Billionaire: Billionaire Romance: Billionaire Tiger (A Billionaire New Adult Shifter Contemporary Romance) (65 page)

We finally crossed the Adriatic Sea. We came onto land. All seemed to be going well. We hired a carriage and began to make our way out of the port city into the countryside. I sent my aunt and uncle another letter to their London address. The guilt really did bother me and I wanted to let them know that I was doing well. Damiano kissed me deeply in the carriage and sighed in relief.

“I think we have made it. I am so happy to start a new life with you here Emerald, and with our child.”

“I am too,” I said as I kissed him.

The carriage suddenly came to a stop. We were both confused and looked out the window. There was an astonishing sight.

There were several carriages, men in elegant uniforms carrying banners mounted on horses, and a stately looking man with the most elegant dress I have ever seen.

“It’s my father. He has found us,” Damiano said.

My stomach sank as I realized this would be the last time we would be together. I couldn’t believe he found us, but how did he know. Damiano got out of the carriage and then helped me out. We looked at all the men and one of them was very familiar looking. It was Damiano’s carriage driver in Assisi. He was the one that drove us to the ship. This was how we were found out.

The king got off his horse and came up to us. He started yelling at Damiano in Italian. I did not understand it.

Then at one point the king looked at my belly. This I did understand. We were then escorted back to the shore. There we were taken aboard a very grand ship. I was put into a very luxurious cabin. Damiano was in his father’s cabin fighting. I didn’t know what would be done with me. I was so confused and hurt. There was a knock at the cabin door and I was excited to see Damiano again. I had hoped that his father had come around. I wasn’t a princess but I was of noble English heritage with a good family name. Though I guess I had drug that name through the mud by running away with him.

I opened the door and a maid walked in carrying a trey full of food.

“Miss I am Maria, if you need anything. Do you need help?”

“I would love a bath if that is possible,” I pleaded.

“Yes, it is. I will have a tub brought up after your meal and start the water on the fire.”

She walked out and I was very happy to be getting good treatment. I considered it a good sign. I ate heartily of the piles of food. There was fresh caught fish, fresh baked breads, and lots of fruit. I wondered if everyone knew I was with child because the portions of food were enormous. I ate almost all of it.

Then my question was answered when the copper tub was carried in. Various women came in with buckets of hot water and filled it half way. Then they left. The maid Maria came back in and helped me out of my dress, then when she helped me into the tub she said, “Careful Miss, can’t have you slip because of the little prince.”

I smiled sweetly. This meant that she knew I was pregnant. It was promising that she called our child a prince, as though I would be accepted.

I took a hot bath and tired my weak muscles. Then I toweled off and the maid brought in a fresh dress for me. It was in the Italian style and it was very lavish. Then hours and hours passed. Finally, Damiano came into the cabin. I ran to him and hugged him.

“Damiano, I was so worried I would never see you again.”

“I am here Emerald. I will not leave you.”

“So what did your father, the king say?”

“Exactly what I thought he would. He wants me to send you to the country. To one of our country estates where you will have our child and you will be provided for, but I must still marry the princess I am betrothed too.”

“I see.”

I burst into tears.

“I told him that where you go I go. That he can force me to stay in the palace if he wants, but as soon as his back is turned I will be off running to you. I will have to be dragged back in chains. I told him that I will do this for as long as I live. That no other land will ever want to marry their daughters to us because we will have a reputation for treating their princesses badly because my behavior will go down in history.”

My eyes were wide with excitement at his brilliant plan. Then he continued.

“I told him he could prevent all of that by calling off the engagement and saving that princess from being treated badly, and keep her land from retaliating against us for it. Or he could keep the engagement, and force us to marry and be the king that started a war.”

“That is brilliant.”

“So after much yelling and screaming. He finally agreed.”

“Agreed to what.”

Then Damiano shocked me. He pulled out a giant emerald rock on a ring and knelt down.

“Emerald will you marry me? Will you be my princess?”

