High-Country Shifters 1
Animal Passions
While hiking in the Colorado mountains, actress Lara Pennington stumbles through an alignment point into the alternate reality of Anterra where she is met by two huge, hunky men, Taryn and Kellum.
Within minutes, wolves attack them, and she is shocked and alarmed when her men shift into lions and save her from the snarling pack. Worse yet, she’s unable to go back right away. Her sympathy for their life-threatening injuries forces her to overcome her fears and help them. In doing so, she gets to know the loving nature of these noble men and forms a bond she suspects she can never break.
The shifters fall in love with her unselfishness and adventurous nature. How will they make her their mate? How can she accept the dangerous nature of their lives while giving up a lucrative career at home?
Genre: Ménage a Trois/Quatre, Paranormal, Shape-shifter
Length: 54,873 words
ANIMAL PASSIONS
High-Country Shifters 1
Melody Snow Monroe
MENAGE EVERLASTING
Siren Publishing, Inc.
www.SirenPublishing.com
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A SIREN PUBLISHING BOOK
IMPRINT: Ménage Everlasting
ANIMAL PASSIONS
Copyright © 2012 by Melody Snow Monroe
E-book ISBN: 978-1-62241-253-2
First E-book Publication: October 2012
Cover design by Harris Channing
All art and logo copyright © 2012 by Siren Publishing, Inc.
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www.SirenPublishing.com
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DEDICATION
To my wonderful readers who’ve given me guidance into the world of shifters. Thank you!
ANIMAL PASSIONS
High-Country Shifters 1
MELODY SNOW MONROE
Copyright © 2012
Chapter One
“Amy really told you there were ghosts, psychics, and shape-shifters in Spirit?” Lara Pennington leaned her head back in her newly purchased convertible and closed her eyes for a moment to enjoy the air blasting across her face. When her best friend, Krista Newman, offered to be the chauffeur, she jumped at the chance to let someone else experience the grind of driving.
“Other than the psychics, she never said she actually saw any ghosts or shape-shifters. That’s just the local lore.”
She, Amy, and Kristen had gone to school together in Denver. Four years ago, Amy moved to Spirit and Lara went to Europe to get her start in movies. Now she was back for a few months before returning. “I never knew Amy was into New Age topics. Maybe that’s what happens when a person moves to southern Colorado.” She laughed.
Krista glanced over at her. “You my dear, shouldn’t talk about people changing.”
“I admit that at one time I dreamed of getting my PhD in archaeology, but then life changed.” Now, she was on her way to Monaco to star in a movie with Brad Wilkens. How lucky could a girl get?
“Digging in the earth and discovering ancient civilizations was all you thought or talked about during high school.”
“That was true until I realized that I’d not make any money doing it. Life would have been too hard if I’d taken that route.”
Krista laughed. “Tell me this. If National Geographic were to pay you half a million dollars to go on a dig in Africa just as you were about to sign your movie deal, which would you take?” Krista put on the turn signal for the turnoff to Spirit, Colorado.
Lara dropped her head back. “I don’t know. I keep telling myself that I love theater, but when you put it that way, I’d be really torn.” Analyzing her true motives was always hard for her. “Getting back to the more important and immediate topic of psychics, do you believe in that shit?”
Krista shrugged. “Maybe. I had my fortune told once, and it was rather accurate.”
Lara was born with a linear mind, even though now she embraced her creative side. “What about shape-shifters? You think they’re real?” If Krista claimed to believe in them, Lara might have to get out now and hitch a ride back to Denver. To hell with her new car purchase.
“Probably not. Ghosts, however, are a different matter. I swear a ghost lives in my grandma’s house.”
This trip was sure going to be interesting. Her big draw to vacation in Spirit was not only to visit Amy and relax before shooting began but to go hot-air ballooning. She’d done a lot in her twenty-eight years, but ballooning or skydiving hadn’t been in the cards. “What day are we going to view Spirit by air?” Amy and Krista had made all the trip plans.
“On Friday. You won’t be so excited when we have to be at the launch site at 6:00 a.m.”
“I’m not sure my body will let me sleep much later than that.” Ever since the director of the movie kept calling her at all hours, pretending to forget about the differences in time zones, her internal clock had gotten screwed up.
