She cried out as she came in a fierce wave of pleasure. Dante’s own growl of pleasure filled her ears.

Joined together, they drifted through the ribbons of ecstasy until they were fully drained and spent.

Dante collapsed on top of her and she cuddled him in her arms. “I love you, Dante,” she breathed. “And I promise I’ll never again leave you.”

He smiled languidly as he stared at her. “I love you, too, Pandora, and anytime you want to leave, I’ll gladly go with you.”

Epilogue

In the Marriott’s lobby, Dante stood off to the side with Acheron while everyone at the hotel was packing up to leave. All the Klingons, Storm Troopers, fairies, and so on were now in normal dress with only scattered parts of their costumes evident as, one by one, they returned to real life.

Dragon*Con was over.

Just like Ash had promised him a year ago when he told him to come to Atlanta, it had been a remarkable weekend that would stay with him forever.

“You knew Pandora would be here when you told me to come, didn’t you?” he asked the Atlantean.

Ash shrugged. “There’s always room for error, but yeah. I did.”

“You’re a scary SOB.”

Ash laughed.

Dante felt Pandora’s presence behind him.

Turning, he saw her and Simi coming over to them.

Simi was beaming as she carried a wide collection of bags. “I gots my last bit of shopping done,” she announced proudly. “You should be glad, Dante, your panther-woman don’t buy much.”

“You know you could have spent whatever you wanted,” he said to Pandora.

“I know, but all I wanted was this.”

He frowned as she handed him a small wooden box. “What is it?”

“Open it and see. I bought it just for you.”

Dante opened it to find what appeared to be a bell-shaped necklace. “I don’t get it,” he said.

Pandora took the necklace out and placed it around his neck. “This is just in case you ever again have to fight someone else. Next time, I’ll know which panther you are and I won’t accidentally cut your head off. I plan on living a long, long life with you, Mr. Pontis. And no one, not even you, is going to stop me.”

A Dark-Hunter Christmas

A Dark-Hunter Christmas

Prologue

Born to impoverished Irish immigrant parents at the turn of the century, James Cameron Patrick Gallagher entered this world with a large chip on his shoulder.

It didn’t help any that he was birthed in the backroom of a sweatshop that should have been condemned, to a timid, fretful woman who’d been forced to return to work just hours after she had delivered him into the hands of his nervous, alcoholic father. A father who was indifferent to the boy at best and violent at worst.