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  He rubbed his face against hers and held, right at her cheek, inhaling her scent, memorizing it. And they stood there frozen like that until her body relaxed. She folded in on herself, and with pained sounds, she tucked the lioness away and fell to her knees in the mud, human, cut up, naked, and trembling. Her blond hair was soaked and stuck to her cheeks and neck, and when she lifted her gold gaze to his, she looked ashamed.

  He forced his Change back as fast as he could and pulled her into his lap. “None of that. You did so good. I’m so proud of you.”

  Kaylee sagged against him with a sob and wrapped her arms around his neck. “He said Bentley is in the empty cabin.”

  Anson jerked his chin at the others, who were Changing back, too. Annalise sprinted toward the second cabin as Kaylee gripped his neck with desperation, as if she never wanted to let go. A few seconds later, Annalise appeared in the doorway, cradling a sleeping Bentley against her chest.

  Eyes full of potent relief, Kaylee broke down in sobs, but her lioness was getting riled up again.

  “Shhhh,” he crooned as her growl rumbled on and on. He rocked her gently and stroked her hair away from her face, and when he was sure she was steady again, he checked her body for injuries that needed attention. They were already half healed, though. Jenny was worse off. Ben carried her toward their cabin where Raif was standing in the open doorway wearing a pair of puppy-dog pajamas, and looking worried.

  “Kaylee Cummings,” Ben called formally. He turned as he reached the porch and hugged Jenny tighter against his chest.

  “Yeah?” Kaylee asked thickly.

  A tired smile curved the alpha’s lips, but it was Jenny who spoke up. “Welcome to the Red Havoc Crew.”

  Epilogue

  “I have surprises,” Anson murmured from right behind her as he slipped his hands to her waist.

  Kaylee smiled and stopped chopping strawberries. “For me or for Bentley’s birthday?”

  He nibbled on her earlobe and slid his arms around her waist, swaying them back and forth slowly. “Both. Close your eyes.”

  Biting her bottom lip in anticipation, Kaylee set down the small knife next to the sliced fruit and closed her eyes, waiting.

  Something slipped lightly over her head and settled onto her neck. She looked down and gave a soft gasp at the candy necklace Anson had put on her.

  “You remembered,” she murmured, fingering it as she turned toward him.

  “I’d been trying to build up the courage to ask you to be my girlfriend for a week when I bought us those necklaces,” he admitted. “I was sure you were going to say no. I’d built it up in my head so much because I was bonded to you, and I was so scared you wouldn’t feel the same. Do you remember the poem I wrote you?”

  “I do. Snob, snob, I like your blobs and you make me smile a lot. You smell like flowers and have super powers, and I like you better than smoking pot. Be my girlfriend. Nothing rhymes with girlfriend. Poop.”

  Anson looked truly impressed. “Nicely done.”

  “It was an epic love poem. There was no saying ‘no’ to you after that.” She bit a sugary candy off the stretchy string around her neck. Around the crunchy bite, she said, “And then you gave me the candy necklace. and I was done for.”

  “What can I say? I know how to treat a lady. Jenny, I’m stealing her. You’ll have to finish the fruit salad on your own.”

  “You just said you know how to treat a lady,” Jenny complained with a wink at Kaylee.

  “You’re my sister, not a lady.”

  Jenny shoved him hard, but he only laughed as he pulled Kaylee toward the door. “For the record,” he said to her as his attention flickered to her cleavage, “I still really like your blobs.”

  “Just for that I’ll share with you.” She stretched the necklace and let him eat a candy as they passed through the open door.

  Anson had been patient with her over the past two months. She’d struggled with what she was now. No, that wasn’t right. She loved her lioness. She’d struggled more with the way she’d come to be. In the beginning, she’d asked Anson over and over if he was disappointed she wasn’t a panther and wasn’t his claim. He’d always had the right answers to put her heart at ease. He just loved her however she was. And two weeks after she’d been Turned, Anson had covered Arden’s claiming mark with his own, and that had started her healing. It had been a hard process, learning to control the animal. She was dominant, like She-Devil, but Kaylee had learned over time just how lucky she was. She had the support of the entire Red Havoc Crew, and Bentley was delighted that she was a lion shifter like him. Anson didn’t seem to give a single fig that the family he’d built for himself were lions. He was supportive always, propping her up on the hard days, but carrying her on the days she’d been on her knees and didn’t remember how to stand up. And each day, it had gotten easier, and her smile had come back, her laughter had returned, and Anson filled her days with happiness.

