The metal in the truck groaned. Samantha exhaled a scream that shook Connor to his core. He would never forget it for as long as he lived. Her hand jutted out of the cab of the truck. A thick coat of brown fur grew to cover it as it grew. Her other hand pressed into the roof, as it increased in size it sliced right through the steel of the body. Brown fur wrapped itself around her Samantha’s head as it ripped and tore into something else.
Connor had seen her shift before; she was large then, but now she was growing larger. Her shoulders tore the roof of the truck off at the seams. Then, as her legs changed, the metal of the truck groaned. Her muscles bulged, freeing her of her bonds. She was the same size as Henry. She was an alpha.
Eli stood, looking up at the massive hunk of fur that loomed over him. A flash of fear came over him and he looked like the runt he always believed himself to be. He dropped his knife at her feet. No matter how fast he could run, there was no escape.
A wave of her paw caused Eli to fly. Ten feet, twenty feet, then crunch, into the tree that the headlights were fixed on. If he had any life left in him, it would be gone soon. Samantha stomped over to him on all fours and buried her large furry paw into his face. The crunch of bone let Connor know of Eli’s fate. The other bear gave up his fight. He released Connor to make his escape, but not before Connor took care of him. There was no sympathy for traitors. With the taste of blood still in his mouth, Connor sauntered over to Alex and Samantha.
Sam’s arm was about as big as he was. She nuzzled her nose against him and he stirred. Connor exhaled. A weight fell from his shoulders as reality set in. It was finally over.
She licked at Alex’s wounds, happy that her friend was still alive. Alex, still in a daze closed his eyes and accepted his fate. There weren’t enough showers in the world to get bear saliva out of fur.
“I’m … uh … sorry about your truck,” Samantha said. She held a blanket tightly around her chest. It spilled to the floor, covering her feet. She seemed to hover over the ground like royalty.
Did Connor feel bad that it was destroyed? Sure. It was one of the last things that he’d received from his father. He had more memories in that old hunk of rust than in almost everything in his old den. But, he saw its loss as something else. He wasn’t losing an old friend; he was making space for new ones.
“Don’t mention it,” Connor replied. They were walking back to the house. Connor carried Alex in his arms. His side wound was bound with the remnants of Samantha’s dress. It was a good thing that Connor kept a spare blanket in the truck for picnic emergencies with Tess.
Although, thinking about it, if he were to tell Samantha how many times he’d had sex on that blanket, she might just decide to leave it. He laughed to himself.
“What?” she asked.
“Nothing,” Connor replied. They were greeted on their way back by a welcoming party of Cynthia and Tess running at them through the grass clearing.
Tess.
“I’m so glad you’re okay!” she shouted. She latched her arms around Connor with a vice like grip. Whatever air he had in his lungs left him. Alex yelped in his arms, he was feeling it too.
“Medic!” Cynthia shouted.
The light of dawn was pushing through thick gray clouds. Morning’s dew filled the air and gathered on their sweaty, blood stained skin. As they approached Henry’s house, the glory of battle left them, they realized what had happened.
Samantha lost the last of her relatives. She was all alone now. Connor remembered the story she told him when they were travelling together. The pang of loss struck him deep in his breast again. He reached out his arm to Samantha but she fell to the ground and started crying with her face in her hands. Nobody said a word, with each one of them losing a close loved one, they’d all sympathized with her. Connor lifted her to her feet and wrapped his arms around her, pulling her tight and close. Tess too joined in the embrace, then Cynthia and Alex.
Samantha couldn’t stop from crying. She sputtered out a thank you. A drop of rain caught Connor on the head, then another.
“We should probably get inside,” he said. Nobody argued. They all ran for the front door as the rain pelted harder. The canopy of trees did well to shield them, but nothing beat being indoors.
CHAPTER 14
“It isn’t hard to become an ordained minister,” Samantha said, “I just went online and was done in like … ten minutes.”
