Furred Lines
Page 17
I took a deep breath, braced myself against the wall, and when the judge was less than four feet away, I pushed off in a fantastic leap, landing on the judge’s face. I fought and scratched and bit him until all I could taste and see was his awful blood. He grappled at me with his hands, hitting me, yanking my tail, slicing at me with his claw, and doing everything in his power to get me off his head.
A roar that shook the walls of my prison froze the judge and me in place for the space of a heartbeat, before I dug my tiny fingers into his eyes. He screamed just as the wall beside us exploded and a giant black bear smashed through behind us.
I heard the clock tower in the courthouse building begin to chime. Bong. I jumped from the judge’s head. Dom’s bear clamped his jaws around the judge’s neck and shook the man for eleven more bongs.
The judge stopped moving. And breathing.
Death strikes at twelve.
I shifted back to human. I huddled against the wall, revulsion, and disgust pummeling my gut as I wretched the blood from my throat. Dom ran his hands over me. “Are you okay, darling? Are you hurt? Did he hurt you? Talk to me? You’re scaring me, Nic. Talk to me.”
“I...” I hiccupped. “I’m okay.” I started to cry when he put his arms around me. “I’m okay.”
“Dominic, did you find her?” I heard Eldin yell.
I touched Dom’s cheek as he held me so tight it was hard to breathe. “You called the cavalry, huh?”
“You betcha,” Dom said. He squeezed me even more.
I let out a small cry of pain. “Careful.” I touched my wounded shoulder.
“You’re bleeding.”
“That’s because I’ve been shot. It hurts like hell, but I’m pretty sure I’m going to live.”
“In here, I found her!” he hollered to Eldin with some urgency. “Bring blankets! And let the doctor know we’re on our way.” He kissed me. “You have a habit of finding trouble. Is this what I have to look forward to in the future?”
“I certainly hope not,” I said. “But I wouldn’t hold my breath if I were you.”
“I thought I lost you, Nicole. I thought...I can’t lose you. I love you, Nic.” He pressed his forehead against mine, his breath slow and deep. “I love you.”
I closed my eyes and inhaled the scent of him, earthy, woodsy, with the brightest hint of verbena. “I love you too.”
Chapter 23
Five weeks after we’d turned in our official report on the take-down of the Little Piggy killer and the exposure of illegal arms deals coming out of Fort Leonard Wood, Dom and I were awarded commendations for excellence. We were given a week off from work to recover from the ordeal. Dom agreed we should spend it in Peculiar with my folks. Eldin kept me informed on the excavations around the TSS compound and Judge Holts home. They’d found more bodies. Over a dozen. The thought of how long he’d been operating in and around of Peculiar made me sick, but I was contented, knowing we’d stopped him from ever hurting another person.
It was good to be home again with all of us safe and healthy for a normal vacation with no killer track down.
“You look beautiful, sweetheart,” my mom said. “I love your new hairstyle.”
“Thanks, mom.” I didn’t tell her that I’d had it cut because Judge Holt had snatched chunks of it from my head and made it seriously uneven. I still had nightmares about his eyes sometimes, but waking up in Dom’s arms gave the bad dreams less power.
“What are those two doing back there?” I asked. Dom and my dad had gone back to Dad’s office, shortly after we’d arrived home, and they hadn’t come out for over thirty minutes.
Mom shrugged. “Who knows with men? Come into the kitchen. I’ve made cheesecake.”
“Yes, definitely, yes.” I followed Mom. “Do you have Earl Grey tea?”
“Of course,” she said as if I’d insulted her. “It pairs perfectly with cheesecake. I taught you that.”
I grinned and flexed my shoulder. It was still stiff, but it and my ankle had healed. The bullet scar had given me a ton of street cred with the other agents.
“It’s so good to have you home, Puddin’.”
“It sure is,” my dad said, as he in Dom finally joined us. My man looked so handsome. I really did love looking at his face.
“What in the heck were you two up to back there?”
“I had a few things I had to straighten out with your dad,” Dom said.
I thought they’d straightened out all their differences weeks ago. “What are you talking about?”
My dad nodded. “Go ahead, son. You have my permission.”
“Permission for what?” I asked.
Dom went to the refrigerator and pulled out a parfait cup with chocolate pudding in it. He dropped down on one knee in front of me, and I stopped breathing as my heart caught in my throat. Too dumbstruck to speak, I looked at my parents. My mom clutched imaginary pearls at her chest, and Dad was grinning like an insane person.
