A Stitch on Time 5 (32 page)

“Um…Papan,” I said, reaching for the ring. It took me several tries to grab the oval moonstone encased in a bed of gold. It was the most beautiful ring I’d ever seen—and matched my boline. I gripped it between my fingers and held it out in front of me as I spun around to face him. “Is this what I think it is?”

He was already on bended knee, reaching for my hand.

“It’s exactly that, and more.” He took the ring from my shaky fingers and held my left hand loosely in his. “Sierra Fox, will you become my mate for life in the eyes of the Wilson Pack?” He held the ring near my finger. “Would you make me the happiest man in the world by marrying me?”

My heart was pounding so fast and loud I was sure his sensitive hearing picked up every nervous beat. “Papan, oh my, are you sure about this? My life isn’t exactly normal, and there’ll always be someone determined to destroy me.”

“I’ve never been more certain about anything.” His gorgeous, cheeky grin returned. “I’m madly in love with you, Foxy. Nothing makes me happier than waking up beside you. As for the danger factor, don’t forget we’re both different now. Becoming an alpha is going to bring its fair share of challenges.” His grin turned to teasing and my stomach dropped. “So, will you become my partner in crime, for life?”

My mouth felt dry, so when I said, “Yes! Hell yeah!” it came out a little croaky. He slid the ring on my finger and I felt as if another piece of my life had fallen into place. “I love you so much, Jason.”

“Sierra, you mean everything to me.” He wrapped his arms around my waist and still on his knees held me tightly. “I don’t want to upset you, but I thought you should know that I asked the old man what he thought of this idea. I didn’t ask for your hand in marriage, since no one gets to give you away but you, but he thought it was a great idea. And Ebony claimed it was about fucking time.”

I laughed, yet tears rolled down my cheeks. “Oh Papan, you have no idea how much this means to me.”

He got to his feet and wiped away my tears. “I hope you feel that way after we live
and
work together.”

“The thought of working beside you excites me.”

“I thought it scared you.”

I nodded. “Only because of the way you make me feel.”

“When I was in a coma and not sure if I was alive or dead, all I could think about was how much it would mean to see and touch you one last time.” Papan paused, licking his lips. “And when I did, I was ready to let death take me. All I wanted was one last glimpse of you.” He pushed my hair away from my face. “I don’t know where life’s going to take us, but I’m ready for one hell of a ride.”

I kissed him softly.

“Oh, and I’ve got another thing I wanted to do. Something we didn’t get a chance to do last time.” As he lifted me into his arms, Penny appeared out of nowhere and disrupted whatever he wanted to do next. This time she didn’t scream like a banshee, but Papan put my feet back on the ground. “Not again,” he whispered.

“Penny, what’s wrong?”

She had a rueful smile on her face. “Congratulations to both of you.” She took my hand in hers and it felt solid, almost real. She examined the ring on my finger. “It’s gorgeous. Your grandma would approve. But that’s not why I’m here. I’ve come to say goodbye.”

“What, why? Where are you going?” I didn’t want to lose someone else.

“Don’t worry, child. There’s no need for me to be here anymore. You’ve discovered this room and have already made it your own. My job here is done. I’ve been offered a place amongst the land spirits.”

“That’s awesome!” She would be going with Burr and his team. I could see her whenever I wanted. “Congrats.”

“Thank you. Take care and enjoy a long and fruitful life together.” She released my hand, waved and slowly disintegrated into the air.

“Hey Foxy, where were we?”

I threw myself into his arms and he caught me, carrying me across the room until my butt was propped up against the cupboard. “Oooh, I like where this is going,” I murmured near his lips.

He pressed his mouth against mine and set my skin on fire as he teased me like only he could. “There’s going to be plenty of
this
going on now that we’ve got our own secret hideaway.” He ran his fingers over my covered thighs, over my hips and waist before reaching my breasts. He dipped his head enough to plant a warm kiss on my cleavage as his fingers deftly unzipped the coverall. He pushed the fabric aside and over my arms.

I returned the favor by doing the same to his shirt, sliding it off his firm shoulders.

Papan hooked his fingers around the fabric covering the bottom half of my body and pulled it down my legs, yanking off the boots when he got to the end. He kept his green gaze on mine when he tore my panties with one hand and the lacy bra with the other.

I undid his jeans and said, “Get them off. Now.”

A grin stretched his lips as he struggled out of his boxer briefs and jeans, but not before reaching for a foil packet.

“You don’t need that,” I said, grabbing his hand. “I don’t need protection from you.”

His eyes darkened. “What about getting pregnant?”

“I’ve taken care of that too.” The pill was good for the job, but I’d found a magical tonic that was even more effective.

“And you’re not concerned about lycanthropy?”

I shook my head.

“What about the demonic blood running through my veins?”

