A slight metal clang jerked Porter’s head up. The bullet was out.
“Ana, hook Mr. Stockwell up, please.” Doc wrapped gauze around Maggie’s head; he caught Porter’s eye. “I put the section I cut back into place—less bone for her body to generate.” He took a deep breath, visibly relaxed, and wiped his hands off. “Now, let’s take a look at her leg.”
***
Maggie drifted light as a feather rising out of a deep sleep. Sweet Mother, she was uncomfortable. Groaning, she rolled over. She made it as far as her side, weak as a newborn puppy.
This would do. Except her hair tickled. Reaching up, she batted at the offender. Her hand swiped soft material that was wrapped around her head.
What the…?
Opening her eyes, her first sight was a haggard Porter sleeping in an office chair, slumped against the wall. A long piece of gauze dangled from her fingers.
Getting shot. Seamus!
She flung up, and flopped back down. Porter appeared at her side. She sensed her mother and Jace, but her attention was sluggish moving away from her mate.
“Hey.” She offered a tired smile, it was the best she could do in her weakened state.
Stress visibly drained out of his expression. “Hey yourself.”
“Is he dead?”
Porter’s gaze soaked her in. “He lost his head.”
“Good.” Her own body relaxed. “Good.” Only then did she cast a glance around. Her mom, worry still tainting her eyes, held a tray full of meat that made Maggie’s fangs drool. Jace hung a foot behind Porter, like he felt Armana and Porter took priority.
Before she could say anything to them, her mother barked orders. “Porter, prop her bed up. There’s a lever somewhere. Jace bring the side table over. She needs food.”
“It smells delicious.” The head of the cot rose while the crisp, white sheet slid down. She tucked the ends behind her. Nothing was going to stand in the way of her and the red meat on the tray.
Popping bacon into her mouth, she hardly chewed before swallowing. Nitrates were a shifter’s best friend. “Fill me in. I remember Seamus sneaking into the cabin and I plugged a round into his ratty hide.”
She speared a piece of steak someone had the foresight to cut up for her, otherwise she’d be face first in her dish. She was starving.
“When I ran back,” Porter explained, “you had Seamus in a choke hold. He shifted to get out of it and dived for the gun. You met him headfirst.”
“That explains the black out. I don’t remember any of that.” They had superhero hearing if they could make out her words around the food.
“You weren’t recovering, I raced back here, and Doc dug the lead out of you…”
She stopped chewing, sensing Porter withheld an important detail.
“Three days ago,” he finished.
“Three days?”
“Porter’s not left your side.” Her mom pushed the plate closer to prompt her to keep eating.
“Your mom hardly did, either,” Porter countered.
“You guys are making me sound like a slacker,” Jace grumbled. He tapped Maggie’s foot. “Good to see you up. I gotta get back out in the field.”
Maggie gave him a little wave before he left, and looked between her mom and Porter. “Why so long? I’m a shifter.”
Armana chuckled. “We’re not immortal, dear. Just hard to kill. If you had been able to get back here immediately and had the bullets dug out, you’d have healed in a day. But…” Her voice caught, her eyes were haunted.
“But I’m here, Ma. I’m okay. Just really hungry.”
Armana wiped away glistening tears. “I lost Bane and Keve. I almost cost myself Jace, and then you—” She cut herself off, blew out a gusty breath. With a wry chuckle, she shook her head. “Now you’re both Guardians and I’ll worry for the rest of my life.”
Maggie dropped her fork and grabbed her mom’s hand. “I know. I wish I could squirrel your worry away.” Her glance flicked to Porter. “But it’s who I am.”
He brushed her hair back. Ick, it must be a greasy mess. “I know who you are, Mage.” His ragged whisper betrayed his emotion.
Her mom patted her hand and pulled away. “I’ll leave you two to talk.”
Maggie expected a hard look thrown Porter’s way, not the loving motherly expression with a grateful nod from Porter.
