Destiny of Blood (Love of a Shifter Book 4) Read online

  “Come in.” Gabriel was sitting on the edge of his bed with his hands in his lap. He’d obviously been crying; his cheeks were still tear-streaked.

  “Gabriel, it’s going to be okay,” Sindrid reassured him.

  “She’s leaving us?”

  “No.”

  Gabriel rushed to Sindrid, throwing his arms around him.

  “I thought she’d left.”

  “No, she’s just worn out and asleep. Her wolf ran a long way to come back to us, but she did come back to us, Gabriel. You and me, buddy. We have some things to work out, but she’s here to stay.”

  Sindrid held Gabriel as he cried, but this time they were tears of happiness. They’d both stayed up all night waiting for her. It was only later in the day that he’d asked Gabriel to play a game with him so he could get his mind off of Lilly leaving him. The boy needed stability, and he was going to give it to him, along with his mate, Lilly.

  “Now let’s all get some sleep, then go have a great dinner and come back and finish the board game,” Sindrid suggested.

  “Okay.” Gabriel crawled back onto his bed, and before Sindrid could tell him to take his clothes off, he was already asleep. He stood at the end of the bed looking down on Jacob and Marie’s son. He looked like both of them, with his brown hair and beautiful eyes. Smiling, he took the blanket off the chair and placed it over him, then walked out. Joseph was standing in the hallway waiting for him.

  “She’s okay?” Joseph asked.

  “Like you weren’t listening.” Sindrid smiled back at his friend.

  “Well, sometimes words aren’t enough, so I didn’t know for sure.”

  “I’m sure you heard the right hook she got me with.” Sindrid held the side of his face.

  “Yeah, I heard that.” Joseph chuckled.

  “Wake us up around six so we can get ready, and let her brothers know that she’s home.”

  “They know already. Her brother let everyone know, and they’ll be in the private dining room tonight waiting for all of you.” Joseph arched an eyebrow as he delivered that news.

  “Family!” Sindrid just shook his head and walked back to his bedroom.

  Lilly was curled up on her side with her shoes still on. Her beauty always stopped him dead in his tracks, but he could still see the stress on her face. Never again would she doubt his love. He was going to make sure she knew how much he loved her, forever.

  Sindrid took his shoes, pants, and shirt off and crawled up the bed. Without moving her too much he slipped her shoes off, then grabbed the blanket and covered them up, pulling her flush against his body. He could smell the Colorado air in her hair from her run back to him.

  With her by his side he knew that everything was going to be okay. How he’d gotten through life without her was beyond his understanding now. Love was a crazy ride, and with Lilly and Gabriel he would have everything he ever wanted.

  Chapter 20

  Emerson could hear a beeping sound in the background as she slowly opened her eyes. Then it hit her; she could feel her arms and legs as she moved them around underneath the covers. Where was she now? Had she died and gone to heaven?

  Slowly she opened her eyes. There were beautifully carved wooden beams above her head. She thought she must have gone to heaven after all, until she heard her father’s voice.

  “Emerson.” She turned her head and found her father sitting beside her bed. He looked awful. She couldn’t remember ever having seen her dad with stubble before. He was always clean-shaven.

  “Dad?” she croaked out.

  “I’m here, baby. You’re safe now. The Unit got you out,” her father told her.

  “The Unit?” Emerson blinked her, trying to recall what had happened. Then the memories hit her like a ton of bricks, and she gasped, trying to breathe.

  “It’s okay, Emerson. It’s okay, baby. You’re safe now. They can’t hurt you anymore. Calm down.” Her father tried to soothe her, but all she hear was what that man had said about touching her and pulling her clothes off.

  She heard someone rush into the room and come to stand above her. Was that the man who was going to rape her? Emerson struggled, trying to get away from him. She heard her father’s spell, and then her eyes closed again.

  *****

  “Why did you come in here? Now she’s upset again,” Kingston Prescott snapped at Nash.

