Alphas Unwrapped: 21 New Steamy Paranormal Tales of Shifters, Vampires, Werewolves, Dragons, Witches, Angels, Demons, Fey, and More

by Michele Bardsley

  “With all my heart.” Holly eyes glistened with unshed tears, the conviction of her belief in their union ringing loud and clear as she answered Asher’s question.

  “And Tomas Alistair Youngblood, do you accept this woman, this Christmas Angel, this warrior of the Light, as your own? Do you take her into your heart and soul, promising to protect all that she is and her way of life for all time?”

  “Absolutely. Forever and always.”

  “Then by the Grace of God and the all the Blessings that come with it, I declare you joined…one heart, one soul, one life for all time. You may seal your bond with a kiss.”

  The words had barely left Asher’s mouth before Tomas’ lips were on Holly’s. He heard footsteps as the angels left the Chapel, but his entire world revolved around the woman in his arms. She was all he ever wanted, all he ever needed, and he would spend eternity making her happy.

  “Eternity?”

  “Yes, my wonderful mate, we now have eternity together. We share everything. We are now as much angel as dragon and with that comes our own special brand of immortality,” Holly answered. “We will have many, many years here and on Earth, and when it is our time, we shall join our ancestors in the Afterlife.”

  “This just keeps getting better and better.” Tomas deepened their kiss before asking, “Where would you like to spend your honeymoon?”

  He felt her smile against his lips as the world began to swirl around them. “I was thinking there’s four days left of the blizzard and a completely deserted grotto that’s ours for the asking.”

  “I like the way you think, a thaise.”

  Chapter Eight

  Holly had forgotten to tell Tomas about the mating brand. The moment their feet touched the stone of the cave, he yelped in pain and held his right wrist against his chest. “What the…?”

  “Sorry, somehow the whole branding thing slipped my mind. Let me see.”

  She carefully took his hand into hers and kissed the inside of his wrist where the mark of a shield with wings had been branded into his skin. Holly knew the same mark was now appearing on the inside of her right wrist. It was their sign from God, their blessing, and would remain for all of their days.

  The longer her lips remained on Tomas’ body, the warmer his skin became in her hands. Looking up, she saw passion and love in the depths of his deep brown eyes and the sly smile that turned up the corner of his very kissable lips. In one swift move, he had her in his arms, kissing her as if their very lives depended upon it.

  Lost to their passion, Holly was pleasantly surprised when her back touched down on the same sleeping bag she’d earlier shared with her mate. The weight of her mate pressing upon her intensified the electric current that was always present when they touched. Their passion reached a fevered pitch and as if a switch had flipped, their kiss ended and Tomas was poised above her, his hands on either side of her head, but the lower half of his body still lying atop hers.

  Silently, he stared as if memorizing every detail. Holly opened her mouth to speak but quickly closed it as he slowly shook his head from side to side. “You are absolutely amazing, mo maite’. There is not a more perfect woman in all the Universe and you are mine…now and forever.”

  Ever so slowly, he leaned forward and placed a kiss on first one temple and then the other, above one eyebrow and then the other. He continued to show tender adoration with his lips, touching as many places as he could, until he had worked his way to her throat. After long moments of tender kisses that set her skin ablaze, Tomas finally continued to the very top of her matrimonial gown.

  He showed immense attention to every freckle, every inch, it felt like every cell, until Holly was a mass of want and need. His hands slowly worked the zipper of her dress downward, stopping only to remove her belt and throw it over his shoulder. Her gown soon followed, leaving her in nothing but white lace panties and a tiny excuse of a strapless bra.

  She watched as Tomas’ eyes took in every detail from her waist to the top of her head, leaving a burning trail of desire only he could extinguish. Her nipples hardened against the lace of her bra to just shy the point of pain, and her excitement wet the silk of her panties.

  “You are the most amazing creature ever created, Holly Youngblood, and I will love you for all time,” Tomas whispered right before his mouth met hers. They kissed and tasted until Holly knew it was his touch she’d craved for all her many years.

