Fated for the Phoenix: A Shifters in Love Fun & Flirty Romance (Mystic Bay Book 5)

by Isadora Montrose

  “Scar tissue is fine by me.” She caressed his chest again until he called a halt.

  “Let’s get airborne.” He guided Samantha out the back door, grateful for the darkness and the high fence which hid them from the neighbors.

  His wife became a great golden horse and then grew wings and a horn. The tip was still missing. She stamped her massive, translucent-gold hoofs on the ground and whinnied excitedly as if she were eager to be aloft. Her purple mane, tail and fetlocks fluttered as she shook her head and twitched with impatience.

  He shifted into greater phoenix. Immediately his vision altered and the world took on an intensity it lacked when he was in his mortal aspect. He bowed instinctively to his mate. The towering plumes of his crest touched her hoofs.

  He began to dance. An enticing, measured waltz that felt entirely instinctual. Samantha’s feet moved in time to the tune he was humming. Her throat produced a song that lacked the subtlety of his phoenix voice. No matter. This was his mate. Whatever its timbre, her love song was deeply arousing.

  He reached toward her with his beak. She backed up from that huge weapon, realized it was safe, and planted her hoofs while he plucked a single hair from her forelock. He tipped his head back and swallowed the long purple strand.

  Nothing. But the ritual was incomplete. He plucked out a single breast feather and laid it at Samantha’s feet as a love offering. The tiny plume burned bright with a rainbow of paranormal flames. She cautiously lipped it up and swallowed. The effect was instantaneous.

  Her body expanded and became still larger. As if she were now a war horse instead of a racehorse. Her mane, tail and fetlocks turned into flags of living flame. Her broken horn mended itself and became a lance with a sharp and lustrous point.

  His mate stamped her enormous hoofs restively, and thrust upward. She spread huge iridescent wings and flew away in a explosion of glory. He flapped hard to get some lift. In greater phoenix, flying was easier if there was either a cliff or a stiff breeze. But he could make do.

  Samantha’s golden hide glowed even brighter than it had before. Her blazing horn looked like a beacon. He began to sing. Not a love song, or not entirely. When he was around his mate, all his songs were love songs. But this was a healing tune.

  He had always known he would be a doctor. Phoenixes were instinctive healers. Recklessness and risk-taking had dominated his personality when he first came into his talent. But by the time he was ready for college, he had known he would take a different path. He yearned to be a surgeon.

  Medicine had been his calling. It still was. Samantha had healed him. Perhaps he could heal her. Restore her self-confidence and certainty of purpose. Restore her capacity for happiness.

  Below them the roof of the little bungalow needed some work on the shingles. But the house itself was dark and quiet. The faint nightlight in Carmody’s room made a pale rectangle in the bigger rectangle of the house. The stars in the sky blazed brightly summoning him and his mate.

  Samantha neighed. He thought she sounded happier. But he couldn’t truly tell. He felt vigorous. Aroused. Joyful. Flying had been a good idea. Even if it didn’t connect Samantha to her inner Pegasus, it could only improve her mood.

  She ought to be over the moon to know they were going to have a baby. Her muted response had probably been an artifact of her mild depression over losing her unicorn gifts.

  Hard to imagine Samantha without her gift to heal. She had had a genuine talent for curing the mentally ill. She had given that up for him. He had to be the luckiest phoenix alive. He had to try to help her.

  Nothing to help with. Losing a horn is irreversible.

  Calvin Coolidge. Samantha D’Angelo, can you hear me?

  Little bit. Not too clear. But some. Are you listening for Carmody?

  I am. She’s sleeping the sleep of the young.

  Good. This is not like the telepathy I’m used to. She whinnied. It feels weird. Like you’re tramping through my mind.

  Flying. And you are flying in my heart, dearest. And your horn is back. Longer, sharper, a flaming sword.

  Poetic, D’Angelo.

  Nothing says an Air Force officer can’t be a poet.

  Samantha snorted and blasted toward the moon on wings of fire.

  CHAPTER FORTY-THREE

  Samantha~

  Rafael came into the bedroom. He closed the door behind him and unwrapped the towel around his waist. She admired his strong healthy aura and his strong healthy body.

