by T. S. Ryder
Elise came into the room. “The midwife is here.”
“Hello, Thea,” the midwife said. “I’m just going to check your progress, okay?”
Elise took her other hand and smiled at her. “All of our parents are here.”
“Thanks,” Thea said.
Elise squeezed her hand again before leaving the room.
“Won’t be long now,” the midwife said.
Logan bent down to kiss her again.
Over the next few hours, he stayed by her side, holding her hand and helping her through her contractions. The midwife coached her in breathing, and when it was time to push, guided her through that part, too.
“One more big push, Thea,” the midwife said.
She gripped Logan’s hand tightly and pushed with all her strength. A shrill cry broke into the room and Thea sighed in relief.
“It’s a girl!” the midwife said, and held up the crying baby. She placed her on Thea’s stomach and laid a blanket over her.
Thea looked up at Logan, then down at the screaming baby. She looked mostly human but had several patches of purple scales on her arms, legs and stomach.
Logan’s parents had explained to them all the reasons why they couldn’t have the baby in the hospital, and this was one of them. If she was a shifter, which she clearly was, then right from the start there would be signs. Over the next hours and days, the scales would fade and she’d appear to be a normal human for several years. But, sometime in toddlerhood, she’d start to understand and grow curious about her other nature, and she’d start to shift.
For now, she looked perfect in every way, healthy and vibrant. The effects of Elise’s poisoning hadn’t hurt her at all, though Logan’s parents had also made a potion for Thea to drink to make sure the baby would be fine, and to help make the pregnancy and birth easier.
Thea couldn’t get any pain drugs because she was having the baby in their home, but they had provided potions that did the trick.
“She’s perfect,” Logan said.
“She really is.”
He ran his fingertip over the baby’s forehead and she stopped crying. “Hello, Alora.”
Alora let out a small hiccup.
“I think she likes it,” Thea said.
“She’ll make the most beautiful flower girl,” Logan said.
Thea chuckled. “I don’t think she’ll be ready to walk and toss flower petals in the next three months.”
“Small detail,” he said. He leaned down to kiss Alora, then Thea. “It’s funny how complete life suddenly feels. And we never planned for any of this.”
She smiled dreamily down at her baby. “Sometimes the best things in life happen by accident.”
*****
THE END
Sold to the Shifter
Description
A curvy Panther Shifter with a secret PLUS the baddest Lion Shifter in the pack PLUS one, no TWO evil enemies with no mercy…
Panther shifter Jamie has grand ideas of love and romance. Until her manipulative mother sells her to a lion shifter. He’s hot, he’s huge, he’s all muscle. Hmm, how to make the best out of a bad situation?
Ryan is the biggest, baddest shifter in the Alpha’s Guard. His job is to protect the pack. He doesn’t have time for dating nonsense. So an arranged marriage seems practical.
What he’s not prepared for is how her delicious curves make his heart stutter in his chest. How she makes his protective instincts kick into high gear. She’s his. His alone.
But Jamie has secrets.
And the pack is in danger.
The enemy is coming.
Forget trials or justice. Ryan’s out for blood.
Can he protect his mate?
Chapter One – Jamie
Dawn rose rosy-red as Jamie slipped between the hedges and across the lawn. She yawned as she stretched, digging her claws into the ground just outside the mansion. Her lithe feline body tingled pleasantly with the rush of endorphins she always got from playing capture the flag with her friends. It had been even better because she had been feeling caged-up the last few days, so having a way to release energy stopped her from clawing up the house.
She grabbed a silk robe as she Shifted back into her human form, rolling her shoulders as she did so. It would be a relief to get away from this place in a few hours. Visiting her dad's sister would be a welcome change to having to hide every aspect of her life.
