Twisted rogues shifter s.., p.29
Twisted (Rogues Shifter Series Book 3),
p.29
“It’s a girl, and we’re going to name her Jacqueline.” I couldn’t think of what to say. I just shook my head in disbelief at the honor. “You saved my life, Jackie, and Philladre believes that when you healed me, you healed more than just my mind.” He smiled mischievously at my shocked expression. “Whatever the reason for this incredible gift we’ve been given, all of Faerie will celebrate Jacqueline’s birth and you will be honored here for all time.”
I looked at Garrett and shook my head in disbelief. Drawing me in closer he sent, “My love, you deserve this. Don’t argue with them, their minds are set. Now how do you feel about going home?” He sweetly kissed my cheek. When I looked into his amazing sapphire eyes and I saw relief and joy and love. His fear had been washed away with mine.
“I can’t think of anywhere I’d rather be.” I turned to Aedus. “Congratulations and thank you for this incredible honor. Please send Philladre my thanks as well. Lord Caelen, congratulations. As usual you are a treasured friend to Garrett and to me and I thank you for all that you’ve done." He nodded and smiled warmly, probably amused by my little speech.
I turned to Liam and Kellaine stepped quietly aside. I sent, “How can I thank you? I owe you so much,”
His eyes sparkled with relief. "Go home with Garrett and put all of this behind you.” He turned back to Kellaine who moved into his embrace without hesitation. She smiled at me before I took Garrett’s hand and stepped into the magic.
When we appeared in the kitchen, Bridgett was there cooking herself dinner. She squeaked and then ran to me, throwing her arms around my waist and giving me a huge hug. I took a look at the new blonde Bridgett and exclaimed, “Your hair looks great. Now we look a lot more like twins.” Her hair had been dyed black when I’d first met her.
She laughed, “Or we would if I was tall and gorgeous like you. But who gives a shit, are you better?”
“Yes, well at least I think so. I don’t feel so anxious. I’m definitely smiling more. We’ll have to wait and see.”
“I’ll make you some dinner, you must be starving.”
“Thanks, I am hungry for real food. But don’t make too much. I have to eat lightly for a day or so.” Samson was scratching at the patio door so I ran over to let him in. “Who’s my best faerie dog?” I gave him a huge hug and scratched him behind the ears then rubbed his belly as he wagged his stubby tail. I smelled assorted vampires and turned to see that the gang was watching me.
“You can scratch my belly any time, Jackie.” Sasha was grinning at me, looking like a movie star in his usual tight jeans and open button down white shirt. I stood up and grinned back even though Garrett was seriously glaring at him.
I teased him. “Instead of scratching your belly, maybe I’ll just stick a pin in that ego of yours. They’ll probably be able to hear the explosion in San Francisco.”
Laughing, Sasha gave me a little mock bow saying, “Welcome back, mistress.” Heinrich gave me a huge grin along with his usual polite nod and William actually gave me a tentative hug.
It occurred to me that William was sort of my brother-in-law, at least according to shifter customs, so I gave him a peck on the cheek and said, “Congratulations, William. You’re a brave man.” I heard Bridgett snort and then start laughing.
“Yeah, you’re feeling better, alright.”
I walked over to Garrett and gave him a playful shove for getting riled up over Sasha’s flirting. I sent, “I don’t need protection from his silliness. You know he likes to get a rise out of people. Anyway, I think he’s done a good job as your second.”
“An excellent job, in fact. Why don’t you tell Will and Bridgett the good news?”
“Bridgett, Lord Caelen told me that William can visit you for six days every month, and that you’ll be given those days off. You can break it up into three and three or just take the six in a row. He’ll be restricted to your suite of rooms and two designated common areas. You’ll be able to text each other whenever you want, as long as you’re not at work, and you can call him once every night between 11:00 PM and 1:00 AM and talk for no more than thirty minutes. The fae don’t like cell phone signals. I think that this arrangement is extremely generous and…”
I couldn’t get anymore out because Bridgett had rushed to hug me with so much enthusiasm that I stumbled backward into Garrett. “Thank you soooo much. You are the best sister on the entire planet.” Then she ran to William and threw herself into his arms and they laughed as he spun her around.
