Blurb:
Tondreau
has spent the last four years helping raise Cadajen's terminally ill daughter,
Linea. Though not mates, they've carved out a happy life with each other. It
all comes crashing down when Linea's health takes a turn for the worst.
Together, they must face the hardest decision of their lives. Will it tear them
apart? And can Tondreau put aside his fears and be the Alpha Cadajen needs him
to be?
Excerpt:
Tondreau
faced him, shaking his head. "You love her, and you show her that love
every day, every chance you get." He frowned, his brow furrowed. "Do
you know how many of us walk through life without love? How many of us would
give almost anything for four years of love?"
Cadajen
had expected the first half of the statement. But the second half… "You're
not without love."
Tondreau's
frown deepened and he shrugged. "I didn't mean me, specifically."
"But
you're not. You have to know that. Linea and I both love you. You must be able
to smell it on us, at least."
The
Malorcian shuffled his papers, shoved them into his bag. "Should I bring
home something for dinner, or did you have a plan?"
Cadajen
couldn't help but sigh and shake his head. "It never fails to amaze
me."
"What?"
"You
Alphas. You're supposed to be so strong and brave, but the simple things throw
you."
"Love
isn't simple," Tondreau countered.
"It's
the simplest thing in the universe. It's all the mating and linking that
complicates it, but that’s on us. We scramble it up. You shouldn't be afraid of
love."
"I'm
not," he refuted. "The scrambling it up part concerns me,
though."
"I
don't think we'd scramble it up."
"There
are things you don't know about me."
"Nothing
that would change how I feel."
Red
shimmered faintly at the edges of Tondreau's irises, his Alpha instincts
responding to the words.
Cadajen
reached out but stopped short, frowning at the material of Tondreau's long
sleeved coat. Wasn't that just so metaphorical? There was always a barrier
between them, wasn't there? Not physical, like the clothing -- they'd been
naked with each other hundreds of times. He knew Tondreau's body as well as he
knew his own. But they'd never been bare together, had they? Well, Tondreau
hadn't. There was always something. Some deep dark secret Tondreau feared to
reveal and it kept him just out of Cadajen's reach.
He
looked back up. The red was receding now. Cadajen wanted nothing more than to
rip his glove off and press his hand to Tondreau's skin, chase that fleeting
emotion, catch it to him and hold it close. Prove himself worthy to Tondreau.
Without truly thinking it through, he stepped forward into Tondreau's space.
They were close; close enough to feel the warmth of each other's breath, the
heat of each other's bodies, and their lips… Cadajen leaned in a tiny bit
closer and stopped when Tondreau tensed. He looked up then and his heart
shuddered. “Am… am I wrong?”
Seconds
ticked between them, the question hung in the air, and just when Cadajen was
certain he’d made a mistake, Tondreau sighed softly. “You're not wrong.”
Cadajen
reached for him.
Tondreau
stepped back. "We can't."
"Why?"
Cadajen barely recognized the voice as his own as the word forced its way out
his throat. He knew he sounded like a petulant child, but he couldn't help it.
His omega instincts screamed at him to make Tondreau understand, to beg if he
had to. "You said I wasn't wrong."
"Daj…"
Tondreau sighed again, heavy this time, and raked his fingers through his hair.
"You're not…"
"Don’t
you dare say I'm not worthy." Not that. Anything but that.
Tondreau's
eyes widened and the red threatened again. "I'd never say that. That's
not… It's me who isn't worthy. You don't understand."
"Then
explain it to me," he pleaded. "We've known each other for seven
years. You've helped me raise my child. We practically live together. I love
you. I'm in love with you. Don't tell me you didn't know. And don't
tell me you don't feel the same. Don't lie to me like that."
"I'd
never lie to you." He opened his mouth to continue, but the alarm on his
pager interrupted him. He glanced down at it.
Cadajen
recognized the alert as the 'if you don't leave now, you're really, really
going to be late' tone. They'd set it up years ago, after Tondreau had lingered
too long with Linea a few mornings in a row, and the Academy had slapped his
wrists for it. He laid his gloved hand on Tondreau's arm. "Go. It's all
right. But we're going to finish this conversation. Promise me. You owe me an
explanation."
Tondreau
nodded. He stepped close quickly, pressed a chaste kiss to Cadajen's cheek, and
fled, no doubt grateful for the reprieve.
Meet the Author:
Romance
author, sci-fi fan club Captain, cosplayer, reigning Queen of Monkeyland, and
random menace. Yep, we're talking about DC Juris. She’s a cupcake-making,
football-watching, rubber-duck-collecting, drag-show loving,
full-of-fabulous-with-a-capital-F kinda
gal. She's also an ordained minister and an amateur photographer. She lives in
Upstate New York with her husband, three dogs, and three cats. When she's not
writing, you can find her in her favorite chair watching Star Trek and Supernatural repeats on Netflix, or
surfing the web for porn. Er…research.
Surfing the web for research.
She may speak softly but she lives and loves loudly. Just ask the neighbors.
::wink::
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