Every male werewolf had the capacity for such ruthlessness. As an Alpha, I’d always felt I straddled a fence where just one wrong move and I’d become something different. It was why I always strove to govern the Pack fairly. Why I carefully guarded that part of me that kept me more human than beast. Others didn’t care and claimed it was who they were.
That wasn’t me. I was a good man and because of Darcy, I remained one.
Praise for Darkness Unleashed
“The Queen of Cliffhangers has taken this to a whole new level. I thought Savage Possession was intense . . . that was a walk in the park compared to this firebomb.”
~ Raquel Auriemma, Roc n’ Read.
“Belinda had my emotions going from the very high to the very low in just a matter of pages. I found myself holding my breath on more than one occasion and I didn't know I was doing so until it hurt.”
~ Cindy Mucha Barton, Amazon Customer.
“Darkness Unleashed has topped the best book in the series to date.”
~ Susan McCray, Goodreads Reader.
“Your heart and mind will be playing tricks on you as you read this series. The Mystic Wolves will become your addiction, buckle up for another amazing ride.”
~ Laura Griffel, Amazon Customer.
“Just when you think the Mystic Wolves story can't get any better, Belinda pulls another "rabbit out of her hat". This series gets better and better with a touch of evil sprinkled in! #sataninplainclothes.”
~ Lisa Markson, The Paranormal Bookworm.
“The Queen Of Swoon, sweeps us in a fast paced, action packed delivery of Epic proportions!!!! If you thought you have read the biggest cliff hangers before then think again because this one deliver's a one two punch that leaves you breathless and in pure shock!!!!”
~ Laura Tolbert, Amazon Customer.
“All I can say is Belinda is a genius when it comes to cliffhangers.”
~ Kimmi Wakefield, Goodreads Reader.
“Omg!!! The Queen of Cliffhangers has struck again.”
~ Laura McGee, Amazon Customer.
Darkness Unleashed
Copyright 2014 Belinda Boring
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
Published by Blushing Heart Press
Edited by Kim Swain, Red Line Editing & Writing
Cover Design by Lacey Weatherford, Moonstruck Media LLC
Smashwords Edition
This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This eBook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.
Dedication
To Julie Woods,
Here’s to many more evil plotting sessions in the future.
Oh, and if I haven’t told you already today . . .
I love you, and you’re pretty!
Acknowledgements
This may be my all-time favorite book within the Mystic Wolves world. It’s also the one that tested me the most—making me grin, laugh, and yes . . . cry as it broke my heart. I love each of these characters. They own me completely. There’s nothing I wouldn’t do for them—no twist or turn I won’t make in order to honor them. And it shows in Darkness Unleashed.
Having said that, trust me. Trust me even when you think I’ve lost my mind. Trust me when you’re staring at the page, cursing me loudly. Trust me when I say . . . it will all work out.
Scared? You should be. You will fall deeper in love with Mason, Darcy, Daniel, Devlin, and Vlad. Your commitment and devotion to them will intensify. Darkness Unleashed will connect your hearts to them. And it will be glorious!
Thank you, everyone, for all your support. I feel so incredibly blessed by those who surround me on a daily basis, cheering me on, and keeping me motivated when my brain turns to mush and Pinterest starts calling.
To those who help me polish the story until it shines.
To those who constantly promote my books to the world.
To those who make sure I don’t go crazy.
To those who make sure I eat, drink, and sleep.
To those who make me laugh about deleting.
To those who feed my addiction to all things Doctor Who and Supernatural.
I LOVE YOU.
Thanks for being part of the journey. It wouldn’t be the same without you.
Bels
xoxo
Prologue
Darcy
Trapped.
I was a prisoner inside my own body, all my efforts for freedom falling by the wayside.
Nothing I did made any difference. In fact, it seemed to please Amber, the werewolf who had managed to possess me when I died during my vampire conversion. She didn’t waste a single moment in gloating about how she was going to finally have Mason all to herself.
She’d aligned with some powerful friends, Helena being one of them. Together, they were preparing the way for someone they called the Master. In secret, they had plotted, killed, and performed the darkest of magic—all the while pretending to be the good guys.
All the while fooling the people I loved most with their lies.
It was torture watching from the shadows as Amber masqueraded as me.
Meanwhile, I grew weaker. Each day that passed, another piece of my soul faded until, eventually, I would simply disappear, forever out of reach.
There would be no bringing me back then. Even if something happened and Amber was discovered, it would be too late to save me.
I would be gone. Truly dead. My life over.
My time was running out, and with each passing second, Amber grew stronger. Bolder. More reckless.
Hopefully it would be her downfall.
I hadn’t given up on Mason realizing something was wrong. He’d know; and when he did, he’d come for me.
Until then, I remained trapped—helplessly watching while Amber left destruction in her wake, reminding me that the clock kept ticking away.