Heinrich was shaking his head. “Ain’t love grand, Sash?”
“Yeah—I guess.” Sasha's wistful tone made me glance in his direction. Surprisingly I sensed a fleeting stab of envy toward the young couple. He turned his gaze toward mine and slowly smiled, knowing I’d caught him in a vulnerable moment, but also certain that I wouldn’t tell a soul. He winked at me and then switched gears.
“Let’s go feed, Rick. You coming, Will?” We could see that William was torn, but Bridgett gave him a shove toward the others and went back to the stove to finish the meal. The three of them left and so I sat down and ate dinner with my very excited and relieved sister. My handsome mate watched me, drinking a glass of red wine and looking as happy as I’d seen him look in a long time.
“So what’s next on the team calendar?”
Garrett started to tell me and the list made my heart race with excitement. The trip to rescue the werewolves' adopted kids in Los Altos would be difficult for Sinc, but getting them back safely would be a significant accomplishment for our team. I had no doubts that we’d find them and only hoped that they’d be healthy when we did. Taking care of Nathaniel had Garrett all excited. Apparently there was some discord in their past relationship which I’m sure he’d let me in on, eventually.
I’d need to help Rob with Flynn. He’d been moved to the hospital after trying to take his own life. He was angry and frightened and desperately needed to learn to accept his shapeshifter lion self. I’d speak to Flynn, and then maybe put my head together with Rob to see how we could better help other shifters in the same situation.
In a couple of months Kennet would be returned to Faerie, hopefully judged guilty and then executed. That meant that Isaiah would become my house guest while he trained me to tap into my demonic powers. Isaiah was kind of a wild card, which worried me, but if I could learn how to use a whole other set of powers then it was worth spending time with a demon.
At least the Vamp Villa should be finished by the time he shows up, so maybe we’d house Isaiah with the nest and see how that worked out.
And we might be going to Paris in May. I grinned in Garrett's direction, excited at the prospect of visiting such a lovely county. He caught me looking at him so he smiled his incredible smile and reached out to hold my hand. Suddenly, I wasn’t all that hungry anymore. “Bridgett…”
“Yeah, go ahead. I’ll clean up.” She giggled. “But remember, I’m leaving tomorrow at noon, so I’m going to be really selfish and ask for a little sister-talk time before I go. I’m kind of nervous.“
Garrett slapped his forehead. "Oh I completely forgot. Lady Dinestri said you could have an extra week, since you've hardly had any time with Jackie."
"Really?"
I laughed and promised to spend time with her tomorrow while Garrett reminded her that we were all her family now. He also reassured her by telling her that he’d take care of all the legal red tape connected to the sale of her house to Rogues, Inc. and the opening of the club, and would send her whatever had to be signed.
“Thanks bro.”
We held hands, heading not to the bedroom, but outside to the car. It only took around forty five minutes to make it up to our usual hunting spot. The night was absolutely perfect, with a nearly full moon and thousands of glittering stars. We shifted to cheetahs and hunted and playfully romped, renewing our bond in our own unique way. When we transitioned back, we laid a blanket on the ground and stretched out under the stars to celebrate our love for each other. Soon it would be fall and much too cold for naked stargazing and the rest, but tonight we took the time to work our own kind of magic and gently heal each other’s wounds.
We left our sanctuary, reluctantly, two hours before dawn, and drove down the mountain and along the roads that cut through the ancient redwood forests of northern California. Kennet’s phantom no longer haunted me among the giant sentinels. Now he had his own horrors to deal with and, I wasn't ashamed to say, I hoped they were excruciating. He'd killed his three wives, tortured his own people and turned me into his private S&M slave. No, I allowed myself to feel no guilt over the fate I'd assigned him. That softer part of me had been toughened by each stroke of his whip.
As Garrett drove, I shook off my dark thoughts and snuggled against him, feeling the vibration in his chest as he hummed along to a song on the radio, seeming as carefree and relaxed as I'd ever seen him.
