Moon Burn

Moon Burn – Halloween Love Series – Book 2 Published by Sam Cheever at Smashwords Copyright 2010 Sam Cheever

SMASHWORDS EDITION

Smashwords Edition License Notes This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each person you share it with. If you're reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then you should return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the author's work. Author Note My Halloween Love series follows the Lupire, a race of elite protectors with both werewolf and vampire in their bloodlines, and the beautiful black females of the Lupa Guardian pack. These two elite groups share a common goal...to protect the magical and human worlds from evil. What they don't realize...yet...is that their destinies are also intertwined under mating magic...the most powerful force any of them will ever encounter.

CHAPTER ONE

Bren Michaels stood in front of the window on the thirteenth floor of the high rise in downtown Indianapolis. Behind her, the sounds of drunkenness and future regrets formed a colorful backdrop to her agitated thoughts. On the other side of the glass, a fat moon played its siren song, pulling at her with insistent fingers, and warming her upturned face with magic. Bren’s skin itched with the need to shed her humanity and run, fast, hard, and far, on silent paws. Her heart swelled at the thought, her sensual core warmed. The feel of the wind on her muzzle, the soft tamp of rich soil giving way to thick claws…she could almost taste the freedom, smell it, and feel it against her paws, cool and soothing. Unfortunately she was stuck in that building, surrounded by alcohol soaked idiots, until at least midnight. On nights like these, when the moon was full and magic drenched the air, Bren felt her humanity like a lead weight on her chest. There was only one thing that could pull her out of her current funk…well two things… but she couldn’t escape into the woods so that option didn’t count. And the other thing… Bren sighed. That was almost as unattainable. The other thing was tall and sexy, with cool, silver eyes and a competent swagger that made her mouth water. And he was way out of bounds. “You don’t look like you’re enjoying yourself.” Speak of the devil. Bren swung around, her nostrils flaring with instant recognition and her skin firing with instant need. As if pulled into her sphere by thought alone, Micca Richards leaned against the doorframe, his long, long legs crossed at the ankles and his arms folded over his chest. Behind him the sounds of drunken revelry made Bren wish he’d close the door so nobody would intrude on her hiding. Bren’s body flamed into instant alert, recognizing her mate. She immediately started the futile process of tamping it back down. It wasn’t right. Couldn’t be right. Micca was human… pure, unadulterated sexy male…but human nonetheless. Her mate couldn’t be human. He needed to be pack. “Hello? Are you okay?” Bren shook off her thoughts and smiled, though she doubted he could see the smile in the dark office. “Sorry, I was moon-dreaming.” He cocked his head, sending that one, errant curl he fought to keep off his forehead diving between his eyes. Micca swiped at it without thought, the motion had become so second nature to him. “Moon dreaming? What a strange expression.”

Too late, Bren realized she’d used a pack term in front of non-pack. That was a huge nono. She laughed it off, but the chuckle sounded strained even to her. “Just an expression my gramma used to use.” Micca uncrossed his legs and arms, closed the door, and started toward her. Bren panicked as she watched him glide closer, his movements smooth and agile like a large cat’s. She loved to watch him walk. His shoulders swayed from side to side, his strides were long and slow. He moved with his muscular arms arced away from his sides, hands loosely bunched into fists. Though he typically wore heavy, slightly scuffed boots under his customary jeans, his movements were silent. If Bren didn’t know better she’d think he was pack. Or some other kind of shifter. But his electronic signature was all wrong. Where she and other Lupa had light, golden auras, his was a deep purple-gray. Humans had medium to heavy auras that ran from pastel to shades of dark gray, depending on how dark their souls were. Micca’s aura said he was not a nice man. But Bren had trouble associating that aura with the man she’d come to know. So she figured he was uber-human, with something…other…in his family tree. “You don’t like parties?” Rolling over her like warm water, his voice made her shiver. It was just this side of gruff, like a growl, and it brought out her wolf in a big way whenever she heard it. She shrugged. “Not office parties. Nothing but trouble gonna happen at an office party.” Micca nodded and moved to within a foot of her, sending his luscious scent ahead of him like a beam of guiding light. Bren gulped, eager to follow it to heaven. He turned toward the window and she thought she heard him sigh wistfully as he dropped his perfect behind onto her desk. “It is getting a little wild out there.” Bren allowed herself the luxury of settling onto the desktop beside him, letting her gaze slide back to the beautiful moon. It was strangely juxtaposed with the reflection of the cheap, orange crepe pumpkin hanging from the office ceiling. “Has anybody photocopied his backside yet?” Micca’s chuckle rumbled in her chest and made her pussy clench hopefully. “No. But I’m pretty sure I saw Bob Jeffries dance by with a lampshade on his head.” Bren grinned. “So clichéd.” “That’s what I thought.” They sat in companionable silence for a while, mutual awareness thrumming between them. Bren was fully cognizant of Micca’s interest. He hadn’t bothered to hide it. But she’d been too aware of their differences to let him get close. And he hadn’t pushed. A fact that surprised her just a little bit. She wasn’t unrealistic about her considerable charms. At five feet nine, milky brown skin, broad shouldered and narrow hipped, with a healthy set of breasts and a pert, round backside, Bren never had a shortage of male attention. But she rarely exchanged more than niceties with any male outside of her pack. An elite group of werewolves, the Lupa guardians

were a tightly knit group that rarely interacted with outsiders. The only exception was in their day jobs, where they were pretty much forced to mingle. Generally she hated living among non-pack. The need to keep such a vital part of herself closed in and secret was irritating and painful. But ever since the day Micca had showed up in the conference room at the weekly department meeting, she’d had trouble pretending, even to herself, that she didn’t want to play. “So why are you really hiding in your office?” Bren kept her gaze on the fat moon. It was so big it looked as if someone had hung it from a boom outside her office window. If she didn’t look at him maybe she wouldn’t notice the way her body swayed toward him whenever he was near. Or the way her skin felt as if a single touch from him would start her on fire. Or the near painful throbbing between her thighs. “David told me I had to be here. He never said I had to join the party.” She could feel Micca’s gaze on her face. Without turning she knew it would be intense. It was always intense. His sexy silver eyes always seemed to look past her skin to divine her innermost secrets. Finally she couldn’t stand it any longer. She turned and met his gaze. “So what are you doing here?” His smile made her pulse pick up and her heart start to pound. Moisture dampened her palms. “I came to see you.” Gulp. “How did you know I was in here? I left the lights off for a reason.” It was a stupid thing to say. She silently kicked herself for babbling. Micca had a way of taking her off her game. Sitting that close, the startling silver of his eyes was even more astonishing, and she realized they were flecked with gold. His breath, smelling sweet and clean, minty, touched her lips and bathed her cheeks in warmth. As if his nearness wasn’t hard enough for her to bear, when he opened his mouth his words nearly sent her spiraling to the floor on a wave of vertigo. “I always know exactly where you are, Bren.”