Bringing me one step closer to nothing.
Tick.
Tock.
Chapter One
Mason
“How’s she feeling?”
Entering my office, I found Daniel sitting behind my desk, typing at my computer. We were in business together and we often used this room to deal with the various aspects of the job. Both of us had a love of computer programming; but if truth were told, Daniel enjoyed the marketing side of it more. He definitely had the right personality to win over potential customers and keep our clients happy.
“She’s going to have one hell of a hangover when she wakes up,” I admitted, closing the door behind me. Part of me wanted to laugh at how funny Darcy had been once we’d pulled up in front of the house. She’d kept up a steady stream of drunken snores all the way home from the bar, but trying to get her inside had proved to be more difficult. Jostling in my arms, she’d stirred and flown off into a confused slur of a rant about something, her alcohol-laced breath proof that she’d indulged in one too many drinks.
It wasn’t the fact she’d decided to go off by herself, or that I’d found her singing Karaoke for a bunch of overly friendly bar patrons—I tried to always keep my overprotectiveness under control when it came to my mate, remembering the countless heated discussions we’d engaged in over her need for independence. For the most part, I knew I didn’t have much to worry about and Woodside Hollow was relatively safe.
No, that wasn’t what had me concerned right now. It was the growing evidence that something was drastically wrong with the girl who owned my heart. She wasn’t hers
elf and it didn’t matter how much I wanted to rationalize it away as a result from her conversion.
Something else was at work here, and damned if I was going to sit back and watch from the sidelines as she unraveled.
Daniel glanced up from the screen, a frown creasing his brow. “Did she say why she was partying by herself? It’s not like her to hang out at the bar alone.” Pushing back from the desk, he leaned with his elbow on the chair’s side arm. Daniel had a good point, but that wasn’t what bothered me the most.
I’m not who you think I am.
I’d wanted to ask her what she meant, but had been busy trying to keep her from removing her clothes right there in the parking lot. Darcy was sexy as hell, and the sight of her skin, the curves of her body, always addled my brain. She’d then whispered something else that had turned my blood cold as she passed out.
She never did deserve you.
I’d gone over and over it in my mind. I’d told myself I must’ve heard her wrong, that she’d said I and not she, but it was as clear as day. Darcy wasn’t one to talk in third person. Whatever was going on, whoever was walking around in my wife’s body, it wasn’t her.
“Can I tell you something that’s going to sound really crazy?” I asked, dropping onto the couch. The second my body hit the cushions, I wanted to be up and pacing, a nervous energy filling me. Now that I’d entertained the idea, I knew I was right.
“Dude, how long have I been your friend?” Daniel replied, cocking his eyebrow with a sarcastic grin.
“I’m being serious here.” The tone in my voice said it all. He instantly sat straighter, ignoring the work before him.
“Then I’m all ears. What’s going on?”
This was my best friend, the man I trusted with everything. If I couldn’t tell him my suspicions, I was definitely in trouble. “It’s Darcy,” I began, pausing long enough to take a deep breath before continuing. “I don’t think it’s really her.”
Confusion flooded Daniel’s features, as my words seemed to hang in the air. I could see him trying to understand and the moment when he failed. “Say that again?”
“I don’t think it’s really her.”
“What? Like she’s acting strange? We already knew that. I thought we’d decided to wait and see how she settled in?”
“No, I mean it’s not her.” Daniel started to chuckle, but I raised my hand, shaking my head. “That woman who’s sleeping in my bed right now . . . that’s not my wife. Yes, it looks and sounds like Darcy, but think about it. We’ve all said it. She’s not acting like the woman we know. Yes, Devlin said there could be a personality shift after the conversion, but how much? I can’t imagine Darcy becoming that altered. There have been moments when I’ve thought it’s almost like she’s a completely different person.”
Daniel nodded. “I’ve wondered that as well, but then she’ll say something and I just brushed it off.”
“She said something while I was bringing her home. That she wasn’t who I thought she was.”
“That could’ve been the alcohol talking, Mason. Do I need to remind you of how many things we’ve let slip over the years after a night out? Honestly? Maybe she was referring to the fact she’s changed.”
I was done with sitting. Now that I’d aired out my concerns, I needed to move. “That’s what I thought. Trust me, I’ve gone through every excuse in the book, but she said something else.” Standing by the desk, I restlessly perched on the edge as I dragged my fingers through my hair.
“Well?” Daniel prompted.
I didn’t realize I’d stopped. “She said, ‘she doesn’t deserve you.’”
“Huh?”
“That’s what she said. ‘She doesn’t deserve you.’”
“What the hell does that mean?” Daniel’s puzzled look changed into one of deeper bewilderment.
