by Kayla Wolf
James was staring at her. Daniel, too—the two of them were wearing identical expressions of shock that would have been funny if she wasn’t so incandescent with rage. Her brother ran a hand through his hair, his expression stony. “Are you sure about this?” he asked her, his voice low. “About him? He’s … you know how we are. You know what men are like.”
”Yeah,” she said, voice low and hard. “I know how you treated women. And I saw what happened when you met Julia—how you changed. But you didn’t change because of her, James. The person you are now—the father you are, the amazing partner you are to her? All of that was already inside you. I knew it was there. You just stopped hiding from it. And if you’re capable of being that kind of person … who the hell are you to say that Daniel isn’t?”
James was silent for a long, long time. Then he turned abruptly to Daniel, his face drawn. “That was unfair of me. Sorry, dude.”
Daniel shrugged. “She’s your sister. I understand the protective urge. But …” He gestured at Alice. “Alice said it best. I spent a lot of time messing around out there—we both did. But I don’t want that anymore.”
”I don’t …” James took a deep breath, running his hands through his hair again and again in a gesture Alice knew meant he was deeply conflicted. “I think I need some time with this. Okay?”
”Okay,” Alice said softly. “Just call me when you’re ready.”
And then he was gone, the front door slamming a little too hard behind him. Daniel and Alice exchanged a long glance.
”I guess that could have gone worse?”
”I don’t see how,” Alice said drily, dropping into a seat and burying her head in her hands. “I’ve never seen him that angry in my life.”
”He just needs time,” Daniel said softly. “He never was the kind of guy who could take on new information quickly.”
She laughed. “You’re right about that. I still remember showing him how the Internet worked. It took him a full year to stop trying to talk to the computer like it was Star Trek.” She sighed, the funny memory not doing much to lift her spirits. “I really want him to be okay with this, Daniel. He’s my brother.”
”He will,” Daniel promised her. “In time.”
Alice took a deep breath, worry prickling low in her stomach as she heard her brother’s car pull away outside. ”I really hope you’re right.”
Chapter 14 – Daniel
The sun had barely cleared the horizon when Daniel came splashing out of the ocean, shivering a little in the bracing morning air as his heart pounded with the exertion of his swim. Ever since they’d gotten back from the conference two months ago, he’d been treating himself to a swim at dawn. When he’d started, it had been Alice’s advice—a way of getting him into a healthier sleep pattern. After all, he no longer needed his old night owl patterns, and he found that the earlier he went to bed at night, the happier he was. Especially when it meant waking up before Alice did—sneaking a few precious moments to gaze down at her sleeping face before she stirred into wakefulness. He woke up before dawn automatically, now—but he’d continued with the morning swims. It was just so good to get his body moving that early in the day. James thought he was mad to get up so early on purpose—he’d had the pre-dawn wake-up ritual imposed upon him by his three-year-old son.
Things had been a little strained with James. They were still friends, he was pretty sure … but whenever they hung out, there was one topic that just didn’t come up. And it was getting harder and harder to talk to his best friend about things that weren’t Alice. It felt like she’d become such a huge part of his life, so quickly—barely an hour went by without him thinking of her, remembering something funny or insightful she’d said, or having an idea of a gift or something to surprise her with.
They’d moved in together almost immediately, barely making it through a week of staying in each other’s cabins before it became obvious that they weren’t going to need separate spaces anymore. So after some discussion, Alice had come to move in with him. His cottage was a good distance from the infirmary, which she appreciated—it was important for her to get some psychological as well as physical distance from her workplace, especially after the few years of burnout she’d experienced there. And it was the perfect size for the two of them … almost as though he’d had her in mind when he’d built the place.
And god, it had been wonderful to live with her. For the first time in his life, he actively looked forward to coming home to her—or more accurately, to her coming home to him. It was absolutely wonderful having someone to share the house with, to get up in the morning knowing that someone else was there to keep you company, to make decisions about the place, to plan a life together. And though some part of him had worried that she might grow tired of him, that their infatuation might come to an end once they were away from the dazzling lights of Los Angeles, it felt like every day he fell more and more in love with her. The years he’d spent without her felt like a dream, now. He still couldn’t believe she’d been under his nose for so long without him realizing what an absolute jewel of a person she was.
A week ago, they’d gone flying together—a rare treat, with an overcast sky making ideal conditions for a quick flight. And while they’d been up there, diving and spiraling through the clouds, he’d asked her a question … and the answer had been a resounding yes.