Her friends had groaned when she told them she'd be leaving. Her family owned the wide expanse of forest that they used to play together and her mother, Leila, wouldn't let the others stay without Jamie there. Of course, if Leila knew that she was playing with a group of college-age people composed of servers from the neighboring estates and not just young adults in Jamie's own socioeconomic class, she would have already forbidden it. Even though Jamie was twenty-five years old, Leila still managed to control nearly every aspect of her life.
But the people Leila wanted Jamie to spend time with were all herbivores, and Jamie was a Panther, like her late father had been. Herbivores preferred games like running and jumping competitions, and she wanted something that got her blood pounding, something that demanded stealth and prowess.
"Out all hours again. I swear, if that girl gets herself pregnant . . . "
Jamie scowled at the sound of her mother's voice and slipped into the servant's staircase rather than try to take her chances on the main stairs. She hurried to her room and locked the door.
The outfit she had picked for the day was laying on her bed, ready to be stepped into. A cute yellow number that looked good against her buttery skin. The dress cinched at her waist with a sequined belt and the deep V-neck emphasized her generous, curvy form. It was the perfect dress to garner attention, and that was exactly what she was going to do. She had already sent most of her wardrobe on ahead to her aunt's, and she couldn't wait to go to fancy parties where she would be free to flirt with anyone she desired.
Just as she finished dressing, the door connected to the Jack-and-Jill bathroom she shared with her sister was flung open. It was Katrina, her younger sister. Tears flowed from her swollen red eyes and Jamie tensed. What had Leila done this time?
"Don't go," Katrina sobbed, throwing her arms around her sister. "Don't leave me alone here with them."
Jamie patted her back. "I'll only be gone a few days. Then you're going to join me for the whole summer. You just need to retake that test to make sure you can graduate and—"
"I can't study when I have Mother breathing down my neck constantly. She wouldn't let me go to bed until three in the morning last night, insisting that I memorize the story of how Ferdinand combined the various species into one pack and set up the alpha elections. It's not even on the test – the teacher told her that – but she wouldn’t let me sleep until I could recite it back word for word."
Jamie sighed. Sometimes she thought that their mother did that sort of thing on purpose to sabotage her daughters. By all accounts, both she and Katrina should be out on their own by now, but Katrina had no friends and no confidence. Jamie wasn't going to leave her with their mother.
"She never listens," Katrina whispered.
"I know. It's going to be okay, though. Four days, and then you're coming to have fun at parties and—"
There was a knock on the door. Jamie ushered Katrina into the bathroom before she answered it. To her relief, it wasn't her mother standing on the other side. It was one of the servants, dressed in a smart black uniform. He bowed towards her.
"The mistress and master wish to see you."
Dread filled Jamie's stomach. What would her mother and stepfather want with her? She nodded stiffly, then checked to make sure she was presentable. Her hair wasn't perfect, so she took a moment to brush it before pinning it up and hiding it under a wide-brimmed hat.
Leila and Jeremy were in the parlor. As usual, Leila was sitting on the edge of the sofa, her back stiff and pose carefully thought out so no unflattering rolls would appear in her stoma
ch. Not that it was easy for rolls to form in the first place. There wasn't an ounce of fat on the woman.
"Mother," Jamie greeted. "Stepfather."
"Oh, my." Leila clapped her hands lightly together and beamed up at her. A wide smile spread over her bee-stung lips, but it didn't reach her calculating eyes. "Don't you look lovely! I've always thought yellow was your color, my dear. Yes, it really does do well with your skin. You took that shade from your late father, the beast." She laughed as though it was a joke. "He may have been a Panther but he had the appetite of a Tiger. What a man."
Jamie shot a quick glance at Jeremy. Her stepfather yawned, apparently not bothered by Leila bringing up her first husband. He was a stone-faced, dour man who, as far as Jamie had seen in the four years since her mother married him, had no personality of his own.
"Darling, come sit beside your mother and let's have a little chat."
