When Daniel finally backed away, panting, he promptly collapsed. Pain washed through him from his multiple wounds and he could taste his own blood on his tongue, mingled with the rotten stink of Apep. He heard his name and limply rose his head to see Gracie rush to him.
All around them, vampires stood in a wide circle. Many embraced each other, sobbing. A few still fought weakly, and a handful were on their knees, wailing Apep’s name. Most, however, silently got to their knees as Typhoon shifted back to his human form, Apep’s black blood staining his skin. He glared out over them as the shifters made their way to stand with him.
Gracie’s arms wrapped around Daniel’s body and he licked her face. He just needed to rest…
“We won’t kill any more of you than necessary,” he spat out. “If you don’t fight us, then there will be no need for us to kill you.”
From nearby, one of the vampires got to his feet again and stepped forward. Tears streaked down his face. “You killed Apep and freed us from him. We… we never thought shifters would…”
Guinevere, with Andy beside her, joined Typhoon. “There has been enough bloodshed. Enough pain, enough of us fighting each other.”
Daniel grunted as he pushed himself to his knees and slowly shifted back to human form. His ribs ached like a motherfucker and his leg was bent at the wrong angle, but he was able to pull in deeper breaths now, and with Gracie’s help got to his feet. Her eyes shone with tears, and he would have kissed her but for the disgusting stuff still in his mouth. He spat out a mouthful of Apep’s blood and limped to join his parents and Typhoon.
“I’m proof that shifters and vampires don’t have to hate each other,” he called to the gathered vampires. “And my mate, Gracie, can remove the chains of your bloodlust. You’ll be able to live your lives without fear of losing control. She’s already broken the bloodlust in many of you. She is a daughter of Ra and can give you what Apep tried to ensure you would never have.”
Gracie straightened a little. “I am a child of Ra,” she agreed, her voice calm and strong. “But I am no goddess, nor do I want to be one. I will take away the bloodlust if you’ll let me… But as Typhoon and Guinevere have said, enough is enough. Humans know about vampires now, and we have proof that vampires and shifters can live in peace. So will you? Will you choose peace? Or will you choose death?”
Chapter Sixteen
Gracie
Five Months Later
Gracie nuzzled into Daniel’s neck, her hands moving down his shirt to undo buttons. His tongue flicked over her jaw, sending pleasant tingles through her. Gracie sighed as she slid her hands into his open shirt, enjoying the warmth of his smooth, taut skin. She smiled at him and he smiled back, his hand running up her thigh.
Her core tightened, making her shiver, as his fingers massaged her through her damp underwear. They returned to each other’s mouths, kissing and nibbling on each other’s lips while Gracie continued to undress them both. She undid his jeans, her movements a little jerky in her haste, and they both laughed a little at her eagerness.
“You can slow down,” Daniel crooned. “We have lots of time.”
Gracie sniffed the air. “We have a visitor… do we really have a lot of time?”
Daniel grimaced. “He can wait.”
“I couldn’t agree more.”
Gracie bucked her hips upward, moving one of her hands to Daniel’s shoulder, encouraging him to roll over and lay on his back. She took him in her hand, kissing down his open shirt as she stroked him evenly. He let out a grunt, his hips rocking in time with her movements as his eyes slid half-closed. Gracie couldn’t help but laugh a little at that. She always loved the way he looked when she pleasured him. As though she was the only person to have ever given him this. Warmth spread through her chest as she considered that he was hers, just as much as she was his. And they would be together forever.
“I love you,” she whispered as she bent over him, taking him into her mouth.
His reply was garbled with a grunt. His hands dug into the bedding as she sucked on him with the pressure she knew he liked. As she watched him, moving her head to make him hard and ready, the tightness inside of her tingled. She knew exactly what she wanted today. It was something that Daniel had hinted at wanting, but he was such a gentleman that he never stated it outright; she knew he was waiting for her to make the move.
And as she sucked on him, loving the taste of him, letting her fangs gently scrape against his skin, she reached between her thighs. Her underwear were more than damp by this time, and she played with her clit, teasing herself until it was as hard and swollen as Daniel was.
When he was on edge and trembling, ready to release, he put a hand on her shoulder and gently encouraged her to back up. He took a moment to regain control of himself, then gestured for her to lie back.
“My turn.”
“Yes,” Gracie agreed. “But not like that.” Daniel arched a brow, and she giggled, nervous about what she was about to do. “You know how I went shopping earlier?”
Daniel nodded.
“Well, I got something… special.”
