Charred Hope (#3, Heart of Fire) Read online

  Apple pie.

  There’s no way … She ascended the steps so she could see the woman’s face in the full light of the cabin.

  “Are you Skylar?” A familiar, soft voice, one she hadn’t heard in years, riveted her attention.

  Skylar studied the woman before her, barely recognizing her. She was far too skinny, her exposed skin scarred and her head completely shaved.

  The smell, the voice …

  It can’t be anyone else.

  Suddenly, Chace’s abrupt disappearance made sense. She’d thought him on his own agenda, maybe trying to deal with Freyja. Instead, he’d been off rescuing her mother.

  “Yeah, that’s Sky,” Gunner said from behind her. “She’s stuck. You are?”

  “Ginger. Her mother.” Ginger eyed Skylar with a maternally critical gaze. “You’re a mess, Sky.”

  Was she dead? Because that was the only way it seemed possible for Ginger to be standing before her. Skylar moved forward.

  “Gentle, Sky,” Gunner reminded her.

  “You’re a big girl, aren’t you?” Ginger asked, eyes glimmering with amusement and tears.

  Sky stood before her, her head at the same level as her mother’s. Not trusting her feline motor skills to handle the fragile woman, Skylar rubbed her cheek against Ginger’s.

  Her mother laughed and dug her hands into the thick fur around her neck, hugging her hard.

  “I missed you, my Sky,” she whispered, her warm tears reaching Skylar’s skin through the fur. “I’m so glad you found your dragon.”

  Skylar’s heart broke at the note of profound sorrow in Ginger’s voice. She knew her mother was thinking of Gavin and wondered what would’ve happened, if both parents had been able to live.

  Every muscle in her body wanted to leap for joy, but she feared frightening or hurting her mother by trying to maneuver her lioness body in for a feline hug.

  Instead, Skylar stood, trembling as her mother hugged her large head and ran her fingers through her fur.

  Chace found my mother. She couldn’t believe it. Even smelling her mother’s familiar apple pie scent and hearing her beautiful voice, Skylar almost swore this was a dream. An incredible one she didn’t want to end.

  She cuddled up to her mother as much as possible, wanting to hug her so badly, it hurt. Cursing her shifter blood, Skylar did her best to show her mother how happy she was, without knocking them both over. Inside, she was weeping, what few memories she could recall of her mother running through her mind in a loop.

  All in a period of twenty-four hours, she and Chace had found one another again, defeated the enemies of the shifters and found her missing mother.

  It was the best day of her life.

  Chapter Fifteen

  Just as the sunrise cracked the horizon, Chace returned from the meeting with the griffins, somewhat satisfied with the results. They’d been silent when he explained the new rules and what would happen if they ever rebelled again.

  Probably not an approach Skylar would appreciate. He’d immediately thrown the possibility of hibernation out the window, threatening to kill anyone who thought to follow Dillon’s footsteps.

  The dragons hadn’t bothered to shift, when meant he’d have to track them all down one by one with Skylar to discuss the future of the shifters. They had stopped circling the area not long before his return, retreating to sleep the day away.

  So much to do. He let himself feel the exhaustion of the past few days. With it, he also experienced a sense of deep pride at all they’d been through and all they’d done. He had been a selfish man his entire life, until Skylar tracked him down. Now, he understood what it was to think outside of his world. He didn’t have the same tact for compassion she did, but he had figured out the greater purpose of his life: to protect and lead the shifter community, beside the beautiful other half of his heart.

  The cool chill before dawn made him shiver as he walked around the hill behind which his cabin stood. A bonfire was burning a few meters away, with Gunner and a few others seated around it. Chace went to them, wanting to give Skylar and her mother time to catch up before he started to figure out what to do with a mother-in-law.

  “Tea?” Gunner offered, holding out a cup.

  Chace shook his head in response. His gaze drifted to the cabin, and he snorted. Four of the feline shifters in their cat forms, including Mason, were curled up on the porch, sleeping. The cabin had put out a space heater for them.

  “Damn cabin,” he mumbled with some affection. “Still throwing all my clothes on the floor but puts out a heater for the strays.”

  Gunner smiled.

  Chace sank down into a sit close to his best friend, soon mesmerized by the warmth and dance of the bonfire.

  “How you holding up?” Gunner asked.

  “Great. Don’t need any of your evil doctor magic.”

  Gunner laughed. “It’s about surviving. You don’t have to like the experience to get through it.”

  “Yeah,” Chace agreed with a sigh. “Feels like there’s so much to do.”

  “The danger is over, though. The rest will heal with time.”

  “No offense, but you are the worst doctor ever.”