I sat back on the cupboard, flashing my exposed chest. His eyes instantly went from my face to my breasts. “Papan, I’ve got the same blood in mine.” My nipples hardened under his intense scrutiny. “Besides, I never want to stay away from you.”

He lowered his mouth near mine. “Are you sure?” His fingers teased my nipples.

A murmur escaped me. “Maybe you should be worried about catching something from me.”

He winked, now running his fingers between my legs.

“Do what we both want all the time…”

Papan hoisted me into his arms and pressed my back against the wall, reminding me of the first time we’d done the same thing inside his apartment. When Papan entered me I gasped, it felt like this was all new and shiny. That’s what life with Papan would be like every single day.

As he thrust into me, I couldn’t help but stare at the engagement ring.

This year, I’d learned a lot of new skills and secrets about my heritage that would shape the course of my life. I fell in love so deeply it touched my very soul. I’d lost a lot of good people I would never forget, but the ones who survived would help build the foundations of a strong family.

Things would never be the same, but with Jason Papan by my side, I was ready for anything and
everything
…with a good dose of pleasure.

About the Author

Yolanda Sfetsos has always had a wild imagination and often found herself making up stories in her head. When she was in her teens, she started putting some of those ideas on paper.

She loves to dabble in a variety of genres but especially enjoys writing urban fantasy, futuristic, and Sci-Fi tales—all with a dark, paranormal edge.

Yolanda lives in a suburb of Sydney, Australia with her small family. When she’s not writing, she’s either thinking about it, researching, reading, walking, or watching her favorite TV shows. Or maybe she’s on Twitter.

You can visit her website at:
www.yolandasfetsos.com

Look for these titles by Yolanda Sfetsos

Now Available:

Recast

Wither

Clash

Shiver

Sierra Fox Stories

A Patch of Darkness

Split at the Seams

On Pins And Needles

Torn from the Shadows

A Stitch on Time

All it takes is one goddess-affiliated demon to seal the deal.

Torn From the Shadows

© 2014 Yolanda Sfetsos

Sierra Fox, Book 4

Sierra Fox knows better than to believe the demon-obsessed freakshow has given up on her. She’s settled into a nice routine of living with her sister, enjoying her relationship with a sexy werewolf, and staying on top of work—and always waiting for the other shoe to drop.

Predictably, things start falling apart as she’s suddenly swamped with surprise visits and unwanted advances, and someone she despises wants her help.

When a spook-catching training session goes horribly wrong, she encounters a man who’s not quite as dead as she’d hoped. Mace is now more than human and still determined to get his hands on her. But not if Sierra accepts the strengthening gifts her grandmother bestowed at her birth.

Having the good guys put a price on her head is enough to ruin anyone’s day, but Sierra refuses to give up or give in. Even if it means exercising the last option on earth she wants. But claiming the ultimate power may not be enough to save the man she loves before his werewolf past destroys him.

Warning: Phantasms, pookas, werewolves, and demons, oh yes! And a spook-catching heroine who must choose to take what’s rightfully hers—even if it means walking the shadows with a demon.

Enjoy the following excerpt for
Torn From the Shadows

“You’re going to be home later, right?”

“Of course I am, Papan.”

“Are you going to be alone?”

“It’s a weeknight, so my sister will be here. But she’ll be having an early night…” A breathy sigh choked me as a wave of desire struck deep in my lower abdomen. “Besides, her bedroom’s too far to matter.”

“That’s music to my ears because I
really
want to get you alone. We’ve got some catching up to do.” He paused long enough to growl into the phone. “Too bad you haven’t got that trench coat yet, because I’m in the mood for some role-playing.”

I rolled my eyes. Was he ever going to let this trench coat and red high heels fantasy go? I doubted it. Papan could be very stubborn. “What’s with you and the trench coat fantasy, anyway?”

“The thought of you wearing nothing but a coat and heels gets my blood boiling. It’s a very vivid image. One I’ve had since the first moment I saw you.” His breathing echoed through the line, making my spine tingle. “Anyway, I don’t think now’s the time to be concentrating on this. I have to meet with someone and my jeans are getting uncomfortably tight.”

“I’m alone
now
,” I whispered into the phone. “Maybe you should come over.”

His frustrated groan echoed in my ears. “Don’t tempt me, Foxy Lady. I’m so close to cancelling so I can get over there and f—”

“No, don’t cancel.” As much as I enjoyed flirting with him, I didn’t want to interfere with his scheduled appointment. Not when this could turn out to be a new case, and our work routines had been relatively smooth for months. “Go to your meeting. We’ll talk later.”

“I don’t think we’ll have much time for talking.”

“Then we’ll do whatever else comes to mind.”

“I’m holding you to that.”

“You better,” I said with a laugh.

“See you soon, Foxy.”

