by Fall, Carly
As dinner was served, Hudson looked around the table. Everyone had migrated to their normal seats. Beverly now sat to his right.
He watched as all of his fellow Warriors’ eyes began to slowly glow the shade of their SR44 forms. The sun had set. Beverly’s eyes grew wide as she watched it happen. He forgot she had never seen their lightshow before, and he squeezed her hand under the table.
“Are you okay?” he whispered.
She turned to him and nodded. “It’s just amazing.”
He smiled, and she smiled back.
“You’re so beautiful,” she whispered. “Your eyes are just...beautiful.”
Hudson squeezed her hand again. “So you came back just for the pretty eyes?”
She laughed. “There were a few other reasons,” she said quietly. He watched as her eyes grew darker, and he knew exactly what the pretty Beverly was thinking.
“We’ll have to explore those other reasons later,” he said. “Again.”
“Those aren’t the only reasons, Hudson,” she said with an eye roll and a smile.
“I know, Bev, I know. But they are definitely the most fun,” he said with a wink.
The chatter around the table was light, the laughter heavy. Hudson looked around at everyone and felt a joy overwhelm him. He gave Beverly’s hand another squeeze, and she smiled at him.
They had yet to tell anyone about their little secret.
Man, that little secret was something else, too. It was the atomic bomb of secrets, and frankly he couldn't wait to drop it.
Beverly was smiling and talking with Cohen. Her hair was piled on top of her head, and she wore a simple yellow t-shirt that made her eyes sparkle, like they had flecks of gold buried in the light green.
“Should we tell them?” he whispered in her ear.
She shrugged her shoulders. “They’re going to know at some point,” she said quietly.
“What are we going to know at some point?” Noah said from the other end of the table.
Hudson laughed, unsure how Noah had even heard their hushed conversation. Everyone looked over at them.
Beverly squeezed his hand under the table.
“Well,” Hudson began, “Beverly’s not here for a visit. She’s going to stay.” Everyone started talking at once, and Hudson held up his hand. “Hold on, people, hold on.” He waited until the table was quiet, and wished like hell he had a drumroll for his next words. “We’re also having a baby.”
Well that shut them up, and the shock on everyone’s face said it all. Except Jovan. He sat back and crossed his arms, a small smile on his face that looked like Hudson had just asked him to pass the peas.
“A baby?” Cohen asked incredulously. “I didn’t even know that...I mean, you two were...when you were here last, Beverly, that you and Hudson...holy shit.”
Beverly blushed and turned her eyes away from Cohen.
“Well, things are sure getting interesting around here,” Noah said. “First we have females coming out of the woodwork, and now a baby. Wow.”
“I’m going to have a sister?” Abby said, her face lighting up.
“Unless it’s a male,” Talin said. “Then it would be your brother.”
Abby rolled her eyes at him. “Yes, Talin, thank you for clearing that up for me.”
Talin winked at her. “Glad to make that clarification for you.”
She smiled at Hudson. “I can’t believe it.”
“I think this is a good time to celebrate,” Noah said, and everyone agreed. Hudson got up to clear the table, and Jovan followed him into the kitchen with a stack of plates.
“Congratulations, Hudson,” Jovan said.
“Thanks, man.” Hudson began scraping the plates, even though most of them were practically licked clean. He turned back to Jovan. “How come you didn’t look surprised at our announcement?”
Jovan smiled and leaned against the counter. “When I shook Beverly’s hand, I felt two energies within her. I didn’t put the pieces together right away, but I finally figured it out.”
Hudson nodded. Not that he understood anything about Jovan’s ability. He turned back to scraping plates and felt Jovan’s hand on his shoulder.
“You’re going to make a great daddy, Hudson,” he said quietly.
Hudson turned around, stunned. Jovan usually stayed away from him, because he could sense the pain rolling off Hudson in waves.
“Thanks,” Hudson said, surprised.
“I’m happy for you. You had all sorts of ugly rolling around in there.” He pointed at Hudson’s chest.
Hudson nodded. He wasn’t going to argue that.
“I’m glad it’s gone,” Jovan said. “For my sake as well as yours.”
He turned to leave as Abby came in.
“Hudson,” she said, coming up to him. “I’m so glad you’ve found happiness.”
He bent his head down to accept her hug. “Me, too, baby. Me too.”
***
An hour later, The Rolling Stones were blasting through the speakers singing “Beast of Burden.” Hudson stood against the wall sipping his scotch. He couldn’t help but remember the last time he had stood in this very spot. Everything was the same, but so different.
Abby was kicking ass and taking names at pool, Rayner and Faith had gone down to their quarters, and Hudson was sipping the same scotch. Last time he had stood in this very spot, he had decided to take his life.
