Waiting for You Read online

  Contents

  Title

  Copyright

  Dedication

  Come and join me!

  Waiting For You

  Prologue

  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

  Free To Breathe

  What He Needs

  Mate Of Mine

  Broken Promises

  Take a Chance

  Thank You

  About Megs

  Books by Megs

  Contact Information

  Waiting For You

  Morefield Village series

  Book One

  By

  Megs Pritchard

  Waiting For You

  Book One in the Morefield Village series

  Copyright © 2020 Megs Pritchard

  www.megspritchardauthor.com

  Edited by Rebecca J Cartee

  Cover design by JC Clarke at The Graphics Shed

  All rights reserved. This book is licensed to the original purchaser only.

  No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods. It is illegal and a violation of international copyright law, subject to prosecution and upon conviction, fines and/or imprisonment. Any eBook format cannot legally be loaned or given to others. For permission requests, write to the publisher.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblances to the actual person, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

  WARNING

  This book contains explicit M/M sexual scenes and strong language. It is intended for mature, adult audiences only.

  Dedication

  Thank you to Kaila and Jennifer for helping with the names for Costas’ daughters, Evangeline and Aurora.

  Come and join me!

  Thanks for your support and if you want more information or sneak peeks, join my Facebook group and sign up for my newsletter.

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  Prologue

  Deacon Morrison looked out over the valley where Morefield Village lay. To the left, in the distance, the lights of Salutem could be seen, but here, this place in front of him was home.

  He'd been Mayor for ten years, since he'd turned twenty-five, younger than most, but able to perform the job. Now, his village needed his strength, his determination, and his courage to keep them safe.

  They were being hunted, kidnapped, and experimented on, all because they were born different. Shifters, able to change shape. Wanted by some nefarious organization, for what purpose, he didn't know. What he did know was his people were disappearing, never to be seen again.

  He worked closely with Indigo Dubois, the Mayor of Salutem, and together, they were trying to keep their communities safe from harm. It wasn't easy, and they'd learned many painful lessons, but he felt they were finally making changes for the better.

  He lifted his muzzle in the air, feeling the wind ruffle his fur. He loved being able to shed his human skin. It felt like he could leave his troubles behind when he shifted. His mind was the same, and he didn't become more of an animal and less of a man. He was Deacon in either form, but this one was more freeing to him.

  Morefield Village was beautiful at night. The lights glowed, a halo in the surrounding dark. Home. This was home, and Deacon would always find his way back here. There was, however, one person who pulled at him too. His mate. A mate who had so far refused to have anything to do with him other than a hurried hello before he could find the nearest exit and run away.

  Costas Synolakis. A human he'd help rescue from a shadowy company, or corporation, or whatever they actually were. The same one hunting his kind, who'd kidnapped his mate and forced him to work for them.

  He had to give Costas time. Costas and his two daughters, who had also been through hell.

  His chest ached at the distance between them, and he lifted his muzzle and howled his pain, the wind whipping it away.

  He shook his head then stood and padded back home. One day, hopefully, he'd have his mate by his side and his people would be safe. When that day would arrive, Deacon had no idea. He just hoped that day came sooner rather than later.

  CHAPTER ONE

  DEACON DIDN’T KNOW what was harder: watching his mate go about his life or knowing his mate didn’t want him. Why did he torture himself this way? Sitting here, day after day, watching the man meant for him, and knowing he wasn’t wanted in return.

  Deacon slumped in his seat, the car engine idling to keep him warm against the evening chill. Costas, the doctor they had rescued from one of the labs from hell, had turned out to be his other half. A family man with two young daughters, he had been blackmailed to perform hideous acts.

  Deacon felt for the man, left with no choice but to hurt others to keep his children safe. He’d known from the first second he’d laid eyes on him that he was staring at the one person fate had deemed perfect for him, and the human had turned and walked away.

  Sighing, Deacon rubbed his eyes with the heels on his hands. How did he change this situation? How could he convince his mate to talk to him? All attempts at communication had been effectively shut down by Costas. So now, Deacon was reduced to this. Watching and wanting—and left out in the cold.

  At thirty-five, he wasn’t old, but he wasn’t getting any younger either, and he wanted a family of his own. Someone he could come home to and talk about his day. Children to laugh with, argue with, to watch grow. It was all there in front of him, but it might as well have been on another world.

  Close, but so far away.

  Deacon heard his phone buzz and glanced at the screen, groaning when he saw the name. Viridian Dubois. Of course, his mate would have reported his presence outside his home. He’d been warned before, but Deacon had ignored it. The pull to be near his mate was becoming harder to ignore. That driving need to love and protect, which was ingrained in all shifters, was rearing its head and demanding Deacon do what was necessary.

