by Aspose
She put a finger on his lips. “Hush. You were doing better with the kisses.”
“What about you?” Destiny asked, dragging Gale’s attention away from the passionate couple. Really, they needed to get a room.
“What about me?” She blinked in comprehension as the Fate gestured with the knife. “Oh.” She thought about it. Mortal life, Christmas with her parents, pumpkin pie and holiday feasts. She could have her family back.
She looked at Nitro. She would lose him. She drew a deep breath.
Nitro was at her side in a blink. Holding her gaze, he slid a hand into her hair and kissed her. His kiss was pure passion as he used his hands, the wind and his deep, rumbling purr to seduce her. Forgetting their audience, she shivered in his arms, ready for more.
“Don’t you dare,” he breathed into her ear. “I will come to you every night and use the wind to make love to you. I will be merciless, wife. You’ll howl for me every night.” He nipped her ear to punctuate his warning, then soothed it with his tongue until she moaned.
Gale struggled to put an inch between them, but it wasn’t him she fought. Eyes glazed, she found the Fates. “Um, no. We won’t need that.”
Providence smiled. “Very well. We’ll put it away for safe keeping.” Her expression sobered. “Goodbye.”
“Wait!” Kira demanded. “Where are you going? You’ve got a lot to answer for.”
Providence sighed. “We used deception to change the future. Our powers have been stripped. We have just enough to return to Greece to resume our now mortal lives. Is that justice enough?”
Cara crossed her arms. “It’s a start.”
Fortune smirked. “You became superheroes and found true love. Quit whining.” She winked out of sight.
Destiny nodded solemnly. “She’s right. Whatever happened to bring you to this point, your future is a happy one.”
“Can you guarantee that? You said your powers were gone.” Cara said skeptically.
“Sure I can.” Destiny winked. “I peeked.” She disappeared.
The remaining Fate waggled her brows at Alicia. “It’s twin girls,” she said conspiratorially. “It’ll be good for him, and you’ll have backup.” She faded away on an evil laugh as Surge stiffened.
“Twin girls?” he whispered, just before he fainted.
Epilogue
“How is the new house?” Alicia asked, accepting a drink from her husband with a smile. She put a hand on her slightly rounded belly as she chatted. They were on her deck, enjoying the sunshine and fresh sea air.
“It’s a fortress,” Gale’s mom replied, frowning. She had a margarita and a sequined, pink baseball cap, and she was eating up the abundant sunshine.
“You love it,” Gale’s dad admonished her. He whipped out his phone to show off pictures. “He’s doing two feet thick walls, geothermal heating, radiant floor heat, solar and wind power…”
“Yes, I just worry that it’s too much. Nitro’s architect did far more than I expected. Granite, bay windows, a Jacuzzi, three stories…” She seemed bewildered by the unheard of excess. “The family keeps asking what we’re going to do with all that space with just the two of us.”
“And you can’t explain that your daughter’s family is moving in with you,” Gale said, grinning. Her parents weren’t going to live forever, and Nitro understood her need to be with them. It was going to be interesting when grandkids arrived, but they would do the best they could to let her children know all of their family, human and elemental.
Her mom grimaced and patted her hand in apology. “The secrets are hard, but we’ll manage. I love you.”
Cara’s mom nodded. “The family, they think we’re crazy. Tremor insisted we move into a huge hacienda. At least our family can see Cara, but we can’t explain that no, she’s married, she doesn’t need Cousin Rosa’s son to court her.” She threw up her hands. “Our family, they are loco. My mother drives me crazy with this.”
Cara smirked. “Grandma will survive. At least she’s in Mexico.” She looked at Gale’s mom. “Did you try Mama’s taquitos? She’s the best cook.”
“The best Hispanic cook,” Gale said with fake righteousness, defending her mom’s honor.
Her mom swatted her. “You can’t even eat anymore,” she laughed.
