Fallen Princess

by Chantal Fernando

  I tell Mom about what Jones said about Felix’s father, and she says she will do what she can to look into it. I finally have the chat with Mom that I went to her house to have, and she thinks it’s a great idea.

  “I love the idea of you working with the FBI. You’d be amazing at it.” She beams, flashing me a look I see sometimes. It says, Yes, I knew I raised her right and is a mix of pride and smugness. Does every parent relate their children’s successes back to them? Or is it just mine? Either way, it amuses me when she takes my win as her own.

  “I know they’d be interested. I can reach out to my contact and see what they say. But only if that’s what you want to do,” she says, studying me. “I think you’d make a great agent. I know it’s not common practice for women like us to work on the other side of the law, as you’ve just found out the hard way, but if you find the right people to work with, you can make it work.”

  “I hate that I have to use the fact that you’re my mom to get into what I want to do,” I admit. “I wanted to do it all on my own, and my own way.”

  And look how that turned out.

  “But, Clover, you did do this on your own. Sure, my contacts will help speed up the process, but they’ve had you on their radar since you graduated the academy. They’ve noticed your skills and talent. Not just your name,” she says, brow furrowing. “If anything, your name made it harder for you, not easier. You will make your own reputation for yourself. Trust me, after you show them what you can do everyone is going to forget my name. You’re going to shine, Clo. It’s just what you do. I’m so proud of you, and never think you can’t ask me for help. You can come to me about anything, okay?”

  “Okay,” I reply, breathing a sigh of relief knowing that it’s not just my name they are after. “Thanks, Mom. You’ve always had my back, and I really appreciate that.”

  “What are mothers for?” she says, nudging me playfully with her shoulder. “Now come on, I’ve got a special day planned for us. Spa, shopping, lunch, and a movie. Let’s just relax and forget about all the drama that’s happened recently.”

  “Sounds perfect.”

  I went through hell this year, but things are finally starting to go smoothly.

  Whatever else life wants to throw at me though, you know what?

  I’ll handle it.

  Knock me down and I’ll just get right back up.

  It’s in my blood.

  TWENTY-TWO

  Two months later

  “ ‘OFFICER Jones Arrested for Death of Police Officer, Friend, Joseph Banks,’ ” Mom reads out loud to me, sliding the newspaper in front of me.

  “How did you get him to admit to this?” I ask her, frowning and looking over at Felix to see if he’s doing okay.

  “I told him if he told the truth about Felix’s dad, I would help get him a lighter sentence,” she says. “Never did I think he’d admit that he was the one who killed him. I thought that he simply knew the truth.”

  The article goes on to say that Banks had found out that Jones had turned dirty, and Banks wasn’t having any part of it. Banks was going to turn Jones in, so in return, Jones killed a man he once called his friend and blamed it on a shootout that happened with local bikers.

  “I’m still in shock,” Felix murmurs, reading the headline over once more. “I don’t even know what to say.”

  “Your father was a good man,” I whisper.

  “The best,” he replies, smiling sadly.

  Mom walks over and gives Felix a big hug. “He would have been so proud of you, I just know it.”

  Dad walks toward Felix and offers him his hand, and Felix takes it.

  This is it.

  Felix may be a cop, but he also has the Wind Dragons as his new family. I don’t know how that’s going to pan out for the future, but we will make it work. We always do.

  “You are a good man,” Dad says, “just like your father was. I never thought I’d think anyone was good enough for my daughter, but you’ve proved yourself, over and over again.”

  “Thank you, sir,” Felix replies, sounding more humble than I’ve ever heard. “Your approval means the world to me. I know how close of a family you all are.”

  “Call me Dex,” Dad says with a wolfish smile. “And welcome to the madhouse.”

  “Feel like I belong here already,” Felix chuckles. “Or anywhere Clover is.”

  My mom puts her hand over her heart. Man, he has the women wrapped around his finger, but I can’t complain, because it makes my life a hell of a lot easier.

  “I’d better go home and see how Mom is taking all of this,” he says to us, glancing back at the newspaper.

  “Do you want me to come with you?” I ask him, and he nods.

  “We’ll see you guys soon,” I tell Mom and Dad, smiling at Dad, feeling so proud in this moment.

  “I love you,” he mouths to me.

  “I love you too, Dad,” I call out to him.

  I will always be Daddy’s little girl, and that will never change.

  Three months later

  “This wedding cracks me up. Cops, other motorcycle club members, and family members no one really likes: it has something for everyone,” Knuckles, one of Ace’s biker brothers, says to me, chuckling to himself. “Seriously, only Erin could bring people like this together. And no one is even giving each other the side-eye.”