  So, she’d been Turned against her will, and by a man she had no respect for. Her animal had defended her and the crew immediately. She was proud of her animal, and of how far she’d come in such a short amount of time.

  As they made their way outside, Kaylee kissed her fingertips and then touched the crooked house number—1010—because it had started feeling lucky after a while. There was something special about this place—the trailer, the town, the Appalachians. She didn’t even hate the little mouse problem 1010 had anymore. Mice were less scary when she had a lion living inside of her.

  Anson hopped to the bottom of the stairs and pulled her onto his back. She clung to him like an affectionate koala. The crew was cooking hamburgers around an old grill out front, beers in hand, making fun of Barret for thinking pumpkins grew on trees, sitting in bright pink and orange plastic lawn chairs while Raif and Bentley ran around playing tag and giving off those high-pitched giggles that always made Kaylee laugh. On rare occasions, when it was quiet, and Anson took Bentley out to Change in the Red Havoc Woods for “man-time,” she would count her many blessings and include Raif. He was good for Bentley.

  Anson took her straight to the cabin, second from the end, their future home.

  She frowned up at the roof because it wasn’t patched anymore. It was neatly shingled now. “When did you do that?”

  “This morning when you and the girls were picking up the cake. The guys helped so we could get it done quick.”

  Impressed, she said, “Okay, that’s a really good surprise,” as she slid off his back.

  Anson looked over his shoulder and gave her that bright smile, the easy one that was her favorite. “There’s more.”

  He led her inside, and she gasped. The blue tarp was gone. The wall was solid and had a door that led to Bentley’s little bedroom off the back of the house. The floors had been repaired, and everything had been swept and polished. There was even a vase of white roses, like her favorites from her mother’s rose garden, decorating the small table near the kitchen. It smelled of sawdust and newness now instead of mildew, and he’d taken the picture that said money can build a house, but love builds a home from 1010 and hung it in the living room. Thin, white curtains lifted on the window above the kitchen sink, and through the bedroom door, she could see Bentley’s room was decorated with navy colors and a dragon theme.

  “Bentley helped me decorate his room,” Anson said softly, watching her closely.

  “Anson,” she whispered in awe as she touched the roses on the table lightly with the tips of her fingers. “You did it.”

  “Did what?”

  “You made us a home.”

  He canted his head, pulled the middle rose from the vase, and handed it to her. She went to smell it, her cheeks heating with how sweet he was being, but something sparkled in the rose when it hit the light. Nestled in the petals was a simple silver band with sparkly diamonds encircling it completely.

  She gasped and looked up at him with such hope. He plucked the band from the flower and pulled her close, hand on the back
of her neck just like that night when they were kids, knee deep in mud, and he slipped the ring on her finger as he sipped her lips. Easing back, he hugged her close and said, “You were always mine, and I hope you know, I was always yours. Always. There wasn’t a day that went by in all that time we were apart that I didn’t think about you, and miss you. I didn’t move on because I didn’t want to. You set the bar too high.”

  She laughed emotionally and clung to his shirt as a tear slipped to her cheek.

  “What do you say? You wanna do this life thing with me?”

  The proposal was soooo…Anson. It was perfect. She spun the ring on her finger with her thumb and nodded. “The life thing with you sounds good.”

  “Yes?” He picked her up and asked more excitedly, “You’re saying yes?”

  “Yes,” she whispered, her throat so tight with emotion.

  “Oh, my God, this is awesome.” He yelled out the open door, “She said yes, Barret, you stupid dick face. You owe me beer for a month.”

  Outside, the single word, “Fuck,” echoed through Red Havoc territory.

