First Awakening [Diablo Falls]

by Alexx Andria

  “I’ll take care of it.”

  “Good,” I chimed in, “Then you can keep your head.”

  Hawk smiled with uncertainty, not quite sure if I was joking. We climbed into the Rover and rumbled down the driveway, ready to put that entire nightmare behind us.

  I regarded Beckham with new eyes as he drove us back to town. My mate worked for the PCA. He got to travel around the world doing bad ass shit.

  How was I supposed to traipse off to college and pretend to care about human stuff when the real exciting things were nowhere near a classroom?

  A slow smile found my lips.

  “Hey honey, guess what?”

  Beckham regarded me with a half-smile, shaking his head, already knowing what I was going to say.

  “Train me to become a Paranormal Crimes Operative.”

  His grin broadened. “You want to become a Peeko?”

  “I think I was born for it.”

  Beckham chuckled, admitting, “You know what? I don’t think I can argue that when you single-handedly just saved my ass and solved my case. I’d say you’re a great candidate.”

  I beamed. Damn straight.

  PCO Lyric Johnson — sounded about perfect.

  Then, another great idea came to me. “You know what else sounds about perfect?”

  “Oh hell yes.” Beckham’s expression turned feral as he jerked the wheel to head in the direction of his motel, pressing the gas down harder.

  We had some serious pair bonding sex to catch up on.

  Starting…right…now.

  Beckham

  Six months later…

  As it turned out, I didn’t know shit about the beauty of a successful pair bonding. Since getting paired with Lyric, it’d been nothing but sunshine and butterflies and epic fucking sex.

  Nothing to complain about there.

  She made me laugh with her acerbic wit, she made me proud with her sharp mind and Lyric had already proven an adept student as a new Peeko.

  Oh, and of course, Roswald and Lotty adored her like the daughter they never had, which felt just about perfect.

  We decided it was best to level with her parents, even though we took a big risk in sharing her secret, because otherwise, she would’ve had to walk away from her life before the PCA and she hadn’t been willing to do that.

  Her parents were made of strong stuff, though. After the initial shockwave had passed, and Lyric was able to explain how she’d come into being, they didn’t care and still loved her the same.

  Like I said, they were good people.

  They even liked me, which made me a little awkward and socially clumsy because I wasn’t accustomed to people liking me for me.

  We discovered Lyric was indeed very special — a hybrid of the rarest order.

  Her mother, Serra, came from a shifter pack called Clan Janus. Roswald was able to make contact with their alpha, Teiran to get the information on Lyric’s mother.

  “I feel bad for my biological mother,” Lyric had said after meeting with Teiran and getting the full sad story. “She tried to fight the pair bond and lost. She was desperate to have something that wasn’t meant for her.”

  “We can break a lot of rules but not the ones coded in our DNA,” I said, shaking my head. “I’m sorry.”

  But we did learn that Clan Janus had suffered from low birth rates for generations due to a curse on their pack, which had only recently been broken thanks to their seer and the alpha’s Fated Mate, Cassandra.

  The witch had discovered an ancient prophecy that told of a wolf hybrid that if created during a certain ritual would grant the witch who consumed its essence, immortality.

  Belinda had been searching for the hybrid baby shifter since the day Serra had escaped from her stronghold. Serra, realizing her baby was in danger, found another witch to suppress Lyric’s true nature but the sudden emergence of me, her Fated Mate, unraveled the spell to kick start her late First Awakening.

  Sadly, Serra hadn’t survived Lyric’s birth, giving her last breath to her child as she delivered with one final push.

  Lyric was found by a human who didn’t realize Lyric was anything but a human baby born to what they assumed was a drug-addicted mother and put into the foster care system, where the Johnson family of Diablo Falls managed to snatch her up and raise her as their own.

  “Pretty amazing story, though,” I said, kissing her forehead. “I like to think that everything happened so that you could meet me and become my forever mate.”

  She rolled her eyes “That’s very man-centric of you” but rose up to seal her mouth to mine. My girl loved me. Even if she did still tease me about being an old man now and then.

  All this time I’d been frightened of the pair bond because of my parents’ disastrous pairing when I should’ve been paying more attention to the majority of bonds that worked rather than the outliers that failed.

  And now, I was the luckiest bastard on the planet with a kickass woman to call my own. Our kids were going to rule someday.

  But for now, we were just happy to discover each other, hunt the things that went bump in the night, and argue over pop culture (of which, I knew nothing and my girl was the queen).

