Fury and the Beast

By Denise Young

How do you choose between the love of your life, the man that your soul can’t seem to live without, your destiny or the other man that your body seems to yearn for uncontrollably?
That is Fury’s dilemma.
As if thigs weren’t hard enough. The council is convinced that a dark handsome Ismael is the right mate for Fury. Although there is a connection between the two Fury refuses to believe that Ismael is the man that she belongs with.
Just when Fury believes she’s about to have a break down from all that has been placed upon her shoulders in walks a handsome broad shouldered six-foot Brice who threatens to complicate her life even more. But there’s something about him that she can’t ignore. Something that draws the two of them together and makes Fury defy falling in line and accepting her destiny without him.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Lulu.com
• Release date: Jan 25, 2018
• ISBN: 9781387545803

Denise Young

Denise Young was born in Sydney, Australia, though she spent some eighteen years living in London, Wellington, Adelaide and Perth. Her first novel, LAST RIDE, was published by HarperCollins in 2004, after winning a Varuna/HarperCollins Award in 2002. The novel won the NSW Premier's Prize for a First Novel in 2005, was longlisted for the Miles Franklin Award in the same year and was shortlisted for the SA Festival Awards in 2006. A film of the book, with film script by Mac Gudgeon and starring Hugo Weaving, will be released in 2009. Denise lives in Sydney with her husband Paul, with whom she has three grown-up children. www.deniseyoung.com.au

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Fury and the Beast

Fury and the Beast

By Denise Young

Fury and the Beast

Copyright

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the publisher except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

This is a work of fiction. All of the characters, names, incidents, organizations, and dialogue in this novel are either the products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.

Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them. +

ISBN     978-1-387-54580-3

Printed in the United States of America

Cover design by Serenay Daphne (thebookcoverdesigner.com)

Copyright © Tonya Young 2018

Publisher:  Tonya Young

..

CONTENTS

Dedication

Acknowledgements

Copyright

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Chapter Eleven

Chapter Twelve

Chapter Thirteen

Chapter Fourteen

Chapter Fifteen

Chapter Sixteen

Chapter Seventeen

Chapter Eighteen

Chapter Nineteen

Chapter Twenty

Chapter Twenty-One

Chapter Twenty-Two

Chapter Twenty-Three

Chapter Twenty-Four

Chapter Twenty-Five

Chapter Twenty-Six

Chapter Twenty-Seven

Chapter Twenty-Eight

Chapter Twenty-Nine

Chapter Thirty

Chapter Thirty-One -

Chapter Thirty-Two

Chapter Thirty-Three

Chapter Thirty-Four

Chapter Thirty-Five

Chapter Thirty-Six

Chapter Thirty-Seven

Chapter Thirty-Eight

Chapter Thirty-Nine

Chapter Forty

Chapter Forty-One

Chapter Forty-Two

Chapter Forty-Three

Chapter Forty-Four

Chapter Forty-Five

Dedication

To my family with love.

Dream Big, Pray Often

And

Keep pushing forward

Please leave a review

Acknowledgements

Thank you to my Heavenly Father. Without God nothing is possible, but with God, All Things Are Possible.   My children have always been my driving force, and that will never change.  I do the things that I do, in hopes of helping them to reach their goals.  I want to be their inspiration, their motivation, and their muse.  I want them to see their mother striving to be the best, and I want them to see that everything is possible if they pray, and believe in themselves.  My babies are my muse, my reasons for writing and my reason for the striving to become the best author, photographer and designer possible.  Most of all, they are my inspiration to becoming a better person.   

Denise Young

Dream Big, Pray Often

And

Keep pushing forward

Chapter One

Fury thought back to simpler times. 

She had been fourteen years old when she and Fabian decided to sneak off into the woods to practice magic, something that had been all Fabian’s idea but being so close to him Fury had gone along with it although she had been having second thoughts.

The self-proclaimed wild child knew that if caught she would take the blame for the mess they were about to get into.  She was the younger of the twins by just two minutes but she had always been the care taker of her older twin.  She would rather take the blame than to see Fabian’s unblemished record be tainted.

They emptied the contents of the backpack onto the ground one item at a time….ten candles, root oil, jasmine, a lighter and sage.  While Fabian lit the candles and placed them strategically in a circle Fury took a seat in the grass and continued trying to convince herself that what they were doing was a good idea.  She had a bad feeling but could not put her finger on the reason for it. 

