Sassy Ever After: All About That Sass (Kindle Worlds Novella) (The Pride Commands Book 1) Read online

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  All About That Sass

  Sassy Ever After Kindle World

  By Michele Bardsley

  PART ONE

  “Will you allow fear to hold you back from what’s right for you? For me? For us?”

  ~Scent of a Mate by Milly Taiden

  Chapter One

  Thomas Harper sat at the scarred wooden table in Wolfe’s Den, a shifter bar he’d been partial to since he’d been in the area. The werewolf family who’d owned the place welcomed all who entered—especially the matriarch of the Wolfe family, Barbara Wolfe. She checked on him every now and again, and it felt good to be cared for … even if it was only for a little while.

  He’d been alone since his half-brother, Craig, had banished him from the werecougar colony. He’d been considered a pariah and no werecat within the Harper territory would give him the time of day. He knew he needed to move on soon, but his reluctance to give up the unexpected comfort he’d found here stalled him.

  “Gareth,” said a female voice, filled with warmth. He knew immediately who’d said his name. He looked up and saw the smiling face of Barbara Wolfe.

  “How are you?” he asked.

  “I’m right as rain,” she said, sliding the coffee in front of him. “You’re the only furball in here who prefers coffee to alcohol. This is a bar, you know.”

  He grinned. “I like being different.”

  “That’s good,” said Barbara, her gaze sliding across the room. “Because I think that young lady wants different.”

  Gareth followed Barbara’s unabashed stare.

  Whoa. His heart tripled its beat—the result of an undeniable attraction to the woman sitting at a corner table near the windows.

  His body strained toward hers as though they were magnetically coenncted. Every molecule in his being screamed, “Her. Her. Her. Now. Now. Now.”

  “Well, then,” said Barbara. “My work is done.” She patted his shoulder and left him alone to drool at the gorgeous female within catching distance.

  Gareth knew by her scent that she was a human. He never thought a human female would trigger his mating urges. The very idea baffled him. Especially here in the protected Wolfe territory. Many outcasts made their homes in the forests and the small towns that comprised the area. Either the lovely lady was passing through, or she lived somewhere nearby.

  Okay, Gareth. Get. A. Grip. He looked around the dark bar with its neon drink signs and empty stools. He tried to find something to take his mind—and libido—off the brunette. It took less than thirty seconds for his gaze to return to the woman.

  His cock got hard. Rod-of-steel hard. And the fantasies his mind spun about the woman made his body rigid with desire. Gareth gave up pretense and stared openly at her. She was curvaceous, with the face of an angel. Her cheekbones were rosy, her lips fully kissable, her nose turned up just a smidge at the end. There was shimmering beauty about her. Abstract and untouchable. Goddess-like.

  Lust heated his blood, thrummed through his balls and did more damage to his cock. Her flawless skin required little make-up. Her hair was the color of milk chocolate and her eyes sparkling amber. She was medium height, luscious beyond reason, and dressed for the cold weather in boots, jeans, sweater, and a leather jacket. She sipped her coffee and read something apparently riveting on her tablet.

  She lifted her gaze and caught him in the act of checking her out. Schmuck! Get out of here before you do something really stupid. Like tell her, “Oh, I think you might be my mate. By the way, I’m a shifter. Let’s get busy.”

  His stomach clenched. No. No way. He’d been banished from the territory where his family lived. His brother had made sure his banishment had been public, humiliating, and permanent. Gareth had been the only threat to Craig’s claim to alpha. His older brother had always been a soulless dick.

  Gareth put on his coat and threw away the cold coffee. As he reached to push open the glass door, he found long, pale fingers wrapped around his wrist. Startled, he looked into the gaze of the woman who had tilted his world on its axis.

  “Hello,” she said. Her eyes sparkled with humor and intelligence and — oh shit — attraction. His gaze drifted down to the hand on his sleeve. Her nails were neatly trimmed and coated with clear polish.

