Chosen by Sin (40 page)

Most of all he talked about their baby.

“He’s gorgeous, Jes, even if he does look a lot like me. He smiles when
he hears my voice. And he smiles when he sees you. See, he’s smiling right now.
I was wondering if you like the name Elliott? I told you about Elliott,
remember? I know it’s a little, well, less than masculine, but we can call him
Eli. That’s got a nice ring to it, don’t you think? I’m thinking
that—Jes? Did you just move? Jes!”

With his heart slamming against his chest, Dex kissed his son on the
cheek and said, “Hang on, buddy. I think your mom might be waking up now.
She’ll want you close when she does.” As he’d frequently done, Dex shifted Jes
and positioned the baby so that he was pressed close to her side, propped up by
pillows and the cradle of her arm.

The baby cooed and blinked owlishly at him.

“You think you can open your eyes now, Jes? I miss you so much. I love
you.”

There it was again. That flicker of lashes as she struggled to open her
eyes.

Hope swelled within him.

After several tries, she finally opened her eyes. She frowned and he
held his breath.

She looked down at the baby.

Looked back at him.

“Dex,” she whispered. “Let’s call him Eli.”

Jes walked down the center of the great hall, her smaller strides
keeping pace with Cy’s longer ones. She remembered that night so long ago, when
she and Bodin had made a similar walk to the Draci leaders who waited for them.
To the female Draci waiting to take Jes in. Jes had been so scared. Wondering
what the future had in store for her. Wishing the werewolf who’d saved her
loved her enough to keep her.

So many things had changed since then.

Today, Dex and Eli were the ones waiting for her. This castle wasn’t
cold or gloomy. It was her home, filled with memories both good and bad. The
room was lit not by torches, but by halogen bulbs, strings of twinkle lights,
and hundreds of candles, all of them creating a warm, dreamy glow that
complimented the bouquets of lush, fragrant flowers and the fairy-tale
simplicity of her ivory gown. Her friends were here. Her family, both old and
new, smiling and anxious to witness her union with Dex Hunt, the werebeast
who’d once sworn to never have kids, never forgive his grandfather, and never
give his heart to anyone, let alone a female.

Jes and her brother came to a halt several feet from Dex. Dex wore a
formal tux that perfectly hugged his taut, muscled frame. Its elegance did
little to diminish the bad-boy vibe spurred on by his thick tawny hair, neatly
trimmed soul patch, sensual mouth, and heated gaze. He was the perfect blend of
devoted husband and father, passionate lover, and kick-ass
whatever-it-takes-to-get-the-job-done male.

She flushed as she recalled how thoroughly he’d been “working” these
past few weeks—specifically, on convincing her that he’d protect,
cherish, and love her for all eternity. Though she’d long ceased having any
doubt of that, she hadn’t called a halt to his ministrations. She wasn’t a fool
and he kept promising his best work was yet to come.

They grinned at one another.

Dex cradled Eli protectively close to him even as his appreciative gaze
swept over Jes’s body, causing bolts of desire to course through her. His grin
widened, telling her he hadn’t missed her response.

Although he
still struggled with resentment and anger at times, he was working on forgiving
his grandfather. It wasn’t easy, but it seemed to be a huge factor in Bodin’s
favor that his final words had helped Jes fight off the
diabol
that had possessed her. It also helped when Jes and
Amanda told Dex about all the good Bodin had accomplished in his life.

Amanda seemed
to be making positive changes due to Dex’s influence. Still, the situation with
the weres posed the biggest concern. With Bodin gone, several factions were
vying to replace him, and no one was certain what role Dex would play in
things. However, Dex would serve as Mahone’s liaison with the werewolves, and
the FBI was keeping a close eye on matters. The FBI was also going to continue
funding Jes’s research, including her research into the Legend of Wolves. But
Jes’s research would be Top Secret classified and she had Dex to keep her
avocation from becoming an obsession again.

