by Dannika Dark
THE VOW
Black Arrowhead Series
Dannika Dark
THE VOW
Black Arrowhead Series Book 1
USA Today Bestselling Author
DANNIKA DARK
All Rights Reserved
Copyright © 2020 Dannika Dark
No part of this book may be reproduced, distributed, transmitted in any form or by any means, or stored in a database retrieval system without the prior written permission of the author. You must not circulate this book in any format. Thank you for respecting the rights of the author. This is a work of fiction. Any resemblance of characters to actual persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.
Edited by Victory Editing and Red Adept. Cover design by Dannika Dark. All stock purchased.
www.dannikadark.net
Official Dannika Dark Newsletter
Contents
Summary
Also By Dannika Dark:
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Acknowledgments
Back Page
Want More?
Books by Dannika Dark:
Author’s Note
Summary
Melody is an ambitious entrepreneur who has always loved the thrill of a new adventure, but she’s about to get more than she bargained for when the only way to save her business is to secure a deal with a powerful tribal leader. Running Horse, Oklahoma, isn’t on the map, and Mel is about as lost as a Shifter can get. When she unexpectedly runs into her best friend’s brother, her friendly visit quickly turns treacherous.
Lakota Cross is a man with secrets. While tracking a killer, he reunites with Melody, and their friendship sparks into a passionate affair. But if he doesn’t quell the fire soon, it might burn out of control.
Once again, fate brings these two Shifters together in a moment of need. But will the sacrifice be greater than the reward?
Book 1
SIGN UP to receive exclusive updates on future releases!
Also By Dannika Dark:
THE MAGERI SERIES
Sterling
Twist
Impulse
Gravity
Shine
The Gift
MAGERI WORLD
Risk
NOVELLAS
Closer
THE SEVEN SERIES
Seven Years
Six Months
Five Weeks
Four Days
Three Hours
Two Minutes
One Second
Winter Moon
SEVEN WORLD
Charming
THE CROSSBREED SERIES
Keystone
Ravenheart
Deathtrap
Gaslight
Blackout
Nevermore
Moonstruck
Spellbound
Heartless
THE BLACK ARROWHEAD SERIES
The Vow
Dedication
This book is dedicated to all my Seven series fans. Thank you for faithfully loving those characters. I hope you have room in your heart for new characters on their own journey to love.
To those of you who are new to my books: if you want to start with the origin story for these characters, check out Seven Years. If you decide to read this book first, just note that it contains a few spoilers to that series. That said, if you prefer not to read the Seven books first, you won’t miss a beat. This is a new adventure that stands on its own, so enjoy the ride.
Chapter 1
I sailed across the empty store, one knee on the seat of my rolling chair and my hands gripping the back. “We’re business owners!” I exclaimed, unable to contain my excitement.
Opening my very own store had been a lifelong dream of mine since childhood. Well, not just mine but also Hope’s. She was my best friend and soul sister. We’d begun our entrepreneurship years ago by selling our wares to kids in the local wolf packs.
Hope specialized in jewelry design. Most of it was fun and fashionable, but she also created beautiful, elaborate pieces that some folks were willing to pay a lot of money to own. I had a passion for fashion. My custom-made shoes, jackets, and other clothing had become so popular among our age group that even humans were asking where to buy them. But I only catered to Shifters. My former Packmaster had advised me against doing business with humans. Since the Breed world was kept secret, the less we interacted with humans, the better.
My chair slowed to a crawl in the middle of the shop, and I turned around to relax in it. Sunshine soaked into the wood floor, casting a magical spell that hung in the air like spun gold.
From her place on the floor, Hope tossed a dirty rag down and wiped her forehead with the back of her hand. “Well, I’m done. I don’t think the floor or the baseboards will get any cleaner. Whoever owned this place before us didn’t do a good job keeping them clean. Bubble gum was stuck in all the corners.” Strands of her long brown hair had pulled free from her ponytail, and she blew one away from her face.
“Do you think I should go over the windows once more?” I asked, noticing a few streaks that the sun had begun illuminating.
“Let it go, Mel. It took you hours to make them look this good, and you already fell off the ladder once.” One of the suspenders on Hope’s overalls slid off her shoulder, and she suddenly smiled, her brown eyes changing to the shape of crescent moons. “Remember when we used to pretend your brothers’ fort was our store? We would decorate it and wait all day for customers. I’ll never forget the time Hendrix and Lennon brought their friends over to play.”
