Authors: Nicky Charles

Tags: #Romance, #Suspense, #Paranormal, #werewolves, #angst, #lycans, #law of the lycans

The Road to Redemption (49 page)

“Damien?” Sam
had grown tired of waiting for him. She’d pulled on a t-shirt and
yoga pants and, hearing an unfamiliar voice, had headed downstairs
to see who was keeping him from her bed.

As she
descended the steps it became apparent it was a Lycan. Male.
Powerful. Deadly. She slowed her pace as she analyzed the scent
emanating from him. Who the hell was this and what was he doing in
her territory?

Her inner wolf
raised its hackles, preparing to defend the pack against this new
threat and by the time she reached the bottom of the stairs she was
in full Alpha mode. Damien tried to pull the door shut just as she
reached it, but he was too late. She yanked it out of his hand and
then stood in the doorway shooting questioning glances between her
mate and the strange Lycan. “Who’s this?”

“An old…
acquaintance.” Damien replied, clearly not pleased she’d made an
appearance. He tried to step in front of her but she firmly took
her place at his side.

“My name is
Elijah Stone.” The male eyed her up and down then lifted his
chin.

“Sam Harper.”
She snorted at his posturing and put her hands on her hips. This
Elijah dude was impressive and, if she didn’t already have her own
mate, she might have found him interesting. About Damien’s height,
solid muscle, dominant. But where Damien’s eyes sparkled, this
man’s were deadly serious, almost flat as if he’d forgotten the joy
of living; his last name—Stone—suited him. And there was no quirk
to the corner of his mouth, no playful sexual aura about him. An
order from this man would have most Lycans turning belly up. Good
thing she wasn’t most Lycans. “What are you doing in my territory?
Passing through or reporting in for a prolonged visit?”

Stone didn’t
answer her, instead casting a look at Damien. “You chose well.
She’s a good mate for a warrior.”

A warrior?
She’d never considered Damien a warrior, but it appeared to be
Elijah’s mindset. It would be easy to picture the man in fatigues
and dog tags, a gun slung over his shoulder or a knife in his
hand.

“We’re good
for each other.” Sam stepped closer to Damien, bristling at being
ignored. “And you didn’t answer my questions.”

Stone looked
at her and inclined his head. “Passing through.” His voice was
deep, guttural, and she barely held back a shiver at the sound of
it.

“And my
severance package?” Damien put his arm around her shoulders,
holding her protectively close.

Sam frowned,
wondering what was going on. While she wanted to ask, she didn’t
want to let on to Stone that she and Damien had any secrets from
each other. Damien’s past was something they’d only started to
explore. He had a rogue’s natural reluctance to share, and she knew
it would take time to uncover all the demons that lived inside
him.

Elijah shook
his head. “No need to worry. What I’ve observed matches the records
I retrieved from Deirdre. You won’t be seeing me again.”

Damien didn’t
let his relief show but, because she was pressed against his side,
Sam felt the fractional relaxing of his muscles. Whatever this
‘severance package’ had entailed, she didn’t have any doubts that
it wasn’t good. And knowing Damien, he would have taken off rather
than stay and allow danger anywhere near their pack. Thank heaven
she wouldn’t have to go tracking him down again! Another trip to
Stump River wasn’t part of her plan. The place was probably still
frozen rock solid despite spring being just around the corner.

“And what
about the others?” Damien asked. “The rest of the
organization?”

“Everyone gets
what they deserve in life. I just make sure it happens.” Stone’s
voice was as expressionless as his face, but Sam was sure she saw a
hint of emotion behind his flat, black eyes. Was it sorrow? Perhaps
the man wasn’t quite made of granite. “There’s only one I’m still
looking for. A man named Dante.”

“Dante?” Sam
looked at Damien. He hadn’t even flicked an eyelash in response to
hearing the man’s name. Too bad she hadn’t controlled her own
reaction better for Elijah immediately focused all his attention on
her.

“You know
him.” It was a statement, not a question. Stone narrowed his eyes.
“Where is he?”

Damien pulled
her protectively closer, a warning rumbling in his chest. “Sam only
knows him in passing. Dante came looking for me. And before you
ask, we weren’t friends and I’ve no idea where he’s hiding his
sorry ass.”

Stone flicked
a look between the two of them, seeming to weigh the veracity of
their statement and finally nodding. “There’s no scent of deceit
about you. I will look for him elsewhere.”

Without
another word, he turned and left.

Sam remained
silent until Stone was out of earshot and then let free the shiver
she’d been holding back. “What was that about?”

“My past. For
a minute I thought it was going to bite me in the butt.”

“I’m glad it
didn’t.” She reached behind him and pinched his rear. “I’m the only
one allowed to bite this.”

“Really?” Her
playful attitude helped defuse the tension she sensed in him and a
wicked grin curled his lips. “Perhaps we should go back upstairs so
you can check the area out.”

She laughed
and he swung her into his arms and spun her around. As he turned to
carry her inside, she caught a glimpse of Elijah, now nearing the
end of the street. There was a deadly determination about the man,
but also a sadness.

Silently, she
wished him luck. Everyone deserved to be happy in life, even those
who seemed to be made out of stone.

~FIN~

Hello readers!

Thank you for reading my book. If you enjoyed it,
please leave a review at your favourite retailer.

This story was the
sixth story in my Lycan series. I have ideas for several more
installments provided my muse cooperates. Daniel and Tessa still
need to be sorted out. Armand is pining away and now the mysterious
Elijah Stone has appeared! As well, there are several new
characters dancing about in my head, all clamouring to be brought
to light. If all goes as planned, I will be busy writing for the
next several years.

In the meantime, you
might want to check out Forever In Time. It was the first original
story I’d ever written and has just been revised and
republished.

-Nicky

The Law of the Lycans
Series

The Mating

The Keeping

The Finding

Bonded

Betrayed: Days of the
Rogue

Betrayed – Book Two:
The Road to Redemption

Connect with Me:

Email:
[email protected]

Or
[email protected]

At my website:
http://www.nickycharles.com