by E. A. James
“Good,” he said when the tears stop pouring from her eyes, and her breathing returned to normal. “I ask you your name, because a human and a shifter conceiving is unheard of. Except for one instance, thought to be more legend that truth,” he spoke slowly, making sure she was following. “There was once a great Dtor, Dtor Nolan, said to be the greatest that ever lived. He was the strongest, most powerful shifter the world has even known. Even in human form he would instill fear in everyone he met. Until one day, when he was raiding a village with a section of his clan. That’s when he saw her.” Raghnall paused before he continued. “The Dtor, upon seeing her, immediately loved her. She didn’t cower in fear at his advance, and the instant he reached out to touch her, he felt it. They both did.”
“The spark,” Jocelyn muttered.
“The spark,” Raghnall agreed. “The clan wouldn’t accept her, however, so the Dtor renounced his life as a shifter and started one with her. The vacancy that arose when he left led to one of the greatest wars of our history, the Red War. All of the great houses battled for power, including the ancestors of both Kain and Delaine. Legend has it that at the end, Kain’s great grandfather came out victorious, ushering in the reign of House Connelly.”
“But what does that have to do with me?” she asked, trying to keep the thoughts of Kain from her mind.
“Duncan is a surname that derives from Donaghue, which in turns comes from Ó Duinnchinn,” he explains. “Dtor Nolan’s surname was Ó Duinnchinn.”
“What are you saying?” It didn’t make sense. How could she come from a line of shifters?
“You’ve had the dreams, haven’t you?” he asked. “The ones in which you’re flying, high above everything. You’re warm, and your body moves fluidly; you feel like you’re one with nature—the stones, the water, the air.”
“It’s because of the baby,” she tried to explain. “I didn’t have them before the baby.”
“That’s of no importance. It’s your destiny, child. It’s always been inside you. You just never had anyone to help guide you to it.”
“My destiny?”
“Dtor Nolan was promised to Aisling, of House Ó Conghalaigh, the ancient name for Connelly. A great prophecy foretold of a union between the two houses, one that would lead to the greatest and most powerful line of Dtors that our kind has even known. But when he left to be with the human, the hope of fulfilling the revelation was lost. Until now. You and Kain, together, are that prophecy made flesh.”
Unable to push the thoughts of him from her mind any longer the images came flooding back. “He’s still in pain,” she whispered, leaning forward and clutching her stomach. “He needs help!”
“And you will be able to help him,” Raghnall reached out to bring her back to the conversation. “But it won’t be easy. Duncan or no, you still come from a human line, one which has become more and more predominant in your genes through the years.”
“What can I do?” she asked, her hands shaking.
“You have to find who you really are, child.” He leaned back and exhaled slowly. “The problem is, shifting during pregnancy is dangerous, and can be harmful to you and the baby.”
“Then how?”
“You don’t have to shift to be a shifter,” he said quietly. “You just have to embrace it. Let the part of you that has been suppressed your entire life come to the surface.”
“I can’t,” she said dejectedly. “I don’t know how. I don’t know who I’m supposed to be, or how I’m supposed to feel!”
“You’ll figure it out,” he said standing to his feet. “You have to. Kain will help you.” Raghnall stood and slowly made his way from her room, the door sealing shut with an ominous groan.
CHAPTER SIX
When she was alone in her room again, her head began to spin. How could Kain help her? He wasn’t there. He was suffering; he was the one that needed help! She lied back onto the bed, holding her stomach in her hands and squeezing her eyes shut focused solely on Kain.
In a flash, she was looking over him again. He was alone. Delaine had left, and he was lying on the ground, blood and sweat forming a puddle around him. She sensed that he was thinking of her as well. Even though he wasn’t in the room physically, the familiar warmth of being with him rushed over her. She inhaled slowly, matching her breathing to his.
As she lie in her bed, her skin began to tingle from the connection she made with him, and she had the sensation that they were one. His thoughts became hers, and hers his. She let herself slip into him.
The sensation that spread through her was foreign and familiar at the same time. She felt like something inside her was finding its way to the surface. A surge of power and strength consumed her, jolting her, and forcing her body to contort. But as quickly as it came, it went. Almost violently the connection was broken.
She sat up in the bed, letting out a frustrated sigh. “It’s useless!” she yelled out to the empty room. “I can’t do it. I can’t find it!”
The next day the Docart didn’t come to their meeting, or the day after, leaving Jocelyn to fight with her thoughts alone. Her connections with Kain came from time to time, sometimes gripping her with fear and pain, others leaving her feeling warm and safe. It wasn’t until the day Raghnall reappeared that she realized why he had been absent.
Walking into the room, she immediately noted that he wasn’t alone. Flanked by two large men, he looked at her apologetically. When she was escorted from her cell, she stumbled over her feet, her mind bouncing back and forth from her surroundings to Kain’s. He was standing in the large room they brought her to the first day, his hands bound behind his back, Delaine standing next to him. The room was crowded, everyone moving back and forth anxiously, awaiting the Dtor’s decree.
