by Bliss Devlin
He sighed and shook his head. "Snagged me as soon as I returned from Dublin. But I can't say I've been badly treated since then, probably because they were hoping to use me to get to you. How on earth did you manage to escape their clutches the first time 'round?"
Shannon told Granda all about the plane crash, how Rafe had rescued her, and her new life in Elysia. As she spoke, she caressed her mate's hair and face, assuring herself that he was only unconscious now and no longer dying.
The tension in Granda's frame gradually relaxed as she spoke, and by the end of her story, he was even smiling a little.
"I always said luck favored you, a thaisce," he said when she had finished speaking.
He looked at Brett and Drake. "And I thank you gentlemen for coming to our aid."
Both of the big bear shifters looked abashed and waved off Granda's gratitude.
"We couldn't just let them take you," Brett said to Shannon.
"Well, and you have no idea how grateful I am to you, all of you," she said and smiled to see Brett's face redden in a slow flush that rose from his neck up to his forehead.
Then there was nothing to do but wait as the shouting match between Hal and Erik continued, occasionally interspersed with comments yelled from the sidelines as both the bear shifters and the wolf shifters strove to support their respective leaders.
Finally, after what seemed a long time, the tenor of the exchanged comments seemed to grow less heated.
And then both Hal and Erik crossed their arms and simply looked at each other, each waiting for the other to make the first move.
"Good," said Brett. "Now they're ready to start the real negotiations."
Hal said something, his expression grim, and Brett translated, "So, what are your terms?"
He continued to translate as Erik replied: "Sanctuary. We can't go back to WSS without the girl and the old man. Colonel Perry will have our heads."
"And you can't go over his head to talk to Kristine?" Hal asked sharply.
Erik shook his head. "Are you kidding? We appealed to the general for help when Perry began going off the rails, and she didn't do a damned thing about it. It's like she doesn't care about the Beast Warriors any more. And we were her pet project, too," he added bitterly.
"I see," Hal said, his voice so neutral it was colorless.
Erik cocked his head, and Shannon wasn't certain whether his expression held curiosity or malice. "I think she might be in trouble. There have been some interesting rumors floating around…Haven't you ever thought about going back to WSS? Everyone knows that you two once loved—"
Shannon reeled at his words. The notorious founder of Whitepine Security Systems had been involved with Hal Sigurdsson?
"No," said Hal harshly. "We'll never return to WSS. We served Kristine Amabilis faithfully, and she handed us over to Colonel Perry and let him turn us into slaves." He took a breath. "So now Perry's showing his true colors by turning on her? Good. Let her live with the consequences of her decisions…as we had to."
Erik nodded. "So you refuse us sanctuary?"
Shannon saw how his grip tightened on his sword as he spoke.
Hal shook his head. "No, sanctuary is granted to your wolf shifters, as long as you and your warriors agree to accept bear shifters as your sponsors."
Erik's eyes narrowed. "You're reviving that hoary old custom?"
Hal shrugged. "It seems sensible in this case. So, are you willing to swear to abide by our laws and to harm none except in self-defense? To become contributing members of the community?"
"That's it?" Erik asked suspiciously. "That's all you want from us?"
Hal inclined his head. "So, you'll accept me as your sponsor?"
"Why?"
"Because we cannot be certain that there won't be more retrieval attempts by WSS," Hal answered. "And if you found out about our presence in Elysia, how long can it remain a secret from WSS? After all, we now have Shannon Magnusson and Dr. Liam Donlon in our custody, and I don't think Perry is going to give up so easily."
Hal's glacial blue gaze rested on Shannon, and his hard expression softened slightly when he saw that she and Granda were both safe.
Then he looked at Rafe's bloodied body for a long moment, and Shannon nodded to show that her mate was going to live.
He turned his attention back to Erik. "General Amabilis may be at odds with Colonel Perry now, but what happens if she forgives him and reconciles with him? They've fallen out before, and she's always forgiven him and overlooked his excesses." Hal shook his head slowly. "No, I fear that Perry and other Beast Warriors will come here again, sooner or later. When that happens, the people of Elysia will need every ally they can get. Will you be that ally, Erik Redclaw?"
Erik nodded, then pushed up the sleeve of his tunic to display a wide golden bracelet. "I swear on this oath-ring to be your true and faithful ally, Hal Sigurdsson."
Erik looked at his men. "Wolf Team, what say you? Shall we ally ourselves to Hal Sigurdsson and his folk? Shall the bears and wolves live together in peace?"
"Allies! Allies! Allies!" they shouted.
The two men clasped hands.
A flurry of activity followed as the rest of the wolf shifters gave their oaths to Hal, and two of the bear shifters quickly repaired the sabotage done to the WSS vehicles.
Hal came over to Shannon and looked soberly down at Rafe. "He should have waited for backup. You were able to heal him?"
She nodded. "I think he's too stubborn to die," she said fondly.
Granda struggled to his feet.
"Hal," he said, grinning. "A bhuanchara, it's been a long time. And I thank you for taking care of my Shannon when I could not."
He extended a hand smeared with dried blood, and Hal didn't hesitate to clasp it.
"Liam, old friend," said the bear shifter. "It's good to see you again, and I'm glad to have a chance to finally repay my debt to you. Will you stay here in Elysia, with Shannon?"