  To be honest, I couldn’t imagine anything better.

  My life was pretty damn great — even if my girl did make me watch The Bachelorette with her.

  Newsletter Sign Up

  Are you interested in signing up for my newsletter? I promise to keep it interesting with fun tidbits, reading recs and personal pictures of my favorite ball of fur and claws: my Bengal kitty, Raiden!

  Click HERE to sign up!

  More Bite Club

  Need more Bite Club in your life? Check out these reads, too!

  First Blood by Kristen Strassel smarturl.it/FirstBloodBC

  First Class by Damon Kinney smarturl.it/FirstClassBC

  First Cursed by Fiona Starr smarturl.it/FirstCursedBC

  First Fae-Bear Baby by Charlie Hart smarturl.it/FirstFaeBearBabyBC

  First Fangs by Zara Zenia smarturl.it/FirstFangsBC

  First Hunt by Alexis Calder smarturl.it/FirstHuntBC

  First Instinct by Tamsin Ley smarturl.it/FirstInstinctBC

  First Shift by Rebel Raven smarturl.it/FirstShiftBC

  First Sight by Stephanie West smarturl.it/FirstSightBC

  First Taste by Laney Powell smarturl.it/FirstTasteBC

  First Witch-Bear Baby by Charlie Hart smarturl.it/FirstWitchBearBabyBC

  Join our reader’s group at https://www.facebook.com/groups/671242916651031

  Are you looking for more by USA Today bestselling author Alexx Andria? Check out the following titles (the titles are clickable for your convenience!)

  Her Hot Shot

  Sometimes the right time is now when a second chance drops into your lap.

  #holidayread #secondchanceromance #smalltown

  With This Ring

  She’s everything I never knew I needed — and she turned my life upside down.

  #weddingseason #billionaireromance #romcom

  Bad Decisions

  Five years ago I would’ve died for her — today she’s just a pawn in my game.

  #badboy #revenge #darkromance

  His Dahlia

  Up until yesterday, my fun-loving life was good. Until all hell broke loose.

  #flirtclub #oppositesattract #shortstory

  Mr. Champagne

  I don’t do love or commitment — but I want to do her.

  #billionaireromance #cabinromance #curves

  Forever His Girl

  I knew the moment I saw her — she was meant to be mine.

  #holidayread #flirtclub #secondchances #ireland

  Decadent

  It will be a cold day in hell before wine heiress Alessandra Baroni lets go of her family’s Tuscan vineyard.

  #harlequindare #billionaire #oppositesattract

  Dear Phoney Fiance (The Matchmaker Series)

  Cara Harris is smart, funny, insanely beautiful — and
not looking for anything remotely serious.

  #fakefiance #matchmaker #romcom

  Naughty St. Nicholas (Santa’s Coming Short Story)

  After tonight, I’m never ending up in the friend zone again.

  #holidayread #naughtyread #romance

  His Sexy Cheerleader (The Halloween Honeys)

  Can the quarterback catch the sexy cheerleader? Or will she leave him on the field?

  #sportsromance #novella #oppositesattract #redemption #holidayread

  *BUCHANAN ROMANCE

  *Bought By The Billionaire Brothers

  Three ridiculously wealthy men, one curvy woman and the fight to own her. Which one will win her heart?

  #billionaireromance

  *The Buchanan’s Baby

  Nolan Buchanan is used to getting what he wants, until the mother of his baby girl wants nothing to do with him. Can this billionaire convince his baby mama to take a chance on love? #billionaireromance

  *The Buchanan’s Redemption

  Vince Buchanan is all about the win — in business and in the bedroom — so when he’s forced to shelter a woman to protect his business interests, he never suspects he might fall for the difficult woman. Will he earn redemption or will he cling to old habits?

  #billionaireromance

  *A Christmas Promise

  Laird Teichert isn’t a gentle man but when he’s called upon to protect a broken woman, he finds himself wanting to be the man she needs. Can he change before it’s too late? Or will he lose the woman of his dreams forever…

  #billionaireromance

  *The Billionaire’s Sweet Surprise

  Vince Buchanan thought he had everything he needed in life…until his feisty little wife surprised him with the ultimate gift.

  Old demons from his past threaten his future happiness unless he can put them to rest but can he make the change in time? #billionaireromance

  *Coerced

  Nobody says no to Sutton Buchanan, except one curvy artist who doesn’t know any better.

  #billionaireromance

  *Pushed

  Reece Buchanan is a player and he’s good at what he does. Now he’s supposed to use that charm to bring down a woman holding up an essential investment.

