by Aileen Erin
First Published by Ink Monster, LLC in 2018
Ink Monster, LLC
4470 W Sunset Blvd
Suite 145
Los Angeles, CA 90027
www.inkmonster.net
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ISBN 9781943858071
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Copyright © 2018 by Ink Monster LLC
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All rights reserved. This book or any portion thereof
may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever
without the express written permission of the publisher
except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
Contents
Also by Aileen Erin
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Lunar Court
Off Planet
Off Planet Sample
Deadly Sweet
To My Readers
Acknowledgments
About the Author
Also by Aileen Erin
The Alpha Girl Series
Becoming Alpha
Avoiding Alpha
Alpha Divided
Bruja
Alpha Unleashed
Shattered Pack
Being Alpha
Lunar Court – Coming June 11, 2019
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The Shadow Ravens Series
Cipher
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The Aunare Chronicles
Off Planet – Coming March 19, 2019
For my girl, Isabella.
You are Alpha.
One
The sun burned hot on my back, spreading warmth through my body as I lay on the sand. Waves crashed into the beach and water licked at my toes. The tide was coming in, and even though Dastien and I should move, I couldn’t make myself get up. Maybe I would’ve if the ocean weren’t so warm, but the water was perfect, cooling me off just enough to temper the heat of the sun.
We can move if you want, Dastien said through our bond.
Shhh, I sent back to my mate. The weather was so amazing, but I’d been trying to force a vision of what was going on at St. Ailbe’s for the last hour. I hadn’t seen anything in weeks—not since we left Ireland—and it was starting to freak me out. Don’t distract me.
You’re stressing about it, but maybe you’re not getting a vision because everything is okay, Dastien said.
I let out a long sigh. Maybe, but my gut told me that wasn’t right.
Do you want to check your phone?
Dastien had wanted a zero distractions rule for the beach portion of our honeymoon. We’d already travelled to Dastien’s house in France, which was more castle than house. Been clubbing in Paris. Gone to Meredith’s Full Moon Ceremony in Ireland. But when we got here, it was just us, and we liked it that way. So, we’d decided to ban our phones. That meant no texting. No checking email or social media. No internet use of any kind—well, except streaming Netflix at night, but that was it.
St. Ailbe’s—a now not-so-secret boarding school for werewolves—was closed and the public’s interest in werewolves had slowed down enough that we could fully check out for a bit. With that evil witch Luciana dead, Mr. Dawson (the Alpha of the St. Ailbe’s pack), the Council of the Seven (the Alphas that governed the werewolves), and the Cazadores (the werewolves’ version of soldiers) were all way more than capable of dealing with supernatural mayhem than we were. Which meant that Dastien and I were more than able to take time for ourselves. Our honeymoon had started out as a couple weeks, but we’d been having so much fun, we ended up extending it.
I shouldn’t check my phone, but I wanted to. “If I can’t see anything by this afternoon, then yes. We should probably check-in.” Forcing a vision was a little like cheating the no distractions rule anyway, but it felt different. Honestly, it’d been really nice not having my phone the last couple of weeks. Mr. Dawson had the number to the landline—we were borrowing his beach house—so if he needed us, he’d call. I trusted him. Which meant I should assume everything was fine.
A niggle of anxiety started to build and it took me a second to realize that it wasn’t my own, but Dastien’s. That stank. I didn’t want him to worry about my worrying, but ever since we completed our mate bond, our emotions and thoughts had gotten a little tangled. We could read each other completely, and sometimes, I felt like I was in two places at once. It wasn’t a bad thing exactly, but it was an adjustment.
Over the past six weeks, I’d learned to filter out most of it. Only Dastien’s strongest thoughts and feelings came through now, which was totally manageable. He chose not to filter out as many of my thoughts, but I didn’t mind him listening in. I didn’t have anything to hide.
“I like knowing what you’re thinking,” Dastien said.
I sat up so I could see him. Werewolves healed too fast to tan, but Dastien’s skin naturally had a hint of gold in it, unlike my own pasty white. He was wearing a blue swimsuit and no shirt, which I appreciated. His abs and chest and shoulder and arms… I was biased, but he was perfect. He grinned as the last thought crossed my mind.
I pushed a curl of still-drying dark brown hair from his forehead. “Doesn’t knowing what I’m thinking all the time take away some of the mystery?”
His eyebrows rose above the frame of his golden aviator sunglasses. “No. Do you think it takes away the mystery from me?”
“No. I don’t think so?” I wasn’t sure how to answer that. Dastien was pretty much my first everything. Before he bit me, I had zero control over my visions. Every time I touched anyone or anything, I’d see things—emotions, thoughts, most recent events tied to the person or object. All things I had no business seeing. My visions made it next to impossible to have friends, let alone date. So, I’d never really known what a relationship was before we became true mates, and I liked us. Knowing what Dastien was thinking and feeling made things easier. There were no misunderstandings, and I’d found that we were usually on the same page, or as close to it as two people could get.
