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This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.
Beasts Awakened
Paranormal Werewolf Dragon Shifter and Fantasy Romance Box Set
By: Full Moon Publishing
Table of Contents
Diving Deep: Dragon Shifter Tales
Against All Odds
Quest Of Mugen
Unchained
Undead Love
Taming The Bad Boy
Mystery of Graves’s Halloween Ball
Love Me By Christmas
Diving Deep: Dragon Shifter Tales
Chapter 1
This year's craft fair seemed exceptionally promising, if the turnout was any indication.
Melanie walked the floors of the building where the craft fair was being hosted, scanning the rows of booths and wares. Many people were selling all kinds of handmade jewelry and other accessories, though one woman did have a stall of small felt plushies. When it came down to it, Melanie always looked forward to the craft fairs. Not only were they good for breaking up a monotonous weekend, but it was nice to see what people had been working on. She had something of a fondness for handmade crafts to begin with; combined with an equal fondness for window shopping and the craft fairs were her place to go whenever she could. With all the looking around and asking questions gave her thoughts of starting her own craft shop, but she didn’t think that what she made would be sellable just yet.
Nonetheless, the sheer variety made it hard to choose who to stop by for further investigation; though Melanie had bought and equipped a nice hair clip in her dark hair, after a while the stock got a bit overwhelming. In fact, the variety seemed to be having the opposite effect: everything seemed to be blending together. How many bracelets, necklaces, or earrings did a person need, anyway? While collecting knickknacks was fun, there had to be some kind of limit on it, lest she end up a minor hoarder.
"Excuse me."
Jolted out of her reverie, Melanie spun around to see a tall, dark-haired gentleman with brilliant blue eyes waiting for her. His hair was tastefully tied back in a low ponytail, and she could see he had dyed a dark blue streak into it on one side. He seemed to be about her age, maybe a year or two older if she had to guess; he was dressed casually in a t-shirt and jeans, but even simple clothing seemed to flatter his form. She felt heat rush to her face; she was no lovestruck schoolgirl, but this man was undeniably handsome. Once she got over the combined surprise and rush of attraction, she mumbled a quick, "Yes?"
"Is everything all right? You sort of just stopped and stared into space for a good few minutes," the man said.
"It was that long?" Boy, Melanie felt silly asking that. She didn't think she'd been spaced out for that long. "Sorry. Was I in anyone's way?"
The man chuckled, "No, not at all. It just seemed a bit odd, since everyone else was moving around you."
"Huh." Melanie looked around and was relieved to find that no one seemed to be staring at her. "I guess I just got a bit overwhelmed. Maybe a little sticker shock too."
"I see. Yes, that would happen in a place like this, wouldn't it?" The man looked over his shoulder. "Perhaps we could go to my booth so you could get your bearings? I have a spare map that should make it easy to determine where you are from there. It's in a less busy part of the fair, too, so that should help you clear your mind."
That was a pretty smooth way to get her to look at his wares, as far as Melanie was concerned. She had already been through so many of the stalls and she was worried that one more would make her head spin. Then again, this guy was willing to get up to check on her, which put him a step above the people who were just sitting and waiting at their stalls. Maybe one more stall wouldn't kill her after all. "All right, fair enough," she said. "Lead the way."
The two chatted as they went to the man's booth. "I should introduce myself," he said. "You can call me River. My shop is Riverflow Crafts. It's very nice to meet you."
"I'm Melanie," Melanie said, wondering whether the man's name or the shop name came first. "It's nice to meet you too."
"Have you bought anything yet?" River asked.
"Just a hair clip," Melanie said. "There were a few places I was thinking of going back to once I was done scoping things out, but now I'm not so sure."
River looked back at Melanie and nodded. "Decisions can be hard to make when there are so many things around."
"You're telling me." Melanie saw that a few of the stalls they were passing had interested customers by them. "It's like, 'do I want one of these, two of those, or one of this and this?' In my opinion, it's a matter of getting things you're sure you'll still like the next day."
"That sounds reasonable," River said. "It sounds like you put a lot of thought into your purchases."
"I try to. No one likes to waste money, right?" Melanie said.
"I think it depends on who you ask." River lead Melanie off to the side. "And here we are." Sure enough, there was a table with a large sign that read "Riverflow Crafts" on it. River went back behind the booth and sat down, clasping his hands in front of him. "Feel free to take a moment to get your bearings. Of course, if you see anything you like, do let me know."