  “I’m sorry,” she said, her smile revealing a dimple near her right cheek. “I didn’t realize you were mute.”

  “I’m not,” he said.

  “Ah. My name’s Angela Ross. And you are?” She had a Southern twang, which was delightfully softened by her honeyed voice.

  He cleared his throat and managed to say, “Gareth Harper.”

  Angela leaned close, and the floral scent of her perfume drifted around him. “Would you be up for a little experiment, Gareth?” she asked. “I’ve never been with a werecougar.”

  Shocked, he stared at her. How had she known about his dual nature? “What are you talking about?”

  “Oh, sugar, you don’t have to lie to me. I know you’re not a shifter like those portrayed in movies.” She spoke in the same tone one would use to discuss the weather. Gareth drew in her scent. Definitely human. And pure delicious female. He tended to forget that some humans knew about shifters. His own colony kept themselves under wraps. Too many assholes had tried hunting them—and gotten dead for their efforts.

  But here, in the Wolfe’s territory, it was different.

  “Angela.” A tall man joined them, his mossy green gaze assessing Gareth. His eyes held curiosity, not hostility. Still, when the fellow wrapped his arm around Angela in a clear show of possession, Gareth wanted to bare his fangs and rip off the guy’s limbs. He tamped down the urge. The man had silvery blond hair tied back in a leather thong. His skin was pale, almost luminescent. He was dressed in the same casual way as the woman—jeans, sweater, boots, and jacket. He was lean—had a swimmer’s build. He had no underlying scent. In fact, he had no heartbeat, no breath.

  Vampire.

  Gareth had never met one.

  The man extended his hand and Gareth took it, held it in a tight grip and pumped. “My name is Thomas Moore.”

  “Gareth.”

  He looked at Angela. “He’s the one?”

  She nodded. “I felt the pull, like you said.”

  “And did you?” asked Thomas.

  Gareth blinked. “Did I what?”

  “Feel the mating urge with Angela?”

  Gareth’s mouth dropped open. “Why would you want that? Isn’t she yours?”

  “I don’t belong to anybody except myself,” said Angela. “I choose my life.” She winked at Gareth. “And my partners.”

  Thomas leaned over and kissed the top of Angela’s head. “Isn’t she magnificent?”

  Gareth nodded numbly. Had he fallen into an alternate universe? He’d never imagined finding a mate, much less one who already had one.

  “We consulted a psychic,” said Angela. “She said we would find the one we needed if we went here. Well, here we’ve been a few days and now, we’ve finally found you. Or you found us.�
�

  “Yeah. That makes total sense. Not crazy at all. Um, I should probably go,” he managed, his voice hoarse.

  “We have a cabin with a toasty bed,” offered Angela. Gareth suppressed the shudder of delight that accompanied Angela’s hand squeezing his shoulder. Then her slim fingers sifted through Gareth's hair. Gareth swallowed his sigh of happiness. “You know you wanna.”

  Yes! agreed his cock, you really do wanna. Occasional lovers had been only sips of water in the desert of his love life. Still, he hesitated. There was an undercurrent of emotion here that he didn’t understand. It rippled between the three of them—a powerful, connective energy.

  “Please.” Angela’s blue eyes were filled with naughty promises. “I won’t bite.”

  Gareth leaned forward and bared his canines, growling. “I can’t make the same claim, sweetheart.”

  Chapter Two

  Gareth drove his sedan about three feet from the bumper of the Land Rover navigating the rough dirt road. Large trees rose on either side, sentinels of the thick forest beyond. It appeared the promise of sex was enough motivation to throw caution to the wind. For all he knew, the vampire planned to feast on him, and the woman, the one who caused the mating urge to roar inside him was merely bait.

  Well, hell. What did he have to lose? He was alone. Abandoned by the Harpers, what few remained, and unhappy. Less unhappy than he’d been under the thumb of his older brother, but still.

