DangerouslyForever (23 page)

“Don’t try to talk. I’m going to count to three and then
bring your arms down. One…two…three.”

Pain.

She screamed at the top of her lungs.

He gathered her in his arms. This wasn’t a dream. He was
here. No one had arms like him. No one held her like him. No one smelled as
good as him.

“You came for me,” she said, slurring her words.

“I told you I’d always find you.”

“Kids?”

“They’re home with Eva. Missing you.”

She buried her face in his chest. She missed them too. She
missed
him
. “I left them.”

“They understand why. Max said you did it to protect them
because mothers always protect their kids.”

She nodded.
That’s right.

“Alharad. He’ll find me.”

“Don’t worry about him. He wants you gone. Immediately.”

“Can’t leave. Zoey…little girl.”

“We have her, and two more little boys.”

She sighed with relief. If Kiehle had Zoey, then she would
live. He’d take them to Eva, who would see after their care.

“Stay with me, Ally.”

She couldn’t. She wanted to. Oh how she wanted to. “Too
late. I’m dying.” She coughed up blood, feeling the metallic taste on her
tongue. “Tell…tell…the kids…I love them.”

Her head swam. It felt so full, so heavy.

“I won’t let you die.”

Her equilibrium seemed to tilt on its axis, making her
stomach churn. She just wanted to die in peace. She wanted to let go. She
wanted him to
let
her go.

“You have to live,” he said as she bounced in his arms. “We
have to bond.”

Bond. That would have been nice.

“Me, you and the kids. We have to bond and become a family.”

“Bonded…kids?” she tried to ask.

“All of us. Don’t leave us, Ally. They need a family.” His
breath came out in hard pants. She bounced forcefully. She couldn’t see but it
felt as if he was running. “
I
need a family.”

“Hurry,” someone shouted.

She’d recognize Taio’s boisterous voice anywhere.

“I love you,” Kiehle whispered.

It’s too late.

But she would die in the arms of her protector.

Ally let herself slip away.

Ally woke to a door slamming. The sound seemed to rock the
house. Then running across the floor upstairs.

“Stay out of my room!” Zoey shrieked.

“Ow,” Max yelled.

Ally grabbed her pillow, covered her face with it and
groaned. “Not again,” she muttered.

Santa stirred at her feet. The hulking
nekran
had
taken to sleeping at the foot of their bed. As large as a Great Dane, he took
up quite a bit of space.

“Whose idea was it again to add a second story to the house
and put the kids’ rooms upstairs?” Kiehle asked.

Stomp. Stomp. Stomp.

She clutched the pillow in her hands. “It seemed like such a
good idea at the time.”

“I can’t have anything for myself without boys touching it
with their grubby hands,” Zoey yelled, clearly just steps from their door.

“This teenage stage,” Kiehle said. “How long does this last,
exactly?”

“Oh baby. We have a ways to go,” she teased.

Without knocking, Zoey burst through the door.

“Good morning, Sunshine,” Kiehle said. He used the name he’d
started to call her whenever she was in one of her moods.

“Dad, I’m so serious. They keep going through all my
things!”

“And mine too,” Yoshi added.

They hadn’t been “Kiehle” and “Ally” since the bonding
ceremony on Drazlan over two months ago. The ceremony hadn’t been just for her
and Kiehle, but had included the kids as well. Ally couldn’t explain the magic
behind the ceremony, but the love she felt for Kiehle and the kids had been
magnified tenfold. There were no doubts in her heart or mind. They were a
family.

And she hadn’t been the only one who’d felt it. Immediately
after the ceremony, the kids had called them “Mom” and “Dad” and it had felt as
though the kids had used those names for all their lives.

Ally loved it.

“I’m sure they have no need for your things. They’re boys,”
Kiehle said, loud and exaggeratedly so that the eavesdropping boys could hear
him.

Giggles erupted from outside the door.

“Argh! See what I mean? Yoshi and I can’t even talk to you
and Mom in private.”

“Private? I’m sure the new neighbors can hear you screaming
on the other side of the lake.”

“No one understands what we’re going through,” Zoey said,
being overdramatic, as was her custom. But Ally wouldn’t have her any other
way. Zoey had been through hell and back. If she wanted to flip out about her
personal belongings, she could.

“A little help here,” Kiehle whispered.

Ally made sure to wipe off her smile before she removed the
pillow and sat up in bed. Santa let out a big yawn and turned the other way. Of
the two
nekran
s, he was the biggest and laziest. The kids could scream
and yell at the tops of their lungs and he wouldn’t be disturbed.

“Max, Joseph and Mikey Xochis,” she called to the three boys
who had caused all this trouble so early in the morning. “Come in here this
instant.”

One by one they entered the room, trying to stay as far away
from Zoey as they could. Rudolph—or Rudy, as they called her—followed behind
them. She jumped on the bed and planted herself next to Santa. The
nekrans
were a part of the family just as the kids were.

Age-wise, Max was in the middle, but she knew he was the
ringleader. Joseph was ten and Mikey was seven. They looked as different as
night and day. Joseph was Native American and Mikey was Caucasian, but they
were all brothers and they were her and Kiehle’s kids.

“Please tell me why you keep going into your sisters’
things? They have nothing you could want or need.”