“Bring her to me!” Delaine ordered when they ushered her into the large room. When she was pushed forward, she locked eyes with Kain. His face was cut and bruised, and his chest, exposed, covered in large gashes. When they reached the stairs leading up to the platform where the Dtor and his prisoner were waiting, she ripped herself free of the men’s grasp, and threw herself towards him.
She wrapped her arms around his neck, and pressed her forehead to his. There was uproar in the room, but she didn’t pay attention. As she embraced him, their minds once again became one. She could feel him pleading with her to forgive him. She tried to comfort him, letting him know she didn’t blame him for anything when she’s pulled back violently.
“Silence!” Delaine’s voice bellowed. “Silence!” When the room quieted down, he continued speaking. “I’ve brought you all here, because as you’re aware, one of our own has betrayed us!” he yelled out, gesturing at Kain. “This was to be your leader!” he said in a taunting tone. “And look what he’s brought you! A human woman!” The crowd became restless, a low mummer filling the room. “I have thought long and hard, and have decided what to do.”
The room fell silent. Delaine turned to face them, Kain standing to Jocelyn’s left, their arms brushing against each others. “A battle,” he smirked as he leaned in to challenge Kain.
No! Jocelyn wanted to yell out, to offer herself as a sacrifice to save him. He was weak; he had endured a week of torture! He would never be able to defeat him! But that was Delaine’s plan. He wanted to humiliate him in front of the clan, to show them that he could never truly be their Dtor. This was his chance to remove all doubt from their minds, and ensure he would remain their unchallenged leader.
“Fine,” Kain said gruffly.
“There you have it!” Delaine turned to face his people. “Let’s get on with it then!” he exclaimed. As he stepped forward, the crowd hurried back, pressing against the walls, opening up a large space in the center of the room.
A cloud of smoke filled the air, and a blinding light radiated out of him. As the room cleared, she saw him standing in front of her. A large, red beast, with fangs, wings, and scales. His size was breath taking. Kain moved next to her, pushing himself forward and waiting for the
guard to loosen his hands. Once free, he turned to her, wrapping his arms around her and pulling her close. “I love you,” he whispered in her ear before turning to run towards his opponent.
After another cloud of smoke filled the room, he changed into his dragon form. The large green figure moved slowly towards his foe. When the met, they locked horns, and both took off, flying high into the air. It was clear to everyone in the room that Kain’s movements were labored, while Delaine darted back and forth with precision and fury. Delaine made the first move, fire pouring from his mouth, just missing Kain as he dove down out of reach.
Kain retaliated with an attack from below, increasing in speed as he swarmed up on Delaine. His blow sent the red dragon up to the ceiling, causing a rain of stone and dust to fall on the spectators. While this filled Jocelyn with a spark of hope, it only served to infuriate the Dtor. He dove down at Kain, throwing him spiraling to the ground. When he hit, the room shook.
Jocelyn felt a part of her come crashing down with him. Seeing him laying there, a heap of steam rising from his body, his breathing heavy, her body responded to his pain. Falling to the ground, her eyes filled once again with tears. She clenched her stomach in her hands and lets out a scream that seemed to consume the room. The Docart’s words came flooding back to her as she knelt on the cold, hard ground. “You will be able to help him,” she remembered him saying. “You don’t have to shift to be a shifter.”
Taking a deep breath, she relaxed her muscles and let her mind slip into Kain’s. A feeling of power and strength overwhelmed her as she felt them become one. “Don’t give up,” she urged him in his mind.
“I’m beaten, Josey. I can’t go on,” he replied regretfully.
“No,” she urged him to stand to his feet. His movements became hers. She felt the dragon in her come to life. Suddenly it wasn’t him flying through the air, but both of them together. His body and her spirit became one. For the first time in her life, she didn’t feel weak. She felt whole. Like the part of her that had been missing for as long as she can remember had suddenly appeared.
She sensed his surprise as the realization overwhelmed him. But the momentary confusion was quickly forgotten when Delaine swarmed in to attack. Kain recoiled in response to his advance, spitting fire in his direction, surprising his opponent and causing him to fall back. Regaining his composure, the red dragon went on the attack, releasing a column of smoke and fire. When it hit Kain, Jocelyn’s body jolted in pain. The sensation almost threw her out of him, but she clenched her fists at her sides, and urged Kain to retaliate. He swooped in, knocking Delaine back, taking advantage of the distance to singe him with fire.
While Delaine tried to shake off the burn, Kain flew forward, throwing him back against the wall. Once he was backed into a corner, Kain released another flame in his face, causing him to cry out in pain. Jocelyn pushed harder, diving deeper into her new form, throwing Kain’s body forward, pinning Delaine back against the stone. Pulling back quickly, Kain let the Dtor slide down, collapsing in a heap on the ground. In a shudder that shook the room, the red dragon changed back to human form.
Once on the ground, Kain transformed, rupturing the connection with Josey. “Impossible!” Delaine yelled out as Kain stepped away from him. “You were defeated from the start! You should have never been able to overpower me!” Kain didn’t respond, but walked slowly towards her.