Maggie quirked a brow watching her mom walk out. “You two must’ve had plenty of time to talk in three days.”
“She knows how I feel about you.” Scratching the scruff that should be called a full-fledged beard, he propped a hip on the cot. “I’m so sorry for dragging you into this. For Seam—”
She stopped him with a finger pressed over his lips, the dichotomy of his coarse, yet soft facial hair tickling her skin. “We’ve already covered this. Let’s not keep circling back.”
Heat flared in his eyes; he bared his teeth and snapped at her digit.
Pulling her hand back with a gasp, she almost regretted it, wanted to know how it’d feel if he caught her.
His hand snaked around her wrist. She would’ve been dragged to his chest, but the food tray rattled and he eased up to cradle her hand in his. “I’m afraid, Mage,” his thumb swirled in her palm, “you’re stuck with me.”
Oh, the naughty ideas that came to mind when their skin touched, when he teased with sensations that could be imagined elsewhere.
The meaning of his statement sunk in. “What about Lobo Springs?”
A heavy shoulder lifted in a casual shrug; she knew it was anything but. “It’ll be fine without me. There’s some good shifters who’ll pick up the slack.”
Good shifters who wanted him as the mayor, who trusted him to see them through the turmoil Seamus left behind.
“What about the moles who helped Seamus sneak around and find out about you and me?”
“I’ll help the Guardians sniff them out. I can do that from here.”
Maggie stared at her plate. Porter. Here.
His thumb ceased movement, his grip loosened. “Do you want me here?”
“Yes, of course. It’s just…we’re going from meeting each other, to broken up, to living together. I feel like I should put a stop to it, slow us down.” Porter’s jaw clenched, his brow furrowed. “But the truth is, I missed you so much, I never want you to leave. Is that desperate?”
A slow, sexy grin spread across his face. “I’m desperate times ten. I’ve filled up Sanders shop for the next year making furniture.”
Her grin matched his…until it faded. “You can’t just desert Lobo Springs.”
He blinked, thinking about it. Proof leaving the community bothered him. “I can help them find someone to take over from here. You come first. Always.”
A voice spoke from the hallway. “There might be another way.”
Commander Fitzsimmons strode in, Bennett on his heels. Both males stopped short. Porter kept his hold on her, an inquiring expression on his rugged face.
Bennett crossed his arms, his blue eyes serious. “It’d require some commuting, until you’re fully trained.”
The commander, always straightforward, thankfully got to the point. Maggie was bursting with curiosity. “I discussed with the Synod the problem with coverage we’re facing. Villages hours away like yours,” he tilted his head toward Porter, “are having problems that need immediate attention. A village with as many clans and packs as Lobo Springs would benefit from having a Guardian within town limits.”
“I’d be stationed there?” She’d move to the home of her birth, away from the friends she’d made in the last couple of months, and her family? But she’d be with Porter.
“She’d have to leave her family and friends,” Porter said as if reading her mind. “I can’t do that to her.”
The heavy weight of Bennett’s and the commander’s stare rested on her. They waited on her acquiescence. Either one had the right to order her to follow their directives, but they lay the decision at her feet. Not Porter’s, not
her mother’s, but hers.
“I’m a big girl now. With today’s technology, Ma’s just a Facetime call away and I’m sure I get vacation days.” The commander nodded. “I think we can make this work. Porter?”
He seemed surprised at her quick agreement. “Yeah, of course. You’d really move in with me?”
“This…is an amazing opportunity.” She faced her boss. “You’d do that for me?”
Commander Fitzsimmons’ face didn’t twitch because, duh, he didn’t get made to do anything he didn’t want to. “You wouldn’t be there alone. By the time your training’s complete, we’ll have found another Guardian to be your partner.”
Bennett ran his hands through his hair, a move he did when he was in deep thought. Or out of frustration. Or all the time. “And we’re plotting our area to determine stations to start placing Guardians. We can’t all live out here and provide service over hundreds of miles.”
