by Lauren Dane
Diablo Lake: Protected
By Lauren Dane
New York Times bestselling author Lauren Dane welcomes you back to Diablo Lake, Tennessee: a town founded by witches, governed by werewolves and full of secrets
Tensions are building in Diablo Lake as the two main rival Packs vie for control, and the town is divided along lines of Pack loyalty. Aimee Benton and Mac Pembry are on opposite sides and he seems to find excuses to spar with her daily. He’s infuriating—not to mention charming, gorgeous and oh-so-lickable.
Mac can’t resist pushing Aimee’s buttons. She’s always been incredibly sexy, and the wolf in him craves a female with fire in her belly. When a heated argument ends with a sizzling kiss and Mac gets a taste of her, he craves more—and she can’t seem to get enough of him, either. The forbidden nature of their attraction stokes their desires until they’re secretly hooking up whenever they can.
But then Mac’s clan goes too far, and Aimee shuts him out. She’s hurt and angry—but that’s nothing compared to the rage Mac is feeling toward his own Pack. A fight is brewing that will plunge the whole town into chaos, and someone will have to cross Pack lines to keep the town’s fragile peace from breaking apart for good.
Book two of the Diablo Lake series
This book is approximately 90,000 words
Edited by Angela James
Dear Readers,
Happy New Year! I looked back at some of my Dear Reader letters from past Januarys going back six years, and it looks like in many years I’ve reiterated our commitment to bringing you great books, memorable stories and excellent authors. It’s always tempting to try and one-up the year before, with things like “buy our books and...watch us swallow fire!” and “...we’ll bungee jump off the tallest building in the world!” But the truth is, since I’m a reader at heart, I know the only promise I want from a publisher is to not try and trick me with misleading genre labeling and to keep giving me the stories I want to read. So that’s what the Carina Press team will continue to work to do for you, our readers, in 2017. Sorry, we’ll have to save the fire swallowing for another year (and the bungee jumping for never).
We start 2017 off in the best way possible, with USA TODAY bestselling author Alexa Riley’s first full-length novel, Everything for Her. This contemporary romance, available in print, audio and digital, shows just what happens when a strong, possessive hero finds the woman of his dreams. Get ready to read this with an ice bath (or a snowbank) nearby!
Appropriate for the new year, we have four other new series starting this January. First this month, from the author of the quirky urban fantasy series Monster Haven is a new spin-off series, Djinn Haven. When a reaper goes missing, djinn and expert soul chaser Kam must recover the reaper’s ring before the souls inside it are trapped forever—but the past she ran from a hundred years ago is about to catch her and change everything in To Catch a Stolen Soul by R.L. Naquin.
Popular LGBTQ author Sean Michael joins Carina Press and launches the Dragon Soul series, five sizzling hot paranormal male/male erotic romances. There are dragons. And did I mention dragons? Meet the Beteferoce brothers. Five dragon shifters, each with a strong elemental power. And each with a fierce desire to find his soul mate. In book one, Branded by Flames, dragon-shifter-slash-firefighter Jake is beginning to tire of his search for a soul mate. Until he meets Shae, a former navy welder who’s into power play and rough sex...
Welcome to Luminous: where your pleasure is our purpose. With her new erotic romance trilogy, Stacey Lynn tantalizes readers, bringing us into the world of deep desire, naughty play and all-consuming love. Don’t miss Dominate Me, book one in the Luminous trilogy.
In Off Base, navy SEAL Zack Nelson wants peace, not a roommate, after trading the barracks for a fixer-upper rental. Especially not Pike, who sees the things about Zack he most wants to hide. A virgin hero and his flirty new love interest make this Out of Uniform spin-off series from #gaymers author Annabeth Albert a must-read.
We say a fond farewell to the Black Ops: Automatik series by Nico Rosso with the final book in this romantic suspense trilogy that’s been called “an action movie in book form” and “romantic suspense at its finest!” In Seconds to Sunrise, former SAS operator James Sant gets a second chance to help people with Automatik, but when a protection assignment brings him close to war widow April Banks, he finds himself hoping for more of a connection than ever—and she’ll have to discover if she’s ready to start living again. You can also buy the first two books in the trilogy, Countdown to Zero Hour and One Minute to Midnight.
Julie Moffett returns with No Living Soul, another Lexi Carmichael Mystery! An ancient secret is no match for amateur sleuth and professional trouble magnet Lexi Carmichael. Lexi and friends need to find and safeguard an ancient artifact before it falls into the wrong hands. You can start here or go back to Lexi’s beginning and read No One Lives Twice.
Emery Harper follows up Person of Interest, her first Celeste Eagan mystery, with In the Bag. Celeste Eagan thinks she’s gotten her life back on track...until her BFF drags her into the middle of yet another murder investigation, one that has killers, the police and even a suspicious new friend all chasing after her.
As you can see, we’re starting 2017 off right with a great mix of romance, mystery and urban fantasy. And still not bungee jumping off tall buildings. We look forward to delivering to you plenty of excitement without the need for drastic measures, and we hope you’ll let us know some of your favorite books throughout the year.
