Tempting the Dragon

by Karen Whiddon

  “I love surprises!” Eve said, jumping up and down. Her energy level had improved so much that Jade couldn’t tell she’d ever been ill. “Don’t you, Jade?”

  “Sure I do,” Jade answered, smiling easily. She met Rance’s gaze, her heart full. “We’ll have to take your rental car. My SUV is parked down by the entrance to the hiking trails on the other side of the lake.”

  “I don’t have a rental anymore,” Rance explained. “I turned it back in when I bought my own truck.”

  Surprised, Jade stared. They all trooped outside where Jade had to admire his black crew-cab Chevy Silverado pickup.

  “Jade, you sit up front with me.” Rance grinned, his excitement palpable. “Eve, let me buckle you in your car seat. Your grandmother will keep you company.”

  Once they were all buckled in, Rance drove back toward town. As they neared a familiar location, Jade sat up straight, straining as always to catch a glimpse of her dream house.

  To her shock, instead of continuing on past, Rance pulled into the driveway and parked. “Here we are,” he announced, killing the engine. “Everybody out.”

  Wondering what the heck was going on, Jade climbed slowly from the car. “Do you have the owners’ permission to be here?” she asked, slightly nervous.

  “Yes, darlin’. I sure do.”

  As she stared at the house she’d loved ever since she’d been a small girl, Jade realized he must have rented it. This house was the only other place she could live that would feel as much like home as Burnett House.

  Rance took her arm, kissing her cheek, which sent a zing of heat all the way to her toes. Eve and Libby walked up, holding hands. “Well, do you want to see the inside?” Rance asked.

  “I do, I do!” Eve said, jumping up and down from excitement.

  But Rance only had eyes for Jade. “What about you?”

  Throat tight, she nodded.

  As they walked up the sidewalk, Jade held her breath while Rance unlocked the front door with a key. Inside, the empty house still managed to look warm and inviting, with the dark hardwood floors and matching trim around the interior windows.

  “Wait until you see the kitchen.” Rance kissed her again, his lips tracing a path from her cheek to her mouth. “It’s been completely updated.”

  “Come on, Eve,” Libby said, steering the little girl in the opposite direction. “Let’s go explore the bedrooms.”

  Once they’d disappeared, Rance led Jade into a large, French-style kitchen. The stainless-steel appliances looked new and expensive. She loved the granite countertop and the huge window over the farmhouse sink. “Wow,” she said, turning slowly to take it all in. “If I’d been renovating this, I’d have done exactly this.”

  Rance grinned. “It’s pretty perfect, isn’t it?”

  “Yes, it is.” She tilted her head, gazing up at him with her heart full of happiness and love. “How’d you get the owner to rent it to you?”

  “Rent?” He laughed. “Oh, no, darlin’. This is ours. I bought it. Just closed on it this morning. Since I knew you’ve always loved it, I couldn’t think of a better place to make our home.”

  Though she wasn’t the squealing type, so help her this time she squealed. Loudly. Launching herself at him, she wrapped her arms around him and pulled him down for a long, deep kiss.

  The sound of Libby clearing her throat from the doorway broke them apart.

  “Where’s Eve?” Rance asked, his husky voice attesting to the way the kiss had affected him.

  “Playing in her new bedroom.” Looking from one to the other, Libby grinned. “She picked out the one she wanted. She’s talking about getting a dog. I think she’s pretty excited.”

  “A dog?” Rance and Jade said at the same time.

  “I’ve always wanted a boxer,” Rance mused. Jade didn’t immediately respond, so charmed by the idea of their little family having a pet in this house that she couldn’t speak.

  “Boxers are nice,” she finally said. “But if we get a dog, I want to get one from a rescue.”

  “Agreed.” Rance laughed and spun her around, pretending to dip her as if they were dancing. Laughing back, she dipped, and when she came up, they continued dancing to their own music. Neither noticed Libby leaving the room.

  * * *

  The wedding was held at Burnett House, of course. Initially, Libby had wanted it to be at her lake place, but when all the Burnett women got together, there was no stopping them. And with their large family, plus all of Jade’s employees and friends, not to mention Rance’s work colleagues who flew in from all over the world, there was no way her little house could hold them all. Neither could Rance and Jade’s new place.

  Now that she knew she didn’t have to be Guardian, Pearl and her twin, Sapphire, appeared to have lost their fear of her. Libby found she quite enjoyed chatting with the teenagers, especially when they both offered to help her babysit Eve when Rance and Jade went on their honeymoon.

  The morning of the wedding dawned cloudy and cold. Snow had been forecast, but so far only flurries drifted down from the sky. Libby did everything she could with her limited powers to make sure the weather held. She wanted to make sure Jade and Rance were able to drive down to New York City to stay the night before flying out of LaGuardia to Puerto Rico for their honeymoon the next day.

