Dark Moon Falls: Volume 2
Page 82
It wasn’t good to taunt a demon lord, but he pissed her off.
El’gan snarled, revealing fangs of his own. “Where’s the stone?”
Safely in my father’s hand. “It wasn’t there.” She could tell him the truth. It wasn’t like he didn’t know her parents possessed the spirit stone. And they soon would have the sapphire.
“You’re lying.”
El’gan wasn’t ugly nor did he look human. His skin had a dark red hue over what looked like snake scales. Two large horns came out of his forehead curling over the top of his head. His facial features were handsome if you were into the demonic look—strong jawline and high cheekbones.
“Now, why would I lie to you?”
His cocky smile faded into anger. She swore she saw smoke rolling from his nostrils. “Where are the stones?”
“Somewhere you can’t reach.”
Faster than she could track—which was saying a lot considering she was a vampire—he crossed the room and fisted a hand in her hair. “I will kill you.”
She rolled her eyes. It was true that she was immortal as in hard to kill and living forever, but El’gan knew how to kill her. She would die to protect the stones and those she loved. “What are you waiting for?”
He eyes shifted from dark brown to crimson then back again. Then he glanced to the bite mark on her neck and a slow evil smile formed. Cold fear froze her blood. “I see you will need a different type of motivation.”
Releasing her, he moved the armchair on the other side of the room. “We’ll wait for your mate to join the party.”
No! She wouldn’t let the demon lord bastard touch her mate. Giving the asshole her back, she closed her eyes and called to her magic, willing it to break through the spell surrounding the house or whatever it was. She would not fail protecting her mate.
Chapter Eight
Teri dropped to his knees with his head in his hands. Anger, fear, and hopelessness battled inside him as he watched his mate disappear. And there wasn’t a damn thing he could do!
“Teri.”
He shook his head and waved Scarlett’s concerned tone away. Footsteps closed in behind him and he knew it was Levi, Samira, and Luca.
Scarlett said, “Her magic is being blocked. I can’t track her, but you can.”
It took a few moments before her words sank in. Vicky’s powers were blocked? That had to be how El’gan was able to teleport her away. Teri could track her because she was his mate.
Inhaling deep, calming breaths and releasing them slowly, he focused on Vicky. When he found the link to her, he pulled. What surprised him was he could feel her magic. But Scarlett couldn’t sense her through their magical link. Did that mean the mating bond was different…well other than the obvious.
“I feel her magic. How do I unlock whatever El’gan did to her?” Teri said.
Scarlett’s features brightened. “Oh, I bet the demon didn’t think about blocking you.” Then she frowned. “Unless he wants you to follow her.”
Yeah, that’s what Teri had guessed also. “Then I’ll use his little lure against him. Tell me how.”
They weren’t prepared to battle the demon lord for several reasons. A couple of those reasons being they didn’t know how big his army was and they didn’t know how powerful he was.
“Okay, pull on her magic and bring it into you. It’ll be too much for you to hold so don’t try to hold onto it for long. Just gather as much as you can bare then shove it through your mating bond.” Scarlett wrung her hands together and shifted from foot to foot. “It will most likely complete the bond between you. Just FYI.”
“I don’t care as long as she can come back to me.”
Taking another cleansing breath and holding it, he pulled on Vicky’s power. It came willingly to him, slow at first, then slammed into him as it filled him all at once. Fuck, Scarlett wasn’t being dramatic when she said it would be too much. His inside shook, his head hurt, and his organs felt like they were going to explode. Pain arched along each nerve and his wolf whimpered.
Exhaling his breath, he shoved every bit of that power through the mating bond. He knew the moment Vicky took over and pulled the magic into herself. It was like a vacuum, sucking all the energy from him. Then he dropped to his knees again and put his head in his hands.
* * *
Vicky’s handsome, amazing mate was also brilliant. It was likely that Scarlett had guided him into using their mating bond to return her magic to her. As soon as she felt Teri shoving the power down the bond, she pulled.
The magic, her life essence, slammed into her and blasted outward, shattering the windows in the house. Turning, she eyed El’gan, who was standing up from the floor. Blood flowed from his nose and his eyes were wide as if he hadn’t expected the amount of power she possessed. Surprise asshole.
The chicken-shit demon didn’t give her time to throw fire at him before he dematerialized. Damn.
Using her fully formed, stronger than ever mating bond with Teri, she ported right to him. As soon as she materialized, he pulled her into a tight hug. He buried his nose into her neck, inhaling her scent. Relaxing into him. His pain reached out to her, but she didn’t comment on it. He would just brush it off anyway. Hugging him close, she whispered, “Thank you.”
“How is it possible for you to carry that much power?” He pulled back to search her face, placing his hand on either side of her head.
She laughed. “I was born with it. Well, a little of it and it grew as I did.”