CHAPTER TWO

He moved and, before Bren knew what was happening, his lips were touching hers. It was the gentlest of touches, barely there, but the effect was searing. Her nipples hardened and her thighs tightened on a wave of pure lust. Time stopped. The sounds of the party beyond her office door faded to the background and were forgotten. Bren’s body surged into near painful awareness of the man sitting next to her. Her skin tingled with it, as if doused in magic drenched air. His fingers touched her cheek and slipped, featherlike, toward her temple, where they slid into her hair and got caught, pulling strands from the braid she used to keep the soft curls at bay. His breath was fire against her lips. The places where his skin touched hers burned. His scent, oh gods his scent… Bren felt faint. He pressed the kiss more firmly for just a second and then broke it, leaning slightly away. “Your skin’s on fire.” Bren gulped, unable to tear her gaze away from his face. “Yes.” “Are you all right?” “No.” “Should I call 9-1-1?” Her response was to lean in and recapture his lips in a searing, knee melting kiss. Micca reached up and tried to slide his fingers through her incredibly soft hair. They caught again on the braided strands. He found the elastic band at the ends and yanked it off, allowing the fragrant silk to slide heavily over his hand. He wrapped an arm around her waist and stood, pulling her close so that he could feel every softly padded curve on her long body. God she was sexy. He’d been lusting after the tall, sexy black woman for weeks, and he’d been sure she felt the same way about him. Unfortunately, she’d worked too hard to avoid him and Micca had noticed. He’d never been one to push himself on a woman. Even a woman whose aura screamed for him. He almost came on the spot when she wrapped her long legs around his hips and arched her pubis into him, grinding against the hard ridge beneath his jeans. His tongue slipped inside her sweet mouth, tangling hungrily with hers. He groaned as she captured his tongue between her teeth and nibbled, slipping an overheated palm up the inside of his shirt and gliding it over his skin to tweak a nipple. The difference in their temperatures was stark. Micca had always run cool, where Bren cast heat away from her body like the sun emitted its rays. It was just one more thing to draw him in. He reveled in her heat.

He slid his hands up her thighs and over her firm, round buttocks, dragging her even closer, and then slipped them inside her blouse to find her bra. His fingers were on the clasp, working to release it, when something cold and evil slid through the room to touch them. He stiffened, lifting his mouth from hers. Bren’s gaze jerked toward the door. She’d felt it too. Micca slipped away from her. “Stay here.” But as he headed quickly and silently toward the door, he could feel her right behind him, her scent tugging at him despite the rising alarm beating in his chest. He smelled the foul odor permeating the place before he even opened the door. Sulfur. And blood. The next thing he noticed was the silence. How could he have missed the silence? When had the party stopped? The silence was explained when he cracked the door and peered through it. From where he and Bren stood, in a perimeter office tucked into a back corner, he could see several party goers. They stood perfectly still, their bodies limp, arms held down at their sides. Their faces were blank, eyes unfocused. He knew without looking that their pupils would have expanded to the point where all you would see was black. “What’s wrong with them?” Bren asked, her voice soft with worry. He turned and noticed that her nostrils had flared as a result of the stench coming from the outer office. As he looked at her, something flitted briefly over her features…like a holographic film superimposed over her image. For just the briefest flicker in time he thought he saw fur, a delicate muzzle, and a feral slant to her beautiful eyes. Micca blinked and the image disappeared. “There’s something out there, Bren. I need you to stay in this office.” Bren frowned. How could she tell him that she was much better equipped to deal with whatever was out there than he was? “Do you think I’ll be safe in here if something happens to you?” “Nothing’s gonna happen to me.” She stared at him for a moment, watching his aura deepen toward black. Then she shook her head and, before he knew what she was doing, shoved past him. Micca swore softly and lunged out after her, putting himself between her and the oily evil he sensed skulking in the shadows across the room. Bren stayed in the dim light at the edges of the large space, watching the roiling murkiness across the room carefully as she started around the perimeter. She’d recognize the smell of the evil monster across the room anywhere. And comprehend the entranced state of its victims. Rabid vampire. Watching the shadows for warning of movement toward them, she didn’t even notice Micca moving around her…didn’t know he’d stopped in front of her until she bumped into him. She made a small sound as his elbow dug into her stomach.

He reached around to halt her with an arm, keeping his intense gaze on the area where the vampire lurked. Was it possible Micca could see it? It couldn’t be. Unless he was a sensitive. Bren ducked under his arm and tried to get between the vampire and her sexy protector. Sensitive or not, he wasn’t equipped to deal with a full-blown, blood drenched vampire. She was. She’d been carefully trained for extinguishing the monsters. Her pack was genetically targeted for fighting dark magics and purveyors of evil. There was only one supernatural race that was better equipped, and there weren’t any Lupire in that office with them. It would be up to her. But not if Micca had anything to say about it. Gorgeous she might be, but beautiful Bren was going to be the death of him. She was determined to put herself in danger. And she had no idea what was waiting for her. Micca’d had to use his powers twice already to stay between her and the vampire in the shadows. Stubborn female. As he slid silently around the edges of the office, cloaked in murkiness he was creating with his powers, Micca sent out information on the mental path used only by his people. They’d known this was going to happen. They just hadn’t known when, or exactly where. He’d been inclined to think it would happen in the basement, which was closest to the rift they’d been tracking. But he’d been down there earlier, just before giving in to an almost uncontrollable urge to find Bren, and had found no evidence at all of paranormal activity. Unfortunately, he’d been so immersed in Bren that he’d almost missed the event when it struck right under his nose. It was the reason he was there, posing as a quality assurance inspector at Harmon and Hedrick. The law office sat on top of a large rift in the spectral plane. It was a place that was prone to leaks in magic and, as a result, drew magical creatures like a beacon. The vampire Commission had been watching it for weeks, figuring the leak could happen at any time. Like an earthquake, magical leaks started to build long before they erupted, and were easy to predict if you paid attention. As an elite protector, the best of the best of the Lupires on the Commission, Micca was more than a match for anything that popped through the leak. Unless there were several somethings. They’d already lost one of their number to this particular leak. They’d sent him to watch it carefully and kill or repel anything that escaped…but Will Bright had never returned. He’d just disappeared. After months of searching, they’d finally written him off as dead. The Commission surmised that he’d run into too many ‘problems’ and hadn’t called for backup in time. So Micca was under strict instructions to keep the Commission informed at all times. In case he needed backup. Which was why he was sending information to the Commission as fast as his senses were picking it up. “It’s moving.” Her voice was so soft he would never have been able to pick it up if he weren’t Lupire. It was almost as if she were talking to herself. Micca was pretty sure she had no idea what he was. He’d been screening his powers from her and everyone else in the office since

