Everyone in the Donovan pack seemed to be paired off and although she was happy to be free and single it reminded her a little too much of everything she had lost since Austin died. He had been barely twenty-eight years old and had died because of her. She didn’t love him, at least not the way you should love someone you are going to marry, but she thought they could have been happy together, nonetheless. He was kind and selfless and she knew her father would never tolerate her being with a human, but she didn’t realize the lengths he would go to, to prevent it.
She could still remember the night her Mom had come to her room to tell her Austin was dead, shot twice in the chest and her grief had been very real, but so had the weight of guilt she still carried on her shoulders ever since. Her Mom had tried over the years to tell her she would meet her mate and nothing else would matter after that but she doubted if there was any such person out there for her. She had killed Austin just as surely as if she had pulled the trigger herself. Her father hadn’t cared one little bit how devastated she was, that someone she cared about was gone and had tried to mate her to different wolves in his pack who could further his own agenda, including that ancient old coot, Jeremiah. Rylee had refused point-blank and she had seen the true force of her father’s wrath.
He punished her in every way he could, alienated her from her friends and even locked her in the basement and used her as bait to bring Garrett to heel. That had been his undoing as he underestimated the lengths her brother would go to when it came to protecting his mate. It had cost him his life and Rylee hadn’t shed a single tear for the tyrant that had been her father. She was a little jealous of Garrett when it turned out that Owen Donovan was his birth father, a product of her mother’s affair with the man who had been her true mate. Rylee had wished he was her father too.
Rylee had been a shifter all her life and knew all about fated mates and the insane attraction they felt for each other but it didn’t give her any comfort, not when she had grown up in the family she had. Her father was dead and her mother had at last found some peace from his domineering and overbearing ways but Rylee still hated leaving her. Her mother had loved Owen Donovan and had they been allowed to be together her life could have turned out very differently.
She knew from Hope and Bree that their parents hadn’t been happy together either but Owen had at least treated his mate with respect if not with love and although he had been a strict father, they had no doubt he loved them all in his own way. She couldn’t imagine loving someone so much and not being allowed to be with them.
She also had a job to do and Nate had been kind enough to hire her so the least she could do was get to work and earn her place in this pack. Bree and Nate’s new house was finally ready and they would be moving the last of their stuff out of the townhouse, paving the way for her to move into her very first home. It was made sweeter by the fact that she had bought and paid for it without any help from her family.
She was also strangely excited for this role that India had talked her into tonight even though it would be dangerous. Garrett and Connor were unhappy that she was taking part but it was time that her brothers realized she was a grown woman and more than capable of taking care of herself. If they knew all of the things their father had done to her they would realize that.
She parked at the side of Garrett and India’s house and walked across the courtyard to The Den. She could hear India’s laughter as she opened the front door and followed the sound upstairs rather than go inside and face her brothers just yet. She was sure they would try once more to talk her out of this mission to rescue a Senator’s daughter from the man who was responsible for them almost losing Summer. He was a drug-dealing scumbag and the type that never seemed to get what they richly deserved. Money talked.
The women were almost unrecognizable in their heavy makeup and skimpy clothing and Rylee knew that at least one of the wolves’ downstairs would blow a gasket when they saw them.
“Rylee, do I have the outfit for you or what!” Bree said as she handed her a hanger with a skimpy see-through gold dress that would be lucky to hide her blushes and not much else. “There are matching boots too but hurry, we need to leave in thirty minutes.”
Kandis was sporting a black leather skirt and a matching bustier that showed a lot of cleavage and Rylee was grateful that at least her outfit would cover her boobs, if only just.
“There are a few wigs if you want to wear one instead of ruining your own hair with all this muck.” Imogen smiled as she smoothed her hands over the long blonde curls hanging over her shoulders.
“I’ll curl my own, those things make me itch,” Rylee said as India began to curl one side of her hair and Hope the other. Hope wasn’t going with them as she was heavily pregnant but Bree already seemed back to her old self despite delivering twins only a few days ago.
