Sitting in a large auditorium filled with famous faces, Angeline twisted the note card in her hands.
“Don’t be nervous.” Sandra—Angeline’s longtime agent—squeezed Angeline’s hand. “You’ve got this.”
I hope so!
However, Angeline’s reasons for wanting to win the Songwriter of the Year Award were likely entirely different from her agent’s reasons.
Angeline had not heard a peep from Lincoln in over a month, despite flooding the mate-bond with love and positive vibes at random times throughout the days and nights.
She firmly believed that he remained unharmed and that he had successfully rescued Dayax. If the opposite were true, she would know.
The performing act finished their routine, and Angeline joined the audience in giving applause. The emcee appeared on the opposite corner of the stage, gave the introduction to the next category and then called out the names of the nominees.
“And the Song of the Year goes to—”
Angeline held her breath, but the emcee had trouble opening the envelope. She nearly passed out from lack of oxygen before the song title was announced along with the name of the songwriter. Generous applause erupted.
At home, she would do her happy dance in front of the television. But in the auditorium with a stage and lights and cameras, Angeline froze.
Anonymous for so long, she wasn’t as prepared for the spotlight as she’d hoped.
“Come on, hon.” Taking Angeline’s arm, Sandra helped her stand.
Clutching a handwritten speech, Angeline made her way to the stage. A young man wearing a tuxedo escorted her up the steps and across the stage to the podium where she was handed a small statuette of a golden hat.
The bright lights prevented her from seeing the audience, which she decided was a good thing. As applause died down, she opened the note card in her hand.
“Thank you for this wonderful honor. Usually, I’m at home watching the awards ceremony on the television. But it is a privilege to be here with you tonight and, for the first time, to share this special moment with my family, who are somewhere in the audience.”
She paused. “Until recently, they didn’t know that I was a songwriter. Despite any previous awards or accolades and songs that reached number one on the charts, part of me felt that my talent wouldn’t measure up in their eyes.”
Angeline wished she could see her family’s faces right now. Too many opportunities to share her life with them had been lost because of the fear of their rejection. “But really, I was reflecting my own insecurities onto them. And I’m so very thankful to Lincoln Adams for coming into my life and teaching me how to have faith in myself, in my loved ones and in him. He’s the reason I came tonight, because he’s out there somewhere, working hard to make the world a better place. And before he left, I didn’t take the opportunity to tell him how much I love him. So I’m doing it now.”
She thought of his smile, his larger-than-life presence, but mostly she thought of his unwavering loyalty. “Lincoln, wherever you are, whatever you are doing, know that I love you with all of my heart. I believe in you. Thank you for teaching me to believe in myself. I miss you, and I’ll leave the light on so you can find your way home.”
Tears rolling down her cheeks, Angeline stepped away from the podium to the sound of thunderous applause. Though a weight lifted from her shoulders, her heart remained heavy.
An escort led her backstage, where she walked a gauntlet of flashing cameras and big fat microphones being shoved in her face for impromptu interviews. Of course, Sandra steered her safely through them.
When her splotchy vision returned to normal, she saw a young wolfling approaching with a red rose. His big brown eyes, flawless bronze skin and dark, tight, curly hair cropped close to his head caused an unusual beat in her heart. He flashed a gloriously beautiful smile. “A rose for an angel,” he said with an accent.
“Thank you, sweetie.” Accepting the flower, she knelt in front of him. Prickly tears threatened to blur her vision again. “Are you—”
“Dayax Adams,” he announced proudly. “Lincoln signed papers to be my aabbe. The tall man on the plane said it’s not ’ficial, yet. But I can say he is.”
“Come here.” Angeline hugged him tightly. “I’m so happy to meet you.”
“You smell good,” he said, sniffing her hair.
“Already taking after your dad.” She laughed. “Speaking of Lincoln, where is he?”
Grinning, Dayax took her hand.
Angeline had to step quickly to match his pace. All the while her heart raced as the wolfling led her straight to a man wearing a black tuxedo and surrounded by her entire family.
He turned and stepped from their midst.
Lincoln!
Her heart couldn’t decide whether to race, furiously pound or flutter with happiness. She forgot to breathe and her knees threatened to buckle.
“Hello, Angel.” Lincoln opened his arms, and she melted into his embrace. “I’m so proud of you.”
Her family echoed his words.
“I missed you,” she said, pressing her face into the curve of his neck and inhaling his clean, masculine scent.
“I missed you, too.” He kissed the crown of her head and a feeling of rightness spread through her body, all the way down to the tips of her freshly polished toes.
“Why didn’t you call me after you found Dayax? Or reach out through the mate-bond?”
“I couldn’t make any calls. We left Somalia immediately following Dayax’s extraction and flew to Germany on a transport. Once we got to HQ, we went through extensive debriefing and then I had to be fitted with a new prosthetic. Since I didn’t know when we would get back to the states, I asked Councilman Bartolomew to get word to you. But he cut through the red tape and flew us here in a private jet.”
Lincoln grazed her cheek with the back of his hand. “As for the mate-bond, you don’t know how much I wanted to reach out to you. But it’s against protocol and I didn’t want to risk screwing up the adoption or my retirement plans. It’s scary what the Program can do. But that’s all behind us now, baby.”
Her heart settling comfortably in her chest, Angeline took her first easy breath since Lincoln had left. “Did you see any of the show?”
“Enough.” He smiled that wonderful smile of his. “I love you, too, baby.”
“Angel?” Dayax tugged her arm, then presented to her a tiny box. Inside, she found a beautiful marquis diamond ring.
“I choose you, Angeline O’Brien, to be mine for now and always.” Lincoln slid the ring onto her finger. “And I promise to love you until my last breath, and beyond.”
“That’s an awfully long time, Dogman. Are you sure you’re up to the challenge?”
“Retired Dogman.” Lincoln gathered Angeline close and held Dayax’s hand. “And I’ve been preparing for this my whole life.”
Keep reading for an excerpt from This Strange Witchery by Michele Hauf
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