he’d arrived. Elite protectors tended to hide what they were until it was time not to hide it anymore. It was safer for everyone involved that way. As the shadows in the corner began to roil and a long, rangy monster with cold, black eyes emerged from them, Micca dropped his shields and stood away from the shadows, ready to do battle. The vampire was bracketed on both sides by large, bristly black Halloween spiders, whose empty button eyes seemed eerily similar to the vampire’s dead gaze. He registered Bren’s gasp even as he sent instruction to her mind. Stay back, Bren. This is what I do. I’ll handle it. She was silent as he started to move toward the vampire. He could feel her shock in his mind…hear the questions she didn’t dare ask at that moment. He could also hear her intention to help, despite his warning. So when she suddenly appeared next to him, already morphing into her wolf form, Micca wasn’t surprised. She shifted quickly, almost before his eyes could register the change. And became a large, cream-colored wolf with dark brown points, and intelligent dark gold eyes. She spared him only a brief glance before turning her gaze toward the vampire, a deep growl rumbling from her softly furred chest. Micca glared down at her. Don’t bother, Micca. I don’t know what you’re playing at, but I’m just as trained for this as you are and I’m not going to cringe and cower in the corner like some sissy human girl. Sighing, he realized he would have to protect her while fighting the monster. Just try not to get yourself killed. I would offer you the same advice, Lupire. I believe you and I have unfinished business to conduct when this is over. He met her beautiful golden gaze, his silver eyes softening with undisguised yearning. I look forward to it, Lupa.

CHAPTER THREE

They stepped over a puddle of spilled fruit punch and started across the office. The eerie tones of a Halloween CD provided a perfect backdrop for the horrifying sight before them. The rabid vampire stared at them as they approached. Nothing in the long line of stringy muscle and stark white flesh that made up its body showed fear or trepidation. The monster clutched a bleeding woman in one hand like a rag doll. The woman’s throat had been torn out and she was obviously dead. Bren recognized her as one of the cleaning crew. She thought her name was Flora. Grief filled Bren for a brief moment at the loss of a life, before she closed off her emotions in favor of dealing with the evil before her. We need to get these people out of here. Micca nodded. The vampire will use them as shields. It will expect that to be our weak spot. Agreed. I’ll deal with the monster while you get them out. His chuckle in her mind brought heat, sharp and distracting, jolting through her body. Not happenin’, she-wolf. You get the people out of here and I’ll deal with the monster. Ignoring Micca, Bren tried to decide the best way to attack the vampire. Before she could decide if full frontal assault was better than a stealthy rear attack, the monster took the decision away from her. It dropped the dead woman and turned its gaze to a man standing nearby. All Bren could think of as the thing cast its evil, black gaze on David Walters, her boss, was that David had a lovely wife and two small children. His wife, Aspen, wasn’t going to raise those kids alone if Bren had anything to say about it. Micca’s voice exploded through her mind as her muscles bunched in preparation for attack. No, she-wolf! With a snarl she leapt, hitting the undead leech in the center of its hard, gristle covered chest. She was dimly aware of Micca swearing at her but she soon forgot his displeasure as she fought to overcome the undead monster. Her claws dug deep, ripping the stringy flesh and trying to get to the vampire’s black, barely beating heart. The pulse beating in the creature’s heart was tied to a trapped human soul. As long as the heart continued to beat, the soul was trapped. If she could destroy the heart the soul would fly free and the ugly husk of a body would fall to dust. The only other way to kill a vampire, cutting off its head, would release the belief system of the human it used to be, smothering the black evil in human goodness. The effect would be the same. The vampire would cease to exist and the unfortunate human serving as its host would be set free.

Bren howled as the vampire’s black blood poured from its chest and burned her skin. She forced her paw deeper despite the pain, jerking her muzzle sideways to avoid the monster’s snapping jaws. Its claws dug bloody furrows into her sides in an attempt to rip her from its chest. Blood covered fur flew in tufts from the vampire’s gore covered claws. Her lungs clenched under the exquisite pain, and her vision blurred, but she couldn’t succumb to it. She was deep into survival mode. Rather than backing down, her attack became more brutal as she’d been trained. She only grew more determined as the creature ripped into her flesh. She snapped at it with her jaws and dug her back claws deep into its gristly legs, trying to distract the creature while she reached for its nasty heart. Her mind reached out to Micca. Help? I’ll be there as soon as I can. I’ve run into a little trouble. This thing is incredibly strong, Bren. It’s already melded its mind with these people. Are you telling me it created live Zombies? That’s pretty much what I’m telling you, yes. Awesome. Yeah. I’m trying not to hurt them, but… Are you doing all right with that thing? I’m making progress. Good, ‘cause we aren’t going to be able to save these people unless we kill the monster. I’m workin’ on it, Lupire! The vampire took advantage of Bren’s momentary distraction and bent double, snapping its jaws over her foreleg and tearing into it. Bren howled with pain and found herself flying through the air. She smashed into one of the firm’s guards, Fred Tomlin, and was enfolded in a crushing hug. With a whimper, Bren lifted her muzzle and looked into the man’s face, seeing only blankness in his gaze. His pupils had swollen to overtake the color in his eyes, making him truly resemble the puppet master directing him. Bren heard a roar and realized Micca had engaged the vampire. She could barely breath under the guard’s impossible, crushing strength. There was only one way to escape the man without harming him. The best advantage she would have with a zombie was quick change. Though zombies had incredible strength, they tended to be slow to adjust and dull witted. Concentrating hard, Bren shifted back to human form and slipped from the guard’s arms before he realized she’d changed shape and could adjust his hold. Then she punched him hard in the face, figuring a headache later was better than immediate death, and caught him over her shoulder as he fell. Bren carried him to a nearby office and removed his shirt. When she left the office, covered in the guard’s oversized blue shirt, she locked him inside. When the humans in the office came back to themselves, she didn’t want them shocked to find a naked woman in their midst. Thankfully her change from wolf to human had healed the worst of her wounds. She was more than ready to return to the fight. As she turned from the door, a large shadow passed overhead and she jumped and rolled out of the way as a desk slammed into the door of the office

