Fated healing kindred of.., p.1
Fated Healing (Kindred of Arkadia Book 5), page 1
Contents
Title Page
Copyright
Dedication
Prologue
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
Epilogue
About the Author
Other Books by Alanea Alder
Fated Healing
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Kindred of Arkadia
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ALANEA ALDER
Copyright © 2022 Alanea Alder
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law. For permission requests, write to the publisher, addressed “Attention: Permissions Coordinator,” at the address below.
PUBLISHER’S NOTE
This is a work of fiction. Any names, characters, places and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events or locales is entirely coincidental.
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P.O.Box 280
Moyock, NC, 27958
Digital ISBN- 978-1-941315-33-0
Print ISBN- 978-1-941315-34-7
Sacred Forest Publishing
Dedication
~Omnia Vincit Amor- Love Conquers All~
When darkness falls, light rises.
PROLOGUE
“You’ve done what?” the gentleman asked again, unsure if he understood correctly. There was no way the man before him was that stupid.
“I have made arrangements for something deadly to be unleashed in Arkadia,” Salsiby replied, before taking a step back, realizing maybe his life might be in danger.
“Did I or did I not express interest in this Alpha Mother?” the gentleman asked, from behind his desk.
“You did,” Salsiby answered.
“And where does the Alpha Mother live?” the gentleman asked in a singsong voice.
Salsiby paled.
“Come on, old boy, I know you know the answer. Where does the Alpha Mother live?” the gentleman asked again, standing.
“A-A-Arkadia,” Salsiby stuttered, shrinking back.
“Did you think I would be happy to hear about your plans?” the gentleman asked. Salsiby began to shake and stepped back only to bump into a tall figure.
“Ah Payne, you old devil you. Always anticipating me. Can you please make sure that this man is tortured to within an inch of his life from now until the second I am sure that the Alpha Mother has survived his little assault?” the gentleman asked.
Payne nodded wordlessly.
“No, please. No!” Salsiby screamed, as he was pulled from the room.
The gentleman stared at his expensive hardwood floor. He debated how involved it would be to install a trapdoor that led directly to the dungeon. That way, Payne wouldn’t have to keep manhandling idiots out of his office. The gentleman sighed and smiled softly. Then again, Payne may enjoy that aspect of his job. Oh well, something to think about.
Chapter One
Liam sighed, letting his head fall to his desk with a thump. Kent looked up from his computer and smiled at his lover.
“Why don’t you take a break and get something to eat? You get grumpy when you get hungry.”
Liam raised his head and leered at his mate.
“I know what I want to eat.” He licked his lips.
Kent swallowed hard. “Food first or you will whine and complain later when you’re too worn out to get up and get something. Besides, your grandfather needs these reports turned in by the end of the day. He said, and I quote, ‘You don’t get to slack off just because I’m not there.’” Kent pointed to his computer.
Liam frowned but nodded. His mate knew him too well, and they hadn’t been mated for very long, he was just a lucky bastard. He felt a dopey smile spread across his face.
“I love you too, now, go get something to eat.”
Liam’s head snapped around to Kent, who was chuckling. Damn, was he that easy to read? He shrugged, probably. He stood up and stretched his legs. Walking past his mate, he dropped a kiss on his soft lips before heading out of their shared office toward the kitchen.
He attacked the kitchen’s supply of cold cuts to make the biggest sandwich he could. He frowned, unsure of how he was going to bite into the thing. Grabbing a knife he cut it in half. He really should leave the cooking to Sebastian. His little kitten was a genius when it came to the kitchen.
He picked up his plate and was wandering back to the office when he heard a loud, reverberating thump. The walls shook. He lifted his foot and set it down. As he took another step, a second reverberation shook the house. Eyes wide, he lifted his foot and looked around to see if anyone could see him looking ridiculous, standing on one foot, holding a plate in his own hallway. He waited a second before he chanced to put his foot down and another thump resounded.
Shaken, he was about to call for Kent when a familiar, heart-stopping roar echoed throughout the house. Sebastian! Where was his mate? He sprinted to the den and stopped in his tracks as another roar assaulted his ears. In front of him Sebastian, Felix, and Rebecca were sitting inches from his eighty-five-inch OLED HDTV watching Jurassic Park.
He watched curiously as Rebecca rewound and replayed the scene of the Tyrannosaurus Rex approaching the hapless human children’s car. Liam watched in morbid fascination as she rewound it twice more to play the scene as Felix and Sebastian practically smooshed their faces to the screen.
He cleared his throat and the three of them swung around to look at him guiltily. “What are you three up to?”
“Nothing,” the three of them chimed in unison.
He narrowed his eyes before nodding and walking back to his office. He couldn’t imagine what they could be up to. He opened the study door and walked in, setting his sandwich down at his desk. He sat down and stared at his sandwich, thinking about the movie.
