Alpha Temptation: Sanmere Shifters Romance Collection

by Lola Gabriel

  “Wow,” Ellery breathed. “That was quite a decade.”

  “Yeah,” Lisa agreed. “It was. I did try to tell you when Grey and the others turned up to save us. You pushed me behind you and I tried to tell you I was okay, I was immortal too, but you were so focused on everything else, I didn’t think you’d even register what I was saying at that point.”

  “I probably wouldn’t have,” Ellery admitted. “Although in hindsight, it was weird how Alex only questioned Ava’s status and not yours.”

  Grey thought about everything he had heard. It all made sense except for one thing he still hadn’t been able to work out.

  “I’m not complaining; you saved Ellery’s life and you have no idea how grateful I am for that,” Grey said. “But how did you know Kiefer was here tonight?”

  “I knew you were planning on going after Kiefer tomorrow,” Lisa said. “I debated asking to join you, but I was afraid you would say no. And so I sneaked out tonight and went to hunt Kiefer down myself. He led me straight back here. I would have gotten to you sooner, but I ran into Luke in the corridor. I told him I couldn’t sleep and I was just pacing around. He told me I was in your private area and I should leave. Of course I had to, or I would have given myself away. I came back as soon as I saw Luke going back to his own room. Just in time, as it were.”

  “Did it not occur to you to tell Luke what was happening? Ellery could have been killed before you got to us,” Grey said.

  “I wanted to. But… it sounds awful, I know, after you and your pack risked everything to save us, but my main experience with wolves taught me that they were bad. I was afraid Luke would kill me because of my lies. Or lock me away and then I would be too late to take down Kiefer. I’m sorry.”

  Grey thought about it for a moment. He was a little angry that Lisa had put Ellery in more danger by keeping quiet about what was happening, but he put himself in her shoes, and he had to admit he understood her reluctance to trust him.

  “I understand,” he said quietly. “But here’s the deal, Lisa. Alex and his pack are the anomalies. Generally speaking, wolves live in harmony with humans. They don’t want to give themselves away and they certainly don’t want to harm humans or use them for their own entertainment.”

  Lisa looked at Grey in surprise.

  “Really? You mean you guys aren’t the anomalies? All of the time I was on the run, I avoided any other wolves I scented out because I assumed they would be like Alex.”

  “Really,” Grey said. “I mean, some wolves are assholes. Some of every species are assholes. But generally speaking, we’re a peaceful lot.”

  Lisa nodded and stood up.

  “Well, if it’s okay, I’m going to leave now,” she said. “I did what I had to do and I guess I have to try and find my place in the world now.”

  Grey smiled at Lisa.

  “If you want to leave, you’re free to go. But if you’re looking for your place in the world, maybe you’ve already found it right here. If you want to stick around, you’re more than welcome to join my pack.”

  Lisa’s face lit up as she beamed at Grey.

  “I’d like that,” she said.

  “Go on back to your room and we’ll discuss the finer points in the morning, because it seems my day just opened right up,” Grey grinned.

  Lisa smiled again and headed for the door.

  “Oh, Lisa?” Grey said. Lisa turned back to him and he grinned at her. “You owe me a new robe.”

  She laughed as she walked out of the room and closed the door behind her.

  “Well, that was some night, huh?” Ellery said, turning to Grey once they were alone together again.

  “Yup,” Grey said. “Let’s hope that’s all of the surprises out of the way and now we can just live in peace.”

  He pushed the duvet off him.

  “I’ll deal with Kiefer’s body and this mess in the morning. Right now, let’s go to another room, and I’ll show you what you have to look forward to every night for the rest of eternity,” Grey grinned.

  Ellery jumped out of the bed and grinned back at Grey.

  “Now that’s a plan I can get on board with,” she said as she met Grey at the door and wrapped her arms around him.

  Epilogue

  Six Weeks Later

  Ellery woke up early and lay in bed thinking about how much her life had changed since the moment she had moved to Miami. The bad stuff was behind her now, and meeting Grey had made everything that came before that worthwhile. She still missed her parents terribly, but their deaths had been avenged, and she hoped that if they were looking down on her, they were happy for her.

  The pack had welcomed Ellery, Lisa, and the other newcomers with open arms and Ellery soon saw that Grey had been telling her the truth. They weren’t just friends; they were like family to her.

  Yesterday had been the happiest day of Ellery’s life. The whole pack had gathered to attend her mating ceremony to Grey, which again, he had been telling her the truth about. It was just like a wedding ceremony. She had even worn a wedding gown. Grey had looked delicious in his tuxedo, and it had taken a lot of willpower on Ellery’s end to make it through the reception instead of sneaking off with Grey early.

  The night they’d spent together had been worth the wait, though, and Ellery was surprised she had woken up so early. They’d still been up at four, talking, kissing, making love.

  Ellery’s stomach cramped and a wave of nausea washed over her. She realized that was what had woken her up. Her mouth flooded with saliva and she swallowed hard, trying to swallow down the nausea. It was no use. It washed over her in waves and she jumped out of bed, running to the bathroom and throwing herself on the ground in front of the toilet just in time.

