Ever After

by Carrie Ann Ryan

  Sarah knew that her house was gone, along with everything in it. It was funny how the mind started taking inventory once the person was safe and alive. Truly, they were just things, most of them replaceable.

  Damian covered her hand with his and squeezed. He hadn’t said much since arriving. She didn’t blame him. Graham and Nevan gave him leery glances, as if knowing there was a growing connection forming between her and him.

  Well, her sons would have to get over it. As soon as this crap was taken care of with the rebels, she planned to start the life she deserved with her best friend and now lover.

  Damian was right. Walt wouldn’t want her to be lonely or unhappy.

  The door opened, and Blaine and Travis walked in, frowns on their faces. Chill bumps rose on her arms. They’d found something. They had to have by the way they entered the room without a word. Blaine strode straight to Graham and whispered something to him.

  The two males spoke in hushed tones so no one else in the room could hear them. Sarah was about to say something when Blaine threw his hands up and turned to Damian. Blaine tossed something toward Damian. He caught it and peered at it with eyebrows drawn together.

  Blaine folded his arms over his chest. “That was found outside the back door, which is where the fire started.”

  Damian closed his fist around what Sarah now recognized as a pocketknife. Blaine sent him a hard stare and asked, “Do you know who that belongs to?”

  Damian nodded, anger vibrating off him. Sarah had a suspicion that whoever had set her house on fire wasn’t with the human rebels, but was someone close to Damian. He confirmed it a moment later.

  “Chad was my second-in-command. He was even the one who gave me the proof that Shield had targeted Sarah.” Damian leaned forward and rested his head in his hands. “I want to say that he had nothing to do with the fire.”

  “But?” Blaine asked.

  “But I’ve suspected him of hiding something for a while now. I thought I could catch him in a lie. I never thought he’d go after Sarah.” Damian let out a breath.

  Luna, the wolf Alpha, spoke next. “Did he know how you felt about Sarah? That you were protecting her?”

  Damian peered up at the wolf Alpha. “Yes, but I don’t understand why he’d do something like that.”

  Luna stared back at him with a hint of compassion in her expression. “Then call him. Brief him on what happened. Business as usual.”

  Fear clenched Sarah’s heart at the proposal. “Wouldn’t he suspect Damian would know?”

  Luna shrugged. “Maybe not at first. For all we know, he thinks Damian believes the humans did it.”

  Damian nodded. “Do you have a phone I can use?”

  Hayden handed over his cell. “It’s a secure line, and the number is untraceable.”

  Damian took the phone and walked outside to make the call.

  “Mom? Are you okay?”

  Sarah met Graham’s worried gaze and offered a weak smile. “Fine, dear. Just shaken up. Everything will be okay.” She patted his hand, and he grasped hers in his and squeezed.

  “Come to Nevan’s with us. Dani and Cam are going to cook dinner.”

  Her head was still a little fuzzy from whatever gas they’d used to put Damian and her into a deep sleep. Food would be good to help absorb the toxin. She nodded to Graham and allowed him to pull her to a stand and take her to Nevan and Dani’s house.

  Chapter Six

  “Are you sure about this?” Sarah asked Damian for the tenth time since he’d made the call to Chad and told Sarah he was meeting him.

  “Yes. Alec and Hayden, along with several enforcers, will be posted around the cabin. I’ll be fine.” He cupped her cheek. “I have to go now.”

  She nodded and stepped back, arms wrapped around her middle. God, he hated seeing her like this.

  “I will be back.” He smiled at her and then pressed a kiss to her lips. “I promise.”

  She sighed and pushed at him. “Go. I’ll hang out with my grandbabies.”

  He smiled weakly. Her family had always grounded her. As long as he’d known her, she’d surrounded herself with Walt and the kids.

  Giving her one last kiss on the forehead, he left Nevan’s house to meet Alec and Hayden at the north end of the den.

  About fifteen minutes later, Damian stood on the front porch of the small cabin he and the rest of his group used on occasions when they needed a safe place to sleep or needed to meet in small groups.