The blade cut through her flesh easier than she had anticipated.

She focused on the task at hand and not the pain as she watched as blood slowly began to flow from the wound in the palm of her hand.  She placed the blade onto the ground then placed her hand over the bird that lay lifeless beneath her.  She allowed the blood from her wound to drip onto the body of the lifeless creature then wrapped a silk scarf around her hand, tying it securely.  

A pang of guilt shot through her.  What had they done, she thought to herself?

It’s okay Fury, Fabian reassured. 

Fury frowned in his direction, momentarily taking her attention off of her task.  She’d forgotten to block him from her thoughts.  When they were younger the pair would communicate telepathically when others were around.  As they grew older they began to practice on blocking one another for privacy.  

While his twin’s blood dripped over the bird Fabian sprinkled jasmine over the bird’s wounds.  He then sprinkled a light powder over the bird then dipped his forefinger into a jar of oil and rubbed it over the bird’s lifeless forehead.   

Fury waved her hands over the bird and began chanting.  The spell they were trying was one that their mother had taught them when they were just children.  Although Fury had barely being paying attention during the lesson she somehow remembered the incantation word for word.  She had never been much for learning spells and studying potions like her brother had been.  Fabian had taken that part of their lives so much more seriously than Fury had.  But it was Fury who seemed to have the ability to whip up a quick spell without being taught.  These things just came to her naturally while Fabian had to study his craft in order to get control of it.  

Now twenty one years old, she shifted uncomfortably as she thought back to that evening.  She remembered just how the images had started flowing through her mind.  Darkness then fire and light and then more darkness just as the candles surrounded she and Fabian went dark. 

It wasn’t until she heard the chirping that she opened her eyes.  The tiny blue jay’s eyes were open and staring directly into Fury’s.  A tear fell from her eyes as she reached out to pick him up.  He lay cradled in the palm of her hands for quite some time before flying away. 

I remember that, Fabian said.

I’m sitting on top of a roof.  Don’t scare me like that.  And stay out of my head.

Almighty witch and shifter, you should have detected my presence long before I crawled out here from your bedroom window.  And You usually have me blocked so since you left your mind wide open I climbed in to see what was keeping you so occupied and distant.

He was teasing her again.  She wasn’t completely sure if it was out of brotherly hazing or jealousy.  Everything that she was being handed everyone thought should have gone to Fabian.  The power and responsibility in their minds should have been passed along to a man.  Not a silly girl who never wanted the gift of magic and never wanted to be a shifter.  But there they were, the twins sitting upon the roof of their parent’s house, one wishing for an inkling of power that his sister had while the other had wished that it had all been given to her brother.

Little did he know that she had sensed him coming as soon as he ascended the stairwell.  Her gifts did not come and go as his did.  They were constantly honed in on everything around them, something that she hated more than anything.  It made her feel even more disconnected from everyone around her.  Where it seemed that her brother had been given an abundance of the gifts that her mother’s ancestors past down it seemed that Fury was given more than enough for one being. 

She pushed her knees upward wrapping her arms around her legs.  I never wanted any of this Fabian.

She had only wanted to live out a normal life and had only dabbled in magic when it suited her.  Fabian on the other hand had practiced magic regularly.  Mostly the dark arts that their mother had begged them to steer away from. 

Fabian shook his head, exasperation in his tone.  I know sis.  You always envied the humans.  But trust me, if any of them had the chance to be you they would jump on it in a heartbeat.  You’re the only one who doesn’t see what you have as special.  And just think, you haven’t even touched on the real powers that you possess.

She knew what he meant.  Fabian was deep into learning more about their heritage, both from the shifters and the witches.  But his main focus was on the witchcraft.  Where Fury felt no need to learn all she could about incantations and shifting.  

Yes, it should have been yours to inherit, she said, reading his thoughts.  He had let the thought of how the gift she’d been handed but did not want should have been hers and had forgotten to block her from his mind.

He, like everyone else believed that he should have inherited all that she had.  The man should have been given the gift not her.  She wondered what would have happened if her mother would have given birth to the others.  Would she had still been the one chosen to carry the burden?  Their mother had been pregnant five times before giving birth to the two of them with all of the pregnancies resulting in miscarriages and stillbirths.  All of the babies that died had been males.  With Fabian being the only male to survive everyone in the pack was certain that he would be the one. 

But they had all been wrong.

