Total pages in book: 95
Estimated words: 90897 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 454(@200wpm)___ 364(@250wpm)___ 303(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 90897 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 454(@200wpm)___ 364(@250wpm)___ 303(@300wpm)
“You know you can tell me anything.”
“I know. I’m sorry.” Niamh kissed his beautiful mouth. “I love you.”
Kiyo held her close and whispered hoarsely, “Love isn’t a strong enough word.”
A few days later, as they prepared to leave their little paradise to follow a vision Niamh had of a werewolf female trapped in an abusive relationship with an Alpha in Alaska, Kiyo surprised Niamh as they got into the buggy that would take them out of the rainforest.
“When we’re ready, we could foster.”
Her breath caught. “What?”
Kiyo shrugged as if he hadn’t offered the most wonderful idea in the world. “I’m sure we can find supernatural kids who need a good home. When we’re ready, we could do that. Provide a safe haven to kids who are different and who’ve been left on their own. Like you and Ronan.” He referred to Niamh’s brother. For a long time, she and Ronan had lived on the run.
Tears of gratitude burned her eyes as she stared at this male whom she realized she grew to love more with each passing day. “You would do that with me?”
“Of course. We both know what it’s like to be alone in this. If we can save others from that, I’d like to.”
She reached for his hand and squeezed it. A tremendous weight lifted from her shoulders. “When we’re ready.”
“When we’re ready.” He nodded.
They traveled in silence for a little while and then Niamh repeated words Kiyo had said to her many years ago, “Now that I love you, Kiyo-Chan, forever will never be enough.”
He cut her a blazing, impassioned look of adoration. “Forever will never be enough,” he agreed gruffly.
Niamh rested her head against his shoulder as he drove, a renewed excitement for their future binding them together as they made their way into their next adventure.
North Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
As the driver pulled into the driveway of the last house on the cul-de-sac, Echo had to squash the urge to jump out. The large family home backed onto the Baden Powell Trail. It was a quiet street with congenial neighbors and it wasn’t so isolated that Nancy and Odette didn’t have a community around them.
A hand curled around hers, and she turned to look at Elijah. He gave her a sexy smile. “You can run on in with excitement if you want,” he teased.
Echo quirked an eyebrow. “When have I ever run with excitement?”
Her mate chuckled at her dry tone just as the driver opened the back passenger door for them. “Mr. Webb, Mrs. Webb.”
Echo got out, nodding her thanks before stepping away from the vehicle to stare up the long driveway. The afternoon sun was warm on her face, a sensation she’d finally gotten used to again. In fact, the last five years of being able to walk around in daylight had healed her just as much as Elijah had.
A few years ago, Elijah had asked her to marry him. Obviously marrying her mate because she loved him was the number one reason she said yes. But being able to shed William’s surname was a nice little bonus.
Odette had adopted the Webb name too.
But only because Nancy had adopted Odette.
It hadn’t been an easy decision.
After the battle five years ago, Echo, despite the grief it would cause her, was determined to return Odette to her birth parents. Odette had turned thirteen a few days after the battle. She didn’t want to return to her birth parents. She wanted to stay with Echo, Nancy, and Elijah. Nancy, in her grief over losing Bill, seemed just as desperate to hold on to Odette.
Eventually, she got Odette to agree to at least find out more about her birth parents. So they looked into them. Even surveilled them. They had two kids. Odette had a brother and sister. They seemed like good people.
However, ultimately Odette wished to stay with Nancy, and Echo couldn’t bear to put her sister through any more trauma. If, when she was older, she wanted to reach out to her birth parents, she would.
So, they fudged a lot of legal stuff to allow Nancy to become Odette’s guardian and for them to move to this quiet suburb of North Vancouver.
Now Odette was a student at University of British Columbia and was home for the summer.
Just like Echo and Elijah.
They’d finished the last leg of a long two-year tour with the Strix.
As Echo had hoped all those years ago when she’d tried to reassure Elijah, his bandmates bought his story about disappearing because Bill was terminally ill and then had passed away. It was a story mixed with some truth. Phil and Jamal welcomed him back with open arms, sorry for their friend’s loss. Adam, who had been terrified of losing the band when Elijah disappeared, had been a little less welcoming and a lot caustic. Echo didn’t like the selfish prick then, and she didn’t like him now.