  They turned onto a gravel road, and soon came upon a cozy cabin. Billowing gray clouds covered the moon, hiding the forest in shadows. None of the windows offered illumination. Not even the porch light was on. Gareth wondered if it was because the vampire liked the dark or because they wanted people to believe the place was unoccupied.

  He stepped out of the car. His superior eyesight took in the well-worn logs that comprised the cabin, the repaired planks on the porch, and well-tended area around the home. It hardly seemed like the place where a vampire and a human might murder a werecougar. The sharp scent of pine filled his nostrils. The winter wind chased dead leaves across the gravel then rattled the bare limbs of the trees lurking near the house.

  “Lovely, isn’t it?” asked Angela in a delighted voice as she took Gareth's hand and led him toward the steps. “I fell in love with it the first time Thomas brought me here. It’s a perfect love nest.”

  Gareth caught Angela’s smoldering glance. His heart skipped a beat. He wasn’t sure what he’d gotten himself into … a human female and her vampire lover? Anticipation thrummed through him as a simple, primal need overrode common sense and logic.

  The mating urge roared inside him, insistent—no more than that. Bordering on feral.

  He wanted whatever happened next.

  * * *

  As Gareth waited on his companions, he studied the huge four-poster bed, its wispy gold curtains pulled back to reveal the plush comforter and mountain of silk-covered pillows. The bedroom had its own hearth and a fire burned brightly.

  Obviously Thomas and Angela spent a lot of time in here. Tonight, they would make room for him in their bed. He couldn’t help but wonder, just a little, if it were possible for them to make room for him in their lives. Even if he and Angela were mates, that didn’t mean she wanted him on a permanent basis. Especially since she already had a man. He sighed. Gareth didn’t belong anywhere anymore. He tried not to think about the werecougars he’d once called family.

  “What’s done is done,” said Thomas.

  The vampire had sidled behind him so silently Gareth's cougar senses hadn’t picked up his movements. “You’re reading my mind,” he accused softly.

  “You’re wondering about us. About our motives.”

  “I’m wondering about my own motives.” Gareth gestured around the room. “She’s a human—and yet, I feel the mating pull. How is that possible?”

  “Mating is not reserved for shifters. But it’s rare for shifters to mate with humans.”

  Thomas cocked a brow. “Is it?”

  “Well, for werecougars. We’re … discouraged from mating with humans.” He paused. “You said a psychic told you to find me?”

  “Psychic. Ah. Some vampires have better developed abilities. The one we consulted in New York pointed us in this direction.”

  “Why did you consult a psychic vampire in the first place?”

  “Boys,” said Angela.

  The men turned, and Gareth saw that Angela wore nothing but a smile.

  Her skin was golden in the firelight. Her thick curves made his mouth water. Her hair swung like a chocolate waterfall over her shoulders. She winked. “What do you think, sugar?”

  The growl that issued from his throat surprised them both. Her expression told him that she wasn’t scared, just intrigued. He scooped her into his arms and strode to the bed, with Thomas following.

  Gareth made short work of his clothes and noted that Thomas did the same. Gareth wasn’t against having an ménage a trios. But he damned sure planned to be the one who worshipped Angela first. He wanted her so badly he shook with hot, urgent need. He crawled onto the bed and covered her. His cock nestled against her warm sex; her tight curls pressed softly against his length. She wrapped her legs around him and kissed him. Her tongue was small and soft. She teased without trying to possess.

  He was drowning in her scent, her touch, her beauty. She felt so good. He lightly bit her collarbone, licking his way to her breasts. They were large and soft, tipped in pink. He sucked on one delicious peak, lightly nipping her.

  She moaned. That breathy little sound went right through him. He tormented her other breast, just so she’d do it again. He squeezed and licked and bit until she issued moan after moan.

  “Gareth,” she whispered. “My beautiful Gareth.”

  She shifted, adjusting herself so that his shaft teased her entrance.

