by Angel Nyx
“Miss Owens. You’ve stated that you went to the party under protest and yet, while there, you had several drinks. If you weren’t there of your own free will, why were you drinking? Or was that under duress as well?”
“No. I admit I had two drinks. I was fourteen and I was curious.”
“You had two drinks but you were inebriated enough to go off with my client and have sex with him?”
“Objection. Badgering the witness.”
“Overruled. Miss Owens, answer the question.”
“I didn’t go off and have sex with him. Garret Michaels slipped something into my drink, and when it took effect, he led me away from the party. He didn’t even have the decency to pull my pants back up after he raped me. My best friend found me crying with my pants around my ankles. I told him no. I told him to stop. And he didn’t. He. Raped. Me.”
The defense attorney tried three more times to get her to change her story, with the prosecutor objecting each time, before the judge finally dismissed her.
Casey made her way to where Nikolai sat and slid into the bench next to him. The moment his arm wrapped around her to pull her close, she felt the tension leave her. Both attorneys gave their closing statements and court was adjourned while the jury deliberated.
“Can we go somewhere? Just…anywhere to get away from this place for a little while?”
“Da. Let’s go get some coffee, Krasavitsa.”
Casey tucked herself under Nikolai’s arm as they left the courtroom. She hoped, when the jury came to their decision, Garret would be locked up until he was too old to ever hurt another woman again.
Nikolai
Sitting in the courtroom, listening to the defense attorney grill his mate—and not being able to shield her from it, was one of the hardest things he’d ever had to do. He was damn glad that part was over. After escorting Casey out to his SUV, Nikolai paused once she was in the passenger seat, so he could kiss her. “I am proud of you, Solnyshko. He tried to trip you up, tried to make it look like you were lying, and you held your own in there.” The smile she gave him at his words of praise made him kiss her again.
“Thank you, Nikolai. You were the one thing that got me through it. You were my anchor. You being there kept me grounded. I knew as long as I had your support, I could handle anything he tried to throw at me.”
“I am happy to be of service,” he growled playfully. “Let’s go get that coffee. Where do you wish to go?”
“Little Eden Cafe. It’s not too terribly far away so if the jury finishes before we get back, it won’t take too long to get here. I want to be in there when the verdict is read.”
“As you wish, Krasavitsa.”
Seated across from Casey, at the coffee shop a short while later, Nikolai reached out and took her hand in his. “You are stronger than you give yourself credit for, Solnyshko.”
“What do you mean?”
“This morning, when we left for court, you said you didn’t know if you could get through it without breaking down. You are so much stronger than you give yourself credit for. There are so many women who, when faced with the same choices you faced at fourteen, could not have done what you did. They could not have stepped up to the challenges of motherhood brought upon them through rape. That is not to say those women, who choose to not continue their pregnancies, are in the wrong for making a different choice, but it shows the inner strength you had even before you became an adult.”
“Sometimes I don’t feel strong, Nikolai. For me there wasn’t any other choice. The baby growing inside me didn’t ask to exist. It wasn’t at fault for what happened and I couldn’t punish it for the actions of others. I understand when a woman makes a different choice. We each have to do what we feel is best for us, what we can live with, and abortion wasn’t something I could have ever lived with; I wouldn’t have been able to look myself in the mirror if I’d done that.”
“We all have those moments where we don’t feel strong, Solnyshko. When you feel weak, I will be your strength. You can lean on me.”
“I know I can. You have no idea how much I treasure that. For so long it’s been just me and Jacob. It’s…comforting to know I finally have someone to lean on.”
When their phones went off with text messages at the same time, he saw her tense. “It’s time. He will be found guilty, Krasavitsa. I’m certain of it.”
“I hope you’re right.”
Casey
Casey slipped her hand into Nikolai’s as they entered the courtroom and found seats next to Declan and Lily. Her Pack was here en masse now. Looking around the courtroom and seeing so many familiar faces, some fairly new due to their Pack growing again, made facing the verdict that much easier. Deep down she was sure Nikolai was right, but there was still the fear that somehow Garret would walk away a free man.
