Stirred (53 page)
Authors: Nancy S. Thompson
With his finger beneath my chin, Sean tipped my face toward his.
“Eden, you can’t continue to challenge every decision and move you ever made. We both have to accept there’ll always be questions we’ll never have answers to. Every doubt we have about Trin and Declan and our inability to recognize the evil within them, it’ll churn in our minds like refuse swirling a drain. But dwelling on it won’t do either of us any good. We have to move past this.”
I grabbed his hand in mine. “But how do we do that, Sean? When the events that brought us together also destroyed so much? Do we even stand a chance if the foundation our relationship is built on is alloyed with bitterness, rage, and revenge?”
“Yeah, we do. We do stand a chance. Do you remember what Judge Woodall said when he married us? ‘Just as two very different threads woven in opposite directions could form a beautiful tapestry, so could our two lives merge to form a loving and lasting marriage.’ So think of us as that tapestry, Eden. The weft of our relationship is our love, and the warp is all the new memories we’ll weave through it. We’ll craft something beautiful, you and I. I truly believe love can conquer all, Eden. How can you not?”
“Because not only have I been jaded by twenty years of lies and betrayal, now I also have a deep mistrust in myself. How could I have been so gullible? How could I have denied and ignored that natural compass most mothers are blessed with after giving birth, that genetically inbred code to protect my child with my own life?”
“Eden, your presumption that you lack that has clouded your ability to see that you’re wrong. It’s like you don’t think you’re worthy of anything but the type of affection Declan saddled you with.”
“Honestly, Sean, I’d rather be totally deprived altogether than mired in something so unholy.”
Sean shook his head, disappointment hard in his eyes.
“You don’t think you deserve it, Eden. That’s what you’re saying. You’re essentially giving up. But that’s not who you are. You’re a survivor, a beautiful phoenix rising from the ashes. You’re stronger now, smarter, more resilient than ever, and with me at your side, beneath your wings, and you at mine, we’ll soar. We simply have to
choose
to fly.
“But I can’t, I
won’t
, do it without you, Eden. I might’ve married you for protection, and vice versa, but if you look back to the beginning, to that first night, you’ll remember the gravity that pulled us together, the desire that stirred us from our fucked-up pasts, and that our love, our
real
love—uncomplicated, uncompromising, unending—that’s the thread that holds us together. But you have to see that it’s not only possible, Eden, but probable. You have to put aside your pain and embrace hope. Remember those vows I said to you? Well, I meant them. Every word. Now I’m asking you to please take a chance on me and trust that I’ll always protect you—body, heart, and soul.”
Tears streamed down my face at Sean’s proclamation. I reached for him and unbuttoned his shirt. Underneath was the symbol of that promise, and I couldn’t help but spread my palm across it.
Praetorius.
My fingertips brushed along the lines of its wide, flaring nostrils and flowing layers of flame-like scales, prodded the rows of sharp, pointed teeth surrounding its thin, forked tongue, and skimmed its intense, angry eyes set below the curving, spiked horns. Then I rested my entire hand against the bloody human heart held in the beast’s three-toed claw as it strained against Sean’s chest.
I closed my eyes and imagined the great dragon finally bursting free of its cage of flesh and bone and extending its mighty wings wide enough to enshroud me in true shining armor before pulling me back in with it. Though not inside a cage as it might appear, but rather a fortress, where I felt safe and loved and valued for who I really was, not what I brought with me.
And that was where I wanted to be, and where I would remain…forever.
I have a lot of people to thank, first and foremost, my husband Eric, for all his patience, for constantly running to the store, cooking dinner, and vacuuming the house when I’m too swept up my writing to do it myself. To my son, Brandon, for answering every question in my crusade to get the proper character perspective of a young twenty-something man. To Lisa, my writing soulmate and faraway bestie, for continuing to hold my hand through this journey we started together years ago. To “my girls”—MK, Julie, and Karen—for being there every single day to chat, vent, and help keep things real. To all my CPs—Lisa, Dana, MK, and Katie—for calling me on every little thing, so hopefully my readers don’t think I’m an idiot. To Regina Wamba of Mae I Design for a kickass cover. To Tami Norman, at Integrity Formatting, for taking over this time around because I just didn’t have it in me to do it myself. And lastly, to my mom, Pam, for making me the strong, independent, resilient, willful woman I am. I love you, Mom!
Nancy S. Thompson is the double award-winning author of the dark romantic thrillers,
The Mistaken
(Winner, Best Thriller & Best Audiobook, 2014 eFestival of Words Best of the Independent eBook Awards) and
Leverage
(2015 Kindle Book Awards semi-finalist for Best/Thriller), as well as
Stirred
, contemporary erotic suspense. She is a California transplant currently living in Seattle, Washington with her husband, their giant snow dog, Jack, and his kitty, Skye. Besides moonlighting as a freelance editor, Nancy also has her own interior design business within the model home merchandising industry. When she's not writing, editing, reading, or designing, Nancy keeps herself busy by cooking and baking.
The Mistaken
(The Mistaken Series Book 1)
~ He doesn't know her, but he'll find her, and when he does, he will make her pay. ~
All Tyler Karras wants is to enjoy life with his expectant bride. What he gets instead is a graveside seat at her funeral. With the woman who killed her uncharged and still free, all Ty wants now is revenge.
His brother, Nick, has dangerous connections and suggests a sadistic plan: grab the woman responsible and hand her over to his associates—sex-traffickers in San Francisco's Russian Mafia. They offer Ty more than he dreamed possible. In exchange for the woman, they'll finally let his brother leave the business for good--with his debt wiped clean and his heart still beating.
There's just one problem: Ty kidnaps the wrong woman.
Now he must protect Hannah Maguire from the very enemy he's unleashed, but the Russians are holding Nick as leverage to force Ty to complete their deal. Caught in a no-win situation, Ty must find a way to save himself, his brother, and the woman, but with the Russian Mafia, even two out of three makes for very long odds.
AWARD WINNER! Best Thriller & Best Audiobook - 2014 Best of the Independent eBook Awards
Leverage
(The Mistaken Series Book 2)
~ Redemption is no longer an option... ~
Four years ago, Tyler Karras' quest to avenge his wife's death led to all-out war with San Francisco's Russian Mafia. With the Bratva's collapse and its king long dead, all Ty wants now is to put it behind him and enjoy a second chance at life with his new bride, Hannah. But the Bratva's heir has returned, bitter and determined. He wants his kingdom back, and he's more than willing to leverage Ty's new family to get it.
First he targets Conner, Ty's brooding nineteen-year-old stepson, manipulating the boy into a vortex of sex, drugs, alcohol, and gambling. Then he turns his sights on Hannah. At eight months pregnant, she's the ultimate bargaining chip. With all their lives in jeopardy, Ty has little choice but to do as commanded. But Tyler swore he'd never kill again. He buried that monster four years ago and means to keep it that way.
With his family on the line, Ty crosses further into the dark side than ever before, challenging everything he believes about himself and forcing him to face the ghosts of his past. Only then will he discover if he has the strength to sacrifice his last chance at redemption in exchange for the lives of those he loves most.
A 2015 Kindle Book Review Mystery/Thriller semi-finalist!
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