  “You look pretty smug, Mrs. D’Angelo.” He turned out the overhead light and lifted the covers on his side of the bed.

  “I feel smug. Did you look in the mirror?” she asked.

  He shook his head. Even in the dark room, she could see that movement clearly with her newly acquired vision. “It was fogged up,” he explained. “And I was in a rush.”

  “Touch your face,” she suggested. She stroked his jaw. A little stubble met her fingers. But the skin was virtually unmarked.

  He felt his jaw. “George Washington. The scarring seems better. I was sure that if regeneration didn’t work, nothing would.” He kissed her. “All the rules seemed to have changed with you.”

  “They have. They certainly have.” She felt powerful and smug. Proud and happy. A Pegasus was definitely not-a-unicorn. She set that aside to think about when she wasn’t busy.

  “Your chest is as smooth as a baby’s bottom.” She suited action to words.

  “Thank you for that interesting visual.”

  “You know what I mean.”

  “I do. You seem,” he paused, “Vigorous. I think flying agrees with you.”

  “I think eating your egg and blood and feather agreed with me.”

  “Really?” He sat up and hauled her against him. “Because that’s not the way it’s supposed to work.”

  She preened. No other way to describe what she did. “I don’t think that thing my wings do is usual for a Pegasus either. I looked up the records. My wings and hide should have remained white. Or maybe dappled gray. Rainbow wings and gold skin are unusual to say the least.”

  “Huh. Think you’re now some kind of a hybrid equine with wings of fire?”

  “Yup. I don’t feel like a unicorn, or any kind of a defenseless prey species. I feel,” she sought the correct word. “Robust. Remade. Strong.”

  “Robust is good. Remade is good. Strong is great. But I don’t know where you got the idea that herbivores are defenseless or non-violent. Even a rabbit will attack to defend its young.”

  “I guess. But I never felt martial before.”

  “You never had a flaming horn before, my love. Going to tell your parents?”

  “Nope. Or at least not yet. They will have enough to handle when they find out we’re pregnant.”

  “I wonder if our baby will be a Pegasus or a unicorn hybrid,” he mused.

  Confidence infused her bones. “Whatever he or she is, we’ll love them.”

  “Absolutely. Tell me if I’m wrong, but I sense your happiness.” He rubbed her bump and chuckled. “And that glow of yours is even brighter now. A real blaze of glory.”

  “I’m well beyond happy, Rafael. What I am is ecstatic.” She paused. A unicorn is never boastful. But she was no longer a unicorn. “A mighty healer.”

  His surprise was evident. But he processed her remark without comment. As clearly as if he had spoken, she knew he agreed and approved of her conclusion. His mouth found hers in the darkness. “Don’t see how we are going to be able to sleep with all this glory you’re giving off.”

  She nibbled along his jaw, enjoying the prickle of his beard. “I guess we should try an infusion of phoenix grace to see if it’s a reliable sleep aid,” she murmured demurely.

  “My horn is always at your disposal,” he said.

  Talk is cheap. I want to see some action, D’Angelo.

  Abraham Lincoln! Am I hallucinating?

  I don’t think so. She spread her arms and legs wide. I don’t have all night, you know. I have w
ork in the morning.

  “This is weird,” he said aloud.

  “Not to me.” She propped herself on one elbow. “You have a problem with this?”

  He collapsed onto his back. “I think so.”

  “Really?” She laid a hand on his chest. Felt his laughter. Heard his teasing. It was no surprise when his hands captured her and lifted her overhead.

  Are you ready, sweetheart? His hands raised her high and brought her down onto his dick.

  She braced herself on her feet and let her swollen sex slip over his. His groan was musical to her.

  You’ll wake Carmody.

  I’ll be quieter. He laughed aloud. Ride me, Pegasus.

  She did. They were one body. One spirit. Reaching for the same fierce climax. The dark room was lit with pulsing lights in colors she had no words for, colors that hummed and rang with sounds she had never heard before.

  Welcome to my world.

  They exploded together in waves of lightning and pulses of paranormal splendor. Their auras resonated, amplifying each other’s pleasure and finishing the work of healing that flying had begun.

