TIA'S MATE (Shifters of the Bulgarian Bloodline Book 1)

by Dalia Wright

  “Don’t move, McShaw,” Annie yelled out. “Take your hand away from that gun and put your hands up. I promise you I am not just some little girl, and I will shoot your knee clear off your leg.”

  Sheriff Troy quickly pulled his gun and moved back from McShaw, who chuckled in defeat and raised his hands over his head. Troy moved quickly to disarm him and then chained his hands behind his back. McShaw kept his stare placed on Annie as firm as her gun was pointed at his head. Brighton looked over at Annie and slowly lifted his hand to hers and gave her a comforting look as he took the weapon from her hands. By this point, Annie was shaking, but she had held her ground and become the face of the resistance. Sheriff Troy and Brighton exchanged looks, and the large group began to move away from the front of the house, the three men jogging to keep up with the horses they were tied to.

  Annie let out a deep sigh, and her arms fell to her sides, but only for a moment. She then remembered where she was and leapt off her horse and ran towards the porch where her parents stood, arms outstretched and waiting for Annie to fall into them. She stayed in their embrace for some time until she heard the clearing of Brighton’s throat from behind her.

  “Thank you, young man,” Annie’s father said as he reached out his hand to Brighton. “You saved our town, and our daughter, two debts I don’t know if I could ever start to repay.”

  “It was a pleasure, sir,” Brighton said, steadily looking down at Annie. “But if I may, I do have one request.”

  “What’s that, young man?” Annie’s father said, ready to appease the blue-eyed hero on his porch.

  “I would like to ask yours, and Mrs. Potter’s, permission to wed your daughter,” Brighton said bashfully.

  “Well,” Annie’s father said as he looked down at Annie’s smiling face with surprise and pleasure. “You have my blessing, son, but I am not the person you need to ask for Annie’s hand.” Annie’s father pushed Annie forward on the porch and the sun, high in the sky, hit her beautiful eyes and glistening hair.

  “What do you say, Annie?” Brighton said, shifting his tone softer and presenting the idea to her. “Would you do me the honor of being my wife?”

  Annie’s eyes lit up with happiness, and she threw her arms around Brighton before she could even open her mouth to answer. Brighton buried his face in the curve of her neck and held tightly to her. Annie pulled back slightly and glanced at her father and winked.

  “I will say yes, but,” she said with a mischievous grin, “I have a few stipulations first.”

  Annie’s parents burst into laughter, and Brighton rushed forward, picking Annie up and tossing her over his shoulder. The scene was as perfect as Annie had always dreamed of. She looked at Brighton’s blue eyes with love, and she laughed wholeheartedly as he spun her around on his shoulder and then manoeuvred her so that he was holding her in front of him, cradled in his arms.

  “I will give you the world, Annie Potter; all you have to do is ask,” Brighton said, as the sun sparkled overhead and he leaned in to give her one more long, passionate kiss.

  The End

  Bella’s Return

  By: Elaine Young

  CHAPTER ONE

  Growing up in Cantana Springs, Isabelle Clarkson didn’t think she would ever want to live anywhere else. Unlike her best friend, Cordelia, she loved the peace, simplicity, and beauty of the Amish community where she grew up. There were things about her upbringing she found restrictive and wished she could rebel against, but as a whole she couldn’t imagine her life outside of the community. When she turned sixteen, a group of her friends rushed off to New York for Rumspringa, but it was something which held very little interest for Isabelle, and because Isabelle didn’t want to go, Cordelia didn’t go either. But two years later, spurred on by curiosity, Isabelle decided she was finally ready to go and explore that foreign, mystical world known to them as the English way.

