Outlaw Seal

by Kate Sheperd

  Candy couldn’t figure out who would want to hurt Hoss. “What about it being one of the poachers? I get it’s your job to stop them, but maybe they want to hurt you because of trying to stop them?”

  “That’s always a possibility. There’s a lot of people who might want to harm me.” Hoss sighed. “I’m sorry.”

  “I’m a politician’s daughter. Danger is something I’m used too; I grew up having security around me my whole life. I couldn’t even go to school without a guard to watch over me.” Candy let out a sardonic laugh. “This isn’t exactly my idea of exciting fun Hoss, but I’ll survive.”

  “Let’s hope we do.” Hoss muttered and then stayed quiet until they got to his house. Ushering her inside, he turned all the monitors on and made sure they were looking for the tiniest movement and turned on his security cameras at the front of his house and off the back. He normally didn’t do that, but he wasn’t taking any chances. Setting an alarm, he hooked it up to his tablet so he could monitor the screens remotely.

  “Okay, we should be good. It will beep anytime it sees movement. I need you to help me get this bullet out of my shoulder now, please? I have a first aid kit on the coffee table, and some tweezers. I already got the alcohol out, just dump it on the wound, and dig until you pull the bullet out. I’ll heal properly as soon as it’s out.” Hoss told her and set the tablet down on the coffee table as he collapsed on the couch to let her work on removing the bullet.

  “Oh my,” Candy whispered as she did the steps to get ready to remove the offending piece of metal. She’d never thought of herself as a wuss, but digging around in his flesh with him turning pale and shaky as she dug for it had her feeling guilty. And a little queasy. Soon, she got a hold of it and was able to work it out. Feeling relieved she dropped it on the table and went to get a piece of gauze and some tape from the first aid kit to put over the wound.

  “I’ll be healed by morning.” Hoss said as he started to improve how he looked now that the bullet was out. Sighing in relief he closed his eyes for a few minutes and then opened one up when he heard the alarm beeping as a car pulled out in front of his cabin with its light off. “Bingo. There’s the person who shot me. Now we wait. Candy, I want you to stay in the back room with the monitors. It’s soundproof and it’s basically bullet proof. Go in there and lock yourself in until I tell you it’s safe.”

  “But…” Candy started to say when Hoss gave her a stern look. “Okay, I’m going, I’m going. Just be careful okay?”

  “I promise I’ll be careful.” Hoss told her and gave her a quick kiss before making sure she locked herself in.

  Now, he just had to deal with the intruder. Now that he knew she’d be safe, he could focus on the man sneaking up to the house. He could see the outline of a silenced pistol in his left hand.

  Chapter 6

  Hoss went and waited by the door, waiting for the man to try to get into the house. He silenced his tablet, so it wouldn’t give away his position.

  Candy was in the back room watching the man grow closer to the house and felt her stomach drop. Praying Hoss would be okay she tried to figure out who the man was, in the dark it was hard to make out his features, but she’d swear… no, it couldn’t be, could it?

  That looked just like Daniel, why would Daniel want to shoot Hoss? Candy was confused and the urge to run out there and confront him overwhelmed her. She was angry. If he’d actually shot Hoss, she’d shoot Danny herself.

  Walking to the side of the door, Hoss turned the lights off in the main room and waited silently in the dark. He could smell the man moving around outside of his house and was hoping he’d walk in the front door so Hoss could just wait for him. He needed to be careful because the man had a gun, and he’d already proven he’d shoot Hoss once.

  The doorknob jiggled quietly and then the door inched it’s way open slowly. Hoss didn’t react yet, he wanted to get the man all the way inside, in plain view and locate the gun before he acted. No point in anyone getting needlessly injured.

  Walking inside, the man shut the door behind him without looking over into the corner. He completely missed that Hoss was standing there and Hoss realized he was an amateur. He had no idea what he was doing, and that was completely clear by how careless he was being with this whole thing.

