by Celeste Raye
“Now, if you want me to do this, give me your gun, your phone, and the name. After that, you leave, and we never see each other again; good?”
Chris agreed. He handed the man the gun, telling Gerald to do the same. Gerald tried to protest, but there was no need for it. Chris waved him off. The guy didn’t know what they were. Chris knew that a gun wasn’t going to matter in the grand scheme of things, not against him and Gerald. They’d both been shot many times before.
“Fine, call off your men and tell them to leave Fran alone. That is the only thing that matters at this point. You do that, and we walk away. Nothing else has to happen.”
Juan did not seem like he believed Chris. He was rather surprised that it was Fran that this was all about.
“All this was about Fran? I don't even know what she looks like. We had to torture people even to get a picture of her. I was not that impressed, though it was an older picture. Maybe she has grown into her nose.”
Chris ignored the comment and tried to stay focused. If the man was telling the truth, then he had to make sure that all of the threat was neutralized before he got rid of this one as well.
“She grows on you. What can I say?”
“Love is a fickle bitch, isn't she? Give me a second. Do you have a phone?”
Chris handed him his phone and waited for him to make the call. It was one of the most important calls that he could think of at the moment, but he still wasn't sure if he believed Juan. He wanted to think that nothing could happen to her. That she would be safe. But he had to make sure.
Juan dialed a number and told whoever it was on the other side of the line that he was calling off the hit on Fran. Chris grabbed the phone from him and realized that Juan had called no one. He was stalling. Now he raised the gun and he smiled at Chris, cocked it and pointed it at him.
Chris turned into his wolf and went straight for Juan's neck. He did not know if what he said was true about others coming for them, but it didn't matter. Juan would not make Fran live in fear anymore.
He was going to go home and tell Fran that it was over. It was the only way that she was going to be able to sleep at night. All Chris wanted was to keep her safe and to make her happy. Now he was going to go home and take care of the second part.
Chapter Thirty-One
“Are you sure that everything is okay now? I mean, I want the kids to come back, but I just want to make sure everything is safe before they do.”
“It's fine. Trust me. I told you that I would take care of it and I have. You don't have to worry about anything ever again. Your mother can come out of hiding. You guys are safe.”
It had been almost a month, and with extra security that Fran never knew about, he was pretty convinced that nothing was coming. Nothing was hiding in the bushes, waiting to jump out and get them.
“I am glad that it is all over.”
“Me too.”
“So, what’s wrong?”
“The problem that I'm having at the moment, is the fact that you do not have a ring on your finger. I asked you last night, and you told me that you would make a decision and put the ring on. The ring is not there.”
“So, what’s the problem?”
“I haven't...”
“You haven't what?”
“I haven't put it on yet.”
“I can see that, Fran. Are you going to tell me why?”
“Don't you want me to really think about it? I mean, this is a big decision. Marrying you is a huge decision.”
“It is the only decision that there is to make. We are going to finally be our own little family.”
“We already were a family, Chris. A ring on my finger isn't going to make us any more or less of one.”
He frowned at her, and that seemed to make her smile. She had the ring in her pocket, and she slid it on her finger.
“Is that what I think it means?”
“If you're wondering if it means I said yes, then yes. I will marry you. Of course, I will.”
He grinned a little wider and pulled her up into his arms. Chris was trying his best to take control of his emotions, but it was nearly impossible to. He was finally getting everything that he wanted and needed. And more, somehow.
He twirled her around and then set her back down, kissing her lips as he did so. Before long, he was feeling a little bit of fever and tried to coerce her into what he wanted. She pulled back and resisted.
“If we do that now, we won’t get anything done.”
“That's fine. I don't mind, really.”
She shook her head like she was frustrated with him, but he knew that was just a sign of her being in love.
“What will people think of you marrying the nanny?”
He shrugged. “You think that I care what anyone thinks? You’ve been a better mom to them than Cassidy ever was.”
“I know but…”
He could tell that something was bothering her. Fran wore her emotions on her face.
“If we get married, that means that your family will come to the wedding.”
“Yeah, that’s what usually happens.”
“But that means that your dad is going to be there, Chris. And I don’t know if I want to ever be around him again.”
“He won’t be there.”
“Of course, he will. He’s your dad, and he’s the alpha. How can you get married and him not be there?”
“Well, for one, he isn’t the alpha anymore.”
She asked him what that meant.
“I defeated him in front of the pack, so they are now mine.”
Fran wasn’t sure what that meant.
“When?”
“About a week after we killed Juan.”
“Oh.”
“Do you want to know what happened?”
“I do, but then I don’t. It’s probably best that I don’t know. I just don’t want to ever be around him again.”
“I know, and you won’t be. He knows that he’s not welcome here. Never will be again.”
“Don’t you think that’s too harsh?”