As always, until next time, my fellow book lovers, here’s wishing you a wonderful month of books you love, remember and recommend.
Happy reading!
Angela James
Editorial Director, Carina Press
Dedication
To everyone who loves paranormal romance enough to bring it back—thank you!
Contents
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty-One
Chapter Twenty-Two
Chapter Twenty-Three
Acknowledgments
Also by Lauren Dane
About the Author
Chapter One
Aimee pulled her car into a spot at the rear of the mercantile. She’d walk over to Katie Faith’s house from there because her driveway was currently housing construction stuff they’re using on some remodeling going on.
The breeze on the back of her neck was unfamiliar, but she sort of liked it. She loved the soft fuzz at the base of her skull.
She headed across the lawns, pausing to breathe in the life her best friend had brought with her when she’d moved in. Roses burst forth over every planter box. They climbed up trellises and spilled across the edges of all the walks.
In December, this sight would be totally unreal in any other place but Diablo Lake. In Diablo Lake, roses in December meant a witch lived there and gave the earth her power.
A bunch of gorgeous men stood outside her best f
riend’s place, all sweaty from building things. She paused to take it in, because life presented you blessings and it was disrespectful not to enjoy and appreciate them.
Hot werewolves with tools. It should be a calendar. Aimee made a mental note because, come to think of it, what a fantastic fundraiser idea for the organization she worked for.
She hummed her delight at the thought, and being werewolves with super hearing, the group of ’em all looked in her direction. They hadn’t been alarmed, which meant they’d recognized her scent and most likely her magic.
“Hey, y’all,” she called out, pretending she’d been thinking about cobbler instead of pecs and abs glistening in the sun.
Jace, Katie Faith’s husband and most assuredly a gorgeous werewolf, paused, his eyes widening and his smile of welcome dropping into surprise. “You cut your hair.”
Suddenly she went very shy and sort of embarrassed before reminding herself that hair grew back.
“I like it.” Damon, one of Jace’s brothers, stepped a little closer. “It’s got blue in it. I didn’t see it at first because your hair is already dark. Saucy. Diablo Lake definitely needs more saucy.”
Saucy she could do.
Moment of panic passed, she said, “Thanks. I just thought a change would be nice and since the wedding is over and I don’t have to worry about pictures, I figured why not do something big?”
Katie Faith came out onto the porch. “Did I hear Aimee out here?” Then she gasped, rushing over to get up in Aimee’s space to get a look at her new haircut.
“It’s fantastic. Flirty. So sexy. Mysterious even. My God, why do you have such perfect features for short hair?”
Aimee, used to the way her best friend talked, understood it was all compliments and let herself be drawn into the house as she said her goodbyes to the others over her shoulder.
Once they were out of immediate earshot—though if they’d wanted to, the wolves could easily overhear though it was considered good manners to attempt not to eavesdrop—Aimee grabbed Katie Faith’s hand.
“Spill this story.” Katie Faith pointed at Aimee’s head with her free hand. “This is a reaction haircut. With some get-me-over-something colored tips.”
“This calls for liquor.”
Katie Faith nodded and led the way. In the large and old-school kitchen, her friend poured them each a shot of tequila and then she clinked her glass to Aimee’s. “All right. Let’s hear it.”
“So, Bob called me yesterday. Totally out of the blue.”
Three years before she’d met Bob through her job as a rural social worker. He worked for one of the agencies the grant that funded her job came from.
They’d been on and off over those years. Meeting when she went to Knoxville to check in with some of her clients and at the main office of the social service agency she worked for.
Katie Faith’s “bullshit” eyebrow rose. “Did he, now? In a booty-call way?”
Aimee got up to paw around through the cabinets until she found some chips and came back over.
“Well, it was weird. You know, he and I finally and truly broke things off more than six months back now. I haven’t seen him or spoken to him since. And, well, I know this sounds mean, but I really don’t miss him. It was fun while it lasted, but it was never going anywhere permanent.”
Even if they had both wanted to get more serious, there was still the problem of him not being from Diablo Lake. Bringing a human into town was a big deal. Marrying them into the community took dedication and a real match.
That was never what it had been with Bob.
“So,” Aimee continued, “he told me he wanted to meet up because he’d been thinking about me and I was like, ‘Dude, no, really it’s okay. I’ve moved on, I’m not mad but I’m done.’ So then he’s like, ‘Please can you just meet me? Just a few minutes.’”
She tore open the bag and stuffed her face in between the next two shots.
Katie Faith leaned back in her chair and gave her an appraising look before shaking her head slowly. “Oh, Aimee-girl, you’re going to kill me with this story, aren’t you? Last time you took this many shots of liquor in a short period of time it was the night I got left at the altar.”