Jes still struggled with balancing her personal and professional lives.
She’d hired several scientists, some of them vampires, to help her with her
research. But questions about life and death still plagued her. Why had she
lived when her parents had died? Why was she immortal when the Draci lifespan
was so short? Wasn’t it cosmically unfair for the world’s creatures to have
such differing life spans, and why shouldn’t she try to even the playing field?
Of course, that meant Dex continued to worry about her. In turn, she worried
he’d remember how she’d begun their relationship by deceiving him and would
change his mind about wanting to be with her.

But for now, for today, none of that mattered.

Today was a celebration of their formal union and Dex’s greatest
victories. He had a son. Someday, Jes knew he’d forgive Bodin. But her greatest
joy was knowing that Dex had given his heart to others and opened himself to
love. Love from the Para-Ops team, of course. But most of all, from Jes.

***

As soon as the wedding ceremony was over, Ella ran to Dex and held her
arms out for Eli, not caring a fig when the baby’s slobber stained her pretty
pink flower girl dress. As she jiggled him, Ella scanned the massive hall that
had been transformed into someplace magical.

She could tell Cy was feeling a little sad. Mostly, however, he seemed
distracted by the pretty feline mage named Lucy. Ella liked Lucy, even if she
did tend to glare at Cy a lot. Which Ella didn’t really understand since Lucy
didn’t glare at anyone else.

Ella still needed to learn more about Dex’s other teammates. She liked
that Knox, the vampire, was so protective of his human wife, Felicia. Felicia
was beautiful, with red hair and blue eyes, and she laughed as she talked with
the pretty man named Caleb and his girlfriend, Wraith. Despite Wraith’s name,
she didn’t look at all scary. They looked like fun and she’d gather up the
courage to talk to them soon. For the most part, Knox looked as happy as the
rest of them, but sometimes he stared at Felicia with a desperate, mournful
expression. Like he was about to lose her or something. She’d have to cheer him
up, but first…

She turned back to Dex. “I want to show Eli that spot outside. Is that
okay?” She wasn’t asking him permission, not for her anyway, but Eli was his
baby, so she figured it was only right.

Dex frowned in that protective way of his and Ella’s shoulders sagged.
She supposed she’d understand if he said no. Everyone was busy and he’d be
worried about the baby and—

“Hey, Mahone,” Dex called. “Come here.”

As Ella watched, Dex waved over a human male with light brown hair. He
wasn’t overly large, but he looked strong and healthy, and his gray eyes didn’t
seem to miss a thing. Slowly, he made his way to Dex. Or rather, he made his
way to Jes, who stood at Dex’s side.

He held out his hand to the vampire doctor. “Congratulations,” he said
simply. Jes smiled, took his hand, and to everyone’s apparent surprise, leaned
in and kissed Mahone on the cheek. Mahone flushed, scowling when Dex laughed.

“Listen, Mahone. Ella here needs to show Eli something outside. Would
you be a sport and accompany them?” Despite his casual tone, Dex stared
intensely at Mahone, as if communicating something important to him.

Mahone gave a beleaguered sigh that immediately made Ella mad. What was
up with the human? He seemed okay, but he kept himself apart from everyone else
even when people surrounded him. Maybe he was just shy, she decided. She felt
shy sometimes, though she rarely let that stop her from doing what she wanted.

The human male looked down at her. “Let’s go, kid.”

Kid? Ella scowled but obligingly followed Mahone outside, bouncing Eli
as they walked. She reminded herself he’d made a common mistake. Most people
viewed her as a kid. Sometimes even Dex still did. They’d figure it out
eventually.

Soon, they were outside and standing in the same spot where Ella had
first met Dex. “This is it, Eli,” she crooned. “It’s the perfect spot for
running and sword fighting and doing cartwheels. Don’t worry if you don’t get
the hang of cartwheels at first. Even Jes still has trouble with them. But I’m
a pro. I’ll be able to teach you in no time.”

After giving Eli the time to properly appreciate the spot, Ella turned
to Mahone. He watched her intently.

