From the start, Ice’s clan was lost. Inbreeding had degraded their genetic fitness past the tipping point. Survival drove Derek, Cindy and Marigold to do the unimaginable, and the trio paid dearly for their warped decisions.
Ice understood the need for diversity. He never mated with Cindy. Any offspring they produced would have been less able to cope than themselves, but finding a wild mate was difficult. Other mountain lions sensed his deficiencies and rejected his overtures. The impossible happened when an older female visited one of his scrape sites and began to yowl. Neither was the others’ first choice, but since they couldn’t afford to be picky, Ice mounted her when she moved beneath him.
After giving birth, Derek killed the protective female to gain control of her cubs. Then he took it a step further and devised a plan to get rid of Ice. In lion form, Derek let Cindy wreak enough havoc upon his body to send him to the hospital. The duo pegged Ice as the deranged cat, then sat back and waited for Jessie to do him in.
Their plan almost worked. If Ice hadn’t readily agreed to the vasectomy, he would be pushing up daisies instead of canoodling with his captor. Derek and Cindy weren’t the smartest apples on the tree. Once Ice told his side of the story, the guilty party and their plan had been easily unraveled.
Ice pulled Jessie in a little closer. “When I’m able, perhaps I should scout around for a female to adopt them.”
Jessie leveled him a frosty glare. The typical male response was to let the woman do it. Her dad hadn’t shirked his responsibility after her mother left. Jessie barely tolerated her mom, but she would be a daddy’s girl for the rest of her life.
“Suck it up, Buttercup,” she scolded. “They’ll only tie you down for about eighteen months. I think you’ll survive just fine. They have half your DNA. The cubs might not be able to shift, but somewhere inside, they have a touch of humanity. Let them form a familial connection with you. There are no guarantees, but they might come back around to see you someday.”
His blue eyes turned soft. “It doesn’t sound like it’s only my cubs you’re talking about. As I was drifting in and out of consciousness, I heard something about your kids moving to town permanently.”
He was right. Jessie thought she was doing the right thing by leaving her boys with their dad, but she was wrong. She was grateful they weren’t around during the worst of it, but now that life had settled down, she wanted them back. It didn’t matter that she didn’t have a home of her own. Grandpa Cade loved his grandkids. For him, the noise and broken lamps didn’t hold a candle to storytime before going to bed, or the look of excitement when he taught them something new. Gracie even offered to care for them while Jessie was at work. The retired teacher wasn’t used to her world being so quiet. Knowing her boys, they would give the stern taskmaster a run for her money and that thought alone made Jessie extremely happy.
Loveable cousin Sally volunteered to help fill in the gaps.
Where her relationship with Ice would go was anyone’s guess. Mountain lions were solitary by nature. It stood to reason that trait would stay strong within the shifter population. Finding a new clan wouldn’t be easy, but at some point, she wouldn’t be enough for the wild cat.
With his mesmerizing magnetic gaze, it was difficult to gauge how much he cared for her. The Guardianship had a theory on the subject and didn’t think she had cause to worry. They believed that once you were aware of the power, it was easier to see through the cloud.
Jessie hoped that was true, but in the long run it didn’t matter.
Ice was a shifter and mountain lions didn’t mate for life. They needed their solitude and a large area to roam. The ridge might seem vast to a human, but it was confining to a puma.
Never in her wildest dreams did Jessie imagine being attracted to a shape-shifting mountain lion, but life was unpredictable. She wasn’t under the illusion that she and Ice had found their happy ever after. Someday she would need more than a wandering cat to fill the family void. Jessie wasn’t even sure she wanted to introduce Ice to her children.
The only future she imagined with the blue-gray cat was of a migratory nature. Ice would slip in and out of her life until they each found what they were searching for. One day, Ice would no longer return and leave Jessie wondering what happened to him, or Ice would meander back into town to find Jessie sharing her life with someone else.
Would they be able to wish the other well, or would their mutual ardor create a perpetual tug-of-war they would never be able to escape?
Jessie looked into Ice’s sexy blue eyes and foresaw nothing but trouble. Any relationship they formed was already doomed, but that was a problem for another day. At this moment, she was exactly where she wanted to be.
Fate had brought her home, and Jessie planned on enjoying everything and everyone the town had to offer.
9
ICE PULLED UP in front of the Silverton Zoo. If his idea worked, his cubs had one last chance to become the shifters they were always meant to be. The brainstorm came to him after Jessie brought him for a visit. A young volunteer had fallen madly in love with his offspring. Ice stayed in the background and watched their warm interaction. The rule was that human breast milk and a nurturing female surrogate brought about the ability to shift. Nowhere in the shifter’s nonexistent manual did it state that the cubs needed to actually be nursed.
Jessie would kill him if she discovered what he was up to, but it was a risk he was willing to take. Their hot adversarial relationship would always be suspect because of how he tricked her. Now that his suggestive influence over her was gone, he had no choice but to end their association. It was hard to imagine going through his entire life without truly copulating with the sensual Forest Service chief, but his children were far more important than a roll in the hay.
