The Fairy Tales Collection (38 page)

“I have not won her back yet,” Artemis said
quietly.

“You will,” Rowan said.  “I know it.”  She
smiled at Rafe.  “I’ll meet you outside.”

When she was gone, Artemis grinned at
Rafe.  “I like your mate.  She has a fiery spirit.”

“How did she know about Cassia?”  Rafe
asked.

Artemis shrugged.  “She’s very easy to talk
to.  She loves you very much, you know.”

“I know and I love her.  I’m biting her
tonight, Artemis.  Will you tell father that I won’t be joining the pack?  I
don’t want to see him, not after he kidnapped my mate.”

Artemis nodded.  “I’ll tell him.  He’s
going to be unhappy with the both of us.”

“What do you mean?”

“I have spent my entire life trying to make
our father happy, Rafe,” Artemis said.  “Now I’m going to do something that
makes me happy.  I’m leaving the pack and will marry Cassia if she’ll still
have me.  Tagon will become alpha and will do well at it.”

“What changed your mind?”  Rafe asked.

“You,” Artemis said bluntly.  “Your human
and the love you have for each other.  I’ll miss the pack but I can’t live
without Cassia.  Human or not – she’s my mate and I’d rather have her than my
pack.”

“You won’t be alone,” Rafe said.  “You’ll
have me and you’ll have Rowan.”

“Thank you.  I’ll call you in a few days,
all right?”

Rafe nodded and the two men embraced before
Artemis clapped him on the back.  “Go on, brother.  Claim your mate.”

* * *

They were barely in his den before he was
tearing at her clothing.  Laughing, she poked him hard in his flat stomach. 
“Rafe, wait a minute.”

“I don’t want to wait,” he growled before
picking her up and carrying her into the bedroom.  He set her down and quickly
stripped off both their clothing before pushing her on the bed and covering her
slender body with his.  She hooked her legs around his hips and cupped his
face.

“I love you, Rafe Taggert,” she said
somberly.

“I love you too, Rowan.”

“Are you sure?”  She asked.  “Even with the
age difference, even though I’m human and even though this means you’ll never
be part of your pack again?”

He didn’t hesitate.  “Yes.  Are you sure? 
If I bite you, you’ll never get rid of me.”

She laughed loudly before kissing him
affectionately.  “That sounds perfect to me, honey.”

He stroked her hair before licking a slow
path across the sensitive skin on her throat.  She moaned and arched her back
when he nibbled at her collarbone and he trailed kisses down her chest until he
reached one stiff nipple.  He circled it with the tip of his tongue as she
buried her hands in his hair.

“Rafe,” she moaned.

“Yes, my mate?”

“How much is this bite going to hurt?”

He sucked on her nipple until her hips were
rising and falling against him.  “Only a little, I promise.”

He switched to her other nipple, teasing it
until its pink colour had turned to a deep rose and her breathing was harsh
pants.  He traced her ribs with the tips of his fingers and let his fangs pop
out before placing sharp little nips along her pale skin.

She moaned and pushed at the top of his
head.  “My pussy, Rafe.  Eat it.”

“Yes, my mate,” he said with a slow grin.

He wedged his body between her pale thighs
and kissed the cluster of freckles on the inside of her left one before nipping
her with his fangs again.

She jerked and moaned again.  “Rafe, now.”

He buried his face in her pussy and pressed
his big hands against her inner thighs, opening her wide to him.  Her hands
pulled and tugged restlessly at his hair as he licked her clit and slid two
fingers deep into her warmth.  He sucked at her clit, teasing it lightly as he
thrust his fingers slowly.

She was moaning loudly, one hand still
tangled in his hair while the other squeezed the sheets in a tight fist.  Her
body was beginning to tremble and he lifted his head and kissed the small patch
of red curls.

“Look at me, my mate,” he whispered.

She stared obediently at him as he lowered
his mouth to her pussy and licked her clit with slow strokes.

“Oh God,” she whispered.  “Rafe, please, oh
please…”

Her begging turned into a shout of pleasure
as he sucked her clit into his mouth and her body shook with pleasure.  He held
her down, licking her clean and watching as she came down from the high of her
orgasm.

Her hands were clenching and unclenching in
the bedsheets and he kissed one hip before sliding off the bed.  He turned her onto
her stomach and rubbed her smooth ass.  “On your hands and knees, Rowan.”