He handed her a mug of tea.  Here, you need this more than I do.

She took the mug and took a swig from it.  The hot liquid went down nice a smoot….funny how her twin always seem to know what she needed.

So how are things going with this new girl in your life, she asked?

Fabian had begun dating Ava four months prior and everything about this new girlfriend seemed to rub Fury the wrong way.  Everything from the girls, beautiful face to her sarcastic attitude bugged the hell out of Fury.  In her mind she knew that Ava was not the right girl for Fabian, but she was sitting back trying to wait for him to figure things out on his own but instead of letting go of the relationship he seemed to be getting drug deeper into it.  

He took a seat next to his twin.  Well, they’re going better than I expected.  He pulled something from his pocket and shoved it in Fury’s face. 

Fury handed him the mug of tea and snatched the box from his hand.  She opened it and to her surprise there was the hugest diamond she’d ever laid eyes on.  She looked from the ring to the trees that sat next to their home.  The green leaves were slowly turning brown, giving way to a new season.  A cool breeze came through causing a chill to run through her.

She turned to Fabian, completely bewildered and shaken.  Tell me that this isn’t what I think it is, she said, trying to hide the disappointment. 

A smile crinkled his eyes.  An engagement ring, yes?  I know that we’ve only been together for a few short months but when you know you know Fury.  And I know that she is the one.

She’s a rogue Fabian.  Her entire family is.  Father and the council will never allow this, she insisted, her voice low. 

His free hand came to rest on her shoulder.  I’ve already gotten their permission sis.  It’s as good as done.  Well, if she says yes when I propose it’s as good as done.

She could not believe this.  The council was actually planning to let Fabian marry a rogue shifter.  How could this possibly end well for any of them?  This girl and her family did not believe in rules.  They decided to live on the outskirts simply because they wanted to do as they pleased.  Would she now as future leader of the pack be forced to welcome Ava and her family into their fold?

Would she be able to convince him that marrying this girl was a bad idea?  And what reason would she give him?  That she just had a bad feeling about her would not be good enough.  Holding her tongue she held back on what she really wanted to say.  She held back on the plea to him not to propose marriage to Ava.  Sadness knotted her brow as she tried desperately to fid words that would not make her twin feel badly about his decision.  She was his twin, not yet queen of the pack.  She could not order him, well suggest harshly that he think twice about what he was about to get himself into with Ava and her wildling family. 

She glanced over at her twin.  It was almost like looking in the mirror.  The only difference was their eyes.  Where she had inherited their fathers hazel eyes his were dark like their mothers.  She hated to, but she had to admit that Ava and Fabian were a great match on the surface.  Both good looking and intelligent but she could not help but think that there was something about Ava that was pure evil. 

Do you think that the two of you have been dating long enough to make such a huge commitment?  She tried not giving him hell over his choice in girlfriends but Ava was the worst choice that Fabian could have made.  She was beautiful and had a body to die for so Fury could see why the man in her brother was drawn to the girl.  But Fabian was so intelligent that it was difficult for Fury to believe that a woman could be manipulative and conniving and be able, to get that past him.  But she assumed that love makes one stupid.  She herself hadn’t yet found anyone that she would even consider falling in love with so she promised not to downplay her brother’s feelings for Ava even if she didn’t like her.

She is the one sis.  You know how this thing works with our kind.  I knew from the moment that I laid eyes on Ava that she was it for me.  Fabian took in a deep breath and grabbed the ring from his sister’s grasp.  Look around you Fury.  You have inherited all of this and what comes along with it.  It’s time for me to figure out where my place is in this world and I know that starts with marrying this girl.

The thought of Ava becoming a part of their family set her anger ablaze.  She couldn’t help but think that she was using Fabian.  He was a warlock and a powerful one at that.  He was definitely a catch.  And then you add the fact that his twin would soon be leader of the pack and it made it him damn right irresistible to an opportunistic woman.

I’d gladly give it all to you Fabian, she admitted truthfully.  She exhaled audibly and threw her hands in the air.

I’m sure that you would but the elder has spoken and in her vision, she saw you.  You are the chosen one and none of us can ever change that, he muttered, before sighing.

What will happen if you marry her, Fury asked, with a hesitant frown?  Her family, are a bunch of rogues.  They don’t believe in law and order, she said, unable to avoid scowling.

