Cimmerian Shade: A Limited Edition Paranormal Romance & Urban Fantasy Collection

by Kiki Howell

  “Do you think that’s a good idea?” Lucas asked. “If it backfires, he could take her from us permanently or...”

  “This will work. I know it will,” Tysen said with a quick nod of his head.

  “You’re exhausted,” Lucas whispered. “Lay down and take a nap. I’ll guard the house.”

  “I’m fine. I don’t need...”

  “Tysen, you may be Alpha, but we aren’t stupid or blind. Lay down with her and go to sleep. I’ll keep the house safe while you’re sleeping.”

  Lucas stood and walked away, whispering to the other guys who then moved away from us as well.

  “He’s talked more this week than in the past two years,” Tysen whispered as he lay down beside me, his head resting on my chest. “I’ve always said that you were good for this pack. Now I know it.”

  Chapter Six

  “BELENETH, I SUMMON thee,” Tysen growled while standing over my body.

  “Will this work?” Marco whispered.

  “It’s better than staring at her motionless body all day,” Lucas growled.

  All of them looked drained and exhausted. Was my connection to them and the issue with my soul causing them pain?

  “Although I normally wouldn’t allow myself to be summoned in such a crude manner, it is a much more filling meal when I’m close to you and your despair,” Beleneth said with a smirk as he appeared next to me.

  It was too bad that my hands and fingers wouldn’t work so that I could flip him off.

  “I want to make a deal with you,” Tysen said.

  No! Tysen, don’t do it!

  “Oh?” Beleneth asked with raised eyebrows. “I’m listening.”

  “I will get you the Sword of Trine, if you release your spell and void the contract,” Tysen said and folded his arms across his chest.

  “The Sword of Trine? The one Loki has possession of?” Beleneth asked.

  “Yes.”

  “How do you expect to pull that off?” Beleneth asked with a scoff and folded his arms across his chest.

  “Is it a deal or not?” Tysen demanded instead of answering his question.

  “Fine. I will return here in two days and if you have the sword, I will release her from my spell as well as void the contract and never see you again.”

  Tysen held out his hand and Beleneth shook it. Beleneth laughed maniacally and then disappeared.

  “Two days?” Lucas growled.

  “It makes it less suspicious to agree to that timeframe than to say give me ten minutes,” Tysen explained. “He would know something was up if we wanted to do it now.”

  Lucas growled again and went out into the backyard. I wanted to go talk to him. I was really tired of being frozen. What if it didn’t work? What if they couldn’t convince him to free me? He was a demon after all. He could just kill me at any moment.

  “Jess?” Tysen asked and turned back to me with furrowed brows.

  “What’s going on?” Marco asked.

  “Her heart rate increased,” Tysen explained. He knelt down, his jaw covered in hair since he had not been shaving, and rested his hand on the center of my chest.

  Worrying about the outcome had made my heart race. With Tysen touching me, I was able to calm down and soon my heart was beating at the appropriate rhythm. Tysen exhaled and placed a light kiss on my forehead.

  “You’re bad for my heart,” Tysen whispered in my ear with a smirk.

  If I got out of this, I would do whatever he asked. If he wanted me to quit my job and stay home, I would. I just wanted to cuddle with him and play with the pack again.

  “Did he take the bait?” Loki asked, appearing beside us.

  “Yes. He said he would be back in two days,” Tysen explained.

  “She’s doing worse,” Loki commented.

  “What?” Tysen asked.

  Loki squatted down and reached towards me. Tysen growled at him, but Loki ignored him and touched my forehead. “Calm down, Jess,” Loki ordered me. “You’re stressing yourself out and it’s making your body react. I promised your mate that I would help and I swear to you that I will do all that I can to help you return to your normal self. Okay? So, relax and stop thinking about the worst outcomes.”

  His words were reassuring and he was a God, so I obeyed him.

  “Good girl,” he praised and stood back up.

  “Is she okay?” Ben asked. He had decided to stay here for a few weeks and once he saw what had happened to me, he decided to stay at the house to help protect me.