  Kaylee cracked up, burying her face against Anson’s neck as she laughed. God, she loved this life.

  “They’re here!” Ben called.

  Her giggles died as Anson settled her on her feet and led her out of the house—their house. “Who’s here?”

  “I invited some surprise guests for Bent’s birthday party.”

  “Other shifter kids?”

  “Not exactly. More like an entire crew.”

  “Which crew?”

  Anson smiled down at her. “The Blackwings.”

  Kaylee’s mouth flopped open as she watched the giants pile out of a pair of jacked-up trucks. It struck her what Anson had done for Bentley in the moment a dark-haired man with a deep limp drew up in front of her son and knelt. Anson had brought Bentley Dark Kane, the End of Days, the Apocalypse, the Dark Dragon himself, the last of the Blackwing dragons and the biggest on earth. He’d brought another crew into their territory, just to give Bentley this moment.

  “I know you,” Dark Kane said to Bentley, who was standing frozen right next to Raif.

  “I know you, too,” Bentley said in awe. “I have you on a poster. You’re my favorite dragon.”

  A big smile stretched Kane’s face, and behind him, some of the Blackwings chuckled. Kane stuck out his hand and shook Bentley’s firmly. “Anson invited me to meet you. I was excited to come here because I heard some really cool stuff about you.”

  “Like what?”

  “Like it’s your birthday today.”

  “Yes, I’m six.”

  “Six is a very big age,” Kane said seriously. “I also heard you have a lion in you. A Dunn lion, and that you’ll be big someday.”

  “Not big like you. I saw you on TV.”

  “Maybe not big like me, but someone very special named Beaston said you have the destiny of a dragon. That means big responsibility. It means you have to stay good, take care of your friends, your family, and your crew, right?”

  “Yes. I take care of Mom and Anson and Raif all the time.”

  “And I take care of him,” Raif said solemnly.

  “Good,” Kane said with a nod.

  “Mom,” Bentley whispered, twisting around. “Can Dark Kane stay for cake?”

  She laughed, wrapped her arms around Anson’s waist, and nodded. “It’s fine with me.” Thank you, she mouthed to Kane, who gave her a wink and stood, ruffled Bentley’s hair, and then made his way to Ben.

  “Good to see you again, old friend,” Kane rumbled.

  She’d never seen Ben look emotional, but right now, he swallowed a few times and nodded for a while before he pulled Kane in for a mannish hug, clapping him hard enough on the back that the sound echoed through the clearing.

  It was chaos after that as the Red Havoc Crew collided with the Blackwing crew, talking and grinning, passing out beers, the murmur of hellos rivaling the sound of her pounding heartbeat.

  She was so excited to show Jenny and Annalise the ring Anson had given her, but right now she just wanted to keep this moment to themselves. Anson was staring down at her with this awed look on his face.

  “What?” she asked.

  “That’s my favorite smile,” he murmured, tracing the curve of her lips with the tip of his finger. “You didn’t make this smile when you first came back to Covington.”

  “You brought it back. You’re really good at this, Anson.”

  His brows lowered slightly. “Good at what?”

  “That night we went mudding on the ATVs, you told me you wanted me to see what I was settling for, and you showed me stuff that I knew you were ashamed of. You showed me the broken cabin and admitted you didn’t have much. You said I deserved more.” She laid a kiss on his chest, right over his heartbeat and hugged him up, looked up at him, and shook her head because he couldn’t see that she was the lucky one. “You give me the things that are important. You love Bentley like he’s your own. You give me space to be strong, encourage me to be better, and smile when I smile. You gave me Red Havoc and friends. You forgave me, and then you trusted me with your heart again. You went and fixed that broken cabin…for me and for Bentley. You’re good at being our family. You’re good at being my safe place, where I can be myself. You accept me, even the gritty parts. Anson, I’ve never felt like I had a home, or like I belonged, or like I fit anywhere, and then you came along, and you became home. I never settled.” She shook her head. “You give me the world.”