  “She’s my mate, whether you like it or not. So where she goes, I go.” Nash’s voice was calm, but he made sure that Kingston Prescott knew that he meant what he was saying.

  “It didn’t look like that to me. She looked like she was scared of you. Until my daughter claims you as her mate, you need to keep your distance. She needs to realize that she’s safe now.”

  Nash knew the man was right, but he still didn’t want to agree. She did look scared of him, and that worried him the most. What if Kingston tried to take her away from here before Nash could talk to her? He needed to talk to his Alpha and Jonas before he did something. Nobody, including her father, was going to take his mate away from him.

  Chapter 21

  Lilly opened her eyes. She could feel Sindrid’s body hugged up against her, and she loved the way his skin felt against hers. Her shirt had risen up enough that her back was touching his stomach.

  “How do you feel?” Sindrid’s rugged voice asked.

  She turned around and faced him. “I’m okay.” She watched as he smiled back at her.

  “I’m sorry for running away. No matter the reason, I should have told you why. I should have…” Lilly put her finger over Sindrid’s lips.

  “I understand, but don’t ever run from me again. Just tell me how you’re feeling, and I’ll understand, but the running’s got to stop.”

  “Okay.” He smiled. “I love you.”

  “I love you too.”

  Sindrid pressed his lips against her forehead then nuzzled her neck.

  “Make love to me,” she murmured.

  “Your wish is my command.” As cliché as it was, that sounded perfect coming from her mate. His mouth moved over hers, his tongue sliding past her lips. She could feel a shiver of excitement as he ripped her shirt off, then pulled the sweatpants she had on down and threw them to the side of the bed. His tongue traveled down her body, circling around her breasts and teasing her nipples.

  Her body arched off the bed, but her hands had found what she was looking for.

  “I’m trying to make this last, but if you keep stroking me like that this will be over before I get inside of you. I want this to last. I want to feel…”

  “Hush. I want it now, and that’s my wish,” Lilly said, echoing his earlier words.

  He moved up her body until he was between her thighs, holding them open further as he pushed inside, making her scream out.

  He waited until he she opened her eyes before he thrust in and out again slowly, watching her reactions. Her hands gripped his arms and squeezed as her orgasm began to climb closer and closer.

  Sindrid leaned forward and drew her nipple into his mouth, sucking hard until it was a stiff peak and then switching to work on the other one. She loved the feel of his tongue as he made small circles around her nipple. Then his thumb pressed against her clit and set her body on fire.

  Crying out, Lilly arched up, but Sindrid jerked her toward him. “Wrap your legs around me, baby. I’m going to fuck you hard. Are you ready?” Lilly smiled. She loved his dirty talk. She did as he asked, wrapping her legs around him and then pressing against him as he pushed further inside her.

  “You feel so good. I love you,” Sindrid muttered against her neck. She squeezed him as his fangs scraped the skin on the side of her neck where he’d placed his mark on her. She lost it and started coming when he licked over her mark.

  Her legs wrapped him tighter, making him lose control and thrust into her harder until she couldn’t take it anymore and came again. This time her fangs released, and she bit into him as he bit into her.

  As his fangs pierced her neck,
it felt like she was floating in the air. Her body felt different this time, as if something important was happening. Her body was changing; she could feel the difference.

  She released her mouth and gazed up at him. “Something feels different,” she whispered.

  “We’re fully mated now. You will be stronger, like me, and you’ll live forever. Every vampire that mates transfers their life force to their mate, who will live as long as the vampire does, which in my case has been a long, long time,” Sindrid explained, then bit into her breast, making her come again. Her head tilted back, and she moaned as the orgasm passed through her.

  “I love you.” Lilly’s voice was low as she drifted off to sleep. The changes in her body were taking all of her energy and making her sleepy.

  *****

  When she woke up, Lilly felt wonderful. She was still lying across her mate with the covers draped over them. “How do you feel?” Sindrid asked.