“The court has been informed the jury has reached a verdict.”
“We have your honor.”
“Foreman, please read the verdict.”
Casey’s grip on Nikolai’s hand tightened as the foreman stood. It was the moment of truth. Would justice be finally served?
“We find the defendant, Garret Xavier Michaels, guilty on all charges.”
A sob escaped Casey and if she’d been standing, she might have collapsed with relief. Of course Garret’s parents were in an uproar over the verdict, a verdict that might not have happened had they been back in Montana, but she was beyond relieved. She was finally vindicated. Her rapist would finally, after more than eight years, pay for his crimes.
“It’s over. It’s finally over,” she whispered.
“Da. It is.”
“Take me home. Please. I just want to go home, take a bubble bath, and put all of this behind me.”
“What my mate wants, my mate gets.”
After a myriad of hugs from her Pack mates, Casey let Nikolai escort her out of the courtroom. It felt like a weight was finally lifted from her shoulders. Looking ahead to her future, there was no longer a shadow cast over it. She was finally free from the fear that Garret would one day try to take her son away from her. She could finally, at long last, breathe easier.
Epilogue
Nikolai
Christmas was a time for family. The Pard and the Pack were having a Christmas party at Ghostpoint Pack headquarters and Nikolai couldn’t wait to get there and see his mate. He’d been away on another mission and he’d missed her immensely. It was hard to believe how much things had changed in less than a year. A change for the better. Nikolai had come to a decision that would change his life for the better. He was done. Done with taking jobs that put him at risk. He had a mate now. There was someone who would be devastated if something happened to him, someone whose light would go out if he went and got himself killed. This job he’d just completed, it was the last one. But she didn’t know that. She didn’t know he’d returned to New Orleans late the night before. After he’d filed his report for Declan, he’d found one of the empty rooms, and crashed for hours. Then he’d gone and talked to his Alpha. He had a surprise for his mate, one he hoped she really liked.
Nikolai glanced down at his watch. The plane he was waiting on touched down fifteen minutes ago. Any minute now, he should see the two people he was waiting for. Ah, there they were now. “Richard, Evelyn, I am Nikolai.” He knew Casey told her parents about him, but he didn’t know how much she’d said.
“You’re Nikolai? This isn’t some prank? You’re…not a wolf.”
“No, I am not,” he replied to her father’s comment. “None were more surprised than Casey and I when we realized we were mates.”
“Don’t mind my husband. He seems to have left his manners in Montana. It’s nice to meet you, Nikolai. Casey told us things were different between you because you’re not a wolf; now we know what she meant. She didn’t really explain that you were a tiger.”
“Where is our daughter?” Richard asked.
“She is at the Christmas party the Pack and Pard are having. She does not know th
at I am back – I was out of town for work – or that the two of you are coming for Christmas. I wanted to surprise her.”
“I can’t wait to see her face. You’re a sweet man to want to surprise her. She told us what you did when Garret came to New Orleans. It’s about time someone put that arrogant little shit in his place,” Evelyn Owens said before she patted Nikolai’s arm. “We’ll just get our luggage and we can get out of here.”
Before she could pull her suitcase off the conveyor, Nikolai grabbed it. “Allow me. My matushka, my mother, would have my hide if I allowed you to carry your own luggage,” he added with a slight chuckle.
“We can’t have that; you kind of need your hide.”
He led them out to where he’d parked his SUV, in the short-term parking area, stowed their luggage, then got in, because Richard had already helped his wife into the front passenger seat. Evelyn asked random questions as he drove from the airport and Nikolai answered every one of them.
“Where, exactly, are we going?” Richard asked.