  How could he, though, when his mate refused to even talk to him? To even look in his direction?

  Oh, Deacon had noticed how Costas would avoid his eyes, looking anywhere but at him. It hurt, made his chest tighten till he struggled to breathe past the pain Costas’ rejection caused. Yet here he was, sitting outside his home.

  It was the shifter in him, driving him to come here night after night, watching until the lights went out then staying to protect his family. He knew he always would. There was nowhere else for him to go and no one else who interested him enough to leave his mate, even when said mate refused him.

  His eyes itched and burned, and Deacon barely caught the sob that tried to escape. He was a grown shifter who shouldn’t be crying, but this was what the rejection had reduced him to. Some crying stalker, watching from the shadows, waiting for some small glimpse, like crumbs from his mate’s table.

  He jumped, hand on his chest, when someone knocked on the window. He didn’t need to know who stood there. He had refused to answer the call, so what did he expect? The door opened, and t
he truck moved as Viridian got in, bringing the cold night air in with him.

  Slamming the door behind him, he rubbed his hands together. “Cold night, Deac.” Deac sighed but remained silent. “You shouldn’t be here,” Viridian added, sadly. “I know how hard it is to stay away, but he doesn’t want you here.”

  “Where else is there for me, Vir?”

  Vir didn’t answer, but watched the house with Deac. He saw the curtains twitch and knew Costas was waiting for him to leave. “You can’t stay. He doesn’t want you, Deac.”

  “I know,” Deac whispered brokenly.

  “I try talking to him whenever I see him, but he always answers the same. Whatever he experienced in those labs has scarred him so deeply, Deac, I don’t know if he’ll ever recover.”

  “He hurt us to protect his children. I don’t hold that against him.”

  “You know one of his patients yesterday was someone from the same lab he was in?”

  “Shit. What happened?”

  “Nothing. They talked, and she forgave him, but he canceled all appointments after and left. He’s only working because we have basically no one else. Alvarez...” Vir sucked in a breath. “He left us in deep shit, and we can’t keep using Billy.”

  “I know. Billy’s spoken to me. He’s struggling, but he doesn’t want to leave you without anyone, but there simply aren’t enough hours in the day for him to manage Morefield and cover Salutem.” Billy Tapper, the Morefield doctor had been helping while Indigo, Viridian’s brother, searched for a replacement doctor. He was also the mate of Deacon’s sister, Deana.

  “Dylan’s moving his residency here, so we’ll have someone at the hospital.”

  “Hudson will be happy.”

  “They haven’t seen each other in almost a month. They had one day when Hudson drove to the city, but it’s nowhere near enough for either of them.”

  “And with Dylan being a vampire...”

  “Yeah. They won’t be apart for much longer though, and Hudson will be back to normal. And we won’t feel so stretched.”

  The curtain twitched again, and Deac sighed. “I’ll go. I’m making him uncomfortable.”

  “I’ll try again, Deac, but I don’t know how much it’ll help.”

  “Thanks, Vir. Go home to your mate and son. Give that kid a hug from me.” Just as Vir was leaving, Deac asked, “Liam?”

  “Getting there. Being away from Morefield and the memories are helping, plus Mom has been making him take care of himself. His parents came over the other day, and I thought Mom was going to throw them out.”

  “They pestering him? I’ve told them to let him recover.”

  “Demands to find Sherri. Not that he hasn’t been looking for her and almost killing himself in the process.”

  “I’ll talk to them again, but if they come over and pull that shit, I’ll order them to stay away.”

  Vir nodded and stepped out of the truck. “Go home, Deac.”

  Deac nodded, and with a final glance at his mate’s home, drove away.

  Costas watched Deacon pull away and sighed when the taillights disappeared. He dropped the curtain back into place but didn’t move away. The feelings Deacon evoked in him made him drop his head in shame for the way he avoided him.

  “Daddy?”

  Costas smiled at his youngest daughter, Aurora, and crouched in front of her. “It’s okay, hon.”

  “Was he here again?”

  Costas smiled, ignoring the question. “Time for bed. What are we reading tonight?” He took her hand and led her upstairs to her bedroom, knocking on his eldest daughter’s bedroom door. “Evangeline? Ten more minutes?” He ignored the no and carried on into Aurora’s bedroom. “Have you brushed your teeth?”

  She shook her head and sucked her thumb. He gently pulled it free, ignoring the wetness. “No, Daddy.”

  “Wash. Teeth, then into bed.”

  He listened to her in the bathroom and turned down the covers on her bed. Picking up her book, he smiled when he saw it was the first Harry Potter book. He opened it and waited for her to climb into bed after finishing in the bathroom.

  “One chapter tonight. It’s school tomorrow.”