  He swallowed hard, and his blue eyes pooled with deep emotion as he pulled her against him and rested his cheek on top of her hair. He raised her left hand up and kissed her knuckle, the one with the new ring. “I love you so much, Kaylee. You gave me you, and you gave me Bentley. You’re the one who gives me the world.”

  “Quit making out, you two. It’s food time, and you’re making me wanna puke,” Barret complained. He looked grumpy as hell, sitting in his bright pink lawn chair with his arms crossed over his chest, glaring at them.

  Anson kissed her with a grin on his face, as if he was trying to piss Barret off, then swatted her butt and sauntered over to the table where Bentley was running a finger through the chocolate frosting on his cake like he had no manners at all. Anson picked him up and threw him over his shoulder, tickling him, and Bentley’s peel of giggles filled her heart.

  This crew was rough. They called themselves the C-Team, and they cussed too much. They were rude and murderous and brave and caring and loyal. They didn’t get along half the time, and not every day was perfect. Sometimes, being a shifter was really hard. But days like today? This was what some people searched their whole lives for, and she’d somehow stumbled onto it in the middle of the Appalachian Mountains with a crew of misfit moonshiners who turned into animals.

  This wasn’t where she imagined her life ending up, but Fate didn’t work like that.

  Without a doubt, she was right where she was supposed to be.

  Up Next in this Series

  Red Havoc Bad Cat (Red Havoc Panthers, Book 3)

  Coming April 2017

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  For new releases, exclusive sneak peeks, and giveaways, sign up for T. S. Joyce’s Bear Shifter Romance Newsletter HERE.

  Want More of these Characters?

  The Red Havoc Crew makes its first appearance in Harper’s Mountains

  Bloodrunner Dragon (Book 1)

  Bloodrunner Bear (Book 2)

  Air Ryder (Book 3)

  Novak Raven (Book 4)

  Blackwing Dragon (Book 5)

  The Red Havoc Panthers can be read as a standalone series, but is also mentioned in Kane’s Mountains.

  Entire trilogy now available.

  Blackwing Defender (Book 1)

  Blackwing Wolf (Book 2)

  Blackwing Beast (Book 3)

  More Series by T. S. Joyce

  Bears Fur Hire

  Husband Fur Hire (Book 1)

  Bear Fur Hir
e (Book 2)

  Mate Fur Hire (Book 3)

  Wolf Fur Hire (Book 4)

  Dawson Fur Hire (Book 5)

  Chance Fur Hire (Book 6)

  Saw Bears

  Lumberjack Werebear (Book 1)

  Woodcutter Werebear (Book 2)

  Timberman Werebear (Book 3)

  Sawman Werebear (Book 4)

  Axman Werebear (Book 5)

  Woodsman Werebear (Book 6)

  Lumberman Werebear (Book 7)

  Fire Bears

  Bear My Soul (Book 1)

  Bear the Burn (Book 2)

  Bear the Heat (Book 3)

  Gray Back Bears

  Gray Back Bad Bear (Book 1)

  Gray Back Alpha Bear (Book 2)

  Gray Back Ghost Bear (Book 3)

  Gray Back Broken Bear (Book 4)

  Lowlander Silverback (Book 5)

  Last Immortal Dragon (Book 6)

  Boarlander Bears

  Boarlander Boss Bear (Book 1)

  Boarlander Bash Bear (Book 2)

  Boarlander Silverback (Book 3)

  Boarlander Beast Boar (Book 4)

  Boarlander Cursed Bear (Book 5)

  Wolf Brides

  Wolf Bride (Book 1)

  Red Snow Bride (Book 2)

  Dawson Bride (Book 3)

  For More Books from this Author

  Visit www.tsjoyce.com for a full reading list.

  About the Author

  T.S. Joyce is devoted to bringing hot shifter romances to readers. Hungry alpha males are her calling card, and the wilder the men, the more she'll make them pour their hearts out. Experienced at handling an alpha male of her own, she lives in a tiny town, outside of a tiny city, and devotes her life to writing big stories. Foodie, bear whisperer, ninja, thief of tiny bottles of awesome smelling hotel shampoo, nap connoisseur, movie fanatic, and zombie slayer, and most of this bio is true.