“Exactly. When have you ever heard Darcy talk in third person? So again, I don’t think that’s my wife.” Each time I voiced my belief out loud, fear anchored itself deeper in my heart. A frantic anxiety stirred in the pit of my stomach as bit, by torturous bit, that niggling thought became reality. “It’s the only explanation, Daniel. I’ve gone over it.”
“Who else have you told?”
“Just you,” I admitted. “I thought I was going mad; but seriously, the evidence all points to something being wrong. And if that’s the case, the sooner we uncover the truth, the sooner we can get the real Darcy back.”
I waited for him to laugh and tell me I was being paranoid. If needed, I was ready to list each situation where she’d acted out of character plainly, so he’d reach the same conclusion as me. It wasn’t necessary, though.
“We’ll need a plan.”
“You believe me?” It was my turn to sound astounded.
“Of course. Listen, we grew up together. You’re the closest thing I have to a brother and you’re my Alpha. You could tell me aliens have landed in the back yard and I’d say, ‘let’s go greet them’. If you say something’s wrong with Darcy, then I believe you.”
Relief rushed through me as I walked around the desk and pulled him up out of the chair, embracing him. There was a reason why I’d appointed Daniel as my second-in-command and trusted him with my very life. Pounding him affectionately on the back, the panic that had been jittering within my chest subsided and clarity replaced it. “I couldn’t do this without you, man. Thanks for always having my back.”
“Always, Mason. Don’t ever doubt it.” He grinned, lightly squeezing my shoulder. “Whatever happens, we’ll figure this out.”
“Then first things first. I’m going to call Devlin and see if he can come here. With Darcy becoming a vampire, we may need the extra help and he’ll want to know about this.” I was all business as I reached for the phone and began dialing. It never ceased to amaze me how steady I could be in a crisis when it involved the Pack, but the moment danger approached my wife, I could feel that steely resolve begin to crumble.
Darcy’s father had jokingly told me that it was a feeling that never really went away, once the mated bond was forged. He’d shared a few of his own experiences, which had made me chuckle. Seems that Darcy’s feistiness was inherited from her mother and I wasn’t the only one prone to overprotectiveness.
Devlin answered after a few rings and his response was immediate. With this new concern, he agreed that he needed to personally investigate and would be at the house within thirty minutes.
Hanging up, all that was left to do was to wait. I’d spoken my unease and now the troops were rallying.
The days of whatever or whomever was possessing Darcy were now numbered.
****
“Are you sure you heard right?”
I couldn’t blame Devlin for asking. I’d been questioning the same thing since Darcy had mumbled it outside the bar last night. “Positive.”
He cussed softly under his breath and I cast a sidelong glance at Daniel. We’d sat in silence waiting for Devlin to arrive. There’d also been a brief stretch of nothingness after I’d relayed to Darcy’s uncle everything I’d shared earlier with my best friend. Now, Devlin also wore an expression of stunned disbelief. It seemed like something straight from the pages of a science fiction book.
But, if the past few months had taught me anything, it was to never discredit the impossible. It seemed that the unlikely and unexplainable was what always rose and became the most probable.
“It’s definitely something that’s hard to wrap your mind around, right?” Daniel vocalized.
“I knew there was something going on with Darcy, but this . . . the thought that all this time it might not actually be just the result of her becoming a vampire . . .” Devlin let out an incredulous breath. “Mason, are you sure?”
I barked out a laugh. “I wish I wasn’t, but yeah. The more I try to reason it out, the more it leads me back to the same conclusion. The woman I carried home last night, the woman who’s been walking around, talking, and looking like Darcy—that’s not my mate.”
/> “Are we thinking spell? Mind control? Possession?” Each word Devlin spoke grew in seriousness. Each word deepened the concerned frown he wore.
“I don’t know, but I’m not going to sit around and let whatever’s happening grow worse. If we’re dealing with a magical influence, the longer it’s left ignored, I’m assuming the stronger the hold becomes.” I didn’t voice my growing fear that with each passing second, Darcy could slip further and farther away.
Pulling out his cell phone, Devlin began dialing. “We need Vivien, then. I know she’ll have some kind of incantation that will reveal the truth. I’ll need to notify Zane, as well.” That made my stomach drop. As one of Zane’s closest advisors, I understood Devlin’s obligation to report this new turn of events to his king; but, if after exploring Darcy’s erratic behavior only to discover no magical trace of tampering, it meant only one thing: the love of my life was heading into a downward spiral into insanity.
It would be the only explanation left.
Madness was something we all dreaded, the large elephant in the room that no one wanted to acknowledge. But we all knew that it was a possibility when Darcy was changed.
Her death will be ordered if that’s the case, a sickening voice from the back of my mind whispered. The moment it was free from the locked box I’d kept it buried in, there was no ignoring it. With each breath I took, my fear escalated.
Never, I roared silently, refusing to let it control me. Over my dead body!
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