  A group of them planned out the trip: four girls and four boys. Except that all the girls’ parents flatly refused to let their daughters go to New York City on their own. No amount of begging and pleading did any good, so one of the girls, Vanessa, had an older brother who offered to go with the group and act as a chaperone. He had gone to L.A. for his own Rumspringa and had gone to New York a couple of times for business dealings. And that, more than anything, excited Isabelle, who was thrilled at the idea of experiencing the English life alongside David, the nicest and handsomest boy in the community, and she had had a crush on him for as long as she could remember. Isabelle couldn’t decide if she was scared or happy. Having grown up in a fairly reserved community, the idea of spending three whole months without parental supervision and being allowed to mix freely with the opposite sex was nerve-wracking but exciting. Especially the idea of being with David. Just thinking about David got her heart racing. He was an exceptionally handsome man, deemed as an extremely eligible bachelor; all the mothers secretly tried to get their daughters married to David, but girls and marriage seemed to hold very little interest for him. He focused instead on the family business and spent time with his friends. Isabelle had known for years her crush was a hopeless one but lately she had gotten the feeling David was interested in her in the same way. Cordelia convinced her Rumspringa would be the perfect occasion to discover whether he had feelings for her or not, making her feel extra anxious about the trip.

  The plan was for the group to go to New York together, and once there, they would be free to go do whatever they wanted separately or to stay with their group. Everyone decided three months was ample time to have all the adventures they wanted. The only unpleasant part of their plan was Daphne’s presence. Daphne was a righteous, goody two-shoes girl who strictly abided by Amish teachings and firmly believed a woman’s role in life was to abide by her husband’s wishes. What was irritating about her beliefs was her insistence on imposing them on others. Cordelia, whose beliefs couldn’t be more different, didn’t like her at all. As for Isabelle, she disliked Daphne’s condescending, holier-than-thou manner towards her and hated the way she always made eyes at David. Her interest in him was plain for everyone to see and with her long blond curls, wide blue eyes, and fair skin, she was very attractive. As a result, both girls were extremely displeased by Daphne choosing to join them for Rumspringa.

  “Nine out of ten times she’ll raise some objection and suck the fun out of everything,” Cordelia had muttered to Isabelle when they were boarding the bus for New York. “Maybe she’ll get hit by a cab,” she added hopefully.

  “Cordelia!” Isabelle cried out. “That’s a terrible thing to say.”

  “I’m not hoping she’ll die or anything,” she protested. “Just need to be sent back home to recuperate,” she added with a wicked grin.

  Isabelle shook her head and tried not to worry about David falling for Daphne’s charms. She felt her arm being squeezed reassuringly by Cordelia as though she had read her mind.

  “Don’t worry. She doesn’t have anything on you. But you know David isn’t the only fish in the sea.”

  “Argh, not this again, Cordelia!”

  “Grimace all you like, but you know I’m right. You’re in New York! For Rumspringa! Enjoy yourself, meet other boys, and don’t settle for the first pretty face you’ve seen.”

  “It’s not like that, Cordelia.”

  “Maybe it isn’t, but wouldn’t it be nice to know for sure?” An eye roll is all she got for an answer.

  CHAPTER TWO

  If someone had told David Lisle he would volunteer to act as chaperone to a group of seventeen- and eighteen-year olds on their Rumspringa, he would have called them crazy. But here he was, willingly offering himself; he told himself it was because he wanted to keep an eye on his little sister and make sure she had a great trip. And while that was true, it also had a lot to do with Isabelle going on this trip with his sister.

  He’d never been conscious of Isabelle’s presence except as his little sister’s friend. But sometime in the last couple of years, he had begun to notic
e her. It wasn’t just her remarkable beauty that caught his eye. Through community events and church activities, he got to know her better and discovered a delightful sense of humor, a kind heart, and something inexplicable in her personality, which captured his attention and he knew he wanted to get to know her better. He found himself not liking the idea of her alone in the big city, vulnerable and defenseless with men hounding her at every turn. So he said he would go with them and as the date approached for their trip, he found himself getting increasingly anxious as one very important question rang through his head: What if she liked someone in the city?

  The first few days in the city were a complete blur for Isabelle. She could never have imagined a city that was so alive and so electrifying. Everything about the city was exciting and wonderful. By the end of their first day exploring the city, both she and Cordelia had fallen in love with it.

