The Wolf Next Door ( A Paranormal Romance) (The Anthology Novella Series)
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By: Darlene Kuncytes
The Wolf Next Door
by: Darlene Kuncytes
Copyright © at Darlene Kuncytes, 2019
All rights reserved. Printed in the United States.
Front Cover art from: Linda Boulanger, Tell Tale Book Covers.
First Edition: June, 2019
BISAC: Fiction / Paranormal / Romance / General
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All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval systems, without prior written permission of the author except where permitted by law.
This is a work of fiction. The places, characters, and events portrayed in this book are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, organizations, or real persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
Works by Darlene Kuncytes
The Supernatural Desire Series
A Vampire’s Saving Embrace: Book One
A Wolf’s Savage Embrace: Book Two
Marcus’ Mortal Embrace: Book Three
The Anthology Novella Series
A Witch’s Hearts Desire: Book One
Summer Sin: Book Two
Wolf Bane: Book Three
Magical Holiday Love: Book Four
Stand Alone Titles:
I’ll Be Seeing You
Promised to a Dragon
Originally published in the Stoking the Flames Anthology
Wynter’s Kiss
Originally published in the Sinfully Delicious Anthology
The Mermaid’s Kiss
Originally published in the Between the Tides Anthology
The Wolf Next Door
Originally published in The Fountain Anthology
Coming Soon
Harper’s Heavenly Embrace
Book Four of the Supernatural Desire Series
Dedication
This book is dedicated to my amazing readers!
Your unshakable love and support, not to mention, enormous hearts inspire and astound me each and every single day. I cannot even begin to express how blessed and thankful I am to have such incredible souls standing beside me as I take this wonderful, crazy journey.
As an author, nothing means more to us than having you love the stories we tell. To lose yourselves in the places and people we create with such love and devotion is what we live for. It’s what fuels us.
Thank you all so much, for allowing me to live my dreams, and I hope that along the way, I have given you characters to laugh with, to fall in love with, but mostly to make your days a little brighter and your nights a little hotter! ??
Here’s to many, many more!
Table of Contents
Works by Darlene Kuncytes
Dedication
Acknowledgments
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Epilogue
About the Author
Acknowledgments
I would like to say a special thank you to some absolutely fabulous ladies who are truly my family. They may not be related by blood, but they sure as hell are by love.
Andi and Marj. You two wonderful spirits are always there when I need you most. NO matter what, you are a shoulder to cry on. An ear to listen to as I rant...but most importantly a friend and a sister. So, thank you girls. You know I love you to the moon and back!
To the incredibly talented Linda, thank you for making my covers come alive. You always know just what I envision and I am so blessed to have you in my life!
To Grace, thank you for your selflessness and pure heart. You are an amazing lady who I am so lucky to call friend.
To my family. You guys mean the world to me and keep me going. Thank you for that!!
Love and never-ending kisses!
Chapter One
The sun glistened and bobbed off of the rippling water dancing in the fountain, sending up shimmering flecks of light across the face of the dragon statue standing guard so regally at its center, giving the exquisitely carved beast an almost animated feel to it. Almost as if its stone-grey eyes were watching the figure standing so still before it intently.
Waiting.
Ember Sloane glanced around the silent courtyard to be certain she was alone before slipping the hood of her sweatshirt away from her face and taking a deep breath, wondering for what had to be the millionth time today if this was all just useless folly on her part.
Just what in the holy hell was she doing here anyway? She really was an idiot!
She had no idea why she had been drawn to the tiny magic shop on the outskirts of town the night before, but she had been hit with the overwhelming desire to leave the solitude of her apartment and venture out. It was a gnawing need to shake off the claustrophobia that had inexplicably and brutally overtaken her, and get some air.
Something that seemed to be happening to her more and more often over the past few weeks. Almost as if she was being pulled by a strange, unseen force. A pressing, nagging sense of urgency.
She found herself making her way through the heavy wooden door of the store, almost as if in a dream, the tinkling of the tiny silver bells above her head sounding like music as they announced her arrival and drew the attention of the shopkeeper behind the counter.
The woman had turned as Ember entered, gracing her with a smile that seemed almost relieved, and for some unknown reason, Ember’s pulse had quickened, thrumming around in her throat like a hummingbird.
The shopkeeper was stunningly beautiful. Her dark chocolate eyes sparkled with a mischief that was surely ingrained and completely endearing. Thick black hair framed her face in perfect curls that were unruly, yet absolutely striking, and Ember couldn’t help but feel somewhat intimidated just by the woman’s aura of confidence.
It was like a living, pulsating thing. Strong. Self-assured. Bad-ass.
“Welcome,” she had called, motioning for Ember to come closer, and Ember hadn’t been able to refuse.
“Don’t be afraid,” she had laughed. The sound light and melodic. “I promise, I won’t bite.”