  “Yes, for now,” Loki replied.

  “The sword, did you bring it?” Marco asked.

  Loki set a long item wrapped in a burgundy cloth on the coffee table. “As promised. Please, remember not to touch it.”

  “What happens if we touch it?” Ben asked.

  Loki smirked. “I will leave that surprise for when the Demon takes it.”

  None of this sounded like a good idea. There was so much that could go wrong. I was helpless to do anything. I couldn’t even give them my advice.

  “How do we contact you once he takes the sword?” Tysen asked Loki.

  “You won’t need to contact me. I will know as soon as he touches it and come to collect it.” Loki turned to me and said, “It’s been awhile since a human has caused so much trouble for a werewolf pack. I can tell that you all care for her though.”

  “We do,” Ben agreed.

  Loki nodded his head and sat next to me.

  “What are you doing?” Tysen asked, his lip slightly curled at the edge in an snarl.

  “I swear I won’t harm her. I just want to check on something.” Loki placed his fingers on my temples and warmth spread from them into my head.

  “Can you speak?” Loki asked.

  Not out loud.

  “I see. So, you are able to see everything that is going on, but can’t move?”

  Yes. It is incredibly annoying and frustrating to have to just lie here awake for a week. I thought I might be able to communicate through the mate bond, but it does not seem to be working.

  “Is she in pain?” Tysen asked and squatted by me.

  Loki looked at me and waited for my response.

  No.

  “No,” he said to Tysen, relaying my reply.

  Can you tell Tysen, um, I love him and to be careful.

  “Tysen, she wants you to be careful and wanted me to remind you that she loves you.”

  Thank you.

  “You are quite welcome. I also have a present for you.” Loki cupped his hands together, green light filled them, and then when he pulled them apart, he held a small necklace with a green gem. He tied it around my neck. “This will provide you protection from a myriad of things. I’d recommend not taking it off. As a human mated to a werewolf, there will be a few people who try to come after you. Especially since you have discovered that you are an Omega.”

  “That’s really generous,” Tysen thanked him.

  “How do you know about Omegas? What do you know about Omegas?” Lucas asked.

  “Omegas used to be very common,” Loki informed everyone. “They were hunted down by the packs with more malicious intents to keep from being calmed down by them. I would keep a very close eye on her once she returns to being fully functional.”

  “Just because they can calm others down, they killed them?” Kevin asked softly in disbelief.

  “Omegas don’t just calm them down, they remove the malicious intent from them. Yes, they can get the intent back quickly, but it greatly hinders their attacking power. I once witnessed an entire pack killed by an Omega’s mate since his intent was not murderous, but to protect the mate he loved.”

  Wow. It almost made me sound like I might be a bad ass.

  “Is there anything else you can tell us about Omegas? Or about her being a human and an Omega?” Lucas asked.

  Loki shook his head. “She’s the first human Omega I have ever encountered or heard of.”

  “Thank you,” Tysen said with a furrowed brow as he too
k in everything that Loki had said.

  “I need to go now. I’ll return once he takes the sword,” Loki informed us and then disappeared.

  “You think it is a good idea to accept gifts from the Trickster?” Ben asked.

  Tysen sighed. “No idea, but we will just keep an eye on her.”

  “Not like we already aren’t,” Marco said with a soft laugh.

  TWO DAYS PASSED BY slower than molasses defrosting in the middle of winter. Being frozen was beyond boring and not being able to communicate with Tysen or the rest of the pack made it worse. If I could have just talked to Tysen while frozen, it would have made the days go by so much easier.

  Finally, Beleneth showed up. He was in his demon form and looked as terrifying as I remembered him being from the cave. “So, where is it?” he asked as he looked around at the pack with smoldering red eyes that looked to be made from Hellfire.

  The entire pack had shown up to provide support and back up if needed. They were stationed around me in the living room so that they could leap in at any moment to protect me.

