Authors: Sky Winters
ROMANCE: BIKER ROMANCE: Werewolf Rider (MC Shifter Pregnancy Romance) (New Adult Paranormal Romance Short Stories) (21 page)
As JP herded Azalea out towards the Tahoe another scream cut through the still mountain air. A very large and angry mountain lion cruised out from behind the big black truck. Its eyes passed over Azalea’s body before zeroing in on JP.
“Hello there, Luke. So good to see you’ve showed up.” He shoved Azalea behind him, “I’m afraid I don’t have time for you.”
Luke bared his teeth and hissed; an open challenge for JP. Luke was determined to end this insanity once and for all.
JP dragged Azalea back towards the porch and shoved her through the door and locked her in. She needed to be there when he was done killing her boyfriend. He tossed his leather jacket aside and quickly stripped. JP shifted into his own cougar form and leapt on Luke.
Azalea tugged and banged on the door, “Help me! Someone let me out!” she screamed. She hollered and banged and kicked, all the while forced to listen to the shrieks and growls of the big cats fighting in the yard. She dashed over to the window and peeked through the curtains.
She couldn’t tell the two apart. Both cats were the same color and nearly the same size. Teeth and claws flew, ripping into furry flesh and delicate ears. Azalea gasped when one cat climbed on the back of his rival and bit down on his neck.
The suffocating cat slowed, stumbling around trying to get his bearings to get away. Azalea watched the top cat adjust its grip on his rival’s neck and bear down harder. She had never felt so impotent in her entire life. All she could do was wrap her arms around her growing waist and pray that Luke wasn’t the one dying.
She allowed herself to mourn for the fallen cat as it hit the ground and stopped moving. Hot tears streamed down her face as she stared at the winner, who didn’t move for several minutes.
When finally, the cougar let go he shook himself and shifted back. Azalea’s heart leapt when she recognized Luke’s strong form limping towards the house. The doorknob jiggled and rattled, still firmly locked. A moment a heavy bang struck the door, followed quickly by a second, then a third. On the fourth, Luke’s oversized frame tore the door off its hinges.
“Luke!” Azalea cried as she ran to him. The man was a little wobbly on his feet, but scooped Azalea up into his arms anyway.
“You’re alive!” Azalea kissed Luke hard while wrapping her arms and legs around him. She refused to let go for fear he wasn’t real.
“Azalea. I can’ breathe!” Luke forced the words through his teeth.
“I’m sorry. I’m just so happy you’re alive.” She loosened her grip and slithered off of him.
“Did JP hurt you?” Luke’s hands traveled over her body searching for any signs of injury.
“No. I’m fine. How hurt are you?” Azalea stepped back to look him over. Luke’s body was decorated with a few welts and bruises, but was otherwise physically okay.
“Just a few scratches.” Luke peered out the window. The corpse of the big cat had shifted back into the form of a very battered and broken man. The body didn’t move, but from the distance the body lay, they couldn’t tell if he was breathing. Judging from the angle his head was hanging, they assumed not.
“How did you find me?” Azalea asked.
“Melanie told me. She and her husband came with me to find you. I left them to take out JP’s cronies. Zara had taken off with the third guy waiting in another car. Mel told me everything. I guess Zara was the one that filled in JP about you being pregnant.” Luke cast down his eyes, “I am so sorry, Azalea. I should have known. I put you in danger… I should have just left you alone.”
Azalea smacked his hand, “Leaving me alone would have been the most stupid thing you could have done. You’d have left me to raise this baby myself?”
“You’d have told me?” Luke seemed surprised.
“Of course I would have, dummy.” Azalea took a deep breath to collect herself, “Look. Don’t blame yourself. I’m okay and you survived your fight, can we just go home now?” Exhaustion had settled deep in Azalea’s bones. She really needed to lie down in her own bed.
“Of course. Grab the keys to the Tahoe and we’ll head out. Melanie and her husband will be joining us in a designated meeting place.” Luke wrapped his arm around Azalea’s shoulders and planted a kiss on her head, “I’m glad my two babes are safe.”