“He tried to have you killed twice. He’s lucky that I let him live after that. Trust me. He will never mess with you again.”
She smiled, and Fran leaned closer for a kiss. She wanted the distraction now. Talking about Dalton made all of the bad memories come back, and that was the last thing that Fran needed in her life.
“I am just glad that it’s over and we’re together.”
Chris agreed. He couldn’t think of it going more perfectly than it had been lately. Everything about her told him that it was all going to be okay. It was all going to be perfect.
“You have been up all night, woman. It’s time for you to come to bed.”
“You know, I was talking to your sister, Chris, and she told me that she is having a hell of a time getting a babysitter. She says that the kids are starting to show signs and it keeps freaking out the babysitters, and they leave.”
“Well, my niece and nephew are quite a handful. I can imagine that when the effects start showing, it can be a bit much. What would you have thought if it were Dante that had changed instead of me? Would you have felt any different?”
Fran looked alarmed. “Does he already shift?”
“No, not until he’s thirteen. He knows that he will one day, but I haven’t talked about it too much. It can be a scary idea for the kids.”
“I guess so. I don’t know if I would have reacted differently or not. That’s a lot to take on, no matter what age the shifter is.”
“Exactly.”
He pulled her in for a kiss, trying to distract her from what seemed to be another obsession of hers. Fran got something in her mind, and it didn’t leave until she had figured whatever it was out.
“You know what I should do?”
“With you, dear, there is no telling.”
“I should start a nanny service for the supernatural.”
He chuckled for a moment, but the pouting lips that met him showed h
im that she was not happy with his assessment. Fran was being serious, which meant that she wanted him to be serious too.
“A nanny service, huh?”
“Yeah, do you think that it will be a good idea?”
Chris wasn’t going to say it wasn’t, though he knew that his father would have a fit if his good name was attached to such a venture.
“My family would love it.”
She giggled. “Don’t say yes if you think it will bomb and piss your dad off.”
“You know me too well, Fran; you know that? But I don’t think it will bomb. It will be a success if you want it to be. I’m sure of it. The bigger it gets, the more he will hate it. Soon, it will be his last name after yours. I will give you all the capital you need, as long as the name is done in pink.”
She just shook her head. “You’re horrible.”
“I know. You think that’s too much?”
Fran disagreed quickly. “Not at all. Pink sounds good.”
Chris pulled her in for a kiss, feeling her body already giving in to him. “What would I do without you, Fran?”
She kissed him again and smiled. “You never have to know, baby. That’s a promise.”
“It’s a promise that I am going to hold you to.”
Bear Nanny’s Revenge
Shifter Nanny Agency
Prologue
“Why are you guys always whispering?”
Laura walked into the living room where several of her female family members were. She had no idea what to think of it all, but there was something going on. Laura could feel it. She could also feel hurt, given everyone else was invited but her.
She knew why of course. Laura knew that it had to do with the fact that she didn’t agree with her family’s tactics. They were vicious and used their gifts for bad dealings. Laura hadn’t gone to the dark side, and they were aware of that. They gave her looks every time she was around them, and some didn’t even try to hold their hate in.
“Because there are always sweet little ears that can’t hear us.”
Laura turned to her Aunt Dawn and shook her head.
“You know that I am not listening to you. I don’t want to know what you have going on. I don’t care.”
Her mother stood up and cast a look to her sister. Laura was supposed to keep it all in and respect her elders. She had been taught that time and time again. The only problem was that she didn’t respect any of the five sisters. Her mother was the sixth, but Caroline’s views were mixed. She was in the world, wrapped up in it, and they were her family. If it were her sisters that she would have to go against, Caroline had picked her sisters over her daughter many times before.
“It is for the best. Your life force is too light. You don’t see any gray areas, daughter. Not everything is as it seems, and you haven’t learned that yet.”
Laura agreed because she knew that it was the only way that she was going to get out of there. She had to act like she didn’t care. The only problem was, Laura did care, a lot. It was a fatal flaw. Laura despised her family, most of them, anyway, and she had learned that it was the best if she kept her distance.
She went into the back bedroom where she got her things together. Laura had class later in the day at a local college. She was studying to become a lawyer. Laura wasn’t sure why she was called to that profession, but part of her figured that it had something to do with righting some wrongs. Even though Laura had not had anything to do with many of the bad things her family had decided upon, she still found a desire to fix it. Laura figured that if she could put enough good karma into the air, maybe it would counteract all of the bad that her family had done.
Laura was about ready to leave the room when she started to hear raised voices. The females in her family were arguing about something.
Laura should have kept going, down the hallway and out the door, but instead, she stayed on the stairs for quite some time. Laura could hear voices, and she was too curious not to find out what they were doing. Whatever it was, it was important. She had no idea what they would want, but in the end, everyone wants revenge in her family.
“They need to be taken out.” Dawn’s voice rung clear.
Caroline wasn’t as sure, and it made Laura feel a little bit better about it. At least her mom wasn’t as evil as she could have been.
“I don’t think that is the course of action that we need to take, Dawn. You find killing far too easy.”
Dawn tried to disagree, but her sister wasn’t the only one that thought that. Laura thought about it as well.
“That is true, Caroline. You should remember that. Don't get it twisted. I will do what is necessary for Roxanne to get her revenge. Now your sisters are asking for you to do the same thing.”
Laura did not know what her Aunt Dawn was talking about, but she could hear the agreement coming from the rest of the women. They all seemed to agree that the best course of action was death.
Caroline finally spoke. “I just don't understand why we have to do it this way. Do we really have to burn them all?”
Laura tried to hold in the gasp attempting to launch itself from her throat. She couldn’t risk being caught, but she also couldn’t will her legs to move. Now she was straining even further in the hallway, trying to hear what they were saying.
“Yes, Caroline. They all have to burn.”
There was agreement in the room, and the family came to a very cold decision. Laura felt a coldness run through her body.
Instead of continuing to listen, Laura finally pulled herself from her spot and returned to her room. She grabbed a few things for a long trip. How was Laura supposed to stay there, given what her family was?
The past, it seemed, had not been enough evil, and now her family was back on the same path as before. That was killing Laura inside. It was bad enough that she couldn't save all those people before. Now, she was running away again, because there was no point. Laura couldn’t save anyone now either.
When she got back downstairs, her mother pulled her to the side and asked her when she was going to be back. It had always been hard for Laura to lie to her mother, but it was rather easy this time. She didn't even know who she was anymore. The woman that had raised her, who taught her right from wrong and showed her how to love, was now a woman that she feared. How was she supposed to make sense of that in her mind?
“When are you going to be back?”
“Are you worried that I'll be here to ruin your plan?”
Caroline gave her a dirty look and wrapped her arm around her daughter’s, pulling her into another room.
“There are a lot of things at play that you don't understand, Laura. You've never wanted to understand. You always want to be so quick to judge, but you just don't get it.”
Laura asked her mother to explain it to her. At the moment, there was no possible way she could think any less of her. Not after what she heard. Laura wanted something to cling to, hoping that there was a way for her to feel like her mother was a good person. Even if she wasn't.
“It is just something that has to be done, Laura. You're going to have to trust me on this one.”
Laura felt bitterness bubble up inside of her. The last thing that she was going to do was trust her mother, or any of the rest of her family. They were not there to make her life easier.
“Sure, Mom. I'll be back in a couple of days. Is that going to be enough time for you guys to get everything in order for your plan?”
Caroline sighed and disagreed. “No, I need you to be gone for a few months if you don’t want to get into the middle of it. It is going to take time for this to come together, and I want you to be as far away from this as possible.”
She was a bit surprised to hear that since her mother had always tried to keep her close. What was so bad that she didn't even want her around? Was there even more that she hadn’t heard?
“Are you sure you're alright?”
Caroline agreed, but her facial expression did not.
“Call me
and let me know where you're going to be.”
Her mom sounded concerned, but Laura did not believe it for a minute. Maybe it was better she did take some time away, perhaps longer than both of them thought.
Chapter One
“So, you do know that we cater to a different sort of clientele here, Laura.”
“I know. My family are Baxter witches. Trust me when I tell you that there isn’t anything the kids could do that I haven’t seen before.”
Fran agreed. “I hear that is a rough family to be in. I think I have heard about your aunt’s latest crusade.”
“Yeah, I have heard about it, but I try to stay away from that. I think that my aunt was good at one point, but she got pulled into the wrong crowd.”
Fran didn't say anything for a moment because she knew that her words had to be measured far more than they usually were. Laura was sweet, and she had a good resume. Fran wanted to hire her. So the last thing she wanted to do was make her upset about talking about her family. Everyone in the magic world knew what her aunt had done. She had tried to end a whole race of magical people. No one was going to forget about that.
“That is why you left Brighton?”
“After everything that happened with my aunt, I knew that sticking around probably would not be the best thing for me to do. And besides that, she wanted to take revenge. She has pulled the rest of the family into it as well. I know that they are planning something and I don't want to be a part of it. A change of scenery was needed.”
Fran wanted to ask more, but she knew better. It was most likely best that she didn't find out. Dealing with witches, especially ones like the Baxters, was risky. Fran had a good life, and she didn't want to wreck it.
“Well, we can't help who our family is. Trust me when I say that some of us wish we could. I need more nannies, and you check out. I think that you would be a great benefit to my clients, and I would like to hire you for the job. Do you have a species that you refuse to work with?”
