With a smile, she walked into her bedroom and packed her bags, asking the maid to call a cab for her as she loaded the bags into the hallway before writing a note to let Salvador know where she was going to be. Last night had been wonderful, spectacular even, and she wanted more, but she also knew who she was now and knew she deserved better than a marriage of convenience, a marriage that suited their clan. She deserved his love and devotion, and Salvador deserved the same from her. She smiled as she placed the note on his pillow, knowing he might misinterpret her good-bye, but willing to take the chance. If he let her go that was his loss, she was still going to be the clan’s story-keeper, she’d just do it another way.
Mira fell asleep as the plane left Mexico, not realizing that it was Halloween, the night where the spirit world could cross into present reality. She hadn’t paid any attention to the signs, only wanting to get back to New York, to finish her job up, then head back to her new home. In her dreams, she found the people she’d missed the most her entire life; her parents.
Her mother, young when she’d had Mira and dead before Mira was two, was a beautiful version of her daughter, with dark-brown hair and the same brown eyes Mira had. Her blonde hair came from her father and she wished momentarily that she’d had his clear grey eyes. They hugged her and held her close, both wanting to touch the daughter they’d missed for so long. They took her to a room with a large mirror on the wall and smiled at her, imploring her to look into the mirror. In the mirror, she saw her life with Salvador as his wife, laughter, love, and children filled the mirror. She smiled, reaching out to touch the mirror but the image changed, becoming dark and clouded as her finger touched the rim. The picture showed Mira in a dark, dusty room this time, her hair silver; her features pinched and bitter looking between the lines. She knew from this picture what life without Salvador would be and knew what the right decision was. If he came to New York she had to take the chance because life with him was going to be far sweeter than one without him.
It took Salvador two days to find her and then he was there before her, a smile on his face, and his hair in that incredible bun that made her itch to touch him. Something about it just made her crazy for him. She opened the door wide, spreading her arms out to him. He gathered her up, carrying her into the tiny apartment.
He soon found her bed and had her naked beneath him, face-down in the bed as he stroked his cock in and out of her. “Tell me you’ll never leave me again, Mira. I can’t take being without you.”
“I won’t leave you again, Salvador, ever. Please, faster my darling. I need to feel all of you.” Mira felt as though the world was spinning, and she did not want to get off of it for a change. Salvador had her body begging for him the moment he appeared at the door, and she was helpless to refuse it. Mira moved with him, confident in herself because Salvador loved her, loved her body and soul. He loved the soft curves of her body, the way her skin glowed, and that when he pushed into her he didn’t bruise his hips. He loved feeling her beneath him and feeling her softness, not hard bone. Skinny girls were okay but he preferred bigger women, and Mira most of all.
Mira didn’t hide herself, didn’t hide her longing for him. She felt no shame in begging him to fuck her, or in pushing his head between her legs. She knew he enjoyed pleasuring her just as much as she enjoyed pleasuring him and as the sun sank down into night, she finally pushed him over the edge. He’d had her in every room of her apartment, in the bathroom, on the couch, the floor, but he hadn’t allowed himself a release yet. He wanted only her pleasure, but now she was tiring. She needed to feel him cum; she needed to know he’d had his own release or she’d have him in every room of the place. Their love pushed them; their delight in each other’s pleasure drove them to seek the depths of that pleasure out but now Mira needed rest, but she would not rest unless he came.
She got down on her knees, with him before her on her bed, and took him deep into her throat, moving her head up and down. His hands slid into her blonde hair, not controlling her movements but allowing her to move to her own rhythm. She moved her head quickly, sucking him to the tip of his cock before sliding back down again. Mira’s hands moved on him as he slid from between her lips, encouraging him to let go. She smiled as she felt the first hot drop on her cheek, then licked up the one that landed on her lips, grinning up into his eyes as the rest landed on her chest.