“And instead of yelling at us to get out, they wouldn’t let their friends go home until they bought something. Poor kids.” I smiled, remembering all the silly things we’d done growing up and how they had all led to this moment. “I told you this would happen. Your parents thought you would grow out of it and want to be a medicine woman.”
She flashed a bright smile and drew up her knees. “It runs in the family, but I never had the desire. Maybe it’s a nobler profession, but I love making things with my hands.”
“Don’t knock what we do. We’re not saving lives, but maybe we’re giving someone better self-esteem or putting a smile on their face, and that counts for something.”
We each could have taken different paths in life to pursue other interests, as kids often did, but my brush with death in a freak snowstorm when I was seventeen had been the catalyst for making my dreams into a reality. I’d learned firsthand how unpredictable and fleeting life could be. So we’d made plans. Real plans.
When I could no longer keep up with the orders, I searched the online Breed newspaper and discovered a group of Shifters local to the Austin area who were offering seamstress services. Since I was just an inexperienced kid in their eyes, I had to work harder for their trust. I’d arranged a meeting to present my designs and discuss my sales growth, and I had also asked to see samples of their work to judge the quality. After that, I drew up a contract and made them an offer. With labor off my hands, I suddenly had an inordinate amount of time to strategize.
; Hope dusted off the bottoms of her feet. “It’s a good thing we found something in the Breed district. It’s worth every penny. I would have hated to worry about taxes and all those inspections. Plus I like doing something for our community.”
“Well, it’s not like we can keep the humans out,” I reminded her.
“I don’t dislike them,” she said quickly, obviously remembering that I’d grown up with humans in my pack. “But sometimes it seems like we have so little of our own in this world. You know?”
Since we couldn’t keep humans from shopping in our stores, it was imperative that we took measures to protect our secrecy. Shopkeepers received protection from the local higher authority, and since Hope and I were Shifters, we could call upon our local Council for assistance. They had given us private phone numbers should the human law or government show up asking questions. Their insiders scrubbed memories and erased records—anything to keep Breed a secret from humans.
With our store launch just around the corner, we were already facing our first crisis. Hope had recently severed her business relationship with a gemstone dealer after he doubled his prices when he got wind that we were opening a store. We’d prepaid for a final shipment that would last us through the quarter, but after that, we were on our own. He was certain we would come crawling back to him with our grand opening on the horizon, but Hope had other ideas. Since she was Native American, she decided it would be in our best interests to work exclusively with a Shifter tribe. Not only would it put money back into the community, but also, Hope said they were men of their word and we wouldn’t have to worry about someone screwing us over. Luckily, we still had time to sort all that out.
Hope admired the space. “This room has great light. And we’re fortunate to not have competition nearby.”
“That’s for sure,” I said, slowly swiveling my chair in a circle. “Sandwiched between an ice cream shop and a bakery—we couldn’t ask for a better location.” When my chair came to a stop, I stared absently out the window. “I just don’t want it to look like one of those snooty boutiques. We need window displays that’ll attract everyone, no matter their age or social class. Some of our friends will follow us, but I want to pull in the older crowd too—especially with all your high-end jewelry.”
We both briefly turned to look at the glass jewelry counter by the register.
Hope tapped her finger against her chin. “Should we separate the merchandise by age group to make it easier for them to find what they want?”
“Let’s mix it up first and see how that goes. I’m afraid if we put the teens here and the adults there, it’ll segregate our customers and make the inventory appear limited. I get orders from grown women for my sneakers.”
“You’re right.” Hope stood up and hooked her thumbs behind the straps of her overalls. She had thick eyebrows and never plucked them, which made her eyes look wild and beautiful, but she never played up her features with makeup. When she frowned, a tiny vertical crease appeared between her eyebrows. “Maybe we can dress the mannequins by age to show that we cater to both.”
“That’s a good idea.” I twirled my violet hair around one finger and caught a whiff of the cleaning products still on my hands. “I’m so glad we did this on our own.”
Hope lifted her can of soda and gracefully strolled forward. She had a regal way about her that was natural and effortless. “Well, my father was certainly willing to help,” she said with disdain. “You have no idea how close he was to buying this store for us—without our permission. He was insistent on us keeping the money we’d saved as a safety net.”
“In case we fail?” I laughed and straddled the armless chair. When I noticed a loose thread hanging from my cutoff jean shorts, I yanked it off. “Our families mean well, but I don’t want to be in their debt. If they had bought this place, it wouldn’t feel like ours. They’d want to access our financial records and might even influence our decisions since they’d have a stake in the business. No, thanks. Where’s our sense of accomplishment and independence? I’d rather fail on my own than succeed with someone else’s money.”
