“I can sleep outside your door, if you don’t want to let me in,” he growled, glaring right back. “But I’ll have to check and make sure any back entrances to your domicile are secure first.”
“Jodi,” Vicky began, looking anxiously at her oldest daughter. “Commander Sylvan is trying to help you here.” Her oldest daughter could be so stubborn sometimes! It was one of the reasons Jodi was so successful at just about anything she turned her hand to, but it was also a pain in the neck at times.
“I know that.” Jodi sighed and ran a hand through her long, dark hair. “It’s just…what will James say, Mom?”
James, being her fiancé, of course. Vicky worked hard to keep her face blank at the mention of her future son-in-law. It wasn’t that she didn’t like him exactly—he came from a very wealthy family and could be incredibly charming when he wanted to be. But she had the feeling that he undervalued her daughter and Jodi was always trying to “keep up” with him and his upper-class family.
He also thought that the Masters degree in sexual psychology Jodi was getting was a joke. He was getting a Ph.D in Astrophysics himself and he seemed to think that only the “hard” sciences had any merit. So he was always teasing Jodi about her desire to be a therapist, as though helping people who were hurting was of lesser value than doing something that brought fame or money or recognition.
It was Melli who answered her sister’s question, much to Vicky’s relief.
“James had better not say anything unless he thinks he’s up to killing one of those lizard guys if they come back and try to get you,” she told her sister sharply. “I mean, he’s a nice guy and all, Jodi, but he’s skinny as a whip and I’m pretty sure he doesn’t know any hand-to-hand combat or how to shoot a space gun or anything else like that.”
“Our weapon of choice is a blaster,” Liosh corrected her, with a small smile. “But it does take some skill to use it correctly. Maybe Vorn could give your sister’s fiancé lessons?”
“He’d be better off giving Jodi lessons herself,” Melli said honestly. “James is just going to think this whole thing is a big joke. He never takes anyone but himself seriously.”
Which pretty much summed up her future son-in-law in a nutshell, Vicky thought.
“What about you, my Lady Melinda?” Liosh asked, looking at her with those pale blue eyes all Blood Kindred seemed to have. “Do you also have a future mate who might be upset by my presence?”
“Oh, no…” Melli blushed a pretty pink and looked down at her hands. “I, um, I’m not dating anyone at the moment.”
“Try not dating anyone ever,” Jodi said. “Sorry, Melli, but you know it’s true,” she added, looking at her little sister. “I don’t know why you don’t put yourself out there more—you’re really pretty, you know.”
“She is beautiful,” Liosh agreed softly.
“Thank you.” She smiled at him again and then looked away in confusion.
Vicky frowned as she considered her younger daughter. It was a question she had asked herself more than once—why didn’t Melli ever date anyone?
She used to date, right up until her Junior Prom, whispered a foreboding little voice in Vicky’s head. But after that, she never accepted another invitation to go out with a boy ever again.
Of course, Vicky had asked her daughter if something had happened to her and of course Melli had denied it.
“I just haven’t found the right guy for me, Mom,” she always said. “And right now I want to concentrate on school.”
But she had been concentrating on school for the past three and a half years and Vicky was beginning to get worried. Why did her younger daughter never date?
I hope someday she’ll be willing to tell me, she thought, her heart aching at the idea that her daughter had a secret she felt she couldn’t reveal—even to her mother. I hope whatever is keeping her from finding someone to love her can be fixed or healed.
She just wished Melli would let her be part of the healing process. But her daughter was an adult now and she couldn’t butt in and demand answers. She had to let Melli—and Jodi—live their own lives.
And right now, it looked like both her daughters’ lives were about to get much more complicated.
“Will you accept the guards I’m assigning you?” Sylvan asked, looking at both Melli and Jodi. “If not, I’m afraid I can’t be responsible for anything that might happen to you once you leave the safety of the Mother Ship.”