she’d just left. The door crashed inward and Bren leapt to her feet, ready to meet her next opponent. What she saw when she looked up made her swear. The office receptionist, Ethel Glen stood twenty feet away, her wrinkled face blank and her formerly green eyes black and empty. The woman was lucky if she weighed ninety pounds. And she’d just thrown a desk at Bren’s head. Well shit. Micca ducked the vampire’s claws as they whipped past his head and grabbed the thing’s arm before it could attack again. He swung the monster over his head, slamming it into the photocopy machine as hard as he could. Though the machine crumbled into pieces, the vampire merely bounced off and flew away from Micca, leaving a bleeding stump of an arm in Micca’s hands. Like a fly that disappears the moment you pick up a fly swatter, the blood sucker vanished. Breathing heavily, Micca looked around, his heart pounding from the battle. He’d never known a vampire to have the kind of strength he was currently dealing with. In addition to enslaving the minds of over a dozen people in that office, it seemed impervious to pain and had the strength and agility of ten of its kind. He was sending information as quickly as he could in the hopes that the Commission could tell him what he was dealing with and how he could defeat it. So far all he’d gotten back was surprise. Something crashed across the office and he looked up to see Bren, back in her human form, staring at a desk wedged sideways into a shattered office door. She wore a dark blue shirt and nothing else. The shirt went halfway down her thighs, leaving most of her long, slender legs bare. The sight made his shaft thicken in his jeans, despite the smell of blood and vampire clinging to the air. You okay, Bren? Just peachy. Dust filtered down between them and they looked up. Wrapped in orange and black crepe streamers, the vampire clung like a giant, three legged Halloween spider from the ceiling tiles, its black, deadly claws shredding the tiles in its grip. A wart nosed witch hung from a paper clip wedged into the ceiling tile next to the creature, the red, rubber eyes staring duly off into the distance. For a moment the vampire seemed to return the witch’s stare, as if wondering whose side she was on. Is it just me, or are these Halloween decorations getting uglier? Bren’s sexy voice throbbed with surprising humor. Under the circumstances, Micca was impressed. I’m on the decorations committee. I’ll handle it. Looks to me like you have your hands full with gramma there.

Bren sighed. She certainly did. She didn’t know what she was going to do about the older woman. She couldn’t exactly punch her like she had the guard. And the woman’s strength under the vampire’s influence precluded any gentler type of restraint. Suddenly she was out of time for decisions. Ethel leapt upward, flying nearly fifteen feet in the air to land with her bony legs and arms wrapped around Bren. She tightened the reedy limbs before Bren could wrench her off, snapping at Bren’s throat with crooked, yellow teeth. Despite the horror of the old lady’s attack, the familiar smell of sickeningly sweet talcum powder wafted toward Bren’s nose, creating a truly surreal situation. Unable to lift her arms to get free, Bren turned sideways and slammed the woman into the wall, praying it would be enough to loosen Ethel’s grip. The old woman held on with all four scrawny limbs, her rheumy eyes black with possession. Despite Bren’s best efforts to keep away from the rabidly snapping teeth, Ethel caught her chin and tore, ripping into Bren’s skin with a frenzy as blood started to flow. Above them, the vampire made a low, keening sound as Ethel’s grasping lips pulled blood from the ragged wound. Bren’s wolf clawed to get out and kill her attacker. Bren gritted her teeth against the pain and kept a firm grip on her beast. She knew what the wolf was capable of when enraged, and she was terrified to let it out. It would surely kill the old woman. But under pain and stress, she was quickly losing the battle to restrain it. There was a blur of motion and Ethel was suddenly gone, disappeared in a flash of color and a wash of wind that smelled like Micca. The heavy breeze sent the blinds in the large conference room banging against the wall, and the conference room door slammed shut. The room was silent for a moment, suspended in a moment of waiting. Bren turned in a circle, staring at the ten or so people who were left standing in the room. They all stared back, eyes black as coal, and waited, unmoving. An air of horrible expectation descended on the room. Behind her, a soft thump told Bren the vampire had decided to join the fun again. Turning, she found the stuff of nightmares standing a mere ten feet away. The thing looked like a fleshless, white spider. The vampire’s three remaining limbs ended in an oversized hand and two distorted feet that were crabbed and rested atop two inch long, curved black claws. Its head was pinched at the top and wider at the jaw, with enormous, bloodied fangs. The thick, white skin was taut across the hairless scull and face, and black, oblong holes split the skin to delineate a nose and ears. Black blood ran from the stump of the missing arm, forming a dark trail down the stark white torso and creating a sizzling puddle on the floor. Bren knew first hand that the blood would be like acid to the touch. She also knew that ingesting enough of it would poison her. She was at risk of being poisoned. She’d been reluctant to let her wolf out to destroy the old lady. But she could certainly let it loose to send the thing crouching before her to Hell. Bren opened her mind and called to her wolf.

CHAPTER FOUR

Micca came out of the conference room just in time to see Bren’s wolf sliding back over her slender frame. The cream and dark brown wolf that stood there when the shift was complete was the most beautiful thing Micca had ever seen. His wolf howled in his chest, recognizing its mate in the age-old way of such things, and Micca embraced it, letting it boil just beneath his skin, ready to be set free. As if she sensed his presence, the beautiful she-wolf turned her muzzle in his direction, her gold-brown eyes narrowing in recognition. Her ears flattened slightly and her fluffy tail beat the air twice in greeting. Though he hadn’t shifted, she showed signs of recognizing the wolf beneath his skin. Micca drew air into his lungs in a sharp intake of breath. If he’d been looking for proof that she was his mate, that was all the proof he needed. Using what he’d learned from the Commission while securing the old woman in the conference room, he embraced his wolf and let it slide over his skin, remembering the exact words of the Commission: You and the she-wolf must join your powers to defeat the monster. If she is truly your mate, as you suspect, the synergy of your joining will more than double your power. The Commission’s advice made perfect sense to Micca. He just hoped he could convince Bren she was his mate in time to help. God he was gorgeous. Micca’s wolf was pure black, the only light in his entire form the flashing silver of his intelligent eyes. He stalked toward her on massive paws, splitting the distance between them in long, ground eating strides. The muscles in his broad shoulders bunched as he stretched into an effortless trot, the silver gaze never once leaving her. We must work together to defeat this vampire, Bren. With our powers combined we can bind its powers long enough to kill it and release the minds of these people. He felt her frown in his mind. Combine our powers? Only mates can do that, Micca. He didn’t miss the way her husky voice warbled a little on the word “mates”. I know. The vampire had been watching them with its dead, expressionless gaze, unmoving and silent in the center of the office space. Micca realized it had used the time to regenerate the arm he’d ripped off. He’d never known a vampire to regenerate that quickly. Once again he wondered what they were dealing with. Micca! It regrew its arm. In ten minutes! Fighting the almost insurmountable instinct to protect his mate, Micca moved around behind the vampire, stopping directly across from Bren, with the monster between them. The vampire moved just enough to keep its eyes on both of them.

