GROWL FOR ME
By
Natalie Kristen
Copyright © 2014 Natalie Kristen
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
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The unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is a crime punishable by law.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are used fictitiously or are the products of the author's imagination. Any resemblance to actual locales, events, establishments or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
*****
Mina Stone needs a break, a fresh start. She is getting out of the city and heading off to Misty Valley where she can start a new job and a new life. But before she can reach Misty Valley, she is attacked by a pack of vicious red wolves in the middle of a dark, deserted highway.
Declan Grant knows that the human woman he saved from the Red Fangs pack is his mate. And she is in grave danger. Savage and brutal, the Red Fangs pack will stop at nothing to get back at the Snow River wolves.
Fear has no place in a town full of shifters.
Mina will have to make a choice—a choice that will change her life forever.
*****
CHAPTER ONE
Mina Stone glared at the jangling phone on the passenger seat. It was her cousin, Eva, calling again. Mina winced. She knew Eva was worried for her. Mina's fingers twitched on the steering wheel. If she picked up her phone, and confessed that she still hadn't reached Misty Valley after being on the road for hours, Eva would freak out. But if she didn't pick up, Eva might freak out even more and she'd send her vampire mate, Gabriel King, out after her. Mina grimaced. She liked Gabriel well enough but she just didn't want to have to deal with a Master vampire right now.
Mina gave herself a big mental kick in the butt. She would have reached Misty Valley by now if she hadn't missed that unlit road sign and taken a wrong turn.
Her phone continued vibrating angrily. Mina sucked in a steadying breath and answered the call in her cheeriest, chirpiest voice, even though she knew it wouldn't fool her cousin.
“Hi, Eva! I was just about to...”
“Mina! Are you there yet?” Eva's anxious, strident voice filled the entire interior of the car.
“No, Eva. I'm still on the road. But I should be there soon. Don't worry...”
“It's almost nightfall. You should have reached Misty Valley hours ago!” Eva's voice rose a pitch.
“I took a wrong turn,” Mina admitted. “I had to circle back, but no biggie. I'm on the right track now,” Mina went on brightly, forcibly twisting her grimace into a grin. Inject your smile into your voice. That was one of the first things she'd learned to do in her old job as a telemarketer. “I just passed a road sign that said it's just less than an hour's drive from here to Misty Valley.”
Mina gulped and squinted into the thickening fog ahead. Tall, shadowy trees flanked the long, lonely stretch of road leading to the small town of Misty Valley.
The tiny patch of sky that was still visible through the trees was darkening rapidly. As far as the eye could see, there were no cars, streetlamps, houses or petrol stations along the dark, narrow highway. There were only trees, fog, shadows...and things which growled in the dark.
Mina shuddered. She'd heard them. Low, menacing growls rumbling out from the woods as her car sped past.
Her car. This rusty, rattling tin can was the only thing protecting her from those mysterious, growling creatures.
If her car broke down right here in the middle of nowhere, she would have to spend the night in the wilderness, with nothing but the encroaching forest and its inhabitants for company.
Mina stifled a whimper and applied a wee bit more pressure on the accelerator. She didn't floor the pedal though. The last thing she needed right now was smoke billowing from the hood as her car stuttered to a dead stop. “Everything's okay. Please don't have a heart attack,” Mina muttered, not quite sure if she was talking to Eva, her car or herself.
“Mina...you still there?” Eva sounded really worried over the phone. “Shall I get Gabriel to mist to you? At least he can keep an eye...”
“No! I mean, thanks, but no. Gabriel is a very busy vamp. I don't want to trouble him. I'm fine. Really really. There's really, really no need to send Gabriel out here,” Mina insisted. “I'm almost there.”
“Hmm...”
Mina could picture her cousin narrowing her eyes and chewing her lip as she considered the best course of action. Eva was a capable, responsible police officer in the New Moon City Police Department (NMPD), and she was mated to Gabriel King, a Master vampire. Gabriel owned a chain of blood bars and beauty parlors in New Moon City, and according to Eva, he was planning on poking his fangs into the food and beverage business as well. A chain of fast food outlets for vamps was in the works. The blood burgers and nuggets would be “Fang lickin' good!”
Mina had rolled her eyes at the slogan, but she had to admit that Gabriel was a very smart, savvy businessman. Gabriel King had been a rogue vampire, but he had turned over a new leaf and changed completely for Eva. Gabriel had made good and was now a legitimate businessman in New Moon City. He even made it a point to employ reformed rogues in his business. Although New Moon City was home to both humans and paranormals, Mina's family was fully and purely human. Not one of her many aunts, uncles, cousins, nieces and nephews was mated to a paranormal. Eva had surprised them all with her choice of mate. Her parents had objected at first, but when they saw how happy Eva was, and how deeply and fiercely Gabriel loved her, they had given the couple their blessings.
Mina had to admit that she'd never seen Eva so happy and contented. Her cousin was positively glowing with health and happiness. Eva had always been a good cop, but now she was like a supercop, able to leap trash cans and fire hydrants in a single bound and wrestle burly armed robbers to the ground single-handedly. When Mina questioned her, Eva had answered coyly, “It's the blood bond.”
