After The Moon Sets 2 (Werewolf Paranormal Romance)
Page 1
After The Moon Sets 2
By
Reba Taylor
Contents
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Angels Excerpt By Reba Taylor
Chapter 1
Aiden looked at me with the most pleading eyes. It was a look that made me want to stay with him. I was falling for him and this was something I had little to no experience with - loving anyone. I am a hunter, this is the life I’ve built for myself and I loved what I do. However, it seemed that my one night with Aiden was changing everything. I never had a strong hatred for Werewolves, but now my view on everything was beginning to change. I picked myself off my knees and turned away from him. I couldn’t face Aiden, I knew that I would fold if I did.
“Hanah please,” He pleaded once more. I didn’t answer him.
I had to do this, I had to get my vengeance. I would never live a normal life—whatever normal meant these days. I’ve never dreamt of having anything until I my night with Aiden. Strong enough to take my first steps into the city, I left Aiden where he stood with his pack and hailed a nearby cab on Jefferson Street. The cab pulled over quickly, noticing not only a woman soaked in a gown with no shoes, but he also noticed Aiden across the street. Everyone knew that Vampires and Werewolves lived on the now forbidden Island, and the driver immediately assumed I was in distress.
“Get in!” The driver shouted, opening the door. Trembling from the cold winter air, I climbed in and shut the door. Before the driver pulled off, I noticed something strange.
Aiden remained at the treaty line, watching me.
He looked as if he were contemplating whether or not to break the rules and casually cross treaty lines. If he did, Aiden and his pack could face immediate termination. I wanted to climb out of the cab and scream for him not to make a mistake that could cost him his life, but I couldn’t. The driver drove off immediately, giving me the freedom to seek out my vengeance against Lumar, the one thing that I desired. As much as I wanted my vengeance, Aiden’s safety was very important to me.
I had the driver drop me off at Magna Security, where the day shift was just beginning. I walked in, alarming everyone with my appearance and walked over to the receptionist desk in the main lobby.
“The driver needs cash.” I said, while continuing to shiver. I knew that Julian was still here; he usually remained after his shift for a debriefing with the Counsel.
The Counsel is comprised of men from all over the world and, typically, they know just about everything before it happens. The Counsel holds strict ties to the US Government, but I never fully understood the politics’ of the Agency. I never cared about the politics, my only interest was in vengeance against all Vampires.
Lumar’s smugness and confidence in killing my parents disturbed me even more as I thought about it. This also brought me to one conclusion. Julian knew who killed my parents and never told me about it.
How dare he?
If this was a protection method, then it was a stupid decision on his part. I demanded confrontation, and I didn’t care if it was in front of the elders. Storming up the stairs, I knew immediately that the receptionist had alerted the council members that I was on my way. The meeting had immediately adjourned and security guards were waiting for me.
“Hanah, you can’t be up here,” one of the guards warned, but I didn’t listen. I continued to approach the meeting room. Julian sat at the long table, starting through the glass at me. He didn’t seem frazzled at all by my appearance; he looked as if he were expecting me. Julian stared at me with a knowing look. Did he knew that I finally knew who had killed my parents?
As I made my way into the office, the guard did the unthinkable. He placed his hand roughly over my shoulder, perhaps to stop me.
That was a very big mistake.
My reaction was instantaneous, tossing him effortlessly over my shoulder. The guard landed on his back while I continued to keep my grip on his arm, twisting until I dislocated his shoulder. The guard yelled in pain and his assistants began to draw their weapons.
“Go ahead,” I warned, “You’ll be dead before you can blink.” The guards kept their weapons drawn, but I could see the fear in their eyes.
These men were nothing more than normal human citizens, working as security. They had no special training on how to defend themselves, especially with a hunter. I had no fear of guns, or other weapons built by man.
I was the ultimate weapon.
Trained to kill Vampires, frivolous human weapons meant nothing to me. I could dodge those bullets as they pulled the trigger. I wanted to laugh at their typical human reactions, but I also knew that they were afraid of me.
When you are a Hunter, you quickly begin to lose you human instincts and it’s all for the cause of defeating your opponent. You cannot let these creatures know that you are weak, they prey on human weakness.
“That’s enough Hanah.” Julian demanded. He was standing outside the doorway, holding up his hand to the guards. They immediately withdrew their weapons and approached the guard as I released him, helping the man to his feet.
“Get this idiot to a hospital. How many times do I have to warn you about approaching hunters?” Julian scolded. Julian looked up to me, motioning with his finger for me to enter. I stormed inside, slamming the door behind me.
“You knew didn’t you?” I snarled. The betrayal I felt was beyond comprehension. Julian didn’t answer. He walked over to the table and began cleaning his files.
“I want an answer now!” I yelled. Julian looked up at me with a heavy frown.
“Is this the reason why you’ve come here drenched in a filthy gown?” He asked. I stormed over to him, slapping the files out of his hand.