His breath came in short, harsh cries, his release so powerful he shut his eyes and let his head fall back. He loved the sight of her covered in his cum but he couldn’t hold his head up as she stroked more of his juices from his cock.
They fell into bed together, whispering of their plans for the future. Mira remembered something just before she fell asleep and spoke the thought aloud to Salvador.
“Babe, when I was in the trance and we made love for the first time you said something about a baby. That we were making a baby. Was that true?” Mira hoped it was, she really did. She’d like to have more time with him without a child, but she’d also love to have a child of her own as well.
“Yes my love, you’ll be able to take a test in another week or so to confirm it but that’s what we were doing. We were creating the next generation of were-jaguar. They’ll have both of us there to love them as well; it won’t be like your life, alone and lonely. We’ll both be there for our children and they will know nothing but love from us.” He said as he kissed her one more time.
A year later, Mira laughed as she watched Salvador making funny faces at their daughter on the fertile green lawn of their back garden. Her husband was as much in love with their child as he was with her mother. He’d never seen anyone so fascinated with a baby before. Already Isadora’s eyes were the same green as her fathers, and her baby fine hair was the color of her mother’s blonde hair. Isadora’s birth had brought them even closer together somehow. Each new stage of their relationship, of their lives as leader of the Jaguar Clan and as keeper of their stories brought them closer together.
A year ago Mira would not have ever dreamed this much happiness was possible. She still had no idea why her grandmother had been so unloving, so unkind to her but after Isadora’s birth she thought she might have an idea why. She so loved the child that the thought of losing her made Mira go cold. Perhaps the loss of her own daughter had made her grandmother too numb, too cold, to love the child of that daughter. Isadora would never know that pain of being unloved if she could help it, and she lived each day as if it was the last she’d get to spend with either of the two people she loved the most. If anything happened to her she did not want them to ever doubt just how much she truly loved them.
Mira watched the pair, certain that life could get no better than it was with the man and child who made up her entire world. She knew the future only held more love for her and for the rest of her life, she would remember that cold grey image of her alone in the library as a warning of what her life could have been if she’d made the wrong decision. Staring up into the brightly lit sky, she knew she’d made the right choice, for her, for Salvador, and for the future of their clan.
The End
Part III
The Wolf’s Kitten
Shifter Romance
About the Book
How far will you go to save the life of your sister.
When Lelani disappears in the blink of an eye, Luna is forced to find out. She is confronted by this cold, fear and she is pushed to the very limits and beyond what she thought she could do.
When Lelani woke up in the house of Crimson Claw, with no memory of how she got there, it was clear to her that she was abducted. She is mischievous and calculating until she is offered a sexy werewolf as her bodyguard. Will she be able to fight her feelings to carry out her plan of escape?
Chapter One
The asphalt blurred under Jack’s heel, his knees sent him flying south along the road. The plan had worked and he had Lelani. He always wanted her so badly and this was victory. It almost could have gone worse. The other people had seen him
with his backside hanging out the cabin window, Lelani in his arms and about to start running.
The werewolves didn’t care about the vertical surfaces. Jack tried to stay in human form while he held Lelani. She was freezing. He took a header into the bushes; he shifted on his way down. He ran in a flat sprint for his cabin while his legs and heart pumped. Every branch etched against his vision. He knew Lelani’s people would look for her especially her sister Luna. Howling through the woods, he shifted to a wolf again and propelled to the other side using his paws. Paws were good for many things but not carrying Lelani. He had to shift again to human form.
Lelani opened her eyes as Jack put her on the bed. She looked up and saw three men looking at her. She sat on the bed as she tried to cover her nakedness. She was terrified and the alcohol was wearing off. She started remembering how Jack lured her into his trap.
Lelani sat at the elegant marble bar, an un-drunk glass of champagne bubbling in front of her. The reason the champagne was un-drunk was apparent upon further inspection. On the rim of the glass, a tiny silver winged figure sat. His feet were dipping into the champagne. The amber colored wine swished around the glass as he moved his tiny feet back and forth. Lelani pinned the tiny fairy with her angriest glare.