  Tomas was everywhere…in her heart, in her soul, in her thoughts, in the very depths of her being. The sensual overload was indescribable. Holly was absolutely insane with need. His hips raised from hers as his fingers slid under the lace on her hip and a slight tug later, she was bare from the waist down. One second later and her dragon had removed her bra, leaving her utterly at his mercy.

  Holly lifted her hips in an effort to get his wandering hands where she most needed release, but Tomas rolled to the side, leaving her lying completely exposed before placing one hand flat on the skin above the curls that covered her mound, holding her absolutely still.

  Goose bumps rose all over her body. Holly screamed her frustration and ever-growing arousal at the ceiling, using only his name, “Tomas...oh my Heavens…Tomas…”

  “Yes, mo aingeal. I’m here.” She loved that he called her his angel in the language of his kin.

  He slid down her side, the evidence of his excitement leaving a trail of heat even through the clothing he still wore. Holly tried to sit up. She wanted him naked. She wanted to see all of her mate, but Tomas would have none of it. With a simple look, he stopped her actions, and using his enhanced speed, was bared for her eyes only almost immediately.

  “Always and only for you, mo ghra’.” She loved that he could read her thoughts, loved the intimacy they shared.

  Tomas knelt between her legs. Their eyes met. Holly was snared, unable to do anything but look into the eyes of the man that was forever hers. He placed his hands under her butt, gently pulling her closer. The head of his erection touched the outer lips of her pussy and her hips lifted in response. Tomas slid between her outer lips and bumped her clit. Rolling her hips, she tried to push him farther inside. They gasped in unison. Tomas’ pupils dilated and finally, his hips began to move.

  Their hips met as Tomas seated himself deep within her, only stopping when he reached the very bottom. A feeling of untold bliss rolled over and around them…they were now one in every sense of the word. Savoring the feeling of her womb contracting around her mate, Holly saw that Tomas savored their union just as much as she did. The emotions freely flowing between them heightened the couple’s excitement.

  Tomas looked at where their bodies were joined and spoke with incredible reverence, “Look at us, mo aingeal, look where we are joined...always together.”

  Holly’s need to move went into overdrive. She needed to feel the release of the orgasm racing through her. Moving with renewed vigor, the angel watched her mate glide in and out of her body. Tomas rolled his hips each time their bodies came together. The change in motion caused him to rub against the super sensitive bundle of nerves at the top of her channel and her clit to make contact with overheated skin on every stroke.

  Unable to do anything but feel, Holly let go of everything but the all-encompassing love she felt for Tomas and reached for his hands. His fingers slid between hers just as she screamed her release and it echoed in their special grotto.

  Holly returned to earth as Tomas slowly moved in and out of her, their hands still clasped. “Hey there, mo aingeal, how you doin’?”

  “Perfect, my love, just perfect.”

  Tomas let their hands fall apart, pulled completely out of her, scooped her into his arms, and moved her to the top of their pallet, laying her gently on her side with her head on the rolled up blanket he used as a pillow. He laid facing her, simply smiling and holding her hand. Holly had no idea how long they gazed into one another’s eyes, before he pulled a red velvet pouch tied shut with a golden cord from under their pallet and hand
ed it to her.

  “What’s this?” she asked.

  “Open it and find out.”

  “Tomas...”

  “Holly…” He mimicked, winking.

  “But I have nothing for you.”

  “I have everything I’ll ever want or need, right here…in you. Now, open it or I’ll tickle you until you do.” Tomas grinned and Holly wondered if she would ever grow tired of just looking at her gorgeous dragon.

  Carefully opening the pouch, she gasped as she looked inside, looked at Tomas, and shook her head. “It’s…it’s…

  “It was my mother’s and now it is yours. So hurry up and get it out of that bag before I bust.”

  Holly slowly turned the velvet pouch upside down over her open palm. Her breath caught in her lungs as the largest, most perfect, most beautiful emerald cut Ruby ring landed in her hand. She had never seen anything so stunning in all her life. She looked at Tomas, who took the ring from her palm, turned her left hand over, and slid the ring onto her ring finger

  She had no words. For the first time in her very long life, the Christmas Angel was stunned into silence. Tomas leaned forward and kissed her until she was breathless. He then brought her hand to his lips, kissing the tips of each of her fingers and the area just above her ring.

