by Anna Lowe
“I did it! Did you see that? I did it!” she’d cried out when they shifted back at the end of the night.
Soren had grinned from ear to ear, watching her, then held her tight. “I knew you could.” The man had such limitless faith in her, it was scary.
But he was right. Shifting had seemed as scary as motherhood had, but she’d slipped right into that role, too. She knew just how to hold the baby, how to coo to him, when to hold him close, and when to lay him down.
Everything was falling into place. Her, Soren, and the baby had become a content little unit of three within a warm and accepting clan of seven.
“Not the biggest clan in history,” Soren had once said, shaking his head.
“Maybe not the biggest, but the best,” Janna had replied.
“And we’re going places. Right, sweetie?” Jessica had agreed, nuzzling the baby as if he were her own.
They were going places. Everyone had pulled together to patch up the saloon, and business was booming there and at the café. Thanks to her enhanced healing abilities — another plus of having turned shifter — she’d bounced right back from the trying experience of childbirth and got back to work within a few weeks. Soren cared for the baby in the mornings, and she took over in the afternoons. It might have been grueling, but it worked well since they could check in with each other throughout the day.
“Finally, an advantage to running your own business,” Soren had said, more in pride than complaint.
Still, Mondays were the best. Sarah stretched, reveling in the feel of the soft cotton sheet on her bare skin. Bare all over, because there wasn’t much point in wearing PJs only to take them off the minute her mate got frisky — or when she was the one turning up the heat. Another side effect of being a bear, she supposed — not only had she recovered from childbirth quickly, her libido came roaring back with a vengeance not long after they’d settled in with their newborn.
Mmm, her inner bear rumbled, already thinking of all the fun she could have with her mate once he came back to bed. She’d start by nuzzling him — and God, was Soren a champion nuzzler — then move on from there.
A beautiful morning, she said to her mate.
When Soren nodded quietly, his cheeks glowed with more than just the golden dawn light. He didn’t say much — Soren never did — but he held up the baby’s hands and feet, going over each tiny digit as if it was a miracle of its own. He murmured something too low to hear and kissed the top of the baby’s head, then laid him in the masterpiece of a crib he’d spent hours making in the woodshop. Soren had fussed over every detail of it, insisting the baby deserved the best. He stood there for a long time, adjusting the blanket, the pillow, and a half-dozen unnecessary things. Then he climbed back in the bed and curled around her.
“Good morning,” he rumbled, right in her ear.
She rolled and hooked her leg around his, grinning up at him. “Yes, it is, my love. Yes, it is.”
* * *
Thank you for reading Blue Moon Saloon, Volume 1! If you enjoyed these stories, won’t you please leave a review on Amazon or Goodreads? Reviews are the best way to thank an independent author for the stories you’ve loved. Thank you!
The good news is, it’s not closing time at the saloon! Three more stories await you in Blue Moon Saloon, Volume 2! Those include Salvation (get your tissues ready), Deception (hot bear shifter alert!), and the stirring series finale, Celebration (get the confetti and good feels ready!). Read on for a sneak peek of Salvation, Todd’s story (yes - that Todd!), or order your copy today!
If you haven’t already done so, make sure you sign up for my newsletter. You’ll get three free stories, exclusive bonus scenes, and you’ll be the first to hear about new releases and great deals! Finally, you can read about the inspiration for Salvation in the bonus materials section of my website, so please come and visit today!
Sneak Peek: Salvation
“Heartfelt, delightful, and touching....an emotional journey. ”
–Angel’s Guilty Pleasures
One hero, assumed dead. One woman who refuses to give up. One destiny.
Anna Boone won’t give up the search for her cousin, Sarah, who everyone assumes dead. And she refuses to give up on the wounded bear found next to the ashes of her cousin’s house. There’s something deep in his eyes and in his soul she just can’t resist. Something special. Something…human, almost. When her search for the truth leads her to the Blue Moon Saloon, Anna finds more than she ever bargained for — and unwittingly leads a deadly foe to those she loves most.
Salvation, Blue Moon Saloon, Book 4.
* * *
Clouds drifted silently across the midnight sky, obscuring the full moon. The pines were still as the bear lumbered beneath them, favoring his right leg. He paused to sniff the air. It was dry — painfully dry — and carried a thousand unfamiliar scents. The fragrance of hardy wildflowers danced in the high-altitude desert air. The fresh scent of ponderosa and sycamore lay beneath the rest like a carpet, and behind it all was a whiff of burned-out brush fire that made his hackles rise.
It was a warm night — warm, silent, and somehow foreboding, given the way the shadows mimicked his every move.
Where are you going? they seemed to taunt him. Why?
Damned if he knew. He was many hungry months and hundreds of miles away from the ashes of home. Tired, too. Bone-tired. Yet the stars kept pulling him onward, whispering into his mind.
You’re nearly there. Nearly there.
Nearly where?
