Mine: Carson Manor, #5

By Candace Dowds

Skyler and Jaxon are back and facing a whole new world of pain. 
All they want is to live their lives in a quiet manner, but that's just not meant to be.
Join us in Skye and Jax's last journey before we focus on Lila. 
There will be tears. There will be pain, but it's all apart of the magical story that has captured the hearts of so many fans.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Candace Dowds
• Release date: Dec 20, 2017
• ISBN: 9781386175537

Candace Dowds

Candace began writing after the passing of her son in 2009. It has been an emotional release for her. She is supported by her family and friends. Other than the time she is writing, she sits back for hours reading books by her favorite authors, Tijan Meyer, Rachel Vincent, Richelle Mead, Colleen Hoover, Claudia Gray, Jay McLean and so many more. That or she will go for a calming drive while listening to Eminem, Slim Shady, Marshall Mathers or The Rap God, whichever you would like to call him. Her kids are just like her, sarcastic, but fun loving. The rules she lives by 1 Don't take life too seriously 2 Don't live up to others ridiculous expectations 3 Surround yourself with people who love you for you 4 If life becomes too much, have a stiff drink and start again tomorrow.

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I would like to dedicate this book to my loyal Carson Manor readers. Thank you so much for having my back and encouraging me to continue on when I don’t think it’s possible to do.

To my baby boy Rhonan, who looks over us from above, I miss you. I miss you more and more each day, but I know Patty’s looking after you.

To Marshall Mathers, thank you for the album, Shady XV. It was the only album I listened to while writing Mine. Oh & Pink. You rock my fucking world. You’re a true inspiration.

Damn, have we been through some shit since Skye and I first met. The first ten months were nothing but sheer torture, living only a bedroom apart, wanting, no, correction, needing one another.

All I wanted was her, but at the same time, I didn't want to bring her into a world of vampires. After the torture became too much, love won, and I was then joined to the woman I knew I'd spend the rest of my life with.

At times, things have been hard, but we’ve stuck together. Our blood bond keeps us strong, it keeps us going even when we want to give up on life altogether.

From the moment we met, I knew I couldn't live without her, but Skye has been almost taken from me too many times in the past.

There was the time my ex-fiancé Koby, killed Skye's grandmother Sophie. She tracked her down and killed her in and tortured the older woman who never deserved to have her life taken in such a hideous manner. Before leaving Sophie’s cabin, the bitch wrote my love a note saying that if Skye didn't leave me, then she would kill Al, Lila and me, so being the kind and selfless woman, she was, Skye packed up some of her belongings and raced out of the house, leaving me behind and it broke me. The pain I felt was worse than the pain that pierced my heart when vampires killed my parents and my younger sister, Lydia almost a century ago.

For fifty-eight fucking days, my now wife hid out in Tulsa with our fae friend, Jessica.

When we'd first met Skye, we knew she wasn't human, and that she was different, so my roommates and I did some research and Al was the one to come up with the idea that maybe she was a full fae. But then more digging had to be done and that's when Skye took me to see her Grandmother, Sophie, her late father's biological mother and it was her that confirmed our suspicions.

Sophie, like myself, never told Skye that Michael, her father was a fae because she didn't want to expose her granddaughter to the supernatural world, not unless she absolutely had to. Sophie also didn't need to be told what I was, she’d already put all of the pieces of the puzzle together and she also knew that I was bonded with my now wife.

Anxious, she immediately wanted to speak with another fae, so she was put in contact with a girl named Jessica. She wanted to learn about her species and Jess was more than happy to help. They bonded instantly and have been close ever since, so it made sense to Phillip, a head member of the vampire council, and a man I regard as a father figure, to put Skye and Jess in a safe house, but the asshole wouldn't tell me where she was. Even though I wanted to kill Phillip, I was glad to know she was with someone who could use her fae powers to calm Skye, but it didn't work.

Because we shared a blood bond, there was nothing Jess could do to help. Her heart couldn't mend because of our unique situation.

The whole time we were parted, she wouldn't eat or drink, she willed herself to die, but eventually, I managed to find her.

By the time I arrived in Tulsa, she had lost nineteen pounds, she was skin and bones and heart broke for her. Thankfully for us, her drinking my blood sped up her recovery.

While we waited for her to grow strong enough to travel, we received word that Koby had honed in on our location and had also breached the perimeter.

Prepared for action, I took both Skye and Jess down to the panic room in the basement and then the rest of us headed out with weapons in hand to catch the piece of shit. Driven by sheer anger, we managed to catch and kill Koby, and soon after, we headed back home and we were married just a few days later.

***

The next time my love was almost taken, was when two cheerleaders, Vessna and Chloe, who attended Carson Manor College, attacked Skye one night with baseball bats. They targeted her because they thought they had a right to be with me, but that was never on the cards. Even before I’d met, I couldn’t stand those whores. Al and I had agreed we’d never go near those two sluts, not even if we just needed an empty out. Although I was a whore that slept around before meeting Skye, even I had my standards.

At the time of the attack, I was attending a meeting at the Vampire Headquarters in Edmonton, Canada. A senior vampire was seeking permission to face the true death, but the instant the news came in, both Al and I took a private jet home. From the instant my feet hit the tarmac, I raced to be by Skye’s side and for five long, excruciating days, I sat by her side, exhausted. I was barely able to function, and our family members grew more and more concerned, not only for me but also for Skye.

Grantham, the local supernatural doctor, and dear friend explained that he didn’t think she would make it. Her body was simply too weak, even though she had my blood being fed to her through a drip, the whores had beaten her to a point of what we thought was no return.

For five days, I sat by her side, I didn’t leave, not even for a moment, but finally, she opened her stunning blue eye (the other was swollen over) but she made it.