  “I’m side-eyeing that cake,” I reply back to him, making him and Felix laugh. “I’m serious. Erin has epic taste—that cake looks like I need a double serving.”

  “Girl, just wait until you taste it,” Celina, Knuckles’s woman, adds. “It’s amazing.”

  After a beautiful garden ceremony, we’ve all come to the Cursed Ravens clubhouse for the reception. The place looks amazing; they’ve really put in the time and effort to decorate, with a white-and-gold theme. I’m right where Jones wanted me to be, except I’m here to celebrate the marriage of my good friend and her now husband, Ace, not making any moves against them.

  I turn to Felix. “Another day, another MC clubhouse. It’s good to know that you will go anywhere with me.”

  He smirks, lifting his hand to touch the yellow sunflower in my hair. “I’d follow you to hell, Clover.”

  Lip twitching, I move closer to my man and rest my head on his shoulder. “I hope it never comes to that, but I appreciate the sentiment.”

  “I like Erin,” he says to me, smiling. “And I’m happy to be here to watch her tie the knot. Hell, I like everyone here. You have a great network of people surrounding you, and I love being a part of it all with you, by your side. I might not be a biker, but I can still look after you, protect you, and worship you in the bedroom.”

  Celina sticks her head over to us, fanning herself. “That was hot.”

  Knuckles pulls her back toward him. “Let them have their moment.”

  Felix and I share an amused look. He stayed with the police force, and they promoted him to sergeant and he’s opted to go into internal affairs. He never showed an interest before—I thought he would become a detective—but after everything that happened with his father and Jones, he wants to be the one investigating dirty cops. I think it’s the only way he could’ve stayed a police officer. I’m glad he did though, and I think he is too. He was meant to be a police officer, like his father before him, and the world needs more men like Felix Banks.

  It’s a shame I don’t get to be his partner anymore, but I still see him at home at the end of every shift. We live together, work out together, and just enjoy each other’s company so much. I’ve started working with Mom on a few of her cases, and eventually I’ll be working for the FBI solo, on my own. I’m loving every second of working with my mother, and seeing how brilliant she is makes me so proud to be her daughter. I’m supposed to head to Quantico in a few weeks to train to be a special agent and once that is completed, I’m hoping to be assigned to the local office.

  “You look so incredibly beautiful,” I tell Erin when she comes over to our table, pul
ling up a chair and sitting down with us.

  “Thank you, Clover, and thank you so much for coming. I wish I could spend more time with you, but, man, it’s hard being the host and having to talk with everyone,” she says, glancing down at her wedding band. “I can’t believe I’m finally married to Ace. Today is the best day ever.”

  “Don’t worry about us, we’re having fun chatting with Knuckles and Celina,” I assure her, softening as I watch her. She can’t stop beaming, and it’s beautiful to share this moment with her.

  I’ve never really been a wedding person before; I usually just looked forward to the food. I wasn’t one of those children who dreamed of being a bride or a mother. I never carried around doll toys or imagined what my wedding day would be or what dress I would wear.

  I’ve never even considered marriage.

  I dreamed of fighting bad guys and saving the world instead, but in this moment I can appreciate the beauty of it all.

  Especially with this man next to me.

  Most people think falling in love with someone is a weakness, because you lower your guard and let that person inside. You grow to want them all the time, to rely on them, to need them. But I know that this can also be a strength. Just look at all the couples in the MC. Alone, they are dangerous; together, they are unbeatable.

  And if the time comes that I have to let Felix go, I’m strong enough to be okay after that too. Yes it would hurt like a bitch, and I feel physically sick thinking about it, but if I need to survive alone, I know I can.

  I want Felix; I love him, but I don’t need him.

  But, boy, do I love him.

  How did we get here? I went from him being my new partner, to him taking a bullet for me, all in the span of a year.

  And you know what?

  I wouldn’t change a damn thing.

  EPILOGUE

  Two years later

  FELIX walks through the doors, and the sight of him still turns me on.

  “I love coming home every day to have you looking at me like that,” he murmurs, eyeing me in my black silk robe. Today is my only day off, so I decided to stay inside, clean, read, and watch some TV. Every now and again I just need a day to chill and have some me time. Today, though, is a little different, and it’s about to be for Felix too.

  He hugs me tightly, gives me a kiss, then steps back and lets my robe fall open. I’m naked underneath, and his eyes darken as he takes me in.