  The entire Burnett family had embraced Eve, welcoming her into the fold like a long-lost family member. Amber had announced to Libby that they would share grandparenting duties, to which Libby had happily agreed.

  Jade had wanted a simple wedding, politely shooting down Opal’s desire for a barrage of candles and incense. There were flowers, autumn colors despite the fast-approaching winter, and the twins had been given the joint compliment of being asked to act as maids of honor.

  And now it was time for the wedding to begin.

  Despite the wintry air, Jade had insisted the actual wedding be held on the front porch. As a result, the family had brought in freestanding gas heaters to keep the guests warm. They’d placed them at strategic intervals under the huge white tent on the front lawn where everyone would sit.

  Libby and Eve had front row seats next to Amber and Opal. One of Jade’s employees played the harp, and he’d offered to provide the music, which, Libby had to admit, was lovely.

  With everyone in place, Rance stood next to the minister on the front porch, near the porch swing. Pearl and Sapphire, wearing identical rust-colored gowns, walked up the steps and took their places on the other side of the minister. Catching Libby’s eye, Pearl grinned and winked. Libby grinned back, reflecting what a great and fun Guardian Pearl would have been.

  Then Jade appeared and Libby forgot everything else. Her white dress floated around her ankles, the beaded bodice clinging to her body as lovingly as if it had been made for her. One look at Rance, seeing the reverent awe and love in his handsome face, and Libby’s eyes filled with tears. Since she’d sworn not to cry, she dabbed at the corners of her leaking eyes with a handkerchief she’d brought just for that purpose.

  Head held high, with her amazing silver hair that had begun to turn red in a perfect French braid, Jade kept her gaze locked on her groom. A light flush made her alabaster skin appear to glow. Once she’d lifted the hem of her skirt and climbed the steps, she took her spot next to the minister. The harp quieted and the minister began to read the vows.

  With Rance’s precious camera in hand, Lucas Everett snapped photographs. He’d been amazed and honored when Rance had asked him to serve as wedding photographer, and seemed determined to do the best job he could. He even managed to keep from staring at Sapphire, who did everything she could to catch his eye.

  “Do you, Rance Sleighter, take Jade Burnett as your lawfully wedded wife, to have and to hold, in sickness and in health, until death do you part?”

  Rance didn’t hesi
tate. “I do.”

  Then the minister turned to Jade and repeated his question. “I do,” Jade responded.

  “Then I pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss the bride.”

  Libby, along with everyone else, held her breath waiting for Rance to claim his new wife for the traditional kiss. Instead, the two of them moved over to the porch swing. Jade took a seat, demurely setting her skirt around her. Rance joined her, tenderly cupping her face with his large hand. “Forever,” he said.

  “Forever,” she replied. And then the two of them finally kissed, setting the swing in motion. The wedding party cheered.

  And the snow began to fall in earnest, though neither the bride nor groom noticed.

  * * * * *

  Keep reading for an excerpt from HALF WOLF by Linda Thomas-Sundstrom.

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  Half Wolf

  by Linda Thomas-Sundstrom

  Chapter 1

  Pain, sharp-edged and nasty, hit Kaitlin Davies in an undulating wave, pulsing in time with the spike in her heart rate.

  God, she thought. Can this be happening?

  The guy who had just seconds ago seemed like any normal male—short hair, jeans, old white T-shirt—had her by the neck before she could shout. So fast she couldn’t draw a breath. The asshole actually bit her, breaking the skin beneath her right ear. He kept his teeth clamped to her neck and seemed to get a kick out of it. He was making happy noises.

  Shock made screaming impossible. The a-hole had her pinned to a tree with some kind of supernatural grip.

  Her bags fell to the ground. A hideous sucking sound, like someone knocking back a smoothie through a narrow straw, caused her stomach to turn. Something wet trickled down her throat, forcing a gag reflex, but she was too stunned to do anything other than try to breathe.

  The scent of blood saturated the air. Her scream was internal, silent.

  No...

  The last rush of her frantic energy ebbed with a sensation similar to a tumbling wave’s retreat. And then another jarring spike in her pulse hit, fueled by adrenaline with nowhere to go.

  Scream. Shove. Knee him. Fight.

  That was what the rules of self-defense said to do if she were ever to find herself in trouble.

  Yell. Make as much noise as possible. Draw attention.

  Don’t talk to strangers.

  While it was a safe bet that every single female across the country had been given those same rules, no one had mentioned the fact that they might not work. She hadn’t spoken to anybody, had just been minding her own business walking across university grounds from the library to her studio apartment.

  Searing red flashes behind her eyes warned that she was going into shock, and still standing only because the creep held her upright. She no longer felt her hands or feet. Nerve twitches that should have instigated muscle movement produced no response at all.

  Shit.

