Then, Eric’s voice called out in his mind, I can see her, she’s heading for the trees to the South- his voice cut off abruptly and Connor raised up on his haunches in alarm, scanning the fray for his brother.
We’ll be fine, I’ve got Eric, just go! Cody screamed through their mental link. Connor could see him, rushing off to their youngest brother’s aid, and so Connor turned south.
I’m coming Brooke.
He found her several yards away from the cabin, cornered against a tree by a large black wolf whom Connor vaguely remembered hiding in a tree during their last confrontation. Connor assumed it must be Vince. He was accompanied by a tall woman with long black hair and covered in blood red paint. Vines weaved their way around Brooke’s body, keeping her pinned to the rough bark, and Vince was reared up, fangs bared as he prepared to strike.
Connor saw red. He rushed forward, slamming into the witch and sending her flying, and the vines keeping Brooke captive fell to the ground, useless.
Brooke scrambled free and immediately turned to Vince, opening her mouth to let out a deafening howl as they circled one another. Connor watched her in awe - marvelling at the strength and poise of her lithe body. She was beautiful.
The witch was up, swaying slightly on her feet, and Connor barely had time to dodge as a flash of green light streaked towards him, turning the tree behind him into dust. Well, fuck.
Connor ran at her, swiping when he got close enough but she was quick, just as quick as he was, and she ducked out of the way, another streak of energy whistling past Connor’s head as he circled back.
He wasn’t used to fighting humans, not in this form, but he knew better than to shift back. As a bear he might be a bigger target, but as a human he’d be dead in seconds. He could still hear Brooke and Vince fighting behind him, growling and snapping at each other, but every time he tried to get closer to them, to help Brooke the way every fiber of his being was screaming for him to do, the witch would attack him.
Finally, Connor managed to get behind her and, with one strike, he took her head. She fell to the ground, blood pouring out over the leaves, already forgotten as Connor finally focused back on Brooke.
She was injured, blood seeping through her fur and limping as she favored one of her front legs, but Vince looked to be in a similar position. He was confident, tail high in the air, but Brooke was pure fury with a laser focus, keeping low to the ground, looking for any weakness in Vince’s defenses.
He ran forward to help but stopped when she turned towards him. He knew that mates were supposed to be able to communicate with one another, just like members of a sleuth. He had seen it countless times with his brothers, holding secret conversations with their mates while they all sat eating lunch together, and this felt similar. He couldn’t hear what Brooke was saying, not with words, but he knew her face so well, he didn’t need to hear her with his ears.
Please, she said. I need to do this.
Connor grit his teeth but did as she asked. Fine, he replied. But I’m not leaving.
The wolves’ fight resumed in earnest, the snapping of their jaws echoing off the trees like gunshots. It took everything in Connor’s power not to leap into the fray. All other sounds seemed to fade from his mind as he watched his mate circle Vince, lashing out as quick as a whip and tearing into his flesh, retreating before the bastard could retaliate. She was a better fighter than Vince, Connor could see it in the way the two of them moved. While Vince was all cocksure and half-assed, guessing movements instead of waiting, Brooke took her time, searching for a weakness before she made her move.
Mates were supposed to protect one another, be there for each other no matter the cost. But his mate was an alpha - she had to protect her own. This was her fight. All Connor could do was watch.
Vince lunged, an obvious move that even Connor saw coming. Still, his teeth sink into the meat of Brooke’s shoulder, bringing her to the ground with a loud thud. Brooke rolled around, never settling for a moment and, quick as a flash, she flipped them around, twisting Vince loose and pinning him to the ground, breathing hard. Her sides heaved, solid proof that she was alive, breathing, victorious. As she stood there snarling at her defeated opponent, as she pushed him into the dirt, she was breathtaking. Connor was hit again by how deep his love goes for her.
She howled and her voice reverberated through the air like a song. She lets out another howl and Connor instantly knows what it means: I have won. The whole pack heard it and, as his worry for his mate subsided, Connor could hear that the rest of the fighting seemed to have stopped. A few of the wolves join the song - their howls adding to Brooke’s, building into something like a war cry.
Brooke stopped howling, staggered back off of Vince, turning her head towards Connor. She looks exhausted. All Connor wanted to do was take her in his arms. They had won.
Connor moved forward to meet her, uncaring of his own pain when something moved behind Brooke - Vince.
Connor cried out, but it's too late! Vince collided into Brooke’s back, teeth sinking into the scruff of her neck. Brooke whines, high and panicked. A thread of pure terror gripped Connor, he leapt, unthinking, towards the pair.
Vince was dead before Brooke’s body hit the ground.
The sudden silence was deafening. Connor could hear the tiny little rasping breaths leaving Brooke’s mouth. He let out a roar, loud and thunderous, and dropped gently to Brooke’s side.
He could only hope the others got there in time.
Epilogue
Brooke
“Do you really think this would suit me?”
