he halted to kiss her—again—he too had found peace. His life, which had been close to a living hell for fifty years, was now eased. He’d found home.
As Stuart and Peigi walked into the kitchen, they were confronted by a line of cubs, Noelle standing slightly in front of the others, a piece of notebook paper in her hands.
“I already signed that,” Stuart said.
The coffee pot was percolating—one of the cubs must have figured out how to work it. Or maybe Nell had come over and started it. The first cup would be interesting.
“This is a different contract,” Noelle said with an official air. “This is an agreement we came up with last night, at Nell’s house. She didn’t help with this one—we did it ourselves.”
“Ourselves,” Kevin repeated proudly.
Noelle cleared her throat and read. “We, the cubs of Peigi and Stuart, are petitioning you to be allowed to stop calling you Peigi and Stuart.” She peeled her gaze from the page, her eyes filled with nervousness. “We want to call you Mom and Dad.”
“Oh.” Peigi couldn’t speak, couldn’t breathe. Stuart was likewise still.
“We all signed it.” Noelle held up the page, showing six signatures, some more scraggly and awkward than the others. “We’re in agreement.”
Donny watched them worriedly. “Okay, Peigi and Stuart? I mean, Mom and Dad?”
Peigi sank to her knees, her eyes filling with tears. “Of course you can,” she said, her voice barely working. “Stuart?”
His hand was on her shoulder, he leaning down to them. His voice was low, gentle, the hard warrior becoming the warm-hearted man Peigi had always known he was. “I wouldn’t have it any other way.”
“Yay!” Kevin cried.
Noelle flung aside the paper and burst into tears. Peigi opened her arms, and Stuart knelt next to her, the two of them gathering in the cubs as they rushed them.
Peigi’s heart sang, the mate bond in accompaniment, as she held her cubs, kissing, hugging, laughing, crying, Stuart beside her, her life complete.
Thank you for reading! I was thrilled to write Peigi and Reid’s book at last.
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Turn the page for a list of characters who inhabit Shiftertowns and their connected books.
Who’s Who in Shiftertowns
Names in bold appear in books dedicated to those characters
Las Vegas Shiftertown
Warden Household
Eric Warden (Shiftertown leader)
Mate: Iona Duncan
Cubs:
Jace Warden (Eric’s by previous mate)
Callum
Cassidy Warden (Eric’s second and sister)
Mate: Diego Escobar
Cub: Amanda
Related:
Xavier Escobar (brother to Diego)
Lyndsey Cummings (lynx Shifter, best friend to Cassidy)
Books: Wild Cat, Mate Claimed, Feral Heat (crossover with Austin Shiftertown)
McNeil Household
Graham McNeil (Lupine leader)
Mate: Misty Granger
Cub: Hamish
Foster cubs: Matt, Kyle (Guards)
Nephew and second: Dougal
Books: Mate Claimed, Wild Wolf
Nell’s Household
Nell (Bear leader)
Mate: Cormac
Cubs:
Shane (Nell’s second)
Brody (Eric’s second)
Books: Perfect Mate
Peigi and Reid’s Household
Peigi (Bear Shifter)
Mate: Stuart Reid
Cubs:
Donny
Noelle
Lucinda
Patrick
Hannah
Kevin
Books: Wild Cat, Iron Master
Las Vegas Guardian
Neal Ingram
Montana Shiftertown
Eoin Lyall (Shiftertown leader)
Cubs
Logan
Colin (Eoin’s son’s)
Foster cub:
Rae Lyall (Shiftertown Guardian)
Rae’s Mate: Zander Montcrieff (healer and polar bear)
Related (from Alaska, and Zander’s friends)
Miles (gray fox Shifter)
Ezra Wilcox (Lupine)
Piotr Ivanov (human, and family)
Carson McCade (human)
Books: Bad Wolf (crossover from Austin Shiftertown) Guardian’s Mate
North Carolina Shiftertown
Bowman (Shiftertown leader)
Mate: Kenzie Dimitru
Cubs
Ryan
Claire
Related:
Christian Dimitru (Clan leader, uncle to Kenzie)
Brigid (Fae)
Cade (tracker: bear)
Jamie (tracker: cheetah)
North Carolina Guardian
Pierce Daniels
Books: Mate Bond
Bowman also appears in Tiger Magic and Wild Wolf
New Orleans Shiftertown
Spence (Shiftertown leader)
Reginald McKee (Reg) (second)
Angus Murray (former second)
Mate: Tamsin Calloway
Cub: Ciaran
Related:
Dante (bear Shifter, carnival owner)
Mate: Celine (half-Fae)
Cub: Brina
Books: Midnight Wolf
Crossover with Red Wolf
Kendrick’s Compound
Kendrick Shaughnessy (Leader and Guardian)
Mate: Addison Price
Cubs: Robbie (foster), Zane, Brett
Seamus (Kendrick’s second)
Mate: Bree Fayette
Dimitri Kashnikov (tracker)
Mate: Jaycee Bourdeax (tracker)
Related:
Remy Fayette (Bree’s brother)