“You knew all this time it was Lumar and you said nothing!” Julian gripped me roughly by my shoulders and shook me.
“I had no choice Hanah. I had to keep this from you. If I would have told you the truth, you would have went after him.”
“Did you know that he’s been coveting me my entire life?” Julian looked away from me.
“Yes, we were aware of this,” his admission only fueled my anger.
“Why send me to him now? This doesn’t make any sense.”
“Because you are strong enough to defeat him. Before, you weren’t ready. I wasn’t going to risk your safety while you were on your quest for vengeance. Do you have any idea how dangerous this is?” His explanation should have satisfied me, but it didn’t. The fact that he had hid this from me for so long felt like the ultimate betrayal.
“How about we have a discussion about your appearance. Why are you dressed in a gown?” Julian was expecting the worse. I snatched myself away from his grasp and started to leave. I didn’t want to explain my night with Aiden. Though I knew he had a feeling that I was under Lumar’s spell, I still did not want to explain my connection to Aiden. Julian followed me out of the office catching me at the elevator.
“He got to you didn’t he?” Julian asked “That’s it, I’m pulling you off the case.” I shook my head. I don’t normally decline him, but I certainly wasn’t going to let him stop me from getting the one thing that I wanted more than anything.
“Sorry Julian, but your orders won’t stop me. I’m going to kill Lumar and there’s nothing you can do about it,” I declared as the elevator doors open. Julian placed his hands between the doors to prevent them from closing.
“You have no idea what you are dealing with Hanah. This was my reason for pairing you with Aiden. Listen to me Hanah, you can’t….” I didn’t let him finish. I pushed his hand away and the doors began to shut immediately.
Julian wasn’t going to stop me from getting my revenge and the fact that he didn’t send anyone after me proved that he wasn’t going to fight me on this.
Chapter 2
Going straight home, I quickly showered and changed into some appropriate clothing. Logging into the archives from my laptop, I quickly realized that I now only held restricted access. I slapped my laptop shut in defeat.
“Damn you Julian,” I muttered aloud. He removed my access to the archives, limiting my research on Lumar. No problem, I’ll just have to get the information on my own. I’ll just have to break into the archives myself to access the information I need.
There was one thing I knew for sure in this life; nothing lives forever. Lumar couldn’t be killed traditionally, so I would have to find other measures to succeed in slaying the Vampire Prince. A Vampire’s strength did improve with age, but I’d never encountered a Vampire this powerful.
*********
Walking out of my high rise apartment building, I could immediately sense that I was being watched. Julian had his spies tracking my every move, but I had my own ways of ditching them. I was a hunter of a higher caliber, and it would take another hunter with my skill just to keep up with me. These men were nothing more than boys in training.
Jogging into the heart of Downtown Detroit, it was very easy to lose them through the dark allies and tall buildings. I couldn’t take my car; knowing that I could be easily tracked. Pulling my hoodie over my head, I checked my back pocket for cash and loaded the city bus, the last place they would expect to find me.
I had to get to the archives. I was absolutely desperate for answers and I knew the only way I could get them was through the archives.
The archives consisted of an infinite database full of information about the paranormal. No human being would ever be able to obtain all of the information in their lifetime, the database was just that large. I knew there was information about him, there’s no way a Vampire that old and powerful could slip so easily through the cracks.
There was something off about Julian when Lumar was mentioned. He seemed almost afraid of Lumar, a fear that I’ve never seen in Julian. He was a man who was constantly threatened by monsters and creatures that would occupy many people’s worst nightmares. Yet I had never seen him bow or back down from anyone. Lumar must be something of importance to spark fear in the counsel.
The deeper question was why Lumar coveted me enough to kill my parents. This, I would never understand and judging from Lumar’s declaration, he definitely felt no remorse for his actions that changed my life forever.
Who was this powerful Vampire? I had no clue, but I was going to find out very soon. The city bus rides directly into Midtown Square, the home of Wayne State University, and also the archives. Hidden in the Undergraduate Library, the number one unsuspecting location for humans. However, the archives were also highly protected. I was going to have to do the inevitable; I would have to fight my way inside.
Disarming security would give me at least five minutes to steal the information I needed. The only problem was that it would not be easy locating the information I needed through the archives. With a database that large, I could easily get lost looking through the database and I knew that Julian was just waiting for me to make a mistake.
Remaining inconspicuous as I entered the library, I quickly made my way to the exit stairs and snuck down to the basement. Now that my access to the archives was restricted, I would have to use other measures to gain entrance. I pulled a flash drive from my pocket and held it up to the camera, pulling off my hoodie.
“You no longer have access.” The operator spoke from the intercom.
“I am aware of that. I have information to deliver, per Captain Julian’s orders.” There was a long pause, and then doors opened and a security guard stepped out with his hand placed cautiously over his weapon.