Aimee snorted, remembering that gawdawful scene when Darrell Pembry left her best friend waiting at the church to run off with another woman. “Well, this isn’t as horrible as that, at least. However, you don’t even know half. Just wait for it.” She waved a hand. “So it was Friday and that’s when I go down to Knoxville anyway. I agreed to meet him for coffee. Because, girl, no one gets between me and lunch and if it was going to go badly, I didn’t want to mess up a meal.”
They bumped fists. “So say we all,” Katie Faith intoned, which made her laugh.
“I get there and he’s sitting at a table already. I go over and he gives me the gracious-ex cheek kiss and hug and I’m like, he was a pretty good guy, I hope this can be cordial but I’m not feeling any tinglies at all. Not a one.”
And at one time, they’d really had them.
“And then.” She took a bracing breath because even remembering, it filled her with so much emotion. “Sweet, sweet baby Jesus. The man tells me several things. First, he’s married. Has been for fifteen years.” Nausea rose again at the feeling of betrayal that’d washed over her.
“Get out!” Katie Faith yelled it so loud Jace pounded into the room, looking alarmed. She winced at the sight and gave him a sheepish smile. “Sorry, honey. Aimee just told me something totally awful.”
Jace turned his gaze Aimee’s way, staring carefully. “Do you need us to teach someone a lesson for you?”
Aww, he’d just offered to beat a boy up for getting fresh like a real big brother would.
“As much pleasure as that would give me, I’m good. Thanks though,” Aimee told him.
He nodded once before walking from the room, telling everyone to get back to work.
“But wait, there’s more.” Aimee thanked Katie Faith for the shot she poured. “Hoo, I’m going to be so drunk. I’m going to say something unwise and probably be hungover tomorrow. I’m making bad choices. Ugh. Bob also told me he has five children. Five.” That still made her want to run him over with her car.
“I’m going to Knoxville right now to punch him right in the butthole!” Katie Faith snarled.
Thank God for friends. “That’s a really good one. I’ll tuck that aside for future use,” Aimee told her.
“Honey, I’m so sorry. What a maggot-eating shitlord. What did you say when he told you this?”
“You’re on fire tonight. I need to write that one down and you know how much I love shitlord as an insult. Bob is a total maggot-eating shitlord. So when he busted out that he had kids and a wife I said, ‘What the fuck did you just say?’ And I may have said it loud enough to get a look from a woman nearby. Then I said to her, ‘He just told me he’s married and has five kids. After dating me for nearly three years.’”
Katie Faith hooted with laughter. “Did you really? I am so bummed I missed that part.”
“She said, ‘You go ‘head on, honey, that deserves all the bad words.’ Then she told him she hoped his pecker fell off. It was a pretty righteous moment. Anyway I was like, ‘Why did you tell me this now? We broke up six months ago, I haven’t thought of you in about five and a half months. How could you involve me in something so shady?’ And then he says he’s also got a porn-addiction problem so he has to come to me as one of his steps to make amends. I tossed my still very warm drink at him and stormed out. Then I spent too much money on some boots and cut all my hair off and got blue tips because I’m a cliché.”
Katie Faith shook her head. “You’re not a cliché at all. That blue looks so cute. I’m surprised you didn’t call me for bail money. I might need it after that. What are you going to do? We can borrow Jace’s
truck, load it with our friends and hunt him down. I have extra baseball bats.”
This was why she’d come to see her friend. Aimee laughed, wiping away an embarrassed tear. “I was already done with him, you know? I would never have been with him if I’d known he was married. So I don’t feel guilty. Not that way. But he used me. Made me into the other woman. I really hate that. And I hate that he told me all that to make himself feel better. It only made me feel worse! I’m probably going to take a five-hour shower now. I feel so bad for his wife and kids. How could I not have seen?”
She’d asked herself that very question over and over. But the place he’d met her was an apartment. One she thought was his and there was no way a family of seven lived there. It was a one-bedroom condo a single man lived in. Ugh.
“He had a single guy apartment. I wonder if it’s his or if he borrowed it when I came to see him?”
“Like one of those fuck pads the guys in the movies get.” Katie Faith nodded and Aimee settled in. When her friend got liquored up she said the best, weirdest stuff. “Remember that one we saw? The guy from The Lord of the Rings movies was in it. He was a Cheaty McCheaterson and he and his douche-canoe friends all shared this condo where they took their side action back.”
Aimee nodded. “That guy’s hot. But that one had murder in it. Ew. No. I hope I wasn’t using the murder-my-mistress sheets.”
“That would be a cliché for sure.” Katie Faith gave a dramatic sigh. “He’s a pig. Good riddance. Thank God you used condoms. Your hair looks totally adorable and lastly, you didn’t see because he’s a cheater who crafted a life on the side meant to fool everyone in what was most definitely not a murder fuck pad.”
With one last sigh, Aimee said, “So, that was my day. How was yours?”
Katie Faith, still frowning, hugged her tight before getting up. “We need to eat something. My dad brought soup to the Counter at closing time tonight. Since my mom has been keeping him at home to avoid all the drama in town, he’s been cooking like crazy. Not that I’m complaining, mind you.”