This thing is much more powerful than anything I’ve dealt with before. That’s why we need to combine our power. Silence met his statement. He could feel resistance in her mind. Bren? It’s not possible. I think you know it is. We’ve both felt it from the first. Tell me what you are. I’m Lupire, elite protector. I work for the Commission. The Vampire Commission? Yes. That explained so much. Bren thought back to what she knew about the Commission and the Lupire. The Commission was the ruling body for all things paranormal in the States. Lupire were rare creatures whose makeups consisted of both wolf and vampire, leaning more toward the vampire side when unmated. Bren’s understanding was that they rarely found their mates, and when they did they gained all the benefits of their wolf sides and became whole. Obviously a Lupire would want to find his mate. Would he want it badly enough to see a mate where there was none? Probably. By contrast, it was very unlikely that the mate she’d been searching for for years would just suddenly appear in her life like Micca had. I’m not convinced you’re my mate. The vampire opened its ugly maw and screeched, the sound stabbing into the sensitive tissue of the wolves’ ears like knives. Bren whimpered and went to her belly, trying to cover her ears with her paws. Without warning the vampire bunched its stingy muscles and leapt at Bren. It never got to her. Micca caught it mid air and shoved it sideways. He landed on top of the monster and grabbed its throat between his powerful jaws, flinging his head to tear at the gristly flesh. The skin came away with a thick, ripping sound and black blood burned at Micca’s muzzle. He yelped but held on for another minute before the vampire wrenched free and shoved him backward. The vampire arched its thick body and flipped upright again, flying toward Bren with its massive jaws snapping. Bren leapt off the ground to meet its attack. She slammed into the monster and ripped at its chest with her claws, tearing a hole in its chest to expose its black heart. They hit the ground and Bren watched in horror as the wound in the vampire’s chest healed up right before her eyes. The thing grabbed for her but she leapt away, joining Micca on the far side of the room. The vampire flipped upright again and stood on all fours, staring at them through wide, black eyes, like an enormous spider. Bren and Micca panted, feeling the sting and throb of skin that had been melted by the vampire’s foul blood. They stared across the office at the monster. Completely at a standoff.

Suddenly the zombies in the room stirred to life and began to move. One by one they turned toward Bren and Micca. The conference room door slammed open and Ethel emerged, trailing the drapery cords Micca had bound her in. Micca and Bren backtracked quickly as the vampire’s homemade zombies approached, arms outstretched and feet stumbling against the carpet as if they struggled to resist. A heavy dragging sound made them turn in time to see the guard Bren had dispatched hauling the desk over his head. He turned to them with the desk hovering above his head and grimaced, appearing to fight the vampire’s control. Did you see his face? Micca nodded. The vamp is losing them. They’re fighting back. Let’s see if we can help them along. He fixed his silver gaze on her and she sighed in his mind. All right. Let’s do it. They lifted their muzzles and sent the song of the wolf into the air. The notes, at first filled with the simple plaintiveness of a lupine song, soon swelled to throb upon the air, becoming a magical entity all their own. Initially, there were two voices lifted in lupine lament, one gruff and masculine, the other light and feminine. But soon their voices, like their inner beasts, recognized each other and melded, becoming more than their individual parts. A strong wind began to build in the room. It rattled the glass in the windows and lifted paper off desks, blowing it skyward to swirl in a whirlwind of wind-borne power. Shades flipped around on the windows, banging against the metal frames, and light bulbs began to burst from overhead lights. The people blinked and took a step back, hands and arms lifting to protect still dilated eyes from the maelstrom swirling around them. The vampire screamed and shot toward Bren and Micca, its massive jaws snapping the air mere inches from their faces. Micca reached out and smashed his fist into the monster’s jaw, sending it flying across the room to crash against the glass wall of the conference room. The vampire sprang into the air, scrabbling across the ceiling tiles like a giant spider. Tiles crashed to the ground in its wake, tearing free from their tracks under its massive weight. The thing stopped above David Walters and reached for him, snagging him under the arms and yanking him skyward. The man’s blackened, zombie-like gaze suddenly cleared and he screamed, terrified as the vampire dangled him from slicing claws above the ground. It was meant to be a threat. Bren fought her panic and joined Micca in increasing the intensity of their song, infusing it with all of the pent up emotions they’d suffered over the last weeks, while they fought against the mating heat drawing them inexorably together. Like two candles melting together into a single column of wax, their souls, their emotions, and their futures melded together into a single entity, coming together in their breasts with a satisfying snap. And with their melding, the wolves lifted their muzzles and sang their joy at having, at long last, found their lifemates.

The vampire seemed to shrivel under their assault. It sagged noticeably and then finally dropped to the ground. Forgotten and released, David scampered away to huddle beneath a nearby desk, whimpering pitifully. The monster started to thin and twist in agony, its claws digging into the carpet in an effort to hold out against the power’s onslaught. Its jaws opened and a silver substance started to flow from between jagged, gore covered teeth. The soul. Finally, as the wolves’ song built to its powerful crescendo, vibrating the walls and sending the contents of desks and tables crashing to the floor, the vampire started to shrivel under the command of the mournful notes throbbing on the air. As the vampire folded downward in defeat, Micca leapt forward, leaving Bren to hold the song, and ripped the vampire’s gristly chest open, tearing out the black heart and flinging it across the room. The vampire threw back its ugly head, and its jaws opened wide, emitting a horrible shriek as it died. The ugly form wavered and faded, for the briefest moment showing a dim picture of someone Micca recognized. Will Bright. Micca jerked in surprise, finally understanding why the vampire had been so difficult to defeat. A Lupire turned full vampire was a formidable creature. He watched sadly as the form on the floor turned to ash and blew away on the wind of their power. Bren let her song fade away and they quickly resumed their human forms, fully healed from the change. The people in the office blinked and began to shake off their dazed state. Bren looked at Micca and her eyes filled with tears. For years, she’d hoped and prayed that she would find her mate. Accepting that Micca was her mate brought a wave of emotions forward to swamp her. “I thought I’d never find you.” He reached for her, pulling her against his body and claiming her soft lips with his. Heat flared between them and their wolves clawed for more. A moment later a softly cleared throat pulled them back to the real world. Micca lifted his head and looked at Ethel Glen. The old woman’s thin lips were pursed in censure. “Aren’t you two slightly underdressed for the office?” Bren and Micca laughed and shrugged, comfortable in their nakedness as only shape shifters could be. “What the hell happened to this place?” David Walters asked, finally pulling everybody’s gaze away from the naked couple embracing in the center of the room. A scream rent the air as poor Flora was discovered. Micca went to work changing their perceptions and memories to encompass a new reality that included a masked thief who’d run into the night before Fred Tomlin could stop him. As Fred was calling 9-1-1 to report the murder, Micca leaned close and whispered in Bren’s ear. “My place or yours?” Bren smiled. “Whichever is closer.”