  Gunner winked.

  Chace wasn’t certain what that meant, unless his friend was indirectly admitting to being a dick on purpose, another man out to teach him a lesson.

  “Thank you,” he said. “For climbing mountains with me, nursing me back to health, and putting up with me for a few hundred years.”

  “I always knew the potential was there. You just had to grow up a little. Besides, you always made me laugh,” Gunner added. “But you’re welcome, Chace. You’re a better friend than you know.”

  Hardly. Chace said nothing, content to relax beside the fire with his longtime friend.

  “Hey.”

  His heart skipped a beat, and his gaze flew up at Skylar’s voice. For a moment, he wasn’t able to respond. She absolutely glowed with happiness, her eyes bright and her face flushed. She’d never been so beautiful. Skylar wore his sweats and a jacket, her mussed hair down around her shoulders and her feet in flip-flops.

  “Hey,” he managed at last. He patted the spot beside him.

  She sat, her peachy, clean scent stirring his blood. “So … you ran away and found my mom.”

  Chace laughed at her cool tone.

  She looked at him, the excitement in her face. Unable to help himself, he cupped her cheeks in his hands and kissed her lightly.

  “Glad to see you’re not a cat anymore,” he teased.

  “Omigod. It took hours for me to be able to shift back,” she said with a sigh. A troubled look crossed her features. “Mom told me what they did to her.”

  “No one will hurt either of you again, Sky,” he said softly. “I swear it.”

  “I know.” She met his gaze, jumbled emotions crossing her features. She gripped one of his arms and leaned into him. “I told her we’d protect her, along with the rest of the shifters.”

  He planted a warm kiss on her forehead.

  “We’ve got a long path ahead of us, don’t we? Fixing the mess Freyja and Dillon made.” She considered.

  “We can do it.”

  “Yeah, we can.” A smile replaced her concern. “My god, Chace. I didn’t think you could be any more incredible, and then you go and rescue my mom. It just makes me want to … ugh!” She shoved him onto his back, landing on top of him. Skylar began fluttering hot little kisses across his face and neck.

  Chace laughed at the tickling sensation and wrapped his arms around her, rolling her onto her back. He settled on top of her, between her thighs, his arousal growing hard.

  “I love you,” she whispered, tears sliding down her cheeks. “Thank you, Chace.”

  He gave her a long, lingering kiss, one that reignited the tired fire in his blood.

  “Uh, guys.” Gunner cleared his throat. “Take it somewhere else.”

  Chace broke off the kiss, his blood burning with need. “
Show me,” he whispered for her ears only.

  Skylar’s face broke into a smile.

  He rolled off her and pulled her to her feet.

  She snatched his hand and ran, tugging him with her. Laughing the entire time, Skylar tugged him far enough away that no one could hear their lovemaking then spun, wrapping her arms around his neck and launching herself onto his hips.

  She rained kisses all over his face, her thighs gripping him tightly.

  He knelt and gently laid her on her back, claiming her mouth hungrily. Chace pulled off her shirt and pants roughly then his own, desperate to feel her skin against his once more and to experience every inch of her body. When he settled between her legs, they both groaned.

  “I never thought we’d be here like this,” she said, taking his face in her hands.

  “About to get sand shoved into every crevice of our bodies?” he teased.

  “Totally worth it!” She giggled. “I mean here. Starting our lives together. Taking care of the shifters. Being a family.”

  Family. A word he’d never really understood until her. Chace smiled, loving her enthusiasm and happiness.

  “I owe you so much,” she said, her voice catching. “My mother …” She stopped, tears streaming down her face.

  “You owe me nothing, Sky,” he murmured. “You showed me what it is to love and be loved. I can’t ever repay you for those lessons. After we spend some time together, we’ll all three of us go out on that pizza date I owe you. Okay?”

  She nodded, unable to talk. His desire was spinning out of control quickly.

  “I need you. I want you. I love you so much, Sky,” he whispered into her hair, his urgency rising. “Sky, I need to be inside you.”

  “Show me,” she managed in a barely audible voice.

  “I will. Every day of our lives.”

  She sighed.

  He plunged into her hot, slick depths, and she gasped, arching beneath him.

  This is where I belong. She is my home. Chace squeezed his eyes closed and buried his face in the nape of her neck. She was right. Today was the beginning of their forever, and god help him, he was completely lost to his other half, the one woman who made his life worth living.

  My heart, my soul, my Sky.

  Heart of Fire Series

  Charred Heart (Amazon, Amazon UK)

  Charred Tears (Amazon, Amazon UK)

  Charred Hope

  Table of Contents

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen