath, he wondered what she was thinking. He could invade her thoughts if he wanted, but out of respect for her, he did not. He loved the way it felt to just lay with her and he wished deep down that it would never end. This spot in the forest had become a regular meeting place for them and he had begun to think of it as their spot.
As if on cue, she wiggled out from under him, stood quickly, and began to dress. “I wish it didn’t have to be this way,” she said with sadness in her eyes.
“I know Princess,” he said softly. She smiled at his endearment for her. “But it has to be unless we can find another way.”
“I know,” she said. “Doesn’t mean I have to like it.”
He watched as she pulled her dress over her head and pulled her long, auburn hair out and shook it. His heart skipped a beat as she ran her fingers through it to straighten it out. He stood and dressed himself as well, but his eyes never left her. She was so beautiful, so strong, and yet so innocent in some ways. Was it any wonder that he was head over heels for her?
“I have to go now,” she reminded him. “I will see you again tomorrow?”
“Of course,” he replied. He watched her walk away with that glide that belonged only to her. When she was nearly out of sight, she turned and waved to him. He waved back as he whispered, “Bye Serena.”
After she was out of sight, Gage moved his feet. He always followed her to make sure she arrived home safely. He kept her just in his line of sight, but he never got close enough that she could see him or sense him near. He would never forgive himself if something happened to her after sneaking out to meet him. He had to use his vampire speed to keep up with her on many occasions, and this was one of them. She may not have the exceptional sight or the mental abilities that he did, but that woman was far from powerless. She could hold her own in battle, and that was a huge turn on for him.
It was funny he thought, that when he first met her, she had been the enemy. She and her family had been conned by the dragon, Merrick, who wanted Leigh as his own. He managed to convince the Fey that Rebel and the rest of the Knight family had kidnapped Leigh and that she was Merrick’s mate.
Of course, that was not the case, but the Fey had a healthy respect for mates and believed him.
It was Serena who saw the truth. She saw it in the way Leigh and Rebel had acted on that fateful night. It was Serena who convinced her mother to side with the vampires by telling her that Leigh was pregnant with Rebel’s child. Children are so precious to the Fey, and her mother was quick to offer aid to an unborn child. So many things happened that night. It was the night that Antonio died, well, the first time. It was the night that Gage had almost died as well. Serena had helped Jacque to fix his broken and bloody body, and for that, he owed her his life. She had been there to rescue Leigh from Merrick and she had been there to help Antonio return from the dead, if only for a short time. It was Serena’s magic that gave the family the extra magical push they needed. She had been key to just about everything, from defeating Merrick to Jacque and Frankie finally becoming official mates. Of course, Frankie was now a vampire, no thanks to Merrick. He had left her for dead and if Jacque hadn’t changed her… Well, Gage didn’t care to think about that.
He shifted his train of thought back to the woman he was following through the enchanted forest near her home. He moved quietly so he didn’t disturb the leaves on the ground or scare any creature that might be awake in the middle of the night. Serena moved with an ethereal grace that was hers alone. Her long auburn hair whipped out behind her as she ran effortlessly through the night. Gage sighed. He couldn’t help it. He knew the second it escaped his lips that he was turning into a big puddle of mush where she was concerned. She was his perfect mate, and he knew it.
It was a shame he couldn’t seem to make her mother understand that. Anora was queen of their Fey clan. Gage had approached her in person to ask for Serena; hell, he begged for her. But Anora let him know in no uncertain terms that Serena was to wed some damned prince from the other side of the world, to whom she had been promised since birth.
Gage watched as Serena snuck back into her home, and once she was safe inside, he turned to leave. Dawn would be approaching soon and he still had much to do. He ran out of the forest and through the city streets. When he reached the main strip, he found what he was looking for.
“Hey there cutie,” the woman said. “You lookin’ for a date?”
“Not exactly,” Gage replied. He gifted her with one of his gorgeous, boyish grins. He explained to the prostitute what he needed, and she looked at him like he had grown another head.
“Whatever gets you off, I guess,” she finally said with a shrug of her shoulders. She dug into the bag slung over one side of her body. Gage thought it looked a little like a Mary Poppins bag and wondered if she could pull an umbrella out of it. Hell, he thought he could probably fit himself into it if he folded his body up in the right way. He restrained himself from laughing at the mental image his mind formed, but just barely.
“Ah here it is,” she exclaimed, pulling her hand out of the bag. “Just hold still.” She proceeded to thoroughly drench him in her perfume. She started at his neck, sprayed his shirt, his hair, and anything else she could. When he could hardly breathe for choking on the smell, Gage stopped her.
“Thank you, that will do,” he choked out. He reached in his back pocket and pulled out his wallet. He handed the working gal a crisp hundred dollar bill.
“Anytime, Sugar,” she grinned as she took the money.
CHAPTER TWO
Angel paced the foyer for the hundredth time. There was something going on; he knew it. He just didn’t know what it was. For weeks now, something had been going on. At first, he respected his brother’s privacy. He could understand wanting some time away from everyone who could read thoughts every now and then. But this! This was going to the extreme!
Gage had been purposefully blocking his thoughts; not just from Angel, but from everyone, for several weeks now. And to top it all off, now he was blocking all contact. Angel could find anyone he had a connection with if that person was open to allow it, but Gage was different. All the men had spent years building a strong mental connection and keeping it strong just in case they were ever separated during an emergency.
