Rhianne laughed as they ran, her heart soaring as freely as the eagle inside her.
The wind chimes on the porch stirred and jangled, echoing their laughter in the night.
Epilogue
Moonlight glowed on the walls of the bedroom in the haunted house, the shadows of rose vines dancing like Shifters at a rave.
Ben was buried inside Rhianne, the mate of his heart, her face soft with pleasure as she lifted herself into his thrusts.
Ben couldn’t get enough of her. He closed his eyes and drove on, blocking out all sensation but Rhianne squeezing him, her hands on his hips coaxing him in, her strength exciting.
Ben opened his eyes again, needing to gaze upon her beautiful face, her black-brown eyes, the mass of her red hair spread around them.
“Love you,” he whispered. “Love you. Love you.”
“Love you.” Rhianne’s answer was a groan, and Ben gave up every thought to simply be with her in that moment.
Rhianne tightened around him as she reached her peak, scalding him with her liquid heat. Ben’s thrusts grew more frantic as he built toward the same height.
“Goddess.” The word tore out of him as Ben came and came.
He continued his thrusts until first Rhianne quieted, then he did. They crashed together to the sheets, kissing and touching, murmuring, nipping. The house let out a little sigh.
The full moon ceremony had occurred last night in the Austin Shiftertown, and Rhianne and Ben had left for New Orleans this morning while the Shifters were still recovering from their all-night party.
The moon, one night past the full, shone down on the house and into the bedroom, surrounding them with Goddess light.
“I love you, Ben.” Rhianne traced his cheek, her fingertips light.
Ben’s heart overflowed. Rhianne had come into his life so unexpectedly and transformed it just by being her.
“Love you too, sweetheart,” he whispered, truth in every word.
He hated to unlock from her but thought he should give her a chance to breathe. Ben rolled onto his back, musing that lying naked with Rhianne was almost as enjoyable as sex with her. Almost.
He laced his hands behind his head. “Now that we’re mates, what do you want to do first?”
Rhianne considered. “I don’t know. How about finding some shrimp?”
“Is that all you can think about? New Orleans cuisine?”
She propped herself on her side, her fingers lightly caressing his chest. “It was a long trip from Austin. I’m hungry. And that restaurant was excellent.”
Ben grinned, everything worth laughing about right now. “Tell you what. We’ll clean up, head into town, find some gumbo, and then a club, where we can dance the night away. We can call Jaycee and Dimitri to join us. They’re always up for some fun.”
“Sounds good.” Rhianne’s eyes lit with excitement. “Can we do one more thing first, my mate?”
“What’s that?”
Rhianne growled and rolled on top of him. She slid herself over his already hard cock and settled down on it. “This,” she said.
“I think I can go for that.” Ben’s words died as the joy of being inside Rhianne took over.
It was a long time before they finished. Rhianne wrapped herself around Ben as they loved each other, her arms strong like her wings. They basked in the moonlight after that, kissing in afterglow, whispering love.
Later they rose, showered, and dressed, mounting Ben’s motorcycle as they had that day weeks ago, when Ben had led Rhianne into his strange world. Dimitri had readily told Ben, when Ben had called him, that he and Jaycee would be on their way, and would meet them at the club after Ben and Rhianne had supper.
Ben started the bike, picked up his feet, and roared off into the night. Rhianne, hanging on to him on the back, whooped and punched the air, as Connor had taught her.
Behind them, the haunted house creaked, the wind chimes ringing. It settled down to wait for their return, knowing that Ben and Rhianne would fill its rooms with happiness for a long time to come.
* * *
Thank you for reading! The Shifters Unbound saga will continue.
The discovery of Tiger-girl, Tiger’s long lost cub, occurs in Tiger Striped.
Connor’s and Tiger’s tale will be told in Tiger’s Daughter, coming soon.
More about the series can be found at
http://www.jenniferashley.com
To keep up to date on new releases, join my newsletter here:
http://eepurl.com/47kLL
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
The Last Warrior
Tiger’s Daughter
Shifter Made ("Prequel" short story)
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: Guardian’s Mate
Bad Wolf (crossover from Austin Shiftertown)
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
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
Haunted House (Outside New Orleans)
Ben Gardener (Goblin; House’s Caretaker)
Mate: Rhianne mac Aodha (Tuil Erdannan / Eagle Shifter)
Books: The Last Warrior.
Crossover with Wild Wolf, Mate Bond, White Tiger, Red Wolf, Midnight Wolf, Iron Master
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)
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)
Books: 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)
Eamon (Eagle Shifter, father of Rhianne; Mate to Lady Aisling)
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.
About the Author
New York Times bestselling and award-winning author Jennifer Ashley has 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
http://www.jenniferashley.com
To keep up to date on her new releases, join her newsletter here:
http://eepurl.com/47kLL
Copyright
The Last Warrior
Shifters Unbound Book 13
Copyright © 2021 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