  Hoss silently snuck up behind him and grabbed the gun from him. The gun went off and hit the coffee table, lodging a bullet into it. Irritated since Hoss’s grandfather had hand-carved that table he elbowed the man in the face and disoriented him. He let go of the gun and stumbled backwards.

  Before he knew what was going to happen next, Candy walked out of the room and kicked the man in the shins. “Daniel, you stupid idiot, what the hell is your problem, I’m calling your father. What the hell were you thinking. No, I’m not just calling your father, I’m calling my father and the police.”

  “No, don’t do that Candy.” Daniel whined from the ground, his lips were bloody and he scooted up until he was sitting. Hoss had the gun and had set it in the back of his waist band to keep it away from the man without having his hands be full.

  “Explain to me why you shot Hoss in the first place, or I swear to god I’m going to beat you within an inch of your life.” Candy hissed at him. Hoss had never seen her so angry, she was shaking and she looked mad enough to beat the man in front of them.

  “Because you were promised to me. You were supposed to be mine. I was fine with you having a fling before our wedding, but you were supposed to belong to me.” The man hissed at her, and struggled to get up. Candy stopped him and put her foot under him and knocked him back down to the ground again.

  “Don’t even think of getting up.” She growled at him. “I’m not a prize, or a possession, or a piece of property. I’m a human being who lives in an era where women get to pick and choose who they want for mates. There was something about you from the moment I met you that had me wanting to run screaming in the other direction. Now I know why. You’re totally screwed up in the head and I definitely do not want you. Even if you hadn’t shot Hoss, I picked Hoss. I want Hoss. You are pathetic. Worse than pathetic.”

  “He can’t give you what I can.” The man said lamely, and then turned to glare up at Hoss. “You ruined everything. I swear to god I will kill you.”

  “You can certainly try, but here’s a little secret,” Hoss leaned down and let his eyes and face shift just enough to his bear form to traumatize the man in front of him. “If you ever come near Candy, or me again, I will kill you myself.”

  “What the fuck man!” Danny backed up and hit the wall hard with his head as he gasped when he saw Hoss turned in-human looking. Candy crossed her arms and didn’t bat an eye at Hoss shifting slightly to scare him.

  About fifteen minutes later, police sirens lit up Hoss’s driveway and the police came inside after Candy let them in. They took the reports, the bullet from the coffee table, the gun that Hoss had taken from Danny and showed them the bullet wound that Daniel had already inflicted on him earlier.

  Daniel was raving about Hoss being some kind of supernatural monster that had the police exchanging glances as they cuffed him and took him away. They finished taking statements and then Candy wrapped her arms around Hoss’s waist.

  “I cannot believe he had such a screw loose. He was rich, good looking, could have had almost any woman he wanted. What the hell went wrong with him?” She wondered out loud.

  “Wanting something he can’t have? The challenge of it can be mighty appealing sometimes, and some people are very poor losers.” Hoss shrugged. He didn’t understand it, but he was grateful Candy was safe.

  A few minutes later, Candy’s cell phone was blowing up from texts from her father. Picking it up and calling him she tried to explain what happened. He was almost yelling into the phone about Daniel’s father calling him raging that Candy had him thrown in jail. Her father was angry, and wasn’t sure what was going on. After hearing Candy’s side of things, and her offering to make sure he got a copy of the police
report, he calmed down and listened to her rationally.

  She spoke to him for a little while longer, explaining things, and by the end of the conversation, her father was seething again, but this time at Daniel and his father, instead of Candy and Hoss.

  “Your father always so quick to assume the worst?” Hoss asked her curiously.

  “Sometimes, especially if he doesn’t have all the facts, the one nice thing about him is he’s mostly bark and not much bite.” Candy joked and walked over to Hoss and wrapped her arms around him. “So… Do you believe in soul mates?”

  “I don’t believe in soul mates exactly, but I believe in mates. Our kind mates for life. We actually have a ritual that binds us together, sort of like a pagan hand fasting. It has perks.” Hoss told her suggestively and kissed her on the nose.