Her body still visibly trembling, she
climbed to her hands and knees as he knelt on the bed between her thighs.  He
stroked her ass again before guiding his cock into her warmth.  She arched her
back when he breached her entrance and smiled at him over her shoulder.  He
gathered her hair in one hand and kissed the small of her back before moving in
long, slow strokes.

“Love you,” she panted. 

“Love you too,” he groaned. 

He pushed in and out of her, the smooth,
wet grip of her pussy pushing him closer and closer to the edge.  He reached
beneath her and rubbed at her clit as he leaned over her and pressed a kiss
against her right shoulder.

She was tensing in anticipation of his bite
and he licked the curve of her spine while he rubbed her clit firmly.  His
balls were tightening and he fought against his orgasm as she panted and moaned
beneath him.  Her small, tight ass slapped against his pelvis as she met each
of his thrusts and he licked her spine again as she relaxed and muttered his
name in a low plea.

When he pinched her clit, she uttered a
loud cry of pleasure and her pussy clamped down on his cock.  His own orgasm washed
over him and he howled loudly before sinking his fangs into the back of her
right shoulder.  She cried out, her back arching, and he gripped her hip
tightly with one hand as her pussy squeezed him exquisitely.  He anchored one
arm around her waist and withdrew his fangs.  He licked the mark – her blood
was sweet and delicious – until the small flow of red had stopped.  She was
shaking beneath him and he eased out of her before lowering her gently to the
bed.  He curled on his side next to her, kissing the flesh around the bite and
murmuring low words of comfort as she panted and trembled.

“I’m sorry,” he whispered.

She shook her head before rolling to her
side to face him.  “It’s fine.  It actually didn’t hurt that much or maybe I
was just coming too hard to notice.”

He smiled and kissed her lightly.  “You’re
mine now, Rowan.  Mine forever.”

“And you’re mine,” she whispered.  “I love
you, Rafe.”

“I love you, my mate.”

* * *

Fifteen months later

“So,” Belle sat down at the kitchen table
and grinned at Rowan.  “How was the honeymoon?”

“Fantastic,” Rowan replied.  “Fiji is
beautiful and the resort we stayed at was nearly empty.  We had such a good
time – thanks for recommending it, Ella.”

Ella squeezed her hand.  “I knew you’d love
it.  Duncan really wanted to go to Hawaii for our honeymoon but I convinced him
to try Fiji instead and we didn’t regret it.”

“I don’t know,” Belle said with a grin, “a
Hawaiian honeymoon was perfect for me and Ben.”

“I was a little worried that we’d miss
Cassia giving birth but Rafe talked to Artemis this morning and poor Cassia
still hasn’t had a single labour pain,” Rowan said.  “She’s almost four days
overdue now.  She’s terrified the kid’s going to weigh fifteen pounds when he
finally makes an appearance.”

Belle laughed.  “I know shifters are on the
large side but I don’t think that necessarily means they come out giant-sized
as babies.”

“You’d better hope not – your husband’s a
bear shifter and eight feet tall,” Rowan said.

Belle glanced at Ella who wiggled her
eyebrows at her before clearing her throat.  “Well, the both of us will soon
find out.”

Rowan, her cup of tea held halfway to her
mouth, stared at Ella.  “What did you just say?”

“I’m pregnant,” Ella said.

“Me too,” Belle said.

“Holy fuck,” Rowan whispered.

She stared blankly at them as Belle drank
the rest of her water and Ella said, “I’m thirteen weeks and Belle is twelve
weeks.  I was going to tell the both of you together when you came back from
your honeymoon but, well…”

Belle giggled softly.  “I dropped by to visit
her one morning and she was barfing her guts up in the bathroom.  That made me
throw up and then we both had to admit we were pregnant.”

She glanced at Ella and they both laughed. 
“Synchronized vomiting isn’t something we ever want to experience again.”

Rowan just stared silently at them and Ella
gave Belle a worried look before reaching for Rowan’s hand.  “Ro, honey, I’m
sorry I told Belle before I told you.  I really did mean to tell the two of you
together.”

“I did too,” Belle said.  “We weren’t purposely
trying to exclude you, honey.”

“I know,” Rowan said hoarsely.  “I – I’m
really happy for you both.  I swear.”

“Then what’s wrong?”  Ella asked.