She applied more makeup than she was used to but they were all playing a part tonight and virginal sweetness wasn’t likely to cut it with the type of men they would be dealing with. Green and gold eyeshadow and black eyeliner made her eyes look even greener than normal and a deep pink lipstick and gloss gave her the look she was aiming for. Her dark arched brows needed no adornment but she smiled when Lexi stuck a fake stud on her nose and India teased out her hair and sprayed it with lacquer. As disguises go it was quite stunning but Rylee knew she would never wear this much makeup ever. If she remembered to wear mascara on a night out she considered that a win.
She stripped off and slipped the gold dress and matching bra on and stared at her reflection in the mirror. No one would ever recognize her in this getup and why would they. She never spent that much time in court and Pettigrew had always managed to avoid it so it was unlikely their paths had ever crossed. But they had to be certain none of them would be recognized.
She had said yes almost immediately before thinking it through when they had filled her in on their plans to infiltrate Pettigrew’s party and had rehearsed over and over again the story they had concocted about her past should anyone think to ask her. She had the details of the company they were all supposed to work for memorized, she was blessed with a bit of a photographic memory but it was the unknown that she was a little apprehensive about. They had agreed to stay in pairs whenever possible to bail each other out of the need arose.
“I think it’s safer if we stick to our real names where possible. I will be Indi, Imogen will be just Gen, Bree will use her full name Aubree, Lexi is Alexis, Rylee is Lee and Kandis will be Candy.” India said and Kandis scowled at their choice of name for her. “It’s safer in case anyone slips up and it’s easier explained but different enough that Pettigrew won’t recognize the names right away even if he has done his homework.
Connor gave us three tiny cameras with a mic attached so Rylee can wear this one in her hair, she attached a gold headband with a flower to her hair and secured it with pins, India is your partner. Imogen can wear the choker as it matches what she is wearing and Lexi will be with her. Bree, there is a tiny camera in one of these earrings that you can wear as my ears aren’t pierced and I will be your partner for tonight.” Kandis was taking charge and it wouldn’t ever have occurred to anyone to mind.
Jay had arranged to have wolves in the woods surrounding the house and Connor and Linc had the chopper on standby in a nearby field. Linc was the only one apart from the senior pack members who knew what was going down tonight because he was positive that there was a mole in their security team and he wouldn’t risk it until they were sure.
Rylee was a little nervous, she had never been much of an actress but the stakes were high and she was determined to play her part. Lexi squeezed her arm and she knew she wasn’t the only one feeling a little out of her depth here.
“I will try and draw Pettigrew’s interest myself and Bree will stay close to me. The rest of you mingle and hand out drinks and food, Rafe will give you the capsules to put in the drinks. Just open and pour the powder in and swirl the glass, it will dissolve instantly. Any questions?”
“Yes, how the hell did we get talked into doing this!” Rylee looked down at her clothes.
“You look amazing,” India said with a smile. She was dressed in a skin-tight white jumpsuit and her glorious red hair was hidden under a sleek dark brown wig. Like the rest of them, her makeup was much heavier than normal but she still looked stunning.
“Okay let’s go face the music, Seann is going to be delighted when he sees what I’m wearing.” Imogen smiled and put her hands on her hips and did a twirl. Her white leather shorts and crop top were cute and the matching hat, knee-length boots and long blonde wig gave her a sexy vibe that was sure to attract the attention of Pettigrew’s men. That was actually the point though but she wasn’t sure Seann would see it that way.
The last thing Rylee would want to do was get on the wrong side of Seann Donovan but she knew she wasn’t out of the woods either. Both Garrett and Connor could be a little overprotective of their sister, but she wasn’t a child and was ready to face them as they all made their way downstairs.
Summer was in a chair by the window and Connor was fussing over her. Rylee liked Summer a lot although she didn’t know her as well as she knew India yet, she would make a point of spending some time with her in the next few days. She was still recovering from her transition and looked a little frail but she would be okay. Rafe said another few days and she would be as strong as ever, the beauty of shifter DNA.
Garrett didn’t look very happy as he ran his eyes over India and then her. He was trying to hide his annoyance but had never been very good at it. India didn’t seem to mind too much and paraded up and down in front of him until he pulled her onto his lap and his mate grinned.
Connor was a little too distracted with Summer and apart from shaking his head in her direction, he kept quiet. She could hear Summer chastising him and knew that her brother had met his match in the sweet looking blonde.
