Wicked Love

by Michelle Dare

  “Fate’s sake, you couldn’t wait for me?” I ask.

  Mom turns toward me. “I forgot when this became about you.”

  “It’s always about me. Besides, I was abducted, too. I deserved some sort of vengeance.”

  “Is anyone going to release me?” Ford asks from his place still bound to the chair.

  Kylest pulls out a key and unlocks the handcuffs. Ford wastes no time striding across the room to his mate and wraps her in his arms. Sienna stayed outside, knowing she’d distract my brother. But she refused to be left behind.

  My brother would have done everything and anything to keep her safe. I have no doubt he was aware of her presence. Her not being in the room was helpful to keep him calm. Not that he could have done much in the state he was in, but we didn’t know what we were walking into.

  Lilah stands beside me as we watch Kylest open a portal to the eternal plane. It’s the place all fae go when they die. Normally, there is a ceremony, but when the fae being sent there was horrible and tried to kill people, they get no such thing. Their body is lifted up and then turns into a sort of mist. Gone forever.

  “Well, that was uneventful,” I state. “At least when shifters die, they get lit up and we get some satisfaction of watching the bad guys burn until they’re ash.”

  “Sorry your entertainment was less than stellar tonight, Solomon,” Ky states.

  “You’re all highly disappointing. I’m going to need a little more than this. We have some time left before the night’s over.” Then I remember something. “We still have to get judged for who wins the costume contest!”

  Ford shakes his head. “I can’t believe you’re thinking about that after everything we’ve been through tonight.”

  “I can’t believe you’re not. No one died but Anlyn. We’re okay. The pack’s okay. I’m not about to dwell and be depressed. I say we party!”

  Deciding not to wait for their response, I take Lilah’s hand and teleport us back to the pack house. Sienna wasn’t able to track Ford until Kylest and Robin helped. Anlyn was stupid enough to take him to the place her brother was killed. Even if Sienna weren’t able to track Ford, we would have found them. Real original on the location, crazy pants.

  Lilah pulls me to a stop and turns me to face her.

  “What is it?” I ask.

  “I know we’re not supposed to use magic on the costume, but I don’t think it would be against the rules if I tidied you up a little.”

  Looking down, I notice multiple tears in my shirt and jeans. Some blood. Surprisingly, the coat made it out fairly well. Just a little dirt and grass on it. “Good call, kitten. I have to look my best.”

  Lilah does her thing, and I’m back to looking polished and like my brother. I have to say, I’ll be grateful to get out of these clothes tonight. Not only am I tired of looking like the lesser Verascue, but clothes off means Lilah naked in our bed.

  “Can you go one hour without thinking about sex?” she asks after reading my thoughts.

  “Absolutely not. Well, I do sometimes, but it’s rare. I mean, how can I when you’re so tempting?” I grip her around her waist and pull her close. Her breath leaves her lips in a rush before I press mine to hers. We kiss for a few seconds before I pull back.

  Lilah licks her lips, savoring my taste on her. “I think we say screw the contest and get home while we have a little free time from Jupiter. And get you out of that outfit because I really don’t want to kiss you again while you look like Ford.” Imogen kept Jupiter while we went hunting Ford and crazy pants down.

  Shaking my head, I say, “No way. Contest first. Nakedness later. And long after that. Into the morning. I have so many things I’d like to do to you.”

  “Does that mean you’re going to get up with Jupiter when she cries and let me sleep all morning since you insist on keeping me up throughout the night?”

  “Give me some of that deliciousness that’s running through your veins and I’ll let you sleep as long as you want.”

  She grins. “Deal.”

  With that settled, we make our way to the ballroom. Entering the room, we only find a handful of the pack and Lealla.

  “What the fate is this?” I ask. “Where did everyone go?”

  Lealla, Aries, Dante, Sevan, and Camden all turn toward us.

  “It’s been a long night.” Lealla sighs. “I sent everyone on their way. No one was in a partying mood anymore.”

  “That blows.” It really does. I was looking forward to having some fun now that the danger is behind us.

  Then I hear something. A whisper of a sound like something displaced the air. I turn and find the entire Avynwood Pack plus my brother, Sienna, Ky, everyone who was at that shack of a building, plus the extended family staring at us.

  A hand lands on my shoulder. Turning, I find Lealla with a large gold trophy. “Congrats, Solomon. You won our first annual Halloween contest.” She grins and hands me the trophy.

  I sputter, unsure of what to say. I look to Lilah, who has this soft smile for me, then to our friends who are smiling, too. Emotion rises in my throat as tears pool in my eyes. “You’re trying to make me cry. It’s working in case you didn’t know.” I sniffle and choke back the tears. Freaking paranormals. I love them so much.

  Wake steps forward and slings his arm over my shoulders. “How you doing, bestie? Happy you won?”

  “I am.” I don’t know what else to say. I wanted to win and took the task seriously, but there are so many others here who deserve to win, too.

  Kylest comes over and turns the trophy so I can see the gold plate at the bottom. “I engraved your name on it.”