He tugged on a pair of coveralls with the zoo’s logo embroidered over the left chest and opened the lid of the ice chest. One of the new labels had slipped. It was imperative that no one know this shipment of formula had come from the breast milk donation center. His sixth sense rarely let him down. Fear of discovery made him check, but it was that same fear that would keep them safe.
He adjusted the forged ‘Mountain Lion Nutrition’ sticker and carried the ice chest inside the nursery.
A woman with curly red hair sat on the floor playing with his offspring. The cubs tumbled over each other, vying for the adoptive mother’s attention. The bubbly volunteer jumped up to greet him.
“Am I glad to see you! These little monsters are more like pigs than mountain lions. They can’t get enough of this stuff.” She pulled a couple of bottles out of the ice chest and directed him to the refrigerator. “Half of that goes in the fridge and the other half goes in the freezer. When is the next shipment scheduled for delivery?”
“Whenever you need it. Just give me a call and I’ll have it here within a few hours.”
The freckles across the young woman’s nose crinkled with delight. “Thank you. It’s nice to meet someone who’s actually helpful. I’m usually told to look for the paperwork in the office, but I’d rather muck out the bear habitat than step foot inside that pit.” She tucked one of the bottles under her arm and stuck out a friendly hand. “I don’t think we’ve officially met. I’m Hope. What’s your name?”
Ice smiled. She had a fitting name. Little did the unsuspecting lady know, but she was literally his offspring’s last chance.
The cubs tangled themselves around his ankles and demanded his attention. Warmed by their persistence, Ice picked them up and cuddled them against his chest. “They sure are cute.”
The cub’s new surrogate didn’t notice that he hadn’t answered her question.
“They aren’t just cute, they are the most adorable fur babies in the entire world,” she sang out with sheer exuberance. “I’m totally in love. The zoo has agreed to let me care for them at my place instead of the nursery. They still need twenty-four-hour care and it’s not good for them to be hauled back and forth every day. Before you leave,
make sure you get my address. That’s where you’ll need to deliver the formula from now on.”
Everything was falling into place. As soon as he ended his association with Jessie, he would bring Hope and his cubs up to the cabin. His grandmother’s concoction would not be needed. The beautiful redhead was willingly doing everything necessary to ensure his children’s survival.
Hope attached nipples to the bottles and extended one out to Ice. “Would you like to help me feed them?”
Ice declined the offer. The cubs needed to bond with their new mother, not him. “Sorry, I have more deliveries to make.” He scribbled his number down on a sticky note and adhered it to the ice chest. “Text me your address. I’ll make sure you have all the milk these little guys could possibly drink.”
• • •
JESSIE FORCED HERSELF to stay away for a solid six months. The breakup with Ice ended up being harder to accept than she thought possible. The image of his head dipping between her thighs was no longer enough. She wanted all of him and today she planned on satisfying her hunger.
Wanting to surprise him, she left her truck on the main trail and tiptoed through the bramble. The cabin came into view. Jessie pushed back a branch and saw the growing cubs wrestling in the dirt just outside the front door.
Their father sat on the porch with a contented smile on his face.
The family scene did Jessie’s heart good. She stepped forward to join them, but pulled up short when the cabin door opened.
A young redhead stepped outside and handed Ice a cup of coffee. After planting a big wet one on the shifter’s willing mouth, she called the cubs in for breakfast. The cubs shifted into toddling little boys and the happy family disappeared behind the cabin door.
Jessie stood frozen with disbelief. Life had, once again, found a way. She didn’t know whether to be angry at Ice or proud. Every ounce of her being wanted to barge in there and force the issue, but she thought the more prudent move would be to give herself some time to digest this new information. At some point, she might have to involve the Guardianship, but she didn’t want to be rash. Ice had given her up for this. It might be her own vanity talking, but she didn’t believe it was a decision he made lightly. As silly as it sounded, she respected him for it.
She backed away and retraced her footsteps. Her job with the Forest Service was to sustain the health, diversity, and productivity of the national forests and grasslands. Just because the shifter population wasn’t on the list of protected species, didn’t mean they didn’t have value. Derek, Cindy, and Marigold needed to be destroyed, but other than finding a way to survive, this new generation had done nothing wrong.
Jessie reached her truck and found Ice waiting for her.
The image of him leaning against the lamppost that first day in Silverton popped in her head. The man was way too sexy for her own good.
“So what’s it going to be, Jessie?” he asked, coming straight to the point.
The head of the local branch of the Forest Service ran her fingers through her long dark hair and sighed. “About the cubs? I have no idea.” An overwhelming need to touch him propelled her forward. “However, if you aren’t opposed to cheating on their new mommy, I have a thought or two I’d like to share.”
Ice grinned expectantly. “Only two. I have about a thousand.”
The words that tumbled out of Jessie’s mouth, shocked her as much as they shocked him. “Are the pelts in the mine still available?”
Before the shifter melted into his blue-gray beast, he issued her a direct challenge. “Race you.”
Jessie laughed and called after him. “And I’m not opposed to a pinch of your grandmother’s herbs being tossed in the fire.”