Ava will be my wife which means that she will become a part of our pack.  As for her family, I can’t say for sure but if her parents want to continue to be a part of their daughter’s life I’m sure they will eventually come around.  And I’m also sure that as my twin you’ll come around and welcome them all in with opened arms.

With that he stood and made his way to the window, climbed through and disappeared.  Fury looked down at the blue jay sitting at her side and a small tear fell from her eye.  Change was definitely coming and all of it would not be good.

_____________________________

Brice

He stood back behind some trees some ways from her.  He was just far enough away that she couldn’t pick up on his thoughts but close enough to have her in full view.  But when she turned around he knew that she sensed that he was there.  Still with the threat of being noticed he couldn’t walk away.  He was spellbound by everything about this girl. 

Brice wondered if the elder had spoken with her parents.  Or was he, still the only one who knew what they were meant to be together.  Either way, now that he knew he would never be too far away from Fury.

But he also wouldn’t approach her too soon.  He could sense that she was still having a difficult time figuring out who she was to become and how badly her people needed her.  She was refusing to accept all of herself. She had a deep yearning to be like the humans, to be human and that alone was keeping her from embracing her own fate.  He just hoped that she would figure out what he already knew.  She was meant for greatness and he was meant to stand at her side.

She was the game changer for Brice.  Until he found out about Fury he’d been bed hopping from city to city never staying long enough to feel anything for anyone.  Now he had something real, something solid to live for. 

She had more enemies than she was aware of which was precisely why she was out wondering about the wooded area alone.  He found himself growing frustrated with her council, brother and father.  Could they not keep her safe, he wondered?  They’d been told how important Fury was and they were still allowing her the freedom to roam around alone with the threat of someone or something doing something dreadful to her. 

He remained in the shadows wrestling with the urge to approach her. 

Chapter Two

He held her hand tightly.

His eyes lit up as he looked into her hazel eyes.  You hold life and death in these hands and good and evil in your heart, Ismael said with a bright smile.

She had been called on by the council.  Something that had been happening a lot lately since the elder’s vision and it was slowly turning Fury’s attitude bad.  She was missing her freedom and these impromptu meetings were not helping any with the transition  And now this meeting with the two strangers without warning only pissed her off and made her want to cast a spell turning the assholes on the council into croaking frogs.  

To no avail she tried pulling from his grasp and looked from Ismael to the other men in the room then settled her gaze back on Ismael.  She felt an immense amount of power coming from him, something that she had never felt with another before.  Baffled, she frowned at him and forced herself to breathe.   Why are you here?

Ismael turned to Valentin.  He has welcomed us here he said, waving a hand towards his day walker friend Marcello.  Looks like, your choice of husband has been made for you, he said, completely unfazed by her attitude.  

Fury wanted to kill the council.  Forget turning them into frogs.  At that precise moment she just wanted them dead.  How dare them, think that they were going to control her this way.  This would not happen.  There was no way that her father would go along with this.  Hell, there was no way that she would go along with it.  She looked Ismael up and down.  Yes, he was a good looking man.  6’4" at least, broad shoulders, bronze skin with dark curly locks and blue eyes that looked out of place on him but were beautiful all the same.  And although he wore a blue long sleeve dress shirt and gray dress slacks she could tell that he took great care of his body.  But none of that mattered to Fury.  He was not the one for her.

What,!  This time she was successful in pulling away from Ismael’s grasp.  She pulled herself away so hard she almost fell backward.  She looked around at the men in the council completely baffled now.  Augustin shrugged his shoulders at his daughter letting her know that the blame was not to be placed upon his shoulders.

Don’t be upset with your father child, the decision was mine.  I thought that with your background of unruliness you would need someone by your side who was seasoned and well trained to keep you grounded.  In addition, a queen without a king is too vulnerable.

Fury’s focus shifted directly to Valentin. She’d always hated him.  He was such an arrogant prick.  He’d never married.  He was growing old but still refused to settle down with one woman.  He’d had many different women from many different packs but never made the move to marry any of them.  He just toyed with their emotions and pulled on their heartstrings until he grew tired of them and then moved on to the next.  At 5’11" it wasn’t his height that pulled women in.  His chocolate dark as night skin tone and gray eyes did it every time.  Women could not seem to resist how his gray eyes stood out amongst that chocolate skin.

Fury compressed her mouth into a thin line and gritted her teeth before tearing into Valentin.  Are you fucking out of your mind Valentin?

