by Juniper Hart
Sage gave Matin a scathing look, and to his credit, she looked abashed.
“It was what our mother suggested,” Matin offered weakly, “when she arranged for my death.”
“Why would she do that? Doesn’t she obey the sheik’s wishes?”
“Of course she does,” he said. “But she loves her children more. She didn’t want to see us unhappy, Sage. She might not agree with our choices, but she loves us enough to let us make our own mistakes and not be miserable.”
Sage snuggled her baby daughter to her chest and peered down at her face lovingly.
I just met you, and I already know I would do anything to make you happy, she thought wistfully. What will you be like when you are fully grown? Would I go through such great lengths to save you? She shuddered.
“What is it, Sage?”
“What are you going to do about the sheik?” she breathed. “And Helios? Neither are apt to let this go.”
“Matin and I have discussed what we are going to do with our father,” Cruz told her. “We’ve decided to confront him, in the flesh, and tell him that we’re out. We’re hoping that, when he sees how far we’re willing to go to get away from him, he’ll see the error in his ways and back off.”
“I don’t know how that’s going to fly,” Sage said worriedly, looking at the child in her arms. She remembered how happily Jett had drugged her and the words he had spoken to her.
“It doesn’t matter,” Matin said firmly. “If he doesn’t accept our humble resignation, we’ll go public with all his shady dealings.”
Sage gaped at them. “He’ll kill you!”
“He won’t,” he argued. “He’s a bastard, but he’s not that big of a bastard. He’s given us no other out but this.”
“And Helios?” Sage mumbled. “What happened to him after I went down?” The twins exchanged a look and exhaled.
“He got away,” Cruz explained softly. “But that has given me ample cause to approach the Council of Seven again. It’s convenient that the minute I bequeath them the sword, you’re attacked, isn’t it?”
Sage paled. “Y-you think it was a set-up?”
“I don’t know what to think,” he growled. “But I really don’t like it, whatever it is. It seems strange to me that Helios would resurface after all this time. I feel like he’s getting information from within the highest echelons of the Council.”
“That’s a bold statement, brother,” Matin said nervously. “I think we should all keep this to ourselves.” Sage nodded in agreement, swallowing the lump that had formed in her throat.
“Good idea,” she murmured, snuggling the baby closer.
“Matin, can you leave us for a few minutes?” Cruz asked.
“Oh, yes, yes, of course.” Matin bowed and backed out of the room, leaving the couple alone to stare at one another.
“I’m so glad you’re unharmed,” Cruz said to her tenderly. “I don’t know what I would have done without you, Sage. When I saw what he was doing to you—”
“Well, you can stop thinking about it,” Sage interjected, sitting up to adjust the baby. Cruz shook his head and sighed, reaching for the child.
“May I hold her now?”
“Yes!” Eagerly, she handed the baby to him and watched with adoration as he pressed his lips to the top of her head.
“She’s perfect,” he sighed. “Just like you.” A smile curved Sage’s lips and filled her eyes.
“You’re a natural,” she murmured. “Fatherhood suits you.”
“You think so?” He chuckled. “Because I have this overwhelming protectiveness enshrouding me right now, like I would rip the face off anyone who looked at her funny.”
“Matin?” Sage asked.
“Matin? No, I mean our… Oh…” Cruz paused and looked at her. “You still want to name her Matin?”
“It’s French for morning, remember? Didn’t we agree that we’re going to have a new beginning with her?”
“But… that was before, wasn’t it? When we thought he was gone?”
Sage met his gaze and shook her head. “If I learned anything over the past few months, it’s that we need to appreciate what we have when we have it. We don’t need to wait to celebrate those we love, do we?”
Understanding flooded Cruz’s face, and he nodded in agreement, his eyes darting back down to his newborn’s pink face.
“You’re absolutely right,” he conceded.
“I usually am,” Sage teased. “You should listen to me more often.”
