by Dana Archer
He unlocked the cuff on her neck first then repeated the process until she was free. She remained limp the entire time. She must’ve retreated to their realm as he’d told her. It was the only explanation, but he needed her to return to him.
He captured her face between his palms. “Kitten, come back to me.”
No response.
He bent his head and kissed her. After a moment, she groaned and met him, stroke for stroke.
She linked her arms around his neck. “Josh, you’re safe.”
“I’m safe. So are you. He didn’t—”
The door flew open. He shoved Mira behind him. The brown-haired shifter standing in the doorway held a shotgun. He pointed it at them. “Get away from the female, human.”
Josh tensed. He surveyed the distance between him and the threat to Mira. A bullet wouldn’t kill her, but he didn’t want her hurt any more. His instincts demanded he protect her. He firmed his hold on Mira’s tense body. “Put the gun down. Shifter Affairs is outside. You won’t get away.”
The guy grinned. “I don’t need to escape. Once I mate the Royal, they won’t kill me.”
“You can’t bind her to you. She’s…” Movement out of the corner of his eye stopped his words. He cursed inwardly. Abby held a jagged slat of wood in her hands. She crawled toward the doorway.
The shifter whipped his head around and swung the gun. Josh leapt. He wrapped his arms around Abby. A shot rang out. His body jerked. Another blast followed and the world went black.
Chapter 36
Something yanked Josh out of his regenerative sleep. He opened his eyes. Inky mist filled his vision. What had woken him? He frowned and reached for Mira. The tether to her was severed, but her emotions teased him. Where was she?
Something brushed against his stomach. He glanced down. Nothing. He pushed to his feet and surveyed the empty realm. No grass, no swing, no Mira…yet he heard her pitiful moans and felt her hands clutched around his waistband.
Of course. She was in the human realm, not theirs, and she clung to him, physically and emotionally. That was why he hadn’t lost her completely, because she hadn’t let go of him.
With his cats offering their heightened senses, he scanned the area and listened. There. He focused on her cries, felt her love wrap around him, and let his mind follow it home.
The scent of spring rain filled his lungs with his first breath. The barn where he’d found Mira surrounded him. People talked in the background, but the sound of Mira’s sobbing captured his attention. He peered at her. She lay in a fetal position next to him with her hand fisted around the edge of his bloody jeans. His heart squeezed.
“Baby, don’t cry.”
She jerked her head up. Her eyes widened. “Josh.”
She threw herself into his arms. He held her close. “Kitten.”
“Where were you?” She leaned back. “I tried to find my way back into our realm, but I couldn’t. I couldn’t feel you at all.”
Because he’d died. Again.
He ran his hand over her tangled hair. “I’m sorry. I had to heal first.” Or return from the dead. Whatever description worked. “I’ll always return to you.”
“I don’t understand. What are you? Obviously not human anymore, but you’re not a shifter either.”
He glanced over Mira’s head. Several Shifter Affairs agents stared at him with shock. Not good. He turned his head and met Devin’s eyes. The other male nodded and ushered the humans out.
Once they were gone, he faced Mira. “I’m still human. Well, mostly.” He shook his head. “I’m different, not a shifter, not a hybrid like our kids will be. I’m…” He grinned and thought back to the night in the bar that started everything. “I’m a black sheep.”
She chuckled and tightened her grip on him. “You’re my destiny. That’s what you are.”
He nuzzled against her. “And you’re mine.”
The door flew open. Kade stormed inside. “Zoe’s gone.”
Mira twisted in his arms. Her pulse kicked up. “Oh, gods. It’s my fault.”
“It’s mine, Mira, not yours. Remember, I ordered her to witness our mating announcement.” Kade flexed his clawed hands, over and over. “I’d thought allowing her to believe you and I had mated was the best solution. Otherwise, if the Council questioned her, they’d scent her lie.”
“It’ll be okay.” The reassuring smile she wore didn’t match the anxiety in her voice. “Josh will be able to get in touch with her.” She glanced at him, pleading with her eyes. “Won’t you?”