“I eat. Nonna makes me,” Gale said defensively. “I think she even makes me eat my vegetables.” She still wasn’t sure what all the ingredients were in wind elemental cuisine.
Nonna snorted as she set a tray in front of Gale. “I do.” She glanced at Gale’s middle and slanted Gale a questioning look.
Gale shook her head. She was going to tell her parents on her dad’s birthday. He’d be over the moon to hear he was going to be a grandpa.
Nitro left his male conversation and wandered over. “The wind tickled my ears,” he whispered for her ears only, taking the lounge beside her. “Are we discussing family?” He was ecstatic about the baby, and pleased that she was opening up more. Gatherings like this were right up his alley.
“Hm.” She sighed happily as he kissed her fingers. “I’m enjoying myself.”
He smiled intimately. “I’ll see if I can improve on it later.”
She squeezed his hand, content to watch the ocean. She might not have the life she used to envision, but this was much, much better. She might not be human, but she had her man, and she was home.
“You can try,” she murmured, and leaned back to admire the clouds.
Only the elementals could see the happy faces smiling back.
The End
About the author:
Autumn (also writing as R. Lilly) is a professional writer and stay at home mom with three kids, a dog and a half, and an active imagination. She’s married to her high school sweetheart, John, who is known to bring her flowers "just because".
After 34 years in Alaska, she moved to Washington with her family to enjoy a state with actual seasons.
She started self-publishing in 2010 after a string of rejections that read, “We love your writing, but we’re not sure how to market it.” She published on Smashwords, Amazon and Barnes & Noble, which led to a number of bestsellers. After The Charmer hit #1 on Barnes & Noble for fantasy romance, she threw herself into editing and uploading her backlist.
The next year and a half passed in a blur as she worked non-stop, and productivity declined as she took time to homeschool her autistic son, who was suffering from bullying. With boxing lessons and a year to boost his confidence and academic skills, he’s now doing well in mainstream high school.
It was a challenge maintaining a business and home schooling while taking care of her family, but God blessed her and the results were worth it. Her income for 2011 was $100,000, far exceeding her best year with traditional publishing.
In 2012, Amazon acquired Dorchester books and Autumn gave Amazon the right to publish two of her Spark Series books, When Sparks Fly and No Words Alone, believing that diversification is good business.
In 2013 the iBookstore in the U.K. and Ireland listed The Charmer as a new breakout book, and it remains one of Smashwords’ bestsellers.
While Autumn is grateful for the opportunities traditional publishing provided, she remains passionate about self-publishing.
For more about her books, check out autumndawnbooks.com
Connect with Autumn online at:
www.autumndawnbooks.com
http://authorautumndawn.blogspot.com
Bibliography:
Spark Series:
When Sparks Fly Amazon books
No Words Alone Amazon books
Solar Flare
Anthology for the Mammoth Book of Time Travel Romance:
Hemlock & Iron
Indie books:
Dark Lands Series:
The Charmer
Dark Lands: Homecoming
Scent of Danger
The Golden Bell
Ghost in Her Heart
Beast Wars
Dark Lovers Anthology (includes
The Golden Bell & Homecoming)
Dark Warriors Anthology (includes Ghost in Her Heart & Beast Wars)
Ladies in Waiting:
The Woman Inside
The Other Woman
Through the Looking Glass
Draconian Series:
Ride the Stars
Careful, He Bites
Aliens Do it Better: Anthology featuring Careful, He Bites and Interstellar Lover
Interstellar Lover
Under the Bridge
Women, Whiskey & Gold
Fire, Earth & Water Series:
One Night to Burn
When the Sea Burned
Wind Burn
Excerpt from The Charmer
Jasmine didn’t realize her friend Wiley was special until they were drawn into another world. Here Wiley is betrothed to the ruler of the Haunt, a wererace both dangerous and proud. Cousins to wolves, they have no place for a human, especially one helping their reluctant princess escape.
Will Jasmine find the portal home, or will she find a wolf of her own?