“What’s all the noise?” Kent asked.
“Bas, Felix and Becca are watching a movie,” he replied absently. They were up to something, he could feel it.
“Are you done eating?” The question was asked huskily, and Liam’s eyes flew to his mate. Kent had removed his glasses and was practically stalking him from across the room. With no regard to how he was going to get air into his lungs, he shoved one half of the sandwich in his mouth and chewed as fast as he could before downing the other half. Gasping for air, he grinned up at his mate, who was looking down at him, his mouth twitching.
“You could have finished eating,” he said, laughter in his voice.
Liam shook his head. “Now, I’m ready for dessert.” Liam crooked his finger at his mate.
Kent’s eyes darkened as he sat on Liam’s desk, facing his mate. All thoughts of what Sebastian and Felix could possibly be up to flew from his mind as Kent reminded him again that doing paperwork could be fun.
* * *
“I love that movie!” Felix exclaimed. Sitting back on the sofa, he picked up one the many fashion magazines lying around.
“Me too! I like the second one, that one has a baby Tyrannosaurus Rex. It was so cute!” Rebecca gushed. She grabbed another handful of popcorn.
“I need to go shopping! All I have are other people’s clothes. I wish I could go to New York to shop.” Felix threw the magazine down in frustration.
“You sound like Rian now.” Sebastian picked up the magazine and started to look at the Post-it Notes and comments that Rian had left behind.
“I love that man, he’s the older brother I’ve always wanted. His fashion sense is impeccable.” Felix sighed.
“Love you too, runt!” Rian said, breezing through the den on the way to the front door.
“Where are you off to, RiRi?” Rebecca asked.
“Damian and I are still going through that old bastard’s stock at Bobbles and Things. In a final ‘fuck you’ I’m giving away all of the chocolate from the order he tried to kidnap Kent and Sebastian with. Then we’re heading over to the school to help with Field Day.” Rian straightened his athletic wear jacket.
“Vampires are going to be there, aren’t they?” Sebastian teased.
Rian blushed. “We’d help out anyway. Doc Claybourne will need someone to help him in the nurse’s tent. You know shifter kids, they play hard. Toodles, mes enfants.” He made kissy faces at them as they walked out.
“Maybe I should go help out at the nurse’s tent. I’d like to get a job and help support mysel f, even if it means working for that OCD doctor.” Felix shuddered.
“You haven’t even met the man. He’s really nice to me,” Rebecca said, scarfing down more popcorn. Through their bond all five members of the Inner Court were experiencing mood swings, morning sickness, and odd cravings. With three of the five members pregnant, everything was amplified.
“Everyone is nice to you, Becca.” Sebastian smiled and Felix snickered.
“Yeah, because they’re afraid she’ll go all sweet psycho on their asses,” Felix joked.
Rebecca looked over at him, concern on her face.
“Idiot,” Sebastian muttered.
“No one is really afraid of me, right?” she asked, her eyes shining.
Felix looked up, and behind Rebecca, Sebastian was steadily shaking his head ‘no’.
“Of course not, Pint-Size. They love you,” Felix said, messing up her hair.
“Is that coming from you?” she asked, turning to look at Sebastian. A funny look crossed her face as her cheeks turned pink.
Sebastian was blushing so hard he was nearly purple. “It’s Kent and Liam, in the office,” Sebastian choked out.
Felix snickered and was thankful that he wasn’t looped in on the Inner Court bond. He imagined it produced more awkward situations than this.
“On that note, I’m outta here. Felix, do you want to come with me to the school? I’m helping out at the bake sale,” Rebecca offered, practically running for the front door.
Felix took in Sebastian’s dilated pupils and nodded. “That might not be such a bad idea.” He grabbed his man bag and waved to Sebastian, who was already walking toward the office.
Felix shut the door, looked at Rebecca, and both of them started giggling.
When he got into Rebecca’s tiny blue smart car he was surprised by how much room he had.
Rebecca caught him looking around and smiled. “It’s my little blue box and it’s bigger on the inside.” She giggled.
Felix rolled his eyes. She was such a geek.
“How do you like living with the pride?” she asked.
He shrugged. “It sure as hell beats living in a cage and shitting in a corner, that’s for sure,” Felix said. The car swerved. He looked over and she was looking from him to the road to him and back again.
“You okay?” he asked. She nodded, not saying anything.
“Lachlan left a few days ago, so Liam has been kinda bummed. Lachlan has been spoiling Liam horribly by ordering baby stuff. It was funny trying to watch Liam carry in the crib box. It’s a good thing shifters can’t get hernias.” Felix laughed.
“He’s going to be an amazing father. Maybe he’ll stop teasing Aleks about this baby being his,” she said, pointing to her rounded belly. Felix looked up at her and raised an eyebrow. She sighed.
