I looked at Austin sheepishly but was surprised to see a little bit of pride in his eyes. “Your protectiveness shows that you consider us to be truly yours,” he explained quietly in my ear as the rest of the group loudly went about getting dinner. I started to walk over to the stove to see what I could do to help, but Austin took my hand to lead me to the seat next to him. “Relax, you deserve a little bit of pampering now that we have you back.”
I gave him a warm smile and he raised my hand to his mouth to give it a kiss. “We missed you.”
“I missed all of you.” I murmured to him. It felt so good to be here and be surrounded by my pack again. The warmth, the laughter, and the energy in the room made me feel more alive than ever.
Once everyone was seated Austin raised his hand for quiet. “Talen, thank you for joining us tonight. I believe that you will have no problem following the pack rules we discussed earlier during your stay here.”
Talen raised his glass of wine and gave Austin a nod.
“This is the plan for tonight,” Austin continued. “After dinner, the twins can show Talen to his room and make sure Gemma is settled in for the evening. Then the seven of us have something important to do on the beach tonight.”
I grinned at Austin. It was finally happening, I was going to be an official part of the pack tonight. I couldn’t wait to be a part of the pack bond, I had a feeling that it was going to make my relationship with the guys even stronger.
“Anna, would you mind filling us in on what has happened to you during the days you were gone?”
I cleared my throat and looked around the table. “It may have been days for you, but it’s been weeks for me. Time moves differently in the fae world…”
I told a generalized and slightly more positive version of the events that I had been through while in the fae world and the guys listened quietly with surprise etched on their faces. A lot of my story seemed unbelievable, even to me, and I had been there.
I was careful about what I said about King Illian, Drake, and Froston because I wasn’t really sure where Talen’s loyalties laid. I could tell by the look in Austin’s eyes that he realized I was leaving things out but he didn’t question me. I had a feeling that there was going to be a lot of questions when we finally got our private meeting.
I had looked around while I was talking and my eyes kept being drawn back to Gemma. She seemed quiet and nice, someone who I should want to be friends with, but a part of me just did not like her. I saw James watching her as well with a look of suspicion on his face, but he looked at everyone like that.
I was torn between wanting to trust my instincts and feeling guilty about my Reagan-like behavior. Over the past few weeks I had been working really hard to get in touch with my wolf side and to indulge that part of myself that I had kept suppressed for so long. Clearly, letting my wolf side completely free wasn’t a good thing, I needed to find balance.
Cody chimed in on some of the details I had skimmed over while James just watched me with his dark eyes unreadable. The twins still seemed a little in awe of my newfound powers and I looked at them nervously. Was this going to change how they felt about me?
Both of the twins gave me wide grins and Mason shook his head at me. “Don’t worry, pretty girl. We’ll make sure the pack doesn’t spoil you, even if you are some kind of royalty.”
I laughed. His words brought me back to the first night I had spent here at the mansion. Mason had promised me then that he wouldn’t let the pack spoil me, after revealing how rare female wolves were. The twins had taken me in and made me a partner in their shenanigans.
I had been afraid that they would either think less of me for being fae, or put me on a pedestal for being able to use magic. I was glad to hear that nothing was going to change. I wanted them to see me as an equal and to accept me as one of them.
After dinner, Caleb helped me with the dishes while the twins were upstairs with Talen and Gemma. The other guys were preparing something outside for the pack bond ceremony. They had asked me to stay inside while they worked so that it would be a surprise. I was nervous and excited at the same time and was almost jumping out of my skin with anticipation.
“Anna?” Caleb asked me quietly.
I set down the dish I had been scrubbing aggressively and gave him my full attention. “Yeah?”
“Have you considered that you were set up?”
I frowned at him. “Set up for what?”
Caleb set down the towel he had been using to dry dishes and took a step closer to me. “Froston and Drake – I don’t think they were honest with why they brought you there.”
I nodded slowly. “Yeah, none of their reasons or explanations made that much sense to me. Froston told me that he was forced to take me so that ‘others’ wouldn’t. I assumed he meant the prince, but he never really said. I felt like I was missing something the entire time I was there.”
“And Froston told you that the prince found out about you by sensing a flare of your power, right?”
I searched Caleb’s eyes. What had he figured out that I had missed?
Caleb reached for my hands. “Anna, what if the prince felt your power and set you up to take on his father?”
I laughed. “Why would he think that someone like me would ever be able to take down an immortal, all-powerful fae that had ruled their world for hundreds of years?”
Caleb raised an eyebrow. “Because an immortal, all-powerful fae that had ruled their world for hundreds of years would be too arrogant to realize what a threat you were until it was too late. A king like that would have probably never let down his guard for another fae - he underestimated you and it cost him everything.”
I thought about that. It still seemed a little ridiculous that I was able to take someone like him down, but was Caleb right? I saw how ecstatic Drake had been when his father fell. If I had failed, the prince wouldn’t have lost anything. I would have been sent back with my father and no one would have guessed that Drake had any ill intentions towards his father. Drake had made me believe that he was competing with his brothers for his father’s affection, did the rest of the court believe that as well?
