The doorbell rang and Terra frowned. “People are here already?”
“It’ll be fine. We have enough food to feed a small army.”
“Yeah,” she muttered. “That’s what they are, aren’t they? An army.”
It had taken months to gain the trust of the Brasmatia clan, and there were still those who had a hard time accepting Terra as their leader. With him by her side, she had fought and won their alliance, if not their complete trust, but in time Jace knew they would come around.
“Yes. But they’re your army. So be nice.”
“I’m trying.”
He kissed her forehead and smiled. “I know.”
Cleaning out the debauchery from among the clan had been their biggest challenge. For generations the Brasmatia clan had been involved in some shady shit, and there were some who weren’t too happy with the new rules Terra had set in motion.
He found that Jack and Zoe had already let themselves in when he came into the foyer. Jack placed their daughter Cecille down, and she toddled off toward the wall to ceiling windows, placing her chubby hands against them while babbling.
“This place is gorgeous,” Zoe said, staring into the endless desert, rubbing her slightly rounded tummy.
Jace leaned in and kissed her cheek. “Thanks. Terra is just feeding Ethan, but she’ll be down in a few minutes. Is Josh not with you?”
Jack and Zoe exchanged a look.
“What?”
“He’s not coming.” A muscle in Jack’s jaw clenched.
“He still blames me for what happened with Nicole.” Jace exhaled, wondering how he would ever get his brother back.
“No. At least I don’t think so. You have to imagine how hard this is on him.” Jack glanced at his daughter, who now had her mouth plastered against the glass, humming.
“Give him time.”
“Yeah.” Jace scratched his chin and sighed. “It just would have been nice to have him here.”
“How are things with the clan?”
“Good.” Jace watched as a buzzard hung in the sky, casting a small blue shadow that moved along the sand, and smiled. He couldn’t believe he’d ever felt claustrophobic, with the whole damn desert in front of him. “Mic ran the clan by fear for so long. Getting them to trust us will take time.”
“Don’t believe him,” Terra said, entering the room. “Jace charmed them all within a week. It’s me they still have a problem with.”
“Oh, you look incredible,” Zoe gushed, wrapping her arms around his wife, then taking Ethan from her arms. “And look how big he is already.”
Terra smiled, but Jace noticed the slight reservation in her eyes.
Zoe must have saw it too, because her expression softened, and she whispered something to Terra that had her laughing. His family had accepted her with ease, as he knew they would, but he also knew there was still a small part of her that didn’t believe she was worthy of their love and acceptance.
“Mama, mama,” Cecille tugged at Zoe’s pants, clearly upset that she was holding another baby.
Zoe rolled her eyes and handed Ethan back to Terra, then scooped up her daughter.
“They’re here,” Terra said softly, her brows drawn down.
Jace felt the faint rumbling under his feet as a long line of vehicles approached.
“It’s time.” He placed his hand on Terra’s cheek and pulsated his love into her.
Today was as much about her as it was their son. She would stand with her clan and claim her place.
And what of tomorrow? He chuckled. If he was still a gambling man, he’d lay all his chips on her and he would win.
Lady luck was a tough little badger.
About the Authors
Stella Marie Alden loves Zumba, yoga, watercolor painting, and fixing up her house. Growing up in Vermont, she loved to make up stories. Crayons fought each other over size and placement in their cardboard box and imaginary friends crowded the house. Her brother often complained. “Tell her no one’s here, Mother.”
Her career paths have varied. She’s been a librarian, a classical clarinetist, recording studio engineer, broadcast electronics repairman, and now she architects software programs. She lives in Bergen County, NJ with her lifelong hero and their two cats.
www.stellamariealden.com
Chantel Seabrook is the author of the Amazon bestselling fantasy romance, Cara’s Twelve, as well as the Therian Agents paranormal romance series, and co-author of the Mated by Magic series.
When she isn’t reading or writing sexy stories, she’s most likely spending time with her family, cooking, singing, or racing between soccer, hockey and karate practices. She’s living her own happily ever after with her husband of fifteen years and their two daughters.
She loves creating new exciting characters - from sexy, bad boy alphas, to the passionate, fiery women who love them.
Canadian born and bred, she started life in Edmonton, Alberta, and now resides in London, Ontario. She attended Western University where she graduated with an Honors degree in Anthropology.
Her guilty pleasures include red wine, pasta, binge watching Starz originals, and hanging out with her rescue pup, Jaxx.
She loves to hear from her readers and can be reached at [email protected]
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