“Okay…”
Gracie waited a moment, her eyes dancing, as Daniel peered at her suspiciously. Her heart hammered against her chest as she bounced over to the nightstand and opened it up to withdraw the treasures she had purchased earlier. First was a bottle of lube, then a roll of condoms, and finally a small pamphlet, which she waved in front of Daniel’s face before setting it down with the other stuff.
Daniel picked up the condoms. “We don’t use these.”
His eyes widened when he picked up the pamphlet. A sly grin crossed his face as he reached over to her, sliding one hand between her thighs to toy with her clit, the other reaching around her to grasp her ass. “Anal sex for beginners? Are you sure?”
A shiver ran through her as his fingers toyed with her clit. She had to grasp his shoulder to keep herself upright as she nodded, letting out a soft moan while her eyes slid shut.
“I’ve been thinking about it. We use toys in my ass all the time… I’m ready to take it to the next level.”
Daniel let out a groan as he turned her around. He yanked her underwear off and squished her ass with his hands, fingers digging into her soft flesh. He rubbed himself over her ass, and Gracie’s skin nearly burst into flame. She held onto the wall, bracing herself while he buried his face into her neck, licking and nuzzling her until she was nearly screaming with impatience; one hand continued to work at her clit and she trembled with need.
“Ready?” Daniel breathed, moving them both back to the bed.
Gracie could only moan to let him know she was. She bent over the bed, offering her ass to him and hid her face in the blankets. Very, very gently, Daniel pulled on a condom and applied a generous amount of lube on himself, then her ass; he used his fingers to open her up and get plenty inside of her before oh so slowly pushing himself into her. The pressure from his size made her groan, but with one hand still on her clit, it was all she could do to stay still.
“Gently,” she whispered, though she knew he wouldn’t need to be told. He kissed her back, making her shiver again, and then slowly began to move.
It was different than what Gracie expected; they had to move slowly, and even as the fires spread throughout her body, making her gasp and moan, Daniel didn’t release any of his control. He kept his thrusts even, grunting every now and then but always keeping up his strokes on her clit. It was all so intense that when her core exploded, making her writhe with pleasure and a scream echo from her throat, she didn’t even feel him finish.
Daniel fell over her, kissing and biting at her shoulders until they were both too tired to move. Then, he eased himself out gently and held her tight while they panted for breath.
After some time, Daniel moaned in disappointment. “He’s still here.”
Gracie sniffed the air again and sighed. Typhoon’s scent was still strong, coming from the hallway where he’d been waiting for some time
already. She wondered if he hadn’t knocked out of respect for their privacy; then she wondered if he had knocked and they just hadn’t heard it. She giggled a little at that thought, then sighed as she rolled over. She was a little sore from their first time having sex that way, but not as bad as she thought it would be… while they were having sex, she hadn’t felt any pain at all.
Which she was glad for. She drank enough shifter blood that these days she was almost completely human, and healing took a lot longer than it did when she was a vampire.
“We better see what he wants,” Daniel grumbled.
Gracie nodded her agreement. They took their time dressing, half hoping that Typhoon would leave before they were ready. He wasn’t, though, and gave them a knowing smile when they finally opened the door. Gracie retrieved some beers for the three of them. Honestly, it would be nice when she and Daniel finally had a week to themselves.
The last five months had been a lot of work. For starters, she had been kept busy removing the bloodlust from the vampires. There were so many of them that it was a full-time job. After that, it was a matter of working out new alliances and helping humans rebuild their governments while the vampires figured out what they were going to do from here on out.
“I trust you’re both doing well?” Typhoon said as he sat, accepting the beer handed to him.
“Yeah,” Daniel replied with a nod. “If we can get any time to ourselves.”
A smile twisted Typhoon’s lips. “You wanted to be an alpha. And when you’re an alpha, you don’t get a lot of time for yourself.”
Gracie sighed at that. She knew it was true, and with her trying to figure out her position with the vampires, too, it meant that they weren’t going to be getting their uninterrupted week anytime soon. She sat next to Daniel, putting her arm around his waist. It was something that she would have to get used to… but being with her mate made it all worth it.
Typhoon lifted his beer and peered at it for a moment before chugging a large mouthful and putting it down. “I’m here to discuss the leadership of the Savage Brotherhood.”
“Hey, everybody was happy to have you back as the alpha.” Daniel held up a hand. “And I know I have a lot left to learn. So, if you’re worried about me trying to take over—”
“Just the opposite, in fact.” Typhoon grinned broadly. “I’m going to retire.”
Gracie’s eyes widened, and Daniel’s jaw dropped.