Dragons didn’t traditionally have marriages. Once you knew who your mate was, that was it—there’d never been much of a need for a celebration to tell everyone how serious you were. What other options were there? But since some of his friends had fallen in love with humans, the idea of a ceremony to mark the occasion had been creeping into fashion. Lachlan had started it—he and his mate Serena, a wolf who’d grown up mostly among humans, had staged a simple ceremony in the town square. Then, when Bryce had met Jasmine, a human woman who’d dreamed of her wedding for most of her life, there had been an even bigger ceremony—Alice had actually been a part of all that, playing the violin at the ceremony. James and Julia had followed suit with a commitment ceremony. And though everyone in town now knew about Alice and Daniel, some part of him felt that they wouldn’t be official mates until they’d celebrated formally.
And Alice, to his delight, had been excited about the idea. She and the other women on the peninsula had immediately formed a wedding party—Daniel, after some discrete inquiries about what that actually meant, had proceeded to select his own groomsmen. He didn’t pick a best man—it felt strange to choose just one of the guys. If it was going to be anyone, it was going to be James … and though he’d sent his best friend a couple of messages about the wedding, he hadn’t gotten a response.
But the rest of the day was going to be great, he told himself firmly as he headed up to the house. Alice wouldn’t be there—she had spent the night in one of the guest cabins with her bridesmaids, another tradition, apparently. He wasn’t allowed to see her in her dress in case of bad luck, whatever that meant … but he didn’t mind. Whatever made her happy. He just couldn’t wait to proclaim his love for her in front of the entire settlement … not that he’d been particularly shy about doing that over the last few months. Harvey, after the tenth long and gushing conversation about Alice, had imposed a strict limit on the topic of his soulmate. Five mentions per hour. Well, he was certainly going to exceed that today.
He was wearing the suit he’d worn the first night of the conference—it felt like forever ago, but Alice had requested it specifically, saying he looked especially handsome in it. He ran a comb through his hair a few times, checking himself out in the mirror, then took a deep breath. The ceremony was at ten—that meant he’d need to head over to the hall just about now. They’d appropriated the dining hall for the event, and he caught more than a few curious looks from guests sitting on their porches as he walked the short distance to the dining hall. They were fully booked—with a waiting list several months long. Just one more good thing to have come out of his and Alice’s weekend away in
Los Angeles.
His jaw dropped when he reached the dining hall. It had been utterly transformed from the rather simple, rustic wooden hall where they served their meals, to an elegant hall decorated with flowers. White linen had been draped over the low benches that were usually used for group seating, and there was a raised platform at one end of the hall that was clearly for the ceremony. He felt a prickle of nerves for the first time. This was all looking pretty serious.
Lachlan was presiding over the arrangements. As the first among them to have found his mate, it had fallen to him to officiate at the subsequent ceremonies—and though there was no legal component to the ceremony as there was with human marriages, there was a sense of officialdom granted by Lachlan’s status as the leader of their settlement. It wasn’t long before Daniel was up on the platform, gazing out across the hall as various members of the settlement—and more than a few curious guests—drifted in to take their seats in the audience. His friends were there, all in matching suits—Harvey and Emerson, the only remaining bachelors, giving him broad grins from the front row. Bryce was there with his mate Jasmine looking resplendent in a deep blue gown, and Lachlan’s mate Serena was chasing their absolute hurricane of a daughter across the room (she was wearing a little white dress and had a basket of rose petals to throw, a task she was taking a little too literally). He spotted Julia in the crowd, her son Riley sitting on her lap and peering around the hall with clear interest in the proceedings. He bit his lip. Where was James? Surely he wouldn’t miss an occasion like this, no matter how angry he might be about what had happened … right?
But James was banished from his mind when he saw who was coming through the door. It was Alice—but not like he’d ever seen her before. She was wearing a long white gown, decorated with lace, that he recognized vaguely from the movies they’d watched together as being a wedding dress. Her hair was pinned up so that only a few curls hung fetchingly around her face, where a luminous smile lit up her ocean blue eyes. And that smile wasn’t just for him, he realized suddenly. She’d caught his attention so completely that he’d barely realized who was standing next to her.
It was James. He was wearing a suit that matched the rest of the groomsmen, and Alice’s arm was linked through his as they walked slowly and formally down the aisle. Daniel was aware that the crowd had fallen silent, he even had a distant feeling music was playing, but he could barely hear it. He only had eyes for his bride—his soulmate—the love of his life, his everything. God, he hadn’t thought it was possible for her to look any more beautiful than she did every day.
But what was James doing here? He was walking her down the aisle—did that mean …?
”We are gathered here today,” Lachlan intoned—he’d had a bit of practice at this point, and Daniel could tell he felt confident, “to celebrate the joining of these two soulmates.” He cleared his throat. “Usually, I’d say a few words, but today that honor will go to someone who knows them both better than I could. James? You have the floor.”
Alice was in front of him—she took his hands in hers, reassuring him as he watched James take the stage. The man waited for silence before he spoke.