“Mine,” I sent, making him chuckle and wrap his strong arm around me to pull me even more tightly against his body. Almost simultaneously, we took in a deep breath of each other's scents, wrapping comfort, security and love around us like a warm blanket.
I found myself grinning as a sublime sense of peace washed over me. Because of my own stubborn strength, Garrett's love and, of course, the efforts of friends and team members, my confidence was fully restored and my spirit once again opened without fear to whatever came next for us.
*********************************************************
OTHER BOOKS BY GAYLE PARNESS:
TWISTED is book three in the Rogues Shifter Series by Gayle Parness. In case you haven't had a chance, check out the first two books of the series:
Book One (Available Now) REBIRTH: Jackie discovers that she's not human, but instead part of a supernatural community. She trains with a group of young shapeshifters who become her close friends and allies and also meets Garrett, the magically powerful vampire who steals her heart. Together they face off against his destructive maker, Eleanor.
Book Two (Available Now) STALKED: Jackie and Garrett travel to Faerie to celebrate the Midsummer Solstice Ceremony, only to become the hunted enemies of a powerful fae lord who wants to claim Jackie as his own. At the same time, Garrett's team of rogues go undercover to find a female fae warrior who's disappeared without a trace. What and who they find instead, turns everyone's life upside down, forcing Jackie to have to choose between family and friendship.
And Continuing the saga:
Book Four (Available Now) BLOWN AWAY Jackie, Garrett and their team take on the difficult case of finding three teen boys who've gone missing from the werewolf pack where Sinc was raised. Through their investigation, they discover that more is at stake here than simply getting the boys back home, finding themselves entangled in a dangerous power struggle, which culminates in a vicious attack. With the discovery of some shocking information, Jackie and Garrett's relationship may be on the line, as well as their status as allies of the Fae Council.
Book Five: (Available Now) CAUGHT BETWEEN
Book Six: (Available Now) TORN APART
Book Seven in the Rogues Shifter Series will be available in late 2013
Visit me at http://www.gayleparness.com
Facebook: gayleparness-author
twitter: @gayleparness
tumblr: gaylesrogues
Twisted Book cover design by Tatiana Villa http://tat-94.wix.com/viladesign
Table of Contents
CHAPTER ONE
CHAPTER TWO
CHAPTER THREE
CHAPTER FOUR
CHAPTER FIVE
CHAPTER SIX
CHAPTER SEVEN
CHAPTER EIGHT
CHAPTER NINE
CHAPTER TEN
CHAPTER ELEVEN
CHAPTER TWELVE
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
CHAPTER NINETEEN
CHAPTER TWENTY
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE
CHAPTER THIRTY
CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE
CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO
CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE
CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR
CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE
CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX
CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVEN
CHAPTER THIRTY-EIGHT
CHAPTER THIRTY-NINE
CHAPTER FORTY
CHAPTER FORTY-ONE
CHAPTER FORTY-TWO
CHAPTER FORTY-THREE
CHAPTER FORTY-FOUR
CHAPTER FORTY-FIVE
CHAPTER FORTY-SIX
CHAPTER FORTY-SEVEN
CHAPTER FORTY-EIGHT
CHAPTER FORTY-NINE
CHAPTER FIFTY
CHAPTER FIFTY-ONE
CHAPTER FIFTY-TWO
CHAPTER FIFTY THREE'
CHAPTER FIFTY-FOUR
CHAPTER FIFTY-FIVE
CHAPTER FIFTY-SIX
CHAPTER FIFTY-SEVEN
CHAPTER FIFTY-EIGHT
CHAPTER FIFTY-NINE
CHAPTER SIXTY
CHAPTER SIXTY-ONE
CHAPTER SIXTY-TWO
CHAPTER SIXTY-THREE
CHAPTER SIXTY-FOUR
CHAPTER SIXTY-FIVE
CHAPTER SIXTY-SIX
CHAPTER SIXTY-SEVEN
CHAPTER SIXTY-EIGHT
CHAPTER SIXTY-NINE
CHAPTER SEVENTY
OTHER BOOKS BY GAYLE PARNESS
Gayle Parness, Twisted (Rogues Shifter Series Book 3)