***
The Charmer
by
Autumn Dawn
* * * * *
PUBLISHED BY:
Autumn Dawn
The Charmer
Copyright © 2011 by Autumn Dawn
www.autumndawnbooks.com
* * * *
CHAPTER 1
“Wait a minute, Lemming! Let me catch my breath,” Jasmine gasped as she clutched a slender poplar for balance. A shower of bright leaves and water peppered her head and shoulders as the tree swayed. For a moment, her vision blurred and her legs trembled, but she stiffened them to wait out the asthma attack. The painful tightness in her chest nagged at her.
Grumbling, she dug out her inhaler and took a couple puffs. She hated resorting to medicine. Every couple of days it seemed, the TV would announce that people were getting cancer from some drug or another. Her favorite ads were the ones for male impotence that announced in fine print that the side effects included impotence. Next they’d announce that inhalers caused black lung.
She shook her head at her imagination and shoved the inhaler deep in her pocket. There was no sense being morbid.
Lemming trotted over to her, tail wagging, and sat gracefully at her feet. The black and white Border collie was used to such stops, but unlike her companion, she still had energy to burn.
Jasmine inspected a large rock that had washed free of the sticky clay, looking for ants. Satisfied, she shifted the holstered pistol on her hip and sat down gingerly. Cold seeped into her jeans from the lichen covered stone, even with the extra layer of long johns underneath. She ignored it and took in the view.
Densely wooded Alaskan hills rolled away in the distance without a sign of civilization. Autumn had hung her gold coins from every birch and cottonwood as far as the eye could see, and the golden wash of late evening sunlight showed them to their best advantage. Even the dark spruce covering the gentle slopes were sprinkled with the bright leaves.
She glanced at her watch, her breath frosting in the chill air. It was 7:44 P.M, and it would start getting dark soon. This late in September, it could snow at any time. Too bad it wasn’t June. If it were then she wouldn’t have to worry about the darkness at all, since the sun never set during the height of summer.
She stood and hefted her pack, her lungs giving a tired protest. To cheer herself, she counted her blessings. She could have been born allergic to chocolate, or dogs. She glanced at Lemming affectionately.
Come to think of it, if she’d been allergic to dogs, she wouldn’t have to be out here.
Suppressing a groan, she pushed herself to her feet and started out again. Wiley better have something hot on the fire, or there would be war. The least her friend could do after coaxing her into the boonies was to make camp.
Rapidly losing steam, she trudged up the trail, really little more than a brushy track, noting the moose nuggets and cloven hoof prints in the soft turf without enthusiasm. She didn’t fancy running into an irate cow with a calf. She didn’t want to spend the evening stuck in a Mexican standoff while the cow tried to decide if she was worth trampling or better off ignored.
While she was looking down she noticed the bounty of cranberry bushes. It really was a shame she didn’t have the energy to stop and pick some. They were plentiful this year and she could use a good batch of cranberry bars.
Hey, while she was dreaming, how about a hot date, an end cut of the Turtle Club’s prime rib and a dry pair of socks?
Maybe she should be dreaming about a hot date for Wiley, she thought with disgust. If her friend and roommate paid more attention to her love life, maybe she wouldn’t feel the need to run off to the woods at a moment’s notice. It was all great and well if Wiley had the itch to commune with nature, as long as she didn’t drag her friends into it.
The only itch Jasmine felt were the ones left by the hordes of gnats and mosquitoes. It was almost pointless using repellent; the mosquitoes mistook it for ketchup and came back for seconds.
Lemming barked from somewhere up ahead, signaling that she’d found Wiley’s camp. Jasmine’s head came up and she eagerly picked up her pace. In a minute she’d be sipping hot cocoa and roasting herself in front of a fire. Wiley would sweet talk her with chili and she’d forget she’d just spent the last hour stomping through the woods.
She entered the mossy clearing where Lemming waited and stopped, confused. It was empty.
