by Mara Lee
In the Eye of the Moon
Mara Lee
Published 2004
ISBN 1-59578-027-0
Published by Liquid Silver Books, imprint of Atlantic Bridge Publishing, 10509 Sedgegrass Dr, Indianapolis, Indiana 46235. Copyright © 2004, Mara Lee. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, recording or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the author.
Manufactured in the United States of America
Liquid Silver Books
http://lsbooks.com
Email:
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Cover Art
by Colby Hausmann
This is a work of fiction. The characters, incidents and dialogues in this book are of the author’s imagination and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual events or persons, living or dead, is completely coincidental.
Prologue
Shining silver eyes watched steadily from across the street.
She was beautiful, long and lean with a mane of fiery hair that begged for the touch. Her eyes were two pools of liquid emerald and her lips the color of ripe strawberries. Disgruntled, she'd just tossed her newspaper in the trashcan with a wrinkle of her pert little nose.
He had watched her for some time, listening and learning all there was to know about her. The wait for his chosen mate had seemed endless, and now that she was here he did not intend to let her escape.
Anticipation of the hunt filled him with eagerness.
It would be soon; he could smell her readiness in the air. Soon Sheila McKay would belong to him. It was her destiny.
Chapter One
Sheila McKay was fed up. She'd come to New York City with a dream and now she was leaving broke.
She was talented and had studied for years, perfecting her technique. Her teachers claimed her singing could make angels weep and satyrs smile. Her voice was her one great talent and it was getting her nowhere.
Sheila had come to the Big Apple on the advice of everyone back home in North Carolina. New York City was the place to be if she wanted to get noticed and become famous. So she'd packed up her belongings in three measly suitcases and driven fourteen hours north.
Thirteen months, two weeks and five hours later, she was throwing in the towel. All she had accomplished in the Big Apple was wearing out her only pair of high heels, dodging the advances of way too many shady would-be-employers and spending her last dime, literally. It was time to call it quits. She was down to her last box of crackers and ramen noodle soup and frankly, she was sick of the stuff. There were only so many things one could do with ramen.
Sheila felt remarkably better now that she had come to the decision to go home. So what if life in a small town lacked the luster and polish of a big city? At least back home she wouldn't have to save her pennies to buy a pair of nylons.
“Blast and damn, so that's it,” she muttered. She wasn't used to failing.
“You look sad, little girl. Can I help?”
Sheila turned her head, giving the man who had just spoken to her a look cold enough to freeze over Hades.
The light turned and Sheila headed across the street, ever mindful of the man who followed her. She strode briskly up Broadway, her heart beating furiously as she reached into her purse for the mace on her keychain.
She pulled the mace out slowly and took two more steps before turning on her heel, mace in hand. “Okay, you asshole.” Sheila's eyes widened; there was no one there. “All right, now this city has made me lose my mind.” She laughed nervously as she made her way toward West End Avenue.
“Never turn your back on the shadows.” The voice came from right behind her ear.
Sheila spun and her eyes widened. She saw two glowing yellow eyes before pain ripped through her body and blackness claimed her.
* * * *
It was dark, dark and damp. Sheila moaned; her head was splitting in two; her body sore beyond belief. She squinted and felt panic rise as her eyes encountered nothing but darkness.
Oh God, she'd been attacked and kidnapped, she was going to die. She read about cases like this in the newspaper every day. Okay, not exactly like this, how many girls could claim to have seen a pair of glowing yellow eyes before they passed out?
Standing up tentatively, she groped in the overwhelming darkness and took two steps forward, stopping when she encountered cold, wet stone. Where was she?
A small scream escaped her as light seared her eyes and an unfamiliar voice broke the dense silence.
“You're still in New York. Upstate New York, to be precise.” The voice came from a now-open door.
“What do you want?” She blinked twice, letting her eyes adjust to the light. A man stood in the doorway, the same man she'd spoken to on Broadway. She inched back. “Get away from me.”
He strode confidently into the room. “Now, now, is that any way to behave in front of your future mate?”
The lump of fear in her throat threatened to choke her.
“You're absolutely crazy. Who the hell are you and what am I doing here?”
Her captor was ferocious and terrifying. He was huge: tall and broad-shouldered with short shaggy black hair and hard features. A large scar cut across his face from forehead to chin and his eyes were a glittering gold.
No one had eyes like that, it just wasn't normal.
“Yes, take a good look. I am the man you will mate with. It is fitting that you look at me, as I do you.”
Sheila held up a hand when he advanced. “Whoa there now, you just stay away from me.”
The man looked puzzled. “Do you not want me?”
Even under the terrifying circumstances, Sheila couldn't stop the laughter that bubbled up within her throat and exploded out. “Want you? No, I don't want you. You hit me and knocked me out and then kidnapped me. Why in hell would I want you?”
“I bit you, I didn't hit you.” The man answered gruffly. He still appeared baffled at her reaction to him.
“You did what?”
“I bit you. You are my mate; we must consummate the claim.”
Sheila had no idea what the crazy man was talking about, but just then her neck began to ache and prickle. She brought a hand to her neck and felt the raised ragged skin.