“Yes, I’ll accept,” Melli said at once. She gave Liosh another shy smile and the big Blood Kindred returned it and squeezed her hand.
Jodi shot an angry look at Vorn, who returned it with a blank stare of his own. Clearly there was no love lost between these two—they had been at odds from the moment they met each other for some reason. But it was also clear that Jodi had no choice in this matter.
“All right,” she said at last, grudgingly. “As long as he really does stay in the background.”
“Don’t worry,” Vorn growled, his golden eyes flashing. “I have no wish to insinuate myself into any part of your life, Josephine.”
“Ugh—don’t call me that!”
Jodi hated her first name. She had been named after her paternal grandmother who was a strict, unyielding old lady who always gave the girls lectures about everything they were doing wrong. Jodi had disliked Grandma Josephine as a child. On her tenth birthday, she had declared that she never wanted to be anything like her and wished she didn’t have her name. From that point on, she had been “Jodi” to the whole family by her own request.
“Just call me Jodi, like everyone else,” she told Vorn now, frowning up at him.
“If you don’t wish to be called by your first name, I will call you ‘my Lady’ as Liosh calls Melinda,” Vorn said stolidly. “It is disrespectful to shorten a female’s name in my culture.”
“My Lady? Like we’re at the freaking Renaissance Fair?”
“What is the—?” Vorn began but she was already shaking her head.
“Never mind. Whatever. Just don’t call me Josephine.”
Jodi looked away, her cheeks burning and Vicky knew her oldest daughter was wondering how in the world she would explain having a seven-foot-tall Beast Kindred bodyguard dogging her every step and addressing her like they were both players in a Shakespearean theater troupe. Hopefully Vorn really could stay in the background.
As for Liosh and Melli, well, the way her younger daughter was looking at the Blood Kindred gave Vicky hope that perhaps Melli’s self-imposed dry spell was coming to an end. Maybe Liosh would be good for her—maybe he could help her get over whatever it was that had been keeping her in her shell for the past three and a half years.
Vicky could only hope and pray that both her daughters would be all right but it made her feel better to know that both of them were going to be guarded by Kindred warriors.
Because, as she knew from her own personal experience, no human man could love and care for and protect a girl halfway as well as a Kindred.
The End?
I really thought it would be! Of this particular book, anyway. But it occurred to me that I LOVE the whole bodyguard trope and I really want to see what happens to sweet, shy Melli and her devoted Blood Kindred, Liosh. I also want to know what happens when fiery, independent Jodi butts heads with the dark, stubborn Vorn. Also, I know most of my books are set on alien worlds, but I’d like to see how Kindred warriors function in regular Earth society—what the reactions of other humans are to them and how they deal with any human problems that get thrown their way.
Are you interested to know more about Melli and Jodi? I don’t know if they would each get a book—I think I’d like to write both sisters at once and watch how their different stories with their two very different Kindred flow and intertwine. If you’re interested too, please let me know on my Facebook page. I love to hear from readers so drop me a line and let me know how you feel about a continuation of this storyline.
For now, if you have enjoyed Stea
ling her Heart, please take a moment to leave a review or like a positive review HERE. Good reviews are like gold for an author in the crazy, overcrowded e-book market. They let other readers know it's okay to take a chance on a new series or a new author. Plus they give me the warm fuzzies. : )
Thanks for being such an awesome reader!
Hugs,
Evangeline
Fang and Claw
Book Two of the Nocturne Academy Series
Coming February 2020
My name is Kaitlyn Fellows and I'll never be the same.
The Fire stole everything from me.
My home...my family...even my beauty.
The right side of my face is normal--even pretty. But the left side, I hide in shame. That's where The Fire marked me...scarred me forever.
At Nocturne Academy I'm nothing--just a little Norm girl with no supernatural powers and a disfigured face.
Which is why it's so strange that a big, handsome Drake like Ari Reyes should take an interest in me.
But it isn't only Ari who wants me.
