“I do.” Lonzo met her gaze head-on. “And yes, Devlin is every bit as terrifying as you’ve heard he is, but then we all are. Having said that, he’s the one pushing to do this. Besides, if you can handle a man like Eli, you can handle Devlin.”
“What does Eli have to do with it?”
Lonzo looked amused. “Maybe I misread the situation, but I figure you two are a package deal.”
He stood up and stretched. “I’m bushed. I’m going to round up the others and head out. Let me know what you decide. Eli has my number.”
She stayed where she was when he disappeared into the cabin. Her head was reeling from everything that had happened. While part of her grieved over those who had died that day, another part of her celebrated the olive branch the Paladins had extended to her people. She never imagined she could play an important role in helping to open communication between the Paladins and the Kalith already living in this world. Hope tasted sweet, especially when it came to the man who had just joined her on the porch.
Eli tugged her to her feet and wrapped her in his arms. It felt like coming home. After a bit, he asked, “Care to share what Lonzo wanted to talk about?”
She reached a hand up to pat him on the cheek. “You’re not jealous, are you?”
“Damn straight I am. Do I need to have a talk with him?”
His breath tickled her skin. It was tempting to tease him a bit more, but too much was riding on the decision she needed to make. “He offered me a job working for the Regents. I’d be helping them reach out to other Kaliths living in this region.”
“You’d be great at it. You should accept the offer.”
She hoped so. “I plan to. I’m not sure how my father will react, but I think we’d be fools to miss this opportunity. It’s not like I’d be the only Kalith working for the organization.”
Now for the hard questions. “So what about you? I’m guessing they want to recruit you as well. Will that be a problem for you if I’m working there, too? After all, we promised not to get too tangled up in each other’s lives.”
As he stared down at her, those deep green eyes sparked hot. “Honey, looking back, we blew past that barrier over peach pie that first day at the park.”
Eli brushed his lips across hers. “I know I said I needed to disappear, not just for my sake but for yours. Even with the Paladins backing my play, I’ll still be at risk of discovery. If that happens, all hell might break loose. But here’s the thing—I’m not sure how I would’ve ever found the strength to walk away from you. From us.”
She kissed him back. “That’s good. Otherwise, I would have to park myself up here on the mountain full-time to make sure you didn’t go all noble on me and sneak off somewhere to hide. Besides, Lonzo figures we’re a package deal. I kind of like that idea.”
It was time to step off the cliff. “As it turns out, I love you, Eli Yates Jervain.”
His arms clamped down tight around her. “I love you, too, Deputy Safara Dennell.”
He claimed her mouth with a kiss that took no prisoners. It left them both breathing hard and wishing the cabin weren’t full of people. As they waited for their pulses to come back to normal, his mouth quirked up in a small smile. “One thing, though. Give me a heads-up before you tell your father that not only are you going to quit your deputy job to work for the Paladins, but marrying me is part of the deal and nonnegotiable. I’ll want to have my sword handy.”
She laughed. “Don’t worry. I’ll protect you. Besides, I think he figured that out for himself. The good news is that he didn’t ask to borrow my sword.”
Eli gave her another quick hug. “In that case, let’s go run everybody off so we can pick up right where that kiss left off.”
“Good thinking.”
EPILOGUE
For the first time since the helicopter crash, Eli had a future again, one that included friends, family, and a woman who loved him as much as he loved her. It was all good. Lonzo promised to set up a meeting with Devlin Bane, the head Paladin in the Seattle region.
Safara’s father had been the first to leave. On the whole, he’d taken all the news better than Eli had expected, at least the part about Safara going to be the liaison between his people and the Paladins. The jury was probably still out on her relationship with him.
Mike and Doc promised to check in on a regular basis to let Eli know they were okay. Tyson planned to hole up somewhere close by until arrangements were made to bring him to Paladin headquarters.
Lonzo hung back with Eli and Safara to finalize a few details. “Unless something unexpected comes up, you should hear from us in the next couple of days. We can’t predict what the barrier is going to do, so don’t think we’re blowing you off if it takes longer than expected.”
They shook hands. “Not a problem. We’ll be here.”
As they walked outside, the Paladin’s cell phone rang. He walked to the far end of the porch before answering it. Whatever the person on the other end of the line said had him pounding his fist on the porch railing. “Fuck! What the hell is going on?”
Eli knew not to crowd the man, but whatever had set him off was serious. He had to know if it presented any kind of threat to him or Safara. “Lonzo, what’s up?”
“Nothing I can talk about.” He started down the steps. “Guys, we’re out of here.”
Hunter made no move to get into the van. “What’s happened now?”
Lonzo grimaced, his big hands clenched into fists. “Another one of us has gone missing.”
Barak looked worried. “Someone local?”
“I’ll tell you what I know on the way to headquarters.”
The brief conversation had ramped up the tension in everyone, but it was Tyson’s grim expression that caught Eli’s attention.
“Tyson, do you know something?”
Lonzo spun back to stare at the marine, who slowly nodded. “I might.”
Most people would’ve cringed to have that many large, angry men crowding him. Tyson stood his ground. “I was recruited right after I died that last time, and I’ve suspected for a while now that I wasn’t picked just because of my sniper skills. They do a full physical complete with scans and a shitload of blood tests on potential recruits, and not everybody makes the cut. Based on what I’ve learned here today, I figure someone has caught wind of the Paladins’ existence.”
His words hung in the air, leaving everyone else speechless as they considered the implications. Finally, Eli broke the silence. “Lonzo, if you’re putting a team together to hunt these bastards down, I want in.”
Lonzo let out a slow breath before nodding. “What about you, Tyson? Just whose side are you on now?”
The man in question slowly rose to his feet and came to attention. “I’m on ours.”
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
To Michelle Grajkowski—my agent, my friend, and the best companion on this journey that a writer could ever have. Thanks for believing in me and in my Paladins!
To Laura Waters—it’s been wonderful working with you to make this story its bright and shiniest best. Thank you for your enthusiasm and editorial expertise!
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
ALEXIS MORGAN has always been an avid reader, and she loves spending her days with hunky heroes and gutsy heroines. The author of the Paladins series and the Talions series for Pocket Books, she has published more than forty books, novellas, and short stories, including contemporary romances, American West historicals, and paranormal romances. She has been nominated for numerous industry awards, including the RITA from the Romance Writers of America, the top award in the romance genre.
FOR MORE ON THIS AUTHOR:
Authors.SimonandSchuster.com/Alexis-Morgan
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ALSO BY ALEXIS MORGAN
THE PALADINS SERIES
Darkness Torn Asunder
Darkness on Fire
The Darkness Beyond
Bound by Darknes
s
Defeat the Darkness
Darkness Unknown
Redeemed in Darkness
In Darkness Reborn
Dark Defender
Dark Protector
THE TALIONS SERIES
Dark Warrior Untamed
Dark Warrior Unbroken
Dark Warrior Unleashed
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This book is a work of fiction. Any references to historical events, real people, or real places are used fictitiously. Other names, characters, places, and events are products of the author’s imagination, and any resemblance to actual events or places or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
Copyright © 2018 by Patricia L. Pritchard
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First Pocket Star Books ebook edition June 2018
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ISBN 978-1-5011-8835-0
In Darkness Transformed Page 22