“My place it is.” With a thought, Micca immersed them in shadow and they left the room, unnoticed and, thanks to his powers, already forgotten.

CHAPTER FIVE

They touched and kissed and explored each others’ bodies as Micca drove them out of town. His hands kept straying to her naked breasts and lower, to skim across the quivering flesh of her flat belly. His thick fingers danced over the nub of her clitoris, sending frissons of delight through her body and warm cream sliding down her thighs. Bren leaned over the stick shift and ran her tongue over his sharply sculpted cheek, along the hard line of his jaw, and to the wide lobe of his ear, which she sucked into her mouth and nibbled as he growled softly. His skin was cool and smooth, and tasted sweet and slightly salty, like a man. He groaned when she reached down and stroked his engorged cock as he drove. The car nearly went off the road as his eyes slid shut and his head rested against the back of the seat against his will. She reveled in the evidence of his desire, relished the power she had over his mind…his body. But she didn’t want them to crash before they reached his place and they could do something about the raging need twisting her lower belly into knots. So, with one, final kiss, Bren slid back into her seat and turned away, watching the dark countryside slide past the car’s small windows as she thought about how dark and fragrant and wonderful the woods surrounding them would feel in her wolf form. She fell into a kind of dream state as she imagined running full out through those woods, the warm, musky smell of prey teasing her senses as she ran. Bren started out of her dream as Micca’s car slowed, turned, and pulled down a densely treed driveway that wound away from the road. “Where are we?” “My home.” “You live in the forest?” He grinned. “Not exactly, but close enough. I like to let my wolf run. Living out here allows me to do it.” Since taking the job in town, Bren had had to make do with letting her wolf out only during weekend trips to the wildlife preserve where her pack lived. It had been more difficult than she’d expected. She envied him his private little spot in the woods. They pulled up to a low-slung log cabin settled in a clearing. The entire length of the long building sported a deep porch. Fat pots of brightly colored flowers and stark white wooden rockers showed in the swing of the headlights as Micca pulled around the circular drive and stopped the car. Motion lights blinked on as the car moved past the porch, casting the small, perfectly tended yard in bright arcs of white light.

Bren climbed out of the sporty little Mini Cooper and stretched, pulling sweet, clean air into her lungs. The stench of the city was like slow poison to a werewolf’s keen senses. By contrast, the country served up ambrosia in the form of rich, clean air, filled with the scent of nature and thick with possibilities. “I’m in heaven.” She sighed. Hard arms slid around her from behind. Large, cool hands closed over her breasts. His hard cock rested against her buttocks.“I’ve never brought a completely naked woman here before.” She turned in his arms, grinning as she slid her fingers into his beautiful hair. “But I’m sure it didn’t take you long to get them that way.” Micca shrugged, returning her grin. “I’m pleading the fifth on that.” She nipped his bottom lip playfully. “I don’t know how to tell you this but my place was much closer.” “Yes. It was. But aren’t you glad we came here instead?” Bren glanced wistfully toward the dense tree growth just beyond the light. “When you found me at the office…earlier…before everything…I was thinking about running in the woods.” Her voice was soft and wistful. “I know.” At the look on her face, Micca made a sudden decision. His planned seduction would have to wait. To a wolf, there are things just as important as mating. Though not many. He kissed her softly and stepped away. “Try to keep up.” He shuddered and let his wolf slide over him, turning away and bounding into the woods. Bren squealed with delight and opened herself to her wolf, quickly following. Micca howled with happiness as her joy washed through him. They bounded over soft, black earth and rustled through new-fallen leaves, heading toward a special spot near the cool, clean pond, which was two miles away at the back edge of his property. Along the way, they chased fat rabbits and sent herds of deer into flight, yipping happily but running onward, not even trying to catch the fleeing prey. They ran with supernatural speed, their paws digging through rich, black earth and carefully avoiding roots and hard, green walnuts as they flew through the verdant space. Soft breezes ruffled their silky fur and carried an abundance of scents to tease their powerful senses. Their muscles stretched and filled with renewed energy in their natural habitat. Their minds opened, their emotions expanded, and their world righted itself around them. After several moments, Micca slowed to a stop. He turned and fixed her with a silver gaze, a long, pink tongue sliding out to wet his muzzle. I’ve been saving this spot for you. She cocked her head. For me? Really? His body shuddered and his wolf slid away. He straightened and offered her his hand. “Come.” He took her hand and led her into a small clearing surrounded by thick bodied trees that throbbed with ancient power. The trees arched protectively over a small clearing of thick, green grass that felt like the finest carpet under their bare feet. A small, clear stream trickled along its

edge, no doubt heading toward the larger pond. The private niche was infused with the sweet essence of wildflowers. It was a magical place. Her golden-brown eyes sparked with anticipation when she turned to him. The moon bathed her beautiful russet face in soft light, caressing its sharp angles and soft curves. “You’ve never brought another woman here?” “Never.” “Promise?” “I promise.” Micca slipped his hands over her hips and cupped her buttocks, pulling her against the place that had been hard and aching for her since the kiss in the office. His lips found hers and he sighed against them as long awaited feelings washed over him. Feelings of having found his mate, having arrived home, and of wanting to explore her soft body for hours, days, and years. Her lips played gently against his, parting slightly to allow her soft tongue a gentle swipe across his mouth. Deep in her chest, a low growl of excitement sounded, bringing his wolf up in response. Her slim hips started to move, grinding the soft mound at the juncture of her thighs against his shaft. Micca opened his mouth and ravished her, driving his tongue between her lips to taste the very essence of his mate. She was like a distant memory come clear…a hard to reach dream come true. She tasted of cinnamon and cloves and his senses pulled her in, infused themselves with her essence, and melded it with his own. His hands moved quickly, hungrily over her soft curves, memorizing her with his fingertips like a blind man would read a treasured tome. She returned the favor, painting his form with bold strokes from her hands, cherishing the reality of his body against hers. With a moan, they dropped to the soft, cool grass alongside the creek and he covered her, pressing himself against her entrance as she wrapped her long legs around his hips. He pressed the tip of his cock against her pussy, teasing her with the possibilities, and licked her face and throat, lowering his head to pull a rigid nipple into his mouth. “Please, Micca.” She arched her hips in an effort to drive him deep into her body. Micca arched away, “Are you my mate, Bren?” Her sweet breath bathed his face in a warm rush as she whimpered, shaking her head with emotion. He tucked his hips and teased her again, driving the tip of his thick cock another inch into her body. “Are you?” “Yes!” She writhed beneath him. “Yes?” He buried himself an inch deeper. Her heat enveloped him, stealing the breath from his lungs. He gritted his teeth against the need to bury himself up to his aching balls. “Yes, dammit, Micca, stop teasing me!” “Your wish is my command, sweet Lupa.” He drove deep, making her scream with pure pleasure. She surged upward to meet him, her inner muscles hungrily grasping his engorged cock.