The End.
BONUS BOOKS
My Boston home passed before my eyes, and I squirmed impatiently, wishing the train could move just a little bit faster. I had the unpleasant concern that my parents would rise from their slumber and know exactly where I was. They would somehow be able to come after me and drag me back home, kicking and screaming, to marry that awful Mr. Plumb. I shuddered at the thought of him – he was an old, wealthy man, uglier than sin and meaner to boot. My mother had been determined to see us wed for the past year and now that she had Father on board, it seemed there was nothing left to stop them from sending me off to my doomed fate.
I clutched the newspaper in my hand and looked down at the ad I had circled. It seemed to have been placed there just for me. I'd been desperate to escape the wedding my parents had been planning without my say. Father and Mother had been busy setting up details when I saw the paper lying on the doorstep, perfect and crisp. I normally don't read the paper, but for some reason I felt compelled to pick this one up. Lucky thing I did, too, otherwise I would have been Mrs. Plumb, wife of Mr. Robert Plumb of Boston, Massachusetts within the next few days.
The ad was mysterious and straight forward.
Wanted: Mail Order Bride
I need a wife, but there is no requirement for love or child birth, and you have the ability to do what you please. All that I ask is that you grant me the same. My business is my own.
There was an address listed in the Sierra Nevada Mountains, and I read and re-read the peculiar ad over again, my brain working fast. If I married the man who had placed it, then I couldn't be married to anybody else. My doomed fate to Mr. Plumb, who had known me since diapers and always made me feel a little sick when he looked at me, would be nonexistent. I would be able to make my own way, wife of a man who didn't seem to care what I thought of him or what he did.
I knew Mr. Plumb was much different. He was always seeking attention and approval from the people around him, especially women like Mother and I. He, and everybody else it seemed, thought she and I were the prettiest women they'd ever laid eyes on. It would have been flattering but for the slew of marriage proposals that I received, setting my parents on a quest to make sure I was betrothed to Boston's most eligible bachelor.
Unfortunately, Mr. Plumb was the wealthiest, and he had known my father for many years. When Father was just a boy, Plumb had apprenticed him as a banker and done him a great kindness, launching him into a wealthy career. I grew up in a fine, luxurious home with a wealthy father and expensive tastes because of Mr. Plumb's interest in my father. And so when he asked for my hand, Mother thought it only appropriate to return his kindness by handing me directly over.
I could tell Father was reluctant, but soon he agreed with mother's logic. Mr. Plumb would officially be a part of our family, elevate our level in society, and see to it that I was well-kept. Poor Father would be devastated when he realized I was gone, but maybe he would understand how much I hated Mr. Plumb. He hadn't liked the idea of sending me off to marry him at first, we all knew of the man's monstrous habits, especially toward women. I doubted he would question my reason for wanting to escape. The whole thing gave me a headache the longer I thought about it. Instead, I turned my thoughts to my destination, a wind of excitement fluttering in my chest.
The Sierra Nevada Mountains. I had heard many tales of the west as a girl growing up and had dreamed of going there ever since I was a child, but I had been so sheltered from anything outside my town that nothing could prepare me for the realities of country living. I knew it would be rough and tumble, but that was all part of the allure. I was excited and confident even though I knew it could be difficult for me to adjust. Either way, I knew that a life of adventure and mystery would be better than a lifetime of living out the role as Mr. Plumb's obedient little wife. That's not the life I imagined for myself. Instead, I had always longed for adventure, and a chance to move out from the restrictive life I lead for an opportunity to finally live on my own terms. That's what the ad had promised.
I had to take the chance that a new life in the mountains would be better than the life I lived at home. The man I was meant to marry there might just be better than Mr. Plumb – chances were low that he could be any worse. I was eager to live the types of stories I had always heard from travelers and friends of the family who had been able to enjoy areas of the countryside that I could only dream of, and decided from that point on to keep my focus on the trail ahead of me and to never look back.