“Declan, my Alpha, converted a large warehouse, to hold both his personal security company, Ghostpoint Security, and the Pack’s headquarters. That’s where the Christmas party is taking place. I feel I should warn you. Our Pack is made up of several different species of shifters, and we are close allies with the Black Water Pard. As I said before, the Pard and Pack have gotten together for a Christmas party.”
“We don’t have an issue with shifters from other groups. I know my initial reaction to you might have suggested otherwise. I was startled, nothing more. You seem like a good man and that’s all that matters. That’s what our Casey deserves—a good man,” Richard told him.
“It is understandable. My own reaction, upon realizing my mate was a wolf, was far more…damaging. But, I would rather not talk about that. We’re here.” He found a place to park in the packed lot and turned the engine off. “Before we go inside, there is something I wish to speak with you about,” he told Casey’s father. “I wish to ask for your blessing in seeking your daughter’s hand in marriage. I know your opinion means much to Casey, and as such, it means much to me, as well.” He waited while Casey’s father studied him.
“Will you be good to her? Never make her cry, at least not intentionally? Will you treat her the way she deserves to be treated?”
“Let me be clear with you, Richard Owens. Casey is my life. She and Jacob mean more to me than anything else in this world. I will put her on a pedestal, make her my queen, if she will let me. She is my greatest treasure, my greatest gift, and I will not ever take her for granted.”
“I like you, Nikolai. I can hear the sincerity in your voice. You have my blessing.”
“You have our blessing,” Evelyn cut in.
“Thank you,” he said and headed for the main doors. He couldn’t wait to see his mate’s face.
Casey
Casey was trying to enjoy herself. She really was. But everywhere she looked, she saw happy couples cuddling or laughing together. She felt the emptiness of Nikolai’s absence deep in her soul. Whenever Jacob looked at her, however, she plastered on a smile for his benefit. He was upset over Nikolai’s absence, as well. He’d awakened the night before from a bad dream, where something had happened to Nikolai. He didn’t even know what Nikolai’s job was, not really, and yet his mind had conjured up something bad happening. She needed to talk to her mate. She needed him to give up the more dangerous missions. If not for her then for Jacob.
Several members of the Pack had decided to give a small Christmas concert, and it was just wrapping up when the main doors opened. Casey was closest and she frowned before she turned her attention to the sound. The instant she saw Nikolai, she was out of her seat and running to him. He opened his arms seconds before she reached him, and she flung herself into them with a soft sob.
“Sh, Solnyshka, it is all right,” Nikolai murmured as his arms tightened around her.
“Oh God, I’ve missed you so much. I’ve been worried sick. No one had heard from you – they said you had to go on radio silence. Don’t you ever do that to me again!”
“I missed you as well,” he hushed and nuzzled her hair. “I have a surprise for you, Solnyshko.”
Casey smiled at the endearment. She remembered the first time he’d called her that. She’d given him a confused look and had asked what it meant. He’d told her it meant sunshine, because she was his sunshine.
“A surprise?” she asked, just as the sound of a throat clearing reached her. She tore her attention from her mate and squealed. “Mom? Dad? Oh my gods, what…how…when did you get here?”
“What are we doing here? Visiting you for Christmas, of course. How did we get here? By plane, silly girl. And when did we get here? Just a little while ago,” Evelyn said in response to Casey’s jumbled questions.
Casey pulled out of Nikolai’s arms so she could hug her parents. “Oh my gods, I am so happy to see you both. Jacob is going to be thrilled. He was so bummed when you told him he couldn’t come for Christmas break. Now we know why.”
“Grandma! Grandpa!” Jacob’s voice echoed as he practically screamed, then ran to greet his grandparents.
After much laughter and hugs and kisses, Casey wrapped herself in Nikolai’s arms again. “We need to talk, later. I can’t do this anymore, Nikolai. I can’t sit here, day after day, fearing the worst.”
Nikolai placed a finger over her lips. “It is already done. I have already told Declan I cannot take those kinds of missions anymore. I cannot do that to you, or to Jacob, anymore.”
