Praise For Noelle Rahn-Johnson
5 Stars for In Pieces
"Wow!!! What a good book. It's very addictive."
— Paula Genereau, Goodreads
4 Stars for In Pieces
"IN PIECES is a brilliant work of emotion. Noelle Rahn-Johnson brings her characters to life by showing the reader every emotion on the spectrum and weaving it throughout a sweet story. This book will make you laugh and cry. From page 1, the reader is pulled in and made to feel as if she lives right along beside Paige, cheering Paige's triumphs as well as offering a shoulder for Paige to cry on. I cannot wait to see where Noelle Rahn-Johnson takes me next!"
— Allie Harrison, Goodreads
Praise For Noelle Rahn-Johnson
5 Stars for Shattered Pieces
"This is he best love story I've read in a while. I love Colton and Betsey's story. Betsey's and Colton are best friends but at their friends wedding something happens that could be more or ruin their friendship."
— Paula Genereau, Goodreads
4 Stars for Shattered Pieces
"I'm going to come right out and say it. I haven't really been a big fan of the contemporary romance genre for quite a while. I suppose it is because in many cases, the books have such shallow characters that it's just no fun to read the books. But that certainly is not the case with Shattered Pieces."
— Charli, Goodreads
Praise For Noelle Rahn-Johnson
5 Stars for In Pieces
"In Pieces is an amazing read by a great author. The chemistry just crackles between Ronan and Paige. She is afraid of the relationship because of things that happened in her past so she tries to keep it at arms length. Ronan isn't going to give up!"
— Heather Swan, Amazon Reader
5 Stars for Returning for Ryder
"A beautiful story about finding out who Ryder really is. The emotional journey he takes and the loving support he has really helps him along with what he finds out. Flynn has known he he loves for a very long time but he has to wait for that person to grow more. Due to circumstances he comes home to calm his love but he's uncertain if it will be returned."
— Jeanette Kelley, Amazon Reader
Praise For Noelle Rahn-Johnson
5 Stars for Shattered Pieces
"This book had me on edge the whole way! Emotionally I can relate with all characters of the story and I feel like I am living it with them, like I was meant to be part of it!"
— Cheryl, Goodreads
5 Stars for In Pieces
"Emotional roller coaster!!
I don't think I have read a book lately that I wanted to scream, cry and smack the main characters so much! Paige is a young adult going through too many life breaking events for her to handle as she meets Ronan, the man is sexy as hell, and she feels inadequate. The strongest love lives through everything that is built to tear it down..."
— Bookworm, Amazon Reader
Praise For Noelle Rahn-Johnson
5 Stars for Returning for Ryder
"Oh My God! What an awesome book!
I loved the Story of Ryder and Flynn! Made want to hug them both I was so happy for them. Now I can't wait for Chances story! Well written and very well put together to bring these two men to light! An Exciting story."
— Amazon Customer
5 Stars for Broken Pieces
"Final book to the series blew me away!
Hayden and Cece's story was beautifully written of two people who had no clue that growing up in each other's lives from second grade to adulthood would end up with each other. Business partners and bestfriends find out they are madly in love with each other. You must read this series."
— Amazon Customer
Praise For Noelle Rahn-Johnson
5 Stars for Shattered Pieces
"I loved this book!
The story of Colton and Betsy Ann's love story is beautifully written. The ups and downs keep you wanting more! And the cliffhanger brings you to your knees screaming noooooooo! But book three is out and you can get right back into it! A must read! This author writes from the heart you will love her work!
— Amazon Customer
5 Stars for In Pieces
"Fast read, realistic story.
I definitely will read the next book in the series!"
— Wanda, Amazon Customer
Remote in the Shadows
ISBN: 978-1-926514-81-9,
978-1-926514-80-2
First Edition April 2017
Published by: Naughty Nights Press, LLC
http://naughtynightspress.com/
Copyright ©2017 Noelle Rahn-Johnson
Cover Design by Willsin Rowe
Names, characters and incidents depicted in this ebook are products of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, organizations, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental and beyond the intent of the author.
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Table of Contents
Dedication
Acknowledgements
Music Line Up for Remote in the Shadows
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
About The Author
Keep up with Noelle on Social Media
Dedication
For...
Terold Erwin Rahn, my daddy. Who passed away November 20th, 2007.