  Tysen was tired and could barely move around. He drew on the energy from his pack to appear fully functional as he faced Beleneth. “Right here,” he said and indicated the wrapped sword, which was still sitting on the coffee table.

  Beleneth unwrapped it and chuckled. “I don’t know how you did it, but this just made my decade.”

  “Release Jess,” Tysen ordered him.

  Beleneth snapped his fingers and warmth filled my core. Slowly feeling came back to my body and I was able to sit up. Tysen rushed to me and hugged me tightly.

  “Is she released from the contract?” Lucas asked.

  Beleneth nodded. “Yes.” He picked up the sword by the hilt and laughed maniacally while holding it up in the air. “With this, I will be able to destroy all of the other demon rulers and...”

  His body froze mid-sentence.

  “What?” I asked.

  “No!” Beleneth screamed as the sword spread a white mist from the blade down around his hand, arm, and the rest of his body. His scream turned into one of pain as the mist began to burn him alive. Hissing, popping, and bubbling became the only sounds until Beleneth disappeared and the sword fell to the ground with a loud clang.

  “Do not touch the sword!” Tysen ordered the pack.

  “Like we would after seeing that!” Ben scoffed.

  “Seems that our plan worked,” Loki commented and picked up the sword. He tilted it and smiled as he looked at the blade.

  “Yes, thank you.”

  “What happened to him?” I asked Loki.

  Loki turned and smiled at me. “It’s nice to see you alive and moving, Jess. To answer your question, he is now stored within the blade. Every being that is sucked up into the blade gives it more power. I have collected over a thousand beings, but it has been a long time since I was able to find a demon to add to the collection.”

  “Wow,” I whispered. No wonder he had agreed to help us. Not only did he help us, but we helped him become more powerful. I hoped that was something we would not regret later.

  “Thank you, again, for your help, Loki. We wouldn’t have been able to get her without you,” Tysen whispered.

  “I may be the Trickster, but I am married and understand loving your mate,” he replied. “Take care of this pack, Jess. They will need your help in the years to come.”

  “I will try to keep them in line,” I promised and hugged Tysen.

  Loki disappeared and the entire pack rushed to me. Tysen let them all take turns hugging me and then stole me back to give me a long kiss. He smoothed my hair back and rested his forehead against mine. “I’m so glad you’re back.”

  “Next time you want to save us, try to avoid making deals with demons,” Ben said with a smirk.

  Everyone laughed and I smiled wide as I replied, “I’ll keep that in mind.” I looked around the room at the group of men I considered my family and knew this was where I belonged.

  “You know what this night needs?” Tysen asked.

  “Pizza!” everyone yelled in unison.

  The pack gathered around and squished me into a group hug. The love they all felt for me filtered through the mate bond and I knew in that instant what it meant to be loved. I smiled wide and said, “It’s good to be home.”

  About the Author

  CATHERINE BANKS IS the author of the Artemis Lupine Series, Pirate Princess, Daughter of Lions, and many more. She began writing fiction stories when she was only four years old and finished her first full length novel at the age of fifteen. She is married to her soulmate and best friend, Avery, who she has two amazing children with. After her full-time job, she reads books, plays video games, and watches a lot of anime shows and movies with her family to relax.

  Where to Find More of Catherine Banks

  http://www.CatherineBanks.com

  http://www.Facebook.com/CatherineBanksAuthor

  https://www.bookbub.com/authors/catherine-banks-eb3fe1ef-b74d-452c-b1bf-a037f1500a37

  Backlist:

  Demonic Contract

  Lady Serra and the Draconian

  Bitten, Beaten, & Loved

  Pirate Princess

  Daughter of Lions

  Artemis Lupine The Complete Series

  Mercenary

  Protector

  Taste of Darkness

  A Vampire Paranormal Romance

  Catherine Vale

  Copyright © 2017, Growling Romance

  Taste of Darkness

  Natalya should have known better than to watch the handsome fisherman from the shadows, but she found herself drawn to him, night after night. If she had only stayed away from him, he would not be facing the darkness that will now haunt him for eternity. But she couldn’t stay away, and now it’s too late; he’s been turned into an abomination, a creature that will never again be free.