“I think that is the best Christmas present you could ever give me!” Casey flashed him a huge grin and kissed him again.
“Oh, I’m sure I can come up with something even better, Solnyshka.” With that he went to one knee.
Casey stood there, staring down at him. Was he really doing what she thought?
“Casey, when we met, I did some things I am not proud of. It took you leaving New Orleans for me to realize that it didn’t matter that you are wolf and I am tiger. All that mattered was that you were my mate. With you, I have learned to enjoy life, for the first time. My world was gray, until you came into it. Now it is filled with color. I have spoken with your parents and they have given me their blessing. Now all I need is for you to say yes. Casey, will you do me the honor and make me the happiest man alive by agreeing to become my wife?” He pulled the ring box from his pocket and opened it. Inside, nestled in velvet, sat a vintage, rose-gold engagement-and-wedding-band set. The engagement ring had a beautiful heart-shaped diamond in the center. The sides of the central diamond were graced with butterflies, each with two smaller diamonds in the top wings. The band was also adorned with diamonds, and the wedding band was similarly adorned. It was, in a word, beautiful.
“Yes,” she whispered before she repeated it again, a little louder. “Yes! Yes, yes, yes. There is nothing I want more, Nikolai.”
“Does this mean Nikolai is really gonna be my dad, now?” Jacob asked.
“Yes, it does, sweetheart,” she replied.
“YES!!!”
She couldn’t help but laugh at the way her son was jumping around about it. She gazed up at her mate with a huge smile on her face “I love you, so much.”
“I love you, too, Solnyshka, more than words can ever fully impart.”
Cheers went up around them and Casey laughed even more. She couldn’t ask for a better time for him to propose—when they were surrounded by friends and family.
Acknowledgments
I'd like to thank the people who have helped to make this book possible. First, my cover artist, Najla Qamber of Najla Qamber Designs . Her work is amazing and I absolutely love the cover. Also, a big thank you to my editor, Kathy Bosman the Indie Editing Chick. Her advice has been immeasurable in making sure this book shines.
To my beta readers, Kathy Wright, Jacinta Russell, Abigail Lindsey Pettit, and Rebecca Berland, thank you, for taking the time to read the relatively raw document and provide such
valuable feedback. There are a few scenes within these pages that wouldn't have been so well written without your input! You ladies rock!
To my ARC Team, thank you for offering your time to read this book before it went live and giving me your honest feedback on it! I appreciate it so very much!
To my readers, thank you so much for giving my books a chance! There are so many new authors out there and I am honored to have your support. Without each and every one of you, we authors would not be able to do the jobs we love; bringing our characters to life so others can enjoy them as much as we do. You are our reason for sitting down every day and putting pen to paper or fingers to the keyboard. Again, thank you, so very much.
I hope you enjoyed meeting Nikolai, Casey, and the rest of the cast and crew of the NOLA Shifters Series. There are more books in the works for this series so keep an eye out for them!
Other books in the NOLA Shifters Series
Trailing Moon Flowers: A NOLA Shifters Prequel
Wild Lilies: Book One of the NOLA Shifters Series
Scarlet Roses: Book Two of the NOLA Shifters Series
Midnight Orchids: Book Three of the NOLA Shifters Series
About the Author
Angel Nyx is an author of paranormal, contemporary, and historical romances. Her passion for literature was instilled in her at a young age when her mother read her fairy tale stories at bedtime. Her vivid imagination helps her get in tune with her characters to bring them to life for her readers. She is also a mom, a reader, an avid gamer chick, and a cook in a nursing home. She was once told that her 'OCD is queen' because it allows her to find errors in written word others miss. As a result, she has recently branched out to offer her proofreading services to other Indie authors. When she's not working, writing, reading, or gaming, she is usually relaxing to music, spending time with family, or finding new authors to fall in love with. She has a long time love affair with the city of New Orleans, which is why so much of her work is set there, and plans to visit the city as often as possible in the coming years.