The cat stopped and Ice reappeared with a gigantic smile on his face. “Get your ass in that truck, Jessie Marcus. We have a lot of catching up to do.”
The End
About Aubree
Aubree Lane is a true story teller. This award winning author has been writing in one form or another for most of her life and has loved every moment.
Aubree lives in the beautiful foothills of Northern California with her husband, two wonderful sons, and a super special peek-a-poo named Tanner. When not managing the pooper-scooper, Aubree can be found at one of her favorite vacation spots ranging anywhere from Lake Tahoe to Maui.
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The Black Rose Chronicles, Deceit and Lies
© 2015 by A K Michaels All Rights Reserved
This book, or any portion thereof, including cover art, may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission by the author except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
Chapter One
As the light waned, she didn’t bother to switch on the lights of her motorbike. Her enhanced eyesight allowing her to see perfectly well in the dim light. A gift from her father’s heritage, and one she used perfectly when on a mission. She needed all the help she could get, and as she sped along the deserted highway she allowed herself a small smile at her latest result.
The man she’d been tasked to take out now lay dead, and she had not one ounce of regret. He was a lowlife who abused the weak and vulnerable, newly turned female Vamps. Making a fortune by whoring them out while all he paid them was the minimum amount of blood necessary to keep them alive. Scum. That’s what he was and this new world was a better place without him in it.
As she sped along she yawned, tired after her earlier “exertions” and she planned on stopping in a few hours, the place she intended to rest already scoped out on the journey to her assignment. A long arduous trip with many dangers, ones she’d faced time and again over the past few years. With civilization falling apart when she was a child, there were very few places that still had any sort of lawmen. Some did, but they were so rare that she was always prepared to handle any situation. The sight of her seemed to bring the worst out in men. Men who could be anything from a Wolf to a Fallen Angel, with every species in between. Apart from Witches.
No, the only other Witch she’d ever come across was Seth. Her protector, her mentor, and her savior. Without him she knew she’d be dead, along with all the other Witches that’d been hunted to near extinction. The reason eluded both her and Seth. Rumors abounded about the vicious hunting down of anyone even part Witch, like her, but no solid reason could she find for the horror that happened so many years ago.
Shaking her head to clear it from morbid thoughts, she upped her speed, her body a little sore after her celebration earlier. Once again she did what she kept saying she wouldn’t after a kill: sought out a man to fulfill a need deep inside her. She could still smell him on her skin but refused to clean herself until she reached home. A ritual that happened most times she went on a mission.
Cursing aloud she shouted, “Fuck!” as she put on a burst of speed, the power between her legs taking her mind off her lapse. She’d deal with the consequences soon enough. For now, she had to concentrate and ensure she got home in one piece.
Racing around a bend in the road, leaning expertly over to the side, she slowed, a few abandoned buildings up ahead alerting her to possible danger. Using her mother’s input to her DNA, she cast a spell outwards, seeking any threat ahead. As her spell dashed forward, she kept her eyes peeled, moving far slower than she would’ve liked. A red tinge started to brighten and grow over three separate areas, all of which were great vantage points for an ambush.
“Can I once, just once, get home without having to kick some dumb fuck’s ass?” she asked aloud as her bike stopped in the middle of the street. It was far safer to stop and take them out than try and get past and be thrown from her bike. She loved that bike, hand built from scratch, she and Seth foraging for the parts for many months. It ran on a hybrid engine that used the sun to partially charge it so she didn’t use up too much fuel. At night she was forced to use gas and that was a precious commodity nowadays. So there was no way in hell she was going to take a chance
that her beloved bike would get damaged.
She got off, kicking down the stand as she wound a hand over her shoulder, double checking that her katana was freely available, and popping the safety stud that held it securely in the long leather sheath which ran diagonally across her back. Removing her helmet, she placed it on the handlebar then walked forward.
“Okay, I know you’re there so come on out and we can get this over with.” Shouting as she scanned the area with her Wolf eyes. “I’ve got a home to get to and you assholes are holding me up.”
Hearing a laugh from her left, her head spun in that direction, a large bear of a man sauntered out. A dirty, unkempt beard covered his face, so all she saw clearly were his eyes. Eyes that were not in the least friendly, and held the red tinge of a hungry Vampire. She sighed before addressing the obvious leader. “I know you’re not on your own so why not call out your little friends and we can get this party started?”
“Party? Hey, guys, we’ve got a livewire here.” The man guffawed, bending over for a moment as laughter erupted. “So you want to party with us, little lady?”
She shook her head sadly as two other men appeared, staring at her with lust and hunger on their faces. “You misunderstood my definition of party, big guy. Let me explain. This can go one of two ways. You and your men,” her arm arced around to take in the other two standing in the shadows, “can leave me in peace and let me pass. Or, and looking at you I’m guessing this is the way it’ll play out, I kill you all. Simple.”
The main man stood straighter, showing off his bulk as he stepped closer. “You’re goin’ to kill us? All three of us? You’re aware that we’re Vampires, aren’t you? But just what the fuck are you? I can’t quite make up my mind.”
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