"Thanks," Melanie said, studying the various jewelry crafts for sale. One thing she noticed very quickly was that every item for sale had a blue piece on it somewhere. It didn't need to be the entire theme of the item, but the color was present everywhere. "So, you like the color blue?"
"Of course," River said. "Some people might criticize the decision to make everything so aquatic-themed, but I have my reasons. Really, what's bad about picking a theme and sticking to it?"
"Makes sense to me." Melanie picked up a bracelet for inspection. "At the very least, people know what they're getting from you."
"Yes, consistency is good," River said.
Melanie's attention ended up getting caught on a lovely pendant with a shining blue stone in it. The stone was teardrop-shaped and had curved wiring around it, almost like snakes bundling around it. Something about it gave her the sense that the wire snakes were protecting the stone, somehow. "This one looks like it's got a story to it," she mused aloud.
"Ah, that one is special," River said, grinning broadly. "I only stock one of these per showing. If you buy it, you become part of a special customer's club. Along with being part of an exclusive mailing list so you get to hear about deals first, you can also attend special group sessions with me to learn more about what goes into my product."
"Huh, that sounds really cool," Melanie said. She squinted as she peered at the price tag, and had to bite back a comment about the price tag. Clearly, all those perks were for people willing to pay the price.
"How about this?" River stood back up and got a small box from under the stall table. "I'm feeling generous today, and not many people are biting. How about you take this pendant? Consider it a promotional gift."
Melanie's eyes might as well have bugged out of her head. "Something like this... for free? You're joking, right?"
"Think of it this way," River said. "I get another member on my mailing list and an
other face at my group sessions, and you get a lovely piece of jewelry for free. That sounds like a win-win deal to me."
"Can you really just give something like this to me?" Melanie's eyes went from the box to the pendant and back.
"I consider it a worthwhile investment. Besides, I can tell you’ve had enough sticker shock for today. That look tells me everything." River scooted the box under Melanie's hand, along with a business card and a note card. "It's yours, along with my business card. If you accept, I'd like your e-mail address so that I can contact you on the mailing list."
Melanie thought for a moment longer, then nodded. "If you say so. Give me a moment and I'll write it down for you."
After Melanie recorded her information on the notecard, River pocketed the card. "Thank you for your business," he said, taking the pendant from her and putting it in the box. "Keep an eye on your e-mail for updates."
"Thanks a lot," Melanie said. "And I will do that. I like that you're willing to get hands-on with your product like this."
"If I can help others make beautiful things, then that's all the better," River said.
"Yeah." Melanie slid the box with the pendant into her purse. "Hope to hear from you soon."
The two said their goodbyes, and Melanie studied the business card she had been given. The card revealed man's full name as River Wells, and she couldn't help but wonder if he got picked on as a kid for having such a watery name. Still, she found the encounter intriguing, and felt a little silly for nearly saying "no" to free things. Hopefully the newsletters would give out interesting information and not spam.
Still, she had some research to do.
Chapter 2
The next day, Melanie decided to comb through River's website to get a better idea of what she had just gotten into. The web address was on the business card, so getting there was simple. The home page appeared to be nicely laid out, with some previews of special products and a well-defined header that marked the sections of the site. She found herself wondering if web design was another one of his talents, or if he'd shelled out for a designer with a good aesthetic sense.
She started out on the "about me" page, looking it over. She learned that River was 26 years old (two years older than her, which was just perfect for her) and enjoyed working with his hands (a phrase that she wanted to deem tacky but opted not to). He was local to Melanie's area, and had been since he was young. There was a link to the contact form in case someone had an inquiry or a commission for him. One particular segment caught her eye, however:
"I create my works with carefully honed finesse, and I would like to think I imbue them with a dimension of spirituality."
What did that mean? Melanie's mind raced with potential solutions. On the one hand, he could just be very into his art, to the point that it carried spiritual implications for him. On the other hand, maybe he had a secret dogma he was trying to spread through his store. Irrational and ridiculous, but possible.
Cautiously, Melanie followed the link to the contact form and typed out a quick message.
Hello River,
I had a question about something you mentioned on your site. What do you mean when you say you imbue your work with a "dimension of spirituality"? It's a phrase that sticks out, so I'm curious.
P.S. This is Melanie from the craft fair- the one you gave the pendant to, remember?