Hunters were never to be trusted and there was a reason why. I did not waste any time. Catching his hand before he could draw his weapon, I twisted his arm, lifting him roughly over my shoulder. He landed hard on his back with his arm still in my grasp. The guard yelped in pain and I quickly pulled out a syringe from my back pocket, injecting him with a powerful horse tranquilizer. The guard fell unconscious within seconds of the injection. He would wake up hours later with a pounding headache - that is if he woke up at all.
The tranquilizer was meant for werewolves and vampires. It was too strong for humans and this could possibly kill him, but it was all that I had and I was desperate to know what was going on around me. Julian was keeping a secret from me, I was more connected to Lumar than just through the murder of my parents. Lumar confessed that he had murdered my parents in defense to keep me with him, but there must be other reasons.
Chapter 3
Hurrying to the security guards nearby archiving station, I was able to quickly pull up Lumar’s files. Thank goodness the security guard did not follow protocol by signing out once he had left his station.
Within two minutes the alarms began to sound off. While the students above would pass it off as a fire alarm, I knew that the alarm was meant for me, a breech in security. Inserting the flash drive, I downloaded as much information as I could before the system shut down. I had to get out of there quickly before Julian’s minions caught up with me and destroyed my flash drive.
Sneaking back up to the exit, I pulled up my hoodie and proceeded to blend in with the rest of the group. I needed to pull the information off my flash drive, but I knew that I couldn’t return home. Now that I had breached security, I was officially a wanted woman. Returning to the Agency would make it grounds for immediate arrest. I needed to find a secure computer.
As I walked into the street to hail a taxi, my cellphone began to ring. It was Julian; he was mostly likely going to try to coax me into turning myself in, something that was never going to happen, not until I’ve gotten my vengeance. Julian can do whatever he wanted with me after that.
“Whatever you are going to say Julian, it’s not going to work,” I warned him.
“You are making a big mistake Hanah,” he pleaded with me, “please come back to the agency so that we can at least talk. This is bigger than you think, ple-” I hung up the phone. Giving him more than sixty seconds would give him my approximate location. Tossing the phone in a nearby trash can, I walked the streets of Midtown cautiously, thinking of a way to pull the information without the Agency locating me.
Freezing in the cold Michigan weather, and out of options, I stopped in a local cyber café, making a small purchase in order to use one of the computer stations. My access would be limited to no more than five minutes now that I was on the Agency’s most wanted criminals, I would now have to live my life under the radar.
“You shouldn’t have gone through so much trouble to gather information on me, I would have given you whatever you wanted. All you had to do was ask dear,” Lumar’s voice echoed from the computer station across from me and he looked over with a wide warm smile. I gasped, my face filled with anger, wanting to attack him immediately.
“What the hell are you doing here?” I grumbled quietly. I couldn’t alarm the humans that a Vampire was sitting causally in the café, it would spark pandemonium. My fingers ran over the pen knife in my pocket, but it would have done nothing against this powerful vampire.
“You know why I’m here Hanah. I’m here for you.” He answered. I slowly stepped away from the computer station, luring Lumar outside of the café to speak privately with him. Obviously, he had no care or interest in the rules, which explained why he ignored the human law against Vampires casually roaming the streets.
“I have nothing to say to you,” I warned him.
“Take as much time as you need Hanah, eternity is a very long time a
nd I’m a very patient man.”
“You aren’t a man, you’re a monster.” I reminded him. Lumar smiled and pulled off his coat, holding it out to me.
“It’s very cold out, you will catch a cold. You are still human after all. For now.” I took a step away from him, holding up my hand cautiously to decline his offer.
“No thank you.” I said to him. Lumar sighed and placed the coat over his arm. Vampires and Werewolves were not subjected to weather conditions.
“What do you want from me?” I asked him, “I certainly hope you don’t really believe that I would forgive you for killing my parents. You’re not that insane are you?” Lumar smiled again.
“I’ve been called many names, insane makes up about number two on my list.” He joked.
“This isn’t funny. You stole my life from me.”
“Your parents tried to take you from me. You have no clue what’s going on here. You were promised to me Hanah.”
“Now, I’m going to be the one making promise. And I promise I will kill you. You’d better get out of here before the hunters spot you. I want this glory all to myself,” I spoke with a threatening tone. Lumar did not seemed bothered by it at all. He smiled and bowed his head.
“See you soon,” He promised, vanishing so quickly that my eyes could not process the movements.
There was only one person that I knew I could turn to, but that would also put him in imminent danger. He was a dear friend of mine and I cherished him dearly, but I had nowhere else to turn.
Chapter 4
His name is Connor, a private weapons designer for the Agency. He has no ties as a member of the Agency, he only provides freelance designs privately and exclusively in exchange for cash and anonymity. Connor has always held strong intimate feelings for me, but I’ve never shown any interest in him other than his expertise in designing some of the best weaponry I’ve ever seen.