was different — he could feel it down in his soul — something had changed. He couldn't quite put his finger on it, but there was change coming, and it wouldn’t take long to arrive either.
He heard footsteps behind him and glanced over his shoulder.
“Hey,” Roman said, walking up and standing beside him.
“Hey,” Lucas answered. “Where’s Darcie?” Lucas asked.
“She’s sleeping. Santa’s all ready for her to wake up, and Constance is sitting with her so I can run a bit before the sun comes up,” Roman said.
“Oh, yeah. I do remember her mentioning that she was sitting with Darcie once in a while so you could let your beast out,” Lucas commented.
Roman sat down beside Lucas and looked out over the woods stretching as far as the eye could see. All of it belonged to Riley’s Pride, and they were free to roam in their beast or human forms to their heart’s content.
“You run yet?” Roman asked.
“Not yet. Just taking it all in,” Lucas answered.
Roman nodded, but remained seated, not really responding as he looked out over the simple beauty of the cold, winter’s night. Everything was blanketed in snow, but it was a light, powdery snowfall. Easy to move about in and so far, there was no ice to accompany it. He could hear the sounds of the night animals, and the creatures calling.
“I’m going to go take my run so I can be back in plenty of time to rest a bit before Darcie wakes up and finds her Santa Claus gifts,” Roman said. “You coming?” he asked.
“I’ll catch up in a little while. Gonna sit here a bit longer,” Lucas answered.
“Alright. See you later,” Roman said, standing and shucking his clothes. He shifted into his Gorilla, then turned and folded his pants and his shirt before placing them neatly in a stack for him to easily find when he returned. He walked down the rise toward the woods and looked back over his shoulder. He lifted his hand in a wave before he turned and disappeared into the woodlands.
Lucas sat there after Roman left to take his run. He couldn’t put his finger on what felt off. Obviously Roman didn’t feel it, or he’d have stayed to figure it out. Maybe he should have alerted Roman, but he just didn’t think it was necessary.
Lucas raised his face to the moon and looked out over the land again. Then he realized something else had changed. The sounds had stopped. The animals were all hunkered down, hiding from someone or something. Lucas canted his head slightly, trying to hear any little thing at all. There was nothing. He stood and brushed off his jeans, while he stood looking out at trees before him. His smile grew slowly until anyone even remotely near him could have seen it. He raised his voice so that he could be easily heard. “I know you’re here. I know you’ve followed me. Now what?” he asked.
When there was no answer, he removed his clothes and looked out over all the land before him once more. “Same rules as before. No threat to anyone or anything, you’re fine. You threaten any who live here, you’ll have more than just me to contend with.” He paused to give whatever was stalking him a chance to answer. When nothing replied, he spoke again. “Reveal yourself. I can provide shelter, food, protection, whatever it is that you need. I’ve been the drifter before. I know it’s a hard existence.”
Again he waited, but there was no reply. “Fine. Have it your way. Instead of allowing you to show yourself, maybe I’ll hunt you down.” Lucas shifted into his Bear and wandered a few feet this way and that while holding his snout in the air, trying to catch the scent of anything that didn’t belong. Suddenly, he stopped, turned and faced east. He inhaled deeply and was off like a shot, his huge paws tearing up the ground as he chased a scent he couldn’t quite identify.
Lucas’s Bear reveled in the chase, running as fast as he could, cornering around trees without even slowing down. What is it? Lucas thought to Bear.
At first there was no answer, just the need to pursue. Then, as though it came from someplace off in the distance, he heard one word, whispered in the recesses of his mind. Ours.
Thank you for reading Travis’s Gift, Riley’s Pride, Book 3. I hope you had as much fun reading it as I did writing it. Please feel free to reach out and let me know if you enjoyed it, and if you have a spare moment, please remember to leave a review on Amazon or Goodreads.
From The Author
Thank you for purchasing this book. I hope that my stories make you smile and give you a small escape from the daily same ole/same ole. I write for me, simply for the joy of it, but if someone else also smiles as a result, even better. Your support is greatly appreciated. If you liked this story, please remember to leave a review wherever you bought it, so that more people can find my books. Each review is important, no matter how short or long it may be.
See you in the pages of the next one!
Sandra R Neeley
Other books by this author:
Avaleigh’s Boys series
I’m Not A Dragon’s Mate!, Book 1
Bane’s Heart, Book 2
Kaid’s Queen, Book 3
Maverik’s Ashes, Book 4
Bam’s Ever, Book 5
Vince’s Place, Book 6
Halloween Treats, An Avaleigh’s Boys Novella
Whispers From the Bayou series
Carnage, Book 1
Destroy, Book 2
Enthrall, Book 3
Lore, Book 4
Murder, Book 5
Haven series
Haven 1: Ascend
Haven 2: Redemption
Haven 3: Transcend
Riley’s Pride
Riley’s Pride, Book 1
Richie’s Promise, Book 2
Variant
Beginnings, Variant 1
Standalone Novels
WINGS
Short Stories and Novellas
CAT
Only Fools Walk Free
Safe On Base: A Howls Romance
Blessed Curse
(Released as part of the E.V.I.E. anthology)
About the Author
My name is Sandra R Neeley. I write Paranormal, SciFi, and Fantasy Romances. Why? Because normal is highly overrated. I’m 56, I have two kids, one 34 and one 14(yes, God does have a sense of humor), one grandchild, one husband and a menagerie of animals. I love to cook, and was a voracious reader, though since I started writing, I don’t get as much time to read as I once did. I’m a homebody and prefer my writing/reading time to a crowd. I have had stories and fictional characters wandering around in my head for as long as I can remember. I’m a self-published author and I like it that way because I can decide what and when to write. I tend to follow my muse — the louder the voice, the greater the chance that voice’s story is next.
I am by no means a formal, polished, properly structured individual and neither are my stories. But people seem to love the easy emotion and passion that flow from them. A bit of a warning though, there are some “triggers” in them that certain people should avoid. I’m a firm believer that you cannot have light without the dark. You cannot fully embrace the joy and elation that my people eventually find if you do not bear witness to their darkest hours as well. So please read the warnings supplied with each of the synopsis about my books before you buy them. I’ve got four series published at this time, Avaleigh’s Boys - PNR, Whispers From the Bayou - Fantasy PNR, Haven - SciFi Romance, and Riley’s Pride - PNR, a couple of standalone novels, several short stories, and much, much more to come. I’m always glad to hear from my readers, so feel free to look me up and say hello.
You can find me at any of these places:
https://www.sneeleywrites.com/contact
https://www.sneeleywrites.com/blog
https://www.facebook.com/authorsandrarneeley/
https://www.facebook.com/groups/755782837922866/
https://www.amazon.com/Sandra-R-Neeley/e/B01M65OZ1J/
https://twitter.com/sneeleywrites
https://www.instagram.com/sneeleywrites/
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/15986167.Sandra_R_Neeley
https://www.bookbub.com/authors/sandra-r-neeley
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