Thankfully, her recovery was faster than any human, thanks to her fae genes, but at the same time, it felt like an eternity. When she had recovered, we decided it was time for us to get away, so we went to Hawaii. Sure, we had a massive blowout while there, causing Skye to feel unloved and unwanted, but we managed to push past it, we mended and enjoyed the rest of our time away, together.

It was when we arrived back to our home at Carson Manor, that she began to feel ill.

Skye tried hiding it from me, but she failed. Miserably.

One day, she had asked me to go and get her a cold drink, but as I made my way back upstairs, I found her sprawled across the floor in our bathroom swimming in a pool of her own blood.

While I picked her up and took her to the bed, I screamed for Lila to call Grantham, but we knew he wouldn't make it in time. There was only one thing left to do to ensure her safety, I had to turn her, so that's what I did. It turned out that her appendix had ruptured, causing her body to shut down.

When Skye finally woke, she became the fastest and strongest Vampire of us all. She thrashed my body that night as she ravaged me, without restraint.

We broke bookcases, lamps and so much more, but soon after, we learned that while she was going through the change, she'd fallen pregnant. No one knew how or why? But we didn't care. We were so excited, but we also knew we had to go into hiding, so Phillip arraigned a safe house for us located in Maine. Nowhere in the history of vampires had a baby being conceived, ever so it was important that I kept her safe from harm.

For a few months, we were safe, but then the threats came to close for comfort so we were moved to Ireland to stay with our friends, Celeste and Lucas.

Celeste was a fae, and Luca's a vampire, and much like Skye and my relationship, they also share a blood bond, but theirs isn't anywhere as strong as ours.

Right before the delivery of our precious son, Carter, our location was made public and a war between the good and bad vampires began.

While Skye was tucked up safely in the panic room of the mansion, I went out to fight along with my family where I was stabbed. I thought I was going to face the true death, and I nearly did. I was stabbed with a dagger and left to die, but fortunately, Lila and Albie were there to save me.

When I woke, Skye was hovered over me, her eyes staring into mine. She never left me, not for a minute.

After a few days of rest, Carter was born. It was the most precious day of my entire existence. Our son was born healthy and happy, there was nothing else I could ever want or hope for. Going back to Skye’s brushes with death, our next scare was when our new home, where we’re living now, was put under threat.

Just prior to the attack that took my wife from me the last and what we thought was truly the last time, Albie had begun an intimate relationship with a stray vampire by the name of Kimberly.

Kimberly was turned against her will and held hostage by a rogue group of were's that she'd come across on her newborn hunger tirade. When she escaped their grasp, she was then caught by Al and some of Phillip's men, and Kim was taken to the Vampire headquarters up at Edmonton, Canada.

Kim and Al grew close, he helped her transition, and taught her that being a vampire, didn't necessarily mean her life was over. Al was the perfect man for the job. He was the one to help me through the change and stopped me from killing every human I came across.

A romantic relationship began to blossom between the pair, but Al only brought Kim back to the house to meet us when he knew she wasn't a threat to either Skye or Carter and I had to trust him the way he’d trusted me so many times before.

Kim immediately became family. Skye had a good feeling about her, and I’ve always trusted her judgment. For a while, things at the house were calm, but as Pete and Lila’s wedding day approached, more and more people were coming to and from the house. With security lessened for the occasion, it was easy for the group of Were’s that had trapped Kimberly back when she was a newborn, to enter the premises.

I begged Skye to stay behind, to go into the panic room with Carter and Pete, but she’s always been so stubborn. She refused to let everyone else fight our battles because she was the strongest and fastest vampire any of us had ever seen, but not long after we headed out, weapons in hands, she was attacked and killed.

For weeks I was a wreck. I was wondering about the property unable to focus. All I fucking did was drink bourbon, cry and beg for the true death, but I also knew my son needed me.

Carter needed one parent to care for him, but it was hard since he was half fae, which meant he could feel everyone's pain around him.

As I finally began to act like a father again, it was time for us to say a proper goodbye. Of course, I couldn't bring myself to say goodbye, it was an important step to be made, but as Phillip gave the speech at Skye's memorial, Bernie, our fae friend stood up and began yelling my name.

The memorial was put on hold, and I turned to face her, when I asked what was happening, she said she'd seen Skye. That my wife wasn't dead, she was waiting to be found in the fae afterlife. Taking my hand in hers, ordered that I close my eyes and when I did, she transported us.

When my eyes opened, again, immediately, I saw Skye. The relief was too much for my body to handle. With tears streaming down my cheeks, I fell to my knees, unable to keep myself upright. All I wanted to do was run to her, but my emotions had taken full control over my limbs as the bond between us repaired itself. I could feel her again. I could feel her love, her relief, and her sadness, but she was there. She wasn’t dead.

Immediately, my wife raced over to me, also dropping to her knees right in front of me. Is it really you? I whispered through my sobs, my chest heaving.

Furiously nodding, she threw her arms around me, and I did the same to her, almost squeezing her too hard. I missed you so much, she cried.

I fucking missed you too, baby girl. Brushing my lips against hers, I couldn't stop the tears, and for the first time in my life, I didn't want to because I knew everything would be okay.

***

As we stayed kneeling on the ground, Bernie told us to take our time and that she’d be at the waffle house.

When she was gone, Skye whispered, I've been staying over in the spare bedroom at Justin's apartment. Do you want to go there so I can tell you everything?

Yes, I want you to tell me everything. I've missed you so much, I'm going to need some time to process everything. Crashing my mouth over hers, she ran her hands up my chest, and she kept going until they were cupped behind my neck.

Gently pulling away, I breathed, "Let’s go