Duke (40 page)

Finally, he lost the wary look, and smiled. “And that’s why I can make the decisions I have, Beautiful. You aren’t insisting I do, and you aren’t trying to change me. I made a promise to you that I’d do everything in my power to make sure my shit doesn’t get on you. Five years ago I wasn’t afraid of doing time, but now, I don’t want anything to take me away from you. My hands aren’t totally clean, and you know they aren’t, but if I can stick to mostly running our legal income streams, I will.” He rubbed her hand, brought it to his lips, and kissed her knuckles. “I’m not changing for you, Gen. I’m making decisions based on how I want my life to go, and I’m gonna do everything I can to stay by your side.”

“
And when the club picks up on this? What will you tell them?”

He shook his head. “Brain knows and is good with it. No one else is gonna figure it out. Bash got a promotion out of it, and a pay raise commensurate with his risk level. I haven’t hesitated to go on excursions and help make an impact when someone didn’t treat one of the girls right — they know I still have their backs and no one is questioning my loyalty to the club. It’s all good, Beautiful.”

They’d been sitting opposite each other in the booth, and Duke moved to her side of the table, slid beside her, and kissed her forehead. “Something else is going through your head, Gen. Talk to me.”

“
You’ve been in the MC a while now, counting your time in Atlanta, and you’ve had charges against you twice in Georgia but have always been found not guilty. I know there’s a possibility you can get in trouble you can’t get out of, and I made the decision long ago to love who you are, and take the risk I won’t have you in my life for a while if you…”

She trailed off and he finished her sentence. “If I go to jail?”

Gen looked down as she nodded, and when he didn’t say anything, she looked up and said, “I thought I was happy, before I started seeing you. My life was exactly as I’d planned it, and it was…
satisfactory
. Now that I’ve had true happiness though, now that I have someone to come home to, someone to hold me in my sleep, and the most awesome sex
ever
… living without you would be hard, but I don’t want to change you. So, I’m taking the risk. I love you,
all
of you, even the parts I don’t completely approve of.”

“
I don’t know what I’ve done to deserve the kind of love you give me, Beautiful, but I’ll never do anything to damage the trust you’ve given me.”

Duke opened up, let her feel and smell what he did, and she took in the ocean smells and the approaching storm, as well as the love he had in his heart for her. She leaned into him, opened up so he could sense what she was feeling, and the feedback loop was tenfold as they each reacted to what the other felt.

Gen remembered how he’d refused to leave her house those first nights, but hadn’t broken his word about pushing her for sex. She knew he’d always fight for them, never give up on her, and she knew, beyond a shadow of a doubt, she could trust him.

As she looked out at the ocean and saw the rainclouds moving away and dissipating, the sun peeking through in places, Gen was certain that, together, they’d weather whatever storm life threw at them.

The End

If you enjoyed Duke, you may also like the other books set in the same universe, though in different series.

Chattanooga Supernaturals
series, paranormal romance:

• The Dragon King
  (
  Aaron Drake’s story, and the first time we meet Duke and Brain
  )
  

• Riding the Storm (May 29
  th
  )
  

• Acceptable Risk (in the
  Every Which Way
  anthology, June 16
  th
  )
  

Only Human series, urban fantasy

• Only Human
   
  

The Safeword series, intense BDSM contemporary romance

• Safeword Rainbow
  (
  Tyler and Viv’s story
  )
  

• Safeword: Davenport
   
  

• Safewords: Davenport and Chiffon
   
  

• Safeword: Quinacridone
   
  

• Safeword: Matte
  (
  Ethan and Sam’s story, and we first meet Cassie and Frisco
  )
  

• Safeword: Matte – In Training
  (
  Ethan and Sam’s story continues, and we meet Cam
  )
  

• No Safeword: Matte – The Honeymoon
  (
  Ethan and Sam’s story continues
  )
  

• No Safeword: Matte – Happily Ever After
  (
  Ethan and Sam’s story continues
  )
  

• Safeword: Arabesque
  (
  Isaac, Frisco, Cam, and Cassie’s story
  )
  

Rolling Thunder Motorcycle Series

• Duke
  

• Brain (Summer 2015)
  

• Bash (TBA)
  

• Gonzo (TBA)
  

Check out other books by Candace Blevins at
candaceblevins.com
.

Keep reading for an excerpt from
The Dragon King
 

 

The Dragon King

By Candace Blevins

Aaron

Sophia is the most adorable two year old I’ve ever seen. Fluffy blonde hair, rosy chubby cheeks, and a laugh that makes my heart sore.

I turned to her father, the Swan King, and chose my words carefully. “Raul, you’re sure this is the best course of action? I know you’re still grieving over Angelique’s death, but can you truly prepare Sophia for a life of leading your people if you keep her a prisoner in your home her entire life?”

I could only get away with asking this question because I’d helped raise and train Raul, helped prepare him to take the crown when he beat his brothers and won the throne.

“
I did my best to protect my wife from supernaturals, and a damned
human
hunter took her out. Sophia won’t leave the walls of the castle until she marries, and hopefully whoever wins her will follow my lead and also keep her behind protective walls. She won’t see the same fate as Angelique.” His voice was firm, didn’t waver, and let me know further conversation on the matter would be met with hostility.

Sophia is the first Swan Princess without at least one brother since before I was born, and by my best guess I’m around nine thousand years old. Give or take a thousand.