  Looking down, I read the inscription.

  Solomon Verascue

  Best Costume

  Inaugural Avynwood Halloween Contest

  I hug it to my chest and close my eyes. I’m so very happy right now. Justice was served. I won the contest. I have friends and family who love me. This night couldn’t get any better.

  “It could,” Lilah says in my mind.

  I open my eyes and turn toward her.

  “I’m pregnant, Sol.”

  “What?” I scream aloud. Forget talking in our minds.

  Lilah nods as a few tears trickle down her cheeks. “I just found out this morning. When you were over at Ford and Sienna’s, I came here and saw Desmond. He confirmed it.”

  I turn to the pack doctor, who is standing closer than he was before. He hands me a small ultrasound picture. “Congrats, Solomon.”

  Lifting the photo, I look closely. The baby isn’t more than a tiny bean. But it’s our bean and I love it so much already. Tears leak from my eyes. I don’t bother trying to fight them. There’s no point.

  “How did you keep this from me?” I ask Lilah. I’m surprised I didn’t read it in her mind.

  “That was all me,” Imogen steps forward with Jupiter in her arms, who is happy as can be. “I used a spell to build on the strong block Lilah can already put up. Since you two are equal in that sense, I just gave it a little extra in case you tried to break it down.”

  “Sneaky.”

  The next half hour, Lilah and I are hugged within an inch of our lives. Everyone in the pack congratulates us. Apparently, they all knew. Everyone but me. When we get to the end of the crowd, there is my mom and dad, waiting.

  I study my mom for a moment. “Are you… crying?”

  She waves me off. “I’m not emotionless, Solomon.”

  “No, but you’re usually well put together unless one of us is in danger, like earlier.”

  “I can’t believe you’re going to give me another grandchild. I hope this one is a boy. Then you can give it your father’s name as it’s middle one since Jupiter has mine.”

  “You had to throw that in there, didn’t you?”

  “Oh, shut up and give your mother a hug.”

  We’re not an overly touchy family. Sure, I love on my kitten all the time and I’m generously affectionate with our friends. My mom is not cold, thoug
h not super approachable either.

  I give in and hug her. Dad steps up and wraps his arms around both of us. Now, the two of them are affectionate with each other, and Mom loves on Jupiter all the time. She’s just not so much with Ford and me. Certainly not our mates. Mom may get along with them but she’s not about to smother them with hugs and kisses.

  “Don’t think I didn’t hear that,” she says in my mind.

  “What’s the matter? Don’t want to hug Lilah and Sienna? Show them how much of a softy you really are?”

  “How did I make you? You’re nothing like me.”

  “I’m more like you than you’ll admit. I just add a lot of my own flair to it. Live it up, Mother. We only get one life. I’m not about to waste it. Besides, there’s a new baby coming. We should celebrate that. And my costume win, of course.” Pulling back, I watch as my mom rolls her eyes, which causes me to grin.

  I take Lilah in my arms and dance for an hour or two. I honestly have no idea how long. Mom said she was taking Jupiter to Italy with her and Dad, so we have the night to ourselves. While I do want to get my mate home and make sweet love to her, there’s something magical about holding her while we dance among our friends and family.

  Halloween isn’t just about the candy or the costumes. Although, I have to say, I love both of those things. It’s about being together with those you love. Celebrating another holiday, another season. While so many humans love to dress up and scare others, little do they know about the true monsters who exist. We may not lurk in the dark. Okay, some of us do. Not everyone is as outgoing as I am. Vampires do drink blood to survive. People can shift into animals. Mages can cast spells and help heal others. And fae can perform magic unlike anything I’ve ever seen.

  We’re not creatures, though. We’re not to be feared or to be hunted. We’re just like everyone else, only stronger, faster, and some of us are immortal. The good ones—the ones I know and love—keep humans and other paranormals safe. We make sure humans don’t discover us and can sleep every night in peace from what they don’t know exists.

  Sometimes Halloween isn’t what you think it will be. I certainly didn’t expect to have my snack ruined and to be abducted. I can’t help but still think about that turkey leg. I bet it would have been damn good.

  We’ve got to roll with the punches. Or the magic. Whatever.

  I focus on Lilah in my arms. I hold her tight and thank fate she’s the one who was chosen for me.

  The party goes on for hours longer. We could have lost ones we love tonight. My brother and I are pretty confident in our skills; however, we can still be killed. We could have lost Ari, Caspian, Eaton, or others. There’s no way to tell what would have happened had Anlyn not gotten her hands on Ford and me.

  So, for as long as I want to, I’m going to hold my kitten close, revel in the warmth she provides me, and love her for the rest of my life.

  Want More?

  Want more of Michelle Dare’s paranormals? You can read about the characters you met in this story in The Ariane Trilogy and the Paranormals of Avynwood series which are available on Amazon and in Kindle Unlimited.

