Rouen Chronicles Box Set

by Raven Steele

  I would face my future and make it the best I could.

  But I didn’t want to do it alone. I would make things right with Luke. Somehow, I needed to get him to listen to me. Surely he would forgive me once I told him I knew where his brother was. We’d find him together. Then have hot and dirty sex. Preferably while his brother wasn’t there … unless he was hot like Luke.

  I would scour Dominic’s room, his attic, anywhere to find more information about Trianus. And then Samira, Lynx, and I would kick its ass back to hell, or wherever it came from.

  But first, I had to face the pack.

  I straightened and smoothed my hair back, then bit down hard. It was time.

  I walked through the house and out the back patio door, where everyone was waiting. The back yard fell silent as all eyes turned to me.

  My uncle hurried to my side. I peered through the crowd, hoping Luke would appear on my other side, but it was Gerald who stepped forward. He gestured me forward, towards the platform. I stepped up and cleared my throat, trying to ignore the nerves in my stomach.

  I looked into the faces of the many shifters, noting a plethora of emotions. Anger and sadness. Heather glared at me. Lilith was seething. But others looked expectant, almost hopeful. Jerry and Samantha gave me encouraging smiles. My gaze wandered all the way to the back, among the stragglers. And that’s when I saw Luke. He was near the forest, his shoulders slumped. My heart skipped a beat.

  My uncle gave me a reassuring squeeze, and I stood up straighter.

  “Thank you all for coming,” I said.

  “Louder!” someone from the back shouted.

  I cleared my throat and this time made my voice sound authoritative like I’d heard Dominic speak.

  “Thank you for coming out on such short notice. I know Vincent has already explained what happened. I want to assure you that becoming pack Alpha wasn’t something I wanted. I saw a horrible crime being committed against our own kind and I reacted as I’m sure any of you would’ve done.” I paused. “This pack has been through so much, and all of us have suffered great losses. It’s my goal to make sure that from now on, we have peace. And to make sure that happens, there’s only one thing I can do.”

  No one made a sound. I scanned the crowd, feeling their eyes on me, waiting on my every breath. It was a powerful feeling. I could see why Dominic loved it so much.

  But it wasn’t for me.

  “I am stepping down as Alpha.”

  A chorus of voices rang out at once. No one ever stepped down as Alpha.

  I motioned my hands to quiet everyone. “In my place,” I yelled to be heard, “I appoint Vincent Moretti as Alpha.”

  All gazes left me and went to my uncle, who was staring at me with his mouth open. I had thought about this decision a lot and felt it was right. Vincent wasn’t physically strong like so many of the others, but he was smart and truly cared about the pack. For years, he had stayed and tried to stomp out its cockroaches, even suffering abuse to do so. That showed commitment and a determination for peace. That’s what the pack needed right now.

  “Not many of you know this, but Vincent has been the financial backbone of this pack for over a decade. He was also one of the few who knew how toxic Dominic was and has tried for years to stop him. He cares for this pack, for each and every member. He wants to see it thrive and grow strong, to become something great and not something to be feared. We are better than that!”

  “Hear! Hear!” a few shifters shouted. Several more joined in.

  I continued. “The city of Rouen needs our help. There is a growing evil that must be stopped, and we will need to come together if we are to defeat it. I believe Vincent is the one who can do this.”

  More cheers, but not everyone.

  “Let me add one more thing before I officially turn over the reins to Vincent. If any of you are thinking of challenging him without giving him a chance, you’re going to have to go through me.” I said it with such force that I felt a power well up within me and expel outward. Several people sucked in a breath, their faces turning fearful.

  The first of dawn’s light ignited the horizon, burning it up in a blaze of oranges and reds. Rays of hope, of new beginnings.

  I turned to Vincent. “Will you accept my offer and become the Alpha of the Silver Claws?”

  “I don’t know what to say.”

  “Say yes,” I whispered. “You’ll do amazing.”