Ember had tried to swallow and rid herself of the very large lump that had stationed itself firmly in her throat to no avail, and took a tentative step forward, the incredible smell of sage and cinnamon wafting on the air in a glorious hodgepodge of sensory overload.
“I’m Neoma,” she chuckled softly. “I’ve been expecting you, Little One.”
Ember stopped dead in her tracks as the words left the woman’s mouth, her own falling open in shock.
Just what in the world did that mean?
“How…” she had stammered, at a complete loss and unable to find the words she needed.
Neoma tittered happily as she gracefully dashed around the counter, the multitude of bangles on her wrists jingling as she made her way over to where Ember stood frozen like a statue. The shopkeeper had taken Ember’s now icy cold hand in both of hers and given it a reassuring squeeze.
“It’s what I do,” She replied with a wink, and Ember found the gesture strangely comforting. “Now, come tell me how we can make your heart content.”
She had pulled Ember across the store and through a small, narrow doorway covered by a thick, midnight blue drape encrusted with tiny gems and mirrors that glittered in the lights above li
ke millions of tiny stars.
They stepped through the entryway and into a back room, littered with tiny bottles and herbs. Neoma directed Ember to sit at the tiny table at its center, which was also covered in the same fabric as the doorway, and she settled herself across from her, dark eyes seemingly watching Ember’s every movement with rapt interest.
“Tell me what troubles you, so?” She had asked quietly, her husky voice no more than a whisper on the wind.
There was a small, nagging part of Ember that wondered if this stranger didn’t already know, and she fidgeted uncomfortably. She couldn’t say what was going on, but she was certain that it was something. She stared back at the woman in silence, not entirely sure how she should respond exactly.
She felt almost as if she was stuck in some sort of quagmire. Muddled and disoriented.
It was a feeling that she wasn’t particularly comfortable with. It was one of the main reasons she had never been a big drinker. She hated that feeling as if you weren’t in charge of your faculties.
“At the moment?” She said, when she finally found her voice. “I’m wondering why in the hell I felt as if I was being drawn here, and how you could have known to expect me?” She mumbled in response and Neoma broke out into a fit of giggles, which only confused Ember all the more.
What in the hell was this woman’s deal? Was she nuts?
“Sometimes,” Neoma replied evenly, “We often don’t know we are in search of something until that something tells us that we are.”
“Oh, yeah. Well, now, that just clarifies things immensely,” she had retorted with a sarcastic huff before she could stop herself, and realized that she was being a bitch. She had been the one who had come into the shop on her own. She was a big girl, with her own mind. But, she really had just wanted to know what in the holy hell was going on!
Neoma reached into the pocket of her skirt and pulled out a thick silver coin, setting it down on the table in front of her.
The coin was almost square in shape, but with rounded corners as if worn smooth with time. There were strange markings stamped into the silver that were beautiful. It was like nothing Ember had ever seen before. Delicate and ornate, it was lovely.
Neoma flipped the coin over in her hand, much like a magician might, to reveal the head of a Dragon gracing the other side and grinned, her eyebrow lifting slightly.
“Two blocks East, in a small garden square, there is a fountain,” she whispered, her eyes locking with Ember’s and she could have sworn that she could see something hopeful shining in them. “Tomorrow, at daybreak, you will go there and make your wish, then toss this coin into its waters. Your wish will be granted. But…think long and hard tonight on what it is that you truly want. Do not make your decision in haste.”
“I’m sorry if I’m being rude, but just what in the hell are you talking about?” Ember had responded, her tone hinting at her exasperation. “There’s no such thing as being granted wishes. And, even if there was, why in the world would I be given a wish?” she snapped, with a little more bite than she had intended, but this all had her head spinning. “This is nuts! Listen, lady, if you’re looking to con money out of me, I can tell you right here and now, that you are really barking up the wrong damn tree. This well is pretty much dried up.”
She had begun to stand, with every intention of hauling her stupid ass back home and away from all of this nonsense, when Neoma’s hand on hers stopped her cold.
“You have had such a hard life,” she had murmured, and Ember’s heart twisted painfully in her chest. “So much loss for someone so young.”
Ember’s mouth dropped open for a second time on the past ten minutes. How could she have known?
Neoma gave her hand a gentle pat before grasping it and turning it over, slipping the coin into her palm.
“Never question the fates,” she had informed Ember firmly, although her mouth had lifted at the corners in a gentle smile that was somehow comforting. “Just take it for the gift it is intended to be.”
Ember had nodded, wondering just when she had wandered into the damn Twilight Zone. She had closed the coin in her fist and pushed back from the table. She stood, somewhat unsteadily, and took a breath, trying to clear her muddled thoughts.