“There’s nothing wrong, it’s just…” Rowan
trailed off and Belle and Ella gave each looks of confusion when she laughed
loudly.

“Ro?”  Belle said.  “What’s so funny?”

Rowan laughed again before staring down at
her flat stomach, “I’m pregnant too.”

Dead silence greeted her announcement and
she reached out and grabbed her two best friend’s hands.  “I’m eight weeks.  I
was going to wait until I was twelve weeks to tell you.”

“Holy shit,” Ella whispered.

“What she said,” Belle whispered.

“You really are pregnant?”  Ella said.

“I really am,” Rowan said solemnly.  “I’m
cooking a little wolf baby in my belly as we speak.”

Belle’s mouth dropped open and the three of
them burst into simultaneous laughter.  Bennett stuck his head into the kitchen
and gave them a curious look.

“Everything okay in here?”

“Yes,” Belle said as she giggled again. 
“Everything’s great, honey.”

“Okay.  Are you coming outside?  The steaks
are done and Duncan and Rafe are starving and about to start eating without
you.”

“We’ll be right there,” Belle said.

As Bennett left the kitchen she squeezed
Ella’s and Rowan’s hands.  “Come on, ladies.  Our handsome mates are waiting
for us.”

“Ashley, hurry up!”  The little girl
planted her fists on her hips and blew a strand of her long red hair away from
her face.  “We need to get there before they do!”

“I know, Caitlin!”  The dark-haired girl
said.  She scratched at a scab on her knee before adjusting her backpack.  “My
backpack is heavier than yours.”

“That’s because you put too many books in
it.”  A blonde girl, her hair gleaming in the sun, said matter-of-factly.  She
opened Ashley’s backpack and pulled out three books, shoving them into her own
pink bag before closing it and slipping her arms through the straps.

“Better?”  She asked.

“Yeah, thanks, Krysten,” Ashley said as
they followed the redhead through the knee-high grass.

“I don’t know why you brought books
anyway,” Caitlin said.  “We’re picnicking not reading.”

“Daddy likes it when I read to him,” Ashley
said defensively.

Krysten took her hand and squeezed it. 
“It’s okay, Ash.  I brought my sketchbook because Papa said he’d teach me how
to draw trees today.”

“Boring,” Caitlin said with a sweet grin. 
“Daddy’s going to teach me to hunt rabbits.”  She suddenly bared her teeth, her
small white fangs flashing at them as her eyes turned a light green and the
other two girls giggled at her.

They were approaching the edge of the woods
and Caitlin made a squeal of excitement as she dropped her backpack under a
large oak tree.  “We’ll set the blanket here.  It’s the perfect spot.”

The three little girls quickly set up the
picnic.  After arranging the blanket under the tree and carefully setting out
the sandwiches and fruit in their individual plastic containers, Krysten peered
into the trees.  “They’re late.”

“Maybe daddy stopped to pick a rose for
mommy,” Ashley said. 

“Or,” Caitlin said, her eyes flashing with
excitement, “maybe they’re fighting a cougar or a bear!”

Krysten rolled her eyes.  “There aren’t any
cougars left in the woods, you know that.  They probably – “

She stopped, her eyes turning a dark
yellow, as Ashley joined her at the edge of the woods.  The dark-haired girl
sniffed the air before growling happily as a thin layer of fur sprouted on her
face.  “Daddy!”

Bennett came striding out of the woods and
Ashley squealed happily when he picked her up and tossed her into the air. 
“Hello, baby bear.”

“Hi, daddy!”  She hugged him tightly and he
kissed her cheek before ruffling Krysten’s hair.

“Where’s papa, Uncle Bennett?”  Krysten
asked anxiously.

“Right here, kitty-cat.”

Krysten whirled around, a loud purr
reverberating in her chest, and ran to Duncan.  He picked her up, his own purr
starting, and rubbed his nose against hers.  “Did you bring your sketchbook,
peanut?”

“Yes, papa,” she said happily as Caitlin,
her tiny body stiff and her head cocked, stalked past them.

She lifted her head and sniffed the air
before grinning at a large clump of bushes.  “I can smell you, daddy.”

Rafe stepped out from behind the bushes and
winked at his daughter.  Caitlin bared her fangs at him and he laughed and
scooped her up, tickling her gently before carrying her toward the others. 
“What did your mama say about baring your fangs?”

