by Carian Cole
But Asia was enamored of Tally. She followed him everywhere, chasing his tail, jumping on his back, and waited until he fell asleep every night to quietly curl up against him and cuddle him.
Soon, Talon couldn't resist her charms anymore, and they became best friends. He shared his toys with her, and they slept cuddled up together every night. Sometimes they touched paws while they were sitting looking out the window. They did everything together. They watched the leaves together, they ate together, they played their own little game of tag. Sometimes they would have little fights, and Asia would go off and pout by herself, and Tally would wait a few hours and then go curl up with her, licking her face. And all was forgiven.
For ten years, they were inseparable. They had a bond like I've never seen in two cats before. They were like a little married couple. They ignored all the other cats in the house—only wanting each other.
Last year, my beautiful Talon started to have trouble breathing. It happened very suddenly, seemingly overnight. Asia sat by him, refusing to sleep, with a funny look on her face, and I knew—something was very wrong.
Tally had a tumor in his chest, pressing against his heart and lungs.
Inoperable. Terminal.
The doctor drained fluid from his chest, and Talon felt a little better, and we took him home to give him lots of love and chicken.
Asia cuddled him and rubbed her face against his and glued herself to him even more.
Unfortunately, the tumor grew quickly, and Tally began to struggle to breathe.
There was nothing we could do.
On the outside, he was still handsome, with his beautiful mane and bright eyes.
It broke my heart to see this incredibly sweet, gorgeous boy suffering. He had so much life and love in him, and I was devastated at the unfairness of it all.
And still, all he wanted was his Asia.
Asia refused to leave his side. I had to pull her away from him, to take him away from her.
She chased us to the door, and she was still there when we came back, without her beloved Tally.
Poor little Asia went into a severe depression. She walked around the house crying nonstop for weeks. She refused to eat. She wouldn't let us pet her or go near her. She refused to go into her and Tally's cat beds. She hid in the basement next to his toy pile.
She's never been the same. Now, she stays in a room by herself, staring out the window. She eats and drinks, naps, and goes back to the window. Nothing else.
I know she's waiting for him to come back, and nothing is more heartbreaking to see.
True love never dies. Not for anyone.
BONUS MATERIAL
I’ve included some sample chapters and bonus material in this collection for you!
Enjoy!
CHAPTER ONE - LOVING STORM
I’M CRUISING along the road, singing (badly) along with Lana Del Rey’s sultry voice, when suddenly disco lights are flashing behind my car.
I glance in my rearview mirror to see a cop car close behind me, lights strobing. I slow down and move toward the shoulder to let him pass, but he follows me.
Shit! He’s pulling me over.
I slow to a stop, turn down the music, and put my car in park just as a young, good-looking officer slowly approaches. I lower the window and smile up at him.
“Evening, ma’am. Do you know why I pulled you over?”
“Actually, no. I don’t think I was speeding.”
“You were driving erratically and swerving.”
I was? Eek. Maybe when I switched my playlist on my phone and accidentally dropped it between the seat and the console, I swerved when I reached for it. “I dropped my phone,” I admit. “I’m sorry. I was just trying to—”
“It’s against the law to use a cell phone while driving, ma’am,” he says sternly.
“I wasn’t using it really, just putting my playlist on.”
His lips are set in a firm line as he takes a step closer to the window. “I’m going to need your driver’s license and registration.”
Damn. Damn. Damn.
I grab my bag to dig out everything he needs and hand it to him with a sweet smile, hoping he’ll just let me go with a warning, but he takes everything from me and walks back to his patrol car without a word.
I resist the urge to send Storm a text message to let him know I’m running a few minutes late. I’m afraid to even look at my phone with the officer just a few feet away.
I watch my rearview mirror, waiting for him to return, and I breathe a sigh of relief when he finally comes back toward my car.
“I’m going to need you to step out of the vehicle, ma’am.”
A wave of surprise and nervousness ripples through me. “Oh…okay.” I open the car door and step out.
“Where are you heading?”
“To a restaurant. I’m meeting my fiancé for dinner. Please don’t give me a ticket. I promise not to touch my phone. My fiancé will kill me if I get a ticket.” I run my hand through my hair. “Well, not literally kill me, he’s not a murderer. But he’ll be mad. Not like domestic violence mad, but annoyed. He’s a total sweetheart really, but I’m not a good driver at all and it’s kind of a joke between us. That’s how we met actually, I got lost and crashed my car and then he saved me…” My voice fades as the officer shakes his head and blinks at me like I’m a lunatic.
“Have you been drinking, ma’am? Under the influence of anything?”
I gape at him. “Me? God no! I don’t drink or do drugs at all. I’m just sorta naturally anxious and weird.”
The man in blue is not amused.
“I’m going to ask you to walk in a straight line for me.”
Oh my God, is he kidding? Surely he can tell I’m just nervous and not drunk. I look from him to the ground and back at him. “Um… where?”
“Just walk in a straight line toward me, keep your eyes on me, one foot in front of the other.”
