Harry's Sacrifice, page 25
part #5 of Resonance Mates Series
Nobody could love her as they had just done and walk away from it. Not even Harry, who’d been cheated out of a human mate. Roshin vowed to spend the rest of her life making it up to him.
As Cormac levered off her and rolled to the side, collapsing and breathing hard in the aftermath of their loving, she gazed into Harry’s eyes.
“I love you.” She was warmed by his smile and then turned to include Cormac. “Both of you. Forever.”
Dreamily, she settled her head against Harry’s chest and fell asleep while he stroked her back in slow motions.
What felt like only seconds later, but was probably a few minutes’ worth of lazy dozing on Roshin’s part, Harry spoke.
“I want to take you two to my home as soon as things settle down a bit.”
“I thought this was your home.” Cormac sounded confused.
“He means his human home,” Roshin said, smiling and reaching out to pat Cormac’s shoulder. “Your human family has a ranch in the Waste, don’t they?”
She looked at him with the lazy satisfaction of a well-loved woman and Harry felt the warmth of Roshin’s joy at his suggestion. He was glad he’d made it, just to feel the little burst of happiness that flowed through her. The more he was around her and the more he tuned into her emotions, the more she fed his need for what he’d always thought he’d wanted in a mate.
“The ranch is great, and I want you to meet my step-mother, Jane, and my father, Justin. Uncle Mick too, and all my siblings. I want them to see how well we get along. I know Jane will worry until she sees us in person. She is a powerful empath. In fact, she could help you both if you still have trouble with any of your emotional integration. She’s really amazing.”
“I look forward to meeting her,” Cormac answered lazily while Roshin seemed to tense up a bit.
“What’s wrong, honey?” Harry asked, concerned as he stroked her back.
“Do you think she will like me?” Roshin nibbled on her lower lip, clearly anxious. It was totally endearing.
Harry kissed her, just lightly, to stop her worry. “She’ll love you because you complete me, Ro. Trust me. She has the biggest heart I’ve ever known.”
Roshin seemed to take heart from his words. “I told you before, I want you to meet my family too,” Roshin reminded him. “Although, you’ve met quite a few of them already. Ronin has always been like a father to me—to all Zxerah, really—but he made me feel special. He calls me Rose.” She smiled softly. “It was always nice, but since taking the treatment, the feeling is so much better. In his way, even without real emotion, I know he cares for me like a daughter.”
“Of course he does,” Harry confirmed. “He feels a little more than the average Alvian. Warriors always have a bit more emotion than regular Alvians, don’t you, Cormac?”
“I felt…echoes. Before the treatment, it was always just out of reach, but it was definitely there. Now I understand what it was. I have no regrets about taking the treatment, except that I do not have any family to introduce you to. Only my men. My comrades in arms have always been my family. I suppose Cormac Prime would be considered my older brother—or even a father figure, of sorts.” Cormac contemplated the ceiling, his hands folded under his head as he considered his words.
Roshin slipped off of Harry to settle between them, one hand on Cormac, one hand on Harry, as if she couldn’t bear not to touch them. As if she needed the connection.
Harry understood. He needed it too. Through Roshin, he was connected to Cormac. He always would be. He’d gained another sibling as well as a mate, it seemed.
“Don’t feel bad about it, brother. You have plenty of family among the O’Haras now,” Harry said quietly, feeling the true regret coming from Cormac.
“And the Zxerah,” Roshin reminded them. “Don’t forget, Ronin offered you a place among the Brethren when you took the treatment, Cormac. Since you are my mate, you have gained my family as well. We will share.”
Harry loved the way she phrased it and the openness of her heart. She had as big a heart, in her way, as Mama Jane. Now that Roshin’s emotions had been fully awakened, Harry sensed a deep well of feeling inside her that could encompass him and Cormac and all the family they would share.
Percival had called Harry’s mating with an Alvian a sacrifice, but it suddenly didn’t seem so bad. No, not bad at all.
About the Author
Bianca D’Arc has run a laboratory, climbed the corporate ladder in the shark-infested streets of Manhattan, studied and taught martial arts, and earned the right to put a whole bunch of letters after her name, but she’s always enjoyed writing more than any of her other pursuits. She grew up and still lives on Long Island, where she keeps busy with an extensive garden, several aquariums full of very demanding fish, and writing her favorite genres of paranormal, fantasy and sci-fi romance.
Bianca loves to hear from readers and can be reached through Facebook, her Yahoo group, http://groups.yahoo.com/group/BiancaDArc/join, or through the various links on her website, www.biancedarc.com.
Look for these titles by Bianca D’Arc
Now Available:
Brotherhood of Blood
One & Only
Rare Vintage
Phantom Desires
Sweeter Than Wine
Forever Valentine
Wolf Hills
Wolf Quest
Tales of the Were
Lords of the Were
Inferno
Dragon Knights
Maiden Flight
Border Lair
The Ice Dragon
Prince of Spies
Wings of Change
FireDrake
Dragon Storm
Keeper of the Flame
The Dragon Healer
Resonance Mates
Hara’s Legacy
Davin’s Quest
Jaci’s Experiment
Grady’s Awakening
Gifts of the Ancients
Warrior’s Heart
String of Fate
Cat’s Cradle
StarLords
Hidden Talent
Print Anthologies
Ladies of the Lair
I Dream of Dragons Vol. 1
Brotherhood of Blood
Caught by Cupid
Love and magic lie at the heart of this storm…as well as a whole lot of danger.