Jamie sat, trying to keep her expression blank of all emotion. There was no way Leila would be giving her all this praise and look so cheerful if she didn't have something up her sleeve. What could it be this time? Leila had been excited when Jamie suggested that she and Katrina go visit her aunt: it would give the sisters opportunities to meet young rich men, just like she wanted. Their late father might have been rich, but Leila had squandered it all away. She would have even sold off bits of the estate if it hadn't been in Katrina and Jamie's names. The girls utterly refused to let her have her way.
"I am going to miss you." Leila tugged a strand of Jamie's black hair from under her hat. "Darling, you know that tall, handsome young man who escorted me and Jeremy these past few weeks, yes?"
Jamie nodded. Somehow Leila had managed to convince Melissa, the alpha, that she needed extra protection and gotten the head of the Alpha's Guard himself to drive her to dinner parties. It had earned her increased social status and invitations to the high-society gatherings Leila had wanted to join so badly. Jamie had no idea how much her mother had promised the man, or how she intended on paying him, but she had a feeling she was about to find out.
"He was such a big, strong man, don't you think?" Leila fanned her face. "If I were twenty years younger and if I didn't have my dear, dear Jeremy," she shot a sickly smile at her husband, who grunted in return, "I would be honored to be in his bed. To bear his children."
No. Jamie's stomach twisted tighter and she choked back bile. Her mother wasn't prostituting her out, was she? Even she wouldn't do that.
"He's got a good, steady job, too. Prestigious. Protecting the alpha and her family. And that body, all those muscles. You are certainly lucky, Jamie. Although I will miss you."
"What are you talking about, Mother?" Jamie managed to keep her voice flat. "I'm leaving to see Aunt Tanya, but I'll be back before I start university again in the fall."
Leila shook her head. "I'm afraid not. You're getting married, you see."
Jamie jumped to her feet. There were no words for what she felt, so all she could do was snarl. Claws sprouted from the tips of her fingers and her teeth sharpened. Her eyes narrowed as they took on an amber-gold hue.
"Don't be like that, dear," Leila said, still smiling. "Do you know how lucky you are to have a husband like that?"
"I'm not marrying someone just because you can't pay them," she snarled.
Jeremy spoke for the first time. "Jamie, you should treat your mother with more respect. She has thought carefully about your future and loves you dearly."
But even he didn’t sound convinced. Jamie's hands clenched. She was about to tell them both to go to hell when Leila spoke again.
"If you make an issue out of this, you will be cut out," Leila said, still with that smile on her face. "Your name will be crossed off our family tree and I will allow you to have nothing to do with our family anymore."
"I don't care, Mother. You can go to hell with your family tree," Jamie said, almost shouting now. She started towards the door, wanting to get out of the room as quickly as possible.
"I'll take Katrina and never allow you to see her again," her Mother said softly.
Jamie froze. There was nothing in the world as precious to her as her younger sister. The thought of them being separated, of leaving Katrina here in Leila's clutches with no help . . . She knew her manipulative mother and the power she had over Katrina. Seconds passed, Jamie frantically wracking her brain for a way out of this. Finally, she hung her head, defeated.
"When is the wedding?" she asked through gritted teeth.
"Soon. Now, we'll arrange for your things to be sent back from your father's sister. In the meantime, gather up a few things to take with you. I doubt that the man has much in the way of looking after a lady."
Jamie marched away stiffly. Tears burned behind her eyes, but she refused to cry. She was being ransomed out by her own mother –only there would be no payment that would free her from this farce of a marriage. What sort of man would buy his wife this way?
I'll play along, she thought, for now. And once I'm out of here, I'll find a way for Katrina and me to break free. Somehow.
Chapter Two – Ryan
Blood and spit sprayed from Ryan’s mouth as he caught his opponent in a headlock. He roared, punching him hard in the back and stomach as Sean returned the beating. The smaller man managed to hook a leg around Ryan's ankle and yank hard, breaking his stance. Ryan was forced to release him and back away, eyes narrowed as they circled one another. Sweat and blood coated his skin, his naked chest heaving as his lips pulled back into a snarl. His Lion paced and snarled, wanting to break out and take down his enemy.
