Full Moons and Mistletoe

by Alyssa Rose Ivy

  Besides, it gave me the opportunity to spend more time with Connor—also known as Professor Daniels, the one person who knew my Grandfather almost as well as I did. And even if all my law school classmates were convinced I was sleeping with Connor, I didn’t care. I wasn’t, and I had no plans to ever change that.

  I pulled out of the freshly paved lot and onto the bumpy road. I was glad I had a truck with good clearance. I’d have bottomed out a regular car at least a dozen times already. I took a quick glance back out toward the rainy cemetery. I was too far away to see the grave, but I assumed it was being covered up. The attractive guy was gone, and a small voice in my head wondered if I’d completely imagined him. It wouldn’t have been the first time.

  Ian

  She didn’t look like a bitch. Nothing about her suggested she’d been involved with Jonovan or his death, but she had to have had something to do with him. Otherwise, why was she even at his burial? No one was even supposed to know about it. Normal people don’t show up at a stranger’s burial—especially not people who looked like her.

  I wanted to forget about the way her wet black dress hugged her body. And how her damp hair fell in her face hiding one of her eyes. None of that mattered. What mattered was finding out how involved she was with Jonovan and whether he’d planned to make her his mate.

  The old pickup truck didn’t fit her. It was as though she’d borrowed it from her father. Maybe she had. I wasn’t sure when she’d gotten to town, but it had to have been after I left a month before. I’d hoped my brothers would keep things under control while I was away, but as usual as soon as I left everything fell apart.

  I walked into the trees and shifted, waiting for the familiar feel of my bear to take over. He was stronger and more instinctual than my human form, and he was the only chance I had of catching up with her truck now that it had already disappeared around the curve of the road. My vision tunneled as I adjusted to my second form.

  I didn’t have any time to waste, so I took off through the trees that ran parallel to the worn road that led back into town.

  I caught up to the old truck quickly. She was driving slower than people normally would. Either she was being especially careful because of the rain, or she wasn’t used to driving these roads.

  I caught a glimpse of her through the window. She’d pulled her long brown hair back into a bun on the top of her head exposing her neck.

  My bear growled, and I became even more certain of her significance and her involvement with Jonovan. An image of him touching her came to my mind, and I wasn’t sure if my bear or human side growled louder. It didn’t matter. There would be others. I didn’t have to claim her as mine even if every part of me knew I should.

  She pulled into Mrs. Peterson’s long driveway, taking out a row of dark pink hollyhocks with her sharp turn. For someone who drove well under the speed limit she wasn’t cautious with her turns.

  She slowed down as if to assess the damage she’d caused before continuing up the driveway and over to the gravel extension that led to the guesthouse. Mrs. Peterson had been renting out the place sporadically for years, but the girl’s presence there could only mean one thing: she wasn’t staying in town long. If she were she’d have rented a place far away from the watchful eyes of Mrs. Peterson. But it also meant something else. Mrs. Peterson would be able to tell me everything about the girl. Starting with her name.

  I stayed hidden in the thick woods that ran all around the back and side of the property. She sat in her truck longer than I expected. She could have been waiting on the rain to slow, but she was already soaked. She’d seemed unperturbed by the water at the cemetery. I didn’t imagine a little bit more water would change anything. But what did I know? I was as clueless about women as the next guy.

  She opened her door slowly and stepped out. She clutched a cream-colored envelope and held it against her chest as she dashed toward the front door of the small blue cottage.

  I couldn’t make out any writing on the envelope, but by the way she clutched it, I could see it was important to her.

  She closed the door to the house, cutting out my view. I had no clue who the girl was, but she was someone special. I’d find out who she was and get my answers. After that I’d either never let her go or pretend I didn’t want her. I already knew the latter would be almost impossible to do.

  Hunt is available now!

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  Dire

  The Dire Wolves Chronicles

  Gage was the first guy I ever wanted. He was my first crush and my first fantasy, but he wasn't my first in any other way because he never saw me as anything more than a friend— at least not until the night that changed everything.