Their bodies started to move together in the dance. They moved in perfect rhythm, automatically adjusting to each touch…every change in the dance…as if they’d always been partners. The tension between them built to a crescendo. Bren felt it throbbing beneath her skin. As wonderful as his body felt within hers, she knew something was still missing…something vital. And as she realized what it was, she began to open herself up to it…anticipate and cherish it…so that, when he pulled away and reached to flip her over, pulling her hips back to his, she growled and ground herself against him. “Do it, Micca.” His skin shimmered and, for a brief moment she felt silky fur against her back. But through sheer will power he conquered his wolf, pulling it back under his rigid control. He leaned over her, his breath cool against her heated flesh, positioned his cock at her entrance, and drove deep again. Bren arched upward, screaming as the throbbing under her skin threatened to drive her completely mad. “God help me, Micca, do it!” His face found the spot on her shoulder where heat and electricity threatened to burn her skin away if he didn’t alleviate it. His mouth settled there, covering the spot, soothing it…and his tongue came out to lick the jumping flesh. The rhythm of the dance increased. Micca’s throat throbbed in a low growl, his hands curved around her breasts, and Bren whimpered, her body perched on the precipice of release. The sound of her cries sent Micca over the edge. He bit down hard on her heated skin, driving his sharp fangs through her sweet flesh and pulling her hot, tangy blood deep into his mouth. She screamed and went over with him, her body closing hard around his, sucking him deep. Their magics lifted skyward, swirling around them and bringing up dirt, grass, and leaves in a wide cloud that speared their senses with the scents their wolves craved. The smell of warm earth, the scent of moist, green grass, and the tang of torn leaves teased their nostrils like the finest aphrodisiac, putting the stamp on their mating and bringing a sharper edge to their delight. As the last waves of sensual pleasure rolled over them, their bodies softened in temporary relief. Micca kissed a trail along Bren’s silken, super-heated back. For the first time he felt an answering warmth under his own skin. He’d found his mate, claimed her, and was now whole, with a shifter’s warmth and sensitivities to go with his vampire magics. He licked the bite marks on her shoulder closed and dropped to his side, pulling her close and draping a long arm across her body, grasping one warm breast. “There’s just one more thing.” She told him, as she grabbed his hand and sucked one of his fingers into her mouth, bathing it with her hot tongue. Micca kissed her shoulder and stretched luxuriously, feeling incredible. “What’s that, mate?”

“This…” she bit down on his finger with a sharp canine and he gasped as she sucked the finger hard, drawing his blood into her system. “Now we are well and truly mated.” She bathed her lips with a slow, sensual drag of her tongue. “No turning back now, Lupire.” He chuckled. “As good as this feels right now, Lupa, I’d never consider turning back.” He covered her soft lips in a lingering kiss as he savored her taste and the fact that she was his. Finally. “Besides, I have months of frustration to relieve. You’ve tortured me for much too long, beautiful she-wolf. If I’d had to walk down that hallway one more time at work and watch you leaping into the ladies room…I think I would have considered violence.” “Ha! I wasn’t running from you, Micca. That’s your ego talking. Your timing just sucked.” Her smile made his cock jump with renewed interest. “Right!” He tweaked her nose. He could joust with her all night, and then make love to her for days, but Micca had something else in mind before they fell into each other’s arms again. The water in the pond would still be warm from the sun, despite the quickly cooling temperature of the night air around them. He gave her a mischievous grin and stood, pulling her up with him. “I’ll get my revenge on you later. Right now…race you to the pond!” He leapt into the air and shifted, landing silently, ten feet away, in his wolf form. In the blink of an eye he disappeared into the woods. Bren shrieked in delighted outrage and leapt into her own shift to follow. The End

The books in the Halloween Love Series: Bound by Blood, Book 1 Moon Burn, Book 2 Blue Moon, Book 3 Available on Amazon, All Romance eBooks, and Smashwords Please enjoy the following sample of Book 3 in the Halloween Love Series, Blue Moon. ~ ~*~ ~

CHAPTER ONE

Kidren Bell wiped sweat from his brow and forced himself to keep moving forward through the dense wood. He could almost feel the moon pulsing against his skin, driving every cell in his body into hyper drive, so that his skin jumped with it and his senses throbbed under its pull. His fangs ached with the desire to drop, his mouth watered with anticipation of the blood his body craved. When he lifted a hand to push moisture laden leaves from his path his hand was shaking. Kidren was in a bad way. He’d always had trouble under a full moon. But a Blue Moon was more than twice as powerful. And to make matters worse, the air was thick with the scent and call of the mating heat. He knew he was getting close to the core of Lupa Guardian territory. He could feel the pack’s excitement in the air. They’d formed a wide ranging circle around him the moment he’d stepped into the wood. Staying well out of sight, but close enough to quickly surround him if they felt he meant them harm, the powerful pack wasn’t taking any chances with a dominant predator in their midst. Even if he was there to help. He smelled the blood well before he reached pack Headquarters. It wasn’t an appetizing scent, despite the tang of fear attached to it. A reluctant aphrodisiac to those of his kind. It was old blood. Cold blood. A chilling reminder of a violent death rather than the hot enticement of vibrant life. Kidren became aware of another scent as he stepped into the wide clearing. It was a much more enticing scent. In fact, it made his fangs drop and his groin tighten immediately.