Mina shifted in the driver's seat and glanced down at her curvy body. She ate well and she exercised some, but she wasn't at all athletic. She would never be able to run and leap like Eva. Athletic bodies were lean and svelte with hard, toned muscles. Mina wasn't lean and hard. She was soft and curvy, perhaps too curvy. She blew out a breath and tossed her unruly red hair over her shoulders.
“Mina, where are you now?” Eva's voice crackled over the phone.
“I think I'm just twenty minutes away from Misty Valley now. I'll be there soon.”
“You sure you're...?”
“Quit worrying, Eva. I can do this,” she snapped.
There was a pause. “All right, then,” Eva said at last. “I won't send Gabriel. I know you're not comfortable...”
“It's not Gabriel,” Mina said quickly. “Gabriel's a great guy. We can all see how much he loves you. It's...”
“I know,” Eva said quietly. “Gabriel's a good vamp, but he's still a vamp. And he was a rogue before...” Eva trailed off.
“Gabriel loves you, he's true to you, that's all that matters,” Mina said firmly. “I love you, and I love Gabriel. But I just...need a break,” Mina said softly. “From everything.”
Mina could picture h
er cousin nodding over the phone. “Okay. I understand. I'll tell Aunt Lindsay that you'll be coasting into Misty Valley real soon. But you have to promise that you'll call her the moment you get there.”
“I'll call Mom. I promise. Tell her not to worry.”
“Okay.” Eva breathed out. “Be safe.”
Mina clicked off and sighed. Eva was the same age as her, twenty-three, yet her cousin's life was so settled and fulfilled. Not only was Eva happily mated to a powerful, capable Master vampire, she was fast rising through the ranks of the NMPD. Her cousin was going places, while she—was going nowhere. Literally.
Mina gulped as she blinked into the distance. She was just driving towards a murky, impenetrable darkness. The sky was now a shade of purple so deep it was almost black. She could only hope that she was moving towards, and not away from Misty Valley.
Mina turned on the high beams and gripped the steering wheel tighter. Misty Valley was just a few hours' drive out of New Moon City. Her stupid GPS had conked out on her, causing her to take a wrong turn a few miles back. Damn technology. Nothing was reliable these days.
Machines and men...they were all the same. Just when you thought you could trust them, they'd play you out. Big time.
Mina choked down her rising pain and anger. No, don't think of Nate. Nate is history! She had wasted enough time and tears on him.
She had been with Nate since she was sixteen. He was her first boyfriend, and they had been together for six years. Everyone thought they were going to get married. And then she'd caught the lying, cheating bastard in bed with his colleague.
She'd cried and cursed, and broken enough things. Cups, photo frames, innocent, blameless ornaments...she had thrown them all against the wall, watching the broken pieces fall at her feet with grim satisfaction. She had swept them all away, like the pieces of her broken heart. Out with the old. Out, out, out!
She had been with the same boy, worked at the same job, lived in the same city, for too long. She wanted a break. She needed to get out of the city and just...get a breath of fresh air and a fresh start. So when she saw the advertisement that a construction company in Misty Valley was looking for an office assistant, she had jumped at the chance.
Her mother had objected initially, but Mina had assured her that Misty Valley was just a hop and a skip away from New Moon City. Although she wanted to leave the city, she felt bad leaving her mom. They'd always been close. Mina never knew who her dad was. According to her mom, he was a loser who'd run away as soon as he learned that Lindsay was pregnant. Her mother understood her better than anyone else. Just last night, she had hugged Mina to her and whispered, “You'll find your happiness, Mina. You need to throw out the trash, empty your cup, so you can welcome the new, the wild and the wonderful! I just know that wild and wonderful things are coming your way. I love you, Mina.”
Her mom's voice echoed in her mind. Mina pushed her car to go just a little faster. She would get herself safely to Misty Valley and call her mom. Her mother had so much faith in her. Her mom trusted her to find her way. She would not let her down.
Determinedly, Mina drove on. The fog was thickening and the trees seemed to press closer to the road. At a sound to her right, Mina jerked involuntarily.
It sounded like the howl of a wolf. Mina's foot eased off the accelerator and she scanned the surrounding darkness nervously. There were wild beasts in the woods, and Misty Valley was a town of shifters. Eva had warned her that the shifters in Misty Valley were different from the city shifters. True, New Moon City had its fair share of rogue paranormals but they had the Paranormal Affairs Council (PAC) to enforce the law. The PAC Enforcers hunted and collared or destroyed the rogues to keep the civilian population safe. But PAC law only applied to the paranormals living in New Moon City. Misty Valley was out of their jurisdiction. Mina wouldn't have the protection of the PAC and the Enforcers once she stepped out of New Moon City.
She was now on her own.
The wolf howled again. It sounded nearer this time. Mina jumped in her seat and swallowed. Another howl sounded to her left, and immediately there was an answering howl on her right. She glanced into the dark woods looming up from either side of the road and saw glowing eyes in the shadows.