“I like us, too.” He sat up. “And our life has plenty of mystery. There’s a lot we can’t control. All the supernaturals have been outed, and all but a few of the fey have gone into hiding. I’m not sure what the backlash is going to be from all this change. Knowing where you are and how you’re feeling…that you’re alive and well and safe? It makes me feel secure.”
“Secure?” I laughed. That wasn’t what I’d expected him to say. I guessed I shouldn’t worry about the whole mystery thing anymore.
“Exactly. So, don’t worry about filtering if you don’t want to. Go ahead and poke around in my head at your leisure.” He gave me a big grin, dimples pressing deep into his cheeks.
“At my leisure?” I said, unable to stop grinning back at him. I couldn’t see his eyes through his sunglasses, but I knew their amber color would be glowing just the tiniest bit—which meant he was happy. His dark hair was still a little too long, the curls falling into his face. He was planning on having it cut as soon as we got back, but I liked him no matter what.
The man was beautiful, and just looking at him made my heart sing. And the fact that he knew me—every weird part of me—and he st
ill wanted to be with me? That was always a bit of a shock.
So even with how crazy things were within the supernatural world, I was happy. I really was. But there was just one thing wrong, and I couldn’t stop poking at it.
You have to let yourself relax, Dastien said as he settled back onto our beach towel. Everything is fine. If it wasn’t, Michael would call.
I hoped he was right.
I am right. Come down here. Dastien pulled me until I was resting against him.
I had the beach and Dastien and plenty of quiet. We were so far away from everyone and everything on a private island off of Costa Rica—a long boat ride away from anything—and it was perfect. It was paradise. The only thing that would’ve made it better was if his stomach had a bit more padding.
Should I apologize?
Your stomach is about as comfortable as a hunk of granite. I rolled over enough so that I could bite Dastien’s side.
“Ouch! Watch it.”
I laughed softly. “It was barely a nip, you baby.”
“Barely a nip? You nearly drew blood. Is this payback for biting you? Or are you going vamp on me?”
I rolled my eyes. “Like that’s even possible.”
“Well, you were bitten…” His contained laughter was so overwhelming it became my own for a second before I stifled it.
“You’re such a dork.”
Dastien rolled, and I was pinned under two-hundred and twenty pounds of handsome. All joking was gone, instantly replaced with hunger.
He ran the tip of his nose along my neck, sending goose bumps across my skin, before pressing a feather-light kiss just below my ear. I melted into the sand.
Are you more comfortable now?
“Mmmm,” was all I could manage. I wrapped my arms around him, pulling his body flush against mine. He moaned against my neck, and suddenly I was on fire. Every place his body touched me was too much and not enough. This is the best.
What is?
You. This beach. No people.
He rose and lifted off his glasses so that I could focus on his amber eyes. “I’m glad you’re happy.”
“I wish we could stay here forever…” But I knew we’d have to go home. Maybe soon. There was something coming—
Stop, Dastien’s voice interrupted my thoughts. Everything is fine. There’s nothing—
You don’t know that.
And you don’t know everything isn’t okay. Dastien had said that about a million times today, and I knew it was true. I just couldn’t let this go. Nothing is going to happen.
I wanted to believe Dastien, but the what-if’s were driving me bonkers, and the lack of visions was adding to my nerves.
It might not be as bad as you think. It could be something as simple as your subconscious cutting off your visions so you can deal with how powerful our bond has gotten.
I definitely liked his theory better than my own. I guess that’s possible. There had been a lot of changes in my life in the last few months, but my gut was telling me it was more than that. I couldn’t ignore my instincts anymore.
Before I grabbed my cell from my beach bag, I was going to give my visions one more go. I tightened my grip around Dastien and closed my eyes.
I pictured St. Ailbe’s in my mind. The quad and five buildings surrounding it. I want to see St. Ailbe’s, I thought as I relaxed my mental barrier, willing myself to see what was going on back in Texas.
I felt the familiar tingling along my skin as the vision started, but the mental image of St. Ailbe’s disappeared.
Everything went dark.
My heartbeat thumped in my ears and I tried to picture anything, but all I saw was black. All I got were feelings. Despair so strong I wanted to curl up in a ball and sob. Pain. It was like my heart was being ripped from my chest. Fear. So much fear. Enough fear to cool my sun-heated skin. My breath whooshed out of me.