  “I’m pregnant,” I tell him, smirking as the heat fades away before my eyes. I twirl the engagement ring on my finger, knowing that this might be a surprise, but I know we’re both in this together.

  When Felix proposed to me a few months ago, I said yes. Obviously.

  The woman who never really considered marriage and children suddenly has a new perspective on it, and with him, it just felt right. We spoke about children and decided we’d wait a little longer, but after the engagement, we also started being a little less strict with using protection.

  “What?” he whispers, glancing down at my stomach, like there would instantly be a bump there. “You’re pregnant?”

  I nod, and fuck it, I smile.

  This child wasn’t planned, but you know what, neither was I.

  Yeah, I’ve heard that story. Everyone at the clubhouse loves to tell it. Especially since my father was my mother’s ex-boyfriend’s older brother. Yes, my parents were crazier than I am.

  He lowers himself to his knees and kisses my stomach. “I hope you’re not a girl,” is the first thing he says, making me laugh.

  I’ve never laughed so much in my life as I have being with Felix.

  He stands back up and kisses me, dipping me backward and smiling against my lips. “We’re going to be parents?”

  I nod.

  “Just when I thought you couldn’t make me any happier.”

  He lifts me up and carries me back into the bedroom, except instead of ravaging me, he asks me how I’m feeling and if he can do anything for me. He even starts doing research on his phone, wanting to know everything about the little bean inside of me.

  I think it’s cute.

  But then I push him back and remove his clothes.

  I’m still me, and he’s still him, and nothing will ever change that.

  Now we’re just going to have an extra person to love, half of me and half of him.

  He’s right about one thing though, if it’s a girl—good luck.

  ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

  A BIG thank you to my editor, Marla Daniels and Gallery books.

  Kimberly Brower, I’m so lucky to have you as my agent! Thank you for everything you do—we make such a great team and you truly go above and beyond.

  Natalie Ram—Thank you for being the most versatile best friend ever, from helping me proofread to making me swag. I appreciate everything that is you. I know I can always count on you to have my back, or help me when I need you. I kind of adore you, and I don’t know how I survived before I had you by my side. You’re my one woman army, and I love you heaps.

  Rose Tawil—I really don’t know what I’d do without you. I can’t say “thank you” enough for all the work you put in to support my dreams, and you never ask for anything in return. You truly are one of the best people I’ve ever met. You also kick my ass whenever I need it. Love you infinity.

  Brenda Travers—Thank you so much for all that you do to help promote me. I am so grateful.

  Amo Jones—Thank you for always being there when I need someone to talk to, for the badass writing sprints, and for encouraging me to be the best writer I can be. I love you wifey.

  Ari—You are one of the best souls I have ever met. You are kind, generous, and I’m so lucky to have you in my life. Thank you for always caring about me.

  C—Thank you for always being there for me, for helping me in any way I need it, and loving me when I’m not always lovable.

  To my three sons, my biggest supporters, thank you for being so understanding, loving, and helpful. I’m so proud of the men you are all slowly becoming, and I love you all so very much. Nothing makes me happier than being your Mama.

  More from this Series

  Dragon's Lair

  Arrow's Hell

  Book 2

  Tracker's End

  Book 3

  Dirty Ride

  Book 4

  More from the Author

  Going Rogue

  Knuckle Down

  The Cursed Ravens Series

  Ace of Hearts*

  Knuckle Down*

  Going Rogue*

  The Conflict of Interest Series

  Breaching the Contract*

  Seducing the Defendant

  Approaching the Bench*

  Leading the Witness

  The Wind Dragons Motorcycle Club Series

  Dragon’s Lair

  Arrow’s Hell

  Tracker’s End

  Dirty Ride*

  Rake’s Redemption

  Wild Ride*

  Wolf’s Mate

  Last Ride*

  Crossroads

  *ebook only

  We hope you enjoyed reading this Simon & Schuster ebook.

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  Gallery Books

  An Imprint of Simon & Schuster, Inc.

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  This book is a work of fiction. Any references to historical events, real people, or real places are used fictitiously. Other names, characters, places, and events are products of the author’s imagination, and any resemblan
ce to actual events or places or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

  Copyright © 2019 by Chantal Fernando

  All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce this book or portions thereof in any form whatsoever. For information address Gallery Books Subsidiary Rights Department, 1230 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10020.

  First Gallery Books ebook edition April 2019

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  Cover design by Patrick Kang

  Cover photography © Getty Images

  ISBN 978-1-9821-1249-3