  Gareth hesitated.

  “What’s wrong, sugar?” Her blue eyes were luminous, filled with desire and need and… something else. It wasn’t that being with Angela, and by default Thomas, felt wrong. But there was something else, too, and he couldn’t pin it down.

  Angela kissed him and reached for his cock. They touched each other, lust-driven desperation guiding their hands and mouths. Gareth trembled as he and Angela made love. He was immersed in a thousand wonderful sensations.

  “Let me fuck you,” said Gareth, his voice thick with lust.

  Angela pressed against his chest, offering him more of her delicious kisses, her damp sex rubbing his cock.

  They rolled onto their side, allowing Thomas to press himself against Angela. He stroked her flesh and kissed her neck, as Gareth took her mouth and pressed against her.

  “I need you,” whispered Angela. She took Gareth’s cock inside her.

  Gareth groaned, trying to remember to breathe. It had never been this intense for him.

  Angela kissed him, squeezing him as Gareth slowly deepened his penetration until his hard length filled Angela’s sex. While Thomas touched and kissed Angela from her backside, Gareth started a slow rhythm. She moaned again and again as he took her, gifting him with those delightful mewling sounds.

  “Now,” she demanded. “Both of you … claim me.”

  Sudden, intense pleasure cascaded through Gareth, a drugging joy that made him want to give her the mate bite. This is right. This is the way it should be.

  Thomas sank his fangs into Angela’s shoulder. Gareth’s teeth extended, his teeth sharp and dangerous, and he bit Angela at the top of her breast. She cried out, both ecstasy and pain in the sounds.

  “Oh, yes,” whispered Angela. “Come inside me, Gareth. Please.”

  The orgasm shattered him. It was like a bomb going off. Big, bright, overwhelming. He clutched Angela and rode the wave of it, his seed jetting inside her. Her lips found his, her tongue thrusting into his mouth hard and fast as she came, her wet sex milking his cock with hard, slick pulses.

  For a long, tender moment, they held each other. Angela was the first to mov
e. She kissed Thomas and then moved off the bed. Thomas followed, but Gareth was too sated to attempt movement. He laid there, eyes closed and happily exhausted, until he heard Angela scream.

  Chapter Three

  Gareth saw Thomas and Angela standing in front of the hearth. He leapt from the bed and got in-between them before the vampire could blink.

  “What are you doing?” asked Thomas.

  “Protecting her.”

  “Oh, silly! He’s not hurting me.” She did a little dance. “You did it, Gareth. We knew you were the one!”

  Confusion rioted through him. He turned to her. “What did I do?”

  “You gave her what I could not,” said Thomas, grinning broadly. “A child.”

  Gareth's eyes widened. “How could you possibly know that she’s pregnant?”

  “I’m a vampire,” he said. “I know.”

  “It’s why I wouldn’t let him turn me,” said Angela. “Because I wanted a baby. I wanted us to have a baby.” She kissed Gareth and did another jig. “And now I’m gonna have one!”

  Stunned, Gareth slumped into one of the wingbacks positioned in front of the fireplace. This was what he couldn’t pinpoint—the need Thomas and Angela had for him. Not just satiation of lust, but another purpose; to give them a child. How could he have believed she was his mate?

  He looked at the wound on her breast. It bled, but she didn’t seem to notice. He’d claimed her. They were mated. Mates needed each other.

  At least, that’s what he’d been led to believe. Now, he was not only mated to a human female—who was already claimed by a vampire, but he was soon to be a father. What have I done?

  If Craig ever got wind of Gareth’s situation, he was a dead man. Angela and their child would never be safe.

  “It’s not easy being a werecougar," he said bitterly. “Being different in the werecat world means you’re weak. Unwelcome.”

  “As a member of this family, any differences are welcome,” said Angela. “Our baby will be fine. You’ll see.”

  Gareth stared at her. “I will?”