Siren Redeemed: Paranormal Prison Romance (Thief of Hearts Book 4)

by C. R. Jane

  “Do you promise it will be like that?” I spit out, suddenly desperate for that look in her eyes to go away and for her to give me the reassurance I could always expect from her.

  “I promise,” she whispered, that look in her gaze fading slowly away.

  I settled back into my pillows, ready to hear what Harry, Ron, and Hermoine were up to next, confident that the future was bright because my mother had said so.

  Too bad my mother turned out to be a liar.

  “Holy shit,” I screeched, swerving out of the lane as something black…and furry, sprinted across the dim light of my headlights, startling me out of my journey to the past where I had no business spending time in the middle of the night in the freaking mountains.

  “What the hell was that?” I whispered as I slowed down even more and tried to look around.

  An even larger furry beast suddenly sprinted in front of my car, and this time, I yanked the steering wheel way too far to try not to hit it.

  I screamed as my car went flying past that white line and careened off the embankment, the guardrails nowhere to be found. I went a few feet as I frantically pressed on the brake, those visions of my car tumbling down the mountains suddenly coming true right before my very eyes.

  Was this how it ended? A sucktastic life ending with a fall down a mountain in the middle of nowhere.

  Only me.

  Shrubs and small trees…combined with my braking power, succeeded in slowing down my car, but the pine tree on the edge of the thick forest in front of me succeeded in stopping me completely. I choked on a scream as I hit the tree. The impact sending me flying forward as the airbags burst out of the steering wheel and door. I hadn’t hit the tree very fast, but the force of the airbags sent me backwards, my neck whiplashing as it snapped back. The airbags ripped at my skin, burning my forearms, and a noxious plume of gas filled the air.

  The silence after the crash was deafening for a long moment. But then a loud buzzing filled my ears as the adrenaline crashed against my veins. I coughed, wearily trying to wave my hand around to clear the air, the enormity of what had happened settling over my skin.

  “Fuck,” I gasped out. The human mind was truly exceptional. I mean, the fact that it could feel a myriad of emotions all at once as I was now.

  Incredible.

  “No, no, no,” I cried out as I hit at the airbag and steering wheel in front of me.

  My head and neck were beginning to hurt the longer I sat there, and a glance at my arms showed me that I did indeed have burns and lacerations from the stupid, fucking airbags.

  “Okay, you can figure this out,” I coached myself as I quit beating at my steering wheel and turned my attention to unlocking my seatbelt, which judging by the pain I felt in my chest, had definitely stopped me from flying through the windshield.

  Small mercies.

  After the seatbelt was successfully dismantled, I struggled against the car door, the movement sending agony against my protesting muscles. This is why you shouldn’t live on gas station snacks and fast food for weeks on end, I thought to myself. Maybe it wouldn’t be so hard to open a small thing like a car door if my muscles actually existed in my arms anymore.

  Success! The car door finally flew open, and I promptly fell out of my seat into the shrubs and rocks that were waiting for me just outside. Apparently, my legs weren’t working anymore.

  I shivered as I looked around. Somehow, my lights were still working, and the area around me was eerily illuminated.

  There was a thick forest just ahead of me. And although I couldn’t see anything…it felt like something was watching me.

  I shivered again and decided it was best to try and get to the road and see if I could flag someone down for help. Although really, that was probably worse than staying here by the trees. I’d seen the news, I knew the danger of trying to hitchhike, especially out in the middle of nowhere like this. With my luck, I’d get picked up by a mugger or a murderer…or even Alistair. And not to mention those two animals I’d seen…

  I groaned and reached back into the car to grab the tiny flashlight from my door that I’d picked up at…you guessed it…a gas station, and then I limped my way back towards the road, which was a seriously difficult task since I’d fallen down a shallow embankment. The roots, rocks, and weeds didn’t exactly help. I was not a hiker. I was only a few feet away from the road when a howl ripped through the air. I stopped in my tracks. That thing inside of me that had been there for as long as I could remember perked up at the sound. There was a time that a wolf’s howl meant home. A time that I believed my howl would once call out into the night. My mother had promised that it would be a moment I would remember forever.

  That was just another one of her lies.

  Although I’d once welcomed the howl of a wolf, right now, the sound was a reminder that I was in the wilderness and there was a real possibility that I could be eaten. There weren’t any shifters out here, I’d seen the map many times as Alistair tried to plan world domination or whatever it was that he was interested in. Which meant the howl I was hearing was not a good sign.

  Fuck, I sighed. I really was cursed. Deciding to proceed with my plan, I finally made it to the roadway, praying the next car that came by didn’t contain a psychopath. I’d definitely already had my fair share of those.

  I waited.

  And I waited.

  And I waited some more.

