“But back to more important matters.” Brad nodded towards the front. “Fiona McGuire.”
“Lycan Link’s counsel?”
“Yeah. She’s been chilly towards me ever since she arrived here, but she has to warm up eventually. After all, who can resist me?”
“Well, since she just lost her case, I don’t think this is the time to approach her.”
“She might need cheering up, who knows?” Brad gave him a crooked grin and headed towards the front where Fiona had just finished packing her briefcase.
Reno debated staying to watch Brad get shot down by the prickly counsel. Nah, he’d leave the guy with some dignity…for now. Tomorrow was soon enough to tease Brad about his love life.
What he should do was head to the High Council’s table and talk to the Speaker. He shifted his gaze to the front of the chamber and noticed Ryne Taylor was still there. The Alpha had his arm slung around his mate’s shoulders while they talked to Ricardo Machado. The young girl, Tessa, was standing near Daniel and must have said something to him for he suddenly grinned. Young love; Brandi would be all dewy-eyed at the sight but it made him shake his head.
Did the two youngsters know what they were getting in to? Love, real love, was never easy. It was a journey filled with twists and detours, unexpected bumps and break downs. To make it work required stern stuff; patience and compromises and lots of forgiveness. But the good times…oh yeah, those made up for the hardships along the way. And…
Shit.
He stopped and rolled his eyes at himself. Was he turning into some kind of sap? What happened to the hard-edged, rule-breaking rogue he used to be? He stood, rolled his shoulders and shoved his hands in his back pockets then once again considered if he’d search out the Speaker or not.
The man had said they’d need to discuss his actions but, on the other hand, why go looking for trouble? He shrugged and made his way towards the door. Yeah, that was more like it. There was plenty of work that needed his attention more than High Council having its nose out of joint over a minor point of protocol. Plus, Brandi had said she hoped to make a stopover between cases.
Brandi.
The very thought of her brought a smile to his lips and he left the chamber, happily closing the door on Lycan Link in favour of spending time with the woman who was his mate, his love, his life.
Armand struggled to remain patient with the reporter’s tedious questions. Lucy was standing a few yards away with Caleb, nervously biting her lip while she waited for him to be free.
“Mr. St. John?” The reporter prompted him.
He realized he had no idea what the question was and, quite frankly, didn’t care. “I’m sorry, I have pressing matters I need to attend to. Contact my father if you want an official statement.”
With that, he brushed past the reporter and hurried to where Lucy was waiting. He swept her into his arms, pulling her as close as possible given that Caleb was between them. “I’m sorry you had to wait.” He muttered the words, his lips pressed to her temple as he savoured having her near.
“I didn’t mind waiting. It seems you’re an important man and—”
“Nothing is more important than you. Never forget that.” He pulled back and stared into her eyes.
“Oh, Armand! That’s so sweet of you.” She looked up at him, her eyes shimmering. “And you’re important to me. I was so worried for you!”
“And I was worried for you. You shouldn’t have been here. If—”
“If she hadn’t been, you could have been in big trouble.” Melody interrupted as she passed by making a beeline towards where Jenna stood on the far side of the room.
“Humph.” Begrudgingly, he admitted Melody was right. A stirring near his chest caught his attention and he looked down to see his son staring up at him. “Caleb.” He breathed the word and then reached out to brush his hand over the dark curls that were so like his own. His hand was enormous next to the small child, his fingers trembling as he stroked the soft skin of the baby’s cheek.
“Would you like to hold him?” Lucy stepped back and held the baby out to him.
He nodded, awkwardly taking Caleb in his arms. The small bundle felt so light and fragile and yet there was such a rightness about cradling the baby close, breathing in its scent. There was a feeling in his chest, a warmth that seemed to be expanding until it filled his entire being.
“Isn’t he perfect?” Lucy leaned against his arm, gazing down at the baby.
“Oui.” He cleared his throat. “Yes, he is.”
“I can’t wait until we can go home and be a real family.”
“Home? ”
“To Stump River. ”
“What about Chicago? I’ve put the bar up for sale and—”
“And I’m taking it off the market. You love that bar and the forest.”
He shook his head. “But you love the city. And the people in town will have a lot of questions. You don’t look that different. Someone will realize who you are.”
“Probably, but we’ll think of something.” She shrugged and glanced towards the front of the room where the others were standing. “Ryne always seems to come up with a way to fix these kinds of things. Or maybe I can say I had amnesia. I have spent a lot of time trying to figure out who I really am. ”
“I knew who you were the first time I saw you. You were perfection and that will never change, no matter what.” He used his free hand to reach out and brush his knuckles over the curve of her face. “You’re my sweet, beautiful Lucy. That’s all that matters. ”
“And yet…” She paused and seemed to be choosing her words carefully, “it took you years to finally make your move.”
