Romancing the Paranormal

by Stephanie Rowe

  Sonnet wanted to rush over and kiss the wolf for getting there so quickly and for agreeing to help, but instead, she pointed to the bedroom where Kelly was sleeping in a precarious state of half-death.

  Bree stormed across the room in that direction.

  “Don’t just stand there, come on.”

  They followed her inside.

  Pushing loose strands of her hair off her face, Bree sat down on the bed and looked at Kelly. She had bruises, in different stages of healing, along with deep cuts and scratches that littered her body.

  Sonnet felt helpless, like she was going to jump out of her skin. She needed to do something, anything. Bane’s hand came down over hers, his touch giving her some relief.

  “How bad is she?” Sonnet asked, her voice trembling.

  Bree leaned over the patient and went to work. First, she checked her pulse. Then, with her fingers, she opened Kelly’s eyes, peering into them.

  “She’s pretty bad off, but I’m sure I can help.”

  She reached over and grabbed the black bag, which was sitting next to her on the bed, and opened it. Reaching in, she pulled out a clear bottle full of purple swirling liquid.

  Sonnet wondered what the stuff inside the bottle was. As if Bree heard Sonnet’s silent question, she gave her a quick glance.

  “I’m fixin’ to treat her with a mixture of my own blood and a secret demon-elixir.”

  After pulling the stopper free, she pried Kelly’s mouth open and tipped the contents of the bottle inside. As she held Kelly’s chin up, so the potion could make its way down her throat, Bree looked over at them.

  “She’s sufferin’ from extreme trauma to the skull, several fractures, and if that’s not bad enough, her body was almost drained of all her blood. The son of a bitch who did this to her deserves to be boiled in tar.”

  “I like the way you think,” Sonnet said.

  Seconds passed as Kelly’s wounds began to heal. Her bruises faded, and cuts sealed shut. Clearly satisfied with the result of the potion, Bree let go of Kelly’s chin and smiled. After tucking her patient in, she stood and walked over to them.

  “That’s all I can do for now. She’ll need to rest, but in a few hours, she’ll be as good as new.”

  They left the room quietly, closing the door behind them.

  Catching them both off guard, Sonnet hugged Bree. Overcome and humbled by the kindness the she-wolf had shown a perfect stranger, Sonnet couldn’t help herself.

  “Thank you, Bree. I owe you big time.”

  She drew back from the hug and stood next to Bane, who looked equally grateful. Bane reached out and grabbed Bree’s hand. He lifted it to his mouth and brushed a kiss across the back of it. After the brief kiss, he released her hand, yet he remained bent at the waist, in a bow.

  “You have honored us both with your kindness, my dear friend.”

  Sonnet watched Bree’s face go red, while she fluttered her long and elegant fingers nervously across her chest, above the area of heart.

  “Umm, really... it was nothin’. I had the potion on hand. But thank you.”

  A shrill scream rang out. All eyes slashed to the bedroom, where Kelly lay healing. Sonnet could feel her fight or flight instincts kick in.

  “Shit! Was that Kelly?”

  Not waiting for an answer, she jumped at the door. She could hear both the vampire and the she-wolf spring into action behind her. Heart thundering, Sonnet crashed through the door. Looking at the bed where Kelly was supposed to be, she saw that only a crumpled-up blanket and sheets were left there. And then something moved in the shadows.

  Bane’s commanding voice boomed out from behind her, “Let the girl go, Donny.”

  Sonnet’s stare shot across the room, to where the moonlight shone through the window. Donny had dragged Kelly out of her bed and was poised at the open second-floor window, with her thrown over his shoulder, readying himself to jump. She wasn’t moving; he must have knocked her out cold.

  Sonnet decided in that moment, as she watched, firsthand, the horrific act of a deadly vampire stealing away with his prey, that she was done holding herself back. It was game on. She pulled out her holy-water gun and didn’t hesitate. She aimed and pulled the trigger. Using Kelly’s body to catch the spray, Donny darted out of the way, the water missing him by an inch, to splat across Kelly’s back.

