Guarding Grayson Read online

  Gray rose, pulling Brynne with him. They walked to the door. "Wait, when will you be back?" Brynne called.

  "I shall return in the morning," E'ea said. "Rest well."

  * * *

  Brynne hurried to don the robe Topper had lent her.

  The Magic EMTs, along with the sheriff and Frost, trooped into the house, and what seemed like a long time later, Gray and Brynne were finally left in a quiet house.

  He kissed her temple. Then he groaned. “I don’t know about you, but I’m ready for some sleep.”

  “Me too,” she said. She gave him a look through her lashes. “See you in the morning.”

  Then she set her hand on his chest and pushed, a look on her face that startled and intrigued him as she stepped back. It said she was quite prepared to walk away … which made him want to hang onto her.

  “Or, you could sleep with me,” he said. “Keep me safe while E’ea’s gone.”

  She considered, and then gave him a small smile. “Guess I could do that. I’d hate for you to be scared in the night.”

  He gave her a wink, and steered her toward his bedroom.

  Good thing she’d agreed, because one way or another, he had no intention of going to bed without her. Not only did he want her close enough to cuddle, he wouldn’t sleep unless she was beside him.

  It was his turn to keep her safe … for a long time to come.

  E’ea unfortunately returned the next morning as Gray was waking Brynne up his favorite way, spooned behind her with his hands and other parts between her thighs. Fortunately, the sheet covered their lower extremities, which were tangled quite intimately.

  Brynne’s eyes were closed, her lips smiling, but Gray lifted his head and snarled at E’ea.

  “Get out. Come back later—a lot later.”

  “You have precisely ten of your Earth minutes,” E’ea informed him crisply, as befitted her new promotion to Galactic Guardian Top Grade. She and they had much to do to resettle them in their lives in North Idaho's lake country.

  However, while she waited, she transported out the window and into the neighbors’ yard, where she amused herself inhabiting the bodies of first a feline and then a large, silky, gold canine.

  She found the dog to be of a much more amenable nature. Its young, gamboling around the adult canine, were extremely amusing.

  The two witches sitting on the porch, one brunette and one with startling turquoise hair, watched her and the animals with indulgent smiles.

  * * *

  And so it was that E’ea persuaded Grayson and Brynne to purchase one of the golden retriever puppies from Lacey—who had brought them over to her aunt Topper’s to play for the afternoon.

  Since Grayson was now more than ready to settle down and make a home with his Brynne, he agreed it was also time to have a dog. They purchased a silky, happy, golden puppy from Lacey and named him Kokopelli—altho the dog was always called Koko for short.

  The couple brought their new pet back to their home above beautiful Coeur d’Alene Lake, where E’ea inhabited the puppy for a few weeks—and helped to house train him at a very young age—when she was not engaged in persuading Brynne's and Grayson’s families, friends and acquaintances that Brynne had not been dead at all, but merely away visiting friends in a small town in New Mexico!

  With E’ea’s powers, this proved to be amazingly easy, and Brynne settled back into her life with gratitude—and with a new feistiness of spirit that surprised all who knew her except for Grayson. She told them she'd attended assertiveness training.

  The couple married that next summer on the lake shore, joined by Topper, Lacey and Frost and even the sheriff, who unbent so far as to kiss the bride's cheek, although he did tell her to keep her husband out of trouble next time they visited Magic. She giggled, and promised to do her best.

  Gray placed a huge diamond ring on Brynne's finger—yellow in honor of E'ea, who gave them their second chance, surrounded by smoke gray diamonds to match Gray's ear stud and his eyes.

  In the years to come, Gray continued to paint celebrity criminals and sell the portraits for ridiculous sums, but he also painted happier themes – such as his lovely Brynne, blonde children rolling on a sunny lawn with golden retrievers, and the gorgeous scenery of North Idaho and New Mexico.

  Gray and Brynne often brought their two sons and two daughters—all blonde, all artistically talented, and all blessed with their father’s cocky charm and their mother’s kindness, to visit friends in their second favorite small town.

  E’ea, who ascended to a very important advisory position on the council governing the Galactic Guardians and who thus often interfaced with the Director in Black, came to join them when her schedule allowed.

  A town called Magic … where the abnormal is normal.

  * * *

  Author's Note: I hope you enjoyed meeting Gray and Brynne. They certainly learned a lot about themselves and life and love in Magic!

  In researching the Southwest Indian legend of the kokopelli, I learned to my amusement that he is a symbol of fertility! LOL! Since this story is all about the beginnings of the Stark dynasty, it's an appropriate name for the bar where Gray & Brynne once again give in to their passion for each other, don't you agree?

  To read Logan Stark's red hot sci fi-futuristic romance saga, along with his brothers and their brides, I invite you to The LodeStar Series – the first book is FREE!

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  Stark Pleasure; the Space Magnate's Mistress

  Can she survive the perils of the galaxy on her wits … or will she have to use her body?

  Kiri te Nawa will do anything to escape the perilous streets of New Seattle, Earth II and find the treasure for which she searches the galaxy, even become the mistress of space magnate Logan Stark. But is he her savior, or simply the man who wants to own her, body and soul?

  Just when she is ready to submit more than her body to this powerful, charismatic man, she's kidnapped and thrown into her worst nightmare. Will he search for her, or believe she's betrayed him with an old lover?

   Set in the futuristic galaxy of The Orion Series & The Frontiera Series.

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  Cathryn Cade

  SCI FI ROMANCE BY CATHRYN CADE

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  ABOUT THE AUTHOR

  Cathryn Cade writes red hot romance, including sci fi, paranormal and contemporary MC & BBW, in the beautiful lake country of North Idaho.

  When she's not tossing alpha males & feisty heroines into big trouble, she loves to quilt with fabrics as wild as her characters, bicycle, boat, gallery hop and walk with her handsome husband and their golden retriever, Copper.

  She grew up in the cowboy culture in Montana, so her Sci Fi & MC heroes are all cowboys at heart! Hawaii is one of her favorite places, so she likes to send readers on mini-vacays through stories set there as well.

  She's never been to space, but is sure she'd love
Frontiera.