“Yeah, but she’s my sister. I should be the one who officiates the wedding,” Alex replied. Tess walked downstairs to join them. She had a radiant glow that seemed unnatural but showed her inner beauty. Connor couldn’t wait to hold her in his arms.
“Shutup, both of you. Alex, you’re the best man. Cynthia is the maid of honor, so that left Samantha to officiate. So just quiet down. This is my wedding day, dammit!”
Samantha stuck her tongue out at Alex who just rolled his eyes. Marcus leaned against his walking stick while waiting for his daughter to join him.
“Seriously, she is gorgeous,” Cynthia said.
“I told you to pipe down. I can see that.”
“Why do we have to have the wedding inside Sam’s house?” Alex asked.
“Because, that was her only requirement to create a truce between the bears and the wolves,” Connor whispered loudly, “Now shut it.”
Samantha giggled at the makeshift altar. It was true. She wanted to see Connor and Tess married before she followed through with a truce. It had been two weeks since the bears had lost their alpha, but also two weeks since the end of their fighting. A few days after her grandfather passed, Samantha was made pack alpha by a unanimous decision from the rest of the pack. She was young, but that didn’t make her any less experienced than the rest of them. Being raised by her grandfather, there was no doubt in anyone’s mind that she would be a fine leader. Not only did her grandfather leave her with the proper skills to lead, but he had also left her a small fortune.
Tess walked along the hard wood floor to take her father’s arm.
“You’re just as beautiful as your mother,” he said. She was already close to tears but hearing about her mother put her over the edge. She’d always imagined wearing her mother’s wedding dress; the long gown flowed behind her as she hovered over to her mate.
Marcus offered her to Connor. She hopped into Connor’s arm, excited.
“Wow, I guess we know what’s happening tonight,” Samantha joked. A laugh stirred about the room. “You know this formal crap is fun but it’s kinda boring, don’t you think?”
Tess stood beside Connor, his tight shirt barely containing his physique.
“Tess,” Samantha said, “Do you love Connor?”
“Of course!” she shouted.
“And, Connor, do you love Tess?” she asked. Connor turned his head to view the woman he’d fell in love with.
“Absolutely.” Samantha smiled broadly. Alex slapped Connor on the shoulder.
“Then by the power invested in me by the internet, I now pronounce you man and wife! You may kiss the-” Neither of them waited for the end of that sentence, they were already kissing.
“Of course you still have to sign the marriage form…” Samantha continued.
“I think they’ll be like this for a while,” Alex said. “We better just leave them be.” Cynthia agreed, and then joined her boyfriend just across the way. Samantha tip-toed away from the newlyweds then joined Marcus who was waiting just behind them.
“I guess that means this whole war thing is over. Right?” She said. She offered a hand to Marcus and he shook it vigorously. The fighting was finally over.
EPILOGUE
“Stop hitting your brother!” Tess shouted, “Ugh, I can’t wait for the day that you two can understand me.” She rubbed at her belly which was already pregnant with another set of pups. Everyone was surprised when they’d heard she was having twins on her first go, but a second pair? This was ridiculous.
“You’ll get the hang of it,” Cynthia offered.
“
I’d be more excited if Connor weren’t so busy all the time. We barely get any alone time together with these two around.”
“Oh, don’t worry about it. I’m sure you two will be back and frolicking in the wind in no time,” Cynthia finished washing the dishes and joined Tess.
“So how long are you guys in town this time?” Tess asked.
“Probably another couple days,” Cynthia replied. She picked up a rattle from the floor and returned it to the table. Tess had given birth to not one, but two loveable children. A girl and a boy. Tess named the daughter, and Connor the son.
“Well, Henry and Sophie are going to miss you guys,” Tess said, “And I’ll miss all the help you’ve been able to give me this past week. I haven’t had a wink of sleep in a month.” She laughed.
“Does Connor help out at all?” Cynthia wondered.