  Looking in his eyes, she was finally able to speak, “It is absolutely the most spectacular thing I have ever seen in my life. I will cherish it forever.”

  Grinning like a little boy with a secret, her sneaky mate produced another velvet pouch, but this time, he opened it himself. Holly heard the tinkle of tiny bells just a second before a bracelet, perfectly matching the ring he’d just given her, fell into his hand.

  Rubies from one end to the other with tiny golden red bells hanging every so often, it was a work of art.

  “Tomas, this way too much.”

  “This is nothing, my dear Holly. These are merely small tokens of the unimaginable love I feel for you.” He secured the bracelet to her wrist as he spoke. “Just wait until we get to the lair. Emma, our jeweler, has another surprise waiting for you.”

  Shaking her head, she looked more closely at the bells hanging from her arm. “What are these made of?” Holly twisted her wrist just to hear the tiny bells ring.

  “My father and my discarded dragon shells. He had it made for my mother on their anniversary shortly after my first transformation. Before she went to meet him in the Afterlife, she gave me both pieces and made me promise to give them to my mate.”

  Holly was overcome with too many emotions to name. It took several tries, but finally she squeaked out, “I will wear them with honor.”

  Tomas’ lips met hers and he spoke into her mind

  “I have a secret to share.”

  “Oh, you do?” Holly answered, already breathless from his kiss.

  “Every time a bell rings, a dragon kisses his mate.”

  She chuckled. “I’d always heard it that an angel was kissing her mate.”

  Holly’s mind filled with Tomas’ deep rich laughter. “I adore you, mo aingeal, forever and always. Eternity is ours.”

  “Merry Christmas. I love you, dragon man.”

  “And I love you, my Christmas angel, to Heaven and beyond.”

  Epilogue

  Rian knew he shouldn’t have run off half-cocked. Rory and Royce had damn near driven him mad screaming directly into his brain for the last three days. Finally, unable to stand their endless bitching, he’d cut all communications with them. It was the first time in more years than he could remember that he’d been truly alone.

  As if all that wasn’t bad enough, Rian had snuck into his oldest friend’s private lair and stolen the stone they’d recovered along with Drago, the assassin. He’d known he was going to raid Maddox’s cave even before he sent Tomas off with the ancient artifact, but it was the only way he could keep his plans from the others. No one would understand. How could they?

  For years he’d been living with the secret of his mate’s painful existence. Unable to go to her, unable to save her, only able to see her once every full moon and only with the aid of a Devil’s Trap. His beautiful Audrey had been possessed even before he knew of her existence. A terrible curse was put upon her by the same evil wizards the Dragon Guard sought to destroy. She hadn’t given up her freedom willingly; rather it was taken from her as a way to coerce her father, the king of a small seaside village, to give up his lands.

  Unfortunately, King August was killed in battle before he knew his daughter had been taken and the man who inherited the kingdom, Audrey’s uncle, was evil to the core. He simply left his niece to rot in hell, the servant of the Chancellor and President of the High Council of Devils.

  Not long after Royce had left to train with the Golden Fire Clan, when the O’Reilly brothers were still considered young dragons, Rian had been deep in the forest that bordered the sea one night just after midnight. He’d needed time to think. The Elders had just come to him, requesting he join their ranks and rule the Blue Thunder Clan. The Guardsman was honored but filled with doubt.

  Making his way to the water’s edge, he’d seen the full moon’s reflection in the calm seas an instant before glimpsing the most beautiful woman in the world. She walked towards him, obviously enjoying the feel of the sand between her toes and the breeze on her skin. Her long skirts and dark hair blowing behind her. The violet of her eyes glowed in the moonlight, as her sweet dulcet tones reached his ears.

  The woman’s song was so hauntingly desperate it pulled at Rian’s soul. He felt her in places he’d never imagined and knew at once she was his mate. Racing towards her, he was shocked when she threw her hands out screaming, “No! Stop! Don’t come near me! Please, please, I don’t want to hurt you. Just stay back!”

