by Jane Cousins
“Actually, it’s going pretty smoothly. We’ve already brought a house. It needed a few things fixed up but I know a builder.” Devon smiled, thinking of a grateful Jeb Mathews, whose quick dry cement impacted sinuses she’d officially cured. “The floors were re-finished yesterday and my furniture is due to arrive tomorrow, along with a new car and motorbike for Liam.”
“We’re taking advantage of the empty house tonight and having a party.” Liam added. “Two hundred of our closest family and friends.”
“It’s probably going to be annoying.” Devon chuffed a laugh even as she rolled her eyes. “But if we don’t celebrate, the locals will just hound us until we do.”
“Sounds like you two are really fitting in there.” The Merrow King commented.
“You’re welcome to join us Father, but I suspect you’re going to be very busy fielding calls.”
The Merrow King looked at his son blankly.
“I sent an email out to all the betrothal clans. They’ll be knocking down your door any old time looking for my half-brothers. I can only hope they’ll be half as happy as I am in wedded bliss. And we all have you to thank for it Father, setting up those contracts. I’m sure eventually my brothers will be suitably grateful.”
The Merrow King couldn’t hide the tightening of his eyes and a small wince.
Liam just kept on talking. “Think, by this time next year you’ll be positively inundated with grandkids. We…” Liam glanced at Devon for a split second before returning his attention to his father. “… we’re thinking our kids could call you Popsy.”
The Merrow King straightened, the calculating look back on his face. “If you have sons…” He halted abruptly, turning a sickly white, staring at the screen which suddenly seemed to be full of Devon’s right hand, her killing nails out, the deadly tips reflecting the light.
“Will be perfectly safe and happy, here, with us.” Devon gave him the full - you mess with me, I’ll shred you into a thousand tiny pieces – Makura glare.
The Makura Queen laughed at the Merrow King’s discomfort.
Devon abruptly turned her attention to her Grandmother. “And as for our daughters, don’t worry Grandmamma, I will bring them up strong, feisty and independent, just as our traditions dictate. You know, I myself never cared for the idea of ruling the Makura but suddenly, the idea of having a daughter on the throne… it’s very appealing.” She let the edges of lips turn up slightly in a smirk. Hopefully that thought would keep her Grandmother up at nights.
“Well, we have a party to get ready for.” Liam grabbed hold of Devon’s hand as he spoke. “Thanks for everything you two… if you hadn’t put together the marriage contract between our two clans I seriously doubt Devon and I would have ever met.”
Devon nodded in agreement. “So true, our happiness is directly linked back to each of you… we can’t thank you enough.”
The two monarchs looked as if they’d both swallowed something rotten as Liam leaned over and hit the disconnect icon.
Devon, laughing, turned in his lap, bringing her arms up to loop behind Liam’s neck.
“I think that went very well Mrs Chambers.” Liam grinned, loving the sight of his wife of two hours smiling at him. Her gorgeous face glowing with happiness.
“Very well, Mr Doctor Patel.”
Liam threw back his head and chuffed a laugh. “So, we still have four hours until everyone is due this evening for the party. What can we possibly find to do to fill in all that time?” He trailed a hand up her leg, pushing the material of her dress aside.
“All that talk of our daughter ruling the Makura Court got me thinking.”
“Oh?”
“Why limit ourselves? Why not take both courts?”
“Replace my father?”
“It will have to happen one day.” Devon supplied.
“True. And nothing would upset my father more than having my son take his place.”
“A son just like his father.” Devon supplied. “Who doesn’t lie, cheat or steal.”
“But is handsome and charming, right?”
Devon smiled. “Your son? How could he be anything else?” She planted a quick kiss on his lips.
“What about if neither of our fictitious children wish to rule an underwater kingdom?”
“I pray to the depths they don’t. But our regents don’t need to know that. Just think of the decades of tension and torture ahead for the two of them. Always looking over their shoulder. Wondering what we are up too? Why, when we visit, I’m always measuring the royal apartments and you’re appraising the worth of the crown jewels with a covetous look in your eye?”