“Of course he does,” Tess replied, “It’s just that most the time he just gets them riled up before bedtime, and then I’m stuck lying with them for an hour hoping they’ll get to sleep. Seriously, don’t let Alex play with your kids before bedtime.”
Cynthia laughed, but it was a nervous laugh. Connor entered the kitchen where they were playing.
“Hey ladies,” he said, “having fun?”
“If you think changing dirty diapers is fun, then sure,” Tess said, “It’s so fun, we should trade jobs. I’ll go outside and build houses and you can come in here to take care of babies.”
Connor leaned in and kissed Tess on the forehead, then rubbed her belly. The belly rubbing was always the worst part of being pregnant.
“Maybe when you’re a little less pregnant,” Connor said.
“So does that mean you’re giving up on sex, then?” Tess scoffed.
“No can do,” he said, “I just find you too damn attractive.”
Tess laughed while Cynthia rolled her eyes. Connor looked the same as he always had after the last year, stacks of muscle and shirts that were always too tight. But, the love that Connor and Tess shared was more than just appearance.
Cynthia secretly hoped that was the same bond that she and Alex shared.
They were all rocked from their thoughts as the sound of a loud thumping engine rolled its way down the driveway.
“What the hell is that?” Connor wondered. He walked outside. Tess stood up as fast as she could with her pregnant belly to join him. The den had grown over the past year. The once shoddily built houses that lined the dirt road were rapidly disappearing to make way for real homes. Nothing large and fancy, anyway, just something cozy where you could keep a roof over your head on a rainy day. The person they had to thank for that was Samantha. She’d come through for them on so many levels. With her newfound wealth she paid off the mortgage and help fund the housing venture.
She was, after all, the godparent to Tess’s first two children. She had to spoil them.
Waddling her way to the patio, Tess saw what was causing the commotion. An old, yellow truck. She thought it sounded familiar, but it had been so long since she’d heard the sound of that engine that it faded from memory.
“What is this!?” Connor shouted, running out to stare at the shiny new paint job.
“It’s a gift,” Samantha said, “Remember? I destroyed your last one?”
Tess wasn’t there, but she’d heard stories of how Samantha grew into a massive bear right before Connor’s eyes. Such a small girl, yet so powerful. Deserving of the title of alpha.
“I had to take the thing down to base parts, I tried to salvage as much as I could but it’s basically brand new from the ground up. I thought you might like it.” She plopped the keys in Connor’s hand.
“For me?” he asked. Samantha nodded. He wrapped himself around her so fast that her head spun.
From the passenger seat of the truck stepped Billy. Yes, that Billy. He and Samantha had been dating for the last six months. She once told Tess that he was nice to her when she was stuck in the cage. They’d chat every night, and Billy would keep her company till she fell asleep. It sounded romantic, in an awkward way.
“At least he found somebody,” Cynthia said, gagging. She didn’t like the idea of Sam dating that creep, but if he made her happy what could she say? Her mind wandered when she heard the sound of Alex’s motorcycle start to make its way into the den. He crawled past the new truck that stood in his way and pulled to a stop a moment later. Kicking out the stand and pulling off his sunglasses, he examined the beautiful new truck.
“Who’s is this?” he asked.
“Mine,” Connor said with pride.
“Damn, I’m going to have to find out who your mechanic is.” Samantha smiled and waved at him. “No way, you did this?” She giggled as Billy came around the truck to hold his woman.
Alex couldn’t help but wonder what she saw in him. Nonetheless, he had something else on his mind.
Cynthia tackled Alex. She had something that she wanted to tell him but her nerves weren’t allowing her to.
“Hey Cyn, can we talk?” He looked over the people that were gathering around the truck, “… alone?”
At least this would make things easier. She walked arm in arm with him to the side of the old farmhouse. She remembered this spot clearly from a long time ago. It was the place where they’d first shared a real kiss, and the same spot where he’d asked her to run away with him before the fights started.
