Authors: Milly Taiden
TWENTY-NINE
The huge lion took down the bear in one fell swoop. He roared, clawing the bear’s face and moving so quickly out of her reach, she didn’t get a chance to grab him. The bear’s sharp claws swiped at the lion, but he roared again and bit down on the paw trying to tear into him.
The jaguar leapt for the lioness. Though she was big, he was bigger. The two cats went head to head. The jaguar snarled, digging into the side of the lioness. She tried to sprint away, but he dug his razor claws into her hind quarters and pulled, ripping ribbons of flesh off her hide.
The bear reared up on two legs and gave a loud roar, swiping at the lion. He shoved her back, slamming her to a tree and sending her stumbling.
“You’re right. He’s pissed,” Liv said. “Aren’t you worried he’ll get hurt?”
Bella turned to her with a grin. “Nope. Alyx is the biggest, strongest lion on this planet. And Karel is the same for the jaguars. That’s why he is the head of security.” The jaguar slashed another set of cuts on the lioness’s side and Bella nodded. “Those two female idiots don’t know who they’re up against.”
“So the men won’t be hurt?” Liv asked, her stomach in her throat. The lion dug his claws in the bear’s chest.
“Are you kidding? Those women will be lucky if Alyx and Karel stop before they kill them. And with all that’s happened with Nadeeya and Alyx, I’m not sure he will stop, even if she’s dead.”
Another round of wounds and the lioness was red from bleeding. The jaguar’s paws were bloodied and he appeared to have minor cuts. Not the lioness. She was weakening. She tried to fight him off, but he was faster and stronger.
The lioness and bear stopped fighting almost at the same time. For a second, Liv thought the lion and jaguar would continue tearing into the women, but they stopped. Alyx and Karel shifted. Both bloodied and angry.
Nadeeya and Tiana shifted as well, but the women groaned and curled into balls. Alyx marched over to Nadeeya, grabbed her by a torn bicep and hauled her to her feet. Karel did the same with Tiana, unconcerned over her crying from the painful wounds Alyx inflicted.
“I can’t kill you,” Alyx growled at Nadeeya. “I want to, but you know the rules. So I have something better in mind.” He turned to glare at Tiana. “Both of you.”
Liv frowned, watching the scene unfolding before her. “What are they doing?”
Bella gasped. “Oh, shit. They’d told me about this. When someone does something heinous and so bad they don’t want them in Aurora anymore, they banish them.”
Alyx dragged a wounded Nadeeya while Karel pulled Tiana toward the cabin.
“Where are they being banished to?” she asked. They followed the others at a safe distance in case things got out of hand again. The last thing Liv wanted was for one of the women to get free and go for Bella. She knew the men could handle them, but she didn’t want to take chances with Bella’s baby.
“To a primitive planet,” Bella whispered and her eyes opened wide. “A scary one.”
When they got to the cabin, Karel went to the porch and picked up something, handing it to Alyx. It was a transporter.
“What are you doing?” Nadeeya screeched, finally sounding scared.
“You two have given us enough grief.” He pressed buttons and a big oval opened like the one on earth. “I hereby banish you from Nova Aurora.”
Nadeeya clung to Alyx, her eyes wild. “You can’t do this. I don’t want to go!”
Karel tossed Tiana through the opening, her screaming swallowed as she went through.
“I don’t care what you want,” Alyx told her. “Now you’ll live with the other outcasts from society.”
He peeled her off him and shoved her into the opening, effectively cutting off her cries.
“What planet?” Liv wondered. “Where?”
“It’s a hunting galaxy. Filled with barren wastelands and animals we never even heard of. Super dangerous,” Bella replied. “They’ll be some dinosaur’s midday snack.”
Wow. “Sounds like they’re going to have to work hard to stay alive.”
“Well, now they won’t have time to plot killing me,” Bella said.
“There’s always a bright side to everything.” Liv grinned.
THIRTY
Liv and Bella went in to check on Keliana, while Karel and Alyx washed the blood off. Liv peeked in Keliana’s room to see her wide awake and sitting up in bed. “Don’t sneak around, get in here and visit with me. I want to know what all that fuss was I just heard outside.” Liv smiled and pulled Bella in with her. They sat on either side of Keliana on the bed.
