Tears trickled down Jasmine’s face. She wiped them away and took a deep breath. “Eneko is facing a lifetime in jail. His children need him.”
“My son needs his father,” Rachel whispered.
Joseph squeezed her hand. “He needs his mother. I love you, but I’m not going to let Dr. Alava go to jail for this. The community needs their doctor.”
Guilt was clearly written on Rachel’s face. Jasmine had no doubt that it was true that Jana had attacked her. That the scar on the baby’s back was from his tender skin being cut open while he was still in utero. But she was also convinced that it was her, not her husband, that had attacked Jana. Not that she was going to say that to the police. This was an awful enough situation, and if Joseph was willing to sacrifice his freedom for his wife, she wasn’t going to stop him.
This whole thing was shitty. It should never have happened. But the courts would be kinder to him, a non-shifter protecting his wife, than it would be to her, a shifter. They all knew it.
“I’m sorry,” Jasmine whispered.
“I was protecting my family.” Joseph stood. “And I’m ready to face justice.”
Chapter Sixteen
It took two months after Joseph’s confession for the cops to release Eneko. The chief of police himself came to apologize for his treatment and promised that the cops that had treated him with such blatant disrespect would be punished.
Eneko didn’t care, except as far as wanting to get away from the jail. He was tired of this. It saddened him that another child was going to lose his father, but Clifford had assured him that he would be representing Joseph and was certain that he could get the charge dropped due to self-defense, or at the very least lessened to involuntary manslaughter.
In any case, Eneko was glad that Joseph was going to do the right thing. As awful as this whole situation was, it was the only ending they could have. In the end it was Jana’s own mindless hatred that killed her. If she hadn’t attacked a pregnant woman, then she never would have been killed.
“You look distracted,” he murmured to Jasmine, who sat in the car next to him.
He kept glancing at the clock, even though he knew it wasn’t going to help anything go faster. He was sorely tempted to push his speed another ten or twenty miles per hour, but he was already going at the edge of the speed limit and didn’t want to risk being pulled over.
“I’m just thinking.”
“It’s over,” Eneko said softly. “Everything is going to be okay now.”
“Not really. Andy and Jerimiah have joined forces now. I know that they’re forbidden from going anywhere near the clinic now, and that Clifford is helping you sue them both for defamation and harassment, but they’re just symptoms of a deeper problem. The scab over the festering wound. Anti-shifters like them… they make me worry about the future. For Luken and Maite.”
Eneko knew how she felt. Sometimes it felt like an insurmountable problem, but on the other hand, things were improving. People were talking about the issue, and now that he actually watched the media coverage of his case (something he had refused to do before now) he found it was surprisingly balanced.
He knew they had a long way to go yet. It wasn’t as easy as gaining one step in the right direction and then sitting back and resting. There was a whole cultural shift that needed to happen. For people to start realizing that shifters weren’t going anywhere and making them hide who they were for fear of backlash was doing more harm to society than just the shifter community.
“Marcus has arranged for a shifter pride march,” he mentioned. “I’m thinking that this time I’ll take the kids to it. I was worried in the past that it would open them up to the antis there, but I think fostering a sense of community with them would be good.”
Jasmine nodded slowly. A thoughtful expression wiped away the anger in her eyes and her nodding became more enthusiastic. “Yes. Yes, that’s a great idea. And I’m going, too. I’ve spent most of my life thinking that there was something wrong with me, or trying to repress who I am. I am sick of it, and I’m going to celebrate who and what I am.”
Eneko smiled in her direction. He took his hand off the wheel long enough to squeeze her hand, then rolled his shoulders. “Good. I’ve always been comfortable with who I am. I didn’t realize that others might not be. So, I’m going to go not only for my kids, but for the people who aren’t brave enough yet. Maybe by the time the kids are grown, we won’t need to march to prove we’re worthy of being proud of who we are.”
Jasmine smiled at him, looking more relaxed now.
Glad that he had helped her feel better, Eneko cast about for another topic, one that would continue to lighten the mood. “So how long is Lori going to be living with us? Not that I mind having her around, it’s just I’m a little confused about how this is going to work in the future.”
“She’s paying for the apartment now, so I don’t know.” Jasmine let out an exaggerated sigh and shook her head. “That girl. I swear sometimes she acts like her head isn’t screwed on right. Paying for the apartment but not living there.”
“At least she has a job.”
“Yeah…”
“Try not to sound too excited.” Eneko smiled at his mate’s tone.
It had come as a shock for all of them when Lori had come home one day and announced she had gotten a job at Clifford’s law firm. She was only going to be a cleaning lady, but the fact that she got the job was still surprising. Jasmine suspected that her sister had only taken it because she had the hots for Clifford, and was equally certain that Lori was going to leave him brokenhearted.