I grabbed onto the chair and sat down because I was so light headed. I couldn’t believe what was happening. I couldn’t believe that this fairy tale had come true.

“Yes! Yes I will marry you.”

At our wedding, my entire family from England came including my aunt and uncle. I still wanted to prove to them that I was in fact well and in good hands. They still scolded me for running off with a man like that. I apologized over and over. Once our son was born, the king finally warmed up to me. Since I did come from some nobility he considered it an alliance with London and felt proud for that. Mostly he was just proud that I was giving Damiano sons. It was unbelievable that all of this had happened to me, when things seemed so dark in the beginning, but now I was a princess living happily ever after.

Books 1-3

Erotic Paranormal Werewolf Romance Stories

Werewolf Hunters

BOOK 1 : DESIRE

CHAPTER 1

Paige ran.

Her paws hit the grass as she felt the wind blow through her fur. Yes. She was free. Her head snapped to the left as she heard it. A pack of coyotes. No, she could take them but it would be too much work. She would find prey that was easy to catch. She bowed her head and pushed her four legs to move faster. Paige caught a small creature moving in the corner of her eye.

A white rabbit.

A growl escaped her as she lunged towards it. He was faster than most rabbits she had chased recently. He maneuvered away from her and ran for his hole. She pushed herself. Faster. The voice in her head commanded. She obliged as she lunged towards the rabbit.

Yes. Paige felt its fur in her mouth. She could hear its heart pounding in its chest. Paige took a deep breath but it wasn’t fear that she smelt, and it wasn’t coming from the rabbit in her mouth.

She dropped the creature from her mouth. It looked at her in shock for a fraction of a second before running away and making it to a hole.

Paige turned her attention to the scent she needed to track. Death. With her tail tucked between her legs she ran towards it.

It took her five minutes until the scent was so overpowering her eyes almost watered. She closed in on the smell and skidded to a stop as she saw the cause of it.

Seven zombies.

Shit. Paige was going to have to kill the undead. A snarl escaped her as several of the zombies turned their attention to her. They moved slowly, it took them almost ten seconds to turn their bodies and another three seconds to move one of their feet in her direction. Paige braced herself for the fight that was about to come.

******

Ben lowered the gun slightly as he watched the wolf ready herself.

“I thought she was part of this.” Markus didn’t turn away from the fight as he spoke.

“So did I.” Ben ran his hand over his face. He’d shaved this morning and already stubble was coming back. “But it looks like she wants to kill them as much as we do.” He winced as watched one of the zombies grab hold of her and bite. She let out a sad yelp of pain as she turned to bite the zombie. The zombie grabbed a hold of her neck and chomped down. Another zombie grabbed her stomach. The wolf let out another cry.

Ben felt his heart tighten. “I know I’m not supposed to feel bad for these things…” but her helpless yelp was what made him raise his gun. Ben fired three shots in quick secession. The last three zombies fall to the ground.

The wolf snapped her head in their direction. Her ears flattened. “Come on,” he motioned for Markus to walk with him. “We better show ourselves before she comes to find us.”

Paige snarled as the men made our way into her line of sight. In the light of the full moon Ben could just barely make out the sight of blood dripping down her neck and from her belly. His eyes shot to the ground as he dropped the gun. She hadn’t done anything wrong; in fact it looked to him like she had actually been trying to do something good. But he didn’t want to engage her.

He heard Markus’s gun drop to the ground and peeked up just enough to see her turn her back on them and walk away, refusing to use her left front paw. Once she was out of sight Markus picked his gun up and padded to where she had been. “She’s bleeding badly.”

Ben followed him to the pool of blood from where she’d been standing. “We should make sure she makes it home alright.”

Werewolves were monsters, but he wasn’t going to take the chance that some poor girl would pass out on the side walk down town.

*****

Tears rolled down Paige’s cheeks, mixing into her fur, as she ever so slowly made her way back to the small house she rented. Ouch. A whimper escaped her as she limped along.
Almost there. Just keep it together Paige. You’ve got this, you’re almost home
. She was tired. All she wanted as to sleep.