Valentin nodded and pointed a finger in Fury’s direction.  That is exactly why I thought that you needed a strong presence by your side.  You’re unruly and you still have a lot of growing up to do child.

Ismael smiled, showing off a mouth full of beautiful white teeth.  Don’t be upset with the council little pup.  They have your best interest in mind, especially your father.  I’m here to be your helpmate.  To help you with difficult decisions and tasks that may arise, things that you may have difficulty making a decision on.   I will also be your eyes and ears when you are too preoccupied to focus on your responsibilities to your people. 

She looked around the room at the members of the council waiting for someone to give her an explanation that made sense to her but no one spoke up. 

Her eyes widened as anger coursed its way through her 5’5 frame.  So you’re just as out of your ever loving mind as these idiots.  I won’t allow anyone to choose my mate.  She waved a hand aver the council.  All of you should know that you can’t do this.  My mate is out there somewhere!  He has already been chosen for me by the moon and no one, not any of you can change that!"

Augustin crossed the room to stand next to his daughter.  You know my situation with your mother, so you know that if anyone understands this it is me.

Her parent’s marriage was prearranged.  Despite the fact that their mates are truly made for them the council and the witches coven had prearranged her parent’s marriage because of visions that the elder had.  According to the elder her parents would give birth to children who would mean the difference between life and death for both the witches, the shifters and the vampires, as well as being the force behind brokering and keeping peace amongst them all. 

She looked into her father’s eyes and wanted to yell at him.  She knew that he loved her mother but also knew that he longed for the woman whom he was meant for.  He sacrificed his life for his people and the kids that they wanted him to have with a witch and although he loved them all there was a small piece of Augustin that wished that he had rebelled against the old council leaders just as his daughter was currently doing with them.

Before she said something to her father in front of the council that she would later regret she turned sharply, crossed the room silently and exited the office making her way outdoors.  She ran with the speed of lightning through the farm that held the council’s cottage to her family farm.  She stopped and stared up at the house and sensed that her mother Beth was there doing her wifely duties.  It seemed that she had settled into life with a man that was not meant for her quite easily, but Fury refused to be forced to live the fate that her mother had been forced to live.  

She turned and ran for the trees.  Four acres into their land away from the house she stopped for a breather.  She stood perched atop a huge hill looking down at nothing in particular, just gazing off into the distance wishing for a way out.  For a split second the thought of disappearing crossed her mind.  But when she looked around at the beautiful green grass and the beautiful full oak trees she knew that she would never leave her beautiful home.  Not to mention they would come in search of her and drag her back forcing her to fulfill her destiny.

She untied her ponytail and allowed the early afternoon sun to wash over her.  She trembled thinking of the life that the council had in mind for her to lead.  They would force her to be nothing but a figure head allowing Ismael to run her pack as he pleased.

Fury propped down in front of a tree and leaned against it and her thoughts strayed to the stranger.  She lifted her hands and gazed at them.  There was truth in Ismael words.  But she wondered how much he knew about her and where this knowledge had come from.  There were a lot of gifts that she possessed that no one other than Fabian knew of.  The fact that she could conjure up incantations that would bring the living back from death was a secret that only she and her brother shared.  Along with her gift of willing others to do her bidding without them be aware that she was behind it.  No one knew of these dark gifts that she possessed. 

She and Fabian had never studied dark magic.  These gifts had just come to her out of the blood in her early teenage years.  In the beginning she refused to speak of them or to dabble in them until out of curiosity Fabian convinced her to hone in on those gifts.  Her brother was the driving force behind her experimentations with magic over the years.  He seemed to have a fascination for magic that Fury did not share but because of her love for him she indulged him.  

She chuckled.  Out of nowhere came the thought of how if born centuries ago she would have hung from the very trees that she adored so very much.  In her great-great grandmothers time being a witch meant hiding your gifts if you wanted to stay alive.  But in Fury’s time it seemed that even the humans were trying to dibble dabble in it.  If only they knew of the turmoil of the lives of real witches.  Many of her ancestors had been hung and burned after their last breathes were taken, burned by the very people who had come to them for help.  The witches were healers.  Yes, there were those who cast spells that harmed others but most of the time it was only to keep their own from being hurt.  But for the most part when the human doctors could not save the lives of their loved ones the humans would go in search of her kind to barter with.  But in the end, it had not mattered how many human lives had been saved by the hands of witches.  The humans had decided to purge their world of witches and had murdered all who had not been smart enough to flee. 