  “Damn it!” Sonnet hissed.

  Preparing to shoot again, she held up the gun, but it was too late. Donny jumped. Not about to let the son of a bitch get away, Sonnet ran to the window and leapt out after him.

  She hit the ground hard, but instead of becoming a puddle of red goo on the concrete, she bent her knees, absorbing most of the pain and jarring impact. She rolled to the side, hopping up to her feet, already aiming. In the next instant, Bane was there, landing beside her.

  All of Sonnet’s senses were on high alert. She could feel her strength building with each pulse of adrenaline that rushed through her. New abilities kept popping up, the longer she stayed behind the city shroud, and she was starting to relish each bizarre change.

  A quick look down the street was all it took to catch sight of Donny, but Sonnet knew that even though her senses were more hyper-acute, there was no way in hell she could catch up with him.

  She stuffed the plastic squirt gun down her jeans, between her stomach and waistband, and said, “Wanna give me a lift?”

  Bane stared at her with solemn eyes. The look said, I’d do anything for you. The change in his expression happened quickly. His voice, muscles, and features all turned hard, clearly ready to tear shit up in battle.

  “Hang on tight.”

  Before she could even finish a nod, Bane had swept her up into his arms and bolted down the alleyway in the same direction as Donny.

  Bane’s speed was impressive, and his keen sense of direction was impeccable, as he darted between buildings, trash cans, all sorts of debris, in hot pursuit of Donny. Lights flickered by, the wind, a high-pitched whistle in Sonnet’s ears.

  They abruptly stopped in a back lot between two tall buildings. Everything was quiet; not even the wind dared to make another sound.

  “I know you’re in there. Come out now, and I might let you live.”

  A dead calm descended over Sonnet, blanketing her with a thickness that warned of bad things to come.

  “Define ‘let live,’” came a shaky answer from the shadows.

  “Please. Just let me go,” Kelly said, fear evident in her voice.

  Sonnet had to stop herself from darting forward.

  Bane stared into the shadowed space around the closest of the two buildings.

  “Send her out, and we will leave you alone.”

  Half of Donny’s face appeared out of the darkness. His eyes glowed amber, his face pinched tight.

  “Bullshit.”

  Kelly was almost in full view, being held by the neck in the crook of his arm, out in front of him. Her hair was mussed, eyes wild with fright.

  Refusing to accept the fate playing out before her, Sonnet moved. It was with a quickness she’d never experienced before. In a blur, she yanked Kelly from his hold, tossing her back for Bane to catch, which he did.

  The vampire before her looked shocked, with his mouth opened wide. Before he had a chance to run again, Sonnet reached behind her and fisted the stake in her hand. In one fast, fluid motion, she brought it down, into Donny’s heart. Pain and disbelief traveled across his face as he protested his death.

  “No!”

  Sonnet could smell the coppery scent of the blood as it cascaded down his shirt. He was her first kill. Her heart rate quickened, but her mind was calm, set at ease. Finally, Donny had paid for what he’d done to Kelly and God only knew who else. She was content with the night’s outcome. She looked over her shoulder at Bane and thought, every last part of it.

  Epilogue

  Sonnet’s pulse raced, her feelings light and cheerful, as she watched Kelly run up the sidewalk that led to her father’s front door. Bef
ore she could even reach it, he had it swung wide open, scooping his daughter up into his arms.

  “You did a good thing here today, little fox,” Bane said.

  Watching the reunion, he tried not to let on how much it warmed him to know good things could happen to good people. It went a long way in reminding the vampire, who may, or may not, be a smidge jaded by time and centuries worth of disappointment, that if you want to see the bad in people, you will. Sonnet made him look for the good in all things.

  Sonnet lifted her chin and smiled.

  “Correction. We did a good thing.”

  Jake Lindon smiled at them both over his daughter’s shoulder. He had tears spilling over the rims of his eyes; his face was bright with joy. He mouthed the words, “Thank you,” and then, with his daughter held tightly to him, he walked inside his house, disappearing from sight.