  It was all Gage's fault. He insisted we drive through the storm and take the back roads. By the time the storm hit full force we had no chance. One night of snowbound sex changed our relationship forever. The problem was at the same time I caught another guy’s attention. This other guy happened to be the alpha of a pack of shifter wolves. I thought the wolves were the worst of my problems, but I was wrong. When things went from bad to worse I had to make a lifelong sacrifice to save Gage, but what price is too much to save the one you love?

  Prologue

  A single howl made me stop short. “The wolves!”

  “Let’s hope they are farther away than they sound.” Gage tightened his hold on my hand and pulled me forward.

  Three more howls filled the night. “They sound closer.”

  We picked up the pace, and I chanced a glance behind me. That was a mistake. Several large grey wolves came into view. “Run!”

  Gage didn’t need to be told twice. He broke into a run without letting go of my hand.

  I ran as fast as possible over the frozen snow, but we didn’t get far before the wolves started circling around us. “Oh my god.” Could things get any worse?

  “You have to make a run for it.” Gage’s voice quivered. “They’re going to kill us.”

  “I’m not leaving you.” I tried to stay strong, and I kept my eyes locked on the wolves. There were five of them. All of them were massive, much larger than any wolf I’d seen before, but one of them was even bigger and had a large silver streak running down its back. That wolf seemed to be staring right at me.

  “I’ll distract them. You run. I’ll catch up.”

  I spotted an opening next to one of the smaller of the wolves and went for it. I didn’t make it far before one of the wolves stepped in front of me. I froze, paralyzed with fear, before my legs were knocked from under me. Suddenly, I was lying in the snow with a giant wolf hovering over me.

  “We’re fucked.” Gage voiced exactly what I was thinking.

  The silver streaked wolf stared down at me. It’s almost glowing eyes bored into mine. Was I really going to die as half-frozen food for a giant wild animal?

  Then things got hazy and the air seemed to buzz. Moments later it wasn’t a wolf on top of me—it was a man. A completely naked man with a faint scar across his face.

  “What the heck?” I tried to scurry back, but Hunter didn’t move. His very exposed parts nearly touched me. I didn’t want to notice his size, but I did. He was huge. He also didn’t look remotely concerned with the cold.

  His lips brushed against my ear. “Were you going somewhere?”

  Mary Anne

  He wore black athletic shorts that sat low on his hips and gave me a fantastic view of his perfectly sculpted abs. I had a strong desire to touch those abs with my hands and quite possibly my tongue. His bare chest was equally as alluring, all muscle with just a little bit of sweat sliding down.

  “Thanks for waiting up for me.” He walked into his room and closed the door. “I was worried you’d have fallen asleep already.” He slipped off those black shorts and walked toward his bed that amazingly enough I was already tucked into. He pulled back the blanket. “And you’re wearing the lingerie I like b
est.” He grinned wickedly as he slipped in beside me.

  “Isn’t the best part taking it off me?” I bit my lip, knowing that it would only turn him on more.

  “You remembered.” He slipped the strap down off my right shoulder.

  “I remember everything about you. I always have.”

  “How’d I get so lucky?” He slipped off the other strap as he left tiny kisses from my shoulder up toward my neck.

  “You know you’re the only one I’ve ever wanted.”

  “I know.” He pushed my top down and out of the way. “I feel exactly the same way.” His mouth closed around my breast.

  “Mary Anne!”

  My eyes flew open as someone pounded on the door to my dorm room. I blinked a few times, trying to hold on to the remnants of my dream.

  “Mary Anne!” The voice yelled louder.

  I grudgingly dragged myself across the room and opened the door. I wasn’t surprised to see Genevieve standing there.

  “Finally!” She pushed into the room. I closed the door and cut her off before she could sit on my bed. I needed to make it first. I pulled back my jersey knit lime green sheets and navy blue comforter. As soon as I smoothed out the comforter, she took a seat.

  I sat in my desk chair and watched her. “As lovely as it is to see you, I’m guessing there’s a reason you’re here?”

  “Aren’t you a little grouchy this morning?” Suddenly her glossy lips twisted up into a smile. “Wait….you were dreaming about him again.”