Chapter 2
I wakened from a deep, unsound sleep to discover that the train was pulling to a stop in the Sierra Nevada Mountains. My heart thudded quickly, and I hoped that the man, who signed his letter with the mysterious initial, “B.,” had received my correspondence telling him I'd bought the ticket and was on my way. He had mailed me a letter with the fare for my train ticket and a generous amount as a stipend, claiming it would be dangerous to travel with any more money than that and that I would receive my full payment upon arrival. He was right, of course. A lady traveling alone was just asking for trouble. I kept to myself and tried to ensure that I wouldn't stand out, keeping the curtain on my compartment drawn.
Now that I had finally arrived, I felt nervous and briefly reconsidered the safety of my actions. I had just enough money for a return ticket back to Boston, but there awaited an even worse fate. I could take up with a group of hobos and run away, where I didn't know, but my looks were certain to attract danger to myself in that scenario as well. I had one last chance to change my mind, or change my life forever.
I took a shuddering breath and stood on shaky legs, walking toward the exit of the train with the small suitcase of belongings I had packed. “B.” had told me I would be provided with plenty of outfits if I wanted to travel light, and so I'd only chosen the best two dresses I owned and a few personal affects to bring along with me on the journey. The bag was light but burdensome, and the conductor tripped all over himself to help me carry it off the train, setting it tidily beside my feet as he walked off to tend to other passengers. His eagerness brought attention once again to my attractiveness, but I had no time to think anything of it, good or bad, as I was nearly sick with nervousness.
Suddenly, a clear voice rang out from the crowd.
“Daisy Adams?” he asked, with an intoxicating southern drawl. Gooseflesh on my arms stood out, though I couldn't put my finger on why.
I nodded dumbly, unable to locate the face that belonged to the voice in the crowd. Soon, I was looking into the broad chest of a tall man in flannel. He looked down at me and I gaped in disbelief at his kind, handsome face. His eyes were narrow, the brightest shade of blue I had ever seen. He had a strong and philosophical look about him. I imagined he spent a lot of time working with his hands and exploring the stunning scenery of the mountainside. Of all the people I had imagined meeting when I answered that ad in the paper, this exceedingly masculine man wasn't even on the charts.
He tipped his hat to me and I saw black locks of hair brushing his forehead. He wore his hair pulled back in a ponytail behind his head. He offered his hand to me and I reluctantly took it, unsure of what to expect. He brought my gloved hand to his lips, and I felt their warmth press through the fabric. It sent a private little thrill through me and I felt a flush creep across my cheeks as his face creased into a smile.
“Name's Blake, ma'am. Blake Turner. I'm sure glad you got here safe and sound. Was your trip all right?”
He didn't wait for me to respond before he lifted my suitcase easily and began moving through the crowd, expecting me to follow. My eyes roamed his lithe body, thoughts of what brides and grooms are meant to do on their wedding night fluttering through my mind. I'd heard plenty about it back home from a bold old woman named Mabel. My parents didn't much like my keeping her company, but I loved listening to her sordid tales every chance I got.
“Trip was fine, thank you,” I said, a little frustrated that he didn't turn around to face me when I spoke to him. It was as if he had no manners. Still, I could tell he was focused on the task at hand, and I exhaled deeply, telling myself to try to take everything one moment at a time.
“Nobody tried to be indecent with you did they?” he asked, his long strides pausing for a moment.
“No, I kept to myself,” I answered, looking around now that we had gotten out of the crowd. I froze in my tracks, unable to believe my eyes. The last twelve hours of nightfall had been too dark to see, and around six in the morning I'd fallen into my fitful sleep. It was about four in the afternoon now and suddenly the sky had opened up to reveal the most incredible landscape I had ever seen. The beauty of the Sierra Nevada Mountains against a bright blue sky and the fresh, crisp air suddenly brought tears to my eyes. He hadn't noticed, thankfully, and I attempted to compose myself as he led me to his wagon.