Wolf Quest
© 2013 Bianca D’Arc
Brotherhood of Blood, Book 7
When Major Jesse Moore, brother to the Wyoming Pack Alpha, is sent to Iowa to check on his sister-in-law’s cousin, knocking politely isn’t an option. Sounds of a struggle send him storming into her kitchen—where he finds anything but a damsel in distress. The tiny human woman knows how to handle herself in a fight, and all Jesse’s senses shout she’s his mate.
Exotic-animal vet, Maria Garibaldi has never trusted the magic her aunt and grandmother claim is her birthright. She’s always known about the Others, but she had no idea she was also part of their world. When Maria sets out with Jesse to find the parents of a young grizzly shifter she found and treated, she learns the meaning of temptation in the form of the ex-Special Forces soldier.
As passion flares, the trail leads them toward the eye of a massive storm…where an unspeakable evil awaits the right moment to destroy the good in the magical world.
Warning: Things get explicit when a werewolf wants his mate and he doesn’t care where they are. Outdoors, indoors, wherever and whenever—never get between a wolf and his woman.
Enjoy the following excerpt for Wolf Quest:
Jesse kicked the door in and found what he’d expected, though not exactly the scenario he’d anticipated. There was a struggle going on all right, but the two men attacking the young lovely in her nightgown were definitely on the defensive. One was already out cold, slumped against the far wall, while the other was face down on the kitchen floor, his arm twisted behind him in what had to be an excruciating position. The woman crouching over his back had a fierce expression on her lovely face and her dark hair flipped out to the side almost in slow motion as she turned her head to look at Jesse.
“What do you want?” She couldn’t have growled any better if she’d been a female werewolf in half-shifted battle form.
The thought made Jesse grin as he aimed his weapon at the ground, away from her.
“We thought you might need some help, but I see you have matters in hand here.”
“We?” she asked, arching one eyebrow as she pulled the man’s arm a little tighter. The guy grunted in pain but she wasn’t letting up.
Jesse gave the signal over his tactical radio and the rest of the team appeared in the hall leading to the kitchen. The woman would be able to see them if she looked up, but the dude on the ground with his cheek pressed into the linoleum wouldn’t. Jesse gestured toward the hall with his eyes, hoping she’d get the message.
Wonder of wonders, she did. This girl was on the ball. Of course, he shouldn’t have expected anything less from Sally’s cousin. His brother’s new wife had already proven to be more than a match for a male Alpha werewolf.
And Jesse was definitely Alpha. And male. And a werewolf.
All his senses were standing on end in the gorgeous female’s presence. A bare hint of her scent wafted to him and his hormones raged.
Whoa. Down boy.
“Ma’am…” Jesse made himself get back to business. “We’ve been pursuing these boys. They’re wanted in connection with a kidnapping in Wyoming. I’m sorry we had to barge into your home, but I thought you might need assistance. As team leader, I take full responsibility, and I promise we’ll repair any damage our entry may have caused.” He glanced significantly back at the kitchen door. It was badly splintered and still swinging slightly on its hinges.
She didn’t ease off the man on the floor. “Look, buddy, I don’t know you. For all I know you could be working for these guys, just waiting for me to let this one go.”
“While I applaud your caution, in this instance it’s misplaced. If you’ll allow me?” He didn’t wait for an answer before pulling a dart gun from the holster on his thigh and plugging the struggling man with sleep juice.
She didn’t even have time to blink, which was a good thing. Jesse sure as hell didn’t want to tranq her by mistake. Oh, no. He wanted her awake and spitting at him. He wanted the chance to try to gentle her. To woo her.
Woo her? Where the hell had that come from? Damn. She was every bit as attractive as her cousin and twice as alluring to Jesse’s senses. He’d thought his brother was a lucky man when he’d found Sally, but the mild envy he’d felt had nothing on the downright possessive streak that stirred in him at seeing Maria Garibaldi in her nightdress.
The dude under her went slack as the fast-acting drug kicked in.
“What did you just do?” she accused, outrage in her silky voice. Damn. He could listen to her for hours and never tire.
This thought from a man who found most women intensely annoying when they started to chatter? He was in trouble. Big trouble.
“He’ll wake in a few hours. I figured you wouldn’t mind since you knocked the other one out cold.” He glanced at the other man, still slumped against the wall. Signaling his men to enter the kitchen, he stepped closer to Maria. “We’ll take these guys off your hands, ma’am.”
Maria stood faster than he would have credited as he stepped forward. She was really quick for a human. Maybe her alleged magical ancestry gave her some physical advantages.
“You can have them, but I’m not going anywhere. And you can think again if you expect me to agree to anything else you may have in mind.”
He holstered the dart gun and held his hands out, palms up in the intergalactic gesture of I come in peace.