  I never knew sex was therapeutic.

  Making love. And then he began all over again.

  CHAPTER FORTY-FOUR

  Sully~

  “You’ll never guess what Rafael and Samantha D’Angelo are planning.” He leaned back in his recliner and crossed his legs at the ankles.

  Robin smiled at him from the doorway into the kitchen. Her eyes were dancing. “On the contrary,” she said drily. “There is nothing to guess at. I heard about his conversation with you from four different sources this afternoon.”

  He chuckled. “I thought Rafael was being a shade too casual. And in the Bean too! It’s a great idea, isn’t it?”

  “It is. A convalescent hospital will fill a great need. The Mystic Bay Hospital is great for childbirth without complications, or routine appendectomies, but anyone who needs follow-up care has to go to Portland or go without.”

  “Rafael was talking about their hospital providing long-term therapy for everything from strokes to mental illness. I told him I thought that the Mystic Bay Town Council would be 100 percent behind the project.”

  Her silvery head bobbed in agreement. “It will be a great benefit to the island both socially and economically. Think of all the jobs it will provide.”

  He grinned. “Everything from cleaning staff and security, to nurses and social workers. Best of all, it will make those old fogeys on the council think twice about challenging the D’Angelos’ right to live in Mystic Bay. Rafael was talking about buying a bigger house.”

  “Samantha is expecting,” Robin said demurely. “I had that from Virginia Peterson.” One of their long-term goals was increasing the population of West Haven.

  “I thought so,” Sully said with satisfaction. “Moreover, I got the feeling that Samantha had restored not just Rafael’s sight but his talent for healing. Would you say that pair is married and mated?”

  She smiled. His heart pounded. “Yes, indeed. I think you’re correct, Gordon. And it seems clear that Rafael has also healed Samantha if she is willing to be part of that project. The burden of grief and horror she has borne has gone from her aura.”

  He dug into his pants pocket and retrieved his prize. Strode toward her. She smiled up at him. “What is it, my dear?” she asked.

  He knelt at her feet. “My quest is complete,” he declared. “Will you wear my ring?” He flipped the little box open. White satin and dark purple velvet held a ring secure.

  An iridescent oval opal surrounded by diamonds winked at them. Milky veins of turquoise snaked through the pinkish jewel. A band of white gold supported the delicate gems.

  Robin’s delicate features were alight with happiness. Her green eyes were sparkling, although she never wept. “Yes, Gordon.” She held out her hand.

  The ring slipped onto her finger as if it had been made for her. He got to his feet, wishing he were younger. She waited until he was erect before turning her face up for his kiss.

  “We’ll announce our engagement on Labor Day,” he said a long time later.

  “To the whole town. For the benefit of those who can’t tell what this sparkler on my hand means.”

  She was going to be his wife. Delight ran like wildfire in his veins. “I love you, Robin Fairchild.”

  “I love you, Gordon Sullivan.”

  “I was thinking that if we turned off that stew you have cooking, we could see how that ring looks when you’re naked.”

  She turned the knob. “An important consideration.”

  CHAPTER FORTY-FIVE

  Rafael~

  Robin Fairchild dug into the ground with her silver spade. A jewel sparkled on her left hand. She threw the shovelful of dirt aside, planted the narrow tool in the ground, and mounted the five steps to the bunting-draped platform. She beamed at her audience.

  “Construction has now officially begun on the D’Angelo Convalescent Hospital,” she proclaimed.

  The crowd erupted into cheers. Rafael and Samantha were standing on the platform beside the mayor and deputy mayor. The hurrahs washed over them.

  Rafael contented himself with clasping his wife’s hand tighter. As plainly as if she had spoken, Rafe sensed her satisfaction. She waved at the crowd, which cheered even more loudly.

  Sully stepped up to the mike and began a short speech thanking the D’Angelo Trust for providing the hospital. He pointed out the benefits of having a medical center devoted to helping the ill transition back into the community and regular life. Whatever that meant.

  Rafael and Samantha expected the hospital to be a place where ongoing physical and psychological therapy could continue until people knew themselves healed. It would be an expensive proposition. But the D’Angelo Trust had deep pockets and the center would be heavily subsidized.