She stepped in front of him almost before he knew she was there. She stood with her legs spread and her hands on softly rounded hips, looking like a warrior. She’d been waiting for him. He growled his surprise, showing her his fangs before he could stop himself. Amazingly, her answering growl didn’t fill him with aggression. It made his cock tighten with need. She was very tall, very lean, with rounded hips and full breasts. Her legs were impossibly long and shapely, with the highly toned musculature of a creature who spends an inordinate amount of her time running and leaping. Her small, heart shaped face was framed by a short afro, which was the perfect counterpoint to her features. Her golden eyes were almond shaped and turned up slightly at the outside corners, giving her an exotic look. Her nose was long and straight, flaring slightly at the bottom as she scented him. Her mouth was a burgundy tinted cupid’s bow, which was currently pursed with disapproval. Her skin was the color of rich earth, frosted with morning dew. She made his fangs pulse. Lanna Sato clenched her muscles and held her breath in an attempt to retain control. The male standing before her was blasting pheromones like a window air conditioning unit set on high. With the blue moon and the mating heat already upon her, Lanna could barely function as it was. Now she had a brutal murder to deal with, and a strange male intruding on her world. It was the last thing she needed at that moment. Especially when the new male looked to be nearly seven feet tall and weighed around two fifty, most of it muscle. The man stretched the bounds of a soft, charcoal gray t-shirt and tested the seams on a fashionably tattered pair of jeans. His arms arced away from his lean torso, too laden with muscle to rest against his body, and the fists that were clenched at his sides were the size of snack plates. He had longish, curly, light brown hair that rested against the thick column of his neck and fell across a wide brow in a charmingly unruly fashion. His eyes were a deep, turquoise blue, like the Mediterranean Sea. Lanna’s mouth watered as she took in his wide mouth. His lips looked full enough to nibble and soft enough to suck. She bit back a sigh and glared at him. “I presume you’re the elite protector sent by the Vampire Commission?” The Commission was the ruling body for all things paranormal in the States. When something went awry in the supernatural world, the Commission sent out a Lupire, one of their top cops, to deal with it. “I am.” He lifted one of the snack plates toward her. “Name’s Kidren…Kidren Bell.” “As in ring my?”She ignored the offered hand, afraid to touch him for fear that she might yank him in for a taste if she did.

He dropped the hand. His chuckle was a husky promise in the magic saturated air. “If you insist.” Lanna shook her head. “That’s just the mating heat talkin’, Kidren. I don’t want you to get the wrong idea or anything.” His narrow, sea blue gaze skimmed her from head to toe, lingering noticeably on the in between parts. “I don’t think that’s possible.” Lanna felt herself sliding under a thick fog of pure lust. “And your name is?” She jumped a little. For a moment she’d succumbed to the blood boiling effects of his open, appreciative appraisal. “Uh…sorry. Lanna Sato, I’m the Regulator for the Lupa Guardian pack.” “Regulator huh?” She watched a spark of new interest light his eyes. Lanna grinned. A man who wasn’t threatened by a powerful female. Interesting. She jerked her head toward the log building across the clearing. “She’s over here.” Kidren followed her across the clearing, noting the way her fine ass bent the air on either side of her long, luscious body as she walked. She seemed to know he was staring at her backside and was giving him his money’s worth as she swayed across the open space. And then some. She stopped before the white-washed wooden door of the cabin. A tarp on the ground covered something long and lean. One, slender foot with pink toenails stuck out from the end of the tarp, twisted in a grotesque manner that made Kidren frown. The scent of violent death spun through his senses, making him almost dizzy with its force. “Black magic?” She expelled a long breath. “I’m afraid so.” “Damn.” Kidren knelt down and pulled back the tarp. A gust of wind swirled through the clearing and sent the “Information” sign hanging over the front door swinging. The sign cast wavering shadows on the woman’s battered face as he peered down at her. She looked young. Probably early twenties. Her thick, strawberry-blonde hair was matted on one side with blood, and the side of her face was crusted with it. Her features were delicate and feminine, the open, staring eyes china blue. She looked like somebody’s sweet, innocent college aged daughter. The haunting tune, Blue Moon, played inside the cabin, providing a sad backdrop to the girl’s horrific death. Lanna indicated tire tracks in the dusty ground. “The killer drove through here on a dirt bike and dumped her, then sped off.” “Did you chase the bike?” “Of course. But by the time we found it the rider was gone.” “Gone?” She slanted him a look that was filled with anger and suspicion. “Either shifted…” She arched an eyebrow at him, “…or flew away.”

Ahhh, so that was why he’d been getting battered by waves of hostility since arriving in the clearing. “You think it was Lupire?” Lanna shook her head. She might suspect his kind, but she wouldn’t admit it. Yet. “What about tracks around the bike?” Some paw prints, large, like a shifter. Unfortunately the bike was dumped in a spot where there’s tons of foot traffic. Beside the lake. So there are too many scents to pick out just one.” “Not even if it’s a strange scent?” She shrugged again. He guessed she didn’t want to admit to him that she didn’t have the ability to pull a single scent from hundreds. He could probably do it. But then he wouldn’t be familiar with the scents of the pack, so he wouldn’t know which one was out of place either. He stood up. “Show me the site.” She lifted that slim, black eyebrow again and cocked a hip. Her whole body tightened and went still, the exotic golden gaze narrowing with aggression. He could feel her fury like tiny spikes of electrical charge against his skin. Kidren recognized his mistake. He was an outsider on her turf and he was there probably against the pack’s wishes. The Commission didn’t always recognize the finer points of pack law. They functioned under the assumption that everybody recognized their dominance and accepted it. Obviously the packs had their own laws and they didn’t much like outside interference. Even if it was meant to help. “Sorry. I’m riding the blue moon tonight in a big way. I’m afraid I’m not at my best. If you wouldn’t mind, I’d like to see the bike now.” Some of the anger leeched from her stance and she nodded. “This way.” Kidren fell in behind her, giving her the superior position for political reasons. Besides, he figured there were worse ways to spend the next few minutes than watching Guardian Lupa Regulator Lanna sway toward the lake. ~ ~*~ ~

Award winning author Sam Cheever mixes in a little fun, a little adventure, and a little real-life spice to create her sexy fantasy and romantic suspense stories. Sam’s fictional peeps fight their way through a dizzying array of dangerous challenges without letting little things like mean tempered ex girlfriends, dangerous villains, or angry, manipulative gods dampen their zest for life and hot love! To find out more about Sam and her work, please pay her a visit at any one of the following online hot spots. Sam always loves to chat with readers. Website (www.samcheever.com) Fan page on Facebook (Sam Cheever Author) MySpace page (http://www.myspace.com/samcheever ) Blog (http://tweenyouandme.blogspot.com)