For under his high cheekbones and clear amber eyes, Ari hides another, much more frightening visage--A Drake, the fire-breathing monster that lives within him.
A monster who has decided I should be his alone.
Can I survive Ari's love for me? And more importantly, can I survive the love of his Drake?
Because once a girl has been claimed by a Drake, the only way out is through The Fire.
What am I going to do?
Guarding the Goddess
Deleted Chapter
Author’s Note: I wrote this chapter and loved it, but then realized that it would give away the fact that it was Tisa, Ty’s chewchie, who actually called for help. But it was so cute, I wanted you to be able to read it. So here it is—the deleted chapter of Tisa being adorable and bossy and telling Asher to get his ass over to Helios Beta and help his friend, Ty. Enjoy!
Hugs,
Evangeline
Sixty light years away, Commander Asher of the Kindred Elite Espionage Corps and his new bride Lisa were woken from a peaceful sleep by a high, piercing wail.
“Oh my God—what is it?” Lisa sat bolt upright in bed.
“Lights!” Asher roared, also sitting up and fumbling for his blaster.
Brilliant light flooded their bedroom, blinding them for a moment. When they were finally able to see again, they were treated to the sight of their chewchies—Gruff and Isabel—sitting up at the foot of their bed and wailing with all their might.
“Oh, no! What is it? What’s wrong with them?” Lisa asked. Her heart was pounding and she pressed a hand to her chest, trying to still it.
“I don’t know.” Asher looked as perplexed as she felt. “Maybe it’s some kind of chewchie ritual?”
“Maybe—” Lisa began but just then both chewchies started speaking in unison—in a voice they had never heard before.
“Listen up,” the new voice, which was high-pitched and definitely on the bossy side, Lisa thought, began. “Now that I have your attention, I need your help. I am Tisa, the Sacred Blue chewchie sent by Thufar himself to be the companion of the Lan’Glaver—the Savior of the Goddess.”
“Who?” Asher asked, frowning.
“You know him as Commander Ty’rial—your friend, Ty,” the voice that had called itself “Tisa” went on, issuing eerily from the mouths of both Gruff and Isabel at the same time. “Anyway, Ty is the rightful consort of the Goddess in the Flesh—the Potentate of Helios Beta. But he is being held in the dungeons below the palace on orders of the evil traitor, Lord Kikbax—the High Priest of Thufar.”
Lisa still felt like she was half asleep. Could their chewchies really be broadcasting an SOS for Asher’s friend from light years away? Or was she still dreaming?
The chewchie called Tisa who was still speaking through their own chewchies dispelled that idea almost at once.
“Well?” she demanded. “Why are you both still just lying there? There’s no time to lose—the High Priest is planning to rule the planet through the Potentate and use Ty as leverage to make her do whatever he says. Also, they want to kill me! Me—a Sacred Blue chewchie! Which is an unspeakable sacrilege!”
She sounded outraged, Lisa thought as she came more awake. Also bossy. She had never met such a headstrong chewchie before. But then again, she really only talked to Isabel and Gruff and neither of them were as articulate as Tisa.
“Get up—come on!” she demanded now. “Get in a ship and come help Ty right now—he needs you!”
Asher was already pulling on his clothes.
“Tell Ty I’m on my way,” he told the chewchies.
“Not by yourself, you’re not. What about me?” Lisa demanded.
Asher paused for a moment and took her by the shoulders.
“Sweetheart, you know very well that it’s not safe for a female who’s pregnant or might be pregnant to fold space.”
Lisa bit her lip. He was right. And though she had no idea if she was “riding the preggy train” as her friend Kat put it, or not, she thought the chances were good that she might be. After all, she and Asher had been making love every spare minute for the past month—it was like they couldn’t get enough of each other.
“But… I’ll worry about you,” she said in a small voice.
“Don’t worry,” Asher said grimly. “I’m not going on my own. I’ll take a Think-me and bespeak a whole company of warriors to come on my way to the Docking Bay. We’ll get Ty to safety and take care of this coup in short order.”