Swan Princesses are usually given to other royalty as a way to unite families and sometimes species, but they never have a hope of the throne. Their brothers are required to fight each other for power, the strongest and most cunning winning the crown.

Instead of finding another wife to give him sons, Raul is arranging for a contest between the other Swan royalty, with the strongest being allowed to care for her until she turns twenty five, and then marry her and eventually take the crown. Personally, I think Raul wants to step down and find a way to join his dead wife. The grief of her death still holds him.

I’ve trained the past seven Swan Kings, including Sophia’s father, Raul. I know him well, and I know he loves his daughter. However, he’s still feels such pain over his wife’s slaughter, I worry about the decisions he’s making.

There is precedence amongst some other supernatural species for his keeping Sophia in seclusion, finding a suitable King, and not giving her a choice in who she’ll marry. However, watching the toddler play and laugh and flirt, my heart hurts with the knowledge she’ll grow up with no control of her major life choices. Or, likely the minor ones, either.

She’s such a happy baby, so full of life and adventure. I hope her life turns out better than most fairy tales.

* * * *

Ten years later, my heart aches as the court Herald announces me into the Swan King’s mansion for Sophia’s final unchaperoned lesson. I’ve been coming to the mansion once a week for a four hour session since she was six, but this must stop once she becomes a teenager, which in swan lore makes her a woman.

I’ll be allowed to come four times a year for an all-day review session, but will never again be alone with her. After today she’ll have a chaperone or minder with her anytime she’s with a man besides her father — or husband, once she’s married.

I’m going to miss my time with her. In my busy life, my half-days with the Swan Princess have been the sunshine of my week. Sophia is a special child, so smart, so willing to learn, and a joy to be around. My heart is happy when I’m with her, and we most often go to our spot near a manmade waterfall on their property so we can talk without worrying so much about being overheard. Someone from the house can see us, but our words are drowned out. Sometimes, though, my favorite part of the day is her smile when I arrive and she skips to me for a hug. Today will be the last time she’ll be allowed to hug me for no reason, just because she’s happy I’ve arrived. My heart hurts as I wrap my arms around her and tell her I’m happy to see her.

We walk to our spot, sit on our rock and I open a few books as I give her another to hold. The rushing waters may provide white noise to block our voices, but we still need to appear as if I’m teaching her.

“
You know this is the last time we’ll be alone, right, Soph?”

Sophia looks down, takes a breath, and raises her gaze back to mine. “I know. I’ll miss my time with you.”

“
And I’ll miss you, but you’re a Princess, and one day you’ll be Queen, and this is the way it has to be. I’ll be back to review the important stuff, but there are some things I’ve taught you that I won’t be able to review with you out loud. I’ll try to write it in a notebook and let you read it, so you’ll remember, but there is some danger in that, so I won’t do it every time.”

“
Why take the risk? If I’ll never rule, never make a difference, why put yourself in danger?”

“
Because I’m grooming you for power, Princess. No one knows for sure what the future holds, and to fully do my job I can’t just teach you the palatable parts of your history. I understand your family wishes to shield you and protect you, but I can see the strength in you.”

Sophia sighed. “I’ll still see you at social occasions? Not just the four times a year you’ll be allowed to come for review?”

“
Yes, and I may or may not be allowed a dance with you. I will certainly not be able to take you outside for a conversation.”

She nodded, and I carefully said, “Sophia, if ever you find yourself in need of a protector, get a message to me. Your father and Cyrano will look after you, but if you find yourself without their protection I hope you’ll feel comfortable letting me keep you safe.”

Shaking her head, Sophia said, “Cyrano scares me. My latest Governess tells me when I’m a woman I’ll appreciate him for his strength and resolve, and I must remain meek and quiet around him while I’m a child.”

I wanted to wring Cyrano’s neck for frightening her, as well as the Governess’s for giving crap advice, but I had to walk a fine line. “I’m sorry he scares you, Princess. I would advise you to speak to your father about it, see if he can intercede on your behalf.”

“
You always do that.”

I tilted my head and let my eyebrows raise, and Sophia explained. “When we’re just talking, I’m Soph or Sophia, but when you’re thinking politically, you call me Princess.”

“
Yes, because this is the way an elder speaks to someone of royalty. I’m your teacher, I know more than you, but I must also show respect. It’s a balance, Sophia.”

She shook her head. “I don’t know what you are, and my father either doesn’t know or won’t tell me, but I’m positive you’re royalty, too. I’ve learned to tell the difference in someone with their own power who addresses me and my father as an equal while using all the right words, and someone with no power who addresses us with the same words but a completely different energy.”

I hoped my smile showed how pleased I was with her insight. “You make me proud, Sophia. I hope you’ll keep your suppositions to yourself, though.”

She nodded. “Of course, and I hope someday you’ll trust me enough to tell me what and who you really are.”

I needed to be sure she understood my offer, so I repeated it. “Do you understand what I’m saying, Soph? If you ever need help, a protector, a friend, an advisor…If you’re ever in trouble I hope you’ll find a way to get a message to me.”

Sophia

I’d been planning my escape for eleven years, and tonight I’d either fly to my freedom or die trying.

I was to be married to Cyrano on my twenty-fifth birthday, in seventeen days. However, I was determined it was never going to happen.