“I wish I could, but Zoe…” Josh didn’t know how to broach the subject of his little sister’s horrific past. Finally, he sighed and decided the facts Kade would find out if he investigated her would have to do. “Zoe doesn’t stay in one place. She roams the country, working odd jobs and living day by day.”
“Excuse me?” Kade retracted his claws and stepped closer. “Why?”
“She’s been running from her memories for years. I meant to tell you, but…” Josh blew out a rough breath.
“What happened to her?”
“She lost the love of her life and her unborn child within hours of each other.”
Kade cursed, and Mira gasped. She covered the tattoo Josh had inked on his arm for his nephew. “John was her son?”
He nodded.
She hugged him close. “I thought…I thought John was yours.”
“No. The only kids I’ll ever have are the ones we create.”
“Oh, Josh,” she breathed and snuggled closer.
“Tell me everything.” Kade’s hardened voiced boomed around them.
Josh met Kade’s pained gaze. “They were killed.”
Kade growled. “How?”
“I’m warning you, let it alone. Her family’s gone, the murderer is in jail, and Zoe wants to forget it. You push at her, and you’ll never see her again.”
Kade turned and punched a hole in the wall. He braced his arms against the wood and hung his head. “She’s not here. I don’t think that’ll be a problem.”
“She’ll be back.”
“When?”
Josh shrugged.
Kade strode to the door. “Not good enough. I’m going to find her and bring her home.”
“You can’t abandon the pride,” Mira said.
He stopped and whipped his head around to glare at her. “No, I can’t, but I can hire enough private investigators and stick enough shifters on her pretty little ass that she’ll learn what it feels like to be labeled as prey.”
Kade stormed out before Josh could deliver his warning.
“He’ll alienate her.” Mira tipped her head back to meet his gaze. “Won’t he?”
“Yeah, kitten, he will.”
He scooped Mira into his arms and pushed to get up, but she pressed a hand to his chest, stopping him. “Josh?”
“What?”
“I never touched Kade. I couldn’t.”
He settled her bottom over his lap and brushed his thumb over her cheek. “I know. You love me.”
She blinked rapidly. “I do. I love you so much.”
He leaned in and pressed his lips to hers. “I love you too, kitten. Always and forever.”
She smiled. “Always and forever, my mate. Always and forever.”
Epilogue, plus next book preview
Mira stared at the full-length mirror and grinned at the sight of her distended stomach. Her little ones didn’t have much room left, but they still managed to squirm around at night and wake her up.
She placed a hand on her right side where her daughter’s rhythmic jerking sent ripples up Mira’s sides. The little girl had hiccups again. The poor child always got them. Mira ran her fingertips over that section of her belly until they eased.
She moved her hand to her lower back and pressed against the pain there. The ache she’d suffered with for months had worsened over the past few days. Her human doctor had told her it was a sign she was getting close to going into labor. She had to trust h
er knowledge since Mira couldn’t connect with her babes the same way she would’ve if her children had been true shifters. As hybrids they were an anomaly, much like Mira’s bond to their father.
She turned and let her gaze roam over the body of her mate. Josh slept on his stomach, one arm hanging off the side and the other hooked around his pillow. A sheet covered one leg, half of his firm backside, and a small section of his back. Gorgeous. Love, lust, and affection filled her up. Tears misted her eyes, happy ones. She felt truly blessed to have found Josh.
With her hand at her achy back, she waddled to their bed. Today was a day for celebrating, but sadness hung over it. Although Josh’s parents and Bree would be attending their small wedding, Zoe wouldn’t. She hadn’t returned to them despite Kade’s efforts to find her.
Mira sighed and bent closer to study the inked memorial to Zoe’s son. More moisture flooded her eyes. No mother should have to bury a child. Mira choked on a sob. A strong, warm hand covered her bare bottom. She jerked back, nearly toppling over. Josh stopped her tumble with his confident, familiar embrace.