“All right.” Lisa pulled him in for a hug and clung to him for a long moment. “Be careful,” she whispered in his ear. “I love you.”
“I love you forever.” Asher gave her a swift kiss and then he was gone.
Lisa looked at the chewchies, who still sat at attention at the foot of her bed.
“All right, Tisa, whoever you are,” she said, “You’d better keep me informed. I want to know that my man is safe.”
“So does Her Highness the Potentate,” Tisa responded, only speaking through Isabel this time. “But don’t worry—if all else fails, I’m still here. I won’t let that nasty Lord Kikbax get away with his evil plots!”
Lisa wondered what in the world a tiny chewchie could do against the High Priest of Thufar, whom she remembered as a rather pompous, power-hungry man who hadn’t liked the fact that the new Potentate had a mind of her own.
“Please, Goddess,” she prayed, looking up to the ceiling and sending the prayer skyward with all her heart. “Please help Asher to rescue his friend and the new Potentate and bring him safely home to me."
Give the gift of a hot Kindred warrior to a Friend!
Do you love the Kindred? Do you want to talk about wishing you could go live on the Mother Ship without your friends thinking you're crazy? Well now it's super easy to get them into the Kindred universe. Just share this LINK https://dl.bookfunnel.com/bbomfmojv9 with them to download Claimed, the first book in my Brides of the Kindred series for FREE. No strings attached--I don't even want to collect their email for my newsletter. I just want you to be able to share the Kindred world with your besties and have fun doing it.
Hugs and Happy Reading! Evangeline
Also by Evangeline Anderson
Brides of the Kindred series (Sci-fi /Action-Adventure /Romance)
Claimed (Also available in Audio)
Hunted (Also available in Audio)
Sought (Also Available in Audio)
Found (Also Available in Audio )
Revealed (Also Available in Audio)
Pursued (Also Available in Audio)
Exiled (Also Available in Audio)
Shadowed (Also Available in Audio)
Chained (Also Available in Audio)
Divided (Also Available in Audio)
Devoured (Also Available in Audio)
Enhanced (Also Available in Audio)
Cursed (Also Available in Audio)
Enslaved (Also available in Audio)<
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Targeted (Also available in Audio)
Forgotten (Coming soon to Audio)
Switched
Uncharted
Unbound
Surrendered
Vanished
Imprisoned
Twisted
Deceived
Kindred Tales series (side stories in the Brides of the Kindred which are outside the main story arc. These can be read as STAND ALONE novels.)
Mastering the Mistress (Also available in Audio)
Bonding with the Beast (Also available in Audio)
Seeing with the Heart (Also available in Audio)
Freeing the Prisoner (Also available in Audio)
Healing the Broken (a Kindred Christmas novel) (Also available in Audio)
Taming the Giant (Also available in Audio)
Bridging the Distance (Also available in Audio)
Loving a Stranger (Also available in Audio)
Finding the Jewel (Also available in Audio)
Bonded by Accident (Also available in Audio)
Releasing the Dragon (Also available in Audio)
Sharing a Mate (Also available in Audio)
Instructing the Novice (Also available in Audio)
Awakened by the Giant (Also available in Audio)
Hitting the Target (Also available in Audio)
Handling the Hybrid (Coming soon to Audio)
Trapped in Time
Time to Heal
Pairing with the Protector
Falling for Kindred Claus
Guarding the Goddess
Stealing Her Heart
Born to Darkness series (Paranormal/Action-Adventure/Romance)
Crimson Debt (Also available in Audio)
Scarlet Heat (Also available in Audio)
Ruby Shadows (Also available in Audio)
Cardinal Sins (Coming Soon)
Dessert (short novella following Scarlet Heat) (Also in Audio)
Stealing Her Heart: A Kindred Tales Novel (Brides of the Kindred) Page 26