“Noted,” he laughed, gently kissing her forehead. “I’ll never argue with you again, Sage.” Her smile faded slightly, and she met his eyes lovingly.
“I don’t care if you argue with me every damned day,” she breathed. “As long as you don’t ever leave me again.” Cruz chuckled, and the new family cuddled together.
“Haven’t you heard?” he murmured. “Even demons can’t keep us away.”
Epilogue
The Palace of Ara was alight with candles and lights, lining the docks to greet the endless array of yachts and sailboats which had come to join in the festivities.
“This is surreal,” Sage muttered. “I keep expecting someone to jump out of the bushes and whisk me away with a bag over my head.”
“The sheik is dead, Sage,” Cruz reminded her. “The palace is ours now. You have nothing to fear anymore.”
Matin waved at her parents from the lawn, where she was dancing with several other small children, laughing and squealing in sparkling clothes.
“She looks like a little princess, doesn’t she?” Sage said wistfully.
“It’s in her blood to be one,” Cruz reminded her. “She’ll love it here.”
“You will, too,” Ara murmured in Sage’s ear, and the redhead whirled to stare at her mother-in-law. “You will learn to love it here.”
“Oh…” Sage laughed nervously, unsure of how true that was. “I’m not sure how much I’ll be here. I’ve been thinking about going back to school. The CEO of Northeastern Airlines is going to be hosting some seminars, and I’d like to pick her brain about starting a company of my own.”
Ara touched her arm gently and steered her aside, a serene grin on her face.
“Excuse us, Cruz. Girl chatter,” she said, and Sage looked at him helplessly. “You don’t mind that I borrowed you, do you, Sage?” Ara asked sweetly.
“No,” Sage lied. “Of course not.” While she would never admit it aloud, she found her mother-in-law intimidating, despite her calm demeanor.
“Sage, you are a smart woman,” she began. “A good woman. You make my son happy.”
“He does the same for me, Ara,” Sage said. Was it going to be the lecture where Ara threatened to break her legs if she hurt Cruz?
“You have the world at your fingertips, Sage. You are beautiful, intelligent, and you have all the money you will ever need.”
Sage bristled. “I would still like to work, Ara. I have no intention of teaching my daughter that she should sit around and be waited on hand and foot.”
Ara burst into a round of tinkling laughter which reverberated across the courtyard and bounced back toward her sons, who stared at them curiously.
“You misunderstand me, child,” Ara purred, leaning in, her dark eyes flashing with amusement. “I am telling you precisely the opposite.” Sage blinked uncomprehendingly at her, waiting for Ara to elaborate. “It is us females who rule the world, dear,” she breathed, linking her arm through Sage’s and leading her further into the palace walls. “Whether the men want to admit it or not.”
The conversation was taking a turn toward the bizarre. Ara had married a sheik with two other wives. Who was she to discuss feminism with Sage?
Ara laughed, as if she had read her mind.
“You think that I am not an authority on the subject because of our customs,” she chuckled. “And I understand your reasoning, but I will tell you this one piece of advice, if you’ll take it.”
Sage looked at her expectantly.
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“If there ever comes a time when you need to choose between saving your children or saving your husband, you must always choose the former.” Her face hardened, and Sage felt a chill of apprehension as she studied the exotic features. “Do you understand?” she questioned, and Sage nodded, not trusting her own voice.
As quickly as it had come on, the darkness faded from Ara’s face, and she guided Sage back toward her husband, who still stared at them, perplexed.
“Our males are always replaceable, child,” Ara continued in a low voice. “But our children are not.” With that, she left Sage with Cruz and wandered away to join the party guests who had come to celebrate the twins’ birthday.
“What was that about?” Cruz asked, his confusion palpable.
“I-I’m not sure,” Sage replied honestly. “But I think your mother just gave me permission to kill you if need be.”