  Chad opened the door and grinned. The bastard. Standing back, Chad said, “You look like hell.”

  Damian growled at the male, which wasn’t too far out of character for him. Chad always had a way of irritating him. Now he knew why. Chad was a lying, backstabbing bastard.

  “Did you get any leads on who caused the fire?” Damian growled out as he walked into the cabin.

  Chad shut the door and followed him farther into the living room. “I put a call out for whoever is in the area. No word yet.”

  Damian forced himself to calm. Chad hadn’t put the call out. Damian was certain. Deciding he’d had enough of the polite bullshit, Damian pulled out the pocketknife and handed it to the other male.

  Chad glanced at it, and Damian swore he saw a flicker of fear flashed in his features before he took it and smiled. “I’ve been looking for that.”

  “Don’t you want to know where I found it?” When Chad didn’t answer right away, Damian continued. “Why did you do it?”

  Chad lifted his gaze to Damian’s, and one corner of his mouth twitched. “Just giving a little payback.”

  Damian narrowed his eyes. “Payback for what?”

  “My family. You gave the order to bail out when you knew my family was still in the den.” Fury rolled over Chad and reached out to Damian.

  “I didn’t know until it was too late. We barely got out ourselves. It was seconds before the whole place blew.”

  Chad started to pace, shaking his head. “No. There was time.”

  Damian blew out a breath. Chad had lost his mate and two children when their den was attacked and destroyed by Onyx, a rogue Pack set on ruling all shifters. Damian had thought all this time that the male was dealing with his loss while fighting against the rogues that had taken their Pack, their family, away.

  Apparently Chad was dealing with it in a way Damian hadn’t expected.

  “You caused the car accident, didn’t you?”

  Chad laughed. “You see what good that did me. Your mate is still alive.”

  Damian cursed under his breath. He’d confided in Chad a few months after they’d formed their rebel group, telling the male that Sarah was his mate, and because Walt was like a brother to him, he couldn’t have her.

  “Why, Chad?”

  The male gave Damian a hard stare and snarled. “Because I wanted you to suffer as much as I had.”

  The next instant, Chad rushed at Damian, nailing him in the stomach with his shoulder. They tumbled to the floor. Chad punched him the jaw. Pain shot up his face. Damian hit Chad in the gut, knocking the male off him. Damian pulled out the gun Blaine had given him and pointed it at Chad’s head. The male stilled and glared at Damian.

  “It’ll take only one shot to head, asshole.” Damian wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. When he pulled it away, he wasn’t surprised to see the blood smeared across his hand.

  The front door flew open, and Alec charged in and cuffed Chad none-too-gently. “The Council of Elders will be thrilled to have their first trial in two hundred years.”

  Damian holstered the gun and walked past Hayden to get outside. Once free from the walls of the cabin, Damian shifted in a flash, not bothering to remove his clothes first. He needed to run, needed to feel the air in his fur.

  Run off the pain from the betrayal.

  He’d always thought of Chad as a friend, someone he could confide in and would have his back. All the while, the bastard had been plotting the death of his mate.

  Fury pushed his legs faster through
the forest and toward Ashwood. His only thoughts were on Sarah and making sure she was safe.

  He’d never leave her alone again.

  Chapter Seven

  Sarah cradled a cup of coffee in her hands as she sat in a large armchair in her new apartment in Ashwood Falls. Blaine and Luna had insisted she stay there. They’d get no argument from her this time. The den was safe, and she was close to two of her sons and Graham’s adopted kids, Max and Sammie.

  Besides, the den was truly beautiful with its natural landscape and the love that radiated in the air. The two Packs — the wolves and leopards — had truly made it a home, welcoming and warm.

  Scratching at the door made her draw her brows together. She stood and set the cup on the coffee table before going to the door. Opening the door, she smiled at Damian in puma form and stepped back so he could enter.

  Once he was inside and she’d closed the door, he shifted instantly and wrapped his arms around her to draw her into his hard, naked body. He buried his nose in her neck and inhaled. Sarah sagged in relief and hugged him tight.

