by D McEntire
The chosen one…with no choice at all.
The Watchers, Book 3
Suma lives life on the edge—in more ways than one. As her tribe’s chosen protector, her role is far from a privilege. It has sentenced her to a life of isolation, shunned by the very people she is sworn to protect. But protect them she will, no matter what the cost to herself.
When she discovers the gorgeous hunk she’s been eyeballing is actually a vampire, she doesn’t hesitate to mark him as the next evil creature she has vowed to hunt down.
There’s a Rogue-killing black wolf loose in a local state park, and Rayne is not too happy to be pulled away from his Watcher Cell in Louisville to check it out. The simple investigation turns complicated when he realizes the wolf is a female Skinwalker. And that Skinwalker is Suma. How does he know? It takes one to know one.
And when they cross fangs, another fact hits him right between the eyes—she’s his mate. Even though their passion runs hotter than the magic burning under their skin, in the end there’s only one real choice.
To answer the call of love…or the call to duty.
Warning: Gruesome battles, dim-witted rogue vampires and awesome sex with real fireworks.
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This book is a work of fiction. The names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the writer’s imagination or have been used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, actual events, locale or organizations is entirely coincidental.
Samhain Publishing, Ltd.
577 Mulberry Street, Suite 1520
Macon GA 31201
Midnight Revelations
Copyright © 2009 by D. McEntire
ISBN: 978-1-60504-573-3
Edited by Bethany Morgan
Cover by Natalie Winters
All Rights Are Reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.
First Samhain Publishing, Ltd. electronic publication: June 2009
www.samhainpublishing.com
Midnight Revelations
D. McEntire
Dedication
I can’t believe book three is already here. I dedicate this book to my husband and children who have been so understanding in allowing me to have my space to work and being patient in the fact a lot of work and time goes into writing. I love them dearly.
To Kimber, Doug and Tammy at Coffee Express-o, you keep me going, not only with your wonderful java, but with your support and enthusiasm.
Mom, thank you for your support, praise and “networking” in building my fan base.
Dad, I love and miss you. You are with me always.
Prologue
Suma crouched in the cover of the trees, shrouded by darkness. The night breeze ruffled her hair and whispered in her ear, but she didn’t need the small voice to tell her of the evil approaching.
Clutching her totem in both hands, she allowed the change to bathe her in light and warmth.
As she stood motionless in the body of the wolf, she held tight to her control. The wolf wanted to let loose the fury she held inside for the creatures—the vampires.
“You will get your chance,” she told the wolf.
The sounds of brush being trampled grew louder as what she had been waiting for neared her hiding spot.
Only two tonight. What a pity.
Red eyes glowed in the darkness. Suma listened to their snarls amidst hushed words. She could smell them—the stench of blood and death.
Suma let loose the wolf and leapt from behind the trees, immediately taking down one of the creatures. Sharp claws dug into her fur, finding the skin underneath, but did not stop her attack. She used her fangs to rip into flesh. Dark blood flooded her mouth, and she did her best to ignore the foul taste.
The wolf released the dead creature, then ducked a swing from the second and managed to distance herself. She waited for his advance, and when he did, she was ready for the kill.
After taking down the second vampire, the wolf whined, disappointed the fight had ended too soon.
She tried to catch her breath and slow the fast beating of the wolf’s heart, her heart, when a sound caught her attention, and she froze.
“Who’s there?” a male voice called out as a beam of light from a flashlight cut through the darkness and shone directly into her eyes.
Shit!
Suma began to panic. Turning on her paws, she bounded into the line of trees, but not before hearing the man’s words as he spoke into his radio. “Call Headquarters and have them contact the Watchers. We’ve got a black wolf out here killing Rogues.”
Chapter One
Rayne tossed his bag on his bed and resisted the urge to slam the door. Why couldn’t the wolf have waited until after the fireworks festival to make a visit to the Charlestown State Park? Why now? There was enough to deal with without him being called away from the Cell.
In a few days, close to eight hundred thousand people were going to pack the waterfront in Louisville, Kentucky for an all-out party and fireworks show, and he was being pulled away to sniff around a park for a furry animal that happened to like the taste of Rogue meat. If it were up to him, he would let the wolf have all the Rogue steaks it wanted, but it seemed politics and the fear of their race being discovered was calling the shots.
As Rayne shoved clothes into his bag, an odd sensation came over him. Something was about to happen. A life changing event was in store for him, though he did not know what was going to happen. The only thing he knew was the change was coming soon. He could feel it. The building itself seemed to be shifting, expanding, becoming something different, and he didn’t know what it meant.
Rayne shook his head. He needed a vacation. Taking another glance around the room, he looked at where he slept during the day. Each evening he hit the streets to search for Rogues, then returned to his room. Another day, another evening. His life seemed like a windmill turning in one direction. Sometimes faster. Sometimes slower, but the same.
