by Amelia Jade
It brought a whole different angle to the shifter world, and half-bloods. The question was going to be asked for a long time now about whether every half-blood had a bear locked away inside of them or not. That wasn’t a problem for Connor to solve though. He was a warrior, not a philosopher, and was perfectly okay with it. He was happy with what he had.
“Well, you certainly are stronger than you were before,” he said, shaking his head ruefully.
They had tried to test out just how strong she was last night. Neither of them knew if her heightened powers was a temporary thing. She was much stronger than he was, and still had been this morning. He had rolled over on top of her when he woke. The move had startled her, however, and she had thrown him clear of the bed when she jerked in surprise.
“I said I’m sorry for that!” she complained, coming over to him and giving him a seductive kiss on the cheek, then trailing down to his neck.
He closed his eyes with a growl.
Her hands disappeared from his shoulders.
Connor’s eyes flew open just in time to see two pieces of bacon disappear from his plate.
He growled playfully, shoving the remaining bits into his mouth and got up from his seat to chase after her.
Maddy shrieked and fled across the room, but he caught up to her, locking his arms around her. Although they both knew she could break away quickly, that wouldn’t be fun. Maddy let herself pretend to be helpless as he picked her up and set her on the countertop.
Swallowing his meal, he moved in close so that they could embrace each other.
“How are we going to do this?” she asked softly into his ear as he held her tight, relaxing in their closeness. Being with her always evoked a sense of peace, something he had rarely felt before.
“You have a good team to support you,” he said firmly.
Not one person had decided to leave the Underground, despite all that had just happened. Everyone had said they would stay.
All those that had made it out, at least. Although those with families had reported that their loved ones were safely on their way to Genesis Valley, half a dozen members of the Underground had never reported in at all.
Connor feared the worst.
“I’m going to have to give you orders,” she said. “I don’t want that to be a stress point between us.”
He nodded seriously, acknowledging the point. “Well, don’t forget, Jared is actually the head of the team. So you can give him the orders. I’ll fight with him over them, and he’ll fight with you.”
Maddy brightened almost instantly with the reminder, before her shoulders slumped once again. “See? That just shows how little I know about the Underground, and how ill prepared I am for this.”
He squeezed her tight. “You’re going to do fine. Trust me.”
Maddy gave him a small smile.
“Now kiss me,” he said. “That’s an order.”
She arched an eyebrow. “I’m pretty sure I give the orders around here now, mister.”
He laughed. “You give the orders in the office.” He leaned in close, nipping at her neck. “I give them in the bedroom.”
He quickly put himself to work proving his point.
Chapter Twenty
Madison
Two Weeks Later
“Jared,” she said sharply as the Sentinel team leader marched into the command center, followed by the rest of his team.
She had gotten to know all four of them rather well over the past few weeks as she cemented her place as leader of the Underground, and got their new command center up and running. It hadn’t been easy, and there had been a few brushes with the Agency, but now they were ready to go.
“Yes ma’am?” he said, stopping several feet short of her. He didn’t salute, but he did straighten his shoulders in her presence, a show of respect that he did for few people.
“Is your team ready to do their jobs?” she asked, for the benefit not only of him and his team, but the other seven people scattered around the room. Each of them were doing their own jobs as they monitored cameras, phone lines, reviewed imagery, and any number of other things necessary to ensure the Underground was as well-equipped as possible to fight their enemy.
“We are,” he said formally. His expression didn’t change, but she could sense the confusion in his voice. They had been doing plenty of things the past two weeks. Why would today be any different?
She smiled internally. Today was different however; he just didn’t know it yet.
“Good. I have a mission for you.”
The rest of his team stood straighter at those words. They had done many things for her recently, but they hadn’t gone out on a mission. The mission. To rescue someone in danger. It was what they had signed up for, and it was time that the Underground got back to its primary purpose.
Protecting those who couldn’t protect themselves.
“We’re ready, ma’am,” Jared said firmly.
“Good. Here’s the information,” she said, handing him a dossier. It was sparse. They had to rely mainly on word of mouth and whatever they could dig up on the internet to provide them with information. But it would be enough. It had to be.
“Anything else, ma’am?”
She thought for a moment.
“Make sure your entire team comes home,” she ordered.
Jared beamed, and she saw two of his team do the same. The third just blushed a deep red.
“Of course, ma’am,” he said, trying to fight his smile down before it became a grin.
In the background, Connor mouthed I love you.
It was her turn to flush.
“Now get out of my sight,” she said with false gruffness.
He saluted, and the team left, though Connor lingered behind, looking at her expectantly. She could see the rest of the team looking on in her periphery. With a sigh full of false anger, she mouthed the words back to Connor.
I love you too.