As they drove down the main drag, many folks were out and about, and the traffic became rather clogged. “I know you can’t look now, but the ski lifts are moving.” That excited her as much as the hot-air balloon ride. She loved the outdoors. Once she got overseas, she wasn’t sure how much free time she’d have. “Maybe we can go up and get some good shots from there.”
Krista looked over and smiled. “You know how to get me to do something. Just tell me it’ll be a goo
d photo op, and I’ll be the first to volunteer.” Krista nodded ahead. “There’s the High-Country Inn.” A sign for inn parking pointed to the back.
Once Krista parked, they pulled their gear out of the trunk. Krista inhaled. “I swear the air is sweeter here.”
Lara’s family’s farm in Kansas had the best and purest air, but she never wanted to live there ever again. That place was all work and no play.
As soon as they entered the hotel lobby, they traipsed up the check-in counter. “Is Amy Thornton around? She’s expecting us.”
The girl behind the desk smiled. “Just a moment.” She made a phone call and thirty seconds later Amy came racing out of the office with her arms high in the air.
“You’re here! Welcome to High-Country.” The hug was closer to a bear hug than the sweet girlie hug she expected. “Be right back.” Amy rushed to the girl behind the counter. “They’ll be in suite 323.”
Krista’s eyes widened. She leaned closer to Lara. “I can’t afford a suite.”
“Don’t worry. This one is on me.” She was thrilled to be able to share her good fortune with one of her true friends. Krista opened her mouth, most likely to object. “Please let me do this. I value your friendship more than I can say.” As soon as she entered the big league of acting, she bet there would be a lot of people trying to get something from her.
“If you put it that way, okay.” With slightly red cheeks, Krista looked around. “Wow. This place is really nice. Look at the large fireplace in the middle of the lobby. We’ve got to come down here later on and hang out.”
It did look tranquil. As if her friend had conjured them up, two amazing-looking men in cowboy boots, ass-hugging jeans, and tight-fitting shirts strolled past them. “I’ll say.”
Krista nudged her. “I get first dibs. You get to spend three months with the hottest star in the universe. Let me have some fun.”
“That’s true.” She was looking forward to working with Brad Wilkens, sex symbol extraordinaire.
Amy threaded her arms through both girls’ arms. “Let me take you up to your room.” She nodded to a bellhop, who loaded their bags onto a cart. “We are going to have so much fun. I’ve planned some great events.”
As soon as they got into their room, Krista dropped onto one bed and Lara sat on the other. “This place is really nice, Amy. You’ve done well for yourself.”
“I’m happy.” Amy shifted her weight from side to side. “I know you’re probably tired from the drive down. Why don’t you rest tonight? Tomorrow I thought we could get some readings done. There are a ton of good psychics here.”
Lara’s body had finally stopped vibrating from the drive, but she relished the idea of not rushing out and partying. “Rest is good. Personally, I’d like to take a shower then get something to eat.”
Amy smiled. “I get off work at six. How about I come back up then and we can go out to dinner and catch up?”
She looked over at Krista who nodded. “Perfect.”
Six rolled around too quickly, and soon Amy was bouncing into their room. “I want to stop by The Bookstore before we go to dinner.”
Bookstores were one of Lara’s favorite haunts. “I’m game.” Even though she no longer pursued archaeology, whenever she spotted a new book on the subject, she had to buy it. Digging and discovering things would probably always stay in her genes.
The Bookstore was but a short walk from the hotel. When they got inside, the place was nothing like the stores in Denver. Instead of rows of fiction, non-fiction, and reference books, the small space had a section of beautifully polished gemstones. Along the far wall sat several display cases containing gorgeous handmade necklaces, bracelets, and jewelry. There was no shortage of dragon statues and other gothic creatures either. A third area had note cards and spiritual books of all kinds. If she wanted to learn about enhancing her psychic power or do Reiki healing, she’d come to the right store.
Amy slid next to her. “Anything look interesting?”
“You know I love to read, but I’ve never dabbled in this kind of stuff before.” Of late, she’d spent her evenings reading the damned script and trying to memorize her lines.
“Try it, you’ll like it. We all have psychic abilities, you know. We just need to learn to harness the gift.”
She stepped back and studied her friend. They’d been out of school seven years, but even this behavior was odd for Amy. “Are you telling me you’re psychic?”
Her friend laughed. “I wish.” She slung an arm around her shoulder. “Come with me.” When they passed Krista, Amy motioned that she follow.
