by S. E. Smith
Arilla shook her head. “There will always be a battle between the light and the dark forces.”
“What will happen to us?” he asked in a low voice.
Arilla studied them with a playful smile. “I guess you’ll have to be superheroes,” she teased.
Before he could ask what Arilla meant, the world around them shifted. He opened his eyes, surprised that they had been closed, and looked around the living room. Samara moved in his arms. He caressed her cheek, marveling at her soft, warm skin under the tips of his fingers. They both rose to their feet and studied the room with awe. Everything looked normal. It was hard to believe that a battle for the planet had ever taken place there.
“Mommy,” Adaline called.
“Adaline,” Samara cried with delight.
Adaline ran across the living room and threw her arms around Samara’s waist. Adalard bent down and picked her up, holding her against him while Samara clung to them both. He looked across the room where Ann Marie, Sara, Bear, and Sara’s symbiot stood. His expression softened when he saw the look in Bear’s eyes.
“We saw everything on the cameras,” Sara explained.
“I made a wish, Mommy. I wished that you and Daddy would be alright,” Adaline said.
“I know you did, sweetheart. Thank you so much,” Samara murmured, brushing Adaline’s hair back and kissing her temple.
“Is it over?” Ann Marie asked.
Adalard smiled at Ann Marie before he looked at Samara. “Yes, it is over—for now,” he said.
“Thank goodness for that. Sara, if you can tell Jaguin that it is safe for him and Mason to come home, I’ll get some food on. I don’t know about you, but all this supernatural stuff has me wanting a stiff drink,” Ann Marie said in a gruff tone.
“I’ll second that,” Bear muttered.
Epilogue
The Loft Casino and Hotel
Las Vegas, Nevada
Al looked up when Jack entered the suite. There had been nothing but silence for the last couple of days, and he had begun to wonder if the man was dead. He raised an eyebrow when his normally calm security chief walked over to the bar, poured himself a drink, downed it, and poured himself another. Jack didn’t turn around until he had finished the second round of expensive bourbon.
“From your behavior, I take it the mission did not go as planned,” he stated, rising from his seat.
Jack shuddered and stared down at his empty glass before he turned. Al studied Jack’s haggard appearance. Jack straightened, walked across the room, and stood in front of him.
“The men are dead,” Jack said, his voice devoid of emotion.
Al frowned. “All of them? I thought they were professionals. What happened?”
From behind them, a deep voice announced, “I will tell you what happened: you took a gamble and you lost. You both lost.”
Al jerked and turned. He could actually feel the blood drain from his face. He stumbled back several steps. Glancing at Jack, he saw the look of resignation in his bodyguard’s eyes.
“You led him here,” he accused, pointing a shaking finger at Jack.
Jack released a sharp, bitter laugh and shook his head. “He’s a fucking alien. He already knew where you were. He was just taking care of loose ends before he came for you.”
“Loose ends? What the hell are you talking about?” he demanded.
“I gave Jack a choice. He could surrender and live the rest of his life on my world or….” Adalard didn’t finish his sentence. He just shrugged his shoulders.
Al turned his attention to Jack. “You son-of-a-bitch.”
Jack suddenly disappeared and Al staggered back further. Turning frightened and furious eyes back on Adalard, he swallowed.
“What are you going to do to me?” he choked out.
The scar on Adalard’s face stood out when he smiled menacingly back at him. “I suggest a game of poker. Winner takes all—and the loser dies.”
Grove Ranch:
“I guess this is goodbye,” Bear said, shifting awkwardly from one foot to the other.
Samara nodded and bowed her head, unable to look into his hurt-filled eyes. “Yes.”
“Have you talked to any of your brothers?” he asked.
Samara nodded. “Brit and Gary. Brit is in Canada, hauling logs for a lumber company up there. Gary and Pat are doing okay. They hear from Rob on occasion, but Jerry has dropped out of sight. Gary thinks he’s in Arizona or Florida. I finally found an address that might work for Wilson, thanks to Chad. I’ve sent him a letter.”
Bear looked at her in surprise. “Did you tell him about… you know—” he waved his hand in the air.
She laughed and shook her head. “No, I just told him not to worry about me, that I was going away and wouldn’t be able to stay in touch much but that if he ever really needed to get in touch with me he could contact Mason or Chad.”
Bear grimaced and shoved his hands in his pockets. “Will you keep me posted on how you and Adaline are doing? You know that I’m really going to miss you both, but I also want you to know that I’m really happy for you.”
The sincerity in his voice made the tears she was holding overflow. She sniffed loudly and nodded her head. She wiped them away with the back of her hand.
“Jaguin and Adalard installed a new communication system in both the main house and in Mason’s office. Hopefully if disaster strikes again like it did with that fire, only one of the systems will be taken down,” she said.
“Speaking of aliens—those two big ones aren’t planning on staying, are they? They kind of creep me out,” he muttered.