Bella smiled and gave Keliana a hug. “You are looking better every time I see you.”
“I feel almost back to normal already. Got to love these shifter genes. Liv here has provided me with all the protein I can eat, and I am pretty sure the poison is out of my system completely. I would even venture to say by dinnertime, I will be ready to eat at the table with the rest of you.”
“Did you eat everything? I can get you something if you’re hungry,” Liv offered as she stood and headed toward the door.
“No, I am fine. Your mate took care of me before he and Alyx went looking for you two.” Keliana peered from one to the other. “Where are those boys anyway? I want to hear what is going on.”
“We’re here, Aayi. I figured you would be going crazy for answers by now,” Karel called out as he and Alyx entered the room with big grins on their faces.
Keliana huffed and narrowed her eyes at Karel. “You aren’t sassing me, are you? You aren’t too old to be taken to task, you know.”
Karel blushed and shot a look at the others who were trying not to smile. “Aayi,” Karel pleaded, “you live to torture me, don’t you.”
“Someone explain what just happened.” Keliana looked from face to face waiting. “No one, really? Was it that bad?”
Liv cleared her throat. “Aayi, I think it’s more that we are still piecing it together.”
“You know what they say, two heads are better than one. Or I guess in our case five heads.”
“This morning after I left you, I went for a walk in the garden. I didn’t know at the time who she was, but a blond lady threatened me for ruining her plan. A few minutes ago the same lady came out of the forest and attacked us. She wasn’t alone. Tiana was with her.”
Bella took over the story. “The blonde is Alyx’s cousin Nadeeya. She has tried multiple times to get rid of me, so she can have Alyx for herself. After the last time, we sent her to her brother for him to watch over her. It would seem we were too lenient.”
“Alyx and I subdued the women and Alyx banished them,” Karel piped in with the last of the story. “They went too far this time.”
Keliana sat back and thought for a few minutes. “One thing I don’t understand. How did Tiana fit into all this and why was she poisoning me?”
Liv said, “When I was talking to Tiana, I mentioned that Karel told me she worked in the castle. I asked if she was one of your assistants, Bella. She became extremely angry at my question and said she wasn’t good enough to work with you. That she attended the king’s cousin. She was very bitter. I remember being surprised because you were so sweet.”
Alyx cut in. “If I may, I have an idea as to why. Karel and I have been talking and we think it was an elaborate plan to get to Bella. With her advanced pregnancy, I assigned Karel to stay by her side. This made it impossible for Nadeeya to attack again.” Alyx rubbed a hand down his face. “When you suddenly got sick, we believed it was just your time,” he added. “We didn’t stop to think you’d gotten sick once she’d come here to visit with you.
“Nadeeya recruited Tiana to poison you to make Karel rush to your side, Keliana. Everyone knows how loyal jaguars are to their mothers. It would seem she set it up to happen at the time I would be away at the summit meeting with the bears. Bella still had protection, but it wasn’t people Bella knew well, therefore they stayed back a bit and gave her more space.” Alyx paused to let that sink in and Karel carried on.
“When Tiana dropped the bottle she must have assumed you would become curious and look for it. She must have reported this to Nadeeya, who in a rage, came to warn you off.” Karel locked eyes with Bella. “My only question is how they got Aayi sick to begin with. Was it your idea to send the treats with the books?”
Bella gasped. “I was in the library picking books about earth for Keliana to read. Tiana happened to walk in, or at least I assumed it was by accident. Knowing everything now, I have to assume they were listening in on my conversations and knew what I was doing. Tiana offered to deliver the books. She also mentioned she had been by the kitchens and there were some delicious pastries fresh from the oven and maybe she could wrap a few as a nice surprise and perhaps make some tea.” Bella turned to Keliana. “I am so sorry, it was my fault.”
“You can forget that right now. This was not your fault. It was those idiot women and their petty vengeance. I don’t blame you or anyone else for this stupidity in accepting reality.” She reached out and took hold of Bella’s hands. “Besides, if you think about it, due to their meddling I have a new daughter who will be giving me little ones to play with sooner rather than later.”