  How was it I couldn’t get cars off my ass earlier, and here I was, actually wanting cars to be on my ass, and they were nowhere to be seen? Had I taken a wrong turn somehow and stumbled upon a road that no one went down? I squinted at the road, trying to see if it looked like it was in disrepair. I hadn’t noticed any out of the ordinary bumps.

  “Are you fucking kidding me right now?” I screamed at the night sky, cursing at it for what felt like the millionth time.

  Sighing and deciding I was going to just have to walk off this mountain myself, I set off down the dark road.

  Weren’t the stars supposed to be brighter out here? Where was the freaking moon?

  I stumbled over a rock and barely caught myself with my hands. Of course, catching myself meant scraping my palms on the coarse asphalt and dropping my flashlight.

  “Shit,” I whispered, picking myself up and cradling my hands against me as the pain shot through me.

  And there was a wolf howl again.

  Perfect.

  I’m sure the smell of my bloody palms was going to get me eaten alive.

  Wouldn’t that just be the most ironic way to go…ever.

  I snorted, hysterical laughter threatening to spew from my mouth. I was definitely losing my mind.

  Something shifted across the road just then, and I froze, the threat of laughter abruptly coming to a screeching halt.

  I picked up my flashlight and began to jog down the road, despite the fact that I knew you were never supposed to run from a predator.

  Where were all the fucking cars?

  When nothing attacked me from behind, my confidence grew and I started to run faster, despite the fact that my legs were screaming in protest.

  I came to a halt when a road that diverted from the main one I’d been running on appeared in front of me just a ways off. I hesitated and tried to squint farther down the main road. I should just stay on this road, right?

  The sound of something running down the main road seemingly straight towards me made the decision for me, and I darted down the roadway and quickly realized that it was going downhill rather than uphill as the highway had headed. That was a good sign I thought.

  I sighed again as I slowed down to a quick walk, the effects of the crash and my extremely poor diet over the last few weeks doing me in. If I had to run again because something was after me, I was probably going to have to accept it.

  Damn those Cool Ranch Doritos.

  The air was freezing here. I had on a stained I Love New Mexico shirt I’d found in one of my convenience store runs. It was pink, so I kn
ew I had to have it. Alistair had hated pink, banned it from my wardrobe in fact…

  Was it going to last forever, this way that my heart would squeeze every time I thought of him? How was it possible to hate someone with every fiber of your being but still feel like you couldn’t breathe without them?

  I stifled a sob, determined not to cry for him.

  “Never again,” I whispered to myself, even as his face appeared in my mind as I remembered the way he’d been looking at me right before he ripped my world into a million pieces that had no hope of ever being put back together.

  I was so lost in my four hundred and twentieth pity party that it took me a while to notice the lights beginning to pop up in the distance and the enormous wooden sign with the symbol of what looked like a wolf carved above a scrawled ‘Welcome to Amarok.’

  Amarok? What kind of name was that? And why hadn’t I seen this on the map I’d poured over before setting off today?

  I pushed myself to go faster, the lights giving me hope, even if I was wary of getting so close to civilization. The places I’d picked had been out in the middle of nowhere. Small inns and motels where drifters and vagabonds passed through, perfect for a girl on the run. Alistair was a big fan of the Four Seasons, so the places I’d picked were, again, perfect for avoiding detection.

  Another howl sounded through the night, and I decided that going near people, and hopefully getting help for my car, was a much better outcome than the possibility of getting eaten alive.

  I already knew what a wolf’s bite felt like, and it wasn’t an experience I wanted to repeat…

  START READING WILD MOON TODAY

  Acknowledgments

  Writing the last book in the Thief of Hearts was a lot of fun, but also heartbreaking as it’s never easy to say farewell to characters who’ve lived in our hearts all this time. But this is just the beginning for Selena and her four sizzling hot men. And you never know… you might see more stories in this world coming your way. Be prepared to be blown away… Thank you for joining us on this journey.

  Love,

  Mila

  It’s always weird to not end a book without a cliffhanger, am I right? I’ve loved these characters and watching Selena grow. And of course I loved seeing Julian get what was coming to him. What I loved about Selena was that she had this inner yearning for love, in all of its forms. I think we try and pretend like the hurts we experience growing up can go away when our life seems great. But I think that yearning for acceptance and love never goes away. And it’s a lifelong journey to finally get to a place where we don’t need it anymore.

  As always, a big shoutout to Mila, my partner in crime…my ride or die. Couldn’t ask for a better friend and co-author. Another thank you to Caitlin who is my friend, my P.A., and my confidant. I rely on her strength and friendship so much. New to the team this book was Briann Graziano. So grateful for her hard work in editing and proofing this work.

  And of course, a big thank you to you, my readers. Thanks for giving me the opportunity to do a job that I love with all my heart.