  She tilted her head so she could see his face, and answered with all honesty, “Wonderful. I’ve never felt this good before. Did you know that was going to happen?”

  “Yes. I’ve made a few vampires in my lifetime, and they all said that they felt stronger afterwards, so I figured that would be amplified with my mate. I should have told you, but I wasn’t thinking about it at the time. All I could think about was you, and making love to you finally knowing that we could be together.”

  Lilly smiled at Sindrid’s comment. “I wanted you too.”

  “I hear an impatient boy in the living room. He keeps asking when we’re getting up. You think he’ll be like this at Christmas, too?” Sindrid asked.

  Propping her head up on her hand, Lilly answered, “I hope so. I can’t wait to show that kid how much he’s loved. I think he needs that.”

  “I’m glad you feel that way about him. I know Jacob and Marie would want that for him. I think Jacob knew something was going to happen to him, and he wanted made sure to get Gabriel to me. I still feel like I should’ve been there for him.” Sindrid looked away. She could feel his grief for his friend.

  “I know you do, but Sindrid, this was meant to be, and if Jacob had hated you or was mad at you he wouldn’t have sent Gabriel to find you. He knew that the only person he could trust with his son was you. He loved you and wanted you to take care of Gabriel, and that’s exactly what we’re going to do. We won’t let him forget them.”

  “I love you,” Sindrid breathed out, and kissed her hard.

  Knock, knock, knock. “Are you guys up yet?” Gabriel whispered through the crack in the door.

  “We’ll be ready in a few minutes,” Sindrid replied. They both laughed and got up.

  “Look, we’re just mated and we already have kids,” Lilly chuckled as they walked into the shower.

  “I hope you’re ready for that.”

  “More then you know, my love.” Lilly smacked Sindrid on the butt and stepped into the shower.

  When she walked out of the bedroom, she found her favorite men waiting for her. She teared up as Gabriel ran up to her and hugged her tightly.

  “I’m glad you stayed,” he said, smiling as he looked up at her. He looked happy, and that made her smile even more. She wanted this boy to always look like that.

  “You look beautiful, baby,” Sindrid said with a wink.

  These were her men, and new members to her growing pack. They’d be members since she’d mated with Sindrid, and Gabriel was now theirs, too. She’d be just as responsible for him, and she loved it.

  “Thank you.” She looked at the men in her life. “You guys ready to eat?”

  Sindrid held out his hand for her. She took it and Gabriel’s, and then got in the elevator. “Your brother said that they had one of the rooms reserved for us so we could actually eat in peace.”

  “Sounds good to me. What are you going to get, Gabriel?” Lilly asked.

  “I want a steak.” Gabriel rubbed his belly. “Joseph said that he grew five inches in one year because he ate a lot of protein and worked out. He said that he would give me a work-out program so we could start training.”

  Lilly glanced over at Sindrid, who was smiling. “Joseph will be a great trainer for you. He knows a lot of martial arts.”

  Gabriel was the first to enter the small dining room, where her family and friends were waiting for them. Once they all entered, the room erupted into cheers. Her whole family was there, including the Unit members and Sindrid’s guards, who were wearing their formal robes.

  Ash and River ran up to her and hugged her. “Congratulations, Lilly. We’re so excited for you. You finally found your happiness,” River whispered in her ear.

  Lilly looked over at Sindrid and Gabriel, who were surrounded by her hugging family, and smiled. “Yeah, I guess I did.”

  “Fucking finally.” Ash nudged her with her arm.

  “What did you say?” Lilly pushed her back playfully.

  “Well, it was about time for you to find your happiness. However, I never thought you’d land a king and a son all in one week. Damn, girl, you work fast,” Ash teased.

  “Who are you to talk? You got two mates in one day, so I don’t want to hear about it.”