They headed into a side room that contained a small seating area, some tables, a phone, and a bulletin board. Amy pointed to the contact board. Notecards were plastered all over the cork backing.
“This lists the psychics and when they are available for readings. I thought tomorrow morning you two could get one.”
Perhaps Lara should have grilled Krista and Amy a bit more. If she’d known the trip was going to be like this, she might not have come. However, this was her last chance to enjoy the woods. “Okay, but afterwards, maybe we can go hiking. What do you say?”
Amy held up her hands. “I have to be at work by noon, but I have maps that show where there are some great trails. We have a lot of abandoned gold mines and several caves around Spirit.”
She glanced over at Krista, who was a big outdoor person, too. Her friend smiled. “Once I get some good shots on top of a mountain, I’ll be up for anything.”
She and Krista looked over the names of the psychics. She closed her eyes and tried to concentrate. When none of the names popped out at her, she was a bit disappointed. Krista picked her name right away. There were only three more women who were doing readings tomorrow morning. “Amy, you pick one for me.”
“That’s not how it works. One name should speak to you.”
She glanced at the board again. “How about Imelda Suarez? She sounds cool.”
“Give her a call. See if 10:00 a.m. works. That’s when I’m getting my reading. You two should get a half-hour reading, and then you can hike.”
“Why would I call the psychic? Shouldn’t she know I want a reading?”
Amy lowered her chin and glanced up at her. “No.”
She and Krista made their calls and got the readings at the same time. Maybe they weren’t as busy as Amy had led her to believe.
“Okay, let’s chow.” Tomorrow, they had a big day planned.
* * * *
Lara was a bit nervous getting a psychic reading. Not that she believed in such things, but what if the psychic told her something terrible? Could she really dismiss it and say it was all hooey? What if she learned the movie was going to be a big flop and ruin her career? Did she really want to hear something like that even it was probably fake?
Amy led the way. “This is where you go, Lara.” They stood in front of an adorable cottage, painted purple with yellow and pink trim with a nice screened-in side porch.
“It’s cute.”
“Go in, and meet us back at The Bookstore when you’re done.”
They’d only walked about two blocks. “Will do.”
She wasn’t sure what to expect from a psychic, but the woman who answered the door wasn’t it. Instead of looking like the grandmother type, she was maybe thirty, tall, blonde, and very pretty.
“You must be Lara. Come in. Do you mind if we sit on the porch? I love breathing the fresh air.”
She didn’t care. The sooner they got started, the sooner they would finish. “Sure.”
Probably just to help her relax, the woman asked her birth sign and where she was from. Lara just wished this woman had been older. That would have implied more experience.
“What do you want me to ask the spirits?” Imelda asked.
“What do you mean?”
The young woman smiled. “Most people want to find out about their future. What aspect are you interested in?”
“Shouldn’t you know?�
� As soon as those words left her mouth, she wished she could have taken them back. “I’m sorry. I just thought—”
Imelda chuckled and held up a hand. “I get that all the time. We only have half an hour, and I need to know which aspect of your future you want to know about.” She leaned forward. “Personally, I don’t know you, but my spirit guides do.” She moved her hands outward as if to imply they were present around them. “They’re the ones who can see into the future. I’m just a receptacle for the information.”
This was really hokey, but if she walked out, she’d have to tell Amy, and she wasn’t ready for the grief. Okay, she’d play along. If she asked about the movie’s success, any knowledge of the outcome might color her enthusiasm. Instead, she wondered if she and Brad would fall in love. “When will I meet the man I fall in love with?” Please say soon.
She bet the psychic got that question all the time, too. The woman closed her eyes and inhaled. Her fingers began to move as if she were typing something. At least she didn’t place her palm on her temple and hum. That was so overdone in movies.
“They’re sending me the number two.”
“Two? I’m going to love Mr. Two?” She refrained from laughing. There was no number two in the name of the movie.
Imelda kept her eyes closed, but Lara swore there was a hint of a smile forming. “Perhaps it means you’ll love two men.”
There was only one leading man. Maybe a secondary lead would catch her attention and she’d end up having to choose one over the other. That might be a nice problem to have. “What else?”
The woman’s brows pinched as if in pain. “I’m getting mixed images. That’s a bit odd. It’s like I’m seeing a screen and it’s flickering.”
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