Paige turned down onto her street. There it was, at the end of the block. So close yet so far away. Another whimper escaped her as she stepped forward. Damn zombies. That was the second time this week and she was beginning to realize what a pain in the ass they were. And on top of that there had been hunters. Human hunters. Zombies she could kill, and maybe the occasional rabbit or stray cat if the wolf side really wanted to, but people? No. I couldn’t do that. Fuck. She was so close. Her vision went blurry as she stumbled forward. Paige’s paws hit grass. Her grass.

She stumbled forward, her face hitting the ground.

“Shit.” The voice was male. I could hear two sets of feet running towards me. “Do you think this is her place?”

“It reeks of wolf.” She heard one of them try to open her door as another one touched her. She flinched and mustered enough energy to bare her teeth. The man covered her jaw with his hand just like she was nothing but a pup.

“Hurry up and pick the lock. She’s about to pass out and I don’t want to have to carry a naked girl around.”

Naked girl? Where are they taking me?
Paige’s heart pounded in her chest as she tried to struggle free. She knew her nails connected with his flesh when he let out a curse. His fingers tightened around her snout. She struggled to fight them off but she could feel herself getting drowsy. Paige could feel sleep coming.
No. Fight Paige, you have to fight.

Chapter 2

Paige’s eyes snapped open. She could feel the softness of a bed around her. No, it was her bed. It smelt like her bed, in her house.

She looked around. The sun was high in the sky. Taking a deep breath she sat up, her heart pounding in her chest. There were men in her house.

“You’re awake.” One of them stood in the door. He wore a green muscle shirt, and boy did he have muscles, with a pair of dirt jeans. He had a soft face, though she couldn’t see much behind his beard. His short black hair was slicked back and he carried a plate of food. “We figured you’d be up soon.” He paced into the room and sat down on the bed in front of her, he refused to look at her though.

Paige’s cheeks burned as she realized why.
I’m naked.
She looked down at her body; sure enough she had been right. A gasp escaped her as she pulled the sheet over her body.

As soon as she had covered herself the man looked at her. “Here,” He handed her the plate of food.

Paige took it cautiously. One hand still holding the blanket in place she lifted the plate to her nose and took a deep breath. If there were anything poisonous in this she couldn’t detect it.

“May I check on your neck?” he asked. Paige scowled but didn’t say anything. “Come on, please. We’ve had to change it two times in the past four hours. You don’t really want to start bleeding all over the place, do you?” his voice was kind.

“Fine.” Paige relented.

The man stood up with a smile. She was perfectly still as he moved to her side. She could tell he was trying to stay in her line of sight, not that it made her feel any more at ease but she did appreciate him trying.

“See, it’s a good thing you let me. When you woke up you must have got yourself bleeding again.” She heard him say as tended to her wound. She took a deep breath closing her eyes. He lay a bandage on the wound. She heard him peel the tape and rip it before she felt him put it on her. “There, good as new. Now try not to bleed too much, would you?” He turned on his heel and padded to the door. “I’ll leave you alone to eat. If you need anything just call me. My name’s Markus by the way.”

“Paige.”she answered gruffly.

Markus nodded as he walked out of the room.

Paige stared after him. He was one of the hunters she’d run into last night. Last night… she hardly remembered any of it. She remembered the zombies, and she remembered the hunters shooting them after she’ been bitten, and she kind of remembered making her way home… but that was it. She took a deep breath, the bacon and pancakes Markus had made her filling her lungs. She stared down at them for another few seconds before tentatively picking a piece of bacon up. She took a small bite, chewed and swallowed. Before long the plate was empty.

Paige contemplated calling Markus to come get it.
You’re a grown woman. You can do it yourself.
She told herself, carefully pushing up from bed. She looked down at her belly. It had been cut last night as well. She blushed as she looked down at the bandage on her stomach.
They touched me while I was naked
. She felt so embarrassed. She looked down at her body. There was another bandage on her leg. She put a little weight on the leg, it felt fine.