Liam was the only one smiling, he was always on board with anything Kandis was involved in and treated her as an equal, but he also knew she was capable of taking care of herself more than most of the male wolves in the pack. The only time he lost his shit was if someone was coming on to her.
Lexi was his sister but he had only recently met her and wasn’t going to come on heavy with her either. Their brother Finn wasn’t here yet, Lexi said he would meet the other wolves out at the house. She hadn’t met him properly yet she had only seen him from a distance, but she liked Liam and Lexi and had been lucky enough to avoid their confrontation with Rob. Garrett and Connor seemed to like him so she was sure she would as well.
Rafe was outside helping Nate getting the van ready as he was going to be their driver for the night. Bree suspected he volunteered so that he would be near her as he thought she wasn’t recovered enough from the birth of their twins. Bree looked fantastic and as fit as everyone else there but shifters were notoriously overprotective of their mates.
“Don’t take any chances and get out as soon as you can, Bree, promise me.” Hope hugged her sister and Bree promised not to take any unnecessary risks.
Seann was scowling and Rylee could feel the waves of apprehension rolling off him in waves. He hid his worry behind anger, it was his protective shell. She had always been good at reading other people's emotions and this lot were open books.
“Imogen, I will be there in seconds if anything goes wrong,” he said, his voice softening as he put his arm around her. “Follow the plan exactly and we will take care of the men outside. This should be clean and easy so don’t deviate. Nate is wired and can hear everything that you can hear. He will be outside pretending to sleep in the van after he drops you off. If he thinks it necessary, he can be inside in a flash and we all know he can handle himself. He will also be armed, as will Kandis and Lexi, both of them have proved they can handle a firearm and it may be the quickest way to bring them all down without anyone getting hurt. A gun will take out several people in the time it would take you to shift and take down one man.” Everyone in the room could feel the weight of his words, Seann wasn’t above using his position as alpha to get his own way.
He was right about Nathaniel being able to handle himself, Bree said he was in some hush-hush government unit many years ago and only retired because of his youthful appearance when his colleagues began commenting on it, the shifter’s curse. Going to law school had been a second career choice for him.
“The only place I can hide a gun is in a thigh holster.” Kandis snapped the pistol in place and moved around the room to see if anyone would notice she was carrying.
“Can’t see it at all babe.” Liam grinned.
“Lexi’s is strapped to her waist, the loose top covers it well,” Kandis added.
“I wish I could be of some help,” Summer said and the frustration in her voice was clear.
“You are helping by being here with the kids, Summer and you are still recovering. It will take time.” Imogen took the other woman’s hands and squeezed.
Eleanor had agreed to come over tonight and sit with Summer, Hope and the kids and Imogen could communicate with her if needed. She was upstairs reading a bedtime story to Kali and Everly while Anjelica and Roisin were putting the younger babies to bed.
Imogen concentrated on sending her a message but Summer looked at her blankly, she couldn’t hear her any longer and Imogen was worried for her. It looked as if she had completely lost her telepathic abilities and knew her friend would mourn the loss of her gifts.
‘Let’s get this show on the road.” Seann barked.
Rylee shuddered as she realized for the first time the amount of danger she was putting herself in but she wasn’t afraid, she was buzzing with excitement.
She felt as though she was living in the plot of a James Bond movie.
***COMING JULY 2021***
Other books by the same author: -
Vampire Brides, Book 1 - To Have And To Hold - Luca and Sierra
Vampire Brides, Book 2 - From This Day Forward - Ettore and Greer
Vampire Brides, Book 3 - For Better, For Worse - Aeric and Sorcha
Vampire Brides, Book 4 - For Richer, For Poorer - Ronan and Darci
Vampire Brides, Book 5 - In Sickness And In Health - Finn and Brynna
Craving The Love Of A Vampire Queen
Cuckoo In The Nest - Lauren, Book One
Cuckoo In The Nest - Madison, Book Two
Cuckoo In The Nest - Angel, Book Three
Picture Perfect
Children of the Moon - Book One
Children of the Moon - Book Two
Children of the Moon - Book Three
Children of the Moon - Book Four
Children of the Moon - Book Five
Check them out on my Amazon author page here:-
https://www.amazon.com/-/e/B07GQ7J3NQ
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Children of the Moon: Book Six Page 17