Raghnall leaned down to help Jocelyn to her feet. “I knew you had it in you, child” he said to her to her in a hushed tone. Stepping forward, he addresses the clan. “Kain didn’t defeat Delaine on his own,” he called out. Everyone gave their full attention to the Docart. “This woman,” he proclaimed, lifting Josey’s arm over her head. “She comes from House Ó Duinnchinn!” Jocelyn could feel every eye in the room fixed on her. The attention made her feel small and timid, but the newfound power she had discovered inside her pushed her to step forward.
“Lies!” she heard Delaine call out. When Kain reached her side, he looked at her as if he were seeing her for the first time. “You’re a shifter?” he asked softly.
She turned to face him, taking his hands in hers. “I didn’t know,” she explained.
“The child she carries,” Raghnall continued, “is the much awaited Dtor that will be the first in a long and powerful line of leaders!”
“I should have known,” Kain continued to speak quietly to only her. “That’s how it happened—the spark, the baby, the bond.”
The room filled with the quiet roar of voices, but the Docart continued speaking. “It’s been centuries since we have spoken of the prophecy. But it’s here, in front of us! Kain and Jocelyn, House Connelly and House Duncan, united!” his words hung in the air as the crowd in front of them slowly absorbed them.
“No!” Delaine yelled out. He stood quickly and began moving towards them. “It can’t be!”
“It is,” Raghnall spoke, turning to face Delaine, but still addressing the entire clan. “If it weren’t true, they wouldn’t have been able to bond; they wouldn’t have been able to conceive!” He turned to look back at Jocelyn and Kain. “The only other time in our history something similar happened was so this very moment could take place; so that your child would come, here and now.”
“Long live House Connelly-Duncan!” a voice called out from the crowd! “Long live House Connely-Duncan!” others joined in chorus. As she stood listening to the voices cry out, Jocelyn felt at home. She didn’t feel out of place or awkward, but complete and safe.
CHAPTER SEVEN
As eager as she was to embrace her newfound identity, it wasn’t until after Owen was born six weeks later, and Kain began helping her discover how to transition physically into her other form. The first time she shifted the feeling of freedom it brought overwhelmed her. Kain told her that he’s never seen a dragon with her color; her skin was a deep purple with flecks of gold. The Docart commented that she shared her ancestor’s qualities.
As Dtor, Kain sentenced Delaine to five years in exile, a light punishment in Jocelyn’s opinion. But she trusted him. He would go on to become a great leader—strong, wise, and kind. And when Owen came of age, the clan accepted him wholeheartedly; he was their long awaited leader—the child born to fulfill the prophecy.
As time went on, she never stopped feeling the rush of warmth and passion surge through her when she was with him. His mere presence brought her comfort, and knowing that he would be by her side for the rest of her life filled her with a sensation of security and belonging; things she had been missing her entire life until she found him.
The Billionaire Wolf’s Secret Baby
CHAPTER ONE
Moving to New York was stupid. Following Greg to New York was stupid. Every decision Melissa had made in the last three months suddenly seemed stupid. It hit her like a brick wall the day she walked into their studio apartment and found him wrapped up in a mess of passion with the girl who lived upstairs.
“What the hell do you think you’re doing?” she remembered screaming at them.
“Missy,” Greg stuttered, pulling up his pants from around his ankles. “I thought you were going to be at work.”
“Glad to see you kept yourself occupied while I was away,” Melissa shot back at him, eying the skinny bottle-blond girl from apartment 4F.
The rest of the night following that quick exchanged seemed like a blur. She could remember screaming, yelling, crying, and a lot of cussing, but she couldn’t remember what exactly was said.
She did remember, however, that she purposely left out the little detail that she had gotten laid off and that was the reason she came home early that night. And, she did remember slamming the door shut behind her as she stomped her way down the hall of the shoddy apartment complex.
She then made her way to the dive bar located about three blocks away, ordered a beer, and then started to cry into it. And that’s where she sat, for a long time, trying to make sense of the events that led her to that moment.
Three months back
, upon graduating from college, Melissa’s long-time boyfriend Greg had the genius idea to move to the big city. He had found a job as a bouncer at a Manhattan club, and he planned on using that position to propel his future dreams of being a famous musician into motion. Melissa, who naively dedicated her four years at school to studying Art History, was forced to take a job as a waitress at a diner down the road from where they lived.
Then, she had been fired from her job for no reason other than the fact that the restaurant wasn’t making enough money and they had to let people go. She had been there the shortest, so she was the first one on the chopping block.
She had walked home from the chat with her boss trying to figure out how she was going to break the news to Greg. They were already tight on money, and who knew how long it would be before she was able to find another job? That’s when she saw them—Greg and Rachel, the girl from 4F.
Rachel was the kind of girl that men cheated on their girlfriends with. She had long blond hair, big blue eyes, and a tight, perfectly fit little body that she liked to show off with short shorts and tight tank tops. She was the complete opposite of Melissa. Melissa was short, with short brown hair, a round face and dark brown eyes. She was curvy, and while Greg said that he liked that in his women, it was obvious that when it came down to it, he went with the stick thin girl upstairs.