Hope chuckled and stood before me. “Is Wheeler still going to help?”
My uncle was a whiz when it came to financial advice—it was his calling in life. “That’s a given. I trust him, and he’s the one who combed through all that paperwork when we bought this place from the higher authority. If it weren’t for him, we’d be situated two blocks over, by the antiques store.”
“What was wrong with that place? It was bigger.”
“Watching my aunt run her shop taught me how important foot traffic is, and the Vampires who hang around that street aren’t exactly our target demographic. They’re from the Old World and wouldn’t be caught dead in my sneakers. We’re better off near families—especially Shifters who like supporting one of their own.” I pointed left and right. “Ice cream shop. Bakery. Boom, boom.”
Hope smiled, her brown eyes sparkling. She tucked her hands in her pockets and worried her lip. “I’m scared.”
So was I. In fact, I was terrified. I had nightmares of no one showing up on opening day. What if Hope makes a killing with her jewelry and no one wants anything to do with my clothing line? I would have no choice but to relinquish my half of the store so she could sell more merchandise. I’d considered that scenario as a real possibility, and as much as it would hurt, I had no problem giving it all to Hope. Better to support someone else’s dream than to drag them down chasing your own. Egos don’t pay the bills.
I glanced at the walls. “They did a good job with the paint.”
She snickered at the cream-colored walls. “You have energetic brothers who are eager to please their sister. Did you see them racing each other?”
Rolling my eyes, I stood up. “That’s why I had to yell at them to stop. I thought we’d end up with paint on the floors and the ceiling. Hendrix and Lennon are grown men. They should know better than to egg each other on.”
“Grown men,” she murmured. “You’re older than them and still a baby yourself.”
“Baby?” I strutted toward the counter, my chin held high. “I’m a twenty-five-year-old businesswoman.”
She breezed by me. “Who rides around town on a red scooter. Why don’t you get the grown-up kind that comes with an engine and doors?”
I rested my arms on the counter. “It’s good exercise.”
As she rounded the counter, she arched an eyebrow. “Are you sure that’s the only reason? You have a lot of tails wagging every time you go flying by that bar on the corner. A lot of wolves have their eye on you for a mate.”
“I don’t think mating is what they have in mind, unless you mean in the bedroom. Guys don’t get serious with girls like me. It’s you they’re lined up for.”
She rested her chin in the palm of her hand. “Only because my father’s one of the most powerful Packmasters in the territory and my mother is an influential figure in the community. She’s the kind of woman every man wants to mate, but I am not my mother.”
I understood where Hope was coming from. “Think about how I feel. My dad’s a famous rock star, and my mom’s gorgeous, outgoing, funny, and amazing.”
“And you’re not?”
I shrugged. “Well, I have my moments. But you know how it is. They’re always comparing us to our parents and holding us to those standards, for good or for bad. Folks automatically assume I’m either a great musician or a drug addict.”
Hope shook her head. “People should let go of the past. That’s not the man your father is today.”
“You’re preaching to the choir. But I get all the good and the bad comparisons. I just want people to know me as that talented lady who owns the shop on Starlight Road.”
Hope lifted her can. “I’ll drink to that.”
When the front door opened, we both turned to look. A man breezed through the doorway, his attention fixed on an electronic device. “Is either of you Hope Church or Melody Cole?”
Hope crosse
d the empty room to greet him. “I’m Ms. Church.”
He scanned a small package on his device and handed it over. “Have a nice day.”
After he tipped his cap and left the shop, I skipped toward her. “Our first mail! Who’s it from?”
“It doesn’t say.”
As she tore away the brown paper, I handed her a miniature blade from my key chain to slice open the tape. Hope cradled the package in her left arm and let the bubble wrap fall to the floor. She pulled out a hand-carved wolf and turned it around.
I reached into the box to retrieve a folded piece of paper and read it aloud.
Dear Sister,
Congratulations on your store. I wish I could be there to celebrate your grand opening, but no worries. We’ll see each other soon. I’m sending a wolf totem as a protector, so keep him by the register. Call me if you need anything, and tell Freckles to break a leg.
Lakota
Glancing at the phone number scribbled at the bottom, I asked, “Who’s Freckles?”
“Oh.” Her cheeks bloomed red.
I dropped my arms to my sides. “Don’t tell me. I’m Freckles?” I walked to the counter and set the note down.
“It’s just something between us that he started years ago when asking about you. Don’t be offended—you know he’s just being silly.”