I let out a sigh, rivet my focus onto his nose, and take a few steps, wobbling slightly in my new three-inch heels, which I’ve only worn once before. They’re still a little stiff, and my legs are shaky from the one hundred squats I did earlier today. Damn Amy and her crazy monthly challenges!
“You seem a bit tipsy, ma’am.”
I stop walking. “I am not tipsy. These are new shoes, and my muscles are shaky from exercising this morning. Can’t you just give me a Breathalyzer test? That would be easier.”
“We don’t negotiate with perps, ma’am. Please come over here.”
Perps? I’m a perp now? My pulse speeds up as I walk over to the spot he’s pointing to in front of my car.
“I’ll need you to turn around and put your palms flat on the hood of your car, bend down, and put your right cheek to the hood.”
My eyes widen in disbelief.
“Officer, I don’t mean to be disrespectful, but is this really necessary? I’ve never had to do any—”
“Ma’am, please do as I asked.”
My heart begins to pound as I lean over the hood as instructed, palms and head down. Something feels very wrong here. All I did was swerve a little. I didn’t hit anything or anyone. And it’s not my fault my legs are shaky and I can’t walk straight. I should have asked to see his badge to prove he’s an actual police officer. He could be some kind of criminal who stole a police car and uniform and is now kidnapping innocent women and—
“Please wait here and don’t move. I’m going to have my partner join us for backup.”
Backup?! “Officer, this doesn’t seem right to me, I’d like to call a lawyer or maybe someone at 911, I think.”
“You can discuss that with my partner. Please wait here, and do not move from the position or I’ll need to handcuff you.”
I tremble with nerves as he walks back to his car and, moments later, heavier footsteps approach, stopping directly behind me. I want to lift my head and talk to him, but I’m petrified of being handcuffed, arrested, and thrown into the back of the squad car. My brain
spins as I try to think if I did something else wrong that the first officer didn’t make me aware of. Why else would he detain me and call for backup? Did I go into a road coma again and cause some kind of an accident?
The officer behind me takes a step closer and puts his hands next to mine on the hood of the car, his body leaning over me, his broad chest actually touching my back.
Oh my God. This can’t be normal or legal in any way. I should scream for help and try to flag down a car. But, as luck would have it, I am once again on a road that doesn’t get much traffic.
“Excuse me,” I say, my voice weak and squeaky. “I’m not quite sure what the problem is, but I would like to get back inside my car please.”
He leans down even further, pressing his entire body against mine, trapping me against the car. His breath is hot against my ear, the slight stubble of his cheek grazing my neck.
“You’ve been a very bad girl, Evie,” he whispers. “I’m taking you into custody.”
“Storm!” I try to turn but he holds me there, sinking his face into my hair to kiss and nibble on my neck. The cop car pulls away, leaving us on the side of the road.
What the hell?
I spin around to face him, and my anger immediately vanishes with just one look at him: that sexy grin, those bright green eyes glinting with mischief, that long, wavy hair wild around his face, and those broad shoulders straining against the thin black material of his shirt.
God, this man just turns me into a speechless, quivering mess at least five times a day.
Storm Valentine - crazy, sweet, sexy famous rock star and my fiancé.
He grabs my waist, pulls me tight against his body, and kisses me so hard that I can’t even be mad at him for scaring the heck out of me.
This is what life is like, loving and being loved by Storm.
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Turn the page to read an excerpt from Torn - book one in the angsty, steamy spin-off series from the Ashes & Embers world.
SNEAK PEEK - TORN
DEVILS WOLVES BOOK ONE (ASHES & EMBERS SPIN-OFF SERIES)
If you want to meet more people in the Ashes & Embers world, see cameo’s of your favorite Valentine guys, and learn a lot more about Asher… read this excerpt of Torn and then download the full book.
TORN - PROLOGUE
My love,
Walk in the rain with me. Kiss me in the misty fog.
Let me hold you all night under the hush of the wind.
I'm waiting for you. Throwing pennies...making wishes.
I'm wishing only for you. Always for you.
Come back to me.
I'll fight for you. I'll fight for us.
Wish for me, too...and I'll make it come true.
THE FRAYED PARCHMENT paper is soft in my fingers, perfectly worn and aged, and I’m very aware that he chose this texture of paper, this color of ink, with careful consideration. Because he knows how much it means to me. Because he knows me. Like no else ever has or ever could.
I read his words over and over again; long after I have them memorized and they’re burned into my heart and soul, yet I still hold the handwritten note and stare at the words until they blur. I can hear his voice saying them, deep, yet soft and sensual. Raw.
I like touching the paper that I know he held in his hands. The hands that had once held me; caressed me, ignited passion and desire in me so deep that I still can’t forget. And I don’t ever want to.
The faint scent of his cologne drifts from the paper. Or maybe I’ve just wished for it so much that I’ve imagined it. Either way, it’s comforting and stirs memories.
Reading his words, all the feelings rush back like acid on a wound that won’t heal. He’s my other half; the one who makes my heart beat. The man who makes me feel every feeling that could possibly be felt—and then some. The man who held me and loved me through almost every moment of my life. I have no past without him, and no future without him. Quite simply, he is my world. There is no way I will ever move on from a love like ours. We belong to each other. I’ve always known it, and I am utterly exhausted from fighting it, denying it, keeping myself from it, and hiding it—as I’m sure he must be, too.