  So what’s he supposed to do when he accidentally falls in love?

  It’s the woman or his family…what choice will he make? #billionaireromance

  *Damaged

  Some dreams refuse to die.

  Whitney Buchanan has it all – money, beauty, a hot guy she adores – until one night everything changes and she flees the country without a word to anyone.

  Charlie figures one chance per customer, and Whitney has had hers. No way he’ll allow his dignity and self-esteem to get trampled in the dirt a second time. He’s not willing to pay that price. He once dreamed that she might be The One; now he sees her as damaged goods. But, damaged or not, he still feels the pull every time she’s around.

  And, dammit, dreams die hard.

  #billionaireromance

  Leverage

  Boston Kincaid is ruthless, hard and filthy rich. He takes what he wants and gives zero f*cks. Until he meets Joanna.

  #billionaireromance

  Still Into You (Miles and Dani’s story) (Formerly Falling from Grace

  Dr. Miles Lassiter doesn’t want anything to do with a certain Hollywood starlet but when he’s the only who can save her…he finds himself torn.

  Will Miles lose his heart again or will he walk away forever from the woman he needs the most?

  #beachread

  Club Chrome series:

  Kings of Asphalt (MC romance)

  Two hard-bodied motorcycle club leaders and one curvy journalist looking for a story adds up to trouble of the most interesting kind!

  #MCromance #menage #badboy

  All Dogs Bite (MC romance)

  Some bad boys can’t be tamed…or can they?

  A curvy graphic artist and a motorcycle club leader with a nose for trouble team up in an unlikely duo that’s sexy, dirty and fun!

  But when things get serious…will the bad boy run or become the hero she needs?

  #MCromance #badboy

  Up In Flames (MC romance)

  Redemption is a dish best served spicy hot! Pyro is no hero, at least that’s what he tells himself but when he finds himself standing between certain death and a woman from his past…he can’t walk away.

  Even if it costs him his life.

  #MCromance #badboy

  *The Awakening series (Parts 1-6)

  Who will protect her and the baby when someone wants her dead?

  #paranormal romance #shifters #werewolves

  *One Naughty Girl series (Parts 1-5)

  Bored housewife turned secret sex spy? Of course!

  #erotica #lotsofsex #humor

  Against The Wall

  This hard-assed cop is willing to do anything to catch the man…even use a beautiful woman’s need to protect her brother.

  Caged

  Damon McAvoy is no hero but when he inadvertently finds himself protecting a woman who’s nothing but trouble…he gets way more than he bargained for.

  #badboy #cagefighter

  The Hitman and the Heiress

  What happens when a hardened hitman falls for his target?

  #romcom #badboy #hitman

  Temporary

  A broken billionaire with a heart of stone paid a waitress for one night of anything goes…but can one night change everything? #billionaireromance #angst #HEA

  Play Me

  Three best friends.

  Three musicians.

  Three stories bound by the hottest band in history.

  #rockstar #hotread #badboys

  His Gin and Juice

  To most, Kennedy Shae is all sass and curves as one of the cocktail girls at the infamous Little Black Dress bar in Sin City but from the minute billionaire Lars James sets eyes on the sexy brunette, he knows there's more to her than meets the eye and he has to know more!

  #vegas #hotread #novella #BBW #billionairebadboy

  The Marriage Clause

  Katherine Oliver is not interested in getting married. The only problem is, she can’t keep her hands off gorgeous billionaire Luca Donato, who wants to put a ring on it! So she puts Luca to the test in an X-rated battle of wits—to persuade herself that their nights of passion can turn into something more!

  #billionaireromance #HEA #HarlequineDare

  Beddable Billionaire

  Journalist Lauren Hughes needs her job. And if that means writing a feature on Nico Donato—billionaire playboy and primo fantasy material for every straight woman with a pulse—so be it. All she has to do is not be charmed by him. Or tempted. Or invite this sexy, too-hot-to-be-true man into her real world…especially when he has the power to destroy it.

  #billionaireromance #HEA #HarlequineDare

  Blood Moon Rising, The Omnibus

  In an alternate world where creatures exist within the human world, a prophecy is building that will change everything.

  One reluctant hero and one desperate woman are all that stands between the world’s destruction and the extinction of the human race.

  #urbanfantasy #paranormal #romance

  About the Author

  Alexx Andria writes romantic suspense and contemporary romance with the hottest heroes and their feisty ladies, working toward their Happily-Ever-After.

  “Books are magic.”