Eneko wasn’t so certain. Clifford had a reputation of his own, and it just might be that Lori had met her match in him.
“I just hope she doesn’t ruin the new clinic for you.”
They passed the city limits of their destination. Eneko slowed as houses started to fly by, although now that they were so close slowing was against his instincts. He wanted to speed up and get there even faster. Safety first.
“She won’t ruin the clinic,” he said distractedly.
Isaias and Clifford, who as it turned out was extremely wealthy himself, were going in together to build a new, state-of-the-art, fully staffed clinic on the clan’s territory. The matriarch had approved of it all and they were just waiting on permits from city hall now.
“I hope not,” Jasmine muttered.
It didn’t take much longer to get through the city to the rural area on the other side. Even that far, however, felt like an eternity. Eneko’s bear paced in circles, anxious to get out of the cramped car. When he pulled up to the large house where Sadie’s parents lived, the children and their grandparents were already waiting outside.
Maite and Luken charged towards him, calling out. Eneko left the car door open as he ran to his children. He scooped both of them up and hugged them close as they wrapped their arms around his neck. His heart physically ached from missing them so much, and seeing them again made tears roll down his cheeks. He was just so grateful to see them here, safe, to have them in his arms again.
“Jazz!” Maite wiggled out of his grasp and threw her arms around Jasmine’s legs. Jasmine knelt and hugged her tight. “You’re back! We can go home and never leave now, right?”
Jasmine kissed the top of Maite’s head. “Of course, sweetheart. That’s why your father and I are here. Everything is okay now and we’re going to take you home.”
“Good.” Matie’s voice trembled and she buried her face in Jasmine’s shoulder.
Luken hugged his dad hard. His small body shook and Eneko patted his back, trying to soothe him without bringing too much attention to him. Bobby and Sam smiled from where they were, and when Jasmine and Eneko straightened both of them were greeted warmly. They would stay the night, so the two of them got their things from the car and went in.
“Two rooms or one?” Sam asked Jasmine, her eyes sparkling.
Jasmine ducked her head and Eneko grinned at her embarrassment. “One.”
“One?” Luken glanced between the adults and scratched his head. “But you said that… oh!” His eyes widened and he stopped dead right in front of Eneko, causing the doctor to almost trip over him. “Is Jasmine going to be our Momma now?”
“Yay!” Maite danced around in a circle and jumped on Jasmine. “You’re my Momma!”
Eneko and Jasmine shared a look. This wasn’t how they had been anticipating telling the children, but he was glad that they had such a positive reaction. At his nod, Luken threw himself at Jasmine, too, hugging her tightly. That seemed to break down whatever walls he had up and he started to cry. Eneko picked him up, even though it was awkward since at nine he was getting to be a big boy, and cradled him. Luken clung to his neck, sobbing.
“Don’t cry,” Maite said, looking bewildered. “Jazz is our Momma.”
“I know that.” Luken wiped his eyes. “I don’t know why I’m crying.”
Jasmine stroked his hair. Eneko transferred him to her, then took the bags up to the familiar room while Sam led the way. Once they were alone, Sam put a hand on his arm, smiling still. There was sadness in her eyes, though.
“I’m glad that you’ve found your true mate,” she said softly. “It’s been too long since Sadie…”
“Have you heard from her at all?”
Sam sighed. “She called when the news of your arrest was broadcast. Worried about the children. I told her that you phoned us and asked us to work with Jasmine to care for them if the worst came to it. She told me that she wished she had been a better person, but that she couldn’t be a mother.” Pain radiated from her eyes but she smiled still. “They have a mother now, though. And they have you. I don’t think I’ve ever thanked you. You’re the best father those children could have had.”
Eneko nodded, his throat constricted with emotion. They quickly rejoined the others. As he mingled with his family, Eneko was filled with warmth and gratitude. Maybe these last few months had been awful and trying, but at the same time they had made him appreciate what he had more than ever. And he had gained so much more. His hand slipped into Jasmine’s and she grinned at him.
The road forward wasn’t going to be all smooth sailing. They were going to have to learn how to handle differences in opinion and overcome obstacles. The whole issue with the anti-shifter groups was far from over. But they were making progress. For now, that was enough. He had his mate, he had his children, and he could see a long, happy life for them in the future. Things were going to get better. He knew they were.
*****
THE END
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Sheltered by the Alpha Bear
Description
Love brought them together. The world tried to tear them apart. But a Bear won’t be denied…
I’ve tried to fight it. The passion, the danger, the raw sexual attraction—it is all wrong for me to feel this way about an unavailable man. But I can’t help myself. The Christmas season is about giving and receiving, not taking. This is so not like me to feel this way, but when I’m around Tony I just can’t help myself. The very fact that he is here right now… it has to be fate… right?
