Binds that Burn: A Werepanther Romance Suspense (Urban Dwellers Book 3)
Page 18
“Congratulations, Eric,” Lukas said.
“Thank you, Lukas,” Eric said. His words were slightly clipped. Despite the happy circumstances, things were still tense between the two clans. Nina thought it might always be that way. “This is my wife, Nina.”
Lukas gave her a small bow. “A pleasure to meet you, Nina.”
“Thank you for coming, Lukas,” Nina said cordially. She wanted to try and keep any animosity between the two men to a minimum. It was her wedding day after all.
A woman appeared at Lucas’s side. She smiled broadly at Nina and gave her a hug. Nina was surprised at her warmth. This had to be Lukas’s mate, Maren.
“Welcome to the family,” Maren said as she reached up and gave Eric a hug as well. Nina noticed that Maren was noticeably pregnant. Maren noticed her glance. She put her hands on her stomach. “Can you believe it? I’m sixteen weeks already. Two kids in diapers at the same time. We must be crazy.” Lukas wrapped his arm protectively around his wife, and she looked up at him with a big smile. “But we wouldn’t change it for the world.”
Nina smiled and nodded at her. If anything marred the entire day, it was that one small thing. It wasn’t Maren’s fault. Nina decided that she wasn’t going to think about that now. It was too depressing.
Eric’s stepsister Thea appeared next to Maren. She had a twinkle in her eye as she hit Eric on the arm. Then she gave Nina a hug and presented Eric’s younger brother, Alex. Alex looked embarrassed and uncomfortable, but he gave Eric a gruff hug. Nina thought that Alex definitely looked a lot like Eric. Alex was eighteen years old, and Eric said that he was a handful. Alex would be living with them part time when he was not staying with Thea and Billy in Greyelf. Nina was looking forward to getting to know him better.
Nina’s family had expanded by a factor of ten in just a few short months. It felt as if she had hugged and kissed cheeks with hundreds of people. Everyone from the Urban Dwellers clan had been invited to the wedding, as well as the alphas and high-ranking officials in all of the other clans. It was expected, but Nina’s head spun by the time the receiving line was done.
Luckily, it didn’t appear as if Eric had any plans to leave her side. She leaned against him often just to smell his cologne. Every time, he would drop a quick kiss on the top of her head. She felt loved and protected.
She excused herself right before dinner and made her way to the ladies room to freshen up her make-up. She was just reapplying her lipstick when she heard someone tentatively say her name. Nina looked in the mirror at the woman behind her, and she tensed. It had been inevitable that they would eventually run into each other, but she hadn’t planned for it to be at her wedding.
“What are you doing here?”
The tall blonde bombshell looked hesitantly at her. Two months ago, Nina would have been insanely jealous of her. But today, she was secure in knowing that Eric adored her. He didn’t want anyone else, and he never would. She was his mate.
“I didn’t know. I feel obligated to tell you that there was never anything between me and Eric. I am so thrilled for you. My name is Sophie, in case you didn’t know. I manage the club next door. I wanted to come and offer my congratulations.”
Nina felt a small rush of anger, but she saw the look of contrition on Sophie’s face. She had heard about Sophie from Thea and Kelly. Sophie was Thea’s best friend. Thea had confided in Nina that there was no way that Sophie would have helped Eric dupe Nina if he had told her what he was doing. Nina decided to take it at face value. She didn’t want to ruin her day, and Sophie was part of her clan. That made them family, whether it was something she wanted or not.
She nodded to her and stuck out her hand. “It’s nice to meet you, Sophie.”
Sophie’s face lit up with a brilliant smile. Nina didn’t think they would ever be friends, but at least there wouldn’t have to be any animosity between them. It was a day of closure on many fronts.
As the evening wore on, Nina could feel herself starting to grow tired. It had been an amazing day. But as she watched Lukas and Maren dancing a slow dance, she felt Eric come up behind her. He put his arms around her, and he pulled her up against his chest.
“How do you feel, Mrs. Carmichael?” he whispered into her ear. She heard the undertone of desire in his voice, and it sent a ripple of pleasure down her spine.
“I feel amazing,” she said. She tried to keep the tinge of sadness out of her voice.
It was as if Eric could read her like a book. “I saw you looking at Maren,” he said. Damn the man. He was far too intuitive for his own good. “Are we going to talk more about that?”