  “What kind of perks?” She asked him curiously and leaned back to look at him.

  “Oh, the kind that makes you heal faster, live longer, our kids would be shifters, that kind of stuff. There is a downside though.” Hoss hesitated, wondering if giving up trade secrets this soon into a budding relationship with a new woman was a good idea.

  “What kind of downside?” She blinked up at him.

  “The kind where it bonds us together. For life. The kind where one of us dies, the other one will follow.” Hoss told her and waited for the freak out that he assumed would follow. Her reaction however was not at all what he was expecting.

  “Okay. That makes sense. Balances out the rest of it I suppose.” She shrugged. “The better question is, are you the type to go risk your life all the time or would you settle down and stop going after so many poachers? I love that you’re so happy in your job, but if you had a wife and kids, would you put yourself at risk?”

  “No, I wouldn’t. I would still do my job, but I would probably request to get a younger, less attached agent out here to go after the poachers and change some of what I do.” Hoss admitted. He realized that the idea of hurting Candy by putting himself at risk made him rethink some of his priorities.

  “I’d appreciate that. You know, it’s funny. Your cabin, your simple life, I mean, no one’s life is perfect or simple totally, but compared to how I grew up. The dangers of being in the public view all the time, I would love to just be in the shadows now, so to speak. I want my privacy. I want to just live my life without worrying if I have the right shade of lipstick on. Is that odd?” Candy shook her head and put her head against his chest so she could hear his heart beating.

  Hoss kissed the top of her head and squeezed her tight, just grateful that the night turned out with less traumatic results than it could have, for both of them.

  “I think that wanting to be able to be yourself and not worry what other people think constantly, or who it might effect by going into a grocery store could be a thing that people often overlook. The idea of being in the spot light constantly may sound appealing sometimes, but the reality of it? Having people catch on camera the most embarrassing moments, you spilling your drink, tripping and falling on your face, and many other things that could go wrong that happens to people every day. Only, with you, everyone would see it. Yeah, I can see the appeal of privacy and wanting to be invisible.” Hoss laughed a little and shook his head. “I never did understand wanting to be front and center all the time, or hearing yourself talk. No offense to your dad.”

  “None taken, despite being a politician, my dad did get into politics because he wanted to make a difference in the world. I understand his calling, I just never wanted to do what he does. I wanted to be a wife, a mom, or just have some kind of normal, quiet job with a regular small house. Okay, having a maid is nice, I won’t lie. I don’t know what I would do without a maid.” Candy blushed a little. “But, maybe in a not-so big house, doing it all yourself wouldn’t be that bad.”

  “If you need a maid to survive, I think I could compromise long-term about that.” Hoss told her, “And, I do know how to clean a house myself. There’s more to life then the woman cleaning a house. Men are perfectly capable of cleaning too you know.”

  “One of many reasons to admire you.” Candy laughed. Although she admitted there were a lot more than that. He was an incredible man, a bear shape shifter, mellow, calm, everything she needed in her life.

  “You’re not so bad yourself Candy,” Hoss told her and then slung his arm around her shoulders and guided her to the kitchen. “I’m hungry. Getting injured makes me hungry, do you want a glass of wine or anything?”

  “No, I’m good, I’m content to watch you eat and heal. Healing is good.” Candy grinned at him and followed him into the kitchen. “So, your house, or mine?”

  “Definitely mine.” Hoss laughed. While the idea of a big house with maids and cooks and gardeners might appeal to some people, Hoss was definitely happy being a loner in the woods.

  “Whew.” Candy nodded. “My thoughts exactly.”

  Chapter 7

  A few months later….

  Candy and Hoss had been married for a week, and while they’d upgraded to a slightly larger cabin, they’d kept things simple, minimal. She’d recently found out she was pregnant, and was making Hoss a present to surprise him with the news. She’d already spilled the beans to her father Henry, who was quite excited about becoming a grandfather.