“That it’s rude,” Caitlin said.  “But I’m
only practicing for when I catch a rabbit this afternoon.”

Rafe laughed again and carried her to the
blanket to join the others. 

“I made the sandwiches,” Ashley said, “and
Krysten made the lemonade and Caitlin cut up the fruit.”

“It looks delicious,” Bennett said.  “Thank
you for inviting us to your picnic.”

“Thank you for coming,” Krysten said in a
serious voice and the three men grinned at each other.

“Do you think mama is lonely?”  Caitlin
asked Rafe anxiously.

“No, honey.  She has your brother with her,
and they were going to visit your Auntie Belle and Auntie Ella.”

“Christopher and Eli wanted to come on the
picnic but I said no,” Ashley said to Bennett.  “I wanted you all to myself,
daddy.  I’m your favourite, right?”

Bennett grinned at her.  “I love both you
and your brothers equally, baby bear.”

“I’m glad I don’t have a brother,” Krysten
said to Duncan.  “Ash’s and Caitlin’s brothers are annoying.”

Duncan laughed.  “Didn’t you just tell your
mom this morning that Michelle was the most annoying baby sister ever?”

“Yes, but only because she shifted and
clawed up my latest painting.  Mommy made her go to her room and she has to do
all of my chores this week,” Krysten replied with a hint of glee. 

Duncan kissed her forehead and she smiled
at him before saying, “Mommy was friends with Auntie Belle and Auntie Rowan when
they were little, right?”

Duncan nodded.  “Yes, peanut, they were.”

“Best friends?”  Ashley asked.

“Yes, baby bear,” Bennett said.

Ashley glanced at Krysten and Caitlin
before holding out her hands.  The three girls held hands and Ashley smiled
happily at them.  “We’ll be best friends forever too.  Right?”

“Right,” Caitlin said.

“Forever and ever,” Krysten said.

…and they all lived happily ever after

Please enjoy an excerpt from Elizabeth Kelly’s novel,
“Broken”.  “Broken” will be available at all major ebook retailers in the
winter of 2016.

BROKEN

Copyright 2016 Elizabeth Kelly

Prologue

His face was one that only a
mother could love.  An odd mixture of harsh corners and ridges and awkward,
oversized features.  In truth, his mother didn’t love him.  She was both
perplexed and a little horrified by the child she had birthed.  To have this
red-faced, oddly-silent creature come sliding out of her after the perfection
that was her first born, made her more than a little uneasy.

Later, long after her husband had
returned to their home and the nurses had left her room, she held her baby in
her arms and studied each feature silently.  He was ugly.  She couldn’t, hadn’t
wanted to, deny it.  The looks on the nurses’ faces, the grimace from her
husband when he had first surveyed his new son, had filled her with an odd kind
of shame as if she and she alone were to blame for the monstrosity she had
given birth to. 

As he grew into a man, as his
body filled out and became an impressive and unforgiving block of sinewy muscle
and harsh strength, her unease turned to fear.  It didn’t matter that he was
gentle and quiet, nor did it matter that her dislike and fear obviously crushed
him.  He had the face and body of a man who would use his fists, not his words,
to solve his problems and she cringed away from his fumbled attempts to win her
love.

Eventually he gave up.  He
retreated into his own world and bore his family’s repulsion toward him with a
stoic solemnity.  His weekly visits dropped down to monthly, and neither she
nor his father and siblings could hide their relief. 

He found solace in books, in art,
and with the few friends he made.  Friends who didn’t care that nature had
played so cruelly with his looks or that he was so quiet, one would almost
believe he was mute.  His life was good, if not a bit lonely, and he was
content. 

Until he met her.

Chapter 1

Stella Johnson hit the lobby
button and rubbed at her back as the doors slid shut and the elevator carried
her smoothly and efficiently down thirty-seven flights.  The doors opened with
a soft ding and, carrying her lunch bag in her hand, she walked briskly toward
the atrium located just to the left of the front doors.

Her stomach growled softly and
she patted her round tummy soothingly before smoothing her dress.  It was one
of her favourites. A chocolate brown maxi dress that clung to her full breasts
but flared out around her stomach and wide hips.  It fell to the middle of her
calves as most of her dresses did.  She liked to hide the depressing way her
thighs touched and she preferred to dress conservatively anyway. 