Early on in his long march south, he had roared the question into the night. Now, he just chuffed and walked on, wondering how much of his mind he’d lost from remaining in bear form for too long. Of course, staying human was just as dangerous; every shifter needed to satisfy both sides of his soul. But Todd wasn’t sure what was left of his soul. He’d never felt emptier or more alone.
Nearly there, the stars promised.
Were the stars playing games with him or leading him to salvation? The spirits of his ancestors congregated around Ursa Major, the Great Bear, and they twinkled at him from between the interlocking pine boughs. They wouldn’t lie, would they?
He’d been wandering for more nights than he could count, swinging his head left and right to check his surroundings. That was a new habit he’d developed since the hearing had been pounded out of him in an attack that had nearly cost him his life. Sometimes, he’d whip his head around, imagining the snap of a twig or the hoot of an owl, but most of the time, his ears registered nothing but a quiet buzz.
He swiped an angry paw at his left ear. If only he could chase away the sound the way he could shoo away a bee. It was growing worse now — a clanging ring that wouldn’t stop, as if he’d lingered too long and too close to the noontime call of church bells and had gone deaf from that, instead of from the beating of bats and bricks.
He gritted his teeth, fighting the memories away. He would have been better off dying as he’d been destined to. Death would have been fine because he had fought for a worthy cause. For duty, for honor, for love. What more could a bear desire?
But instead of fading away and reaching for the light that had called to him from heaven, he’d been fool enough to listen to a voice that had pulled him back from the edge.
Stay with me. Don’t die. Not now. Not like this.
If it hadn’t been the sweetest, fairest voice he’d ever heard, he might have ignored it and moved on to join his ancestors among the stars.
Think of mountain meadows in spring, the kind, feminine voice had pleaded. Think of a clear, cool summer creek. Think of berries growing thick in the fall.
And damn it, he’d pictured one beautiful season after another and gotten greedy for life all over again.
Just think of all the things you’ll live to enjoy again. Stay with me…
The speaker had tricked him, because she’d left out a few important things. Like the crushing guilt of surviving a night most of his clanmates had fallen victim to.
The heavy silence in his ears, the gnawing ache in his leg. The feeling of being alone. Why live life as a wreck of a bear or a wreck of a man?
He stopped and shook his fur so hard his teeth rattled then walked slowly onward. Maybe if he found whatever it was that pulled him like a magnet, he could find peace again.
The buzz in his ears rose and fell. It warbled and varied in pitch like…like a sonorous wolf howl. That much, he could tell — more from tiny movements in the air than actual sound. The fur on the centerline of his back stood up as he halted in his tracks and eyed a ridge to the north. Wolves?
There were good wolves and bad wolves, and not even a big, bad grizzly was safe from a pack of the latter, as he’d learned the hard way one fateful night. A night he’d laid it all on the line to protect his cousin’s mate as he’d promised to. He would do it all over again, too, because bears knew all about duty and honor and respect for the power of love. Even knowing he would come out of it damaged in more ways than one, he’d do it all over again. He had no regrets.
Except one. One terrible regret from the time before the attack. Something that tainted his honor and haunted his soul.
He sniffed until he spotted the wolves howling on the ridge. Two of them, sitting side by side, their noses pointed at the moon.
Why wolves howled, he had no clue, but he’d never been more tempted to try it than in the bleakness of the past few months.
Then they broke off — he could tell when the ringing in his ears went monotone again — and snapped their muzzles in his direction. A moment later, they came stalking down the slope, right at him.
He watched and waited, sniffing the air as they loped up and circled him. They kept their noses high and their shoulders low, ready to flee. The dark-haired she-wolf circled him clockwise while the gold-hued male paced the other way, growling quietly the whole time. He could tell from the angle of the wolves’ jaws, from the tingle in his ears. He let a warning rumble build in his own throat in reply.
Shifters. Werewolves. Every nerve in his body went on high alert.
Each time the wolves’ paths crossed, they brushed along against each other in long, deliberate strokes that showed them to be lovers. Mates.
Todd growled low and long in warning. He had no desire to make trouble for a pair of destined mates. Let them live and love and be happy. Him, he was just passing through.
The she-wolf stopped suddenly and cocked her head, staring deep into his eyes with a startled look. Her jaw fell open, and a whisper tickled the edge of his mind.
Todd?
He backed up a step. How did she know his name? Who was she? How could her thoughts reach into his mind? Only closely related shifters or packmates could do that, and she was a stranger.
Or was she?
The she-wolf’s gaze went from quizzical to joyous to mournful, all in the blink of an eye. As if she knew some terrible secret he was about to find out the hard way.
Todd, is it really you?
How to answer that? He wasn’t the same man — or bear — he used to be.
It’s me, she said. Janna.
Before he could make any attempt at an answer, though, the wolves glanced left, just as a new scent reached his nose. He whipped around.
Bear, the musky scent told him.
Big bear, a heavy step vibrating through the ground said.