“With the vampires integrating with humans, no longer having to fight the desire for blood to the point of murder,” here he nodded at Gracie, “they are free to choose their own destinies. And with that, most of them are no longer choosing to live a life underground. They want to have lives again… they want to be able to make up to humans what Apep forced them to do.”
“Yes, but—” Daniel started.
“For my whole life,” Typhoon interrupted, “I’ve hated vampires. I’ve hated myself for being half vampire. The Savage Brotherhood has a different role now. We will no longer be fighting the vampires, no longer defending humans against them. Now we have to be mediators. Helping humans, shifters, and vampires to find a way to live in peace. I am far too biased to be a good candidate for that role.”
Gracie took Daniel’s hand, finally understanding what Typhoon was meaning. “So, you want Daniel to do it.”
Typhoon nodded.
“Well… thank you for the vote of confidence but I—”
“You’re ready. You fought against Apep. You reunited a shattered Brotherhood.” Typhoon grinned at him. “And you have a pretty remarkable mate. You are more than ready for his, Daniel. And I am more than ready to retire and settle down with my mate and child. The future is bright, and you will make it even brighter. Of that, I’m positive.”
Gracie and Daniel glanced at one another. There was a question in Daniel’s eyes, but there was no hesitation from Gracie as she nodded. Typhoon was right. Daniel was ready, and he was the best choice for moving forward. One of the things about him growing up so rapidly was that he hadn’t had the years to grow jaded like Typhoon or others were.
She squeezed his hand and her grin widened. Daniel smiled back, then nodded at Typhoon. “Let’s do this, then. I’m ready.”
*****
THE END
Hopefully, you enjoyed reading my book as much as I did writing.
I would appreciate if you’d be willing to share a review that allows me to continuously improve my books and motivates me to keep writing.
All Books in this Series
Tornado (Book 1)
Blizzard (Book 2)
Thunder (Book 3)
Hurricane (Book 4)
Typhoon (Book 5)
Twister (Book 6)
Cyclone (Book 7)
Storm (Book 8)
Also by Jasmine Wylder
Separated by Time
The Dragon King's Prisoner (Book 1)
The Dragon Warrior's Baby (Book 2)
The Dragon Beast's Virgin (Book 3)
The Dragon Prince's Second Chance (Book 4)
The Dragon Guard's Princess (Book 5)
The Dragon Hunters' Temptation (Book 6)
The Dragon Fighter's Witch (Book 7)
The Dragon Villain's Prey (Book 8, coming soon)
Dragon Secrets
The Dragon’s Secret Baby (Book 1)
The Dragon's Secret Bride (Book 2)
The Dragon's Secret Prize (Book 3)
The Dragon's Secret Son (Book 4)
The Dragon's Secret Queen (Book 5)
Rocky Mountain Shifters
Alpha’s Desire (Book 1)
Beta’s Destiny (Book 2)
Alpha’s Love (Book 3)
Beta’s Second Chance (Book 4)
Fated Bears
The Bear Shifter's Virgin (Book 1)
The Bear Shifter's Second Chance (Book 2)
The Bear Shifter's Nanny (Book 3)
The Bear Shifter's Baby (Book 4)
The Bear Shifter's Mate (Book 5)
Bound by Fate
The Vampire's Bride Awakening (Book 1)
The Vampire's Secret Baby (Book 2)
Standalone Stories
The Billionaire Wolves’ Virgin
Her Dragon Professor
The Alpha Bear’s Magician
The Vampire’s Nanny
Bonded to the Alpha Wolf
The Wolf Prince’s True Mate
A Secret Baby for the Vampire
Claimed by Two Navy Shifters
Her Two Dragon Princes
The Billionaire Shifter’s Secret Baby
About Jasmine Wylder
Jasmine Wylder is a Real Estate Agent by day and an emerging Paranormal Romance Author & Adventurer by night. Hailing from California, her passion for sultry stories, steamy scenes, and all-things romance began early on and it has stayed with her ever since.
When she isn’t creating captivating storylines, Jasmine loves spending time in the great outdoors, practicing yoga, painting, and treating herself to fine cuisine. She is also an avid animal lover (dogs in particular) and is the proud owner of a Husky named Luna and a Yorkie named Anya.
Whether it’s out-of-this-world love (literally), dragon shifters setting your heart ablaze, or unquenchable vampiric desire, Jasmine has you covered!
Currently, Jasmine is in the midst of crafting paranormal romances and tries to escape to the countryside every so often to get the full writer’s experience.
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