The past year has been so hard. I lost a promising career that was just taking off, blackballed from the industry so no one will hire me, and I was infected with the bear shifter curse.
And sweet Derek, helping me through it all has been wonderful, and of course, I know he would like to be much more than friends… but I've never seen him that way really. But I'm so glad he invited me and my one-year-old son, Devon to vacation with his family at a beautiful ski resort for Christmas.
I tried to keep my feelings bottled up, but the flirty glances, the sweet conversations, and the way Tony looks at me when no one else is around makes it so hard…but he is with Beth, Derek’s sister. It’s so wrong.
And now someone at the lodge has been murdered. By what appears to be some sort of vicious animal… in a house full of bear shifters, I have to wonder. Could my baby and I be living with a murderer? And is the man I’m falling in love with who I think he is?
Chapter One
“To Jackie Banks! The fastest rising star of Pierce, Montgomery, and Thorn!”
Everyone in the room raised their glasses of champagne and took a drink before breaking into a thunderous applause and praises of “Way to go!” and “I knew you could do it!”
"Thanks, everybody!" I said taking a sip off my own champagne. I actually hated champagne; I was much more of a wine kind of gal, but when in Rome…
I could not stop the smile that was spreading across my face as groups of people—partners, associates, legal aides and secretaries, and even file clerks.
I thought eventually I would start to get used to all of the attention and the accolades, but I was till embarrassed to death when everyone made such a big hoopla over the newest case I had just won for the firm.
I’d been with Pierce, Montgomery, and Thorn for five years and I’d dug my way from the bottom where all new Associates start winning case after case, working ninety hour weeks sometimes and rising through the ranks until I finally started to land some top clients. And finally a few weeks before, I had been asked to work the Simmons case, which meant a huge payday for the firm if I won.
I had not slept more than three hours a night for the past two weeks, but it all paid off and now our client was going to get millions in the insurance settlement they deserved and our firm was going to get a huge chunk of that money as well.
And there was talk floating around that I, Jackie Banks, was on my way to a nice slot as a partner of this firm. I could not have been more elated. Of course, that was just heresy at the moment and nothing had been spoken to me about it at all, but I was keeping my fingers crossed. I figured it was highly probable that I might have to knock a few more out of the park before I was officially offered a spot as a partner, but a girl could certainly dream. It felt like I was dreaming for so long that finally, my dreams were about to come true.
Ever since I applied to law school on a whim and got in I’d been focused on rising to the top of a lucrative legal career. It had become an all-out obsession for me.
I'd studied political science and psychology as an undergrad and received Bachelor's degrees in both. I thought I would go on to get a Master's or a Ph.D. in Psychology. I wanted to be a grief counselor and help people, but I'd always been fascinated in government and the law. And the more I got into my political science studies, the more interested I became. So, at the urging of my mother and one of my favorite professors I took the LSAT’s and applied to law school.
The rest, as they say, was history. But even still with all of my dedication and hard work I could not believe that I might actually become a partner of one of the best personal injury law firms in town. It was a dream come true. The work was great, the money was getting there, and I was helping people who needed it.
Of course, my romantic life had been suffering a bit.
I have always been a strong, fiercely independent black woman. My mother instilled in me a strong sense of who I was and that I could be and do anything I ever wanted to do in this world, and she made sure I knew it at a young age. My mother never put up with crap from
anyone and neither have I, especially when it came to men. That went for men I was interested in and men I wasn’t.
Being such a strong willed, ambitious woman inadvertently scares off a lot of men, but I see it as a good thing because if a man isn’t man enough to let me be myself then he isn’t man enough to waste my time on.
There were a few men around the office I’d kept my eye on as potential romantic interests, but no one special. Besides with all the work I was putting in romance was the last thing really on my mind.
If it was meant to be then it would happen.
I grabbed one of the mini quiches that were sitting on the buffet table. They were the most exquisite things I'd ever put in my mouth. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see a few female associates sneering at me. I had to smile to myself.
When you were a successful, up and coming black woman who also happened to be a BBW then you were bound to get some jeers and dirty looks. It was just par for the course and I reveled in it. It just meant that I was doing well in life. I knew those women were thinking that if I didn’t put good food in my mouth then I would lose weight and be anorexic like them. Well, that isn’t how I roll. Life is too short to waste on doing something you don’t enjoy. I work hard and I play twice as hard. And I thoroughly believe in indulging in all of the pleasures that life can offer.
I’ve dealt with that sort of thing my whole life about my size, but I’ve never been ashamed. Despite what most people think I work out regularly, I eat fairly healthy overall, and I don’t sit on the couch eating donuts all day. But I don’t deprive myself and I don’t worry about being a size six.
The Bear Shifter's Nanny (Fated Bears Book 3) Page 10