That’s when Mikey came from behind his older brothers. He
was covered in makeup. It looked as if someone had tried to draw an
enlightenment tattoo on his face, neck and chest.

“Oh my,” she said.

“We were trying to make a warrior tattoo like Dad’s,” he
said.

Kiehle’s mouth dropped open, love and pride on his face.

“You’re supposed to be impartial,” Ally said under her
breath.

“We’re sorry. We won’t do it again,” Max said.

Kiehle looked from the boys to Ally. She just sighed and
shook her head. “I’ll deal with Zoey and Yoshi.”

“What? What do you mean?” Zoey asked, confused.

Kiehle slipped from bed and went to the boys. “Who’s next?”
he asked, walking them out of the room.

Zoey and Yoshi both shrieked.

Ally got out of bed and went to them, putting an arm around
both. “How about we get dressed and take a day trip to Tolanis? We can find you
something to wear for when you speak with the Galactic Council.”

Zoey pouted. “Did you have to bring that up now?”

“What? Are you getting cold feet? I thought you were all
gung-ho about speaking to them. Weren’t you the one who insisted on it?”

“I am. They need to take more responsibility for all the
orphaned human children. I’m just a little nervous.”

“Don’t be nervous, Zoey, we’ll all be there with you,” Yoshi
said.

Ally gave Zoey’s arm a light squeeze and kissed Yoshi on the
top of her head. “She’s right. You have nothing to be nervous about. Two of the
people you’ll be talking to will be Uncle Taio and Uncle Kane. You’ve practiced
your speech on them a million times. You’ll knock ’em dead.”

Zoey looked up at her, brown eyes even darker with emotion.
“You think so?”

“I know so.”

Zoey straightened her shoulders. “Yeah, let’s go get me a
new dress.” She smiled at Ally. “And new makeup.”

“You guys have fun.” Yoshi slipped her hand into Ally’s. “I
want to stay and get a tattoo with Daddy.”

Ally kissed her on her forehead. “Go on.”

Ally and Zoey watched her run away. Yoshi was enthralled
with having a big sister and Zoey doted on her. Yoshi wanted to do everything
just like Zoey. They were the best of friends. But when it came to training,
Yoshi would happily put away all things girly and tussle with the boys. Ally
didn’t have a doubt that one day she’d have her own enlightenment tattoo.

Zoey put an arm around Ally’s waist. “I’m sorry to wake you
up so early. I just couldn’t help it. They get on my nerves sometimes.”

“I know.”

“But they’re my family.”

“Right.”

“Thanks for getting us out of the brothel.”

“That was all Dad’s handiwork. He wouldn’t have left any of
you behind.”

“There are so many more kids out there like we were, lost
and afraid with nobody taking care of them.”

“I know,” Ally whispered.

“It’s not right. They deserve a second chance at a good
life.”

“And that’s why I think you’re the perfect person to get the
Galactic Council to take action. They need to put a face to the atrocities that
are going on.”

“Do you think I can make a difference?”

“Honey, you are going to rock their world.”

“Maybe they’ll give me a seat on the council?”

“Whoa, one thing at a time. Find a dress and get new makeup
and then you can have dreams about taking over the universe.”

Zoey chuckled. “I love you.”

“I love you too.”

“Zoey,” Kiehle yelled, his voice booming from upstairs. “Do
you have any more of this blue stuff?”

Zoey rolled her eyes. “I can’t believe they’re using my eye
shadow. Aunt Sa’Mya ordered that special for me.”

“Kiehle…” Ally yelled back, about to tell him to put the eye
shadow down, but Zoey stopped her with a hand on her arm.

“It’s okay, Mom. I can replace it.”

“Are you sure?”

Zoey smiled and nodded. “I am.” She walked toward the door.
“Here I come,” she screamed up to him.

When she left, Ally sat on her bed between Rudy and Santa.
They nuzzled closer to her as she reached out to pet them both. “This is the
life. I couldn’t have prayed for anything better.”

A.M. Griffin is a wife who rarely cooks, mother of three,
dog owner (and sometimes dog owned), a daughter, sister, aunt and friend. She’s
a hard worker whose two favorite outlets are reading and writing. She enjoys
reading everything from mystery novels to historical romances and of course
fantasy romance. She is a believer in the unbelievable, open to all
possibilities from mermaids in our oceans and seas, angels in the skies and
intelligent life forms in distant galaxies. She has multi-publications in other
genres under a different pen name.

A.M. welcomes comments from readers. You can find her
website and email addresses on her
author
bio page
at
www.ellorascave.com
.

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Fondled
and Gobbled: Back for More
anthology

Fondled
and Gobbled: Going Back For Seconds
anthology

Loving
Dangerously 1: Dangerously Mine

Loving
Dangerously 2: Dangerously Yours

Loving
Dangerously 3: Dangerously Hers

Loving
Dangerously 4: Dangerously His

Fondled
and Gobbled
anthology

Loving
Dangerously 1: Dangerously Mine

Loving
Dangerously 2: Dangerously Yours

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Dangerously Forever

ISBN 9781419947773

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Dangerously Forever Copyright © 2014 A.M. Griffin

Cover design by Fiona Jayde Media

Cover photography by Mina Carter Designs

Electronic book publication December 2014

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