  Their life was simple, peaceful - her hair was in a ponytail, she had on no makeup and she was barefoot. Looking back on the last few months of her life, she really couldn’t picture anything else making her this happy.

  “Hi baby,” Hoss said as he came in. He pulled his hat off his head and walked over to kiss her in greeting. He’d made a point to always kiss her hello and goodbye, and tell her he loved every time they parted ways. It was a ritual that Candy enjoyed having with him.

  “I have a present for you,” Candy whispered after they’d shared a few heated kisses.

  “A present? It’s not my birthday, what’s the occasion?” Hoss asked her as she handed him a little box with a pink and blue bow on it. He didn’t quite understand until he opened it up. Inside lay a single white one-sie with the words ‘I love my daddy’ on it in silver.

  Stunned, Hoss just stood there for a moment staring at it as the news sunk in. Blinking up at her he started to smile and let out a loud whooping noise before picking her up and twirling her around their kitchen.

  “When are we due to have the baby?” He asked grinning at her so wide Candy was surprised his cheeks didn’t split open.

  “We apparently conceived about two months ago. Remember that night under the stars in the field?” Candy whispered to him as she pressed a kiss to his chin. “That apparently was a good night to make a baby.”

  “I knew there was something special about that night.” Hoss said laughing. Hugging her close to him, he felt like his world was finally complete. He had everything a man could ever want. A loving, adoring wife, a baby on the way, a house that felt like a home. He always looked forward to coming home. Because of her, Candy. She made his life fulfilled in ways he didn’t know a man could miss until he had it.

  “Are you ready for the next chapter in our life?” She whispered to him as she worked on undoing the buttons on his uniform. He was off duty as a ranger now, his shift was over, which meant she could get him naked and have her way with him.

  “Absolutely, as long as you’re by my side, the future always seems bright and exciting.” Hoss told her and then placed a hand on her belly. “A baby.”

  He looked at her in awe and then kissed her.

  Alien Prince

  Chapter One

  The sun was setting on the Terekian horizon, but Lilith hadn't finished plowing her quota yet, so she continued to toil out in the fields. Though the temperature was well over ninety degrees, and she had run out of water to drink an hour ago, she wasn't allowed to go back to the manor until she finished. She knew that as well as anything, though something more than just the misery was weighing on her mind.

  About twenty minutes prior, she had seen a cargo
ship land near the manor. Typically, these ships came with slavers to buy children and breeders. Seeing as Lilith was just a field hand, and a young one at that, she was usually not even called back for these inspections. She was turning nineteen soon, though, so she would be in the same age range as the rest of the breeding stock in a month or two. She didn't remember exactly, because time was an impermanent and meaningless thing to her, until now. Now she was afraid of when her birthday came.

  Lost in her thoughts, she didn't hear one of the supervisors yelling her name until he was in the tractor she had been piloting, holding up his whip. When she turned towards him and her eyes widened with fear, he realized that she hadn't been purposefully ignoring him. Typically she would still be punished for being negligent, but no slaver would buy someone who looked like a rebel, so putting a bruise on her would be a bad idea.

  "Master wants you at the house. The Lexxor Tribe is here," the supervisor said. He was a big, ugly, toad-like creature. His skin was a disgusting, yellowy brown, with warts everywhere, even near the little slits of his eyes. His mouth was huge, with a protruding lower jaw, but what was more intimidating were the massive muscles he sported. Though he was short and stocky, he had more power in one of his stubby fingers than ten human arms[S48], so she feared him and any of his kind. They were they Jabber race, and they were the apex creatures on Terekian, which was the planet she was born and raised on.

  "Oh. I…I haven't finished," Lilith began, preparing to explain that her work in the field wasn't quite done. She had never been permitted to go back to the house without first completing her labors, after all, so she assumed that the supervisor just didn't realize that she wasn't finished yet. If that was the case, and he found out that she went back to the manor without finishing her allotted jobs for the day, she would be whipped for sure.