Forbidden Passions, Volume 2 by Loribelle Hunt

Author:Loribelle Hunt
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Samhain Publishing, Ltd.
Published: 2015-07-07T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter Three

“Don’t go, Uncle Bastian!” A little sprite of a girl came pelting across the living room to wrap herself around his leg. Adrian and Cleo’s daughter, Daphne. She had the Leonidas green eyes, but looked like her golden lioness mother otherwise. She offered up a gamine grin. “One more spin?”

Even though he was only blood-related to Lyra and Zander’s twin sons, Daphne had dubbed him uncle the moment he’d shown up for family dinner. She widened her eyes appealingly and he gave in. “Okay, one more.”

“Yay!”

He grabbed her under the arms and did a slow series of spins so her legs flew out behind her.

Her gleeful squeals had everyone in the house chuckling. “Lookit me! I’m flying, Daddy!”

Adrian’s tone was dry. “She’s been wanting to fly since Ajax brought her girls for a visit and they demonstrated what eaglets could do.”

After setting the little girl down, Bastian popped a kiss on the top of her head. “We can fly again tomorrow, sweet pea.”

“Okay!” She ran off down the hall.

“Thanks for having me over.” He shook hands with the men and hugged the women before he left and headed toward the Spanish-style bungalow he was staying in. It was usually reserved for resort guests, but the leopards had arranged for him to use it this weekend.

The dry desert wind filled his nostrils, the scent so different from his verdant Tennessee. His shoes crunched on the gravel path as he walked, and his brain replayed the details of the day. The meeting had revealed too much and not enough at the same time. Celeste and Lyra hadn’t suspected Michael’s involvement, but beyond their initial shock, neither had seemed particularly surprised. Celeste, especially, knew how adamant their father could be once he’d made a decision.

Shortly after Celeste had mated with Jason, Michael had demanded she return home. So she’d taken a flight to Tennessee, with Hector escorting her. They’d crashed, Hector had disappeared and been presumed dead, and Michael had told Jason that Celeste died. Once Celeste had recovered enough to leave the hospital, Michael let her think that Jason had abandoned her. No matter how much Bastian and his brothers had argued, Michael wouldn’t be swayed. But he was the Alpha and they had to obey.

Even six years later, even knowing she was now happy and content in her life, Bastian regretted that he hadn’t told his sister the truth sooner.

In the end, Hector had survived and hidden out in werebird territory. He’d suspected the crash had been no accident and he’d been right. It had been a conspiracy between an eagle-shifter who wanted to take the throne from his queen and a wolf who wanted to overthrow Michael. Dragging the leopards into it had been their way of putting up a smokescreen that destabilized the shifter world and made it easier to pull off their usurpation of power. It hadn’t worked. Nico had defeated the eagle who threatened his mate and Jason had killed the wolf when he’d attacked Celeste.

Still, Bastian didn’t think Celeste had ever fully forgiven the family for their actions.

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