  Help me!

  She was so very scared, and cold, though she had started to sweat. Inside, she was fighting, struggling. Outwardly, she did zip. This attacker’s maniacal strength and the speed with which he had executed it severed any prospects of a worthwhile reaction.

  What sort of creature bit a person?

  Pervert.

  Animal.

  Monster...

  Her thoughts began to fuzz over. Blackness floated in from the periphery of her brain like spilled ink spreading on a flat white surface, threatening a last hold on sanity.

  Would she ever see her family again?

  Tingling sensations accompanied her blood pressure’s plummeting descent. Dark thoughts dangled. The monster was going to kill her beneath the trees bordering the pathway. She was on her own here because this was Friday night, and everybody else would be either prepping for the weekend or hitting the books. She had walked here at least twenty times this past semester, thinking it safe.

  And now she was going to die. Out here. Alone. Just weeks before presenting her doctorate thesis.

  She did not want to die, not like this or any other way. Her life hadn’t really started yet.

  Don’t deserve this.

  She had no energy left to finish the argument. The night had grown darker.

  Somebody help me.

  Anybody. Please...

  Kaitlin prayed, chanting inwardly and straining to keep her eyes open for the last few precious seconds of life. Nothing seemed real. Nothing felt real.

  Stomach convulsing, head exploding in a last hurrah, she heard another sound break through the darkness, stirring an internal response. It sounded like the growl of a large animal. Low, guttural and unmistakably menacing, that growl rolled toward her.

  But maybe, just maybe, this was merely the sound a soul made when prepping for flight.

  Her soul.

  No. Not that. God, not that, because the monster beside her also heard the noise. When he lifted his head, part of her T-shirt hung from his teeth, soaked in blood.

  His sudden withdrawal was more painful than the initial attack had been. The world began to spin, mingling with the sound of another ferocious animal growl that came from right on top of them.

  Can’t hold on...

  The monster released her. She fell, sliding down the bark of the tree, sinking onto numb buttocks with her legs folded. In the dullness of tunneling vision, she witnessed a blur of black on black, deeper than the night itself, approaching.

  Like a whirlwind, the blur of fluid darkness swept her attacker aside, seeming to temporarily shift things in her favor. In life’s favor. Too weak to make any kind of acknowledgment, Kaitlin fought the wave of light-headedness threatening to overtake her.

  In her dimming periphery, squeals broke through the silence—sounds reminiscent of fierce fighting that seemed to come from every direction at once. A high-pitched whine was followed by a scream and the unmistakable sound of flesh tearing. But it wasn’t her flesh being torn this time.

  Not this time.

  Kaitlin heaved up one final inward cry. Tears were running down her cheeks. When the night became quiet, the silence was scary. And then an artificial softness descended like a cloud, as if she’d been covered by a fur coat. That softness caressed her legs and thighs beneath t
he hem of her denim shorts.

  After the terrible events of the past few minutes, sensation of any kind seemed odd. So, was this gentle caress a sign of Death knocking at her door?

  With great difficulty, Kaitlin cracked open her eyes. Looking out through teary slits, she found the face of a man kneeling beside her—a half-naked man, his skin gleaming from the waist up in the dappled moonlight filtering through branches.

  This wasn’t the creep that had tried to steal her life force. This guy had broad shoulders and a sculpted chest etched with scrolling tattoos. His hair was dark, long, and a stark contrast to his face.

  Could this be an angel?

  Moonlight encircled his position as if he sat in the center of a searchlight beam, but his features were hidden by shadows. He didn’t speak, just sat there looking at her as if appraising the situation. If this was a trick, if he wasn’t to be trusted, well, there wasn’t much left for him to take.

  When gentle fingers touched her face she winced, because tenderness in the malignant moonlight felt wrong. Her visitor finally spoke in a deep, hushed voice. “It’s all right now. That thing is gone.”

  He moved inches forward so that moonlight flooded his face with a wash of pure silver. Kaitlin couldn’t see much past the splashes of blood on his lips and chiseled cheeks. That blood was as black as his hair.

  She did a quick reassessment, wanting to understand what kind of an angel would appear like this. Fear made a comeback. Rattles of protest welled up in her chest. Was the blood on his face hers?

  The man’s fingers slipped to her chin, which he tilted slowly upward. “You’re safe.”

  I’m dying, she wanted to say.

  As if he had heard the words, he brought his face close to hers. From inches away, he observed her with the brightest eyes she had ever seen—eyes that glowed a light luminous green and shone with intelligence and understanding. Beautiful eyes. Kind. Sympathetic. Not quite human.

  His attention made the last wisp of her consciousness flicker way down deep inside her, almost in a sexual way. Kaitlin wanted to reach out and touch those angular cheeks. She wanted to wipe the slashes of crimson away and thank him for helping her.