“My last date was a disaster, Clint. What made you think that an unwashed werewolf would be a fitting lover for the lioness of history?”
Clint gave the lioness an abashed glance. “Now Lelani it wasn’t that bad. I mean granted, he smelled a bit… woodsy.”
“Woodsy?!” Lelani sputtered. “He smelled like he hadn’t bathed in months. Perhaps I could have overlooked the fragrance.” Lelani made a moue of disgust.
“Certainly he was handsome enough. If it hadn’t been for…”
The tiny fairy held up his hand. “I know, I know. I should have checked out his educational background a bit better. That’s completely my fault.” She knew that was sarcastic.
“He thought I was Cleo, Clint. Not Lelani the Lioness, but Cleopatra Philopator, last pharaoh of Egypt. Cleopatra! Who not only was a mortal, but has been dead for almost two thousand years.” The lioness put a hand up to her aching head.
“I realize we lionesses aren’t as well known in this millennium as we once were. I understand, truly I do. However, don’t you think, Clint, if you were trying to find me a mate, you might have at least stopped to check and make sure your candidate knew who I was first? When he realized I wasn’t the Egyptian seductress, he got all pouty and barely spoke to me the rest of the night!”
Clint blushed. “Yes, I probably should have thought that through better. At least he was better than the first guy!” The fairy said brightly, trying to put a positive spin on the terrible date.
Lelani gave Clint an exasperated sigh. “Oh yes. I will give you that. At least the werewolf didn’t try to enslave me! Why did you try to set me up with a sloth?” The tiny fairy flushed, his whole body taking on a pink hue.
“Hugh is an old friend of mine. When he heard I was trying to find you a mate, well… he volunteered. I thought you two would hit it off. I sort of forgot…”
“What did you forget Clint? That Sloth enslave women with poisoned sweat glands? Of course Hugh volunteered. If I wasn’t immune to those sorts of enchantments, Hugh would have been the only sloth with a pet lioness. Yuck by the way. That was revolting. I’ve never been gladder to be invulnerable to mortal female ailments. Why are you friends with a sloth anyhow?”
“It’s a long story involving my ex-mate.” Clint muttered under his breath. He plunged on louder “I know the last two guys weren’t exactly your cup of tea Lelani. I already apologized about Hugh. Just hang in there with me. I promise tonight’s guy is going to be perfect!” Lelani shook her head and gently poked the fairy.
“He had better be. I realize you are trying for a promotion Clint, but I only promised you three chances. If this guy is another stinker, we are done. Now will you please get your feet out of my drink? Fairy foot doesn’t exactly add to the taste.” Clint obliged her. When she tried a sip, Lelani wrinkled her nose in disgust.
“You owe me a new glass of champagne. Waiter!”
While the waiter brought the lioness a new drink, Lelani looked around the elegant immortals only restaurant where she was meeting her third blind date. A mixed crowd of fey, vampires and other beings of mortal legend sat at linen draped tables, eating and enjoying each other’s company. A dark skulking movement in the corner of her eye caused the muse to turn. However, Lelani could see nothing that matched the dark shadow she thought she had glimpsed.
“Clint, did you see something odd just now?” The lioness asked, turning back to her tiny companion.
“Huh? No I didn’t notice anything, beyond all the normal strangeness.” He indicated the entire restaurant. “Don’t worry our guy should be here any minute now.” Clint said in an attempt to placate her. Lelani continued to look around the restaurant, trying to figure out what had drawn her eye. That was when she saw him. A striking man was being escorted to a lone table by the host, a bouquet of narcissus in his hand. He was dressed in an impeccably cut Italian suit, his slightly long, dark brown hair was bound back with leather thong. Put him in armor, and he would easily have been at home on a Greek battlefield. Lelani gave a little sigh of longing. She hadn’t thought they made men like that anymore. He certainly wasn’t anyone she recognized from the old world.