  She stayed on her knees, retching and coughing for a few minutes. She got up when the nausea passed. She flushed the toilet and moved to the sink where she washed her hands and face and brushed her teeth.

  I knew that shrimp was a mistake, Ellery thought to herself as she brushed her teeth. I hope that’s the end of the sickness, but if it was the shrimp, it’s likely only the beginning.

  She peered at herself in the mirror when she finished brushing her teeth. Her skin was glowing. Being married, mated for life, suited her. Even after getting sick, she looked radiant and happy. She began to wonder if it really was the shrimp. Her period was a couple of days late and now she had thrown up. Were her breasts a little tender too? Gingerly, she ran her hands over them. They were tender, but that could be because of last night. She smiled as she remembered Grey making love to her, nibbling on her breasts, making her beg for more.

  She had to know for sure, though. She bent down and opened the cupboard beneath the sink, pulling out a pregnancy test she’d bought the day her period didn’t come. She had decided against using it, telling herself it would come. She had forgotten all about it in the run-up to the mating ceremony as things like catering and floral arrangements took center stage in her brain instead.

  She took the test out of the box and sat down on the toilet. She peed on the stick and then looked at the box. Three minutes. They were the longest three minutes of Ellery’s life, and twice she caught herself on the verge of peeking before the time was up. She resisted the urge. When the three minutes were finally up, she reached for the test, her heart beating fast in her chest.

  She dared to peek and she squealed with excitement when she saw the word “pregnant” in the display window. She wrapped the test in tissue and put it in the trash can, and then she went back to the bedroom, practically skipping as she made her way to the bed. She jumped on it, shaking Grey.

  “Grey? Grey? Wake up,” she laughed.

  Grey woke up with a groan and looked at his watch.

  “It’s so early,” he said, his voice groggy. “So unless you’ve woken me up because you can’t wait another moment for me to make love to you, I’m not going to be impressed.”

  “Well, actually, I thought we could have breakfast and then start decorating
,” Ellery smiled.

  “Decorating? You woke me this early to talk color schemes?” Grey said.

  He tried to keep up the pretense that he was annoyed, but Ellery could see the way his lips curled up in the corners as he tried not to smile.

  “Yes. Because we need to prepare the nursery. Grey, I’m pregnant!” she squealed.

  Grey’s jaw dropped and then his face split into a beaming smile. He reached out for Ellery, pulling her to him and kissing her.

  “Are you happy, then?” she laughed when he pulled back from her lips.

  “Just a bit,” Grey laughed. “But we have a good few months to prepare. And right now, the nursery can wait.”

  Ellery shrieked with laughter as Grey pulled the duvet over them and kissed her stomach. Her laughter faded, replaced by a flood of desire as Grey’s mouth moved lower, finding her sweet spot and taking her breath away.

  She floated away on a wave of euphoria. She was married to her soulmate and now they were going to have a baby. Her life couldn’t get any more perfect than it was in that moment.

  Fae Loyalty

  Sanmere Shifters

  Fae Loyalty: Sanmere Shifters

  Text Copyright © 2020 by Lola Gabriel

  All rights reserved. This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the publisher except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

  This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictionally. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or to actual events or locales is entirely coincidental.

  First printing, 2020

  Publisher

  Secret Woods Books

  secretwoodsbooks@gmail.com

  www.SecretWoodsBooks.com

  Prologue

  Catherine’s Journal

  May 25, 1995

  I don’t know what’s happening to me. I think I might have become unhinged and I’m locked away in an asylum. It’s really the only plausible explanation for the events of the day. I don’t feel mad, though. I feel as sane as I’ve ever been, just terrified.

  Let me start at the beginning. Maybe writing this all down will help me make sense of it somehow. Maybe I will see the truth this way.

  It all started out like any normal day. I got up, got dressed, and went off to my classes. I am (was?) studying philosophy at the University of Miami. My classes went by as normal, the usual mixture of interesting snippets of information and long, boring lectures. I am seriously thinking about changing my major, but maybe that’s not even an issue now. If I am insane, I likely won’t be studying anything, and if the story I was told is true, then I definitely won’t be studying anything. I’ll be… no wait, I’m getting ahead of myself.

  Where was I? Yes, that’s right, it had been a normal day so far. I left the university as usual and began heading back to my dorm. I was almost back there when Paul, a friend of mine from college, pulled up beside me and asked if I felt like going for a drive with him. God, how I wish I had said no to him, but I didn’t. I got in the damned car. Idiot.

  We drove for about half an hour and then we pulled up outside a house in the middle of nowhere. It was a really beautiful house, the kind I imagined a princess living in. I asked Paul who lived there and he told me it was his parents’ house and that he needed to grab some stuff from the storage room in the basement. He asked me to give him a hand with his stuff, and like the fool that I am, I agreed and followed him down to the basement. Idiot. Idiot. Idiot.

  I really don’t think me saying no at that point would have changed anything anyway, though. I think once I got in that car that day, my fate was sealed.

  When we got into the basement, Paul changed. Gone was the jovial, friendly guy I knew from school, and in his place was this stone-cold guy with eyes that sparkled with evil glee. He backed me into a corner and pulled a small bottle of blue liquid from his pocket. He demanded that I drink it.