She pressed the submit button and the message zipped off through the internet. She spent a little time looking at the other jewelry and crafts on River's site before closing out the tab and going about her business. About an hour later, she received two e-mail notifications. Both appeared to be from River, though one was clearly intended for the mailing list. She opened that one first and read it over.
Greetings all,
With a new member having joined us, I would like to call another meeting for the Riverflow Club. This one will be at a local botanical garden; I assure you it has quite a nice atmosphere, perfect for reflection and stopping to actually smell the flowers.
I have included the date, address, and directions from a few places below. I hope to see you all there.
-River
While Melanie was curious about the meeting, she found herself wondering why there was no mention of an agenda for the meeting. She would have to ask about that too. Moving on, she opened the other e-mail from River.
Hello Melanie,
I'm glad to see you're still interested. You've asked a very good question, though it's a bit difficult to answer. By "dimension of spirituality," I mean that I have a very unique set of personal beliefs, and when I make my art, I adhere to my personal doctrines. It's nothing to really worry about, though it may come up at the next Riverflow Club meeting (did you get that e-mail? I just sent that out). Think of it this way: I try to maintain a sense of self-integrity when I make things for others. I don't compromise my values. Does that make sense?
I hope I'll see you at the meeting later this week. Bring your pendant with you; it sort of acts like a badge for the club members. I'm not saying I'll kick you out if you don't bring it, but bring it anyway, why don't you?
Hope to hear from you soon,
River
Melanie nodded as she read through the e-mail. The explanation seemed benign enough, though she wondered what his beliefs had to do with the Riverflow Club. She typed out a response:
River,
Your explanation makes sense. I like that you stick to your beliefs. Speaking of the Riverflow Club, I have two questions. Why didn't you mention what would be happening at the meeting? Also, why are your personal beliefs a part of the club meetings? Don't take that the wrong way, I'm really just wondering.
I'll do my best to make it to the meeting. See you there.
- Melanie
Once that e-mail was sent off, Melanie didn't have to wait long before the response came back, leaving her wondering if he had been waiting for her response or was simply a fast typist. She paused her loafing around to read the response e-mail.
Hello again Melanie,
Sorry, I should have explained better. The agenda is generally up to the members, and the meetings tend to take something of a philosophical turn. If there is anything important to discuss, I make sure to mention it. Maybe I should have included something about introducing you, as you are our newest member, but I'll make sure to do that anyway at the meeting- so please don't worry about that. If you feel like coming a few minutes early, I'll try to catch you up on some of the things we have been discussing.
Don't let all this talk of philosophy scare you off. Think of it as a gathering of friends. I hope to see you there.
See you soon,
River
The response raised more questions than it answered. Melanie wished that River would shed some light on the mysterious philosophy of the meetings; his mentions had put her somewhere between being even more suspicious of his motives and wanting to go anyway to see things for herself. Perhaps she could still go as long as she had a good safety plan set up. She could text some friends and let them know that if she didn't call at a certain time, something had happened. There was always the possibility that she was being paranoid, but it was better to be safe than sorry.
Still, her curiosity was winning out. She was going to have to go and see what the Riverflow Club was all about.
Chapter 3
Melanie decided to arrive at the botanical garden a bit early to see if she could get any more information out of River before the meeting started. Her eyes were half-glued to her phone as she repeatedly checked the location of the meeting in the garden, and for a moment, she was afraid that she would never find it. Eventually, of course, she did, even if she had to change her focus from landmarks to looking for River to do so. She found him setting up some displays of crystals and jewelry on a table, carefully adjusting how some of the crystals were facing with a peculiar precision.
Though she spotted him first, River was the one who made the
greeting. "Hello, Melanie. Glad you showed up. For a moment, I was afraid that you wouldn't."
Melanie smiled, shrugged, and approached him. "It takes more than a bunch of philosophical mumbo-jumbo to scare me off."
"It's not mumbo-jumbo," River said quickly, almost sharply. However, despite the apparent objection, he laughed. "Think of it this way. It's a more fun way of looking at the world. Besides, doesn't everyone have some belief that looks strange to others, but is completely real to them?"
"You're right," Melanie said. "Things like superstitions add spice to life, no matter how silly they might seem."
"Definitely. It's those things that imbue our world with a little magic." River moved one crystal a fraction of an inch over before continuing. "Speaking of which, did you bring your pendant?"
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