He smiled, blew her a kiss, and fled from the room before the pen she threw could hit him.
A sound ran through the room and she spun. No one would meet her gaze; they all focused studiously on their screens. But Maddy wasn’t blind. She could see the grins on their faces.
“Okay people,” she said aloud, letting herself smile. “Let’s make sure they get home alive.”
Spines straightened, and if it was possible, her team began to work even harder.
Her team. She liked the sound of that. Maddy was home, at last. She couldn’t describe how wonderful that felt, because it all paled next to something else. She was in love.
Her hands fell in front of her as she tried to discreetly play with a finger on her left hand.
She wasn’t used to having the weight of a ring on it.
Her smile became a grin, and right then, she didn’t care who saw it.
THE END
This concludes Book 1 of The Agency series. I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did. Although this story is over, there are more adventures to be had. Click to get your hands on the next adventure:
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Thanks for digging in to my back matter for more books to read. I’ve written a number of series now, in two main worlds. Both worlds have an easy and convenient to read introductory bundle with a number of stories in it that will drag you right into the world.
The Outsiders
This is the world where the book you just read was written. Get the first book for just $0.99c or FREE with Kindle Unlimited
Dragon Temptation (Crimson Dragons Book 1)
Cadia
In this world shifters and humans live apart. Will imaginary barriers prevent real love? Not sure where to start? Try reading:
The Dragons of Cadia Bundle (Click)
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Genesis Valley
This is the other world I have written extensively in. There are a number of books in the series, and the order can jump around a bit. The best way to start is here:
Jade Crew: The Boxed Set (Link)
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Already read both box sets and want more? Flip the page for the complete rundown of all my series and the recommended reading order.
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-Amelia Jade
The Outsiders
This is the series/book list for the Outsiders world.
Crimson Dragons
Dragon Temptation
Dragon Seduction
Dragon Devotion
Onyx Dragons
Dragon Fixation (This book)
The world of: Cadia
Here are the main series in the world of Cadia. Find them below!
Start with:
Dragons of Cadia: The Complete Dragon Shifter Series.
The Full 6 Book Bundle (Link)
Includes:
Frost Dragon
Fire Dragon
Electro Dragon
Gale Dragon
Fume Dragon
Aurum Dragon
Next:
Base Camp Bears
Green Bearets: Luther
Green Bearets: Aksel
Green Bearets: Jarvis
Green Bearets: Garrin
Green Bearets: Kiefer
Green Bearets: Gabriel
Then:
The Koche Brothers
Blackjack Bears: Pierce
Blackjack Bears: Kean
Blackjack Bears: Gavin
Blackjack Bears: Kassian
Blackjack Bears: Maximus
Then:
Standalones (In Chronological Order)
Big Bad Wolf Dad
Bad Bad Bear Dad
Big Bad Bear Daddy
Bigger Badder Bear Dad
Wing Her Over
The World of: Genesis Valley
This world follows the events in Genesis Valley, where misfit shifters of the world are sent. It is a brutal, vicious place where everyone’s chances have already been used up. This is it. Screw up, and they end you. But amongst the harsh life these bear shifters have eked out for themselves, everything burns brighter. Especially love.
The books in the first two series jump around some if you wish to follow the exact chronological timeline. See the numbers in bold to follow the order.
Start With:
Jade Crew
The Complete Boxed Set (Link)
Includes:
Jade Crew: Alpha Bear [1]
Jade Crew: Haunted Bear [2]
Jade Crew: Forgotten Bear [3]
Jade Crew: Captive Bear [5]
Jade Crew: Outcast Bear [6]
Jade Crew: Hunted Bear[8]
Jade Crew: Fallen Bear [9]
Next:
Stone Bears
Stone Bear: Sentinel [4]
Stone Bear: Phoenix [7]
Stone Bear: Guardian [10]
Then:
Genesis Valley
Blueblood Dragon
Blackmarket Bear
Finally:
The Agency
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Sentinel: Bravo Bear
Blackblood Bear
Silver Bullet Bear
Kingpin Bear
About the Author
Amelia Jade
Amelia Jade loves to write the stories of tall, growly shifter men and the women who come to love them. Living out in the backcountry near the mountains, she keeps her own alpha male close by to keep the bears away and keep her warm. In her downtime (which is rare), she loves to read science-fiction with a dash of fantasy. You can often find her curled up in front of the real wood-burning fireplace, her nose firmly buried in a book or her favorite e-reader. The cold can’t bother her there!
For more information about Amelia Jade and her work, visit her website or find her on Facebook.
Amelia Jade’s Website
Author Page
Contents
Copyright
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty-One
Chapter Twenty-Two
Chapter Twenty-Three
Chapter Twenty-Four
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About the Author