This time, Beverly leaned against his chest as she watched the game. He listened as she talked and teased with the pool players, her laughter was a soothing balm to him, her closeness a gift.
Wrapping his arm around her waist, he placed his hand on her lower belly.
A baby.
He wondered if it would be a boy or a girl, but decided he really didn’t care. He was being given the opportunity to be the father he always wanted to be to Abby.
He was already making plans for their mating ceremony. No child of his would ever grow up without mated parents again. Since mating ceremonies were themed in the color of the female, they would do it in a light green to match the color of Beverly’s eyes. He imagined her walking toward him on a green silk runner, in a green gown, both of them surrounded in green candles and the people in this house…
Abby and Faith had already offered their help and were prepared to take care of the aesthetic details of the ceremony. All he needed to do was prepare the menu for the ceremony, and he was determined to make it all happen sooner than later.
The only thing gnawing at him was that Beverly was human. She would age as humans do, but it seemed his SR44 form was determined to stick around, giving him the longevity of an SR44 male.
If Beverly lived into her eighties, that would be a blink of an eye to him, and he would be right back where he started with her—and SR44 male without his mate.
He couldn’t, and wouldn’t, think about that at this point, but he could certainly send a prayer to all the gods that resided up there in heaven and beyond that somehow her DNA would be altered with their baby growing within her.
Pushing those thoughts aside, he realized for the first time in his life he felt true happiness course through him. There wasn’t any pain clawing at his chest, and he knew his demon had been banished.
Thinking about the trajectory of both he and Beverly’s lives, he was surprised at how different, yet how similar they were. Both of them had been through some pretty nasty shit. His debacle with Iris had just about sent him over the edge into suicide. For Beverly, a suicide had just about done her in with a trip through her own nightmare as a drug addict. Both of them had surfaced at the other end of their journeys battered and scarred.
Yet together, they gave each other strength to overcome their personal demons and become stronger. It was as if they had both been through their own private fires of hell and emerged…reborn.
Dear Reader,
I hope you have enjoyed Hudson's story. Please go to wherever you bought the book and leave a review - it would be greatly a
ppreciated.
I also love hearing from you!
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Other Books to Enjoy by Carly Fall
The Light Within Me - Book 1 of the Six Saviors Series
When Abby and Noah meet, there is an explosive attraction between them that neither can deny...
As a shy, awkward, social misfit, Abby has gone her whole life feeling as though she's different from everyone else and she simply doesn't fit in well with society as a whole. She longs to feel a real connection with someone, and she finally does when she meets Noah.
Unbeknownst to Abby, Noah is from another world and his sole purpose is to hunt down the evil of his people that was unleashed on Earth hundreds of years ago. He's certain he isn't going to be able to return to his home, and anger and the need for revenge are his constant companions. His focus has been eradicating the evil and making them pay for taking his life on his world away from him. Noah tries desperately to fight his attraction to Abby so he can keep his focus on his mission. But when Abby gets dragged into the evil and mayhem from Noah's world, he realizes that maybe with Abby he can find a home here on Earth...if he can save her in time.
Finding My Faith - Book 2 of the Six Saviors Series
Growing up in a small Northern Arizona town, Faith Cloudfoot’s life was spent playing in the forests surrounding her house under the protective eyes of her father, and learning about the legends of her Native American heritage. Yearning for more out of her life, she moves to Phoenix, Arizona at the age of twenty-three where she is kidnapped and almost killed.
Rayner has a special ability, one that weighs on him like a curse. He can see spirits trapped in between life and their final resting place. Because he can’t do much to help them, he studiously ignores them. He concentrates, instead, on working with his fellow warriors to right the wrongs caused by the evil criminals from his home planet.
When Rayner sees Faith in her spirit form while investigating a lead in Phoenix, his attraction to her is immediate, yet he follows his own personal code and ignores her cry for attention. When he realizes that she may be a stepping stone to getting him home to his own universe, he engages Faith and begins to use her as a means to an end: going home.
As the attraction grows stronger, Rayner finds himself breaking all sorts of self-set rules, as well as the code of ethics set by him and his fellow warriors. When Faith nears death, Rayner realizes that he must do everything in his power to save her, because if he doesn’t, he may just lose himself.
REBORN- Book 3 of the Six Saviors Series
Warrior Hudson from the Six Saviors seems to have it all – good looks, fine clothing, expensive jewelry and women just waiting for their turn to sleep with him. But, what he safely keeps hidden from the world is the terrible pain he’s suffered for many years. As he fights his internal demons, he joins his fellow Warriors in waging war on the evil from their planet that has been let loose on Earth.