She looked around suddenly feeling lonely.  Fabian was off with Ava the so called, love of his life and she was sitting there alone and feeling lost.  It was times like those that Fury wished that growing up she had made better friends with her own kind rather than chasing after human friends in the hopes of feeling like she was one of them.  She couldn’t call up any of her human girlfriends and talk her problems over with.  Talk of witchcraft, witches, shifters and vampires would only make them think that she was crazy.  She knew that if she ever divulged her secrets to her human friends the council would have them dealt with by killing them.  She was half shifter half witch and could never tell that to anyone that she considered to be a friend.  

Her thoughts went back to Ismael and Marcello.  The council had no doubt made a pact with the day walker’s, a pact that they had not told their future queen of.  Despite his good looks Fury could not see herself living out an eternity with Ismael.  She refused to be miserable like her parents.  The two of them were meant for others yet they allowed themselves to be placed together for the greater good of their people when there could have been another way sorted out to broker peace amongst the witches, shifters and vampires. 

There was someone out there that had been made just for her and that is the only man that she was prepared to spend her life with.  She felt him in her flesh.  It was just a matter of getting to him or getting him to come to her before the council forced her union with Ismael.  Not to mention the fact that her pride would not let them force her into anything.

She closed her eyes.  Hands clasped closely together she began chanting low, so low that she could barely hear herself.  The wind shifted and began more intense, blowing her dark hair about wildly.  The clouds darkened as her hands began to part.

She smiled and spoke one simple sentence.  Bring him forth like a whirlwind that cannot be ignored.

Chapter Three

Later that night Ismael and Marcello got settled into their accommodations.  The small guest house on the property was nice enough and it was just close enough to the prize.

Fury.

The council had offered him nothing but Fury’s hand in marriage and peace for both sides. 

They could have offered him nothing, but her hand and he would have agreed.  She was breathtaking in the photos that he had seen of her.  But those photos had nothing on seeing that beautiful creature in the flesh.

The corner of his mouth kicked up just thinking of how beautiful she was.  That coal black hair that hung down to her legs to the beautiful shade of hazel in her eyes, everything about her intrigued him and then there was the power that illuminated off of her.  One could not help but to feel it when she was near.  He had to be a part of this girl’s life.  She needed grooming.  She needed someone by her side to teach her and to guide her into the right direction otherwise all of that power could be misused. 

He’d felt so much just by standing close to her.  One of the things that stood out was the fact that she still had no clue how important she was to the witches, vampires and shifters.  And she also had no clue just how powerful she really was.  There was so much that he could teach her if given the opportunity to do so.  There was so much that they could discover about her gifts together if she would just allow him inside of her private world.

The problem for him was that she did not want his guidance or his love for that matter but she, had no other choice.  Just meeting, her briefly made him want to be a part of her life for eternity.  He’d never be able to watch her live her life with another man. 

He would allow her to get used to his presence.  He wouldn’t just throw himself at her like earlier.  She was a rare creature with a strong will and definitely a mind of her own.  She would never be happy with him if she were forced to be his.  The key to gaining Fury’s trust and her hand in marriage willingly would be by being genuine and getting to know her and waiting for her to come to him.  Pushing himself on her would never do.  Patience, no persistence would win this girl over.

She needed him by her side whether she knew it or not.  He was definitely an asset for a woman like Fury.  He was certain that once she allowed herself to get to know him and to see what he was capable of she would be so impressed that she would slowly but surely fall in love with him.  He was a powerful warlock, more powerful than any to ever come from his family.  That alone should eventually win her over.  But then there was also the fact that he was a vampire.  His presence by her side could help to keep the peace with the day walker’s.

He may not have been born a vampire.  He was not an original, but he had been with them for centuries.  He knew their secrets because their secrets were now his own.  He knew what made them tick and what would cause them to go to war and what would keep them a peaceful lot. 

And his heritage as a warlock would be valuable to Fury because who better to understand you than someone like you?  She would have to realize that there would never be another man, shifter, vampire or witch who could ever be her equal, but he was the only one who would ever come close. 

He placed his hand inside of his shirt and pulled the gold medallion from its resting place over his heart.  It had been given to him by the only woman he’d thought he’d love.  Now there was a sliver of hope that love would find him again.  He and Fury would never share what he had what seemed like a lifetime ago with the