Dastien’s weight was suddenly gone as he jerked me up to sit, pulling me from the vision. I blinked at him. The sudden brightness was blinding, but it wasn’t enough to shake me free of the vision. A trickle of dread tiptoed up my spine and I wanted it gone. “What was that?” I asked when I had enough air to talk.
“Your heart. It skipped a beat.” His voice was barely more than a whisper.
“What?” How was that possible? I’d never had anything like that happen before.
My eyes burned and I blinked to keep my tears from falling. I tried to tell myself that the feelings from the vision didn’t mean anything—that it wasn’t some future fate of my friends at St. Ailbe’s—but that was too close to a lie. I’d felt that fear and despair for a reason.
Dastien wiped a hand down his face, not really hiding his fear. “You have your phone here?”
I nodded. I’d been using it for music while reading.
“Are you calling Chris or Claudia?”
I’d been planning on calling Chris, but now that he said Claudia’s name, I wanted to call her, too. She’d have a little more insight on my visions. “Both. But Chris first.” If there wasn’t anything immediately wrong in Texas, then Claudia would be my next call.
“I’m going to get us some food. If Chris says they need our help, just grab the stuff and come back to the house. It’ll take some doing, but we’ll get travel booked and head back.”
“Thank you.” I’d been hoping it wouldn’t come to this. “I wish our honeymoon didn’t have to end so soon.”
“You don’t know that it will yet. And if it has to, then we’ll have plenty of time to come back. This is just the beginning for us. Okay?”
I nodded. “Okay.”
He pulled me against him, squeezing tight. His fear was lingering, making him anxious. He was thinking about how scared he was to leave me alone on the beach.
I’m okay, I said.
No more weird heart things while I’m gone, okay?
I laughed. I’ll do my best. But it wasn’t like I had any control over it.
When he pulled away, I laid back down, focusing on him as he walked back to the beach house. I could feel the sand under his feet. The brush of leaves against his arm as he pushed a shrub out of the way. Hunger was growing in him. My thoughts filled with images of sandwiches, piled high with turkey and avocado.
The water splashed on my toes—drawing me back to my own body—so I got up and scooted our stuff out of reach from the rising tide.
I sat back down on our bright red and blue striped beach towel and dug my phone out of my bag. It took me a few minutes to turn on the data and accept the ten-dollars-per-day fee for international usage, which was basically highway robbery. Even with the fee, data on the beach was slower than anything. Before I called Chris, I figured I should check my email and see if anyone had been trying to reach us.
When my email finally loaded, I groaned. I must’ve gotten over a hundred messages for every day we’d been gone, all of them useless junk—coupons and sales and newsletters from places I didn’t care about. Except for the Above and Beyond newsletter. That one was legit.
I started deleting emails, but then gave up and switched to skimming through to see if there were any from actual people I knew. Eighty-ish emails down, there was an email that caught my eye. The subject was Demon Attacks from cmatthewsntxwwp… C Matthews. Chris.
The chain had five emails in it already. The most recent one dated yesterday.
My thumb shook as I pressed the screen and read his first email.
Tessa! Mr. D said that you were gonna be MIA for a bit. Just in case you’re checking this or see anything, we had a small demon attack last night. No big. Didn’t want you to worry. Talk soon.
That didn’t sound so bad, and there was nothing for a couple days. But then Chris emailed again.
Hey, Tessa.
Adrian and I decided to stay at St. Ailbe’s. There’ve been a few more attacks. Figured Mr. D could use a hand. The reporters have mostly gone, but the Cazadores have more work than they thought now with all the patrolling and whatnot. We’ll let y
ou know if anything changes. No worries!
I was glad they were able to stay, but I wasn’t liking where this was heading. A couple days after that, there was another email.
Getting a little crazy here. We’re trying to keep up, but there’s got to be a reason why all these fuckers keep coming through. Do you think there’s like a portal or something that Luciana left open? The Cazadores burned the witch’s compound to the ground almost two months ago, so I’m guessing not, but we’re all scratching our heads over here and this has got to stop. If you check this and have any ideas, could you call me or Adrian or Mr. D?
Tried getting through to Claudia, but apparently her and Lucas are hiking the Inca trail in Peru and MIA, too. Won’t be back for a few more days. If you can even point us in the right direction, we’ll get it done.
Just call me. Okay?
I licked my lips as I kept reading on to the next email, dated a few days later.
Do you think Luciana could come back from the dead? Because we’re ass deep in demons and if she’s back, I’m going to lose my mind. We killed her, right? She’s dead. And no witch can come back from that. Right?
Just call me. We’re handling it—Mr. D has some backup on the way—but serious stuff is going on here. Hoping Keeney’s coming and bringing more of his Cazadores with him. But no one’s getting that we have to figure out WHY this is happening. We can slay ‘em all night, but until we figure out why, we’re SOL.