  “No really, sweetie, I’m so happy for you. You deserve it, and it’s so nice to have a boy in the immediate family. Now I can train with him and buy stuff for him. Until one of us has babies; then we can have a new nephew to buy stuff for and love on,” Ash remarked.

  She watched as her family hugged Gabriel as though he was he child, and she guessed he was. Her family would protect him and look after him as if she’d given birth to him herself. Even if more children came, Gabriel would always be thought of as Lilly and Sindrid’s child.

  Waiters started passing out glasses of champagne, and Larken stepped up to the front of the room.

  “Okay everyone, listen up. Sindrid, Lilly, and Gabriel, front and center.” The group cheered as Sindrid took Lilly by the hand and went to the front of the room with Gabriel. “I’ve been waiting for this day for a long, long, long time.”

  Lilly slapped her brother in the stomach. “Hey, it hasn’t been that long.”

  “No, it hasn’t been long enough, little sister. I knew this moment was going to come one day, but you’re never prepared for it. Lilly, you’ve turned out to be a smart and beautiful woman, and we knew whoever you picked as your mate would have to be someone special. I kinda like the guy you chose, and I’m happy to say he’s a friend and now a brother-in-law. But we can’t stop there, because we get someone extra in this deal, and that’s Gabriel.” Lilly grabbed a hold of Gabriel’s hand and kissed it. “I hope you know just how much we already care about you, Gabriel. We love you as part of our family and pack. You’ll never be alone again.” Larken walked over and hugged a crying Gabriel, who only had to hear that he would never be alone again before the tears streamed down his face.

  “So everyone raise your glasses to my family.” Larken held his glass in the air along with everyone else.

  “To family!” the room shouted.

  Chapter 22

  Emerson Prescott opened her eyes to a dim room. She looked around but didn’t recognize where she was at. It appeared to be a log cabin. Then her eyes found the man slumped in a chair beside her bed. He looked familiar, but she didn’t know who he was.

  She thought her father was here, or maybe she had dreamed that. Her throat was dry as a bone, and she could see the bottle of water sitting on the table, but nobody was around except the good-looking man, who was asleep.

  Never in her life had she needed a man to help her, and she wasn’t about to start now. She could get up and get her own water, and then maybe find out what the hell was going on.

  Slowly she got her legs untangled from the blankets and then turned them so they hung off the bed. She felt too weak to walk, but she was so thirsty that she braved it, tried to stand up, and fell to the ground. “Shit.” Her voice rang out in the room, which got her sleeping beauty to jump up.

  “Shit, are you
okay?” He ran to her side and lifted her up off the floor.

  “Who are you?” Emerson demanded.

  “I’m your mate.”

  The End

  ~ Now continue to look further and meet some of my friends like: KD Jones, Lori King, and R.E. Butler.

  Also by Bryce Evans

  The Ashland Pack

  The Trinity

  Big Bad Alpha

  The Love of a Shifter

  Once Forgotten: Twice Loved

  Healing Their Mate

  Destiny of Three

  Destiny of Blood

  Alpha City

  Obsessions

  Cravings

  Keep up with all of Bryce Evan’s new releases via her website:

  www.bryceevans.webs.com

  About the Author:

  Bryce Evans is a mother, wife, and author who loves to escape to the world she has built in the Ashland Pack and other stories. She burst onto the publishing scene with a hit in The Trinity. As an active police officer, Bryce needed another outlet from the pains of others. Writing filled that void.

  She loves talking to people who have the same tastes as she does and enjoys storytelling about vampires, werewolves, witches, and fairies.

  She loves to read books and write about places that come together in her head. She tries to write about what she knows and usually you will find some aspect of law enforcement in her writing.

  Travel with her to a world filled with vampires, werewolves, witches, and fairies were the paranormal run wild and romance blooms.

  Find out more about her current projects at www.bryceevans.webs.com or follow her on:

  Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Bryce-Evans/444645572279068?ref=bookmarks