Brooke looked up, smiling when she recognized the woman she’d just spent an hour helping pick out literally hundreds of outfits. She smiled, nodding and beckoning the customer forward. Her shoulder twinged in pain but she ignored it. The doctor had told her it would probably ache from time to time.
The doctor had also told her to take things easy, and Brooke, after spending nearly a month doing nothing but roaming endlessly around Connor’s luxurious prison of a suite and ready to tear her hair out, had scoffed. The second she was allowed to leave she’d gone down to the promenade to beg Elsie for her job back. The older woman had looked shocked, saying she hadn’t realized she didn’t still work there. Brooke could have kissed her.
A blonde lady, looking rather flustered and pink in the face, approached the counter about twenty minutes before the end of Brooke's shift. “Sorry for trying to buy the entire store,” the woman joked, flourishing her credit card like a weapon. Brooke laughed. “Even on vacation, kids grow, you know?”
Brooke nodded, eyes automatically flying to the door when the bell sounded and smiling when she saw Connor enter the store.
Today, his suit was navy blue. He’d truly taken the bold colors and patterns comment to heart and had now graduated from accessories to ensembles. The sight of him was mouth-watering, and Brooke made it her mission then and there to never let him wear plain black ever again. Carlo stood beside him, the two talking amicably as they moved out of the way of the line of customers.
They look good together, she thought, ringing up the last of the blonde woman’s purchases and waving goodbye as she left. Like a family. The thought filled her with warmth.
Her shift ended a few minutes later and Brooke practically skipped across the store towards them.
“And what are you two whispering about?” she teased, tugging Connor down to kiss him on the cheek and raising her eyebrow at Carlo who winked like he knew something she didn’t. Brat.
“In laws need to have their secrets,” he said solemnly and Brooke swatted him on the arm, dragging them both out of the store and into the afternoon sunshine. The promenade was full of guests from Black Bear Lake Lodge and they melded into the crowds, making their way slowly back towards the main building.
“Fuck you, we’re not married yet.”
“Yet,” Connor repeated, taking Brooke’s hand and kissing the back of it, eyes smouldering. Her flush deepened. They were ganging
up on her. In all her wildest dreams, she had never seen this coming. Her grin threatened to break her face in two; it was more than she had dared to hope for. Beside them, Carlo mimed retching into his hand.
“Gross. I’m leaving. Brooke, I’ll see you tomorrow for the meeting right?” Brooke nodded. Their elder was arriving from San Francisco to finalize their side of the treaty. It had taken a long time to convince him it was worth the trip, and Brooke wanted to get things sorted out before he had the chance to change his mind.
“Yep. I’ll head over in the morning,” she promised.
“Okay, great, I’ll see you then. And remember you two, PDA is frowned upon in this family.” He disappeared with a two finger salute and Brooke watched him go with narrowed eyes.
“He doesn’t respect me anymore,” she lamented, swinging their hands in between them. It was domestic and more than a little cheesy but she loved it.
“I highly doubt he ever did, sweetheart,” Connor mocked, going along with the movement as they walked.
“What were you talking about?”
“Nothing in particular, we just bumped into each other. He was on his lunch break and I was honoring the tradition of picking you up from work.”
“Aw, what a gentleman,” she deadpanned.
“Hush up.” The main lobby of the lodge appeared in front of them. Brooke could just make out Eric, where he stood talking to a guest from behind the concierge desk. She and Connor headed for the staircase, still holding onto each other’s hands. Connor asked, “Are you looking forward to having dinner with the girls later?”
Brooke smiled. The more time she spent with the other women in Connor’s sleuth, the more Brooke had grown to love them. They’d started having dinner together a couple of times a week, taking it in turn to cook and bring wine. Brooke was having a hard time without her whiskey, but she had to admit some of the fancy shit they’d picked out was really nice.
Tonight, she was bringing Angela with her, insisting that she needed to get out of the house and have some fun for once. The older wolf had been nervously texting Brooke all day. Brooke found it endlessly adorable how many times Angela had sent pictures asking if her outfit was okay, as if Brooke ever wore anything other than the jeans and a ratty old suede jacket she’d had for as long as she could remember.
She laughed at the thought. “Lydia’s making something called ‘eggs en meurette’. I have no idea what in the hell that is but I am excited. I think Alanna's gonna bring Em tonight as well.”
She’d never been particularly good with kids, but there was something about Em that made her melt. Brooke hadn’t thought about the possibility of having pups in a long time; she’d never been financially stable enough, not to mention the fact that, as alpha, she already had her pack to look after.
She knew Connor wanted children, could see the way his eyes lit up when Em knotted her tiny hands in his curls or when one of Jessie and Eric’s brood asked for help on their homework; it was a kind of softness Brooke rarely got to see in her mate and she couldn’t wait to give that to him. He’d make an amazing dad.
They arrived at the door to Connor’s suite and he dropped her hand just long enough to open the door before taking her hand again, pulling her inside and leading her to the bed.