  They turned to go, but then Bane stopped them short, pulling Sonnet into his arms. He looked down at her and asked, “May I have just one kiss before we leave?”

  Sonnet let her eyelids fall as she tipped her head back to enjoy the wind slapping cool beats of winter across her face. The night smelled like evergreen and smoke; it was perfect. She eased her head forward and made eye contact with her handsome vampire.

  “Not if it’s just one.”

  Bane playfully squinted his eyes as he ran the pad of his thumb over the plump hills of her lips.

  “As I will show you in the next seconds of your life, a journey of a thousand miles can begin with just a single kiss.”

  The desire in the air around them was fierce. His hands slid down her back, and he grabbed her butt. She desperately tried to catch her breath as he rubbed his nose right up against hers.

  “Will you accept my kiss?”

  She nodded, their noses bumping off of each other.

  “Yes.”

  That’s what he’d been waiting for. Bane claimed ownership of her lips, pressing deliciously hard, as his tongue stroked the inside of her mouth with a passion that could only be born of pure lust and desire. Sonnet didn’t know if those intense feelings, or even if being with the vampire, would last for a lifetime. But it sure felt like they would.

  All she knew for certain was that she wasn’t afraid anymore—afraid of herself or of what she could do. That part of her life was over. She’d grown past it, and it was Bane who’d helped her in doing that in so many ways.

  Realizing that she needed to voice those thoughts, Sonnet pulled away from the kiss and gazed deep into the lightest and most captivating blue eyes she’d ever seen.

  “My abilities only led me to nightmares—real or in sleep. They never led me to anything even remotely good. That is, until you.”

  It wasn’t the most romantic thing she could have said to him in that moment, but it was the truest.

  He smiled one of those smiles that let her know she’d said the right thing at just the right time.

  “Come back to the city with me. Let me show you my home and how our lives could be fully immersed in the soothing balm of magic.”

  Bane drew a thin line with that request, between certainty and the unknown. Sonnet was hesitant to cross it until she realized that maybe—no, certainly—she liked the danger. It was the sharp cut of the razor’s edge that was invigorating, an enticing thrill ride she never wanted to get off of.

  She flung herself into his arms.

  “Yes, vampire, I’ll go with you. A million times, yes.”

  He laughed and then pulled her in for another earth-shattering kiss.

  Return to Synopses

  Fang Chronicles: Tyboll

  By

  D’Elen McClain

  Fang Chronicles: Tyboll

  Copyright © 2015 D’Elen McClain

  Edited by Michelle Kowalski

  Cover Art by Fantasia Frog Designs

  All rights reserved including the right to reproduce this book or portions thereof in any form.

  This is a work of fiction. ALL characters are derived from the author’s imagination.

  No person, brand, or corporation mentioned in this Book should be taken to have endorsed this Book nor should the events surrounding them be considered in any way factual.

  Dedication

  To: Lori Jo Levy, Stacey Terry, and Kaya Afia

  There are no words but I will try…

  I love you three. Not just for all you do by shouting my name across the web, but because you bring light into my life.

  Kaya, Honey and Mandy’s story brought us together. The humor in Tyboll’s book is because of you. Thank you ladies, for everything.

  Chapter One

  Tyboll

  Her hands move over my chest, her fingers silky smooth as they glide slowly downward. As she lowers herself to kneel before me, she trails kisses along my fevered flesh. I’m so hard I could burst at just the picture she presents. Fiery red hair covers her face and it’s in my way. I want to see her lips surround me. I sweep her hair aside and…

  A heavy weight lands beside me and I groan into my pillow. “Come on, grumpy old bear. It’s time to go.”

  It takes me a few seconds to separate the dream from reality. I’m in my cabin, in bed, and the last thing I want to do is wake up. And I hate red hair. “Mandy, get out of here,” I grumble. She doesn’t need to see her adopted father with an erection. I can’t help wondering if all female wolf shifters are as irritating as she is.