Liam laughed loudly, hugging her in tight. “I’m so glad you are on my side, Princess.”
“I love you Merrow, where else would I be?”
Liam held up his hand, showing her the band-aide on his palm where Edward, leader of the Southern Sanctuary council, had cut him during their civil ceremony so they could be both married and melded. “Shackled for life to the Shrew of my dreams. Promise me you’ll never change.”
“I can’t promise that. I might get crabbier with age.” Devon felt the need to warn him, sweet, silly man.
“Now we’re talking.” Liam smiled. “What do you say we go start working on those fictitious children of ours?” He stood up, Devon’s long legs wrapping around his waist.
“Sounds like fun.” Devon thrust her fingers through his thick hair. “Then you can help me lay rugs down over my new floors, I don’t want any of the freeloaders coming tonight to scuff anything.”
“I’m sure it will be fine.” Liam announced and then winced as Devon dug her nails lightly into his scalp. “But putting protection down sounds like a good idea.”
“I do like it when you see things my way.” Devon leaned forward and nuzzled the side of his warm tanned throat.
“Your way is my way now. I love you Devon, and you can bitch and moan, snap and snarl, hiss and spit, but at the end of the day, when we climb into bed together, you belong to me, and I belong to you.”
Devon smiled with pure pleasure. “Damn right you do.” Then she was laughing as Liam threw her down on the bed and dived on top of her.
They were going to have so much fun together and she was so Yami damn happy. Who would have ever thought she’d say such a thing after marrying a Merrow? The locals were all going to freak with all the smiling and humming she’d be doing from here on out.
Liam did something with dexterous fingers that made her squirm and forget all about the crazy locals, time to focus on the here and now, with Liam, her husband, her aberration, her pain in the butt, her love.
The End
About the Author
Jane Cousins is a not so mild mannered IT Project Manager by day. Her greatest working achievement has been to perfect ‘the silent glare of promised retribution’ that encourages her team to meet their promised deadlines. Over the years her job has taken her all around the world, requiring she live in the UK, China and Singapore. Now settled in Melbourne, Australia, she has adopted the night time persona of author. Which generally involves donning a silk mask, hunching over a computer and fighting in the name of alpha males and their more than a match female counterparts everywhere.
A huge fan of witty banter and smoking hot instant attraction, Jane has never let the facts or inconvenient reality interfere with the telling of a great story. Currently she is hard at work on book 8 of the Southern Sanctuary Series – To Thrill A Thief– to be released May-2016. The story of elite Maat warrior, Rafe who meets his match in master thief, Eli.
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Books by Jane Cousins;
Southern Sanctuary series:
To Woo a Warrior
To Trap a Tempt
ress
To Wrangle a Witch
To Seduce A Siren
To Bedevil A Beauty
To Date A Disaster
To Shackle A Shrew
To Thrill A Thief (coming May 2016)
By the Numbers series:
One For The Wedding
Two For The Show
Three For The Bank Job
To Woo a Warrior
(Book One – Southern Sanctuary)
It was common knowledge that Hadleigh Valhalla was a complete failure when it came to men. Too blood thirsty. Too tall at 6.6ft and without a coy bone in her too voluptuous body. If there had been a ‘fun, flirty and feminine’ test she would have failed it hands down.
Thankfully she was much more suited to her role as an Enforcer, protecting her magically enhanced eccentric extended family on a daily basis from all kinds of nasties. It was a job she loved, much preferring to be out there beheading the baddies than dating any day of the week … much less stressful.
Except now there’s a new threat in town. Great Aunt Alma, the family match maker has returned to the fold and set her sights squarely on all the singletons. Hadleigh will do anything she has to in order to avoid Alma’s matchmaking manoeuvres, even if that means signing on as the newest member of the hit reality TV show ‘Paranormal Exterminators.’