Bella laughed when she saw how red Liv’s face became at her words. Liv smiled and looked to Karel. He walked over and wrapped his arms around her. “Yes, Aayi. Soon, I promise.”
* * *
Liv glanced at the dual moons from Karel’s arms and leaned her head against his shoulder. It had been a few days and Keliana was almost fully recovered. “I’m glad your mom’s okay now.”
“She considers herself your mother, too,” he whispered against her forehead, placing a kiss on her hair.
Happiness burst in her heart, filling her with joy. “I know. It’s nice to have someone I can count on. Someone who actually sees me as a daughter.”
“I’m glad that makes you happy, love.” He curled his arms tighter around her waist, splaying his hands over her abdomen. She didn’t think anything of it at first, but then he brushed his lips over her ear. “Aayi will be happy to know she’ll get those grandchildren soon.”
She let the words sink in and then sat up in a rush, turning to face him. “What? That is not cool, Karel. You know I’ve been dying for a baby.”
He laughed at her obvious annoyance. “No need to die or kill anyone, love. Your wish is coming true.”
She gasped, glancing at his hands on her belly. “Are you sure? How could you know?”
“I know.”
“Really?”
He nodded. “Yes, really.”
She flung her arms around him, hugging him tightly, attempting to show how much she loved him through the embrace. “I love you. I love you so much, I can’t even explain it.”
He slid a hand over her hair in a soft caress. “I know, beautiful. I love you too.”
She’d finally gotten the family she always wanted: a man who loved her, a mother, a good friend, and even a baby. It didn’t get any better.
EPILOGUE
With a sigh, Gerri knocked on Cassie’s door. She was exhausted and needed to find reliable help or she’d end up killing someone. Those shifters were so demanding when they wanted something.
Cassie’s door flew open and a man ran out with a box in his arms.
“You’re fucking crazy, you fat bitch!” he screamed and ran down the hall.
Gerri’s brows flew up when a curvy blonde with angry gray eyes and caramel skin came out of the apartment with a baseball bat in hand.
“Yeah, I might be fat and crazy,” she yelled, “but I’m not stupid.”
“See who gives you a job, now!” the man yelled rounding a corner toward the elevators. “You’re fired.”
Cassie rolled her eyes and met Gerri’s gaze. “I’m fired, but I’m not the one needing medical attention. He’s lucky he moves fast or I would have broken his ribs.”
Gerri frowned. “Why did you want to break his ribs?”
“Because he stole every cent I had in my savings account.” She shook her head, her shoulders dropping. “I go away on a business trip and my own boss, aka my boyfriend, does that shit to me.” She took a deep breath and sighed. “I have no job, no money.” She frowned. “And I have no idea who you are.”
Gerri grinned. “I’m actually here to talk to you about your neighbor Liv, but I think I have something better in mind. May I come in?”
Cassie glanced at Gerri for a moment. “Sure, not like you can make my troubles go away. I swear,” she grumbled and stepped aside to let Gerri pass, “I wish I could just disappear and send this whole planet to hell.”
Gerri snorted. “I think I can help you, Cassie. You see, I’m looking for an assistant…”
Keep Reading for the first chapter of Miss Taken! Milly’s sexy new series coming in January!
Sneak Peek at Milly Taiden’s upcoming New Series…
Raging Falls
Miss Taken – Book 1
Waking up in some strange man’s bed was never big girl Kira Ardan’s goal for the day. Neither was waking up naked. Wait, naked? Someone had a lot of explaining to do and soon.
Luke Lyen is at the height of his need. He wants a mate and he wants her now. Finding the woman meant to be his brings out the lust he’s been fighting for days. If only she weren’t so stubborn, he might be able to get her to understand she is his. Then they could move on with dirty, freaky loving.
The big lion is doing things with his tongue that makes Kira’s brain cells melt. It will take more than a little danger to get this curvy woman to let go of her firm beliefs. She’s not interested in being anyone’s MINE, but maybe he can convince her to be HIS.