Alpha Vampire Romance: Vampire’s Mate (Paranormal Shapeshifter Alpha Demon Vampire Romance) (Coming of Age Werewolf BBW Shifter Women’s Fiction Short Stories) by Rebecca Abbott

something but he had to look down at his hands to compose himself. Jack is small and nervous and strong and big at the same time. He looks up and smiles and says it; and they kiss and they do more than kiss and it is beautiful. She was stunned by the force of the thought, but pushed it away. She wouldn’t dwell on the past.
    “We’re going over there again, Sammy,” Jack finally said.
    More was said. There were hugs and kisses and lovemaking and everything else, but that was all Samantha really heard. They were going away. But this was different to the last time. Now they were going away possibly forever.
    The SEALs had taken her; the SEALs had left her.
    *****
    Samantha Fry, the manager of The Spatula in the small town of Barkton, had no idea that Jack and Eli were going to return, or if. She had worked hard over these last eight months and eventually the boss had promoted her and taken a more background role himself. She was able to buy a house and she had no problem staying here. She had flown one wintery fortnight last year that nobody but she and her secret traveling companions knew about. Over the months she thought about writing them a letter, but she just couldn’t do it. She had no clue what to say.
    Then, like it was the most normal thing in the world, Jack and Eli re-entered her life. She returned to her three-bedroom house one evening, tired from training a new batch of waitresses, as well as helping along the expansion of The Spatula into a two-restaurant franchise (it had become very popular under her management), and there, sitting on the doorstep, were Jack and Eli.
    They stood army-stiff when they saw her. Samantha giggled. “At ease,” she said, slipping naturally and comfortably back into their old relationship.
    Eli even smiled a little.
    “Have you come to drop a bomb on my life again, boys?” she said.
    “More than that,” Eli said, looking her up and down, and Samantha found herself arching her back a little more than usual, feeding his eyes. All these months, and she hadn’t tried to find a partner. She’d told herself it was work, but—
    “We’re not here to cause trouble,” Jack said, smiling. “We just need a place to stay. Have you got a spare room?”
    “You’re in luck,” Samantha said, not even having to think about it. “I’ve got two spare rooms.”
    The three of them went into the house. None of them said it, but all of them knew it: they were about to begin a new, strange, beautiful life together.
     
    THE END

Bonus Story 2 of 25

Jewels of the Dragon’s Heart
     
    Sapphira Logan came to the top of the path looking down into a desolate valley. It seemed strange considering they were surrounded by a luscious green forest. Looking over the edge showed a very long drop to gray and brown rock. She looked over at Ty Tucker, the mountain guide who was leading the expedition, and sighed. He had taken off his shirt. His lean body was heavily muscled and it went well with his longer golden hair and esthetically handsome face. He could get a woman’s moto r running tha t was for sure. Fortunately for Sapphira she had another desire that was stronger right then. She looked back over her shoulder as her two assistance labored up the path, Christy Talon and Matt Lowery. Neither of them had been out of the city before, yet they had insisted on coming along on her hunt for stones.
    Precious stones were Sapphire’s greatest love. She traveled the world looking for the very best. She had acquired a collection that was well-known, but there were better ones out there. She could feel it and she was on the hunt for a rumored place called Carnelian Valley. This place was supposed to yield the biggest and the best stones. Ty was the only guide who would even consider a trip to look for the valley. It was thought by many to be like looking for the fountain of youth, chasing something that did not exist. But Sapphira knew this hidden place, this Carnelian Valley was real. She could feel