The bond they shared had come in handy more than once.
But Gage was also an expert in communications. He had a very strong psychic ability and he was the one who taught everyone else to use theirs. And of course, that meant that if Gage wanted to shut down from the rest of the world, he would know how to do that as well.
Angel spoke to him in his mind once again. Where are you, Gage? Dawn is approaching and I am worried.
“If it hasn’t worked so far, what makes you think it’s gonna work now?” Brea, his beautiful wife, asked him.
“I do not understand,” Angel answered, shaking his head. “Why will he not answer me? I fear he is in danger.”
“You know that’s not true,” Brea said knowingly. “You are concerned that whatever he is doing is going to cause trouble. I can understand that, seeing as how he won’t tell anyone what he’s up to lately.”
“He has been this way ever since Serena left,” Angel muttered under his breath. “I wish he would just let her go.” “Like you let me go?” Brea laughed. “Hardly. He just needs time.” Everyone knew that Serena was the perfect match for Gage, but her mother, the Queen of the Fey, had forbidden her to ever see Gage again. The Fey were a powerful race and that was not a war their family was willing to wage.
“He has been out every night until dawn. When he returns, he smells of a different women’s perfume. I fear he is drowning his sorrows in the wrong sort of woman.”
As if on cue, Gage chose that moment to enter the house. He smiled at Brea and brushed past his leader without a second glance. When Angel asked him where he had been, Gage’s reaction had been to just say, “Around.” And then he did what had become something of a routine for him. He bolted up the stairs and into the shower to wash off the stench of perfume that he was covered in.
Gage took the stairs two at a time. He knew he was pushing the mark between walking and running, and he knew he owed Angel a better explanation, but damn. The perfume was smothering him and he just needed to wash it off before he choked to death on it. As much as he hated the offensive smell, it was a necessity. He much preferred Serena’s lovely soft scent to the acidic smell that was currently wrecking his sinuses, but there was no way he could risk his family smelling her on him.
Serena was not to be his. This was made unequivocally clear by her mother. If their secret relationship got out, that would mean war between the vampires and the Fey. Gage didn’t want war, but he just couldn’t seem to stay away from her.
He shucked his clothes as quickly as possible and stuffed them in a plastic bag, which he proceeded to tie tightly. He would throw them away at some other time. He knew that no matter how many times they were washed, that smell was never gonna come out completely. He was going to soon have to buy new clothes, he thought, as he turned on the shower to the hottest temperature the hot water heater could produce. Actually, that wasn’t true. It was the hottest temperature the females in the house would allow.
Brea and Jessica were human, and of course, Jade and Toni were just children. Jade was only five, but she had the mind of a much older child. She had the wit of a teenager and she was bigger than most kids her age. If Gage were asked to guess, he would say she was about ten. But that was the way with vampire children. Toni was just a baby, but she would grow, likely just as fast as Jade. This was the reason for the temperature control. The mommies in the house didn’t want anyone to accidentally get burned by hot water.
Gage laughed out loud as he soaped his hair. He and Brea had been at odds on what temperature was acceptable when the debate first began. He liked his water hot. She did as well, but she preferred not to have burns when she got out. He had gone behind her and reset the control knob to where he liked it, and she did the same. Until one day, Brea had enough of his antics and pulled a Gage, as she called it. She waited until he was preparing to shower. Not in it, but getting r
eady. She turned the water heater off, and then ran as much hot water through the kitchen sink tap as the drain would allow. She ran it until the water ran cold.
Of course, Gage had already gotten in the shower and was enjoying his steamy clean session, when the water abruptly changed from nice and hot, to freezing fucking Antarctica, cold. He had screeched like a girl and jumped out as fast as he could. He couldn’t even chase her or threaten her with imminent death because he was shaking too hard from damn near freezing to death.
After that, he let the hot water argument drop. Gage may be a prankster, but he also knew when he had been beaten. And Brea had won, fair and square. After that, every time someone pranked anyone else, it was called, “pulling a Gage.”
He guessed he deserved it. In his long lifetime, he had done his fair share of pissing people off with his pranks. He did everything from setting off the fire alarm, burying Angel in the backyard, to replacing Antonio’s shampoo and body wash with blue dye. He was pretty damned sure that even though Antonio was in Heaven with his mate, he was still pissed at Gage for turning him into a smurf.
Gage shut off the water and dried himself with a fluffy white towel. Another thing he could thank the women folk for. Before they started moving in, the guys just used whatever kind of towel that was handy to dry off with. Apparently, there are several kinds of towels; bath towels, hand towels, dish towels.
Beach towels and pool towels. He shook his head. At least, the ones they deemed ‘bath towels’ were super soft Egyptian cotton. He didn’t think he would ever understand women, but since he met Serena, he knew why his brothers did anything and everything for their mates, no matter how silly.
He used to think that his family had turned all wishy-washy when they found their mates. He was happy he didn’t have one, because he wasn’t ready to turn in his man card just yet. And then he was injured. When he opened his eyes, he saw the most beautiful creature on the planet; auburn hair that framed a pale face, delicate features, rosy red lips, and starry blue eyes were what he saw. His heart leapt out of his chest that day and directly into her hands.
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