Unexpected Sting by Viola Grace (free reads .TXT) 📕

Orion and the scorpion is a storyeveryone knows, but Stinger has no interest in killing the man whohelps her manage a wave of lust. He might be just what she’slooking for.

Stinger is back in town for a familywedding and then another. Being in a family that is predominantlyfemale has its challenges, and one ofthose is the wedding and baby shower season.

After being kidnapped the nightbefore Nessa’s wedding, Stinger finds herself facing a familiarface and a body she wants to know better. Arthur is a charming manwho is carrying out the dark elf wedding tradition, separating thebride from her ladies and the ladies from the bride. They get alongwell during their first interaction,which comes in handy when she needs to ask him for help the nextday.

Stinger and her mother controland disperse the lust and magic generated at mage weddings, keepingit from making a hotspot of lust and fertility in random areas.Stinger needs an anchor point, and she chooses Arthur Orion. Heagrees to help, and fate locks themtogether.

When she looks at him, she sees a future, but when she looks at hermother, she sees that men don’t stay, soshe has a decision to make—trust everything she has learned aboutthe male of the species while working with women’s shelters, ortrust her gut.

If only she had known that hewas a real ogre, she might have had a second thought or a firstone.

The characters and events in this bookare fictitious. Any similarity to real persons, living or dead, iscoincidental and not intended by the author.

Unexpected Sting

Copyright © 2021 by Viola Grace

ISBN: 978-1-989892-78-7

©Cover art by Angela Waters

All rights reserved. Withthe exception of review, the reproduction or utilization ofthis work in whole or in part in any form by electronic, mechanicalor other means, now known or hereafter invented, is forbiddenwithout the express permission of the publisher.

Published by Viola Grace

Smashwords Edition

Look for me online atviolagrace.com.

Unexpected Sting

Stand-Alone Tales Book 18

By

Viola Grace

Chapter One

Stiila Rosos completed her workout andunhooked her feet from the ladder before dropping lightly to themats.

“Stinger. Stinger. Comehere, and check this out.” The gymattendant’s whisper pointed her toward the new member straining inthe machine and nearly maxing out the weight available.

She smiled and looked at the fitblonde who had her chin propped up on her hands, watching the areawhere the heavy lifting was going on. “Oh. Good for him. So, how isyour day going to shake out, Peggy?”

Stinger wrapped her towel aroundher neck and looked toward the newcomer.

He finished his set and leanedforward with sweat beading and coursing down him. Stinger made eyecontact with him, and he grinned. Shelooked at Peggy. “I am out of here. I have my cousin’s bacheloretteparty today. I am the designated driver.”

Peggy smiled. “I am going towatch gym TV all day. Looks like it is going to be a funmorning.”

“Enjoy. I have to scrub up. Ihope that Nessa appreciates the effort that we are going to on herbehalf. This is two showers in a day. What is the world coming to?”Stinger left her friend and sauntered into the ladies' changerooms. She had somewhere to be.

* * * *

Arthur pulled out his phone and textedhis old friend. Is your fiancée named Nessa?

Yeah. Why?

If the offer is still open, Iwould like to join the party this evening.

Sure. Any particular reason?

Tynan, do you know a woman namedStinger?

A riot of laughter emojisstreamed across the text field. The answer was apparentlyyes.

There had been something aboutwatching her do those inverted sit-ups that had fascinated him, andnow that they were going to be attending the same eveningevent, he might have a chance to push fora further connection.

An instant familiarity hadstruck him the moment that he saw her,and he wanted to know why that was. Perhaps the gym bunny couldtell him why he thought he saw the brunette everywhere.

* * * *

Stinger enjoyed the girls’ day, hangingwith her cousin and just being in a zero-stress environment whereno one was trying to kill someone she was working with.Tonight, the only danger was that Nessawould get snagged by the men she was already engaged to. Dark courtrituals involved a little snatch and grab.

She sipped her water with thesingle lemon as Nessa and Orvis laughed about their water polotriumph. Nessa was pretty sure she had won, and Stinger knew thatOrvis had been holding back... a lot.

She felt the first curl of magicand saw the line of riders form at one edge of the lawn, and a sharp whistle had the ladies forming up withthick warding.

Stinger opened her mouth toshout that it was an illusion, but a hand clamped over hermouth, and she heard, “Now, now, don’tspoil the festivities.”

She was yanked from the physicalworld into somewhere adjacent.

Her aunt Kallie was grabbed byCian behind her. Other married women were snagged by spouses orgrinning dark elves. Orvis calmly pulled out her phone fromwherever she hid it and continued doing whatever it was that shedid, sliding a soft robe over her shoulders with a slit down theback. She morphed into her harpy form and flew slowly back to thehouse. In the giggles and amusement of the last few minutes, it wasa very lonely sight.

“You have completely forgotten Iwas here, haven’t you?”

She bit down on hishand, and he hissed. “This would not be aplace to leave you.”

He pulled her through theshadows, and they ended up in the placebetween while Nessa was groped by some old dark elves. Shefought, and then, she started using her words, and the elders flinched and backed up.

Stinger chuckled as the wine cupwas touched but handed over to the mage and elf that Nessa hadchosen.

“Content that nothing badhappened?”

She nodded slightly.

“Good.”

He pulled her into a very priceyhotel room. He let her go, and she took afew steps away before she turned to face him. He was definitelywearing more than she was in her bikini and hip wrap.

She stared. “You. I saw you thismorning.”

“I have seen you a dozen timesin the last year. I pulled