“I suppose I was afraid.”
“Of me?”
“Oui. Non.” He sighed. “I suppose I doubted my ability to keep you. I feared you’d grow tired and move on to someone else.”
“I’d never do that!”
He shrugged. “I don’t have much to offer. I live in the middle of nowhere. I like to ice fish and play darts. I look like un sauvage more often than not.”
“Well, you do have that prince thing going for you,” she teased. “But I think I prefer your ‘wild man’ look to a crown.” She reached up and gently brushed a stray curl from his face.
“I’m glad. The Ursa royal family doesn’t live in a palace but there’s still a certain image that needs to be maintained, functions to attend that require suits and ties and tight-fitting shoes while one makes meaningless conversation.” He plucked at the uncomfortable suit he was wearing. “It’s not for me.”
“It sounds boring.”
“To me it is, but you liked living in a big city, maybe you—”
She shook her head. “Armand, give it a rest. I don’t care where we live as long as we’re together.”
He saw the determination on her face and the corner of his mouth curled upward. His Lucy could be as fierce as a shifter when she needed to be…which brought another consideration to mind. “We do need to talk about me being a shifter and the fact that Caleb will likely be one as well. He glanced down at the child in his arms. “There is a lot of secrecy involved. It’s like we live behind a veil of lies but it’s necessary to keep us safe.”
“Mel and Jenna explained that to me and I’ll do whatever is needed. I admit it’s going to be hard to keep Roxi at a distance though. We’ve been through a lot together but she sees everything—”
“About Roxi…”
“Yes?”
About to explain that her roommate wasn’t quite so ordinary, someone bumped into him from behind. “Never mind. I’ll tell you later. Let’s get out of here.”
She nodded and he put his arm around her, pressing a kiss to her scar then guiding her to the front where the others were talking. He wasn’t sure how they were going to get home but, as she’d said, Ryne always did seem to have a way of fixing things.
A home, a mate and a cub. Could life be any more perfect than that? His bear rumbled happily to itself
. It had known all along this was how things were meant to be. Its silly human had just taken forever to figure it out!
~ FIN ~
A Message from Nicky
Hi!
At the end of a book, everyone always asks me, what will the next story be about? I usually have the germ of an idea but this time I have four—yes, four—possible stories percolating in my head and I’m not sure which needs to be written next. They’re all so tempting, however I can only write one at a time. So, the final chapter of this book may, or may not contain a hint as to what is coming.
As to when the next new book will be, that is still undetermined. 2019 has been a hard year for ‘Team Nicky’ with both Jan Gordon and myself losing close family members and our creative energies have been diverted to other areas.
However, I will give you something to look forward to; The Mating is already an audiobook and I’m now working on turning The Keeping into one as well. It’s a costly project so, depending on how sales go, I may or may not make audio books for the rest of the series. Keep checking my Facebook page and website for updates!
Finally, thank you for reading this book. I hope you enjoyed the stories. If you did, please consider leaving a review where you purchased it and/or email me. I love hearing from my readers!
~ Nicky
**Just a reminder to not use the name of ‘the character who must NOT be mentioned’ (aka ‘Lucy’), if you are leaving a review somewhere. Your respect and courtesy to other readers is appreciated!
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Books by Nicky Charles
Forever In Time
Law of the Lycans series
The Mating
The Keeping
The Finding
Bonded
Betrayed: Days of the Rogue
Betrayed: Book 2 – The Road to Redemption
For the Good of All
Deceit can be Deadly
Kane: I am Alpha
Veil of Lies
Hearts & Halos Series
(Written with Jan Gordon)
In the Cards
Untried Heart
Standalones
Forever In Time
"I'm waiting, Steph. I've been waiting a long, long time."
She was in there, he knew it. He'd been following her for weeks and knew every move she made. There would be no escaping him. Time was on his side.
Stephanie thought she was ordinary. Her life was stable, or at least it was until the stranger appeared. Was he the answer to her dreams or a nightmare in a suave disguise?
The past and the present intertwine in this thrilling tale of romantic suspense.
~~~
The Law of the Lycans series by Nicky Charles
The Mating
She lay beside him, staring blankly at the ceiling. The deed was done. They were mated. It didn't matter that she had no love for him nor he for her. Political alliances were more important than feelings...
Elise had no idea when she came home that day that she'd end up mated to a complete stranger. A new Alpha and the need for an alliance between packs have made her a pawn.