As she had turned and hurriedly left the shop, she heard Neoma’s voice trailing behind her…
“Remember to think long and hard as to what it is that you truly want…”
Now, here she was, standing in the quiet courtyard like some kind of certifiable dumb-ass.
Ember watched silently; her eyes glued to the water as it almost hypnotically cascaded from the dragon’s mouth as it sat there so proudly, almost as if it were it were serving as some sort of sentinel, standing guard. But, standing guard against what…she had no idea.
She watched the rippling depths as the water fell into the bowl, the sound of the droplets splashing onto the stones beneath with soft, watery plunks. She loved the sound it emitted. It was a sound much like that of a distant waterfall and it was positively mesmerizing.
She felt light-headed again, and quickly shook herself out of her musings, trying to clear her head.
She had been up half the night, pacing the floor and wondering if any of this could possibly be real… or was Neoma just bat-shit crazy.
Geez, she thought with another small shake of her head…maybe she was the one who was crazy. If not, why else would she be standing here contemplating making a wish like she had so many times as a child. Wishes that had never come true.
Well. What in the hell could it hurt?
She took another quick breath and anxiously glanced around the courtyard once more to make one hundred percent sure that she was alone before taking the coin and closing her eyes.
“I just want to find out what happened to Evan, and to be happy again,” she whispered before tossing the coin into the water with a soft, distinctive plop.
A nervous giggle flew past her lips that she realized with a grimace sounded more like an uncomfortable cackle than any form of amusement, and her face heated with embarrassment.
Seriously, just what in the hell was she doing?
Did she actually believe any of this nonsense?
Ember cleared her throat and turned to walk away, feeling ridiculous for having even come in the first place.
“A tall, dark hottie wouldn’t hurt either if you’re feeling generous,” she threw back over her shoulder to no one in particular with a sarcastic chuff. If you were going to make an ass out of yourself, she thought with a defiant shrug, go big or go home!
She really had to be the biggest idiot on the planet for buying into any of this for even a minute. She didn’t know what that woman’s game was, but she was done with it all.
Wishes!
Yeah…right.
And the next thing you know, monkeys will be flying out of my ass!
Chapter Two
Ember was pulled roughly from a nice, deep sleep the following morning by the sound of heavy, thudding footsteps stomping up and down the hall in front of her apartment door.
She opened one eye as a low growl made its way up her throat and slithered past her lips.
Good God! It sounded as if a herd of water buffalo were moving back and forth!
She knew that the apartment two down from hers was vacant, and figured that her jerk of a landlord must have rented it out finally, but just who in the hell was moving in…Ringling Brothers?
She turned over and glanced at the bedside clock, her brows immediately furrowing with fury when she saw that it was barely seven in the morning.
And, a Sunday morning at that!
What in the bloody hell?
She threw back the comforter and slid from the bed, stomping across her bedroom and through the living room as if the devil himself were at her heels. Getting angrier with each step that she took as the cool morning air left a trail of gooseflesh up and down her body.
She turned the locks and yanked open her door, glaring out in
to the hallway in murderous rage. “Do you have any idea what freaking time it is, Jackoff?” She snapped at the receding back casually making its way down the hall carrying a very large cardboard box.
Ember’s heart jumped to her throat when the back in question stopped and turned around. Her breath caught in her throat with an audible hiss of surprise as her gaze locked with that of her new neighbor.
Deep, intense honey-gold eyes caught hers from a face that was something straight out of Esquire Magazine.
Tan. Chiseled. With full, pouty lips, and hair the color of a raven’s wing.
Holy mother of crap!
From what she could see, his muscular arms were extremely well defined and masculine as all get out! And his thighs…
Oh, good Lord! His thighs strained against the worn and faded blue of his jeans in a way that had her face heating in an instant and her blood racing through her veins like molten lava.
“Mornin,” he called, much more pleasantly than she probably deserved, considering the way she had practically bitten the poor man’s head off.
Not to mention that whole Jackoff thing.
“Sorry. I didn’t realize anyone was moving in,” she stammered stupidly, and just wanted to vanish right there through the floor.
He set the box down and took a step towards her, his massive chest straining the fabric of the white t-shirt that he wore to what looked to be the garment’s limit.
Damn, but the man was lick your lips, drop your drawers, gorgeous!
He held out his hand as his eyes slid over her face in a way that caused her heart to flutter frantically around in her chest, and he gave her a smile that just about did her in.
“I’m sorry if I woke you,” he apologized, and his strong, calloused fingers wrapped around hers and gave them a gentle, yet firm squeeze. “I’m Bader Grant. I guess I’m your new neighbor.”
Ember felt something that almost felt like an electric current run up her arm as the warmth of his hand settled itself around her. She pulled hers away quickly, suddenly feeling like a silly schoolgirl experiencing her first prepubescent crush on the new guy in school.