  He turned and looked over the crowd. His chest rose and fell with a great breath. In a loud voice, he raised his fist into the air. “I accept, and by my honor, I will heal this pack and make it stronger than it’s ever been before!”

  Cheers rose into the air, their fevered energy igniting a fire in my chest. This is how it should be. A united pack. Mostly, anyway. It would take time for the few still loyal to Dominic to come around, but they would either adapt or leave to join another pack.

  Someone brought out wine and booze. As it was handed out and several shifters surrounded my uncle, I took a step back into the shadows to let him claim his rightful place as Alpha. Besides, there was something more important I had to do.

  I wandered through the crowd searching for Luke, but people kept stopping me to talk. I was no longer the outcast, but an accepted member of the pack. It felt good.

  By the time I reached the edge of the forest where I last saw Luke, he was gone. I followed the faint smell of him into the forest, but lost it shortly after. He was gone.

  I punched the nearest tree and returned to the pack. First chance I had, I’d make him listen to me. Then I’d make him apologize, not with words but still using his mouth.

  For the next two hours, I remained with the pack, laughing, celebrating, enjoying their company. The dark cloud that had hung over us for months was gone, and I could tell everyone could feel it. Things were going to be different now. Better.

  Already, I’d overheard my uncle talk about how he was going to change things in Rouen. No more shake downs. No more harming others to get what we want. He wanted our reputation to change. The Silver Claws would no longer be seen as thugs and criminals. Humans wouldn’t fear us.

  Hearing his words, his optimism for the future, confirmed that I’d made the right choice. The pack couldn’t be in better hands.

  When the party began to die down, I said my goodbyes and quietly slipped away. There was still a lot to do. The pack might be in a good place now, but Rouen wasn’t. Ever since I had killed Dominic, I had felt something tugging on that ancient part of me, a thin tendril of darkness, invisible and cold, whispering of a great evil. It was here. In Rouen, and it wanted the Abydos.

  I may be stronger, but I wasn’t strong enough. I needed to train, and I needed to surround myself with people who strengthened me, who cared about me. That was where I would find real power, through the people I loved. That unbreakable bond would serve me well.

  And so I left the mansion, a fire burning in my mind, my heart, and my soul. Wherever this new threat was hiding, I vowed to find and destroy it.

  This was just the beginning.

  A Shifter's Revenge

  A Rouen Urban Fantasy 3

  Love is friendship that has caught fire. It is quiet understanding, mutual confidence, sharing and forgiving. It is loyalty through good and bad times. It settles for less than perfection and makes allowances for human weaknesses.

  ~ Ann Landers

  Chapter 1

  The heel of her boot tasted like grass, dirt, and … I retched. Was that sewage? I growled, grabbed her foot, and twisted it off my face.

  “Where the hell has your boot been?” I rolled out of the way of Samira’s boot just as it came crashing down again. I jumped to my feet and tried to catch my breath.

  “The park. I chased down a young man into a bathroom. Their sewage pipes had backed up.” She swung her fists at me, one after another, but I was faster.

  “Since when did you switch teams?”

  She paused. “Teams?”

  I took advantag
e of her confusion and decked her hard. The force of it dropped her to the ground. “From vampires to humans. Don’t get me wrong. I’ve met some humans I’d bang, but I thought you were only into fangs. Actually, I can’t say what you’re into. Wait.” I furrowed my brow. “Are you a lesbian?”

  She came to her feet and brushed herself off. “My private life is none of your business.”

  “But I am your only friend, so that makes me your best friend. And best friends talk about their sex life.” The side of my lips twisted up. “Or lack thereof.”

  “We’re done training.” Her usual face, deadpan, didn’t betray any emotions. As usual.

  Other vampires weren’t like her. They showed emotion and still maintained some human mannerisms, but Samira had been “dead” for so long that those silly notions, as she called them, had long since left her.

  At first it was annoying, but now I saw it as a challenge - to remind her of her human side. Sure, she wore the thin-rimmed glasses that she said reminded her of being human, but they looked stupid more than anything else. Plus they hid her amazing blue eyes. I wonder what she’d do if I smashed them?