She moved her hand to her face and saw the blood that covered it. Oh God, he had bitten her.
“You bastard,” Her eyes grew hot with anger and she forgot, for a moment, her fear. “You really did bite me.”
“Of course,” he replied nonchalantly.
“Of course?” Sheila's blood slowly began to boil. That was all he was going to say. He was totally insane. She was holed up with madman, a madman with a penchant for biting. “You're going to kill me, aren't you?”
“Why would I wish to kill my mate?”
“What are you talking about?” Mate? A slow crawl of fear worked its way up her body.
“You are the destined mate to the Alpha of the Loopin. I've claimed first blood,” he smiled, “and may I say, your blood is intoxicating.”
“Oh my God, is this some weird sort of cult?” She threw up her hands to ward off the crazy loon who now walked toward her.
Suddenly she heard it, thunder that rumbled down the corridor. By the look on the nutcase's face, he heard it too.
“I will return.”
Sheila watched him rush from the room and sank against the stone wall. “Oh goodie, I'll be waiting for your return, figment of my overactive imagination.”
* * * *
Airek had never known such anger. When he found Rex, he would rip his liver out with his teeth and feast on his heart.
He'd seen Rex appr
oach his mate, but before he could stop their meeting he was attacked by two rogue Pack members. He had dispensed with the pups easily enough but had lost Rex's scent. He picked it up again in the woods and it had led him to this abandoned fallout shelter.
He knew they were here, his mate and his enemy. He navigated the underground passageways, each sniff drawing him nearer to the prize.
“You cannot have her now, I have claimed first blood.” The voice was grating and harsh to the ears.
Airek bared his teeth. It seemed that his quarry had come to him. “Rex, you go too far now.” He advanced toward the rogue, one silver eye trained on the door at the end of the hallway. “My patience has worn thin.”
Rex laughed heartily. “I have her, Airek. How does it feel to be second best? She is mine.”
Airek's eyes burned hot with fury as he felt his fangs stretching his mouth and knew they gleamed deadly in the dim light. This upstart thought to take his destined mate from him? “She is mine, Rex. Make no mistake about it, she is mine.”
Rex growled low in his throat. “So, come and try to claim her.”
He allowed himself a small smile before he launched himself at Rex full force.
*
Sheila froze. The screams and howls coming from the hall made her blood run cold.
She unsteadily got to her feet and stared at the open door. It was her only way out, and she had to escape.
She let out a blood-curdling scream as two huge wolves tumbled into the room and she scrambled back into the corner, eyes wide with horror, mouth agape. The wolves tore at one another, their talon-like teeth ripping into one another's fur and flesh.
“Oh my God, oh my God, this isn't real, I'm not seeing this.” Sheila chanted as she began to hyperventilate.
The giant silver wolf slashed at the smaller black wolf's flesh and sent him sprawling. The smaller wolf was down, and he wasn't moving.
Sheila shook her head wildly as the giant silver wolf limped toward her. “Good doggy, good little wolf dog, just stay away from me, okay? Stay away like a good little dog.” She knew that her words were ridiculous, but she couldn't seem to stop babbling.
The wolf smiled.
Terror crawled through her. It had smiled; the huge animal had smiled at her. “I'm in the Twilight Zone, that's got to be it. I'm hallucinating, and none of this is real.” Sheila clasped her hands together and began to pray. She prayed harder than she had ever prayed before.
“It is going to be all right, Lupe, do not worry.”
Sheila laughed hysterically. “It spoke, okay, now I know I'm the crazy one, the wolf just spoke to me.” She pressed her hand to her mouth to stifle nervous giggles. Then the wolf stood on its hind legs. She watched in terror as the animal's body began to stretch and pull until it stood as tall as any man. Its fur disappeared to reveal smooth, pale skin and its snout flattened and morphed into a human face.
Sheila descended into darkness.
Chapter Two
Airek stared down at his Lupe. She was truly beautiful, a fitting mate. However, her sensitivity disappointed him. She had passed out at the first sight of him in human form. Of course, that would be shocking; perhaps she was not quite as faint of heart as he'd first assumed. He hoped not, she would need stronger mettle to survive in this new world.
The fire in his Lupe's hair bewitched him. He had never seen a shade quite like hers before. He ran a hand down her hair and pushed several thick strands away from her delicate neck. He frowned when he encountered the evidence of Rex's treachery, an unmistakable bite mark in her soft flesh. Airek traced the mark with his finger and felt the stirrings of rage within his belly. He should have killed the bastard long ago, who cared for blood ties?
Sheila groaned and shifted to her side. Her fiery copper hair cascaded across her body.
Desire flooded through Airek. He reached down and caressed her silky smooth skin; she was warm to the touch. He felt the rumblings of his body, the intense need, and stiffened; he could not lose control so quickly. He had her now; he had time to let her adjust to her new life. He could not take her now. He gently caressed her cheek and pressed a small kiss to her warm forehead. It took all his willpower not to devour her where she lay.
* * * *
Sheila woke up burning hot, sweat pooling down her body. “So hot,” she muttered under her breath. “It's too hot in here.”
“Shhhhh my little Lupe, it's the first turn, you will be fine, don't fight the heat.”