  Then the sharp sting of his fangs in her skin made her gasp. He walked her backward a few steps until her back was flat against the door and started undressing her. Desire flooded her system and sent pinches of sensations all the way down to her core.

  When her jeans were off, Damian lifted her legs and thrust inside her. She cried out in pleasure at the sudden invasion, and then again as he pumped in and out in demanding thrusts, claiming her in the way a mate claims his female.

  She dug her claws into his shoulders and rode the wave of pleasure until an orgasm crashed into her in a hot, explosive wave, pulling Damian under with her.

  He lifted his head and peered into her eyes. “I’d say sorry, but you’d know I’m not.”

  She smiled. “No more than I’m sorry to be taken like that.”

  He smiled, wrapped his arms around her to support her weight, and walked them to the bedroom. He laid her down on the bed and lay beside her. “I love you, Sarah. Always have. I want to bond with you and never want to let you go.”

  Her heart swelled, and her vision blurred. She cupped his face in her hands. “I love you, too. I’m yours, always.”

  Destined for Eden

  A Shadows of Destiny Novella

  By Leia Shaw

  Chapter One

  Twigs snapped underneath her bare feet as she flew through the familiar wooded area. Eden pumped her arms to go faster. Sweat trickled down her forehead, and she grunted. One of the most important meetings of her life and she was going to look like she’d just rolled out of bed. A pixie haircut, wind, and sweat didn’t mix well.

  She couldn’t believe she’d lost track of time. Her very first assignment in the rebellion and she was off gallivanting in the forest. Well, if one could call the small clump of trees just outside their coastal colony a forest. It was as close as she’d get in Northern Wales.

  A log appeared in her path, and she easily leapt over it then kept running. The lights in the distance got closer. Panting, she slowed her pace and approached the gate.

  Jax was there, grinning at her. “You’re late.”

  “No shit. Let me through.”

  He rolled his eyes but murmured the pass code to the enchanted gate guarding their colony. The steel door creaked and slowly began to move.

  She watched it, hopping from foot to foot. Come on. Come on, come on, come on. Damn slow gate!

  Jax chuckled. “Don’t you wish you could shift and just fly over it, wolfy?”

  The door opened a sliver, enough for her to squeeze through. She ran forward. “Fuck you, too, gorgeous,” she yelled, smiling as she passed by him.

  The sound of the gate closing behind her drowned out his laughter. Three blocks from the gate, she made a narrow turn toward the town hall. After the receptionist buzzed her in, she power-walked through the corridor.

  Salvatore’s office was the third on the left. She charged through the door. “Sorry I’m la”

  A man turned and gave her a look so cold it froze her on spot. She’d assumed, when Salvatore had messaged her a few days ago, they’d be alone. But now that she thought about it, a partner made sense. No one worked in the rebellion without backup. And here she stood, twenty minutes late, sweaty and disheveled. Despite his cold glare, his striking features made her feel all warm and tingly.

  “Uh, hi.” With a nervous glance at Salvatore behind the desk, she took a few steps back. “Sorry to interrupt. I’ll come back later.”

  “No,” he said and smiled warmly. “Come in, Eden. We were just talking about you.”

  The stranger’s eyes narrowed, and his lips tightened in a look of displeasure. What exactly was Salvatore telling him? It didn’t look promising.

  “Okay.”

  “Have a seat.” He motioned to the chair next to the mystery man. “This is Dalton.”

  Dalton? Why did that sound familiar? Then it hit her. Black hair. Green eyes. Somber expression. Her heart kicked up a notch. She was about to have a fan girl moment.

  Okay, Eden. Play it cool.

  “Hi. You’re Dalton.” She winced. Oh hell. “I mean. I know you know who you are.” She wanted to kick herself. “What I meant to say is, nice to meet you, Dalton. I’m Eden.”

  Dalton barely acknowledged her. He turned to Salvatore. “This is who you have in mind?”