“I don’t want to put me or a baby at risk,” Nina said. “It just doesn’t seem like that’s a good idea.”
Eric spun her around in his arms. She had to laugh. He had a silly side that he didn’t often let out. He nuzzled the crook of her neck. “I truly believe that fate would not have brought us together if we couldn’t have a family if that’s what we wanted.”
“That’s the funny thing about fate,” Nina said. “You can’t read her plan even if you try.”
“So we will make it so that luck lands a little bit more on our side,” Eric said. “We have the best doctors in the world in our clan. If you want to have a family, then I want that too. We can have whatever we want, Nina, and I will do whatever it takes to keep that family safe.”
Nina felt the tears well in the corners of her eyes. “Really?”
“Yes, we will make fate work for us.” He began to move against her, and she wrapped her arms around his neck. When Eric was like this, she couldn’t help but believe that he could do anything he set his mind to.
She allowed Eric to sweep her out on the dance floor. She felt that feeling of family and security again. With Eric, all of her dreams could come true, if only she just believed.
Eric leaned down and whispered in her ear. “I think the coat closet is empty. I was thinking we should check it out, just to be sure.”
Nina started to laugh. “Eric, you are so bad.”
He kissed the tip of her nose. “And that’s exactly what you fucking love about me.”
Nina couldn’t disagree. She put her hand in his and let him lead her into their future.
THE END
AUTHOR’S NOTE
So, I believe the question you are left with right now is “Ivy- what about Jillian?????” I get it. That seems like a rather large plot hole that has been left wide open.
That was deliberate and on purpose, primarily because there will be more stories in this world, and Jillian will likely factor into at least one or two of them in some way. There is a lot more to her character and her clan that there is yet to explore.
Rest assured, though, for the time being our three Urban Dwellers are happy and settled with their fated mates. In future stories, they might make a guest appearance (ala Lukas Kasper in this book) or their presence will be felt, but I consider their stories closed. However,I reserve the right to change my mind in the future.
I have two series so far set in this world, and I think, from a reader’s perspective, it’s nice to have all of the context if you are enjoying the world these characters live in – which I am calling the World of Wyrd. Wyrd is the Norse word for “fate” which, as you know, plays a critical piece in all of these stories.
Consider joining my fan club for all the news related to my upcoming releases in this world and others at: Ivy’s Front Porch.
The World of Wyrd (Fate)
The Greyelf Grizzlies Serial
featuring Lukas Kasper and Maren Lene
A Bear of a Reputation (#1)
Becoming the Alpha (#2)
Mating the Alpha (#3)
The Bear Truth (#4)
Ready to Bear(A Greyelf Grizzlies/Urban Dweller Crossover)
featuring Billy Miller and Thea Philips
The Urban Dwellers series
Silence that Sizzles (#1)
featuring Kyle Frost and Kelly Malone
&nbs
p; Secrets that Simmer (#2)
featuring Tony Atwood and Maggie O’Hara
Binds that Burn (#3)
featuring Eric Carmichael and Nina Rodriguez
About Ivy Sinclair
Ivy Sinclair cut her romance teeth on classics like Gone With the Wind, Casablanca, An Affair to Remember, and Sabrina. She is a firm believer in true love, a happily ever after ending, and the medicinal use of chocolate to cure any ailment of the heart. Ivy's guilty pleasures include sushi, endless Starbucks lattes, and wine. Readers of Ivy's stories can expect smoldering sweet stories of romance that tug at the heartstrings.
Connect with Ivy on Facebook by clicking HERE.
Other titles by Ivy Sinclair:
Where My Heart Breaks
Bittersweet Junction
Grounded By You
Protect Her: Part One
Protect Her: Part Two
Protect Her: Part Three
Protect Her: Part Four
Protect Her: Part Five
Protect Her: Part Six
Protect Her: Part Seven
Protect Her: Part Eight
Protect Her: Part Nine
Protect Her: Part Ten
Protect Her: Part Eleven
A Bear of a Reputation (Greyelf Grizzlies #1)
Becoming the Alpha (Greyelf Grizzlies #2)
Mating the Alpha (Greyelf Grizzlies #3)
The Bear Truth (Greyelf Grizzlies #4)
Ready to Bear