Sheila couldn't see who spoke to her through the heat haze over her eyes, but the voice was soothing and calmed her frayed nerves. “What's happening to me?”
Her mouth was so dry. “Water?” She asked, and sighed gratefully when a glass of cool water was brought to her lips.
“Enough. No more, Sheila, you must not drink any more.”
She sank back. Her hair stuck to her skin in damp strands and she ached all over. “Where am I, who are you?”
“All in good time, little Lupe, rest now, all will be fine soon.”
Sheila nodded fitfully. She couldn't help but obey this man; his voice was low and melodic and strung at her heart. She was instantly soothed to sleep.
* * * *
When Sheila woke again she was bathed in sweat. Although the room was cloaked in utter darkness, she could see clear as day. The rustic furnishings, in what appeared to be a good, old-fashioned log cabin, appeared in stark detail. She knew she should be concerned and frightened over the fact that she could see in the dark, but somehow it felt right. She ran her hands up and down her body, needing to know that she was still in one piece. Sheila gasped when she realized she was naked, stark naked. “Okay, a naked dream.”
“Your clothes were ruined.”
Sheila whipped her head around and stared.
He was magnificent, too beautiful to be real. Taller than any man she had ever encountered, he took her breath away—literally. Pale skin that almost seemed to shimmer with light, a corded, muscled physique, perfectly chiseled features, a mane of white hair and brilliant silver eyes. “Oh my God.” Sheila murmured.
The man laughed, revealing two rows of pearly white teeth. “Not God, Airek.”
“Huh?”
“My name is Airek.”
Okay, the beautiful man had a name. This was still a hallucination.
“And you are Sheila McKay, my Lupe.” Airek's comment was matter of fact.
She swallowed. “You realize that I'm going to wake up any moment now and you're not going to be here.”
Airek sighed. “I realize that this is quite a lot to take in, Sheila, but you are not dreaming. You have been blood claimed, but only first blood. Until the bite is more than shallow and the claim consummated, the ritual is not complete.”
This man, Airek, spoke in a foreign language. Not one word of what he said permeated her fuzzy brain. She was just accepting the fact that she was awake and perhaps not dreaming this craziness; she could not accept what this wild man was saying. “Yeah, terrific. So, when can I go home?”
Airek grinned. “You are home, Sheila.”
“Uh, no, this is not my home; this is some log cabin in the woods.” She swallowed again. “Could I have some clothes, please, I'm feeling really naked.”
Airek's eyes twinkled. “I have nothing you can wear.”
“What about what you're wearing.”
“You wish to wear my clothes?” Airek looked taken aback.
“Just your shirt.”
He said nothing, but took off his shirt and handed it to her. She snatched it up and quickly put it on. It swum on her, but provided much-needed coverage.
“Can you open a window or something; it's really hot in here.” Sheila asked, completely ignoring everything her captor had said.
*
Airek was disgruntled; his Lupe was not really listening to him. He walked to the window and opened it. “You realize that your temperature has shot up due to the first change.”
“Whatever.”
; He returned to stand in front of Sheila and looked down at her. She seemed so small and innocent sitting on his bed, swimming in his shirt. He clenched his hands. He could smell her in the air and it was becoming increasingly difficult to keep his needs at bay. “There are some truths you must begin to accept. You were bitten by a male Loopin, a wolf shifter and have undergone the first changes into a true Lupe, a female wolf. However, the male that bit you was not your true mate and thus the change was not completed. You and I must complete the ritual and finalize the claim.”
Sheila grinned. “Uh huh, so you're half wolf, half man and you want me to believe that I was bitten by another wolf-like man and that I'm becoming a wolf, like you.”
Airek clenched his teeth. It wasn't supposed to be this difficult. His mate was supposed to understand their ways not disparage and mock them. “The Loopin that kidnapped you is a rogue Loopin. He has been disowned.”
Airek looked into his Lupe's wide frightened eyes and tried to keep his frustration at bay. He began to walk slowly towards her. He had to make her understand. Time was running out.
A shiver worked its way up Sheila's spine. This deranged man was serious. He truly believed that he was a werewolf and that she was his mate. Sheila saw him walking towards her and with an amazing burst of speed she leaped from the bed and ran to the door, gasping when he grabbed her by the arm.
“Don't hurt me.” She hated the whimper in her voice. She lifted her eyes tentatively to his face and was blown away by what she saw there. There was no madness housed in his eyes, just fierce intelligence and … desire? She didn't know what frightened her more, the fact that some deranged man was claiming to be a werewolf or that she was horrifyingly attracted to said deranged man. His intelligent silver eyes and melodic voice seemed strangely to call to her and something in her soul urged her to submit. But submit to what?
“You know that this can't be true. You're a figment of my imagination, a dream.” she whispered.
Airek smiled. Sheila's eyes told him all that he needed to know. Her spirit recognized his. This was his true Lupe.
“If this is a dream then let us enjoy the dream together.” Airek bent down and traced her warm lips with his tongue. He tasted the salty sweat of her lips and cupped her neck with his hand, pulling her closer to him. “Mine, my Lupe,” he murmured against her lips.