Francesca (Bear shifter and tracker)
Katie (bear cub)
Lady Aisling (Tuil Erdannan)
Books: Bear Attraction (crossover with Austin Shiftertown), Lion Eyes, White Tiger, Red Wolf
Austin Shiftertown
Liam’s Household
Liam Morrissey (Shiftertown leader)
Mate: Kim Fraser
Cub: Kaitriona
Tiger
Mate: Carly Randal
Cubs:
Seth
Tiger-girl
Connor Morrissey (nephew to Liam)
Books: Pride Mates, Primal Bonds, Tiger Magic, Tiger Striped (novella)
Sean’s Household
Sean Morrissey (Guardian)
Mate: Andrea Gray
Cub: Kenny
Dylan Morrissey (clan leader, former Shiftertown leader)
Mate: Glory Stewart (Lupine pack leader)
Related
Fionn Cillian (Fae father to Andrea)
Books: Pride Mates, Primal Bonds, A Shifter Christmas Carol
Ellison’s Household
Ellison Rowe (Lupine tracker)
Mate: Maria Ortega
Cub: Sara
Deni Rowe
Mate: Jace Warden
Deni’s Cubs: Jackson, Will
Books: Lone Wolf, Feral Heat (crossover with Las Vegas Shiftertown)
Spike’s Household
Eron Reyes aka Spike (tracker for Liam)
Mate: Myka Thompson
Cubs:
Jordan (Spike’s by previous relationship)
Sophia
Related
Ella Reyes (Spike’s grandmother)
Books: Hard Mated
Ronan’s Household
Ronan (Bear leader)
Mate: Elizabeth Chapman
Cub: Coby
Rebecca (Tracker for Ronan and Liam)
Mate: Walker Danielson (human liaison to Shifter Bureau)
Foster cubs
Scott
Cherie
Olaf
Katie (crossover from Kendrick’s compound)
Related
Mabel Chapman (sister to Elizabeth)
Pablo Marquez (enemy turned friend)
Bodyguard, Bear Attraction (crossover with Kendrick’s Compound)
Crossover in Lion Eyes
Broderick’s Household
Broderick McNaughton
Mate: Joanna
Cub: Rhys
Brothers
Corey
Derek
Mason McNaughton
Mate: Jasmine (owner of NOLA haunted house)
Related:
Daragh O’Sullivan (Montana Shiftertown Guardian—crossover)
Books: Bad Wolf (crossover with Montana Shiftertown), Wild Things
Crossover in Bear Attraction
Not attached to a specific Shiftertown
(appear in multiple books)
Ben (goblin, of Faerie but not Fae)
Marlo (human pilot)
Zander (healer and polar bear, mate of Montana Shiftertown Guardian)
Historical: Ireland, 1400
Niall O’Connell (Shifter master smith)
Mate: Alanna (Fae)
Cubs from Niall’s deceased mate:
Piers
Marcus
Cubs with Alanna:
Padraig
Chloe
Books: Shifter Made
List will be updated as series continues.
Also by Jennifer Ashley
Shifters Unbound
Pride Mates
Primal Bonds
Bodyguard
Wild Cat
Hard Mated
Mate Claimed
“Perfect Mate” (novella)
Lone Wolf
Tiger Magic
Feral Heat
Wild Wolf
Bear Attraction
Mate Bond
Lion Eyes
Bad Wolf
Wild Things
White Tiger
Guardian’s Mate
Red Wolf
Midnight Wolf
Tiger Striped
A Shifter Christmas Carol
Iron Master
Shifter Made ("Prequel" short story)
Stormwalker
(w/a Allyson James)
Stormwalker
Firewalker
Shadow Walker
“Double Hexed”
Nightwalker
Dreamwalker
Dragon Bites
(more to come)
Immortals Series
by Jennifer Ashley,
Robin Popp, and Joy Nash
The Calling (by Jennifer Ashley)
The Darkening (by Robin Popp)
The Awakening (by Joy Nash)
The Gathering (by Jennifer Ashley)
The Redeeming (by Jennifer Ashley)
The Crossing (by Joy Nash)
The Haunting (by Robin Popp)
Blood Debt (by Joy Nash)
Wolf Hunt (by Jennifer Ashley)
Forbidden Taste (by Jennifer Ashley)
Riding Hard
(Contemporary Romance)
Adam
Grant
Carter
Tyler
Ross
Kyle
Ray
Snowbound in Starlight Bend
About the Author
New York Times bestselling and award-winning author Jennifer Ashley has written more than 100 published novels and novellas in romance, urban fantasy, mystery, and historical fiction under the names Jennifer Ashley, Allyson James, and Ashley Gardner. Jennifer's books have been translated into more than a dozen languages and have earned starred reviews in Publisher’s Weekly and Booklist. When she isn’t writing, Jennifer enjoys playing music (guitar, piano, flute), reading, hiking, and building dollhouse miniatures.
More about Jennifer’s books can be found at
To keep up to date on her new releases, join her newsletter here:
Copyright
Iron Master
Shifters Unbound, book 12
Copyright © 2020 by Jennifer Ashley
This book is a work of fiction. The names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the writer's imagination or have been used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, actual events, locales or organizations is entirely coincidental.
All Rights are Reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission from the author.
Cover design by Kim Killion