  Just as I thought it, she reached for the glasses hanging on a nearby tree and placed them on her face. “Why are you looking at me like that?”

  I shook my head as if to clear it. “Are we done because I kicked your ass?”

  She walked past me. “I recall my foot planted on your face three seconds longer than it should have. You hardly won.”

  “That’s only because I was trying to figure out why your boot sole tasted like ass.”

  I followed after her, matching her pace as we left the meadow behind and walked into the overgrown forest. For spring, the air was way too cool, but the full moon provided enough light that I barely felt its chilly nip.

  She eyed me sideways. “You need to take your training seriously.”

  “Here we go again.”

  “Being a Komira is not only a powerful calling, but a sacred one, too. You can either be a force for good or a force for evil.”

  “Can’t I just be a force?”

  She sighed loud and long, and I nudged her arm with my elbow. “You just sighed. That’s a human thing. Good job, Sammie.”

  “Bad things are coming. I can feel it. If you would learn to use your Komira gifts, you’d feel it too and start taking this training seriously.”

  It was my turn to sigh. “I am. Really. But you can mess around and still be serious. That’s your lesson for the day. Maybe with enough training, we can wedge that stick out of your ass.”

  Samira froze. “They’re starting.”

  I snapped my head toward Fire Ridge. “Already? I thought they were waiting until midnight. I better go. See you back at the house!”

  She grabbed hold of my arm before I could leave. “I have a stick up my ass for a reason.” My eyes glimmered at this revelation but before I could ask any questions, she continued, her face serious. “One that you would never wish to discover. Keep that in mind.” She glanced behind me. “Now hurry. You don’t want to be late.”

  I took off running toward Fire Ridge built in the middle of Beechwood Forest, my mind racing. Samira was a puzzle, one I intended to put together. As I got closer to the mansion, my focus shifted to the house before me. It was such a strange sight, a huge stone manor in the middle of nowhere. But strange could be intimidating and so Fire Ridge served its purpose. No humans ever came here if they could avoid it. Same with other shifters. Only Silver Claws were allowed to come and go.

  And I was practically top alpha there. I actually could’ve been Alpha, but then I’d have to slit my own throat. A leadership position was the last thing I wanted. Instead, I’d handed the position over to my uncle. He’d be perfect for the job. Fair, honest, and not power hungry.

  Everything Dominic wasn’t.

  Glad I killed the bastard.

  I ran out of the forest onto the expansive lawn behind Fire Ridge just as the ceremony began. Tall fires lined the pathway our future Alpha was to take, creating a wide trail with one final blazing fire in the end. The pack was divided on each side of the path. We were a huge pack now, and had several, more legitimate, businesses in the city. In the short time Vincent had been acting as Alpha, he’d made a huge difference. Music played from outside speakers, some instrumental song meant to inspire. I wondered if my uncle had chosen it. I would’ve chosen something more rock n’ roll.

  After scanning the group for Luke but coming up empty, I slid in next to Gerald near the front. He was on Fire Ridge’s security team and had become one of my good friends early on.

  He bumped my shoulder, smiling. “I didn’t think you were going to make it.”

  “What? And miss my—” I caught myself. No one except my close circle knew Vincent and I were related, and I wanted to keep it that way. “And miss this amazing ceremony?” I finished.

  “Vincent will make a good pack leader. You chose well, but I think you would’ve been better.”

  “Nah.” I shook my head. “If I was Alpha, we’d all be naked alcoholics within the first thirty days.”

  He grinned, showing two dimples and raised his eyebrows. “I could live with that.”

  I shoved him playfully. “Where’s Luke? Have you seen him?”

  He frowned and looked around. “He was here earlier.”

  I needed to speak with Luke as soon as possible. If only I could get him to listen to me. Ever since I’d killed Dominic four days ago, Luke hadn’t spoken to me. I’d tried texting him, but apparently he’d abandoned his phone at Fire Ridge and gone off the grid.