He has inspired me in all my writing.
My hubby, Gary Johnson, for surviving this year with me of complaints, his patience, and for always believing in me and holding my hand along the way.
My kids, for just being you.
My daughter, Cheyenne, for helping me pick out music and with helping with a few issues in the book, and thinks she should be the first one mentioned…
My mom and grandma, for wanting the books!
Acknowledgements
To my beta readers for this book: Heather Swan and Phyllis Lopez thanks for being there and rea
ding this book. Glad you both loved it! Sorry for putting Heather through agony every five minutes while writing the last one hundred pages and have her wait for the final ending. Thanks to the both of you for being such great friends and demanding more books from me!
To Gina, for the pushing me to get it done, being a friend, and for believing in me. And, for cracking the whip. Snap!
To Willsin Rowe, the talented Naughty Nights Press cover artist, for making me an absolutely beautiful cover.
Of course, a huge thanks goes out to my incredible faithful readers, fans, and friends—too many to name—you are the reason I push myself to write every day.
Music Line Up for Remote in the Shadows
Song and Artist Credits
Blood on my Hands -- Through fire
Blush (Only You) -- Plumb
Animal I have Become -- 3 Days Grace
Breathe Me -- Sia
Bully -- Shinedown
Alive -- Sia
Titanium -- David Guetta & Sia
Follow You -- Bring me the Horizon
Feel Invincible -- Skillet
Breathe (Extended Version) -- Through Fire
Taking you Down -- Egypt Central
Unbreakable -- Firelight
Wrapped up in your Arms -- Firelight
Back for More -- Five Finger Death Punch
Chasing Cars -- Snow Patrol
I am the Fire -- Halestorm
Remote
in the Shadows
Noelle Rahn-Johnson
Naughty Nights Press ● Canada
Chapter One
The bluish black of the night sky overhead still hangs heavy, the last of the stars twinkling out as a faint light begins to peek over the horizon. The dew is heavy on the forest floor, the light rains from the night before still coat the leaves of the trees with a musty wood scent.
At twenty-seven, Parker James Williams lives alone in a two-story log cabin home in the wilderness in a remote part of Oregon. This is where his ancestors settled many, many years ago. This is where he prefers to stay, where it's safe from civilization, he can hunt, frolic and run the forest without fear of discovery. This is his element and he lives it as naturally as one would when their animal form is a midnight black leopard.
It's the first week of June and starting to warm during the daytime hours so Parker takes his liberties and hunts at early in the mornings just before daylight while all the little creatures are still roaming and scavenging for their own pre- daybreak meals.
He is crouched behind a large fallen branch, stalking a fawn and white tailed deer, when the wind shifts and he smells blood. Human blood. Momentarily confused by the ridiculous thought he could scent humans way out here in the uncultivated wilderness, his leopard instinctively hisses and steps backward a pace only to crunch on a eroded and stray stick, sending his dinner scurrying off into the deep brush. Cursing himself for his momentary lapse of judgment, he gives his massive head a shake, as if to eliminate the last shred of doubt from his mind, even as his stomach chastises him with a loud rumble of displeasure. Letting out a long, low growl, Parker paws the ground, his claws scratching the leaves and dirt in four long marks. With a last sniff to the wind, he sets off to mark his next potential serving of food.
His heavy paws squish into the earth and mud. He's running through the heavily wooded forest when an odd sound reaches through the feral brain of his beast and registers within the human at its core – the faint cry of a small child in the distance.
Cresting a ridge Parker comes to a stop, scouring the land with the keen night vision of his animal, and catches a flash of a tan colored mass resting mid-way down an embankment across the gorge from where he stands; a steep drop from the rarely used service road through these hills near his home. In fact, in many years he's been the only one to drive that road. Not even emergency vehicles or the rangers bother to use it in favor of the newly paved single lane highway fifteen miles back that ends in the same small, beaten down town.
His sensitive ears can hear a soft whimpering sound from inside of the mangled tan car and it registers in his brain somehow that these sounds come from an infant.
Wondering why anyone would be out in this remote location on such a beaten track to begin with strikes him as odd, but who in their right mind would be out this early and driving it in the dark of all things.