  Stopping dead in his tracks, Rian scoffed, “How could you hurt me? I am a Dragon Guardsman in my prime and besides, you are my mate.”

  She fell to the ground, her head in her hands and wailed, “No, no, no! This can’t be happening. Curse you Adramelech, curse you and all you hold dear. Curse your cold, dead heart. I should’ve known it was all a trick.”

  Needing to comfort his mate but trying to abide by her wishes to stay back, Rian moved a step closer. The scent of fresh cut daisies invaded his senses, almost driving him to his knees. No longer able to control himself, the Guardsman took yet another step in the young woman’s direction. She jumped up, stepping several quick paces backward. “Please, I beg you, don’t touch me. I’m cursed, possessed, made to do a demon’s bidding. Tonight is my birthday. The first in more years than I can count that my evil master has let me out. Although still chained to him within my soul, he allowed a few brief moments of peace in a place I hold so very dear. I should’ve known he had a plan, should’ve known it was all a game…” Her words trailed off as she stared at the sea.

  Carefully taking another step forward, Rian spoke like he would speak to a scared child. “Let me help you. We have healers and spiritual leaders that can free you. You are a dragon’s mate. My mate. The one made for me by the Universe Herself. Let me help you.” He was begging for the first time he could ever remember, but truly didn’t give a damn. If there as a way to help her, he would do it...anything for his mate. She was his and by all that he held sacred, Rian O’Reilly would have her.

  Her once glowing violet eyes were now overflowing with sadness. He saw her tears. Heard the anguish in her voice. “But don’t you see, that’s his plan. I wish I had known before, but now it is clear. I was sent here to trap you.”

  And with that she disappeared.

  About Julia

  Julia Mills is the New York Times and USA Today Bestselling Author of the Dragon Guard Series and most recently the ‘Not Quite’ Love Story Series. She admits to being a sarcastic, southern woman that would rather spend all day laughing than a minute crying. She has two of the most amazing daughters ever created, a menagerie of animals, and a voracious appetite for reading. She decided to write the stories running through her brain an
d is having an absolute blast!! She read her first book, Dr Seuss’s Cat in The Hat, and has been hooked ever since.

  She believes a good book, along with shoes, makeup, and purses will never let a girl down. She knows for a fact that all heroes in all the books she has ever read or will ever write pale in comparison to her hero…her dad! She’s a sucker for a happy ending and loves some hot sweaty sex with a healthy dose of romance.

  She’s still working on her story but can guarantee you that it’ll contain as much love and laughter as she can cram into it!!!!! Dare to Dream! Have the Strength to Try EVERYTHING! Never Look Back!

  She LOVES stalkers! So look her up!

  Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JLakeMills?ref=hl

  Website: www.juliamillsauthor.com

  Also by Julia Mills

  *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

  The Dragon Guard Series

  Her Dragon to Slay, Dragon Guard Series #1

  Her Dragon’s Fire, Dragon Guard Series #2

  Haunted by Her Dragon, Dragon Guard Series #3

  For the Love of Her Dragon, Dragon Guard Series #4

  Saved by Her Dragon, Dragon Guard #5

  Only for Herr Dragon, Dragon Guard #6

  Fighting for Her Dragon, Dragon Guard #7

  Her Dragon’s Heart, Dragon Guard #8

  Her Dragon’s Soul, Dragon Guard #9

  Her Love, Her Dragon: The Saga Begins, A Dragon Guard Prequel

  *********

  The ‘Not Quite’ Love Story Series

  Vidalia: A ‘Not Quite Vampire Love Story

  Winter Guardian

  By DAWN MONTGOMERY

  Copyright © 2015 by Dawn Montgomery

  This book is a work of fiction. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, locales, actual events, or organizations is purely coincidental.

  Ashley Baker never forgot the icy December night he came into her life. Her fallen guardian angel with wings dark as sin destroyed a beast from her worst nightmares, and then disappeared into the storm. When the beasts return, so does the guardian, but this time he’s the one in trouble. Wingless. Mortal. The spark of attraction ignites into a flame that threatens to consume them both, but will it be enough to save them from the hell that awaits if they fail?