  Natalya is all that Caine has left. He just doesn’t know it yet.

  Natalya knows better than anyone what it’s like to have her world ripped out from under her, forced into the darkness, never to walk in the sun again. It wasn’t long ago when she was turned into a blood-sucking vamp, a ruthless killer. So when she finds herself to blame for an innocent human being turned, she knows that it’s up to her to save his life. But when Caine awakens to discover what he has become, will he ever be able to find his place in a world, where he just doesn’t fit in? And can he learn to forgive Natalya long enough to fight alongside her?

  When a merciless pack of werewolves scent the newly created vamp, they will stop at nothing to destroy him, and everything he loves. Caine must learn to embrace his darkness, if he wishes to survive.

  Chapter One

  NATALYA STOOD AT the edge of the dark forest, the shadows shrouding her, silently watching the man sitting by the edge of the lake. He sat quietly, with his knees drawn tightly to his chest, hands clasped around his legs. Silver moonlight gilded his handsome face, and she followed its ghostly trail with her eyes, as it traced over his high cheekbones, full lips, and strong, chiseled jaw.

  She knew the contours of his face almost as well as she did her own—but then, she should; she’d been watching him for weeks. Her discovery of him had been quite an accident really; the prey she’d been chasing had taken refuge in these very woods, and she’d made her kill here. Threading her way back through the darkness beneath the trees, deliciously sated with a bellyful of warm blood, she’d spotted him, sitting just as he was now. She’d stopped short, mesmerized not only by his beauty, but by his calm and peaceful expression. There was something about his expression that made her stop, strangely compelled to watch him, wanting to know what was going on inside the man’s mind, what could possibly possess him to sit by this lake in the dark, staring across the water, so deep in thought, so lost in the darkness.

  Biting her lip, she considered, not for the first time, stepping out of the shadows of the forest, and crossing the small clearing that separated them. That first night, she’d
hung back, fearful and unsure. Her face and clothing had been stained with the blood of her kill, and that was certainly no way to make an introduction.

  But now the situation was reversed. This night she hadn’t fed, and the heady scent of his blood on the wind was almost too much for her to resist. Her feet moved almost automatically, carrying her forward, toward him, closer to his intoxicating scent. She closed her eyes, willing herself to remain in the shadows, to stay away from him. He’d done nothing wrong, he was an innocent mortal, undeserving of any harm. Judging by the way he sat quietly, night after night, lost in a sea of memories or perhaps tormented by the past; he was likely suffering enough through life. And she didn’t prey on innocent, suffering humans. Ever.

  “What the hell are you doing, Natalya?”

  Natalya whirled around, biting back a gasp. Gabriel, a member of her Seethe, stood scant inches away, his face wreathed in shadows. Her dark hair swirled across her face, and she brushed it away, not wanting to take her eyes from him. She didn’t trust him whatsoever.

  Suddenly, she felt sick with fear, as Gabriel’s deep blue eyes slowly drifted from her face, to the man at the lake, suddenly burning deep red with bloodlust, with the need to feed. And it was clear his target was the man sitting by the lake.

  “I’m surprised at you. So close to a kill, yet you hesitate? Why? Don’t you like men anymore?” His voice carried on the wind, a bare whisper, but laden with such overt sexuality that it made her skin crawl. He was angry, but it was more than that – he was jealous.

  No matter how Gabriel tried to tempt her with his handsome looks, his honeyed words, or his promise of undying love, she had only to look into those cold eyes, to see him for what he truly was—a soulless, unmerciful monster, the kind that gave vampires a bad name. He had been in love with her for many years, but she would never lower herself to the likes of this cold-hearted bastard.

  “What business is it of yours?” Natalya lifted her chin, struggling to keep her voice steady. He’d pounce on any sign of weakness—such was how the strong preyed on the weak, and as an older and more experienced vampire, Gabriel was many times stronger than she could ever hope to be.