Beverly Devlone was a highly respected doctor, until tragedy hit her and a drug addiction destroyed her career and reputation. As a lonely woman fresh out of rehab, she’s now uncertain of her place in the world, what her purpose is, and where she belongs.
When an explosive event brings Hudson and Beverly together, the instant attraction between them cannot be ignored. As the two grow closer and share secrets, they help each other heal from the shackles of their pasts.
But true happiness eludes them when they are forced to go their separate ways, until Beverly returns with an admission that will rock the very fabric of Hudson’s world.
Beverly's Rebirth - Book 3.5 of the Six Saviors Series
After writing REBORN, I received many emails from people wanting more of Beverly and Hudson, so this is the novella that was never supposed to be written.
There’s no doubt that Beverly has had her share of ups and downs. When we last left her in REBORN, she had told Hudson that she was pregnant with his child, he was happy about it, and they were about to be mated.
In Destiny’s Shift, we see Beverly and Hudson happy with their baby, but what happened in between those two books?
A lot.
This is Beverly’s journey into motherhood.
And it’s not an easy ride.
Destiny's Shift- Book 4 of the Six Saviors Series
One hundred and fifty years ago, Warrior Jovan of the Six Saviors realized he had a gift: the ability to feel emotions through touch. Over the years, the gift has intensified allowing him to hear others thoughts, and this uncontrolled skill has forced him to keep his distance from both humans and those of his race. He fears the impact on his sanity if he doesn’t.
Liberty, an SR44 female has come to Earth by a set of circumstances beyond her control. Born into a life of servitude on SR44, she is alone, afraid, and stumbling her way through learning the customs and language of her new home on Earth. When Jovan meets Liberty, it becomes clear that they are of the same species, and Jovan takes Liberty under his wing, despite his commitment to himself to limit interaction with others.
As Liberty reveals the reasons for her coming to Earth, it becomes apparent that the Six Saviors are in danger, not only from the FBI, but also from those who have journeyed to Earth with Liberty, and they are seeking revenge. Jovan must quickly learn to control his gift, and Liberty is the only one who can help him. As they deal with danger from all sides, Jovan and Liberty must find a way to compromise on the lives they desire, or they will be forced to go their separate ways.
It Was You – Free for you at all major ebook outlets
On a fateful afternoon under the hot Arizona sun, firefighter Sydney Blake suffers an incident that leaves her with nightmares plaguing her and a good case of depression. Sydney’s best friend decides that Sydney needs the help of the online dating service, Match Made in Heaven, where trouble souls go to find peace.
Jordan Henley was the guy who had it all: good looks and any woman he wanted. After an accident that left him scarred, angry and suffering from his own nightmares, he signs up for Match Made in Heaven on a dare after some beers with his business partner.
Neither Jordan nor Sydney is prepared for exactly how well matched they really are, and how Match Made in Heaven can help them find the peace they both desperately need.
The Dark Forces Series:
Shackled to the Night
Emily's son vanished out of thin air, and she will do anything to get him back. That is how she finds herself in standing in the middle of a living room brandishing a gun. The house belongs to one of the local pedophiles, and she is desperately trying to scare information out of him on the whereabouts of her son.
When the front door busts in off its hinges, a large blonde man who calls himself Thaddeus takes control of the situation. He tells her that she is also looking for some missing children. What he doesn't tell her is that he is of the Vampire Nation.
As the passion between them escalates while they search for Emily's son and the missing children, Thaddeus quickly realizes their worlds are not going to just briefly intertwine, but collide with a force that could get them both killed. Will Emily be able to accept Thaddeus and his world, or will her life depend on how fast she can run away?
Hidden in the Night
After being brutally attacked, Aiden, member of the Vampire Nation, wakes in a human hospital. He meets the navy blue eyes of his nurse, Holly, who says, “I know what you are, and the sun is going to be up in under an hour. I think I can get us out of here, but I need your help.”
As a female vampir
e, Holly is a rarity in her race. She has hidden in plain sight from others in the Vampire Nation who want to imprison her to help forward their devious plan of enslaving humans. As Holly nurses Aiden back to health, he finds himself having feelings for her that he promised he would never allow again after the death of his mate, Natalie, ten years ago. A death that devastated him and left him heartbroken and angry.
Aiden does his best to ignore those feelings he has for Holly, but the sexual tension between them escalates. When Holly is kidnapped by those she has hid from for so long, Aiden finally realizes Holly is his key to ending his misery and he can't hide his love for her any longer. But will he be able to find her before she is terribly hurt...or worse?
For upcoming releases and works in progress: www.carlyfall.com/