Levi came over and touched her shoulder. “Are you okay?”
She squeezed his hand. “Yes.” She glanced around at all the faces—Samira, Luca, Scarlett. “We need to prepare to defeat him. We can’t wait him out or he will bring a war to us.”
Scarlett nodded. “We need to get the last two stones first, then we’ll be able to challenge him and take him down.”
Teri scooped her up in his arms. “Enough. We’ll talk about all this as a group later. I want to be alone with my mate.”
That was a plan she was looking forward to. Waving her goodbyes, she teleported them to Teri’s bedroom.
He laid her onto his bed and slowly undressed her. “I love you so much. The thought of losing you almost ripped me apart. I know why it’s easy to go rogue when you lose a mate.”
“You never have to worry about losing me. I’m hard to kill.” She kissed him, letting her mouth linger on his. “And you’ll live just as long as I do now, so that makes you hard to kill also.”
His gaze heated and his lips curved. “I can live with that.”
Then he bit her, claiming her again and setting her insides on fire. Her mate. Her heart.
* * *
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About Lia Davis
Lia Davis is the USA Today bestselling author of more than forty books, including her fan favorite Ashwood Falls Series.
A lifelong fan of magic, mystery, romance and adventure, Lia’s novels feature compassionate alpha heroes and strong leading ladies, plenty of heat, and happily-ever-afters.
Lia makes her home in Northeast Florida where she battles hurricanes and humidity like one of her heroines.
When she’s not writing, she loves to spend time with her family, travel, read, enjoy nature, and spoil her kitties.
She also loves to hear from her readers. Send her a note at lia@authorliadavis.com!
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Also by Lia Davis
Paranormal Series
Shifters of Ashwood Falls
Bears of Blackrock
Dragons of Ares
Gods and Dragons
Dark Scales Division (Co-written with Kerry Adrienne)
Shifting Magick Trilogy
The Divinities
Witches of Rose Lake
Coven’s End (Co-written with L.A. Boruff)
Academy’s Rise (Co-written with L.A. Boruff)
Singles Titles
First Contact (MM co-written with Kerry Adrienne)
Ghost in the Bottle (co-written with Kerry Adrienne)
Dragon’s Web
Royal Enchantment
Marked by Darkness
His Big Bad Wolf (MM)
Their Royal Ash
Tempting the Wolf
Hexed with Sass (part of the Milly Taiden Sassy Ever After World)
Claiming Her Dragons (Part of the Milly Taiden Paranormal Dating Agency)
Contemporaries
Pleasures of the Heart Series
Single Titles
His Guarded Heart (MM)
Kaden
Cora A. Murray
1
Kaden
Walking away from my old pack was an easy decision. After my Dad was beaten and killed by a rogue pack, and the new alpha took over our home and claimed my mom as his old lady, I wanted out. At the age of eighteen, I walked away and never looked back.
After leaving home, I joined the Navy and got to see most of the world on Uncle Sam’s dime. Even though I enjoyed my time there, I wasn’t destined for a career with the Navy, so I walked away from that too.
I wandered for a bit, but in my heart, I knew I was ready to find a new home, a new pack, so I traveled across the U.S. and eventually found myself in the town of Dark Moon Falls.
As a wolf shifter, I know I can’t stay in a pack town and not reach out to the Alpha, so I ask around and learn his name is Elias Grant. I’d called and spoke to him earlier, and now it is time for a face to face meeting.
After pulling into his driveway, I shut the truck off. Taking a deep breath, I wipe my hands down my jeans and step out. I had never been so nervous in all my life. I’d also never known another pack outside of the St. Claire Pack, which had been situated in a little town west of the Mississippi River in the state of Iowa and named for my great granddad, the original alpha. My dad had been a good alpha, and an even better man. I miss him every day and I hope I can live up to the kind of man he would be proud of.
Looking up at the cabin, I clear my thoughts and walk up the steps. When I reach the door, it opens before I can knock and a tall, muscular man with a scar over his left eye steps out and leans against the door jam. He has an aura of authority, much like my father had possessed, and Alpha screams at you when you look at him. My wolf balks briefly before I get it back under control, and I have to remind him that this is not our pack, this is not our father.
I clear the sweat off my hands by wiping them on my jeans again, and introduce myself. “Hello, I’m Kaden St. Claire, former member of the St. Claire Pack. I called you yesterday.”
“I know who you are, and I knew your father. He was a good man,” Elias replies.
“Thank you. I’m here to ask about joining your pack.”
“I heard about what happened in your old pack. Even though it’s the way of the pack, I understand why you wanted to move on. We’re happy to accept you here as long as you don’t cause any trouble.”
“No sir, I just want to live my life.”
“Don’t make me regret this decision, and life will be fine.”
“Yes, sir,” I turn to walk away, but rotate back before taking a step. “Are there any carpenters in the area? I can make anything and fix any and everything wood.”