“Sorry, kitten. Didn’t mean to startle you.”
The dream, the one she’d feared. It had been a flash of the future, just not the one she’d expected.
She glanced into her mate’s blue eyes and smiled even as tears rolled down her cheeks. “It’s okay. I was just thinking about Zoe.” She scrubbed at her wet skin and huffed. “These darn hormones are making me so emotional.”
He lazily traced her bottom and returned her grin. “It’s normal, love. Don’t be embarrassed.”
He would know she was too. Her feelings radiated along their bond yet she couldn’t feel his, another peculiarity.
“I wish she were here.”
“So do I, kitten.” Josh sighed. “I’ve contacted everyone I can think of to keep an eye out for her. With that and all the ads I’ve placed in the papers across the country, I’m hoping she’ll hear about our marriage and decide to show.”
Mira nibbled on her lip. “Maybe we should postpone the ceremony until she can join us.”
He shook his head. “No, baby. I want us to be man and wife before our little hellions are born. I promised my gran that I wouldn’t have kids out of wedlock.”
“We’re already mates. A slip of paper doesn’t mean anything.”
He shrugged. “Maybe not, but it’s important to my family. Besides, I can’t wait to see you in the wedding gown Jazz designed for you. From what I hear, she has the basement of the church turned into a mini-salon.”
“I’m excited too, but—”
A knock sounded, stopping her words. She peered over her shoulder.
“Let’s go, Mira. Kade is waiting for you.” Aron’s booming voice echoed from behind the closed door.
Josh tugged her closer. “You can’t have her yet. She’s mine for another hour.” He winked at her. “And I want to enjoy every moment of it before the girls steal her away to get ready for tonight.”
Aron’s annoyed grumbles faded. She faced a grinning Josh. He urged her to climb onto the bed with him. Once she was settled on her side, he moved behind her and placed his palm over her belly. They snuggled in silence for a long time. There was no need for words.
Finally, Josh kissed her mate mark, sending tingles skipping through her body.
“Are you ready to become my wife?”
“Yes. I’m ready.”
“What about being a mom?”
She covered his palm. “I already am one.” Another wave of sadness swept through her. “At least to Megan.”
Josh pressed his lips to her neck. “You are to Molly, too. Kade said his cousin reads her all the letters you write to her. She sits and listens to him. That tells me she understands.”
“I want her to come home.”
“Soon, love.” Josh helped her sit. “After the babies are born, we can plan a trip to visit Molly, okay?”
“Do you think it’ll be safe to do so?”
Josh rubbed soothing circles over her belly. “Trust me. I won’t let you or our little ones get hurt.”
She smiled. “I do. I trust you with my heart, body, and soul.”
“Same here, kitten.” He stood and offered her his hand. “Now let’s go get ready to tie the knot.”
She placed her palm in his. Three hundred years she’d lived with the prophecy and the shame of her childhood hanging over her shoulders. With Josh smiling down at her, she didn’t resent any of the pain she’d suffered. She was thankful for it. Those experiences made her into the woman she was today, one who could appreciate and treasure her one true mate.
“Yes, let’s make it official. I can’t wait to be your wife.”
He tugged her into his arms. “You’re my everything, Mira.”
And he was hers. Always and forever.
The series continues with Sean, a novella that introduces the Alexander pride’s neighbors, the Kagan Pack.
* * *
The storylines of the Kagan pack and the Alexander pride will collide in Xander, book 7.
Learn more about Sean
Read an excerpt
Sean made another loop around the Kagan Industries’ office and cursed. Pacing wasn’t helping. Nothing he’d tried since sundown had. He hurt, plain and simple. His skin itched, and his bones ached. The sensation of claws raking the inside of his chest made it worse, but it wasn’t the pain gripping him that left him angry. It was the obstinate wolf he housed.
The separate entity he’d been born with had its own wants and goals. At the moment, they conflicted with Sean’s plans for the evening. Since he was ultimately in charge, the animal would just have to suck it up.