Dom, however, had the most serious expression on his face and his hands shook as he held the pudding cup. On top of the soft-set dessert was a square cut diamond ring with a channel of smaller diamonds around it in a platinum setting. “It’s beautiful,” I whispered, my voice hoarse with emotion.
“Nicole Rae Taylor, you are the best thing that has ever happened to me in my life. I love you more than I ever thought it was possible to love anyone. When I think of the future, I can’t imagine it without you by my side. I will support you and love you always. I will be the partner you deserve. These are the promises I make to you if you agree to be my wife.”
My hand trembled as I held it out for him, and he put the ring in his mouth to lick off the excess pudding then placed it on my right ring finger.
“Is that a yes, Puddin’?” he asked.
“Yes,” I said. “It’s a yes!”
Dom stood up and lifted me from the floor and swung me around.
A cork popped behind me and champagne sprayed the kitchen. My mom held the overflowing bottle and had four flutes ready to go. She smiled. “Champagne goes well with cheesecake too.”
The End
My Wolfy Wedding
Peculiar Mysteries Book 8
Billy Bob Smith and Chavvah Trimmel cordially request the honor of your presence on their happy (disastrous) day. To celebrate (survive) their union on Friday, the Twenty-First of December, Two Thousand Eighteen at Four-Twenty-Three p.m..
Destination: Peculiar, Missouri.
Chavvah never wanted a white wedding and getting married on the Winter Solstice, marking the longest night of year, during the biggest blizzard in Peculiar history, is turning her special day into a frozen nightmare. And after having postponed the wedding twice already, Chav is starting to think she'll die a barren and bitter spinster.
On top of that, there are almost two dozen werewolves camped out on Billy Bob's property, claiming that Chav and Billy Bob are their new alphas. When Chav tries to get her spirit guide, Brother Wolf, to cough up answers, he stops speaking to her.
Throw in Billy Bob's angry alpha dad, and Chav's pushy mother, these two lovebirds may never make it down the aisle!
Peculiar Mysteries series from USA Today bestselling author Renee George are laugh-out-loud, grip the edge of your seat, and swoon as you fall in love tales of mystery, humor, and romance that take place in the small (fictional) Ozark shifter town of Peculiar, Missouri.
* * *
Available at All Your Favorite eTailers
Paranormal Mysteries & Romances
By Renee George
Witchin’ Impossible Cozy Mysteries
www.witchinimpossible.com
Witchin’ Impossible (Book 1)
Rogue Coven (Book 2)
Familiar Protocol (Booke 3)
Mr & Mrs. Shift (Book 4)
* * *
Barkside of the Moon Mysteries
www.barksideofthemoonmysteries.com
Pit Perfect Murder (Book 1)
Murder & The Money Pit (Book 2)
The Pit List Murders (Book 3)
* * *
Peculiar Mysteries
www.peculiarmysteries.com
You’ve Got Tail (Book 1) FREE Download
My Furry Valentine (Book 2)
Thank You For Not Shifting (Book 3)
My Hairy Halloween (Book 4)
In the Midnight Howl (Book 5)
My Peculiar Road Trip (Magic & Mayhem) (Book 6)
Furred Lines (Book7)
My Wolfy Wedding (Book 8)
Who Let The Wolves Out? (Book 9)
* * *
Madder Than Hell
www.madder-than-hell.com
Gone With The Minion (Book 1)
Devil On A Hot Tin Roof (Book 2)
A Street Car Named Demonic (Book 3)
* * *
Hex Drive
https://www.renee-george.com/hex-drive-series
Hex Me, Baby, One More Time (Book 1)
About the Author
I am a USA Today Bestselling author who writes paranormal mysteries and romances because I love all things whodunit, Otherworldly, and weird. Also, I wish my pittie, the adorable Kona Princess Warrior, and my beagle, Josie the Incontinent Princess, could talk. Or at least be more like Scooby-Doo and help me unmask villains at the haunted house up the street.
When I'm not writing about mystery-solving werecougars or the adventures of a hapless psychic living among shapeshifters, I am preyed upon by stray kittens who end up living in my house because I can't say no to those sweet, furry faces. (Someone stop telling them where I live!)
I live in Mid-Missouri with my family and I spend my non-writing time doing really cool stuff...like watching TV and cleaning up dog poop.
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