“None that I know of, and I’m sure one would be appreciated here.”
* * *
Gianna
The moment I arrive in a town called Dark Moon Falls, I feel at home. Which is a good thing considering my car, which has been on its last leg for the last hundred miles or so, decides to break down right in front of a restaurant called Delight’s Diner.
“Well damn,” I mutter before opening my door and grabbing my purse off the passenger seat.
I step out onto the sidewalk and head to the diner. As soon as I open the door and walk in, I am greeted by an older, black lady.
A smile lights up her face as she looks at me. “Welcome honey, have a seat anywhere and I’ll bring over a menu.”
I sit in the corner booth facing my car and watch as the nice lady who greeted me comes over with a menu and a smile.
“Here ya go sweetie. What can I get you to drink?”
“Anything diet will be great.”
“Look over the menu while I get that, and I’ll be right back to get your order.”
I take my cell phone out of my bag and try to use the internet to find a place to stay around here, but there’s no signal.
“Ma’am, is there anywhere I can rent a room or a cabin for a couple of weeks?” I ask, waving my hand to get the lady’s attention.
“Sure, there’s the lodge right up the road. Then there’s Annabelle’s B&B, which is in the center of town. If you could possibly get online with your cell phone, you could grab a cabin with Marcus. See, he does all his bookings online. You’ll never see him face to face unless you happen to run into him in town, which is unlikely,” she takes a short breath before she continues. “Whew, honey, I just ran on and on. You should have stopped me.”
I smile up at her and shake my head. “No you’ve been great. Wish I had cell service, I’d try to grab one of those cabins.”
“Hold on one second, you can borrow my computer back in the office. It works but it’s slow. The name you need to look up for the cabins is Dark Moon Cabin Rentals,” she tells me as she leads me into the back of the diner and points to the ancient computer.
“By the way, I’m Delight Desouza.”
“Nice to meet you, I’m Gianna Jones.”
“Nice to meet you as well. You’ll need to give it a minute to boot up,” she says as I sit in her office chair. “I’ll leave you to it then. In the meantime, what can I get you to eat?”
“I’d love your Delight burger and fries.”
“Be right up,” she smiles and leaves the room. As she disappears into the restaurant again, I hear her yell, “Henry, I need a cheeseburger and fries.”
It takes the computer forever to load the page, but when it does I peruse the cabin rental site. The smallest cabin was a two bedroom in a remote part of the woods. Can I handle being so isolated from others and the town? Yeah let’s do this, I think to myself and click on the book now tab. I enter my credit card information, and wait for confirmation.
I look up as Delight brings in my drink and food, just as my confirmation comes through.
“You could have left that on the table. I was just finishing this up.”
“Yeah, did you get a cabin?” She questions as we walk out of her office.
“I did. It seems to be pretty remote, but I wrote down the directions. The site said the cabin won’t be ready until after three, so I guess after I eat, I’ll go grab some groceries and whatever else I’ll need and start out to find it.”
“Good luck with that sweets. How long do you plan on being around?” Delight asks.
“I’m not sure. I may look into finding a more permanent residence and a job, but right now I need a roof over my head while I decide.”
“I get that. Come see me when you decide. I may be able to help with the job and I know a few people around here and they might be able to help with a place to rent.”
“You’ve been amazing. Thank you for all of your help and the food is delicious,” I smile and dig back into my burger and fries.
After f
inishing my lunch I start out the door when I remember my car.
“Damnit,” I mutter as I return to the dining room and find Delight helping other customers. I sit at the counter and wait for her to finish up. I mean, really, where am I going to go? I snort at my own joke, then look up quickly and make sure no one saw or heard the very unlady-like noise I made.
Delight winks at me and continues taking orders. When she finishes up she takes the orders to the window separating the front of the diner and the kitchen. Once she’s finished, she walks over to where I’m sitting and smiles. “What’s up, hun?”
“Is there a mechanic in town? I completely forgot my car broke down on me outside.”
“There is one here at the edge of town right before you reach the forest, Issac Kincaid runs the place.”
“Do you think he would have a loaner?”
“Now that, love, I have no clue about. You’d have to ask him,” she replies and lifts an old-style rotary phone and places it on the counter in front of me.
“Thank you so much for all of your help. I’d be lost without you.”
“You’re welcome. Now let me go grab that number to Issac’s place.”
She’s only gone a moment, before she walks back over to me and hands me a slip of paper. I look at it for a second then dial the number, thankful I’d spent so much time at my grandmother’s as a child. She held on to her old rotary phone until it stopped working. I was around eleven then, and had used her phone many times.
The phone rings a few times, and just before I hang up, a grumpy male voice answers. “Issac.”
“Hi. Yes my, um, car is broken down in front of Delight’s Diner. I was wondering if you could come check it out and see if it can be fixed.”