“If we had kids,” she started, easily following him down onto the bed to curl up at his side, “do you think they’d be pups or cubs?”
Connor ran gentle fingers up and down her arm, leaving goosebumps in their wake. Brooke tilted her head to see his face and found him smiling softly to himself.
“I’d be happy no matter what they were,” he whispered, pulling her into a kiss that made her toes curl. “As long as they’re ours, they’ll be the most wonderful, most loved kids in the world.” Brooke felt happiness welling up inside her, so much so she barely knew what to do with it all.
It was true that her pack was smaller now; she had refused to take anyone back that had decided to follow Vince, but she wouldn’t give up those she had left for anything. Now she knew that no matter what happened in the future, she’d never have to face the world alone.
“I love you,” she whispered, loving the way Connor’s arms tightened around hers.
Connor’s warm, dark eyes started into hers. “I love you, too,” he returned, as easily as breathing.
* * *
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Lawyer Dragon’s Surrogate
Irish Dragon Shifter Brothers Series
Blurb
When his ancient enemy returns, a dragon shifter’s quest to have a child is threatened.
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The Surrogate Mother
As a young child, my shifter clan was torn apart.
Alone, I wandered the streets of a nearby village off the coast of Ireland
Until an ancient vampire found me.
He took me in, and raised me, but I was never a part of their dark world.
I struck out on my own, desperate to find a place where I belonged.
The vampires told me there were no other shifters left.
So I took refuge in the mountains of Colorado, where I lived a solitary life.
Now a gorgeous shifter male has shown up to my sanctuary.
And he wants me to bear his child.
But soon, our connection becomes more than just a contract.
He’s not just the lawyer who hired me to carry his baby --
He’s my mate.
* * *
The Irish Lawyer
Fifteen years ago, my world was destroyed by witches.
Desperate to start over, I forced myself to love my new Texas home.
In the small town of Cedar Lake, I’ve created a successful law practice.
But something is missing from my life.
Two of my brothers are fathers. They adore their hatchlings.
I want the life they have.
I want a child of my own.
But I won’t expose a human woman to the dangers we face.
The mother of my child must be a female dragon shifter.
I visit the vampires for advice.
They send me to a female shifter. She’s been here in the States all along, longing for a clan.
Instantly, I feel a connection to this beautiful shifter.
She agrees to carry my child for a large sum.
But our plans are threatened.
Because once again, our ancient enemy returns to our lives.
* * *
Can an Irish dragon shifter protect his baby’s mother from their shared past?
* * *
***
1
Liam
“Uncle Liam! Catch me!”
As the sun set in Cedar Lake, Texas, Liam Murphy caught his nephew, Declan, as he sailed through the air. There were no guests around that day, so they were letting Declan jump from the top of the swingset onto the trampoline and then over the netting into Liam’s arms. Declan was seven years old now, and he was getting stronger by the day, just as a young dragon shifter should.
Usually, Liam loved watching his nieces toddle around while his nephew ran and jumped, but today, on Liam’s thirty-second birthday, watching the kids play was a knife through the chest. He was happy for his brothers Kellan and Quinn. He really was happy for them, but he wanted what they had—he wanted to be a father.
He loved hanging out with his two sisters-in-law, Clara and Juliana, but when it came to dating, he’d never met a human woman that he’d been compatible with. Yes, human women were attractive, smart, and fun to be around, but he’d never been able to forge a deep connection with any human w
oman he dated. He suspected it was because they were so terribly fragile. He didn’t know how his brothers handled knowing how physically vulnerable their wives were.
The truth was, dragon shifter females weren’t totally invulnerable, either. Liam had learned that the hard way fifteen years ago in his home country of Ireland when he was only seventeen years old. His clan had an ancient pact with a group of witches, but the witches turned on his clan. In the process, Liam’s parents had been killed, along with most of the elder shifters.
Liam had fled, along with his closest friends, Kellan, Quinn, and Brennan. The four of them weren’t biologically related, but they might as well have been. They’d vowed to stick together and become true brothers, even as the rest of their clan scattered across the globe.
Now, fifteen years later, Texas was home for all three of them. He missed the Cliffs of Moher and the Irish coast every day, but he had a thriving law practice in town and a nice house. The memory of the attack had faded, and he’d thought maybe the four of them had escaped the curse of the witches forever.
He’d been wrong. Very wrong.
Two years ago, Kellan’s wife, Clara, had been kidnapped by the witches, the same ones that attacked Liam’s clan over a decade ago. The brothers defeated the witches, but the witches were a threat and probably always would be.
There were other threats, too, and not just the brothers’ enemies. Last year, Quinn’s wife, Juliana, was chased down by her own family, who were members of a powerful and deadly Romanian mob. Her stalkers were human and easily defeated, but as a human, she had been in grave danger.
Billionaire Bear Shifters: A Paranormal Romance Complete Series Boxset Page 49