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  About Michelle Dare

  Michelle Dare is a USA Today Bestselling Author. Her stories range from sweet to sinful and from paranormal to contemporary. There aren’t enough hours in the day for her to write all the story ideas in her head. When not writing or reading, she’s a wife and mom living in eastern Pennsylvania. One day she hopes to be writing from a beach where she will never have to see snow or be cold again.

  https://www.michelledare.com/

  Love in Pieces

  Natasha Raulerson

  Created to be the perfect woman, Lenore only loves Erik. But when another man becomes obsessed, her reality is questioned.

  Copyright

  Love in Pieces by Natasha Raulerson

  Copyright © 2020

  All rights reserved. Without limiting the rights under copyright reserved above, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form, or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise) without the prior written permission of both the copyright owner and the above publisher of this book.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, brands, media, and incidents are either the product of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously. The author acknowledges the trademarked status and trademark owners of various products referenced in this work of fiction, which have been used without permission. The publication/use of these trademarks is not authorized, associated with, or sponsored by the trademark owners

  Prologue

  Erik constructed her from corpses. It sounded crude, and maybe it was. He only used parts from fresh cadavers. Women who had recently come into the coroner's office for him to examine. He did the autopsies, provided the reports. Pretended to send the bodies off to wherever the families expected. If there’d even been a family. One woman had been a Jane Doe. Drowned. Never claimed, despite her face being plastered on the internet. The world’s loss, it seemed, was his gain.

  Piece by piece, he put the woman together. Science and medicine had developed well past the tales of Dr. Frankenstein and his monster. That’s what Erik thought of. But it hadn’t come so far as to bring people back from the dead. Though it did have lasers and other things to minimize the scarring if the spell didn’t work properly.

  Spell.

  He glanced at the book sitting on his computer desk. Next to the modern laboratory of his basement, the book seemed decayed and out of place. A bitter laugh escaped him.

  “What am I doing?”

  But the woman on the cold, steel table was more beautiful than he could have ever imagined. Long, black hair fell over her shoulders, and when her eyes opened, they would be a vivid blue. Not exactly Robin’s egg blue, but close. With flecks of gray in them.

  He smiled at the thought. Doubt wiggled in his chest. The scientific mind. The mind that should shun all things mystical. Especially necromancy. Old world, uneducated beliefs to explain things they didn’t have the answer to.

  But still. Here he stood.

  The pieces came from multiple cadavers, with three various skin tones. All white, but from light to deep tan. He wasn’t sure how that would work with the spell. It only said to choose three. No more, no less.

  So Erik chose the most beautiful women and took their best parts. The perfect woman created for him, by him.

  He hooked the wires from monitoring equipment to her naked form. Nothing would come from this. He kept telling himself that. This was just an experiment. One last attempt to satisfy an all-consuming loneliness.

  And when it failed, Erik would go to work. He’d do his job one last time. Say goodbye to his colleagues. Then, he’d come home, drink a fifth of bourbon, and take his handgun to bed with him.

  It wouldn’t be sad. It’d be something better than this. Something better than the loneliness. The book he found was his last ditch effort to escape the loneliness. To find something that would end the ache in his heart.

  Erik was just so damn tired of being alone.

  If the spell worked, the woman’s devotion would be only for him. She would love only him. But she would be her own person. Not a shadow of the others.

  The spell warned of that. Not to expect the personality of someone who had died. They were gone. This spell was not to bring back the soul of the dead.

  But to create a new life from the dead.

  Erik didn’t know if that meant she’d have a soul or not, but he wasn’t sure he cared. Not so long as she loved him.

  He brushed his fingers over her forehead, then pulled away as though it had shocked him.
<
br />   “This is insane.”

  Yet, he walked over to the book. He picked it up. Even still, he felt the bits of dirt embedded into it. Graveyard dirt, according to the dealer. No matter where the book disappeared, they always found it in a graveyard. When or how—well only the book decided.

  And, according to the dealer, it only came to the people it would best serve.

  He figured it was all snake oil nonsense to get him to buy the book. But there had been an undeniable call. Something that made his heart pound and his palms sweat. He’d never been a nervous man. He wasn’t nervous at that moment either. It was something much more... primal.

  And considering the dealer found Erik—well, people conned other people all the time.

  But be warned. The end of the spell read. What you seek may not be what you receive. And in the end, a price is always paid.

  Erik was more than willing to pay it if it ended his long suffering.

  Taking a breath, he opened the book to the proper page. The spell was written in long strokes, each letter curved and styled on ancient paper that he handled with the gentlest touch. The last thing he wanted was for it to tear or disintegrate in his hands.

  Then his last hope—crazy as it may be, would disintegrate along with it.

  He read from the page—from a language that he guessed was Latin. He’d heard it a few times in church when he was younger. Back when he believed in that sort of thing. Plus, it had phrases similar to scientific names, many of which came from Latin descent.

  By the time he was through the second line, a sudden storm picked up outside. He couldn’t see it—there were no windows in the basement—but he heard it. The thunder shook the house, and the electricity in the air made his arm hairs stand on end.

  Coincidence.

  And yet, his heart pounded harder. Excitement rushed through his veins. He read on. The air became thick with something more—an energy he’d never felt. And her body jerked off the table.