Alpha bear, the animal’s tall, confident stance announced the second Todd spotted it stalking toward him. Every step the grizzly took claimed possession of the land, the air, the mountainside.
This is all mine, the alpha’s countenance said. How dare you enter my turf?
The wolves ran over and flanked the grizzly like a couple of sentries at their king’s side. Todd stood still, holding his breath. Why did the bear seem familiar? Why was his heart leaping in relief instead of pounding in preparation for a brawl?
The alpha bear took two steps forward and reared up on his back legs, casting a shadow over Todd. He showed his teeth, tilted his head, and finally chuffed.
Todd’s mind spun. He knew that sandy brown bear. He knew those brilliant blue eyes.
The air around the grizzly blurred as the beast became a man — a man who came out of his shift without so much as a shiver and fixed him straight in the eye. Slowly, the man dropped to a crouch and came eye to eye. His lips moved, and even if Todd could hear, he would have missed the words. His mind was too busy processing a thousand impossible thoughts.
Soren? His cousin, Soren?
Todd? Soren’s voice boomed into his mind.
It was the clearest, loudest sound he’d heard in a long, long time, even if it didn’t pass through his ears first.
Soren?
Soren nodded warily. Jesus, man. Is it really you?
Todd nodded slowly, carefully. Soren was his best friend. His cousin. The heir to the alpha position in their home clan — a clan that had been decimated months ago.
It really was him. Soren, whom Todd had served loyally except for one bitter betrayal he would never forgive himself for. Soren would never forgive him either, once he found out.
What about Sarah? Todd managed. Damn, even though he was shooting thoughts into his cousin’s mind, his voice was still shaky.
Soren nodded slowly. She’s here. She survived, thanks to you. She’s my mate.
A thousand emotions hit Todd like a volley of arrows out of the blue. Relief. Wonder. Happiness for his cousin. But steamrolling all that aside was shame — the deepest, most piercing arrow of them all, striking him in the corner of his heart.
It took everything he had to keep his eyes level with Soren’s instead of dropping to the ground. He had to be honest and admit what had happened between him and Sarah a year ago. A night when he’d been overcome by some crazy impulse and betrayed his cousin by sleeping with his mate.
Soren took a deep breath exactly when Todd did, and they both sent the same thought to each other at exactly the same time.
We have to talk, man. We have to talk.
Todd stared at his cousin. He knew what secret he had to tell Soren. But what on earth did Soren have to tell him?
* * *
That’s just the beginning of an emotional journey that will make you cry, laugh, and cheer at the happy end. Salvation is available as a single title and as part of Blue Moon Saloon - Volume 2 box set, which also includes Deception and the series finale, Celebration. Take your pick and be swept back into the amazing world of the Blue Moon Saloon.
Free books
Get your free e-books now!
Sign up for my newsletter at annalowebooks.com to get three free books, a free audiobook, and dozens of exclusive bonus scenes!
Desert Wolf: Friend or Foe (Book 1.1 in the Twin Moon Ranch series)
Off the Charts (the prequel to the Serendipity Adventure series)
Perfection (the prequel to the Blue Moon Saloon series)
Books by Anna Lowe
Blue Moon Saloon
Perfection (a short story prequel)
Damnation (Book 1)
Temptation (Book 2)
Redemption (Book 3)
Salvation (Book 4)
Deception (Book 5)
Celebration (a holiday treat)
Aloha Shifters - Jewels of the Heart
Lure of the Dragon (Book 1)
Lure of the Wolf (Book 2)
Lure of the Bear (Book 3)
Lure of the Tiger (Book 4)
Love of the Dragon (Book 5)
Lure of the Fox (Book 6)
Aloha Shifters - Pearls of Desire
Rebel Dragon (Book 1)
Rebel Bear (Book 2)
Rebel Lion (Book 3)
Rebel Wolf (Book 4)
Rebel Heart (A prequel to Book 5)
Rebel Alpha (Book 5)
Fire Maidens - Billionaires & Bodyguards
Fire Maidens: Paris (Book 1)
Fire Maidens: London (Book 2)
Fire Maidens: Rome (Book 3)
Fire Maidens: Portugal (Bo
ok 4)
Fire Maidens: Ireland (Book 5)
The Wolves of Twin Moon Ranch
Desert Hunt (the Prequel)
Desert Moon (Book 1)
Desert Blood (Book 2)
Desert Fate (Book 3)
Desert Heart (Book 4)
Desert Rose (Book 5)
Desert Roots (Book 6)
Desert Wolf: Complete Collection (Four short stories)
Desert Yule (a short story)
Sasquatch Surprise (a Twin Moon spin-off story)
Shifters in Vegas
Paranormal romance with a zany twist
Gambling on Trouble
Gambling on Her Dragon
Gambling on Her Bear
Serendipity Adventure Romance
Off the Charts
Uncharted
Entangled
Windswept
Adrift
Travel Romance
Veiled Fantasies