Later, as Jasmine nursed a cup of cocoa by a fire she’d had to make herself, she tried to figure out what could have happened. At first she’d circled the area, calling Wiley’s name and trying to find evidence as to her recent occupation. It occurred to Jasmine that her friend had played a trick, maybe hid higher on the hill and grinned as she watched Jasmine wade through stickers and brush. It wasn’t like her to make Jas worry, though.
As full dark descended, she had known Wiley wasn’t playing a game. Something had happened to her friend, and it was too dark to make her way back to the Jeep to get help. If Wiley had tumbled down a hill, it would be no help to her if Jasmine got lost. Instead she tried to reason out what might have happened.
Wiley might take off at a moment’s notice on her perverse games of hide and seek, but she always left a map, and she never strayed from it. If she said she was going to be forty-five minutes east of the Dalton Highway that’s where they’d find her. Or rather, Lemming would find her, and Lemming always found her quarry.
She glanced at the search and rescue dog Wiley had trained from a pup. Lemming rested quietly at Jasmine’s side with her chin on her paws, content with a job well done. Jasmine had tried to get her to keep tracking, but she’d only sat, looked at her in confusion, and thumped her tail once. As far as she was concerned, her job was over.
Jasmine sighed and scratched an itch under her black Road Runner stocking cap. She was worried, but tried not to dwell on it. It wouldn’t help the situation. Besides, there might be a good explanation for this.
She noticed a sticker bush twig in Lemming’s fur. Gently, she removed it and flicked it into the coals. So now what? She didn’t plan to stay in grizzly and wolf infested woods any longer than she had to. At first light she’d pack up and go for help. Maybe if she kept her eyes open she’d see signs of her friend.
She coughed as smoke suddenly blew into her face and moved around the fire.
Well, there was nothing more she could do right now, and she was tired of having the fire roast her front end while the cold air behind froze her rear. Time to crawl into her tent, shuck down to her long johns and hope she wouldn’t have to shiver too long before the down sleeping bag warmed up. Though come to think of it, the night almost seemed to be getting warmer.
Scoffing at her wishful thinking, she stood and kicked dirt over the fire. That’s when she saw them.
Eyes.
Freaky, glowing golden eyes. Lots of them.
Lemming growled and pressed so tightly against her th
at she nearly tripped as the eyes evolved into wolves with eerie, alien faces.
Slowly she reached for the 357 Smith and Wesson revolver strapped to her hip. She’d brought the thing as a bear deterrent, but there was no reason it couldn’t take down a wolf.
The fur on the creature directly in front of her hackled and it snarled a warning that made her own hair stand on end. Lemming responded with a vicious bark that made her jump.
“Touch it and they’ll rip your throat out,” a man’s voice said mildly. It came from the dark, behind the wolves.
Jasmine emitted a strangled yell. Her nerves were on the crawl as she thought of someone watching her. She searched the darkness, but couldn’t see beyond the animals. “Who’s there?”
As if in a nightmare, a man stepped away from the camouflage of dark trees. He stood less than ten feet from her and seemed to study her with faint distaste. Maybe she didn’t measure up to his twisted fantasies. Maybe he liked tall girls, like Wiley. What were the odds he knew where she was?
Her jaw hardened. She itched to draw and cock the gun, but the slight movement of her hand brought the snarling beast before her a step closer.
“Call off your dogs,” she demanded hoarsely. All the moisture that should have been in her mouth decided to run down her back instead. Who’d turned up the heat?
“Give up your weapon,” the stranger ordered, and his words were brushed with an odd accent. “They don’t trust you.”
“The feeling is mutual, pal, but I’m not doing it. They’ll eat me alive if I do.” She’d watched TV. She knew what happened to the idiots who dropped the gun.
He glanced at the creatures. “Your choice.”
Long moments passed while she held his gaze. Sweat plastered the hair under her hat to her scalp. For all she knew this guy had kidnapped Wiley and was keeping her somewhere nearby…if she was still alive.