~~~
The Keeping
Ryne Taylor was a sexy bad-ass Alpha set on establishing a new pack. Melody Greene was a journalism student researching his work as a photographer—or so she said. But could Mel really be trusted or had she stumbled upon his secret? And if she knew, could Ryne save himself and the pack he’d left behind without enacting a deadly ancient law known as The Keeping? Sequel to The Mating.
~~~
The Finding
She discovered a dark secret, witnessed a murder and fled into the night fearing for her life. Three years later, Cassie is still hiding from her past, haunted by a dream lover and fighting to control a terrifying beast that seems to grow stronger each day. When Bryan, pack Beta, appears to claim her, Cassie is forced to face the truth of her existence.
Innocence, betrayal, greed and love collide with ancient werewolf laws in... The Finding.
~~~
Bonded
Reno’s a tough Enforcer for Lycan Link who finds himself drawn to Brandi but duty rules his life. Brandi, just on the edge of starting her career as a Disaster Control officer, falls for Reno at first sight, but are they really meant to be? Is it love or lust and does it really even matter? Enforcers and DCs don't get along...unless fate forces them to. Bonded precedes The Mating.
~~~
Betrayed: Days of the Rogue
His mate killed in a horrific explosion, ex-Enforcer Damien Masterson now lives as a rogue werewolf. Grief stricken and filled with rage, what depths will he sink to in his search for revenge? And who will be caught in the crossfire? Will it be Eve, a Fae just entering the Awakening stage? Or Rafe McRae, part empath and part wolf? It’s been said that a rogue Enforcer is too dangerous to be allowed to roam.
This suspense driven story of love, betrayal and revenge, is the sequel to Bonded.
~~~
Betrayed: Book 2 – The Road to Redemption
How do you love again when your heart is dead? How do you know when it’s time to let go?
Damien’s kicked about the country these past three years. No pack. No purpose. No reason to keep on living. When an old friend, Kane Sinclair, asks for his help, he agrees and heads to Chicago. After all, what does he have to lose?
Sam’s grown up on the streets. Raised to be an Alpha, she’s strong and independent. Her duty to her pack rules her every move. As much as it irks her, she finds herself looking for help when Sinclair threatens to take over her territory. With the pack’s future at stake, does she dare gamble on a rogue?
Can a rogue let go of his past and dare to face the future? Are strength and duty enough to pave the road to redemption?
~~~
For the Good of All
Elijah Stone – a man committed to justice; his heart is as hard as his body. Held prisoner for years, he returns home to tie up loose ends only to find a psychedelic witch capturing his attention. When a rescue mission to Central America spins out of control, he’s forced to make a difficult decision.
Every action has its own consequences. Can he live with the results, even if it is ‘For the good of all’?
~~~
Deceit can be Deadly
Gwyneth has no use for Lycans but a string of dead bodies has brought one of the dogs right to her door. Can he be trusted or is he merely accomplished at deception? And why do the murders seem to lead right to the heart of the Universal Coven to which she belongs?
Meet Gwyneth O’Donohue – a powerful witch with an attitude, Matthias Bendov – a soft-hearted werebear, and Dante Esparza – a Lycan and soldier of fortune who has a score to settle.
Love clashes with an ancient curse in the latest instalment of the Law of the Lycans.
~~~
Kane: I am Alpha
After surviving the leadership challenge, being Alpha should be easy, right? But Kane’s illusions are soon shattered as the demands on him escalate. His half-brother seems to have gone rogue, an old flame is becoming clingy, the pack’s water supply has been contaminated by an oil spill and now…the Council of Elders are proposing a political mating! What’s an Alpha to do?
A treat for die-hard fans, Kane: I am Alpha presents Kane’s viewpoint on the original Law of the Lycan’s novel, The Mating.
~~~
Veil of Li
es
The heart of a bear loves deep and true…but how much is too much to forgive?
Bear shifter, Armand St. John, learned the hard way that waiting can cost you the one you love. Now getting a second chance at happiness, he’s determined not to make the same mistake again. But will his demands for a commitment have his love running into his arms or drive her away? And will the woman of his dreams avoid danger long enough to realize they were meant to be together? A veil of lies, deception and denial surrounds the star-crossed couple in this ninth instalment of Nicky Charles’ Law of the Lycans.
~~~
Written with Jan Gordon
In The Cards
There are regulations governing the relationship between a guardian angel and their charge, boundaries that shouldn’t be crossed. So what happens when a guardian angel falls in love with his current assignment? And when the human returns those feelings, how many rules will that guardian angel break in order to save his love? Alex and Emma are caught between two worlds. Will their love be enough?
"In the Cards" is a Christmas novella by Jan Gordon and Nicky Charles, both of whom ventured into new ground with this angelic tale.
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