  I understood, though.

  He thought I’d killed Dominic without finding his brother, Jake. Dominic was the only one who knew where Jake was being held. Four years ago, Luke’s brother owed Dominic money he couldn’t pay back. When they tried to kill him, Luke made a deal with the devil. In return for working for Dominic, they let Jake live… as far as Luke knew.

  He hadn’t seen his brother in all that time, and it devastated him to think that Jake’s location disappeared with Dominic’s death.

  Stubborn ass.

  All he had to do was talk to me, and I’d tell him that I may be a bitch sometimes, but I wasn’t heartless.

  I was determined to corner him after the Alpha ceremony, something Luke was required to attend, and tell him what I knew. I fully planned on making him feel like the jackass he was for avoiding me for so long.

  The music stopped, and my uncle walked forward between the aisle of fires. He looked different now. His long dark jacket combined with a black button-up shirt and red tie made him look more regal. He had cut his hair. Now short and tidy, it made him seem bigger and taller. The expression of absolute determination on his face gave him an air of strength and self-confidence that exuded power.

  If anyone had doubted him as Alpha before, they wouldn’t now.

  He looked at me in passing and winked, his mask slipping a little for me. I smiled and nodded while I played with the raven ring on my finger. With him as Alpha, I’d have more time to find this mysterious shadowy creature Dominic had been worshipping. I agreed with Samira. Whoever it was had surely filled Dominic with ideas. He never seemed smart enough to come up with a plan to drug supernaturals and force them to do whatever he wanted.

  Just then, I caught a familiar scent. My body immediately responded and I wanted to rush towards it. Luke.

  Just the thought of him had every nerve ending in my body on fire. I turned to my left and met his hooded gaze. Just the sight of him had my stomach in knots. I’d had a few days to come to terms with my feelings for him, and I did not like what I’d discovered.

  I’d given up everything I’d ever worked towards, my whole life… for him. And even though Dominic ended up dead anyway, it wasn’t because I’d chosen it. Dominic would still be alive right now had he not attacked me. And that was some serious shit right there. My feelings ran deep, and I’d have to figure out what that meant.

  Luke
stared at me like I’d put a knife in his back and twisted it for good measure. I rolled my eyes and averted my gaze. I’d catch him later and tell him the news, something I gladly would’ve done had he not disappeared.

  “Silver Claws,” my uncle called, drawing my attention. His voice was full of authority and power. He stood upon the same wooden platform Dominic used to address us from. “I have been honored to be called as your Alpha. The last several months have been challenging. Our Alpha and his First betrayed the pack. They conspired to obtain drugs from the Nocturnas for the sole purpose of harming not only our kind, but all supernaturals. This gross misconduct had to be stopped. We have Briar to thank for doing just that.”

  A round of applause and cheers filled the air. I forced a smile and nodded to the group, wishing I could avoid the attention. They all thought I did this for them. I wondered what they would think if they knew the truth.

  For the next ten minutes, my uncle continued to talk to the pack, explaining new changes. We would continue on as we had, but no more unnecessary punishments of pack members or humans that didn’t pay their dues, which were going to be cut in half. In exchange for those dues, we were going to do what we actually promised—protect Rouen from outside forces. It’s what packs did, serve and protect humans. Relationships would be healed.

  There was only one relationship I wanted to fix.

  As soon as my uncle was done, I made a bee line for Luke. He saw me coming and turned away from me, walking swiftly towards the rows of parked cars. Determined to stop him, I called upon my wolf and sped forward. He didn’t even make it outside the yard before I jumped in front of him.

  “You’ve been avoiding me.”

  “I have to go.” He tried to push past me, but I grabbed onto his arm with a desperate grip, something I had never done before. I’d never trusted anyone as much as I was trusting him, practically throwing myself at him. If he didn’t listen to me now, I was either going to punch him in the face for making me beg or walk away and never look back.