by Nova Carlyle
One of the wolverines knocked his cinder block of a fist against the metal. “Listen up. Our beef is with Grant Halliday. If you are not Grant Halliday, walk away now and you leave unharmed. But once we enter this building, anyone and everyone is subject to the wrath of the wolverines.”
Clementine tugged Bryce down to whisper in his ear. “I like his style.”
Twenty men slowly shifted out of the shadows of the building, coming out onto the asphalt with their hands raised. Clementine gave a finger wave to Grant’s brothers and one flipped her the bird.
She snickered when a wolverine slammed his fist across his face. The rest of the squirrels parted like buckshot, taking off for the woods beyond the airfield.
Her laughter only lasted as long as it took to reach the threshold. The building’s shadowed interior swallowed her and she gripped her sword tightly on one side and Bryce’s hand on the other. They followed the silent wolverines who fanned out, creating a large circle.
At the center stood the exhole and at his feet lay a bound and gagged Teddy. His bedraggled appearance was alien—Teddy had never had a wrinkle in his life. Clementine’s fury festered, erupting in an evil grin. It was time for the exhole to pay for his crimes.
“Just like a woman to bring a bunch of men to hide behind.” Grant sneered at her. A gun dangled from his hand. At least he wasn’t stupid enough not to realize he was seriously outnumbered, even in the gloom surrounding them his brow glistened with a nervous sweat. But once again, he saw the other men as the threat—not her. She couldn’t wait to educate him on the truth of the matter.
Bryce left her side and approached Grant confidently, ignoring the gun tipped at his chest. “I’m just here for Teddy. And the wolverines? They’re going to collect their debt from you, but first, Clementine’s got something to settle with you.” He yanked the gun out of Grant’s hand and thrust it behind his belt before shoving the hilt of the sword in its place. “I’d say good luck, but not even luck could save you from her.” He scooped Teddy up into his arms and turned back.
Grant stared at the sword in his hand then looked at the wolverines surrounding them. “You’re joking, right? You want me to fence with her? She’s a klutz—she’s never come close to beating me before!”
Grant’s focus on the other males just pissed her off further. “Oh, yeah. That’s totally true. You did win.” She rolled her shoulders. “I had to let you or we both know your delicate ego would’ve collapsed under the strain.”
He tipped his sword and a haughty sneer at her. “I’m going to enjoy proving you wrong, little girl.”
Clementine was faintly aware of the wolverine’s cheering her name, but her sole focus was the exhole and the glint of his sword. In true Grant style, he attacked swiftly and with too much power and too little control. She clapped his sword to the side and his arm swung with it. She giggled under her breath when she whacked the blunt edge of her blade against his exposed ribcage.
Grant drew back. Rage boiled black in his eyes. And it was the rage that carried him towards her again. He pressed hard, driving his thrusts with a wild aggressiveness. Clementine calmly parried each move, using only what strength she absolutely had to. He stumbled over his own feet and paused, breathing heavily.
“Are you having fun yet?” She asked.
“Fuck you.” Grant spat at the floor and lifted his rapier again.
“Yeah, me neither. This isn’t half as much fun as I’d imagine it would be. Mostly because you’re a sloppy mess.” In the distance, Bryce’s low laugh rumbled and the hair at the back of her neck stood on end. She searched him out, her heart melting at the sight of him still holding Teddy. She wasn’t just going to buy a purple sparkly motorcycle with him as soon as this was all over, she was going to spend the rest of her life with that man. She looked back at Grant and for the life of her, she couldn’t remember why she was dragging this out.
“Okay. I’m done. He’s all yours wolverine friends!” Clementine turned back towards her mate. Bryce would let her teach him how to fence. And he wouldn’t hold back or need her to play down her skills.
Something disturbed the air behind her and Bryce shouted a warning, but she was already mid spin, sword at the ready, blocking the downward thrust of Grant’s blade. Her arms screamed in agony, echoing the shrill scrape of metal on metal.
Grant snarled, elbows bent out as he forced his height over her, seeking any advantage he could.
“That was a low blow even for you, exhole.”
“Bitch.”
“Oh, it’s like that, is it?” Clementine drew a tight, fast circle with her blade, wrenching Grant’s from his hands. It clattered across the old concrete pad and she smiled at the sudden spark of well-placed fear in his eyes. “Finally,” she sighed, then drew back and punched him, sending him sprawling at the feet of a waiting Wolverine.
Clementine turned back towards her family. Now that it was safe, Nico and Rae were leading a frantic Charlie in. He rushed to Bryce and Teddy, wrapping them both up in a hug. Her mate shuffled on his feet, but held steady, holding Teddy up for Charlie to inspect and fuss over. And then her dads seemed to notice at the same time that Bryce had two claiming marks. And then they fussed over Bryce, beaming with paternal pride.
From rogue wolf to mate and son in one night. She couldn’t imagine how the drastic change must feel to him, but when Clementine looked at him, all she saw was a man who’d finally found his home. She saw a rogue wolf discovering his true tribe.
She saw her future.
Bryce tore his eyes away from Teddy and Charlie long enough to look for Clementine. He found her watching him, her eyes glowing with an emotion that made his throat grow tight. She started to jog towards him and his pulse sped up, keeping a painful pace.