  “How could we have ever been happy living a stuffy existence back in Cantana Springs?”

  “I don’t know,” Isabelle murmured lazily as they sat in Central Park, soaking in the sun and watching the people around them. She could never have believed that she would be happy anywhere but in Cantana Springs, but just a handful of days in the city and already she was thirsting to discover more of the vast world spread out ahead of her. But for now she was perfectly content and feeling relaxed doing absolutely nothing.

  For the first few days, their group had stuck together, relying heavily on David’s expertise. But now that everyone was starting to feel more comfortable in the city, they were starting to branch out on their own and Isabelle was enjoying spending the day with just Cordelia. Daphne and her friend, Vanessa, had gone shopping nearby and the boys were exploring the city on their own, but they would be meeting up in an hour to eat together and exchange stories of their day.

  Isabelle watched the horse-drawn carriages lazily trotting through Central Park. She couldn’t think of anything more romantic than a moonlit carriage ride, and she hoped David would take her on one.

  “Isn’t it funny,” she observed idly to her friend, “we grew up with horses and wagons and never gave it a second thought, but set in New York, horse-drawn carriages seem so magical.”

  “Thinking of David?”

  “Always,” she replied with a shy smile, thinking about all the times she had caught David looking at her in the past few days and how he had asked her specifically just that morning if she would like to go for a walk after dinner that night. She had said yes and was now counting down to dinnertime.

  “Excited about tonight?”

  “Very much. Nervous, too.”

  “Nothing to be nervous about,” Cordelia reassured her cheerfully. “If this doesn’t work out, there are plenty of other men in the sea.”

  Isabelle couldn’t have known, but David felt slightly foolish asking her to go for a walk; he hadn’t made it clear that he wanted it to be just them and although, to him, it was a date of sorts, he wasn’t sure she would see it that way. But, thankfully, she arrived alone without Cordelia in tow and from the way she gazed up at him through her thick lashes, he had a feeling she definitely considered it to be a date. They walked around near the hotel grounds and talked. He told her about his trip to Los Angeles from years ago and she told him about all the things she found fascinating about the English life. They both agreed television and cellular phones were both marvellous inventions and should be used in Amish communities.

  That walk led to regular nightly walks after dinner, which eventually led to going to the movies and having lunch dates. All this they did without the knowledge of everyone else in the group. Neither one of them felt quite sure what was happening between them but they both agreed it would be better to keep it a secret. Only Cordelia knew and she covered for them whenever the need arose. After a month had gone by, David was certain he wanted to spend more time with her. But away from everyone else, someplace where they wouldn’t have to sneak around. After thinking it through for several days, he hit upon the perfect plan when the boys decided to take a quick trip to Chicago.

  CHAPTER THREE

  She found the note waiting for her in the hotel room. It was from David, asking her to pack an overnight bag and be ready to leave at a moment’s notice. Cordelia read the note over her shoulder and raised her eyebrows. “What do you think that’s all about?”

  Eyes sparkling with excitement, Isabelle made her way to the closet to start packing. “He told me yesterday he had a surprise planned for me, a belated birthday present, he said. I guess this is it.”

  “Well, well… who knew David could be romantic? Where do you think he’s taking you?”

  “No clue.”

  “For how many days? It says overnight bag; are you sharing a room with him? Is he going to expect sex?”

  “Cordelia! He’s not that kind of guy and I’m not that girl. No sex before marriage for me, remember?”

  Cordelia, who had lost her virginity the year back to an older college boy travelling through Cantana Springs, smiled at Isabelle coyly. “If you say so… but you don’t know what you’re missing out on. Orgasms are the nicest thing in the world.”

  A pillow hit her squarely on the face in response and the two girls burst into giggles.

  An hour later, Isabelle was packed and watching television to kill time. She had no idea when David would come by or when they might leave, but she didn’t mind. It was nice wondering where they might go and she was enjoying looking forward to the surprise.

  Early morning the next day, David called Isabelle’s room, waking her up from a deep and contented sleep. “Can you be ready to leave in two hours?”