He creeps up to the side of the vehicle, the pads of his feet not making a sound on the loose earth, and notices the front end of the compact compressed into a tree, saving it from tumbling the rest of the way down the steep hill. His keen nose picks up the scent of gasoline, once again mixed with the unmistakable copper aroma of blood. Hearing a hissing noise coming from the front of the vehicle where it has combined with the tree, he assumes the radiator has spewed it's contents all over the floor of the forest. Great, that out to attract the porcupines and other small rodent type creatures he hates so much. Why they like the taste and smell of coolant and brake fluid, he will never understand. With a sigh at the uselessness of such inedible animals, Parker moves up to peer into the glass of the back window, seeing the first rays of dawn creeping up over his shoulder in the reflection. Wet nose pressed against the glass now, he can see there's a young toddler strapped into a car seat, unmoving except for a light rise and fall of her little chest underneath the taunt straps. The scent of blood is stronger here, but it's not coming from her.
The driver's side window has been smashed out, either from the impact to the tree or the roll down the embankment, and Parker pokes his head into the opening, careful not to catch his fur on the remaining shards. A woman is leaning back against her seat, still belted in and unconscious. She has a deep gash above her left eyebrow and there's still a trickle of fresh bright red blood running down her forehead to her chin. He draws a deep breath in through his nose, identifying this as the human blood he'd first smelled when he was about to pounce on his dinner. Still alive. For now anyway.
The woman is miles from any clinic or hospital and the child seems unharmed, though perhaps the whimpers are of fear or hunger. At this point it's impossible to assess the situation further in his leopard form. Not only because he can't possible open the doors with his big furry paws, but also because the last thing he needs right now is a screaming woman if she wakes and catches sight of some big cat in her face. If he shifts here, though, he'll be naked and that's pretty likely to send her off into hysterics as well.
Hating to leave them alone, but determining there's no immediate danger anywhere in the vicinity and the car, though damaged pretty bad, doesn't seem like it's going anywhere being wedged against the tree the way it is. There's no spark, and frankly barely any heat left to the ticking engine and radiator, and he feels fairly confident the child is unharmed. With the woman only having the slightly bleeding wound on her head, he hopes he's right and can leave them behind in the current safety of the car.
He's going to have to take a chance and make a run home for some clothing and bring back his truck.
Parker gives one last sniff of the open window and takes off running full out for home.
Chapter Two
Upon returning to the woman and child, Parker slowly slides down the embankment on his heels, leaving his 4X4 truck running, headlights on high beams. Really, it's only on the rare chance any other vehicles are actually traversing the windy dirt road. His cat can see perfectly at night, even in his human form.
He opens the back door of the damaged vehicle, then unbuckles the seat belt from around the baby's car seat, slowly lifting the carrier from the back of the car.
He notices a backpack on the floor, and grabs it. Tossing the backpack strap over his shoulder, he takes the oddly quiet baby, still strapped inside of the carrier, up to his truck; losing footing occasionally on the steep embankment.
Parker buckles the carrier into the back seat of his truck and sets backpack on the floor. Pausing for a moment to watch the rise and fall of the child's chest as she breathes, clearly in a deep sl
eep despite the trauma of the accident, he then closes the truck door with a small snick sound.
Parker makes his way back down to the woman, sliding down on his ass despite the mud and debris he knows is probably ruining his pants. Moving to the driver's door, he can smell her blood wafting through the broken window.
Opening the door, he leans in carefully over the woman, and the keys from the ignition, shoving them into his pocket. He unbuckles the seatbelt from around her, careful not to let the strap injure her further.
Parker puts his arm out in front of her chest, catching her as she moans and slumps forward slightly.
He slides one hand under her legs and the other one behind her shoulders very gently, pulling her from the car and into his arms. He's careful to cradle her head against his shoulder, not wanting to hurt her any more than she already is. She fits easily against his chest. Parker can hear his leopard purring in contentment inside his head.
What are you purring about? It's a woman, she's hurt and needs help, that's all, Parker chastises his beast.
I like her. She's going to be ours soon, the inner cat purrs back.
Knock it off. She is not, Parker replies.
As Parker carries the woman, being careful of his footing, he slowly makes it back up the hill. He places her inside the truck and buckles her in. He flashes a quick glance in the backseat, and breathes a sigh of relief that the child is still asleep.
Remote in the Shadows: A Paranormal Shapeshifter Romance Page 1