“Yeah, I didn’t think so either.” She shook her head then pointed ahead.
“There’s the school. Holy crap, I think the entire town is here. Where are we going to park?” she asked.
“Any damn where. One, this thing is the size of a matchbox, you could probably park it on the sidewalk, and two, you’re the Alpha Mother. That should at least come with preferred parking,” Felix said.
“Oh, how about there?” she asked, as she put her blinker on to take the spot of someone pulling out of a parking space between the ice cream stand and the nurse’s test. She threw her hands up.
“Score!” She wiggle-danced in her seat before grabbing her purse and getting out. Felix, grabbing his man bag, was right behind her.
“I’m going to see what David and Daniel are up to before checking in with Ma at the bake sale stand. Where will you be?” she asked.
Felix nodded to the nurse’s tent. “I’m going to go meet the hyper-organized doctor and see if he needs any help,” Felix said, adjusting his bag.
“Okay, you know where to find me,” she replied, and headed toward the ice cream stand.
Felix took a deep breath and almost followed her. The smell of fresh waffle cones filled the air. He shook his head as he walked between the stand and the tent, making his way to the entrance.
When he walked in the tent, it was empty, except for a tall, well-groomed man organizing the supply table. Felix’s eyes didn’t miss a thing from his designer glasses to his custom leather shoes. The man’s carefree hairstyle was cut in such a way to give the appearance that the sexy stud had just rolled out of bed. That casual look probably cost him somewhere around one-hundred dollars.
His features gave him a noble appearance, from his square jaw to his patrician nose. Felix caught himself staring at the man’s full, sensual lips, imagining the wicked things he could do to his lean, muscled body. His clothes, like his haircut, were chosen to look everyday, but to someone like Felix, who lived on high fashion, they screamed of money. The simple white button-down shirt and khaki slacks were of the highest quality fabric and were tailored professionally. The man before him spent a lot of money trying to fit in, in his own way.
“If you’re not injured, please leave,” the cultured voice spoke. It reminded Felix of smooth Irish whiskey being rolled around in a glass.
“I’ve come to help,” Felix said, taking a step forward. The man’s neck tensed as he turned to face him. Felix could see exasperation in the man’s crystalline-blue eyes.
“I’ve already kicked out two well-meaning helpers. I’ll tell you the same thing I told them. I don’t need any assistance, thank you.” He turned back to his task, dismissing Felix with a wave of his hand.
Looks like Rian and Damian had been sent away. Felix narrowed his eyes, pulled his shoulders back and took another step forward to tell the freakishly OCD man what he could do with his tongue depressors when he caught the man’s scent. He inhaled deeply, trying to get as much of the scent in his lungs as possible.
He took a couple more tentative steps forward. This overly organized asshole was his mate! He breathed in and his body shuddered at the smell of musk and summer rain. His body now moved on its own toward his mate. After another step he saw the man’s body freeze then shiver. His head snapped up to look up at him, confusion on his face.
“We’re mates,” Felix said, choking the words out. Behind him the sound of raised male voices grew closer before two men assisting two teenagers made their way inside the tent. His dark-haired god of a man immediately diverted his attention to the two young men being helped onto two of the cots.
“What do we have here?” his mate asked, walking up to the men.
“Hey, Doc Claybourne, Kyle and Steven collided on the football field,” Kaden said, standing next to Kyle.
“That young man shouldn’t be playing with the kids that actually go to school,” the older man growled, standing next to the other boy.
Kyle flushed and looked down. Felix walked up to stand beside Kyle. He met the younger lion shortly after moving into the pride house. He was impressed with the way the teenager studied to get his GED, since he was unable to handle crowds for any duration of time. It made attending the local high school impossible. The fact that he attended Field Day spoke volumes. Felix sighed dramatically, drawing their attention.
“I know, right! He has college courses he should be studying for. It’s too bad Arkadia doesn’t have an accelerated curriculum. I had to practically kick him out of the house this morning to get him to take a break,” Felix lied bold faced to the older man, whose sneer disappeared and was exchanged for a look of disbelief.
“Now, Steven, where are you hurt?” Felix asked, turning to the boy. His father looked from Felix to Dr. Claybourne.
“Who the hell are you?” the older man asked, blustering.
Felix waved his hand around. “I’m so sorry. I’m Felix, I’m a registered nurse and I’ll be assisting Dr. Claybourne from now on.”
“We don’t need help. Come on, Steven,” the man said, pulling the boy up.
Felix’s demeanor shifted almost immediately as he leveled his stare at the father. “Shifters may heal quickly, but why deny your son treatment if it could help him heal faster?” Felix asked coldly.
The older man simply turned to Dr. Claybourne. “You need to reevaluate who you hire, Dr. Claybourne. I would hate for your well-earned reputation to be ruined by an air-headed twink.” He turned and pulled his son out of the tent.