Cruz howled with laughter, and Sage formed a weak smile. On the inside, though, she was wondering if her mother-in-law had been trying to warn her of what was coming up ahead. She cast Cruz a sidelong look and tried to find some semblance of his father in his dark eyes, but she could see nothing.
He’s no more his father than I am mine, Sage thought, looping her fingers through his and dropping her head against his chest, listening for his heartbeat. Overhead, an airplane flew by and their eyes darted upward to take it in.
“Do you suppose that there are two mates on that plane?” Cruz asked.
“You’re a hopeless romantic,” Sage teased with a laugh, and he kissed her neck.
“You made me into one,” he replied.
“Are you complaining?” He met her eyes intently and shook his head earnestly.
“No. I have absolutely no complaints.”
The sincerity in his face was all she needed to reconfirm her deepest feelings. They were mates, and nothing in the universe would ever come between them.
Shifter Encounter
Revenge of the Bears
Prologue
The pain was evident on Helios’ face, his eyes glazed over as he rasped out uneven breaths of air.
“Sire, I feel like you are in worse shape than you let on,” Vaughan murmured, his hideous face twisted in concern. “I can’t leave you like this.”
Helios’ nostrils flared. He was getting worse, there was no doubt about it. “I didn’t ask for a nursemaid, Vaughan, I asked where you were on collecting our army.”
Vaughan eyed him, his face clouded with wariness, and he sighed. “Better, sire. I have received a lot of interest since you have boldly resurfaced. The demons were beginning to think you were gone for good.”
That’s something, Helios thought, but it wasn’t enough. Months ago, the news would have filled him with pleasure; now that he had been infected with the aranium, though, he could hardly feel anything. Cruz Reyes and his wretched mate are to blame for this, he thought, not for the first time, his fury resurfacing in a flash of light.
“Sire, you can’t consider exacting your revenge, not when your case has been weakened by the poisoning.”
Helios hissed, struggling to sit up against the sheets, but every move he made seemed to weigh him down more.
“You just said that I have a following now,” he growled. “Why would I quit when I’m ahead?”
“Sire, with due respect, you are not in any position to overcome a hunt of this magnitude. We must find a cure for your poisoning—”
“You think I don’t know that?” Helios snarled. “I don’t need your insight, Vaughan, I need results. How many demons have you gathered for my cause?” Vaughan paused, as if he was contemplating the question, but Helios was not fooled by his pensive expression. “Don’t beat around the bush, Vaughan. How many are we talking? Hundreds? Thousands?”
Helios licked his lips in anticipation.
“Dozens?” Vaughan mumbled weakly, shuffling back as if he feared a beating for such a dismal response.
“What?” Helios choked. “Dozens?”
“It will take time to build loyalty, Sire. You shouldn’t become disheartened, but our first order of business should be recovering your health.”
Helios was furious, and with a burst of adrenaline, he leapt from the bed to advance upon his assistant. The energy, however, was short-lived, and he fell short of the half-formed demon before him.
“Fine,” he rasped, realizing that fighting was futile. “Fine.”
With an uncharacteristic resolve, he sank back, and Vaughan slowly showed his face from the cover of his cloak, his glassy eyes widening with relief. Helios was no threat to him in that position. The demon was far too weak, despite his rage. The aranium he had ingested through his quest to seek revenge was slowly eating away at him, killing Helios slowly.
It was a small miracle that he wasn’t already dead, but given enough time, Helios was sure that the mineral would eventually overcome him. He needed to find a cure.
“Continue building my army,” Helios muttered, his mind racing.
“What will you do, Sire?” Vaughan wanted to know, sensing that his superior was plotting something else in the interim.
Helios glowered. “I have no choice but to find a cure for this poison in my blood,” he retorted, sounding annoyed that Vaughan would ask such a stupid question.
“How do you intend to do that, Sire?” True, they were no longer hiding out in the remoteness of Iceland, but even in the highlands of Scotland, they were still removed from civilization and worlds away from the Enchanted.
“I will have to find an Aldwin witch,” Helios replied shortly. Vaughan balked at the notion, his eyes almost bulging from their sockets.
“No descendent of Alaric Aldwin is going to help you,” Vaughan protested, and not for the first time, Helios felt his temper flare at the half-wit’s propensity for stating the obvious.
“Not willingly, no,” he drawled. “But we won’t give her a choice.”
Understanding lit Vaughan’s face, and he slowly edged closer to Helios, interest coloring his face.
“You already have someone in mind,” he breathed. “Who is it?”
“You let me worry about getting to the New World,” Helios told him with more confidence than he felt. Every day that passed, he was losing his strength, but he would be damned if he would let that interfere with his plans for revenge. Or if he would let a cretin like Vaughan see him in such a vulnerable position.
“The New World?” Vaughan echoed uncertainly. “Sire, I don’t think you should be traveling in your condition—”
“SILENCE!” Helios yelled, not wanting to be reminded of his shortcomings. He had survived this long to avenge Carina’s death, and he wouldn’t go quietly into the night. No, he would find a witch and get his cure so that his revenge would be complete. He owed it to his mate.
And what better way to add insult to injury than to get a descendant of Alaric Aldwin to cure me?
“I won’t be told by a lesser being how to handle my affairs,” Helios continued, as if he felt the need to further explain his actions. “You will gather the army I have been demanding, or I will find someone who can.”
Vaughan lowered his eyes and nodded quickly. “Yes, Sire. Should I ready the jet for your journey to…?” He paused, realizing he wasn’t even sure where in the New World Helios intended to go.
“Canada,” Helios chuckled. “British Columbia. I hear it is beautiful this time of year.”
“Canada.” The word seemed to stick in Vaughan’s mouth as he puckered his forehead. “There are Aldwin witches in Canada?”
“There are Aldwin witches all over the world, but this one is by far the easiest to approach,” Helios explained. “She is dying.”
Vaughan blinked. “What makes you think she will be able to cure you then?”
“She isn’t dead yet, Vaughan,” Helios snapped irritably. “She still has her healing powers until the minute they take her off life support.”
Vaughan met his eyes, and Helios could read his mind clearly.
What could an unconscious witch do to help an ailing demon?
“Her blood, you fool! A mere bite of an Aldwin witch should inoculate me against any further aranium attacks, even if the sword finds its way back into my purview.” Vaughan didn’t look convinced, but Helios didn’t care. He was sure a simple bite from an incapacitated Aldwin witch would save him. He only needed to get to her before she perished. “What are you waiting for, Vaughan? Get to work. I have flight plans to arrange.”
“Yes, Sire. I’ll ready the jet and tell them you’re heading to Canada,” Vaughan agreed quickly, bowing as he backed away.
“Yes, Canada,” Helios murmured as his sidekick disappeared. The sleepy town of Apple Orchard wasn’t apt to ever be the same after Helios was done with it, and through his weary body, the demon felt a fission of pleasure.
It was high time that he made his mark again. This time, there would be no setbacks.
1
He must feel very proud of himself, dumping a girl when she’s just lost her job, Gena thought with a bitterness. He probably felt it coming and waited to pour salt directly on the wound. What a prince. I should have married that ass when I had the chance.
Sarcasm punctuated her thoughts, and Gena’s feet pounded against the asphalt. She jogged over the Christie Park Bridge and down toward the fountain in the courtyard, each step heavier than the last. Sidestepping yet another older man feeding the ducks, Gena scowled angrily, resisting the urge to curse him out.
This is why there are bird droppings all over the damned park! There are benches for you old timers. You could try to keep the flying rats contained to one area, Gena thought grouchily. She made no comment out loud, picking up her pace to overtake the sprinkling of teenagers walking just ahead. They laughed and called out to one another easily, and their pleasantness infuriated her further. Isn’t it a school day, punks? Someone should call the truancy officer on you! There’s never a cop around when you need one.