“We’ve been together for almost two years now, and it’s got me thinking. The memories we’ve shared together, the experiences, I think we’re a really good match,” he said. He fumbled with something inside of his pocket. “I can’t imagine going anywhere in life without you. You’re my best friend and my partner.” He knelt down on his knee. Cynthia shuddered all throughout her body, her knees became weak, and a lump stuck itself in the back of her throat. “Will you marry me?” He held up a ring box, inside was a simple ring. A gold band with a small diamond inset.
Cynthia did her best not to cry, but she couldn’t help herself. “Yes.”
Alex stood back up as Cynthia leapt into his arms. She covered his face with kisses. It probably wasn’t appropriate for the children watching from the kitchen.
“I have something to tell you, too.” She was still overcome with emotion. Alex returned her to the ground and she wiped at the tears on her face. “Alex, I’m pregnant.” His face went blank. She worried that he was going to take back the ring. He was a man that valued his freedom. He went out of his way to make sure he had it. Having kids would only slow him down.
“I have never loved you more than I have right now,” he said. He snatched her by the arm and ran to the front of the farmhouse where everyone stood nonchalantly.
“Guys, I have an announcement!” he said. They all perked up with smiles on their faces. “Dammit, you already know, don’t you?”
Samantha coughed into her hand. But, Billy was the one that gave it away.
“Connor told us you was goin’ to town to buy a ring, and Tess told me that Cynthia was pregnant.” He said.
Alex smacked his hand on the truck, giving it a new dent.
“What the hell man! That was a brand new fender!” Connor shouted. Samantha waved her hand.
“Don’t worry about it. Now that you have it back, that probably means it’s time to start a new adventure anyway.”
Really, they already had found their new adventure; family. The future never looked brighter.
The Timeless Curse of Lord Dabney
Bonus Book 1
Emilia Hartley
Copyright © 2016 by 9591451 CANADA INC. This book is a work of fiction. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is entirely coincidental. Names, characters, businesses, organizations, places, events, and incidents are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.
CHAPTER 1
It wasn’t easy leaving her entire world behind. Even if she did plan to come back eventually. Packing her bag, even for a couple weeks, had felt like she was abandonin
g the world she knew. And she was, wasn’t she? She had never been to England before, never even met her maternal grandmother or any of her family, really, and now here she was, flying across the Atlantic to attend the funeral of a stranger.
The engines of the plane gave a gentle roar and the “Fasten Seat Belt” sign blinked on above her head. Well, it was too late to turn back now.
Glancing down at the papers on her lap, Ellie Fitzgerald sighed. Three days ago, she had been outlining her dissertation on Regency England, a period she had been drawn to since before she could remember, and worrying about whether her cute but gawky classmate, Seth, was going to ask her out on their third date.
Then she got the call.
“Elizabeth Fitzgerald?” came the voice on the other end of the line. The voice was British, curt and concise, but ever so polite.
Confused, Ellie frowned. Why was an Englishman calling her at two in the afternoon on a Saturday? “Yes, this is she. Can I help you?”
“Yes, ma’am,” the man said. “I’m sorry to bother you, ma’am, but my name is Barnard Seton, and I am the late Victoria Hargrove’s attorney. I am calling to discuss the parameters of her will.”
All the breath escaped from Ellie’s lungs. Her knees collapsed and she sank to the floor, leaning against her bed. “L-late?” she stammered, not comprehending. “Do you mean…is my grandmother…she’s gone?”
The deafening silence on the other end of the line confirmed that she was.
Ellie’s heart ached with grief. She had never even met her grandmother, but she had always wanted to, and knowing she had family in England had been one of the only things keeping her connected to the memory of her mother, whom she had lost when she was just thirteen years old. Now her grandmother was gone as well; there was no one left. Tears slid freely down her cheeks, but Ellie didn’t brush them away.
“I’m sorry, ma’am,” Barnard replied, his voice full of sympathy. “I thought you knew. I sent you a letter by post only a few days ago. My apologies that I reached you before you had received it.”
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