  “Why do you have to say it like it’s a bad thing? Most women have some sort of sexual dreams. It isn’t at all abnormal.” I ran my fingers through my long red hair to get out the tangles.

  “Mary Anne, I’m only saying this because I’m a friend and I care about you, but you’re obsessed.” She crossed her legs. “Most women may have sex dreams, but they’re about celebrities, not a guy they actually know. Plus, the frequency is the crazy part.”

  “There’s nothing wrong with dreaming about Gage.”

  “There is. If you want him so bad, just get with him. It’s not like he’d say no. He’s gotten with half the girls on this campus already.”

  I groaned. “That’s not entirely true. I admit he has a reputation, but he doesn’t actually sleep with everyone. Plus, I can’t just sleep with him. We have a history. We’re from the same town.” Maybe claiming we had a history was a bit of an overstatement, but I had known him practically my entire life.

  “Is he still driving you home for break?” She leaned back on her hands.

  “Of course. Why would that change?”

  “I thought you might have considered taking Roy up on his offer to drop you off on his way home.” She raised an eyebrow.

  “Gage and I are going to the same place. It makes sense to have him drive me. Plus, my parents know him.”

  “Mary Anne.” Genevieve was in the habit of saying my name far more often than necessary. She was the best friend I had at Eastern U, so I didn’t remind her of how annoying the practice was. “You know what you’re doing, right?”

  “Are we still discussing my plans to get a ride home with Gage?”

  “More specifically we’re discussing your decision to say no to Roy’s offer. You’re chicken. You’re afraid of accepting an overture from a guy who you actually have a chance with. A guy who is really interested in you.”

  “I wonder why you want me to give Roy another shot?” I bit back the smile that was ready to come out. “This would have nothing to do with his best friend, would it?” I’d gone out on one date with Roy, and although there was nothing particularly wrong with it, I had no intention of seeing him again.

  “What?” She put a hand on her chest. “Of course not.”

  “Oh? It wouldn’t be convenient for you if I were dating Roy?”

  “Sure, it would be convenient to have an excuse to spend time with Tony, but that’s not why I want you to give Roy another chance. He’s a nice guy.”

  “He is nice. He’s also intelligent and cute, but that doesn’t mean I want to spend four hours in a car with him.”

  “Not when you can spend the same amount of time in a car with Gage.”

  “Gage drives a truck.”

  Genevieve sighed. “Same thing. My point is that you have no excuse to be sitting around pining over a guy when you have real, good options knocking down your door.”

  I didn’t take the bait. I was too stressed out to get into a fight about my love life. “I’m taking a shower.” I walked over to my closet and pulled down my favorite pair of worn in jeans. I took a purple thermal shirt from my dresser. December in Boston was cold.

  “I’m sure it’s going to be a cold shower.” Genevieve made no move to leave my room.

  “I hadn’t even gotten to the good part in my dream, so a hot shower will be perfectly fine.”

  “I’ll wait here.” She lay back on my bed. “We can walk over to the exam together.”

  I hesitated with my hand on the door knob. “That sounds great, but please no more overanalyzing my choice of men. I need to keep my mind focused on the test.”

  “You’re going to ace it. You know this stuff inside and out.”

  “Let’s hope. I refuse to become the first member of my family not to get the Youngston Fellowship, and I need to ace calculus to get it.”

  “You’ll ace it, but so what if you don’t get the fellowship? You’ll still get into grad school, and you’ll be able to do exactly what you want anyway.”

  “You don’t know my parents.”

  She sat up. “I’ve met them.”

  “Meeting them is different than knowing them.”

  “Yeah, but you said they wouldn’t mind you getting a ride home with Gage. That makes me question their sanity.” She laughed. “Ok, take that shower. We don’t have much time.”

  “I wonder why not.”

  “Don’t start. Your alarm would just be going off.”

  As if to prove her point, the dinging of my alarm started. Genevieve turned it off, and I headed down the hall to the bathroom. Four hours in the car with Gage. I could hardly wait.

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