“And you think Froston knew?” I asked him cautiously. Froston had shown me time and again that he wasn’t the caring father I wanted, but deep down I still had a tiny kernel of hope that just wouldn’t die. I really wanted to believe that he was a good guy, even though evidence kept showing up to the contrary.
“Did he try to stop you?” Caleb asked me pointedly.
I thought back to the moment in the throne room when I had started to take magic from the fae around me. Froston had realized what I was doing and stood by, not saying a word to stop me. “No.” I said quietly. “He didn’t.”
Caleb nodded. “I think there is more to this than either of us realize.”
I sighed. “I agree. When I first arrived in their world, my father told me that he was deeply indebted to the king, but he didn’t say why. Maybe he thought this was his chance to get rid of his debt?”
“And maybe the prince made a deal with him.” Caleb added. “Maybe Froston wants the future king indebted to him, not the other way around.”
“There’s no guarantee that Drake will be king.” I mused out loud. “Froston said they are going to be fighting over the throne.”
“And who do you think Froston will be fighting for?” Caleb asked me pointedly.
“I just hope they leave us out of all of it.” I told him tiredly. “I’ve had more than enough of the fae to last me a lifetime.”
He laughed. “I hope so too.” He paused and looked worried so I reached to give him a hug. I wrapped my arms around his waist and he embraced me in return. I inhaled Caleb’s scent and relaxed in his arms.
“Catch me up on what I missed here?” I asked him softly.
Caleb laughed. “Not much, except for the entire pack being frantic and trying to get you back.”
I gave him a shoulder bump. “Other than everyone getting an ulcer
, though?”
He shook his head. “Some serious stuff went down between Austin and the council. Emerys gave me some info about the lamia’s relationship with the fae.”
“Yeah, I picked up that there are some issues there.” Froston and Talen had been hostile at the mention of lamia, so the two races were definitely not on friendly terms.
“Tell me about the wards that Talen is supposed to help with.” Caleb said. “How are they supposed to keep us safe?”
“We’re going to have two.” I told him. “The first one is going to be only on the house, and it’s going to prevent anyone from entering who means us harm. It’s too complicated and involved to be able to put in over the whole property, so that’s where the second one comes in.” I paused to gather my thoughts. “I’m not sure how the one over our property is going to work, but somehow it’s going to alarm us if anyone crosses the barrier line. That will give us enough time to get into the house and organize our defenses.”
“That’s smart.” Caleb told me with a grin.
I shrugged and tried not to look worried. “It sounds really complicated to put in place. I’m not sure we can do it without Froston’s help.”
“And if we have Froston’s help, the barrier won’t protect us against him.” Caleb surmised.
“Or Talen.” I added. “I’m not sure what happens if we put up a barrier and the person that means us harm is already in here.”
Caleb sighed. “Nothing is ever easy.”
We held each other for a couple minutes and I just enjoyed Caleb’s presence. I had missed the steady comfort that he always managed to give me so effortlessly. It felt good to be back here with him.
Caleb gave me a shy smile. “So, having magic is probably going to up the level of pranks you are able to pull on James, huh?”
“Yeah…” My eyes lit up. I hadn’t considered that until now, but I was going to have to have a serious discussion with the twins. We had plans to make and pranks to plan.
Caleb laughed and hung up the towel he had been using as I put away the last dish. “Let’s get the twins and go out?” I suggested. I was eager to get started on the events planned for this evening.
The twins came in right on cue. But my eyes widened when I saw Jason carrying Evelyn’s urn. I had planned on saying my final goodbyes to Evelyn multiple times now, but each time my plans had been derailed.
Mason cleared his throat. “We thought you might want to say goodbye first? Before starting a new chapter of your life with us?”
Tears came to my eyes and Jason looked nervous. “Or not?”
I shook my head. “No, that’s perfect.”
This was the perfect time to say my goodbyes to Evelyn. She had guided me through much of my life, and whether that was because she was being paid by my father or not wasn’t relevant. I think that she had done the best she could, and I didn’t blame her for what had gone wrong with my childhood. I believed what I had told Cody. It sucked, but I wouldn’t be the person that I was now if I hadn’t lived through it.
Letting the ocean breeze carry her ashes away would be cathartic and symbolic of me letting everything from the past go.
I wouldn’t just be saying goodbye to Evelyn, I would be saying goodbye to my old life, to the old Anna, to all the memories and pain that had held me back for so long. I needed to let go of all of that before I could be free to live my new life with the men I loved.
I walked outside with Caleb and the twins, following the path that led us out to our own section of beach. Our spirits were high, and we laughed and joked the entire way. Cody, James, and Austin were already waiting for us around a bonfire that they had built while we had been inside.