A figure appeared behind him and Ella gasped. It was a woman surrounded
by light, her long hair floating around her. Ella thought Jes was beautiful.
She thought the same about Lucy, Wraith, and Felicia. But this woman…she looked
like a queen. She looked like beauty in its most basic form, one that would
never fade or tarnish. By her very presence, she made everything around her
shine with the same glory.

“Mahone,” Ella began, but he’d already turned toward the castle,
seemingly unaware of the Goddess standing beside him.

“Let’s go, kid.” To her surprise, he held out his hand.

Ella took Mahone’s hand, curling her fingers around his while at the
same time cradling Eli’s sturdy body in her other arm. Together they walked
back inside. At the last minute, Ella turned back to the Goddess, who appeared
to be gazing at Mahone in the same manner Jes often gazed at Dex.

A musical voice whispered in her mind. “Isn’t the human handsome?”

Ella smiled and glanced at Mahone.

“Yes,” she said, answering the Goddess’s question out loud. “He is.”

Mahone frowned down at her. “What? He’s what?”

“Handsome,” Ella clarified.

“Uh, yeah,” Mahone said before escorting her to Dex and Jes.

At the doorway, though, he turned back to look at the iron gazebo
surrounded by the green grass, a wistful expression on his face. The warm light
shone on him, glimmering like it was alive, and a small smile formed on his
face. The expression smoothed out the worry lines and tension that normally
made him appear aloof. He looked almost relaxed. Not quite happy, but
different. Hopeful, maybe.

And Ella felt hopeful, too.

THE END

 Virna DePaul
is a former
criminal prosecutor and now National Bestselling Author for Berkley (paranormal
romantic suspense), HQN (single title romantic suspense) and HRS (category
romantic suspense).

Website:
www.virnadepaul.com
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Twitter:
@virnadepaul

Email:
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Paranormal Romantic Suspense:

Chosen By Blood (A Para-Ops Novel, Book 1, Berkley)

Chosen By Fate (A Para-Ops Novel, Book 2, Berkley)

Contemporary Romantic Suspense:

Dangerous To Her (Harlequin Romantic Suspense)

It Started That Night (HRS – May 2012)

Shades Of Desire (HQN: Special Investigations Group,
Book 1 – June 2012)

Shades Of Temptation (HQN: Special Investigations
Group, Book 2 – September 2012)

Contemporary Romance:

This Magic Moment (A Dalton Brothers Novel, Book 1)

Novellas:

A Vampire’s Salvation (A Beyond Human Novella)

Wild For Him

Erotic Novellas (Writing as Ava
Meyers):

Copping To It (Red-Hot Cops Series Novella 1)

Cop Appeal (Red-Hot Cops Series Novella 2)

Copping Attitude (Red-Hot Cops Series Novella 3)

A firm knock interrupted them. Muscles pumped as if for battle, Knox
slowly stood. He didn’t turn, not even when Mahone called for his visitor to
come in.

“I came as soon as I—”

It didn’t matter that he was in Mahone’s office, that Mahone was
watching him, or that he and Mahone had just been discussing something as
important as his clan. He hadn’t been in the same room with her in years, but
his body’s reaction to her presence was the same as it always was:
instantaneous. Her scent hit him like a sledgehammer and was followed by a wave
of longing so intense it almost felled him. His skin prickled and his fangs
ached as he fought to keep them sheathed. He couldn’t stop the hardening of his
dick, however, or the urge he had to grab her and transport her to the Dome. To
his bed. To someplace where duty and time dissolved, and he could just be with
her.

She didn’t gasp or take a breath. Her words simply stopped. Something
rare crystallized inside him.

Had she gotten over him? Had she found someone else? Another emotion—pure,
undiluted rage—filled him at the thought of her with another. It made
everything else, every other emotion he’d ever felt, seem innocuous. Made him
want to rip off his clothes—the luxurious symbols of civility that he
normally loved—and make her see him as he truly was—primal, lethal,
and fucking ready to prove to her that she was his, once and for all. Instead,
he took a deep breath and willed himself to calm. He opened his mind. Just a
hair. Just enough to sense the desire buried beneath her resolve. Enough to
dismiss that foreign emotion of fear and tamp down his rage.