Maggie reined in her excitement. “About what happened…how I failed my training…” Failed all of you.
The commander’s features didn’t change, Bennett’s expression turned perplexed. Sweet Mother, how was she ever supposed to be as bad ass as them?
“You went for a run,” Bennett began. “And yeah, maybe it wasn’t the best idea to leave the wards when the feral asshole still hadn’t been found. But you passed a message to us, then got away from Seamus while severely wounded. No humans detected our presence—despite blowing a gas station into the next county. You’re alive, Seamus ended up dead. I don’t call that a failure.”
“There’s a few teaching moments we can extract from the experience.” The commander’s eyes twinkled (once) in amusement.
“We work predominantly in pairs for a reason,” Bennett added. “All of us have faced death and only got out of the situation with help. Don’t beat yourself up about it. Learn and move on.”
They were comparing her to them. Awe—some. Her two months of training while pining for a male had made her feel less than. Less than Guardian worthy. Less than born for the job. Less than prepared to defend herself.
So when shifters like Bennett and the commander not quite praised her for a situation she would’ve never imagined two and a half months ago? She’d take it.
Porter cleared his throat, bemusement leaving his expression. “Won’t it be a conflict of interest if one of the Guardians happens to be the mayor’s mate?”
Maggie’s high hopes plummeted. Porter’s position was secure as far as she knew, but how would it go over when he announced that Guardians would be stationed in town, and oh by the way, one’s my mate. Suspicion could destroy what he’d worked so hard for.
Bennett acknowledged Porter’s concern with respect. “Anyone who has a problem with it can suck it.”
Commander Fitzsimmons inclined his head in agreement. “They voted you in because they trusted you. You obviously care about what they think. Take a vote, tell ’em you’ll step down, whatever. If they don’t feel like you’re abusing your relationship, it won’t be an issue.”
“What you’re saying is,” Porter said, “the Guardians take no stance in the matter, as long as peace is preserved, and it doesn’t create more work for you?”
Bennett grinned. “Nailed it. See you got this politician thing down.”
“Nah. I’m just a woodworker who’s not insane. Right now, that’s all the position requires.”
“It’s settled then.” Commander Fitzsimmons jutted his square jaw toward Porter. “Denlan, before you head back to Lobo Springs, we have a couple of projects for you. Maggie, when you feel up to it, Doc said you can head back to your quarters whenever you’re ready. Tomorrow it’s back to training.”
Yessss. Maggie forced herself not to jump out of bed and run to her room. After the two Guardians left, she batted her lashes coyly at Porter. “I need a shower desperately. Want to join me?”
A slow, sexy grin spread across his face. Fire blazed in his dark eyes. “Show me the way, Mage.”
Epilogue
Porter finished tapping the last piece of trim in and stood. The room turned out better than he’d thought. Who was he kidding? He knew he’d transform his bachelor pad into an aesthetic living area his mate would enjoy. Ten months he’d had to transform his house into a home while Maggie finished training.
His garage had been expanded for his shop and contained all of his equipment. The nights Maggie was called away for work, he’d wander out there to tinker around. The living area now sported a TV with something called a Roku for streaming shows and movies built in. The beast filled half the wall. Real furniture faced the TV, ready for them to turn into zombies when Maggie’s favorite shows were on.
Armana had been his shopping buddy for furnishings. She knew Maggie’s tastes in home décor and delighted in mothering the hell out of him. His mom had been gone so long, he’d forgotten how comforting it was to have a maternal figure around. With Maggie steeped in learning and Jace with his own mate, Armana adopted Porter in seconds when he’d asked if could get her opinion on style and color. She hadn’t gone as far as moving back, even though Porter offered to build her a guest house on his land. Too many memories, too soon, she’d said.
Too far away from Jace and Maggie, he’d suspected. He had gone ahead and drawn up plans for a small structure because once Maggie resided here full time, Armana didn’t need to camp on the new couch.