Wolves? Wild beasts? Monsters?
Mina gulped loudly. Her mom had said that wild and wonderful things were coming her way. Her mom was only half right.
From the sound of it, wild things were coming for her all right.
Mina had no doubt that whatever these things were, they were wild, savage and deadly. They were wild, but they weren't wonderful. Not at all.
CHAPTER TWO
Mina shrieked when she glanced in her rear view mirror and saw a huge black shape slink out of the woods and dart across the road behind her car. What was it? A bear? A big wolf? A figment of her imagination?
Mina cut her eyes to the mirror again, but this time she saw nothing but a ribbon of empty road behind her. Trying not to hyperventilate, Mina kept her foot on the pedal and urged her little car to go faster along the dark, deserted road.
She shook her head. She was sure she had seen that big, black shape. Just a few minutes ago, she had been worrying about being alone on this long, lonely stretch of highway when night fell. But now, she rather wished that she was utterly alone.
Clearly, she wasn't alone anymore.
The woods on either side of the road was alive with movement and the sounds of snarling, wild beasts. Through the shadowy trees, Mina could see eyes, pale, glowing eyes following her as she rattled along at top speed. Top speed for her car being fifty miles per hour.
Mina's wide eyes darted from side to side, watching those terrifying eyes watch her. She saw lightning quick movement between the trees and saw those glowing eyes blur into streaks of light. With a panicked cry, she realized that the beasts were running through the woods, and they were moving as fast as, or even faster than her car.
A chorus of howls echoed through the chilly air, and Mina fought to keep her shaking hands steady on the steering wheel. She had to go faster. If those beasts overtook her car and burst from the trees onto the road, they would effectively block off her escape. They would surround her, and smash through the windows to get at her. She couldn't let them outrun her. She had to outdrive them.
“Come on, come on,” she urged her car. “Faster, faster, faster!” With a painful gulp, she floored the pedal. “You can do it. You have to do it,” she whispered. She had never driven her car this hard before. The engine whined in protest and sputtered, obviously struggling with the taxing demand.
The needle slowly inched up from fifty to fifty-one miles per hour on her speedometer. Mina didn't ease back. She couldn't. The beasts were gaining on her. Some were already ahead of her. She could see their eyes glittering as they flew through the shadows. There was a lone spine-chilling howl and this time, it sounded too near, too close for comfort. It was as if the beast was just beside her car.
Mina pushed her car to go faster. She was now going at fifty-three miles per hour, and her car was rattling and jerking more than usual. The engine was making ominous clanking and hissing sounds, warning her that it couldn't take much more of this abuse. But she couldn't afford to take her foot off the pedal. She saw the eyes glow brighter as they moved between the trees, coming closer and closer to the edge of the woods. In her rear view mirror, she saw an enormous shadow emerge from the woods and step onto the road.
With a sharp gasp, she straightened her car just in time. It looked like a wolf with yellow, glowing eyes, and it was huge. It looked much too big to be a wolf, but...what else could it be?
Mina shook her head to clear it. She had never seen a wolf that big before. Maybe it was just a trick of the shadows. The shifting, slithering shadows made something look bigger and scarier than it really was.
Her car was now rattling noisily along at fifty-five miles per hour. Mina should have paid heed to the loud ticki
ng and clanging sounds coming from the engine, but her blood was pounding too loudly in her ears. She just kept seeing those eerie, glowing eyes all around her, blinking and reappearing between the trees.
“Please...just let me get to Misty Valley in one piece...” And not in pieces.
Mina sat forward stiffly in her seat, staring into the fog. The fog seemed to have crept out of the trees and thickened considerably, making it impossible to see the road up ahead. Mina sniffed the air, frowning. Did she smell...smoke? Smoke? And was that smoke coming from under the hood of her car?
Her eyes widened in alarm and disbelief. “Oh no, please...no, not now!” she wailed.
Slowly easing her foot off the accelerator, she watched her little car wheeze out more smoke from the engine. Her car was still chugging along, but she knew it was just a matter of time. It was on its last legs now. She heard the death rattle as her poor car coughed out another cloud of smoke. With a tired sigh, the small green car shuddered and breathed its last sooty breath. Then it died.
For an instant, Mina sat frozen in shock and fright. Then she spun round and locked all her doors. She sat unmoving in the driver's seat, unable to pry her fingers from the steering wheel. She stared unblinkingly through the windscreen, feeling her heart hammer in her chest.
The fog had wrapped all around her car, so she could see nothing but swirling gray outside her windows. But she knew that it wasn't just fog that surrounded her car. She could hear low growls and soft footfalls all around her. She was effectively caged in, trapped in a dead car, waiting, just waiting...
A trickle of cold sweat slid down between her breasts. Her eyes flew to her phone on the passenger seat, but she didn't dare reach for it. Any movement, any sound she made, might just provoke an attack. Mina didn't even dare breathe.
Growl For Me: BBW Paranormal Shifter Romance (Misty Valley Shifters Book 1) Page 1