I looked around at my circle of guys. Austin, our fearless leader, with the fire glinting off his dark blond hair. James, my dark warrior, watching the twins warily as they got precariously close to the flames. Cody, my giant wolf, making Caleb smile in spite of the nervous look on his face. My twins, my partners in crime, daring each other to jump in the freezing cold water. Caleb, my sweet wolf, waiting for me to join them.
Austin gestured for me to join him as the rest of the guys encouraged me.
This was it. I was home.
I took a deep breath and took the first step towards my new life.
Epilogue
Talen
I watched ‘Gemma’ carefully. She was good, but not good enough to hide from me. She excused herself from the wolves to use the bathroom and I slipped into the hall to intercept her. No one noticed me go, because no one cared about my presence to begin with.
I sauntered up to her and leaned a shoulder against the wall. “Well, well, well, Deirfiúr bheag. I’m debating on whether or not I want to reveal your secret to the group.”
She dropped the innocent little victim act and stood up straight, pushing her shoulders back to confront me. “You won’t.” She told me confidently.
I shrugged a shoulder. “Why not? The ensuing drama should be enough to entertain me for a day or two.”
‘Gemma’ laughed. “Because I can promise you entertainment for far longer than that.”
I raised an eyebrow curiously. “Why are you here?”
She tsked at me. “What fun would that be?” She continued past me, but looked back. “See if you can figure it out.”
“I hope you hid the body well.” I called after her softly.
She flashed me a feral grin. “Don’t worry, they won’t be finding dear, sweet Gemma anytime soon.”
Turn the page for a preview of Book 4…
NOTE FROM THE AUTHOR
Everyone has dark moments in their life that we sometimes wish we could erase or forget. But sometimes it’s the pain and struggle that we have gone through that gave us our inner strength.
For me, writing started as a way to confront some of the demons of my past so that I could put them behind me forever. Most of my characters have a dark or troubled past and my books follow their progress as they emerge from the darkness that has held them down for so long.
As the darkness fades, hope for a better future starts to emerge (like the sun after a storm). A piece of my soul goes into each one of my books, and my hope and faith in a brighter tomorrow is reflected in each one of my characters.
Books have always been a source of escape and enjoyment for me, so I hope that my work can help others in the same way
-C.C. Masters
Book 4 Preview
Anna
I gripped my sword tighter and faced down my opponent. Sweat beaded on my face and threated to drip into my eyes, but I was too afraid to take my eyes off my foe for even a second to wipe it away. We circled each other warily, waiting for an opening.
Well, I circled him warily and he watched me with amusement as he kept pace with me. Everyone else in my pack was already proficient with guns, knives, and explosives, but swords were something new for all of us. Talen had impressed on me how important it was to be able to defend myself without magic. I didn’t want be helpless if I was cut off from magic, I never wanted to be helpless again. The fae didn’t use guns, explosives, or automatic weapons. Their weapon of choice was the sword.
And so I was learning to use a sword. Slowly and painfully.
I wasn’t the only one. Austin had quickly realized that if we didn’t keep Talen busy, he was going to entertain himself by making trouble in the pack. Having Talen work with all of our pack members to teach swordplay was more than just keeping Talen out of trouble. Austin wanted our pack to be able to take on the fae if we had to. He needed all of us to be able to fight on their terms just as well as ours.
I could see Talen start to lose interest in our fight as his attention drifted to where Cody and James were sparring. I took the opportunity to rush him to try and get a strike in. He quickly countered my strike and my dulled blade went flying.
“Ugh.” I wiped the sweat off my brow as Talen laughed.
“At least try to keep the blade in your hands, Anna.”
&nb
sp; I shot him a dirty look but stomped after my sword to retrieve it.
Thankfully he turned his full attention to Cody and James. “The sword is not an axe, you dumb brute!” He shouted at Cody. “You don’t use it to hack at your opponent.”
Cody let the sword fall and took a step toward Talen, a deep growl emanating from his chest.
“Alright, guys.” I interrupted. “Maybe we should take a break for some water?”
I placed myself in front of Cody to distract him, leaning on the sword tiredly.
“For the love of the gods, Anna,” Talen cried out. “How many times do I have to tell you that a sword should not be used as a walking cane?”
I rolled my eyes and kept my attention on Cody. “C’mon big guy, let’s go in and I’ll make you a snack.” I reached for his hand so that I could tug him into the house.
Cody’s eyes finally left Talen to rest on me with a small smile. “I am kind of hungry.” He admitted.
I grinned at him before turning to James. “You want anything?”
James just shook his head at me. “I’m fine.”
James had taken the challenge of learning a new weapon very seriously. He had picked up on it quickly and was one of the few of us who had a chance of landing a strike on Talen. I loved watching him fight, he was sleek and graceful with his movements and fought as if he was in a dance with death.
Talen strode toward James, readying his weapon for the battle. I hesitated but then turned back to the house. Cody wasn’t the only one who was hungry. I was starving. I had been working with Talen on my magic in the early mornings before weapons training, which alternated between swords, guns, and hand-to-hand combat. My afternoons were filled with pack responsibilities, and then my evenings were spent on more magic training. It was exhausting.
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