  Still half asleep, Isabelle didn’t register his words right away. “Hmm…?”

  “I was hoping to leave in two hours. We could grab breakfast before heading out on our trip.”

  The word “trip” penetrated through her foggy brain and she leapt out of bed. “Yes, I can be ready by then.”

  “Great! I’ll come get you then.”

  She shook Cordelia awake and whispered excitedly, “He’s coming in a couple of hours!”

  Cordelia grunted in reply and turned over in bed. Almost two hours on the dot, David knocked on her door. Cordelia was still asleep, so Isabelle scribbled a note and left it at her bedside before going out to meet David.

  Her beautiful face with its sunny smile made David’s spirits soar and he thought to himself how wonderful it would be to have her all to himself for the next few days.

  “Can I know where we’re going?” she asked him.

  “Not yet, it’s still a surprise.”

  “Will I like it?”

  “I think so… I hope so,” he amended.

  He took her to a cozy breakfast place in SoHo before hailing a cab.

  “The airport,” David instructed the driver briefly.

  “The airport! David, where are we going?”

  Refusing to meet her eyes, he smiled to himself and shrugged. “You’ll see.”

  CHAPTER FOUR

  The surprise ended up being Las Vegas, a place Isabelle had heard of from other people’s Rumspringas. The elders condemned it as a city full of sin; teenage boys spoke of it in whispered voices as the best city in the world.

  “Vegas?!” she exclaimed once they arrived at their departure gate at the airport. “We’re going to Vegas!!”

  Her excitement was infectious and David grinned back, pleased that she was so happy. “I thought you might enjoy seeing the city of sin.”

  Isabelle felt touched by the gesture; it definitely trumped a carriage ride in Central Park. She gazed at him with soft eyes. “What a wonderful surprise,” she whispered before impulsively leaning up to kiss him gently on the lips. Shocked at her own boldness, she stepped back, feeling a little embarrassed, but David didn’t seem to mind at all. In fact, his face broke out in a wide smile and he took a hold of her hand.

  “I’m glad we’re getting to spend some time alone.”

  “Me too.”

&nbs
p; The flight lasted close to six hours and as they walked through the airport in Vegas, Isabelle was surprised to see slot machines peppered throughout and people actually playing on them.

  “Is this an airport or a casino?”

  David chuckled. “I think you’ll find this whole city is a casino. There isn’t much to see in the city itself; all the excitement of Vegas is on the strip.”

  “And that’s where we’re going?” she asked him.

  “That’s where we’re staying.”

  She gazed out the windows in rapt attention while their cab zoomed through the city. As they got closer to their destination, the flat, desert-like landscape suddenly changed dramatically and she gasped in awe.

  David squeezed her hand and grinned at her. “Welcome to the strip.”

  The hotel they were staying at was called the Bellagio. The suite David had picked out for them was the most beautiful room Isabelle had ever seen and it overlooked a breathtaking fountain which David told her the Bellagio was famous for. Everything around her was shiny, bright, luxurious, and over-the-top opulent. Isabelle felt transported into a whole other world and she realized yet again how small and confined her life in Cantana Springs was. She couldn’t believe a world like this existed.

  The suite had two bedrooms and to Isabelle’s surprise, she felt a twinge of disappointment as she took in the two queen-size beds in their separate rooms.

  “I thought you might be more comfortable this way,” David explained.

  Couching her disappointment behind a smile, she nodded. “Thank you.”

  She should have been relieved and touched that David was being so understanding and considerate, but seeing the sleeping arrangements filled her with doubts; had she misread the entire trip? Was she nothing but a friend to David? And what about her impulsive kiss at the airport? What must David be thinking if he saw her as nothing more than a friend? The doubts and questions swirled through her head, fast and furious. And for a brief moment, the entire trip felt ruined to her, but that was being silly, she told herself. Whatever way he saw her, David had gone through a lot of trouble to arrange this trip and she wanted to enjoy every moment of it. There’s plenty of time for worrying about things after, she told herself; for now the goal is to enjoy Vegas.