Samara laughed and shook her head, looking out the door where Barrack and Brogan, two huge men who were practically mirror images of each other, were laughing with Jaguin and Adalard. Adaline had taken a shine to them as well, especially after one of them—she wasn’t sure if it was Barrack or Brogan—put her on his shoulders, turned into a dragon, and acted like an oversized pony.
“Delilah seems happy. I couldn’t imagine dealing with two horny Adalards,” she mused.
Bear’s chuckle made her blush. She hadn’t meant to say that out loud. Outside the window, the men suddenly all froze and looked toward the road. Barrack and Brogan disappeared into the woods while Adalard motioned for Adaline. An SUV bearing local law enforcement colors was rounding the bend with Annalisa behind the wheel.
“I’ll let Mason know that Annalisa is here,” Bear muttered.
She nodded. Shoving her hands into the pockets of her jacket, she descended the steps off the porch and crossed over to Adalard. Thanks to Jaguin and the twin dragons, the entire area was clear of snow and ice. It might be a little difficult to explain, especially after the thick snowfall less than a week before.
She waited as Annalisa parked the SUV and climbed out. From the direction of the house the sound of the front door opening and closing carried, informing her that Mason and Bear were coming out as well. She forced a smile when Annalisa raised her eyebrow at Adalard holding Adaline. There was no way the detective could miss the resemblance between the two.
“Hi Samara. Hi Bear, Mason,” Annalisa greeted.
Samara kept the smile on her lips. “Hey, Annalisa. How are things in town?” she asked.
Annalisa shrugged. “Same ol’, same ol’. A few crazy out-of-towners thinking it would be fun to party in a blizzard,” she dryly replied with a sigh before turning her attention to Adalard. “I don’t think we’ve ever met. I’m Annalisa Hollins.”
Samara bit her lip when Annalisa held out her hand. Adalard grasped Annalisa’s hand and shook it. There was a moment of silence as they assessed each other before Mason broke the tension.
“What brings you out here, Annalisa? The roads are still pretty bad to be coming all this way,” Mason observed.
Annalisa glanced around before she sighed. “I need to ask you a favor, Mason. Is there someplace where we can talk?”
Mason looked surprised and nodded. “Of course, come on in the hous
e.”
Annalisa looked back at her vehicle and lifted her hand. The small group watched as the back-passenger door opened and a woman slid out. Jaguin’s low curse surprised her.
“Do you know her?” Samara asked.
The woman’s eyes were locked on Jaguin. Annalisa looked back and forth between Jaguin and the woman with a frown.
The woman stopped in front of them. “You are El Dragon. You rescued two women many years ago. I… I need your help,” she said.
“What women did you save and where?” Annalisa demanded in a suspicious tone.
Ceran-Pax:
Samara lost track of how much time had passed. The last few months had been filled with one adventure—and surprise—after another. Sitting back in the chair under the shade tree, she sipped the cool drink Adalard had brought her, and laid her hand on her stomach.
What is wrong? Adalard asked.
I think I felt a flutter, she replied.
Already? Do you need me? he asked.
No, Adaline and I are enjoying visiting with your mom and Alice. Don’t you and Arrow have something to blow up? she inquired with amusement.
Adalard grunted. He had something else to do.
Maybe I can ask your mom to keep an eye on Adaline, and I can come help you, she suggested.
“I already asked and she said yes,” he murmured as he placed a kiss on her lips.
Samara started with surprise and looked up at him, laughing. She grasped his hand, chuckling and wrapping her arms around his neck.
“How are things going?” she asked.
He sighed. “We have a lead on another possible base from the informant within the rebel group. Arrow is going to meet him.”
She frowned, leaned back, and stared up at him. “Arrow? I thought you normally handled things like that.”
“My face is a bit too well known for the mission,” he replied ruefully.
She lifted an eyebrow. “Uh, Arrow is your identical twin. You think his face isn’t recognizable?” she retorted.
“He assures me that not even I would recognize him once he is done,” he said.
“You still plan on going, though, don’t you?” she murmured.
He shook his head. “No, not this time. My place is here. After the attack on you and Adaline, Ha’ven, Melek, Arrow, and I decided it would be best that I remain here to help protect our family. There are others who can do the field work.”
“I thought no one could do that but you,” she said with a suspicious look.
She studied the calm expression on his face as he looked out over the garden to where Adaline was playing with Alice. He shifted his focus to meet her gaze and smiled.
“Not anymore. I have something much more precious here that needs my full attention,” he said.
She threaded her fingers through his hair and leaned into him. “Yes, yes, you do,” she agreed before capturing his lips.
More stories to come….
Additional Books
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About the Author
S.E. Smith is an internationally acclaimed, New York Times and USA TODAY Bestselling author of science fiction, romance, fantasy, paranormal, and contemporary works for adults, young adults, and children. She enjoys writing a wide variety of genres that pull her readers into worlds that take them away.