  Between them, he and Samantha had great talent. He looked forward to a long and happy life with his mighty Pegasus healer. And having a stick to fend off the council bigots was also wise. No one was going to put the new hospital at risk by messing with their kids.

  Sully came to a rousing conclusion. There were more cheers and then a sudden explosion as two hundred white doves were released. Robin, Sully, Rafael and Samantha used the excitement as a cover for leaving the podium. Rafael kept a hand under Samantha’s elbow. These days her bump was unwieldy. Virginia had diagnosed twins, and he agreed.

  Carmody came charging up to them, followed by both sets of grandparents. Nelson and Barbara D’Angelo had taken to Mystic Bay and Carmody like ducks to water. Parsifal and Nelson had done a little male bonding as befit men who had fought in the same war on the same side.

  Araminta was now much more involved with Carmody. Much less critical. Rafael suspected that this was because of her intense rivalry with his mother. There was some sort of competition to be the favorite grandma. No matter. Carmody was reveling in having two parents and two sets of grandparents.

  He and Samantha had booked the Tidewater Inn for a combination vow renewal, wedding reception and family reunion. D’Angelos and Belfasts were accepting their invitations and Araminta and Barbara were genteelly bickering over the arrangements.

  It’s not like I care. So long as I have you and Carmody, I’m good.

  Me too.

  “Can I have cotton candy?” Carmody asked. “Grandma Angel says I gotta ask.”

  His mother’s eyes twinkled at him. Barbara D’Angelo shook her head once. Rafael scooped up his daughter. “Not tonight,” he said. “I happen to know you already had donuts.”

  Carmody pouted. “How didded you know, Daddy?”

  He ignored the icing on her chin. “Your mom told me.”

  “How didded she know?”

  He and Samantha exchanged the glances of the truly bonded.

  “Telepathy,” they said in unison.

  Everyone laughed except them.

  <<<<>>>>

  Keep Reading for a Preview of Bedded by the Bea
r!

  BEDDED BY THE BEAR

  A SHIFTERS IN LOVE

  FUN & FLIRTY ROMANCE

  Mystic Bay Series Book 6

  by

  Isadora Montrose

  An amnesiac phoenix. A curvy unicorn who thinks her fated mate is dead. Their high-spirited love child. Can magical Mystic Bay heal this wounded couple and restore their love?

  Now in Pre-orders!

  BEDDED BY THE BEAR

  MYSTIC BAY BOOK 6

  CHAPTER ONE

  Zoe~

  The stick turned blue. For the second time in as many days. Crap. Zoe Worth sat down heavily on the edge of the bathtub and stared morosely at the test results. She laid a protective hand on her bare belly.

  Not your fault, she assured her baby.

  These days an unmarried mom was no big whoop. Except in Luck Harbor, Oregon, amongst the members of her family and clan. There wasn’t anyone who was going to be okay with fatherless, motherless Zoe Worth having an illegitimate baby. If she wasn’t careful, she was going to enjoy a shotgun wedding.

  Which was exactly why she was pregnant, she reminded herself. Chadwick Ellery Strawn III had seduced her for precisely that reason. She had made the mistake of taking him home to Luck Harbor.

  He had immediately perceived that her family was composed largely of unreconstructed mountain men. Which they were. Every Bear Jack of them. The old-fashioned, protective darlings.

  It had taken that trip to Luck to open her eyes. Chadwick Ellery Strawn III had been scornful of her clan’s old-fashioned manners and attitudes. He thought he had concealed that from her, and them. As fricking if.

  In Luck Harbor, his patronizing condescension had abruptly been as obvious to her as it was to her kinsmen. And kinswomen. Great Aunt Ursula had said it best, “Thinks he’s too good for us, and that we’re dumb as rocks. Where’d you say you found this one?”

  “I met him through work.”

  She worked in the governor’s office as one of his many aides. Chadwick Ellery Strawn III was a lawyer. His father was the governor’s lawyer and a long-time friend. Chad hung around on the fringes of politics. Waiting for opportunity. Hunting for a war chest.