  In mind for what? Was Salvatore pairing them together? She fought back a goofy grin. She could learn so much from him. Only a few months ago, he’d been involved in the burning of Marwolaeth Du—the sorcerer prison that held shifters captive. It was a day that would go down in history. It would be an honor to work beside him, maybe learn from him.

  “Think about it,” Salvatore told him. “She smells like a werewolf, acts like one. It’s your ticket into the pack. They’ll let her explain why she’s there. They’ll trust her.”

  A werewolf pack? There hadn’t been one in Wales since… Well, never, as far as she knew.

  Dalton leaned in toward Salvatore then whispered conspiratorially, “But do you trust her? She’s not one of us.”

  Though she’d heard it before—felt it every day of her life—it still stung. She adjusted quickly. Stamping down the twinge of hurt, she cleared her throat. “I may not be a shifter, but I’m not deaf. I can hear you.”

  In fact, her hearing was probably better than his. One of the benefits of being a wolf. But nobody asked her those sorts of things. They assumed she could shift into a wolf—not very impressive when most shifters could change into a bird and a more versatile predatory animal—and that was the extent of her abilities. To them, she was nothing more than a pretty face. Even her father called her “Fluff” now and then. He meant it to be affectionate, but it fed into everyone’s idea that she didn’t really have anything going for her.

  Ignoring Dalton’s question about her allegiance, Salvatore turned to Eden. “Not being a shifter, in this case, is an asset. I have a job that only you can do, Eden. I need you to visit the Northwest Pack and convince the alpha to side with us against the sorcerers.”

  She waited for the punch line. They stared at her, wearing somber expressions. Was he serious? Well, that was a hell of a first mission. She thought maybe they’d let her be backup on some weapons run. But traveling outside the colony? That was a first. Talking to an alpha? Fuck. She’d never been around other werewolves. What if she was too different? She didn’t know how to act like a werewolf. She’d only ever lived with shifters.

  Were they very different? Everyone said they were. They told her she was different. And now Dalton was staring at her, assessing her every move. It was obvious he’d already decided she was a failure before she’d even started. And Salvatore… Did he expect her to fail?

  No. Salvatore believed in her. He was the only person, outside of her adoptive family, who never questioned her loyalty. For that, and other reasons, she admired him. She used to admire Dalton, but now…

  “So is he coming with me or
something?” she asked, gesturing to the stone-faced man to her right.

  “Yes.” Salvatore opened a desk drawer and pulled out a map. “Dalton will escort you to Wyoming where Cristian and his pack reside.” He pointed to a spot in North America. “He’s going as your protector, but you’ll do all the talking.”

  You mean sunshine here isn’t good at diplomacy? “If he doesn’t want to go with me,” she said to Salvatore, “I don’t want to force him.” Why would she trust a protector who loathed the responsibility? He’d probably shove her off the first cliff he saw then shrug and say “oops.”

  “No,” Dalton answered curtly and turned to face her. “I’ll do it. Salvatore is right. If this mission is so important then you’ll need the best guardian you can get.” With a cocky nod he added, “That’s me.”

  Instead of giving a smartass reply about his ego, she smiled winningly. “Thank you.” Being considered fluff had taught her a great deal. One, her smile could win over the hardest of men. She wondered if that was why Salvatore was sending her to the werewolf pack. She had a knack for getting what she wanted. It came with making people feel as though she was harmless. Being fluff had its uses. If Salvatore had caught on to that, he was more perceptive than she thought.

  A hint of a returning smile crossed Dalton’s face, which gave her hope. If she could charm him into liking her, it’d make this trip so much more pleasant. As it stood, she was already a ball of nerves.

  “What sort of experience do you have in the field?” he asked her.

  Her smile faded. She looked to Salvatore for help, but he just grinned at them. Why did she get the feeling he was up to something? “Um. This is my first mission.”

  Dalton’s eyes widened. “The first?” She liked him smiling better. He’d almost looked friendly.

  Salvatore leaned across the desk and patted her hand. “Don’t worry. I have faith in our girl.” He winked, and she had the urge to hug him.