Granda sighed and released Hal's hand.
"I can't be returning home to the island now, can I?" he asked, looking unhappy. "But I'd never thought to be settling in America…"
"Elysia needs a doctor," Hal said. "Not that Shannon isn't a fine healer, but with all the tourists in town during the summer, it would be nice to have a conventional physician as well as a healer."
Liam pursed his lips, obviously thinking it over.
"And I'll take care of all the paperwork, though you'll probably have to handle getting credentials to practice medicine in the US," Hal continued persuasively. "Elysia is a nice town, Liam. Quiet, friendly, beautiful scenery. And we need someone like you." He paused. "I know you'll probably miss doing research, but perhaps we could build a lab for you here, especially if you're still interested in working on the shifter reproduction issue…" he said, offering still more persuasion.
"And it would be grand to have you here, close to me, Granda," Shannon said. "Seeing how I'm living with Rafe on his ranch."
"And I'd be honored to serve as your sponsor," Hal added smoothly, "and get you settled in properly."
Granda still hesitated.
"Granda, please," Shannon said, knowing she was playing dirty. "You know I still have a lot left to learn about being a healer. I need you here to teach me."
Granda smiled wryly. "All right, all right. I can't guarantee that I'll stay forever, but your town seems a nice refuge, at least until WSS stops hunting me like a grouse in season."
Brett reached over to touch Shannon's shoulder. "Hey, now that that's all settled, let's get Rafe home. He looks like shit."
Shannon saw Rafe's lids flutter. "I…can always…count on you…for a…compliment, Brett," he wheezed, his voice so faint that she could barely hear him.
"Yeah, well, you'll thank me when I tuck you into bed for a nice nap, Rafe," Brett said cheerfully. "I'll even read you a fairy tale."
Rafe reached up, his movements painfully slow, and touched Shannon's cheek. "Don't…bother, my friend. I have…my happily
ever after…right here."
Epilogue
"If we wait until after Labor Day Weekend to get married, most of the tourists will be gone, and we can invite the whole town to the wedding reception. And the weather should still be nice enough to hold a barbeque, though I can probably rent one of those big party tents from Sue-Ann's Special Events…" Rafe said, drawing Shannon close to him.
The sun had been up for a while, but they were still in bed, a luxurious indulgence.
In the aftermath of Rafe's injury, Brett and Drake had insisted on excluding Rafe from the ranch's chore roster until he was fully recovered.
Rafe had grumbled and protested, but since even the short walk to the bathroom had left him winded and dizzied for the first few days after his injury, he had grudgingly accepted two of Erik's wolf shifters as ranch hands.
A week had passed since then. Rafe still slept a lot and spent the rest of the time reading or watching television and fretting about the state of his ranch and his cattle because he wasn't outside to supervise the new hands.
Shannon had resumed her work at the clinic after three days, though she missed Rafe's lunch deliveries. But it was nice to have Granda there, working beside her.
And he stayed to cover for her each noontime, when she hurried home to eat lunch with Rafe for an hour or so before returning to work.
As the days passed and Rafe began to recover his former strength and vigor, his recovery was marked by increasing grumpiness. He snarled and growled irritably at everyone…except Shannon.
For her part, she had become aware of subtle changes within her body that heralded joyful news.
Now, curled in bed with her mate on this beautiful late summer morning, it seemed like the right time to tell him the news.
She kissed him, a long, slow, honeyed affair that left her hungry for more, though they had just finished a sweet, gentle bout of lovemaking.
"Rafe, my love, what if I told you that our wedding might not be the only thing we had to celebrate?"
"Hm?" he asked, surprised from his recital of the wedding barbeque logistics.
"H-how would you feel about a baby?" she asked hesitantly. "I know it's really soon…"
She held her breath, anxiously awaiting his response.
He went very still. "Shannon…are you telling me that we're going to have a child?"
She nodded and let out her pent breath at the radiant joy on his face.
Smiling widely, he tightened his arms around her as he kissed her eyes, her nose, and finally, her lips.
"A baby. Our baby," he said, finally drawing back just far enough to speak.
His voice wavered between awed and smug.
"It will be born in February, I think," she told him. "I wanted to tell you sooner, but I needed to wait for the test results."
"And now you'll have to marry me," he declared.
Shannon laughed as his large, warm hand crept under the covers and cupped her belly as though it were a precious treasure. "As if I needed any persuasion!"
She cupped his face in her hands and kissed him hungrily. "My love, you called me your happily ever after. Know that you are mine, as well."
The End
Thank you so much for reading our story. We hope you enjoyed reading it as much as we enjoyed writing it! If you liked it, would you please leave us a review?
For news about upcoming releases and special promotions, please sign up for Bliss and Ophelia’s email list at http://eepurl.com/b0ojU1 or like Ophelia's Facebook page, https://www.facebook.com/OpheliaSextonAuthor/
This is Ophelia Sexton's first paranormal romance after having previously published several historical romances and fantasy novels under a different name.
For a complete list of Bliss Devlin's paranormal romances, please visit her Amazon Author page: http://www.amazon.com/Bliss-Devlin/e/B00MZNXK0W
Ophelia and Bliss are currently hard at work on the next Beast Warriors story!