And now after the silence...he still loves me. He still believes in us, and his words assure me he’s willing to take on the world for me. For us.
It’s time for me to go back home to my love and to my heart. Time is precious, and I don’t want to give any more up.
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BONUS SCENE - ASHER
HERE’S AN EXCERPT FROM ASHER’S BOOK - UNEDITED AND SUBJECT TO CHANGE.
I LEAN BACK in the lawn chair and put my booted feet up on the edge of one of the stone planters. The banter of my brothers, cousins, and friends fill the air around the bonfire we’re gathered round. It’s been a long time since just us guys have hung out in my yard on a Friday night grilling burgers, drinking a few beers, and shooting the shit.
“You look like you’ve got something on your mind, bro,” Storm says from the chair beside me. “You doing okay?”
I lift my bottle of water to my lips and take a gulp before nodding.
“I’m good. I just wanted to talk to you guys about the band.”
“I was wondering why you got us all here together.” He raises a pierced eyebrow. “Sans significant others.”
I clear my throat and put my water down on the freshly cut lawn.
“Hey,” I say loud enough for everyone to hear me over their conversations. “I got an idea to run by you guys.”
They all stop talking and look in my direction.
Waiting.
Some expectantly. Some nervously.
It’s safe to say every one of these guys has been expecting me to call it quits and leave the band for a while now.
I’ve been waiting for that myself. In fact, I’ve been waiting for a lot of things.
Like for my wife to come back to me.
And to see a glimmer of recognition in her eyes. To see my favorite smile—the one just for me—grace her perfect lips.
Waiting. Still waiting. To be loved.
I glance toward my house just in time to catch her moving away from the second-story window, behind the pale gauzy curtains of the guestroom.
The fucking guestroom.
I turn my attention back to the guys, who are still staring at me like begging dogs.
“I want to do a special tour. A reunion of sorts. I want Talon to come back, but not on guitar.” I meet my youngest brother's eyes over the blaze of the bonfire between us. “I want you to sing the songs you wrote. And I want Tor back on guitar.” I shift my eyes to my best friend. “I want to resurrect some of our old songs—the ones you never got to play.”
Tor blinks in confusion as he processes what I just suggested. “What about Finn?” He looks over to Finn. “You replaced Talon.”
“He didn’t fuckin’ replace me,” Talon interjects. “He’s just a tool of convenience.”
“Don't be a bitch, Tal,” Finn shoots back, crushing a beer can in his hand.
“Hey,” I warn. “Can you two cut the shit? You’re like two little kids fighting over the damn sandbox.”
“Asher and I already talked about this,” Finn explains. “I’m gonna play in EverLust and in Ashes and Embers. Depending on the tour schedules for each. Lotsa musicians do it.”
“And I thought you’d play with us when Finn’s with his band,” I say to Tor, who still looks exactly like I thought he’d look—in a state of utter shock. But I also see the glimmer of excitement in his eyes. The lust to get his fingers back on the strings.
“Me?” He says. “I haven’t played professionally in years. I have a wife and a kid now. And a business. I can’t just hop on a tour bus.”
“Why not? I did it for years with a wife and a kid. Your brothers can run the shop without you for a while. It’ll only b
e for a few weeks. Two months, tops, to play in our favorite cities.”
“I don’t know, man,” Tor says. “I mean, it sounds fuckin’ great, but there’s a lot to think about. I have to talk to Kenzi first.”
Kenzi. My only child. The baby of two teens-turned-rock stars who spent years of her life on a tour bus and in a music studio. She’s either going to love me or hate me for giving Tor the opportunity to live the dream he gave up years ago to take care of his family. And while he was doing that, he was also taking care of my family while I got to live the rock star life he and I started together.
More specifically, he was taking care of my daughter most of the time. And even though that whole thing turned into a twisted mess, I guess I owe him the chance to get on stage in front of thousands of fans.
“Talk to her and let me know. Are the rest of you guys okay with all this?”
My brother's Mikah and Talon both nod in agreement.
As do my cousins Vandal and Lukas.
I’ve been debating cutting Finn loose to save him the stress of playing in two bands. I know he wants to be a full-time member of Ashes & Embers, but he’s too committed to his own band to jump ship. I wouldn’t want to make that choice, either, and I thought I should make the decision for him. But then I realized him and my little sister have a thing for each other—even though he knows she’s off limits. So now I’m going to keep my eye on him. Figure out what his intentions are and make sure he behaves. I’ll be damned if I’m going to let anyone break my sister’s heart or use her like a toy. Friend or not, I’ll ruin him if I have to.
“What about Ember?” Storm asks. “We thought you were putting the band on hiatus so you could be here for her.”
I stare at the dancing flames of the bonfire which mimic the incessant burning deep in my gut.
“Yeah,” I reply, standing. “I did too. There’s been a change of plans.”