Her shoes click-clacked on the
tile floor of the lobby.  Bright red and with a heel too high for the office,
she loved them with the same passion she imagined a mother might feel for her
child.  Ridiculous, of course, but her love for shoes had come by her naturally. 
Her mother had close to two hundred shoes, and Stella was certain not a single
one of them had a heel less than two inches high.

“Stelll-lllaaa!”

She grinned at the man sitting
behind the security desk.

“Hello, Jimmy.  How are you?”

“Can’t complain.  Well I could,
but no one would listen.”  He tipped a wink to her before standing and
stretching.  “You’re running late today.”

“Amy had an appointment,” she
replied.

“Enjoy your lunch.”

“I will.”  She hid her small grin
as his face suddenly lit up and he hurried around the desk.  She didn’t need to
look behind her to know that Jasmine, the owner of the small flower shop
located in the lobby, was walking behind her.  The woman was a gorgeous piece
of art.  Slim and tanned with bright pink hair that should have looked
ridiculous on someone her age but didn’t. 

A month ago Stella had coaxed
Jasmine into sitting for her.  She had snapped photo after photo of the
pink-haired beauty and had been delighted with the results.  Jasmine was a
natural with the camera and Stella hoped she could convince her to sit for her
again. 

The entire security team in the
building were constantly vying for her attention and, as Jimmy said hello to
Jasmine in a tone entirely different from the one he used with her, she grinned
to herself and smoothed back her own hair. 

She supposed it was her best
feature.  Dark red in colour, it was a thick, curly mass that flowed down her
back to her waist.  Men and women alike complimented her on it on a daily basis
although truthfully she didn’t always understand the appeal.  She longed for
smooth, straight dark hair.   She had almost cut it short last year but her
boyfriend at the time had been horrified by the idea.

“Your hair is beautiful, Stella,”
he had said earnestly as they had lain in her bed.  “If you cut it off, the
only thing people will notice about you is the extra weight you carry around. 
Do you want people to comment on the size of your ass instead of your hair?”

He hadn’t understood her
indignation.  He honestly thought he was complimenting her.  The relationship
had limped along for a few more weeks until she had finally ended it.  Although
she was self-confident and for the most part happy with her looks, her weight
had always been a sore spot.

She had made an appointment at
the hair salon to cut her hair but in the end she had chickened out.  She told
herself it was because her hair had never been shorter than mid-back and it was
too strange to see it otherwise.  But her ex-boyfriend’s words were always in
the back of her mind.

She headed into the atrium, her
gait slowing when she saw how full it was.  She took a late lunch, covering
Amy’s lunch break at reception before taking her own.  She didn’t mind.  She
liked the quietness of the atrium with the lunch crowd long gone.  Although it
was never completely empty.  There were always a few people milling about and
Ford, one of the security guards, took his lunch at the same time.  She
suspected he enjoyed the solitude as well and she never spoke to him.  Not that
he even acknowledged her existence.  He ate his lunch and then sat with a
pencil and sketchpad in his hand.  She was often tempted to try and sneak up
behind him for a quick glance but she didn’t have the nerve despite her
curiosity.  He might wield a pencil instead of a camera but he was an artist
like her, and she would have liked to talk to him about his work.

Today all of the small tables
were full and the loud chatter of people echoed in the atrium.  She thought
briefly of taking her lunch outside to the small park across the street, but
the storm that had been threatening when she arrived at work was lashing rain
against the windows of the atrium.

Her gaze landed on Ford.  He was
sitting at his usual table, hunched over his sketchpad and ignoring the curious
glances of the people sitting at the table closest to him.  She had a feeling
that he had learned at an early age to ignore the looks and the whispers. 

There was an empty chair at his
table.  She wasn’t surprised.  She doubted anyone would have had the courage to
approach him and ask to sit at his table.  If the sheer size of his body and
the obvious hard line of his muscles didn’t deter them, his unconventional
looks definitely did.

Gathering her own courage, she
weaved her way between the small tables scattered across the atrium until she
was standing before him.  Engrossed in his sketch, he didn’t look up and she
cleared her throat and tugged nervously at her hair.

“Hello, Ford.”

She strained to see what he was
drawing.  It looked like a portrait, a woman with large eyes and high
cheekbones and –

He put his arm over the drawing,
blocking it neatly with one large forearm, and gave her a quick, fleeting
glance.

“Hello, Stella.”