”My name is James. I’ve known Daniel for decades, and Alice for … well, longer than that.” There was a murmur of amusement from the shifters in the audience, who were in on the joke—dragons, whose lifespans had no natural end, were generally a little cagey about revealing their true ages. The humans in the audience were chuckling at what they clearly thought was a comic overstatement—it was a well-crafted speech.
”I was one of the first people Alice and Daniel told when they realized they were soulmates. I have to admit—I didn’t handle it particularly well.” There was a knowing chuckle from the audience, and James shrugged, a rueful grin on his face. “What can I say? I have a habit of taking a while to figure things out. Especially important things. Like love. And after some very wise words from my own soulmate—“ he glanced into the audience, where Julia was smiling up at him—“I realized that I was being irrational. These two … in different ways, they’re both my best friends. And I’m thrilled that they’ve found this deep and true love for each other.” He took a deep breath. “So by the power vested in me, by … well, by Lachlan, if I’m honest … I welcome these soulmates and wish them nothing but happiness in their long, long lives together.”
Daniel couldn’t help it—he grabbed James around the neck and pulled him into a bruising hug, relieved beyond measure to hear that his best friend had finally come around. James hugged him back, laughing, then broke away to hug Alice, who reached up as he hugged her to muss his hair affectionately and carefully with one hand.
Then they were left together, facing one another on the stage in front of their friends and the whole community. And if any of the humans thought it was an unconventional wedding … well, there were probably stranger rituals somewhere in California. But for right now, Daniel didn’t care about California. All he cared about was the woman who stood before him, resplendent in her gown, gazing up at him like a perfect mirror of the love he bore for her. He pulled her into his arms and kissed her as the hall erupted in applause. It felt good to confirm, in front of all of their friends (and a few bemused strangers) that they belonged to each other … but in the end, he knew, the only thing he needed to be happy was Alice.
And gazing into her ocean blue eyes, he knew that he was going to be happy for the rest of their lives.
* * * * *
THE END
Hi! It’s Kayla here. Thanks so much for reading Alice and Daniel’s story. I hope you enjoyed it. Would you like to read Shelly and Emerson’s story too? Then be sure to…
Read on in book 5 of the “West Coast Water Dragons” Series:
Dragon’s Obsession
(coming February 27th; on pre-order NOW)
The “West Coast Water Dragons” series is a spin-off of the “Dragon Valley” series.
I have to spend a month in the wilderness with a gorgeous woman.
Not that I mind.
I like camping in the wild; I like it rough and raw.
Especially when it’s with someone who sends shockwaves ripping through my body.
I’m supposed to show her the wild animals around here.
But there are other things I’d like to show her.
My dragon has all types of inappropriate impulses.
But I’m a shifter, not a beast. I’m capable of keeping things professional.
Our contact is electric, and she has my dragon roaring.
Her flushed cheeks tell me she feels it, too, regardless of her professional attitude.
The temptation is turning into sweet, delicious torture.
The only thing that’s keeping me away is my strong-as-steel self-control.
There’s something that annoys me about her, though: her bad taste.
You see, her favorite animals are bears.
But I promise: that’s about to change.
Because I’m about to give her my dragon.
Pre-order “Dragon’s Obsession” now
About the Author
Kayla Wolf is a mom of two, an obsessive reader and a total sucker for paranormal romance. Sexy shifters, sassy women, steamy encounters, and dangerous enemies are the things that make her lie awake at night. Whenever she thinks about these things, she just has to get up and write about them immediately... Come on in, and spoil the beast in you.
Check out her author page on Amazon and be sure to click “Follow” to get new release updates.
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Books by The Wolf Sisters
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Books by Kayla Wolf:
“West Coast Water Dragons” Series
Have you ever visited the peninsula of the Water Dragons? You will have to look hard for it, because the dangerously hot dragons living here want to keep it a secret from anyone but you… Yes, you read that
right: you are invited on a wild ride by the most attractive men on the West Coast (and that’s saying something with Liam Hemsworth around…). So pack your bags, because you’re going on an adventure to a very secret place. Bless the woman who gets lost here…
“West Coast Water Dragons” is a paranormal romance series consisting of stand-alone stories, each with a HEA, that are connected through the dragons who live on the peninsula.
Dragon’s Nanny
Dragon’s Mail Order Bride
Dragon’s Secret Baby
Dragon’s Fake Mate
Dragon’s Obsession (coming February 27th)
Start reading book 1 of the “West Coast Water Dragons” series now:
The “West Coast Water Dragons” series is a spin-off of the “Dragon Valley” series.
* * *
“Dragon Valley” Series
Dragon Valley keeps a secret that no one knows about: Dangerously sexy and muscled dragons have made the valley their home. But their existence is at risk. They need to find a mate or else their time might be up. Will the dragons find their mates?
“Dragon Valley” is a paranormal romance series that consists of standalone stories that each have a satisfying HEA. The books are connected through the dragons that live in the valley.