  I refused at first, but you have to know that Paul is a big guy, way bigger and stronger than I am, and when he told me that if I didn’t drink it willingly, he would make me drink it, I believed him. The look on his face told me he was deadly serious. I thought then that maybe he was mentally ill. Oh, the irony that now I think I’m the one who is mentally ill. Either I’m crazy or this situation is crazy. And Paul is definitely crazy.

  I took a deep breath, hoped for the best, and drank the blue drink. It was sweet and fizzy and utterly strange on my tongue. Once I drank it, I felt a little woozy, and for a horrible minute, I thought I had been roofied. The wooziness passed quickly, though, and I felt like I was back to my normal self. No, wait, that’s not strictly true. I felt different. Like I was suddenly powerful. All of my senses felt like they had been enhanced. Crazy, right? If this is an asylum and I am crazy, I can’t help but wonder what the doctors will think when they read this (because they will read it, of course they will). Will they pity me? Think me a lost cause? Oh, who knows.

  Back to my story. It’s hard to stay on track when what you’re writing doesn’t feel like it can be real, but it’s the only way to get my thoughts out, so stay on track I must. Paul didn’t waste any time letting me explore this newly felt power inside of me. He pointed his hand at me, his palm outstretched, and a ray of white light flew from it, wrapping itself around me and binding me like a rope. I tried to fight the binding, but it seemed to get tighter each time I moved. Paul laughed at my struggles and confirmed that each time I moved, the binding’s hold on me would become tighter. I stopped moving pretty quickly after that, afraid I would end up unable to breathe or cut in two or something.

  So yeah, I think it’s pretty clear why I think my mind has betrayed me, broken, and left me hallucinating, crazy. And yet, I don’t feel crazy. Even writing this down, it doesn’t feel like a delusion. It feels like a real memory of something that really happened to me.

  After Paul had tied me up, he sat down on a large box and began to explain what was going on. He told me the house wasn’t really his parents’ house—it was his house. And he wasn’t really a student—he had just enrolled in the university to get close to me. He told me he was a warlock, something I normally would have dismissed as ridiculous, but after seeing the white light flow from his palm and feeling the way it still constricted around me, I was inclined to believe him.

  He told me I carried a rare protein in my blood, something called Sanmere, and that the protein allowed me to become a shifter. That’s when I really thought he had lost his mind, but as he explained further, somehow it seemed plausible. He told me the liquid I had drunk had been a potion that had turned me into a fairy. I wanted to laugh, to tell him he was crazy, but what if he wasn’t crazy? I mean, I had felt different after drinking the potion, powerful.

  I remember trying to process everything he was telling me, and asking him why he had turned me into a fairy. He smiled and told me that humans who can become shifters are a rare commodity. The word commodity worried me, rightfully so, as it turned out. He explained he was something called a Matchmaker, an immortal being who sold humans with Sanmere in their blood to the highest supernatural bidder—in this case, evidently a fairy. He smiled then and told me I was destined to be a queen—that I had been bought by a powerful fae king and I would be his mate.

  I’m not sure why he thought that was something to smile about. I didn’t want to be a fairy, or a queen. I just wanted to be a student, to live my normal, boring life. But it wasn’t to be, according to Paul, and when I begged him to just let me go, he told me I was worth too much money to him for that.

  He took my cell phone and my bag, leaving me with nothing but the journal I am writing in now and a single pen. He flicked through my journal and when it became clear what it was and I begged him to let me keep it, he shrugged and threw it back down beside me.

  He told me that the fae king, Fabian, who had bought me was powerfu
l, and that I had done well for myself. He also told me that Fabian wasn’t someone to be messed with. That I must just accept my fate and make the best of it, because if I tried to run, Fabian would find me, and when he did, he would make me sorry. He finished up by telling me Fabian would be here tomorrow.

  He left the basement then, waving his hands around and leaving a shimmery wall across the door. As soon as he left the room, my bonds broke and I ran to the door. The shimmery wall acted like an electric fence, stunning me and throwing me backwards. I gave up trying to get through it after the third useless attempt. All I was doing was frying myself.

  And now I sit writing here, trying to make sense of my predicament. And the more I think about it, the more I don’t think I’m crazy. This is really happening to me. I know it is. And from what Paul has told me, there is no escape. Maybe I should just embrace my new life.

  I mean, fairies are meant to be kind, right? Maybe I will like Fabian. Maybe it will be like a whole romantic thing where we fall hopelessly in love. Now I think maybe I am crazy, because I’m pretty sure that’s Stockholm Syndrome and I certainly don’t want to go there. Although if everything Paul has told me is true, there’s no escape for me, so maybe it will be better than a lifetime of misery.

  I guess there’s nothing left for me to do but try and get some sleep and first thing in the morning, try to figure out how the hell I am going to get out of this. And that, I think, is my answer as to whether or not I am crazy. I’m not crazy. Not even a little bit, although I fear I might end up that way after a few days with Fabian. Until then, though, I’m as sane as I’ve always been. And somehow, all of this is real and it’s really happening to me.