Holding Out For A Hero: SEALs, Soldiers, Spies, Cops, FBI Agents and Rangers (108 page)

Finally, she took a step forward, putting herself between Gideon and Tilda.

“You need to leave Rossdale,” she said. Even though her tone was soft, her words a calm contrast to the bitter insults flying, both combatants instantly silenced.

“I’m not the one leaving. You are. Time’s up, little girl. You had plenty of chances, now you’re going to have to pay for your audacity.” Tilda slanted a look at Gideon. “Any final words for your little witch?”

Miki forced herself to keep her focus on Tilda. She couldn’t afford to break concentration, and even though she knew it’d taken a great act of love to break that spell, she still wasn’t completely confident in Gideon’s acceptance of that love.

Then he stepped over, aligning himself next to her. He thankfully kept his hands to himself, but she could feel his support all the same.

“Whatever you do to Miki, you’ll have to do to me, too,” he informed Tilda.

The other woman gave a mocking laugh. “Unlike in that pitiful little town of yours, you’re not calling the shots here, Gideon.”

There was a shuffle of sound and Miki felt the air moving around her. Warmth closed in, soft and supportive.

“Whatever you do to Miki, you’ll have to do to us, too,” Deloris said from over Miki’s shoulder.

That’s when she realized they all stood behind her. To show their loyalty. They all believed she was powerless, and still they chose to fall with her rather than let her fall alone. Miki fought back tears at the implicit love and trust.

Knowing she couldn’t hold on much longer, she lifted her chin and pulled the power into a tighter coil.

“
Tilda Frost, I call you here, to stand trial for pain to those I hold dear. Your magical power I strongly bind, the more you fight, the tighter this spell will wind. Your magic’s gone, you’re now done. This binding compounds three times three, as the land you abused abjures thee. Karmic debt will now find you, until you repay what is due. By powers of Earth, Air, Fire, and Sea, my will is cast, So mote it be.”

Tilda’s derisive laughter echoed across the lake. Miki just smiled and raised both hands, palms up, until they were shoulder high.

She met Tilda’s bitter gaze and, holding it prisoner with her own, she snapped her fingers and let the energy loose.

Like an overwound spring, the magic flew with a flash of purple sparks and shimmering lights. The clap of thunder drowned out the gasps and Tilda’s scream.

Miki considered, then snapped her fingers again. Tilda, so pale she seemed translucent, flinched.

“You have a car and your belongings waiting. Not because I’m nice or anything. But this way you’re gone and the good people of Rossdale don’t have to look at your bitchy face while you find a way to get out of here.”

Tilda sputtered, tried to zap them all a few times with her bound powers before giving up with a howl. When she saw the vicious looks on the faces around her, she gasped out a few threats, then turned and ran. A minute later, they heard a car start.

“Ding dong, the witch is gone,” Fred chanted with a slightly hysterical laugh.

“No,” Gideon corrected, pulling Miki into his arms. She sank into his warmth with a giggle of her own. “The bitch is gone. We’re keeping the witch.”

His mouth claimed hers before Miki could respond. The cheers and whoops of joy faded into a soft buzz as she gave herself over to the overwhelming love she felt for Gideon.

Much too soon, he pulled back and, with a deep sigh, looked down into her face. Miki’s heart melted at the emotions she saw in his eyes.

“Thank you,” he said.

“Hey, it’s my town, too. I have an ugly potato to prove it.”

They laughed, then arm in arm, turned to watch the cultists and townspeople’s reunion. A few men Miki didn’t recognize were wrapping a rope around the peacock’s neck. One approached the couple, despite the look of terror on his face. His gaze quickly slid away from Miki to latch onto Gideon.

“If you can change him back, it’d be appreciated. He’s got some information on a mineral strike that by rights belongs to your town.”

Gideon glanced down at her and Miki gave a nod. Reversing his transfiguration wouldn’t be hard. Hell, after gaining Gideon’s love and fighting off Tilda’s curse, she didn’t think there was anything she couldn’t handle.

“I can change him back, I just need to catch my breath first.”

Before Gideon could reply, Deloris stepped in front of them, her face pinched and disapproving. Miki frowned. She’d thought she’d gained Deloris’s support, but maybe she was wrong?

“Well?” the older woman demanded, her eyes fixed on her son.

“Well, what?”

“You’re mayor of this town. What do you have to say to the woman who saved it? I think you owe her something other than a pitiful little thank you.”

His jaw clenched, then he nodded. “I’d have preferred some privacy, but seeing as this is Rossdale I suppose she should get used to the lack thereof.”

Before Miki could ask what he meant, Gideon turned to her. His hands heating her shoulders, he waited until everyone quieted, forming a circle around them. Miki glanced around, nerves suddenly stabbing at her.

“Miki, I...” He looked at the people surrounding them and grimaced. “I love you. Not just because you saved my town and my virtue, but because you’re the most amazing woman I know.”

Miki pressed her lips together to hold back her cry of joy. She couldn’t hold back the tears streaming down her cheeks though.

“You’re a part of this town. You’re meant to be here. The prophecy requires love, faith, and magic. You’ve taught me the real meaning of all three. I’d love you if you weren’t a witch.” He brushed the back of his hand over her cheek before reaching down to raise her fingers to his lips. With a warm kiss across her knuckles, he told her, “But your magic is as beautiful as the rest of you. And that’s saying a lot, since you are the most beautiful soul I’ve ever met.”

Then he released her hand and stepped back. Miki’s heart climbed to her throat as Gideon dropped to one knee and reclaimed her hand.