  He read the chapter then kissed her cheek and tucked her in. Within minutes, she was asleep, and he left, leaving the door opened in case she woke during the night. She was still having nightmares and would come into his room during the night. He knew it was to be expected after what they’d been through, and he knew one day they would stop. But he hated the fact he’d failed to protect her. What father let their child endure what his daughters had?

  Knocking on Evangeline’s door, he went in and made sure she was under the covers. At eight, she was more independent than four-year-old Aurora, but in his eyes she was still his little girl, the baby he’d held when she’d been born.

  “Dad?”

  “Yeah, hon.”

  “What are you going to do about him?”

  Him. Deacon. Sighing, he sat on the edge of her bed. “Nothing, Evan.”

  “I heard them say he’s your mate. What’s a mate?”

  He was so not ready for this conversation. What had they been talking about at school, and how did the kids at school know this? “It’s a special someone.”

  “The kids say you only get one. Is that why he stays outside? Is he here to keep us safe?”

  Costas briefly closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose. “I’ll talk to him. Now, it’s bedtime.”

  “If you only have one, shouldn’t he be here?”

  “Evan, when you are much older, we’ll have this conversation.”

  “But, Dad. They said mates are important. That they live together. Why isn’t he here with us?”

  “Evangeline,” Costas said, the warning clear in the tone of his voice.

  “Dad. I’m not a kid like Ro. You can tell me.”

  “You’re eight, Evan. I’m not having this conversation with you.”

  “Is it because of sex?”

  What the—? “What? Who told you about sex?”

  “We live with shifters, Dad. They talk about sex and mates.”

  “You know what a man and a woman do together?”

  Evangeline frowned and shook her head. “No. What did you and Mom do?”

  Oh no. He was not having this conversation. Not at all. “Go to bed. We’ll talk more in the morning.”

  “Code for... not at all.” Evan pulled the covers up. “I think you should talk to him.”

  “I think you need to remember that you are a child and this isn’t a conversation for you to think about.”

  “I’m eight, Dad!”

  “Yes. Only eight. Now, go to sleep, or you can spend tomorrow night cleaning the bathroom.”

  Evan grimaced. “I hate you.”

  “I love you too.”

  She rolled on to her side, her back to Costas, and he sighed in frustration. She had her mother’s temper, and Costas was dealing with it. Another change since their imprisonment. Therapy was helping them all, but at times, it seemed like they were taking steps back rather than forward.

  He left her to sulk in her bed and went back downstairs, grabbed a soda from the fridge, and sat at the kitchen table. He set the can on the table and stared at it, his mind on Deacon. What was he going to do about him?

  He was drawn to the wolf shifter, his looks, his body. There was no denying he found Deacon attractive. He was gorgeous, but everything he’d endured in the labs held him back. He didn’t want to be his mate. He wanted to rebuild his life with his girls and move on. How could he though, if he had a shifter for a mate?

  He would be pulled further into what was happening to the shifters, and that was the last thing he wanted. He’d settled in Salutem, had started to live again, but maybe he’d made a mistake. Maybe he should have taken a week or two to recover then moved elsewhere, away from all of this.

  He couldn’t even avoid him now, not with Stone’s murder and his growing responsibilities in Salutem. He’d
said he’d help out, now they were a doctor down, but that meant building a life here, having more relationships and greater responsibilities.

  What about the girls? They loved it here. They had friends, a life they enjoyed. They loved exploring the woods that surrounded Salutem, going to visit the friends they’d made. Slowly but surely, the horrors of the past were fading. Did he really want to take them away from this?

  If he stayed, then Deacon would be in his life. There was no avoiding it. He was involved with the Council here, and he ran Morefield Village. No, Costas couldn’t avoid Deacon, and it appeared Deacon couldn’t stay away. No matter what happened, Costas had to accept the fact that Deacon would be in his life one way or the other. If he stayed.

  He rubbed his forehead and sighed deeply. Did he stay or go? He didn’t know what to do, and the same questions kept revolving around his mind, leading to even greater confusion.

  His body had no problem. It wanted Deacon. Thinking about the shifter had him half hard, and Costas did not want to think about how many times he’d come thinking about him.

  Sighing again, he put the can of soda back in the fridge. His head was a mess, and he didn’t know what to do. One question plagued him though.

  Did he stay, or did he go?

  CHAPTER TWO

  “THANK YOU, DOCTOR.”

  Costas smiled as he helped the elderly human woman out of the door, her shifter mate waiting for her. He saw the look of concern on his face replaced by love and closed his door on the open display of emotion.

  Finally, his day was over. Well, as far as patients were concerned. He still had records to complete, the hospital to visit, and a list of other jobs. At least the girls would be collected by the nanny. He sat and typed up his notes then checked the messages his receptionist had left and worked through those.