The host tapped Lelani on the shoulder, interrupting her thoughts.
“Lady Lioness, your table is ready, right this way.” With Clint perched on her shoulder, Lelani followed the host into the main restaurant. When they stopped at the table with the narcissus bearing man, Lelani could not have been more shocked. The host pulled Lelani’s chair out, while the handsome man stood up.
“Glenn will be your server this evening. I hope you enjoy your meal.” The host gave the table a little half bow and walked back towards her podium at the front of the restaurant.
“Ahem.” Clint cleared his throat, and settling on the edge of the table, introduced the couple. “Jack Currian, may I have the pleasure of introducing Lelani, the lioness of history. Lelani, this is Jack, first born of the claw.” Jack took her hand and kissed it.
“See, I told you he’s perfect.” Clint told her in a stage whisper. Lelani greeted the werewolf, accepting the bouquet of narcissus, which she realized had been wrapped in parchment. “That’s very thoughtful Jack, thank you. Will you please excuse me for just a moment? I have to use the ladies room.”
Picking up the fairy by his collar, Lelani marched to the ladies restroom. Plunking her erstwhile matchmaker on the counter, she began to touch up her makeup.
“That is a werewolf, Clint.”
“Well yes, of course he’s a werewolf. Didn’t I just say that when I introduced you?” the fairy answered, obviously confused.
“Yes, you did. Did you bother to run a background check on this guy?” Lelani asked. “Well of course I did.” The little fairy said, perturbed. “He is from a very old noble family of werewolves living in Eastern Europe. He hasn’t managed to find his bride yet, and he was taking some heat from his old man. So he moved out here.”
“Listen here, mister. The first guy you set me up with tried to enchant me. The second man insulted me. If this werewolf tries to eat me, or glamour me, or do anything else vaguely evil I am coming after you. I will lock you up in the largest book of fey history I can find, and not let you out for five hundred years! Don’t think for a second that I won’t do it. I’m not the proclaimer for nothing!” Lelani snapped her handbag shut and spun on her heel.
From behind her, she heard Clint’s voice. “Dang it…This had better work.” Heading back to the table, she plastered a pleasant smile on her face, and prepared for the worst.
Her memories were interrupted by Jack as he snapped his fingers.
“I want you to eat something.” Jack said.
“I’m not eating anything. All I need to know is why you have kidnapped me?” she
said.
Jack liked Lelani the first time he saw her hunting. No one saw him watch her. He had been looking for a way to meet her but it was impossible. She was highly protected by her sister Luna. His plan for making his pack more powerful than Seth’s was about to come true once he could mate with Lelani. He risked his life to take her from the cabin and was ready to explain to his father why he did it. He always wanted to be strong and lead his people after his father.
“I only wanted to protect you,” he answered. He wanted her to love him not to see him as a mate. He was the perfect man for her. He looked at her with pain in his heart, he never wanted to profess his love to her in this kind of situation.
“From what?” she was curious. Gideon pulled Jack to the side. He was nervous of the war that was coming. Lelani trembled with fear, she now realized why her sister warned her not to go out by herself. Tears fell down her cheeks.
“Are you sure you want to lock her here?” Gideon asked.
“I want her to be mine, don’t tell my father anything, let me be the one to talk to him.” He said.
“You should have kidnapped her sister not her, she’s a helpless lioness who will only bring you trouble.”
“I only want her, I have my reasons why.”
“Okay.” He went back to check on Lelani. She looked vulnerable.
“Please let me go back and I swear I won’t tell anyone about this,” she pleaded. Jack wanted to let her go but he couldn’t let the Steel Fangs rule.
“I promise I will never hurt you.” He tried to hold her hand but she moved. She was not ready to be here and would do anything to escape. She realized Jack had feelings for her. He was the only way for her to escape. If she could use the seshat powers on him then he would become her slave.
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