  Love,

  C.R. Jane

  Meet C.R. Jane

  A Texas girl living in Utah now, I'm a wife, mother, lawyer, and now author. My stories have been floating around in my head for years, and it has been a relief to finally get them down on paper. I’m a huge Dallas Cowboys fan and I primarily listen to Beyonce and Taylor Swift…don’t lie and say you don’t too.

  My love of reading started probably when I was three and with a faster than normal ability to read, I’ve devoured hundreds of thousands of books in my life. It only made sense that I would start to create my own worlds since I was always getting lost in others’. I like heroines who have to grow in order to become badasses, happy endings, and swoon-worthy, devoted, (and hot) male characters. If this sounds like you, I’m pretty sure we’ll be friends. I’m so glad to have you on my team…check out the links below for ways to hang out with me and more of my books you can read!

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  Books by C.R. Jane

  Amazon Page

  The Fated Wings Series

  First Impressions

  Forgotten Specters

  The Fallen One (a Fated Wings Novella)

  Forbidden Queens

  Frightful Beginnings (a Fated Wings Short Story)

  Faded Realms

  Faithless Dreams

  Fabled Kingdoms

  The Rock God (a Fated Wings Novella)

  Darkest Curse Series

  Forget Me

  Lost Passions

  The Sounds of Us Contemporary Series (complete series)

  Remember Us This Way

  Remember You This Way

  Remember Me This Way

  Broken Hearts Academy Series (complete duet)

  Heartbreak Prince

  Heartbreak Lover

  Hades Redemption Duet

  When Darkness Calls

  Taken By Darkness

  Breathe Me Duet with Ivy Fox (complete duet)

  Breathe Me

  Breathe You

  Academy of Souls Co-write with Mila Young (complete series)

  School of Broken Souls

  School of Broken Hearts

  School of Broken Dreams

  School of Broken Wings

  Fallen World Series Co-write with Mila Young (complete series)

  Bound

  Broken

  Betrayed

  Belong

  Thief of Hearts Co-write with Mila Young

  Siren Condemned

  Siren Sacrificed

  Siren Awakened

  Kingdom of Wolves Cowrite with Mila Young

  Wild Moon

  Wild Heart

  Wild Girl

  The Alpha Hole Duet Cowrite with Mila Young

  Real Alphas Bite

  Stupid Boys Series Co-write with Rebecca Royce

  Stupid Boys

  Dumb Girl

  Crazy Love

  Meet Mila Young

  Best-selling author, Mila Young tackles everything with the zeal and bravado of the fairytale heroes she grew up reading about. She slays monsters, real and imaginary, like there's no tomorrow. By day she rocks a keyboard as a marketing extraordinaire. At night she battles with her mighty pen-sword, creating fairytale retellings, and sexy ever after tales. In her spare time, she loves pretending she's a mighty warrior, walks on the beach with her dogs, cuddling up with her cats, and devouring every fantasy tale she can get her pinkies on.

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  For more information…

  mila@milayoungbooks.com

  Books By Mila Young

  Savage

  Lost Wolf

  Broken Wolf

  Shadowlands

  Shadowlands Sector, One

  Shadowlands Sector, Two

  Shadowlands Sector, Three

  The Alpha-Hole Duet

  Real Alphas Bite

  Kingdom of Wolves

  Wild Moon

  Wild Heart

  Wild Girl

  Chosen Vampire Slayer

  Night Kissed

  Moon Kissed

  Blood Kissed

  Winter’s Thorn

  To Seduce A Fae

  To Tame A Fae

  To Claim A Fae

  Shadow Hunters Series

  Boxed Set 1

  Wicked Heat Series

  Wicked Heat #1

  Wicked Heat #2

  Wicked Heat #3

  Elemental Series

  Taking Breath #1

  Taking Breath #2

  Gods and Monsters

/>   Apollo Is Mine

  Poseidon Is Mine

  Ares Is Mine

  Hades Is Mine

  Haven Realm Series

  Hunted (Little Red Riding Hood Retelling)

  Cursed (Beauty and the Beast Retelling)

  Entangled (Rapunzel Retelling)

  Princess of Frost (Snow Queen)

  Kingdom of Wolves Co-write with C.R. Jane

  Wild Moon

  Playing with Hellfire Co-write with Harper A. Brooks

  Playing with Hellfire

  Hell in a Handbasket

  Thief of Hearts Series Co-write with C.R. Jane

  Siren Condemned

  Siren Sacrificed

  Siren Awakened

  Broken Souls Series Co-write with C.R. Jane

  School of Broken Souls

  School of Broken Hearts

  School of Broken Dreams

  School of Broken Wings

  Fallen World Series Co-write with C.R. Jane

  Bound

  Broken

  Betrayed

  Belong

  Beautiful Beasts Academy

  Manicures and Mayhem

  Diamonds and Demons

  Hexes and Hounds

  Secrets and Shadows

  Passions and Protectors

  Ancients and Anarchy