Vaughn, Captain of the Goddess Maat’s elite warriors has a mission, to find and annihilate any and all magical beings that threaten to tilt the scales of justice into chaos.
A paranormal reality TV show provides the perfect cover. But there’s trouble on set. Their only female cast member has gone missing and they need a replacement fast. Enter Hadleigh Valhalla, the most luscious thing on two legs he’s seen in a century. From the moment he sets eyes on her he’s determined to make her his.
There’s only one problem, Hadleigh insists she has a strict no dating policy. Claiming she’d rather be fighting than flirting.
A series of mishaps means it’s a race against time for Vaughn and Hadleigh to discover just who is targeting the show and stop them before someone gets seriously hurt or dead. While doing so Vaughn intends to teach Hadleigh to break all the rules and prove to her she is just as much woman as she is warrior.
His warrior. His woman.
One For the Wedding
(Book One – By the Numbers)
It was the society wedding of the year. A four day party extravaganza during which steel heiress Jami Creswell would wed nut and bolt heir Damian Olsen. Event organiser Ryan Callan thought she’d planned for every possible contingency.
But never in her wildest dreams could she have imagined that she’d bump into the magnetic Chase McNeil whilst she was wearing nothing but a smile. What happened next between them really wasn’t her fault. He was the one who flirted with her …. she only flirted back in self-defence. The bridesmaids have completely misinterpreted the whole thing and forming a posse to wreck vengeance on her life is just going way too far.
Then the bride goes missing! What else could possibly go wrong at this wedding? Only a murder, that’s what.
When an unidentified body turns up on the big day everything is threatening to come down around Ryan’s ears. With her business reputation on the line it’s up to Ryan to solve the mystery of the dead body, find the bride and work out just exactly what is going on between her and Chase McNeil.
Solve murder – check
Find bride – check
Stop flirting with Chase McNeil – urm ….let me get back to you on that one.
Two For the Show
(Book Two – By the Numbers)
Las Vegas is a town full of neon signs, bright lights and crazy loons. Showgirl Sher Hanrahan should know, she’s become the focus of a stalker who wants her off the stage and out of show-business for good.
Refusing to be intimidated by a few annoying notes, a flat tire or three and some tainted chocolates, Sher’s decided to fight back. There’s nothing this stalker bozo can do that will shake her determination to reclaim her life. That is until the dead bodies wrapped with red bows addressed to her begin turning up.
Honestly what was wrong with men these days, hadn’t they heard of flowers and jewellery?
Corporate trouble shooter Jake Donnelly is in Vegas with orders to protect a showgirl with a little stalker problem. Should be a walk in the park for a professional like him, right? That’s until he meets Sher Hanrahan of the mile high legs and wicked ‘I know something you don’t’ smile. Suddenly masquerading as her pretend boyfriend becomes the most important mission he’s ever been on. If he wants to keep the girl safe, switch his boyfriend status from pretend to real then he’s going to need to unravel a mystery and face a killer.
With the gorgeous Sher by his side what could possibly go wrong?
Three For The Bank Job
(Book Three – By The Numbers)
Reigning Miss Kentucky and brainiac, Emeltine ‘Eme’ Hanrahan, is having a really bad day. When three nitwit bank robbers turn a simple ribbon cutting ceremony into a hostage siege, it will take all of Eme’s smarts to handle the robbers and save the hostages. That includes one gorgeous stubborn US Marshal, who is clearly unwilling to concede that Eme is anything more than a brainless bombshell in a tiara
The ditz in the tiara is not only ruining his bust, there’s a very good chance she’s going to get them both killed. Ben Riordan doesn’t know whether to cuff her or kiss her. First, she brains him in the head, then she gets them locked in the bank vault.
Eventually freed it quickly becomes clear that someone is gunning for high profile witness Eme, determined to silence her for good. Now Ben not only has to keep Eme safe whilst using her as bait to lure into the open a criminal mastermind he has to convince her that he can see past the tiara to the beautiful and brainy woman beneath.