A large bodied wolverine stepped in front of her, blocking her path. Fear tingled up the back of his neck and he forced his wolf back down, keeping the animal from shredding out and attacking the other predator. Clementine still had her sword and if that wolverine was stupid enough to come at her while she was armed then he deserved whatever he had coming.
But the wolverine held out a piece of paper and Bryce watched in stunned silence as Clementine gave him an autograph. Then she handed him her sword and he flexed it in the air. She stepped under his other arm and smiled in a camera another shifter held up. Two more wanted autographs and a dozen others wanted pictures. Clementine was gracious towards them all, her smile genuine and interested.
“Our girl has never looked happier,” Teddy said. Bryce tipped his chin down to look at the man still in his arms. “And two bites? She’s so dramatic.”
Charlie chuckled. “Says the man being carried around like a diva.”
Teddy shushed his husband and curled his arms tighter around Bryce’s neck. “Welcome to the family, son. Give me a kiss then go to your mate.”
Even after an adventurous night with Clementine, physical affection wasn’t something second nature to Bryce. But he knew deep down that this was the family he’d been born for. They were all perfect together because they were all a little bit squirrelly and Bryce wouldn’t have changed anything for the world. So he kissed Teddy’s forehead before easing him to his feet, then accepted Charlie’s brief, tight hug.
He moved towards Clementine and his heart swelled when she matched him step for step, meeting him in the middle, her arms already open wide for him. With very little effort, he swept her up against him and kissed her. Maybe it wasn’t second nature, but it sure as fuck was damn good.
“Did you see me hit him?”
“Mm-hmm. How’d that feel?”
“Remember when I smashed your glasses?” She wiggled his nosepiece with a finger.
“Ah, yes. Good riddance to bad rubbish. Annihilation and adrenaline.” His blood pumped a little harder remembering her wicked delight. “You’re amazing.”
“The rest of the world looks at me and sees a crazy harpy. You look at me and I get goosebumps on my heart.” She wound her arms aroun
d his neck and he picked her up until her feet dangled. “Don’t ever change Bryce McCabe. I want this wolf just as he is. Forever and ever.”
“We’ll make a deal. I’ll always be me. You’ll always be you.” His throat tightened but he forged on in a husky timbre. “And we’ll always love each other. Agreed?”
Her lips parted and a happy sound fell from her lips. “Agreed.”
Bryce kissed his mate. He kissed her slowly and thoroughly.
And then he loved her for the rest of their lives.
Before you go
Thank you for reading A Little Bit Squirrelly! I loved playing in Celia Kyle’s Grayslake: More Than Mated World.
Please feel free to hop over to my Amazon page and check out my Animal Within Series where you’ll find a world in which Fae and Shifters collide! Find me on Facebook, I’d love to see you there!
My Stepbrother, My Wolf
Demons run deep in the girl he's always loved, but she can't even look him in the eye...unless he's wolf for her.
Her stepbrother Abrum has been dead for ten years, but Kitty Whitaker was never allowed to mourn the lonely teenage boy. So before she leaves the shadows of the Appalachian Mountains forever, she walks in the woods he'd loved so much, hoping both their spirits might finally find peace. But there's darkness lurking in the misty hollows and it hunts her down. When a black wolf saves her life, Kitty repays the kindness, unaware that the wolf's secrets will change her forever.
Abrum Ellis learned the truth about the hollow on his stepfather's land the hard way. Now the darkness threatens the one person who's ever cared about him, the one person he'd do anything to protect. He knows Kitty's vital to his very existence, she calls to him in a way he can't control. But demons run deep in the girl he's always loved and she can't even look him in the eye, let alone handle his touch.
When their lives collide with a motley group of animal shifters and the woman that protects them, Kitty and Abrum have to face down their pasts to live up to the promise of their tomorrow.
The Good Fae’s Bad Wolf
Southern, fae and damned determined to get her way!
Georgette Shaw is more than just the woman in charge. She's the good fae who's used to getting her way. Her clan is growing, her shifters are happy, and she's discovering just how much power lingers under her own skin. Life is good except for one very inconvenient attraction to the Scottish wolf shifter who belongs to another. It's a problem no pair of heels and no amount of Godiva can fix, and she's not sure if even the magic of the fae can keep her heart from getting broken.
Roy Sinclair's been keeping secrets. And now they're catching up to him, threatening not only the wolf he shares his body with, but the good fae he shares his soul with. He has to leave the clan he loves in order to protect them all, but evil descends on the cave they call home and he's forced to face the truth about his family's curse. He can't claim his mate, but he'll do anything to keep her world from falling apart around her.
To save everything they love, Georgette and Sinclair have to stand together. But the closer they become, the more danger draws around them.
About the Author
Nova Carlyle knows what a good strong woman can do to a man. And good strong women are just what her big hearted men need in their lives. Sparks fly in a world where fae and shifter collide!
Nova spends her days writing and raising two very joyful little girls. Her vices are houseplants, heelers, and her hardworking husband. They all live together on a small hobby farm in rural Illinois where chickens run free and the garden grows green.