His wolf’s snarl echoed within him. No doubt it disagreed. Not his problem. His wolf wasn’t the only stubborn one, and Sean refused to allow his primal side to rule him. He would not make the same mistake his friend Nic had.
Sean was too young to fall in love. Or in lust. Both could seal a shifter’s fate.
Hands fisted, he strode for the window. As much as he wanted to ignore the full moon, he needed the strength it offered. He shoved the lace curtain aside and stepped into the swatch of moonlight. Warmth infused him, and his wolf calmed. Momentarily, at least. Still, he’d take the brief reprieve. He had a long night ahead of him.
He leaned against the window frame and surveyed the little slice of West Virginia that had served as the Kagan pack’s home since the early seventeen hundreds. Stone paths wove through gardens and around the large, man-made pond. Beyond the still water, a fountain and a gazebo offered a place to sit and relax. Farther out, trees marked the separation of the humans’ town and their territory. Their communal land was beautiful. He loved every inch of it, but at the moment, he wanted to run as far and as fast as he could away from it.
“Greeting the full moon all alone again, huh?”
Noah’s voice cut through the silence of the night.
Sean peered over his shoulder at his cousin. Protective instincts flared. “What are you doing here? Tanner males aren’t allowed on Kagan pack lands.”
“Worried about me?”
“Yes.” As a member of their rival pack, Noah’s presence could be constituted as a threat depending on who saw him. Sean knew better. Noah would give his life if it meant saving one of them. Sean would do the same for a member of Noah’s pack.
Noah shut the door behind him. With his dark blond hair in a short ponytail and a white T-shirt stretched over his muscled chest, he garnered the attention of males and females alike. One glance into his deadened green eyes, however, and most people steered clear of him.
Guilt, anger, and loneliness gave him a don’t-mess-with-me vibe that was hard to miss. Losing a female days after mating her would do that to any male. It gave Sean yet another reason to avoid their women.
“Technically, I’m not on your pack’s lands. The Kagan office sits a few hundred feet inside the humans’ town. As for why I’m here?” Noah leaned against the opposite side of the windo
w. “Your alpha asked me to try to talk some sense into you.”
About Sean’s refusal to shift. Everyone in his pack had been on him about it. Their lectures had gotten old. “You’re wasting your time. I’m fine. My wolf’s fine. End of discussion.”
“Is it?” Noah raised a brow. “You’re not getting edgy? Irritable? Or feel like you’re going to come out of your skin?”
If Noah considered insomnia and the new holes Sean had punched into his bedroom walls as fitting those criteria, then the answer would be yes. He shrugged. “Nothing I can’t handle.”
Noah made a noncommittal sound, then glanced out the window, scanning the property the way Sean had. “Any word on Nic? Is he coming home soon?”
“What? No warnings or long speeches about how I’ll go insane if I don’t let my wolf out?”
“Nope. You’re not stupid. You’re just an idiot.”
Sean laughed. “Yeah? What’s the difference?”
“You know the facts. You’re just choosing to ignore them.”
Noah had a point. Sean wouldn’t deny that. He grunted and turned his attention to the backyard. “I’m not shifting until I’m sure I have control over my instincts.”
“And when’s that going to be?”
“Soon.” Or not.
Silence descended in the room while his wolf’s growls reverberated within him, building the pressure behind his eyes. Finally, Noah sighed, breaking the tense moment. “Well?”
“Well, what?”
“Nic? Any word from him?”
“He called this morning.” Actually, Nic called every day with the same question—how’s Riley? The human female Nic had fallen in love with and tried to mate had ruined him, but it wasn’t her fault or his that she’d been born the wrong species. Fate had screwed them both and guaranteed neither would be happy.
“Did he say when he’s coming home?”
“Not until it’s time for his dad to pass on our pack spirit. He wants to enjoy life before he has to pick a shifter female to mate. He’s in no rush to be saddled with a breeding partner.”