The whispers grew louder, surrounding him. Their words said all was about to change. Would the change be for the better? The answer had him concerned. He did not know.
As he closed the door to the main floor and headed to the garage, Rayne felt he was closing the door on a part of his life. Was that the change the walls had been whispering?
Something told him as he left the Cell for this mission, nothing would be the same when he returned.
Brake lights flashed as Rayne wove in and out of traffic, and he resisted the urge to yell a few profanities at drivers obviously unaware that pressing harder on the gas pedal made their vehicles go faster. He still could not believe Headquarters was sending him on a mission when the fireworks festival was only days away.
The city’s waterfront park came into view, his planned stop before crossing the bridge to Indiana.
Rayne stayed alert, keeping his senses tuned for signs of Rogues, knowing the thinning crowd in the park was exactly what the bloodsuckers wanted. It allowed them to catch victims alone and out of sight of others.
Movement from the corner of his eye caught Rayne’s attention. When he turned, his breath stopped in mid-exhale.
A woman strode across the grass, heading in the direction of the River Walk. Her hair was black as coal and twisted into a long braid, which ran the length of her back. Although he could not see her face, the view from behind made his jeans suddenly tight. Small hips tucked into
a pair of tight, faded blue jeans gently swayed with every step. Rayne had to hold himself still, fighting the urge to sprint across the lawn and throw her over his shoulder.
Blood rushed in his veins, building a fire deep inside. His body hummed, the vibration testing his control.
A picture of him standing behind her, his arms locking her to him, pressing her body into his, filled his mind, along with the image of his tongue sliding up her neck along the pulse beating under the surface.
With a headshake, the imaginary interlude popped like an overinflated balloon. He must be stressed, he reasoned, wondering what other excuse there was for his sudden lusty thoughts. The woman was human, and he had never thought twice about any female. Not since he had lost his family and his entire tribe over a hundred years ago.
The memory of his people brought an ache to his chest, and he closed his eyes willing the pain away. As soon as it passed, he opened them. The woman was gone.
With every sense he possessed, Rayne scanned the area but could not locate her. “Where is she?” he muttered.
He was about to head to the River Walk to sate his curiosity, but a check of his watch told him it was time to leave. There were a few more stops he needed to make before driving to the park, and he didn’t want to be pressed for time when he got there.
The first order of business would be finding shelter during the daylight hours, which would not be an easy task. If there wasn’t a cave or rock formation to keep himself within the shadows, he would have to build something.
Walking back to his Jeep, Rayne silently prayed his mission wouldn’t be as difficult as his gut was predicting.
As the sun slid across the sky, Suma made mental notes while scouting Louisville’s Waterfront Park. She had managed to get the exact location of the Pow-wow by talking to a park employee. The man had said a fence was scheduled to be erected around the area.
Shouts and squeals of laughter wafted along the breeze from a playground a short distance away. It was filled with children and those who watched over them.
The sound traveled into the recesses of her mind, calling forth a memory—one she would rather keep locked away forever. It was the day her whole world had come crashing down, never to be the same again.
Five Years Ago…
A group of young Utes gathered outside the village to play kickball. Suma sat a little ways from the children, watching them play, wondering to herself what it must feel like to be a child—innocent of the evil lurking in the dark.
“Kick it, Phillip,” she called to one of the boys, then laughed as his foot swung out, but missed the ball entirely.
The sun was setting, taking its light along for the ride. Amidst their squeals and shouts, a scent caught Suma’s attention—the scent of blood and death.
Before her eyes, one evil-looking man after another stepped out of the trees and surrounded the children. Suma’s heart began to beat fast. The little ones abruptly stopped their game, their gazes darting around at the men like scared rabbits.
The smell of the children’s fear struck Suma hard. Some began to cry as the creatures snarled and flashed blood-stained fangs.
Feeling the need to protect them, Suma reacted without hesitation. She clasped her totem in both hands and called forth the black wolf.
Present…
The words witch and evil Skinwalker rang in her ears, and she shook her head. Drawing in a ragged breath, Suma closed her eyes and tried to block the memory of that day. Her people had learned the truth about her, and out of fear, they had chased her away, banishing her from the tribe.
“I have not broken my promise, Grandfather. I will always protect them,” she whispered, then turned from the sight of the playground, shutting out the emotions threatening to pull her down. She had work to do.
While walking back to her truck, Suma forced herself to focus on her task. Her mind was more at ease knowing a fence would encompass the event. She hoped it would serve to keep the vampires away from her people.
Noon had come and gone, and Suma’s stomach was protesting. She hadn’t eaten breakfast and had missed lunch. As she settled in the passenger seat of her truck, munching on an apple and a pack of peanut butter crackers, a dark shadow caught her attention.
Easing out of the truck, she took several sideways steps until her view was unobstructed by the tree line. A dark, rusty bridge loomed in the distance, and something about it pulled at her.