Tossing his tools away, he figured he’d have time to clean up and throw on his “dress” clothes—jeans without stains and a solid colored button-up. Everyone would be showing up within the hour for the official mating ceremony.
Including his mate.
They’d maintained a long-distance relationship, spending any free time together in each other’s arms. His place, or her room, didn’t matter. But he hadn’t pushed for the ceremony. It wasn’t totally an altruistic move. She had her Guardian commitment, and he wanted her to have time to learn all about herself and how shifters lived.
Then there was the mating frenzy. Hours upon hours of straight up sex. Then rest. Then more sex. It was a time to meld with each other, become a complete couple. Their bites staked the claim on the other’s soul, the ceremony completed the bond. That was the only area he was being selfish. Porter didn’t want any constraints on their mating time together.
Being happily mated males, her superiors understood and granted Maggie two weeks to move and settle in before she eased into work. Her partner, a vampire they hadn’t met yet, would situate himself up here afterward. The brainchild of Commander Fitzsimmons and the Synod meant to integrate vampires and shifters, even in the most rural places.
Then Maggie would begin her service as the Lobo Springs area Guardian and Porter would begin calming the shifters in town about the vampire who’d be living and working among them.
As long as the guy watched Maggie’s back and didn’t mess with his town’s people, Porter’s give-a-shit meter hit bottom.
He raced through the shower and by the time he threw on his clothes, a car was pulling into the garage. She was at the door ripping it open before he reached it.
Hell, she was sexy. He’d never tire of seeing her in those cargo pants that accentuated her hips and tight tech shirt that molded over her breasts. And when she wore all her weapons…he was lost to lust.
Catching her in his arms, their mouths pressed together. It’d been two whole weeks since they’d been together, but it felt longer. Thank the Sweet Mother for the internet and phone sex.
Maggie broke the kiss and pulled his shirt over his head.
“Whoa.” He didn’t want to whoa, he wanted Maggie to finish what she was doing. “We have a ceremony to get to.”
She leaned in to nibble his neck and unbuttoned his jeans. Helpless to give into her, he worked on her clothing.
“I told them it didn’t start for a couple more hours.”
A slow grin spread across his face. “You needed to get something outta the way?”
No answer, only kissing her
way further down, taking his pants with.
“I like your planning.”
Stopping to grin up at him, she blinked then looked around. “Look at this place.” Standing up, she wandered around their house, eyes wide. “It’s gorgeous and OMG, is that a sixty-inch TV?”
“Ask and ye shall receive.” He finished stepping out of his pants, his erection straining to get to her.
Turning when she heard the movement, she grinned, biting her lip when she spied his arousal. “You did all this for me?”
“You’re everything to me. I love you and want you to be happy here.”
Warmth infused her features. “I love you, too. You’ll have to give me a tour—later.”
“After we christen the new couch.” He growled, lunging for her and swinging her up into his arms.
Her laughter turned to gasps as he went to work showing her just how much she meant to him.
Thank you for reading. I’d love to know what you thought. Please consider leaving a review at the retailor the book was purchased from.
Marie
Ancient Ties
Book 2, Pale Moonlight
To be released January 2017
Kaitlyn Savoy loves her job as a Guardian, the police force for vampires, shifters, and hybrids. As a shifter, work would be so much easier if she could shift to her wolf form and not pass out afterward.
Fellow Guardian Chayton Delorme is dismayed that a defunct shifter is his mate, and Kaitlyn doesn’t even seem to know it. He swore an oath to his family to keep his bloodline strong, and while he can’t deny Kaitlyn’s good at her job, she’s not mate material for him.
When he’s trapped and tortured by feral shifters, she’s his only chance. Kaitlyn must dig down to the trauma of her past because she’ll need all her abilities to save his body and soul.
Rourke
New Vampire Disorder, book two
To be released September 2016
She watches him from the shadows. He embodies her nightmare in a dark, seductive package.
Birthright (Pale Moonlight Book 1) Page 18