“Mikaela Lansing, I love you. I want to spend the rest of my life showing you the magic of that love. Be my wife.”

Marry another mortal? Eyes huge, Miki imagined what her life would be like now, what her marriage would mean.

Crazy. It’d be absolutely crazy.

And she’d love it. Giddy and lightheaded, she laughed and threw herself into his arms. This time the cheers didn’t fade into the background, but surged around her like a song of joy.

“I’m going to want little witches,” she warned through her tears.

“What better place to raise them than a town founded on magic?”

—The End—

About the Author

Tawny Weber

New York Times
and
USA TODAY
Bestselling author of more than thirty books, Tawny Weber writes sassy, emotional romances with a dash of humor, featuring hot alpha heroes. It’s all about the sexy attitude! A fan of Johnny Depp, cupcakes, and her very own hero husband, Tawny enjoys scrapbooking, gardening, spending time with her family and dogs, and hanging out with readers on Facebook.

Fans are invited to check out Tawny’s books at her website,
www.tawnyweber.com
. For extra fun,
join her Red Hot Readers Club
for goodies like free reads, complete first chapters, recipes, insider story info and much more.

Connect with Tawny:

Twitter:
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www.tawnyweber.com

Additional Books by Tawny Weber

SUGAR AND SPICE
: A Karma Café Novella - Book One

SWEET NOTHINGS
: A Karma Café Novella - Book Two

QUEEN OF HEARTS

Family Stone Romantic Suspense, Book Six

Shelley

by Lisa Hughey

Dedication

I loved writing Shelley’s book. From the moment she appeared on the page in Jess’s book, I started thinking about her. About all her sacrifices and the things she endured to make sure her kids were launched into the world successfully.

The traditional romance usually features characters in their mid to late twenties, sometimes early thirties. The construct behind that makes sense. It’s a time when men and women are ready to settle down and potentially have children. It’s logical.

But what about all those women out there who didn’t get their happily ever after when they were younger? Women and men don’t shrivel up and die after age thirty-five so why should romance characters? I loved that both Shelley and Ric had some mileage on them but were still open to the possibility of love. I hope you did too.

Acknowledgments

I’m pretty lucky to have a talented group of writers as my work support system. Thanks to the Pens Fatales for our random email exchanges on everything from business to personal and happy to snarky.

Thanks to AC James for all sorts of things…far too many to name. It’s amazing how much one simple email changed my business life. I’ve learned a lot and had tons of fun.

Huge thanks to Adrienne Bell and LGC Smith for our weekly meetings.

Ginormous thanks to Cecilia Gray for our weekend writing marathons and always, always sharing your business knowledge with me.

As always, thanks to Kim and Jennifer at The Killion Group for everything! Thanks to Amy Atwell at AuthorEMS for dealing with the challenges of uploading to the more difficult vendors.

I am blessed to have you all in my life!

Queen of Hearts: Chapter One

Could she be more out of place?

Shelley Stone sat at the end of the ultra-trendy bar. Blue neon and soft white uplights glowed, spreading over the wall behind the display of upscale liquor bottles, and giving the AquaKnox bar a fuzzy, almost surreal ambiance with a dash of sophistication. Shelley scanned the drink menu and people-watched as she waited for the rest of her party to arrive.

Despite the fact that she lived in a mansion in Monterey, and had a portfolio that rivaled Warren Buffet’s, she had never embraced a hedonistic or sophisticated lifestyle.

She was more at home in a pair of Capri jeans and cotton halter top than the dressy, formal attire she wore now. Her LBD was subtly sexy, with matching V’s in both front and back, revealing a discreet amount of cleavage. The skirt hit above her knees. Not so far above as to be indecent but short enough that she bared a sleek amount of toned, tanned leg.

She wasn’t quite sure how she let Bliss talk her into this dress.

Her soon-to-be daughter-in-law could be quite persuasive.

On the outside, Shelley looked like she belonged. But on the inside, she was still that naïve kid from Wisconsin, who with starry-eyed innocence searched for a man to make all her problems disappear.

Instead, the man had given her more problems, then disappeared himself.

Shelley sighed.

She ordered a Lemon Drop martini from the handsome, younger bartender. He gave her an assessing once over before granting her an intimate smile. “How’s your evening so far?”

She let a jaded cynicism shadow her eyes. “Just fine.”

In truth, her evening was weird. Her son was getting married. Jack wasn’t really her son, but her stepson, who was only ten years younger than Shelley. God, how was it possible that at the end of the week she was going to be the mother of the groom?

Shelley looked more like Jack’s older sister. But in every way that mattered, Jack was her son.

She was damn proud of the man he’d become.

The bartender took the brush off philosophically. “If you change your mind, I’m off at eleven.” His smile promised decadent things. Hot, sexy, naughty things that she hadn’t experienced in a good long while.

“Thanks, but I’m good.”

“I bet you could be a lot better.” He lightly flirted. Not enough to be offensive, but clear enough that if she wanted to she could probably hook up with him when he got off work. Except he left her cold.

Besides the fact that he was younger than her adopted sons, she wasn’t attracted to the muscle-bound bartender. At all.

Someone brushed by her seat, so close, the hint of clean soap and bracing aftershave tantalized her senses. Heat skittered along the bare skin of her back. And she couldn’t help but turn to see who initiated that reaction. He had a broad chest laden with muscles, wide shoulders, a flat stomach, thick shiny black hair with a few threads of silver, and the healthy glow of the physically fit on his dark-skinned, likely Hispanic, face. He languidly sat on one of the barstools three down from her. His magnetism was like a force field, and Shelley had to consciously avert her gaze.