After a quick dusting off of her hands and a swipe of her mouth, Suma slammed the truck door closed and headed in that direction. She wanted to get a better look at the old bridge. From where she stood, it looked like the type of place the creatures would hide during the day.
As she checked her watch, her footsteps quickened. Evening was closing in. If the area she was about to venture into was indeed some sort of vampire den, she didn’t want to be there when dusk came, not even as the wolf.
Her wolf scoffed at the idea it would be no match for a multitude of vampires on her heels.
“I’m not that stupid,” she growled to her totem spirit.
A sidewalk wound through the park and edged close to the river where it paralleled the dark water’s banks. Suma slowed to catch her breath. She had practically sprinted from the parking lot after noticing the time.
Warm air flittered across the back of her neck as if someone stood behind her. The sensation startled her and she gasped, but a glance over her shoulder told her she was alone.
Suma placed a hand over her heart, trying to calm the erratic beat. Someone was watching her, but the feeling was not malevolent. She sensed something else—carnal lust.
Those words popped into her mind. So strong was the feeling radiating in her direction, her body began to react as if the thoughts were her own. Warmth spread in her lower belly, followed by a dull ache between her thighs. Suma moaned aloud, unable to stop herself.
This sudden need surprised her. It wasn’t as if she had been relaxing somewhere, reading a spicy romance novel or watching some R-rated movie. She was ensuring the protection of her people during the upcoming Pow-wow. No. This wasn’t her doing.
Fear edged its way into her mind, caused by the unseen force. In an attempt to outdistance the waves of emotion beating at her back, Suma ran for the trees and out of view of anyone at the park. As soon as she was hidden, the sensation abruptly disappeared.
“What the hell was that?” she muttered to herself, or maybe to her wolf, who seemed just as unnerved. Clenching her fists to stop their trembling, Suma eased her way from behind a tree and visually scanned the area, but saw no one.
Not ready to resume her walk to the bridge, Suma sat on the ground to gather her wits. Putting herself out into the open and possibly subjecting herself to another attack was definitely a bad idea, she told herself. She was going to stay put for awhile hoping whoever was out there would grow tired of this game and leave.
Shadows increased as the last rays of light penetrated the gaps in the leaves. Suma had been sitting for at least an hour by her calculations, and her butt was numb. She eased herself into a standing position and moved her legs about, trying to regain blood flow in the lower half of her body.
A rumbling caught her attention. Using the trees to hide her presence, she watched a houseboat, followed by a speedboat pull into vacant slips at the dock. Her internal warning system signaled the presence of vampires on board at least one of the boats.
With narrowed eyes, Suma watched a long-legged, dark haired man step off the speedboat and walk to the front of the houseboat. The driver came from behind the steering wheel and addressed him. Another man hopped onto the dock and secured the houseboat’s ropes.
When the dark-haired man spoke, Suma called forth the wolf’s keen sense of hearing to eavesdrop.
“I’m sending a group to the boat. There will be at least five on this first run, and maybe six or seven on the next if the Watchers don’t get to them first. The fools can’t seem to stay out of sight. Always looking for trouble.
The mindless idiots should know they are no match for the Watchers, at least not until we get the boneheads armed. Take them to the drop off point.”
The houseboat driver nodded. “The Devil’s Backbone, outside of Charlestown State Park?”
“Yes, and make sure they understand they are not to leave the area. I don’t want them making a meal out of every camper and tipping the Watchers off they are there. I’ll be damned if Evan will my head because they can’t follow directions.”
“I’ll tell them, but it doesn’t mean they will listen. Evan has promised them one hell of a feast when he gives the order to bring them to the fireworks show. I hope your boss can deliver or there are going to be some pissed-off vamps.”
“You and me both,” the dark-haired man growled as he turned and stalked off. Suma kept her gaze on him as he disappeared from sight. She figured he was going to round up the group he had mentioned. The two who remained went inside the houseboat. Suma used the opportunity to slip from behind the trees and made her way to her truck, her mind reeling with questions.
Why would someone bring a boat here and take vampires to a state park?
Looking around, she thought about how many people had been here earlier. In her mind, more people would be enjoying this type of scenery than at a state park. “It doesn’t make sense,” she muttered, turning the key in the ignition. “I’ve got to get to the Charlestown State Park.”
As Suma pulled out of the parking lot, a smile lit her face. The arriving vampires were in for a little surprise.
Chapter Two
Justice paced his cage restlessly. The full-grown Bengal tiger’s snarls and rumblings made the other animals nervous and grated on Jed Parker’s nerves.
Flicking his cigarette to the ground, Jed removed his hat and wiped his forehead with his sleeve. Fatigue was setting in from working all morning building cages to house additional the animals he planned to acquire. He heard Justice’s wailing and checked his watch. “It ain’t time for lunch yet,” he snapped and tossed his hammer to the ground, thinking he probably should check his supply of meat.