“Bye.” I pulled my mobile phone away and held it for a moment so I could stare at the snapshot I’d set as Papan’s profile pic. It took up the whole screen and I couldn’t look away from his infectious smile. The corners of his eyes crinkled as he flashed the cheeky grin that always made his dimples appear. He was shirtless and the blond stubble on his face caught the sun, while the colorful sunflower patch in the background made him look like the epitome of summer. He was beautiful. Sometimes, I still couldn’t believe he wanted to be with me, but our friendship had blossomed into a passionate relationship. We’d now been a couple for over six months.

Months filled with teasing, flirting, and a whole lot of heat. But it wasn’t all fun and games. Papan encouraged me to get my gun license, become a member of a shooting club, and even taught me how to shoot. Now I could actually use the revolver Oren had given me.

Papan also trained me in self-defense. It was great to have incantations and spells at my disposal, but he constantly insisted that getting my hands dirty was a necessity. I was getting pretty good at it, and the fact most of our sparring sessions ended with us naked was enough motivation.

Jason Papan was a good man, and we’d been through a lot.

I couldn’t get enough of him.

Reluctantly, I hit the Home button and tucked the phone into the back pocket of my sweatpants.

I eyed the locked closet door I hadn’t opened for ages. My archive closet was where I stored old stuff—clothes that didn’t fit, formal gowns, photo albums, that kind of thing. But today I wanted something in particular and I was pretty sure it was in there. I vaguely remembered Grandpa giving me a khaki trench coat that belonged to Grandma. In my teens I didn’t have any need for the garment, but if I found it now…I could finally bring Papan’s fantasy to life.

The thought of role-playing with him always got my heart pumping. Making it his birthday surprise sweetened the deal, especially since it was only a week away.

In June, he’d made my birthday special and had given me a beautiful, customized boline with a moonstone handle, silver guard and straight double-edged blade. A Hecate’s Wheel symbol was inscribed on top of the pommel. I took it everywhere, and not just because it was a present from Papan. There was something else. Every time I held it, a sense of raw strength flowed through me—and it felt stronger during the full and waning moon.

“I commissioned this especially for you. No one else in the world has one like it,”
he’d said. I’d wanted to ask him so many questions about it—especially why one side of the thin blade bore a key and the other said Hecate—but was taken aback by his attention to detail.

Papan’s gift fit in my palm perfectly—just felt
right
.

Since my biological grandfather gave me a silver dagger at the beginning of the year, I’d taken a keen interest in short blades.

I crossed the carpeted expanse of my bedroom and paused at my bedside table, habitually glancing out the window. Nothing looked out of place on this Thursday afternoon. The sun shone on the quiet street.

My bedroom was on the third story of the split-level house and directly above the garage, so I could see a long way up and down the street. This also happened to be the only room on this floor. My grandparents used it as their own for decades, but I’d inherited the room and the house shortly after escaping the clutches of the Spook Catcher Council.

My queen-sized bed sat in the middle of the room, with the beautiful antique gilded mirror Oren had given me for my birthday placed across from it—a position Papan had suggested. A small wooden desk pressed into the far corner had my laptop on top, and a comfortable armchair was positioned near the window.

I only had one destination in mind at the moment, but I needed the key I’d dumped on the bedside table when Papan called. I scooped it up and admired the ornate brass, the kind they didn’t make anymore. I continued to the closet, inserted the key into the matching lock, and turned it once. The door clicked and I opened it, sending a flurry of dust around me.

When was the last time I’d opened this?

I coughed several times and waited for the dust to settle before taking inventory. Several garments hung from coat hangers, some covered in plastic for preservation. I shuffled through them but couldn’t find what I was looking for. A pair of stretchy blue jeans I hadn’t seen since high school sat on the top shelf. They were perfect for my upcoming sewer-cross-training with my friend and demon hunter, Lavie Grye.

I grabbed them and threw them on the armchair.

Where the hell had I put the coat?

I finally stepped into the cramped interior, which was only as wide as the doorway and deep enough for one person. It was nothing like the wardrobe across the room—the one I used every day.

“Where the hell are you?” I whispered. So much for playing out Papan’s little scenario.

Like an idiot, I stamped my foot against the old wooden floor and something rattled behind the clothes. I shoved them aside like a curtain and lifted my foot to take a step, but it snagged on a box. I didn’t have enough time to catch myself and slammed my left arm into the back wall. My elbow broke the fall, but cracked the wall.

I righted myself from the awkward position, almost jumping out of my skin when the sound of my home phone started shrilling downstairs.

“Crap.” I ignored it and examined the damage. My long-sleeved T-shirt was torn at the elbow, the skin scraped underneath. Nothing big, considering I’d had my shoulder bitten and throat cut earlier this year. A little scratch wasn’t going to kill me, but the curiosity of finding out why the wall had cracked might.

Cats weren’t the only ones seduced by curiosity.