  “If I leave, you’ll fall back to sleep and we’ll never get there,” she grumbles back. I know that her complaint will turn into a low whine if I don’t get up.

  “I’ll be out front in five minutes, but the clock doesn’t start until you’re out of my room.” I’d told her a thousand times to stay out of my bedroom, but it did little good. I put the fear of the Goddess into most of our clan. Mandy, unfortunately, was immune. “Where’s your brother?”

  “Patreous is with my mate. The two of them should be able to contain a two year old for a few hours.”

  I move the pillow aside and squint at Mandy. “That little hellion couldn’t be contained by the National Guard. I pity your mate and my son.”

  “Honey would agree with you, but Patreous deserves everything he gets and more. It wasn’t that long ago that he was the hellion.” Mandy rubs her flat belly. “Hopefully, when this one gets here Deme will calm down and be a proper sister.”

  I harrumph loudly. “Don’t count on it. Deme the Devil will have the new cub up to mischief in no time. It will take the entire clan to watch the pair of them.”

  The corners of Mandy’s lips tip down. “I fear you’re right. I’m lucky Honey’s father is alpha or the clan would disown me for raising such a monster.”

  “No one will disown you or they’ll contend with me.” Her smile returns at my words. “Now get out so I can get up.”

  She jumps up from the bed like it’s on fire. “I’m going, I’m going, but hurry.” She runs from the room without looking back.

  I can only shake my shaggy head and scratch my bushy chin. Adopting Mandy was the best thing I ever did. She was the only wolf who could lay claim to being a full member of the bear clan. We have wolves here and a few are mated to bear shifters. It’s not the same. Mandy is bear and everyone in the clan accepts her as such. It’s not a small thing for a wolf. Our clan tends to be reclusive and feel far superior to other beastkind. It rocked the bear clan when Mandy kidnapped Honey and claimed him as mate. A wolf mated to a bear was not done before Mandy. She won our hearts, though.

  She and Demetria are one and the same—hellions. I smile as I dress then head to the front door to start this infernal day that my daughter talked me into.

  I swore I would never search out the clan witch again. The woman is pure evil. She also thinks she has good reason to hate me. Of all the stupid things, Mandy wants to know if she is having a male or female child. Someone put it in her head that Veda will give her the answer. If I discover the idiot who set me on this path today by putting this idea into Mandy’s head,
they’ll be lucky if I don’t wring their neck. But how do I say no to Mandy on anything? The girl loves me and Patreous. The fact that it took her three days to talk me into this mad scheme is a testament to how badly I don’t want to go.

  Women. Can’t live with them and can’t sacrifice them to the Goddess. I walk outside to begin my day from hell.

  Mandy begins chattering before we hit the tree line. “So you’ve met her before.”

  “Unfortunately,” I growl.

  She ignores my bad mood like she always does. “Is she old with a wart on her nose?”

  I roll my eyes without Mandy seeing. “She’s the foulest creature in the forest. You sure you don’t want to change your mind?” I knew it wouldn’t work, but I gave it another try.

  “Of course not, silly.”

  My grumble is snarly enough that birds ditch the trees and fly away with a loud rustle of wings. Only Mandy can get away with calling me silly without repercussions. She skips along like a child instead of a mature woman who is expecting a child.

  “I hear she’s never wrong when she tells you the sex of your child. I just don’t understand why the she-bears of the clan are afraid of her. They tried to talk me out of coming today. If it wasn’t for you, I’d be going alone, and I have no idea how to find her.”

  Over my dead body. Mandy will never be alone with that crazy woman. “The witch stinks, so you’ll know when you’re close.”

  Mandy stops and turns. “That’s horrible. I’m sure she just needs a friend to bring her out of her shell, then I can suggest a bath.”

  “It’s not a shell; it’s a two-ton metal tank.”

  Mandy laughs and begins walking again. “Just you wait and see. We’ll be bosom buddies before the sun goes down.”

  Hell no. That woman will chew Mandy up and spit her out. Then I’ll kill the old crone and dance on her grave. The thought lightens my mood for the first time today.