“We mean you no harm, Maria.” Her chin jerked up defiantly when he used her first name. “It’s okay. We really have been following these guys for a couple of weeks. Two of their friends kidnapped a young boy in Wyoming. We got those two, but these guys have been leading us cross-country.”
Arlo and Len had secured the unconscious man’s wrists and feet with zip ties. They’d also disarmed him while Jesse had been talking. Maria had been splitting her attention between them and Jesse for the past minute or more. She was like a caged animal, ready to strike and unsure what was coming next. He had to calm her down but he wasn’t sure how.
“Why here?” she whispered. “Why me?”
Now there was a question. Jesse paused. He wasn’t sure how much she knew about the magical world around her. She might be like her cousin Sally, who had been completely unaware of the weres, bloodletters and other kinds of magical beings living alongside the human population. Or she might know a lot more than Sally had. He’d noticed a couple of low-level wardings in Maria’s backyard. Nothing that could stop a werewolf of course, but enough to let a magic user know that someone was trespassing on their land.
“Do you know what I am?” Jesse tested the waters.
To his amazement, she sniffed in his direction. That wasn’t something a human would do. She looked at the man on the floor before speaking as if to make certain he was fully asleep.
“Were?” She didn’t seem too sure of her answer.
Jesse grinned at her, letting her see the slightly sharper teeth of the predator.
Which man will Callie choose, the alien or the warrior? Or can she have both?
Davin’s Quest
© 2008 Bianca D’Arc
Resonance Mates, Book 2
For each Alvian, there is one perfect match—a Resonance Mate whose soul blends in perfect harmony. Unlike the rest of his race, Davin has emotions and suffers for it. Without a mate, he is doomed to go mad. Searching for answers and understanding, he seeks out Callie O’Hara, a human woman with strong empathic gifts. Could this fragile human be his Resonance Mate?
Rick St. John is a tough-as-nails survivor of the Alvian occupation of Earth. He doesn’t believe in much, but when he sees Callie for the first time, he starts to believe in love at first sight.
The Governing Council is gunning for Davin, the upstart who dares to defy them. And they’ll kill anyone who gets in their way. Davin and Rick must come to terms with their feelings for Callie in order to keep her safe, while she has to find a way to save them both…with her love.
Warning: This title contains hot alien love, explicit sex, graphic language and ménage a trois.
Enjoy the following excerpt for Davin’s Quest:
As Callie rode up, a huge grin broke over her face when she saw Davin, and it lightened his heart to a degree he never would have expected. He was glad her parents remained within the house. As it was, he’d have a hard time explaining how quickly he’d convinced her to Kiss him. They didn’t know of his almost nightly talks with Callie over the communication crystal. As far as they knew, she’d only spoken to him the one time, but he couldn’t hold himself in check. She was near and he wanted—no, he needed—to Kiss her.
She jumped from her horse, caring for it before turning to him, and he sensed her shyness. With a determined step he strode toward her, covertly placing a small, tuned crystal on a fencepost where it would be clearly visible to the watchers in the farmhouse.
“I can’t believe you’re here,” Callie whispered as he moved to stand in front of her. His back was to the house, blocking their view, so they couldn’t see her face as they talked, but they could see she was safe nonetheless.
“I can hardly believe it either, sweetheart.” He raised one hand to trail the backs of his fingers over her soft cheek. Her skin was even softer than it looked, a sensual delight to his starved senses. “I’ve wanted to touch you and see you smile. I’ve wanted to hold your hand and spend time with you for so long.”
“Me too,” she breathed as he stepped closer, closing the distance between them.
“I promised you I’d make sure you didn’t turn seventeen without being kissed.” His whispered words made something in her tummy clench with pleasure. She blushed, hoping no one could see, though she knew they weren’t completely hidden by the barn. She pulled back, tugging him toward the barn, but he let her go on without him. “If I go in there with you now, I’ll want to do a lot more than just kiss you, Callie. And you’re not quite ready for what I have in mind yet.”
“But what if I want it too?”
“Oh, sweetheart—” he tucked her hair behind her ear, “—you’re killing me, but I’m trying to do the right thing here. I promised your family I would take this slow.”
“You talked to them about this? About kissing me?” Her face flamed red as his fingers touched her again, so softly.
He nodded. “I had to. I have to do this according to their wishes, Callie. You are too precious to them, and to me, to rush things.”
“I’ve been waiting forever, Davin!”
He chuckled at her youthful impatience. At times he really felt the difference in their ages, but he couldn’t stop his desire for her, no matter what lay between them. They would work through the age difference and in a few years, it wouldn’t really matter. They would both live long, hopefully healthy, Alvian-length lifespans and any age difference would cease to matter beyond their first few decades together.
“Then it would be cruel of me to make you wait any longer.” With an indulgent, yet excited smile he opened his arms and she flew into them. The Hum sounded as his skin touched hers in places.
He moved slowly, savoring the moment of discovery, sliding his cheek over her hair, down her temple, nuzzling her sweet face with his lips and nose. He inhaled her fresh fragrance, stunned by how much her simple, sweet scent turned him on. He kept a small space between their lower bodies, as he’d promised her family he would, but it was just about killing him. He wanted her so badly!