Sean charged and Ryan seized him around the waist, lifting him in the air and throwing him down. He followed him down and pinned him in place, pressing his forearm against the Tiger's throat. Sean choked and flashed three fingers, their sign for surrender. Just like that, the enemy was gone.
Ryan rolled to his haunches and spat out a mouthful of blood. "I think you broke one of my teeth."
"Thank God for advanced healing, then." Sean groaned as he got to his feet. "What the hell, man? I thought you were actually trying to kill me. What's got you so agitated?"
"Jordon," Ryan grunted as he turned away.
Sean made a humming noise. "Okay . . . "
"He's threatened the alpha, staged four robberies in the last three months, threatened to plant bombs in highly populated areas . . . and we haven't heard anything from him in two weeks. He's planning something big, but our people are finding nothing."
As head of the Alpha's Guard, it was Ryan's responsibility to take down threats like Jordon: a zealot of the worst kind. He thought the pack needed to be separated back into the separate species and interbreeding strictly forbidden. Herbivores and carnivores were mating now, and according to Jordon, it was making hybrids that were abominations to nature.
"True, there is something happening there we don't know of yet . . . " Sean shrugged. "But that's not all, is it?"
Ryan was silent. His friend and second-in-command gasped suddenly. A wide grin split Sean's face and he laughed as he slapped Ryan on the back.
"Ah, I see! I forgot, this was the day when you're meeting that little lady who agreed to marry you. No wonder you're so on edge. You're afraid she'll take one look at you and run in the opposite direction." Sean rubbed his chin and narrowed his eyes, mocking a serious study of Ryan's face. "It's a valid concern. With that ugly mug of yours—"
Ryan punched him in the shoulder. It elicited a cry of pain and then another chuckle. Ryan's nostrils flared as he headed for the showers, Sean trailing behind him, making kissing noises and groaning. For an Elite Guard who had proven his mettle throughout the years, Sean could be annoyingly immature at times. Ryan wanted to punch him again, but that would only encourage the Tiger.
"If she does reject you, you can send her my way. I've seen those pictures she sent you and wow. All those curves could drive a man to distraction."
"That's enough, thank you. You can go train the new recruits if you're going to keep u
p that smart mouth."
Sean pretended to zip his mouth shut and walked away.
Ryan quickly showered and pulled on his dress uniform. The form-fitting blue outfit was perhaps a bit formal for meeting his future wife for the first time, but considering the situation, he thought it was best to show Jamie that he was a serious man who would take care of her. He had been surprised when Leila had contacted him with the arrangement to marry off her daughter to him. It wasn't uncommon, especially among the richer classes, but these days most marriages were decided on love rather than making agreements like this. In his case, though, he didn't have the time to meet or court women. It just seemed like the best idea to have it arranged.
One of the young recruits approached. "A Jamie is here to see you, sir. She is waiting with the alpha at the palace."
Ryan's heart thudded. He attempted to show utter calmness as he nodded. "Thank you. Dismissed."
The recruit turned and left. Ryan took a deep breath as he checked his image in the mirror before running a hand over his face. He had shaved that morning. It was smooth enough. Grabbing his hat, he headed towards the palace.
The alpha waited for him with Jamie and Jamie's mother in a cozy room decorated in neutral colors with dark furnishings. All three women stood when he entered the room, and his heart stuttered in his chest. The pictures did not do her justice. She was petite but strong-bodied. Curves from head to toe. She wore a yellow dress that showed off her deep cleavage and Ryan had to resist the urge to lick his lips. He couldn’t wait to taste that skin – to see if it was as buttery as it looked. He could already envision her on her hands and knees, presenting her lush ass to him.
With effort, he pulled his mind from the gutter and walked to her. He took her hand in his and kissed it. She was rigid.
"Hello," she said. "Ryan, isn't it?" Her voice was as cool and formal as her posture.
