Midnight Seductions 3
Corralling Dawn
An ancient portal quietly reopened the day the Mayan calendar ended, but it wasn't the "big bang" ending of the world as predicted. It has, however, changed everything for Dawn LaPorte.
Dawn has focused her life on taking care of the ranch her grandfather left her. A rash of strange cattle mutilations threatens her dreams and leads her straight into the arms of two men who have no intention of remaining here on Earth.
Keeping Dawn safe is the most important truth to Derechos and Storm as they try to finish their objective on her world. When she is almost killed by a pack of Kimil, they know they can’t wait any longer.
Her fury at being abducted is nothing compared to the threat she faces if she ever goes home again. But, forcing her to give up her dreams may cost them her love.
Note: There is no sexual relationship or touching for titillation between or among siblings.
Genre: Contemporary, Ménage a Trois/Quatre, Paranormal
Length: 47,295 words
CORRALLING DAWN
Midnighter Seductions 3
Corinne Davies
MENAGE EVERLASTING
Siren Publishing, Inc.
www.SirenPublishing.com
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A SIREN PUBLISHING BOOK
IMPRINT: Ménage Everlasting
CORRALLING DAWN
Copyright © 2013 by Corinne Davies
E-book ISBN: 978-1-62740-325-2
First E-book Publication: July 2013
Cover design by Harris Channing
All art and logo copyright © 2013 by Siren Publishing, Inc.
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED: This literary work may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, including electronic or photographic reproduction, in whole or in part, without express written permission.
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DEDICATION
For my honey. You’re my best friend, my support system, and other half of my soul. I never would have attempted any of this without your encouragement.
To everyone I met at RT this year! It was an incredible week and I loved being able to meet and talk with you all.
My appreciation and heartfelt thanks go out to my editors for all their hard work fixing my plethora of commas and grammatical mistakes. I learn something new every time I read over their comments. First and foremost is I couldn’t do this without them. ♥
CORRALLING DAWN
Midnighter Seductions 3
CORINNE DAVIES
Copyright © 2013
Chapter One
“I can’t believe you live this close and have never come here before.”
Dawn LaPorte shrugged her shoulders and tried to look like she was looking forward to this evening. Her sister, Sammy, was getting married in a few weeks and had decided to have her bachelorette party at Midnighters. Since Dawn only lived a few miles away, she’d been volunteered to host her sister and a group of her self-centered friends for the weekend. Had she been asked her opinion Dawn would have said she’d rather spend the weekend on the back of a horse. Which is why she hadn’t been asked and the rowdy group had shown up on her doorstep unannounced.
“I mean I couldn’t believe it when you said you’d never heard of it.” Sammy waved her arms around as she spoke. The clinking of numerous bracelets drew a few gazes her way, which is why she did it. Sammy always had to be the center of attention.
Dawn had heard of it but didn’t have any interest in watching men dancing. There were more important things for her to take care of. Like staring at the mountain of bills she needed to pay and check on her stock to make certain they were all fine. Barring anything unforeseen, she could make a profit this year and consider expanding her ranch. Which meant she needed to hire a few more workers to help our for the next couple months.
Sammy slipped her arm through Dawn’s, forcing her to focus on her sister’s constant nattering. “I’m so excited! This is going to be so much fun! Thanks again for offering to let us stay at your ranch. I mean it’s not the Ritz, but hey, when you’re out in the middle of the boonies, beggars can’t be choosers.”
“It’s not like I was going to make you get a hotel when you showed up on my doorstep in the middle of the night like that.” And assumed that I would wait on you hand and foot when I have a dozen more important things to do.
“I know, right. I told them you wouldn’t mind.”
As usual, Sammy only heard what she wanted to. Dawn had long past given up the thought that her sister would ever see past the end of her own nose. Sammy had been a horrendously spoiled child, who’d grown up into a self-absorbed, selfish adult. A fate Dawn was thankful every day she’d avoided. It wasn’t that her little sister had been given everything and Dawn hadn’t, but her grandfather was a tough rancher who’d taken a shine to his first grandchild.
Dawn had spent almost every summer at her grandfather’s ranch, working out in the sun, getting up early and “earning her keep.” She’d loved every minute of it and begged her parents to spend every holiday with her Grampy, too. Her parents were happy to foist off one of their children so they didn’t have to bother with them. She’d lost sight of the simple pleasures that came with hard work when she hit her teens. Surrounded by friends, more interested in clothes, partying, and instant gratification, she
’d stopped going to visit him. “Jesus Christ, look at the size of that one. He’s fucking huge! Scary looking, too.”
Pulled from her thoughts again, Dawn followed where her sister pointed. The bouncer at the door was a massive man. He had to be at least six foot six and had muscles on muscles. A scar marred the side of his face, pulling at the corner of his mouth. A few of the women made outrageous comments at him but the dark expression on his face never altered. If any of those women had looked closer as Dawn was, they would have noticed the guarded expression on his face. That would have been a terrible injury for it to scar like that. He also seemed to be more interested in staring off into the distance rather than at the lineup in front of him.
“Sammy, be nice.” Dawn frowned at her sister, embarrassed by her loud mouth.
“What? I’m just telling it like it is.”
Dawn had long believed that particular saying was nothing but an excuse people used to be an asshole and think they could get away with it.
“Don’t get all prudish and ruin my night, Dawn.” Sammy pulled her arm from where she’d linked it with Dawn’s and crossed her arms over her chest. “It’s my bachelorette party and I’m going to have fun. I’ve been looking forward to hitting this place. You don’t have to stay if you’re going to be bitchy.”
“Okay—” Dawn was about to say good-bye when Sammy quickly hugged her.
“Please, Dawn. We never see each other anymore and I want my big sister here with me to celebrate my last party as a single woman. I miss you, Dawny.”
Shit. “I’m not leaving, Sam. I promise.”
“This is going to be the best time ever. Did you know that touching is allowed here? The dancers encourage it apparently and I’ve heard that they have private rooms and what happens in those rooms stays in those rooms.”
“Sam, what about Jonathon? You’re engaged, remember.”
Sam waved her hand around in the air like she was brushing away flies. “Oh, please. This is the new millennium, Dawn. As long as I don’t publically embarrass him and he doesn’t publically embarrass me, it’s all good.”
Dawn didn’t agree with her sister at all. If she was engaged to a man she loved she’d never screw around on him, and God help him if he did that to her. The line moved forward again and Dawn found herself standing next to the massive bouncer. At five ten, Dawn didn’t consider herself a short woman but she felt tiny next to the guy next to her. She looked up at him and noticed again that his gaze was scanning the horizon. “Whatcha looking for?”
That question was out of her mouth before she realized it. He flicked his gaze down at her. Sam was right. He had the ability to be terrifying and for a second she wished she’d kept her mouth closed. But the anger dissipated from his expression as he shrugged. “Trouble.”
“Trouble! That’s me. I’m right here!” Sammy laughed louder than needed and tugged on Dawn’s arm. Typical. The attention was off Sam for a split second and she needed to be the center of it again. Dawn rolled her eyes and saw the corner of the big bouncer’s mouth twitch.
“I’m sure you can take care of it, whatever it is,” Dawn managed to say as Sam pulled on her arm and dragged her through the door.
“Really, Dawn. You could do better than huge, massive, and scary there.”
“Sam, I’m here because you are my sister. I’m not looking to pick up. I have enough to do at the ranch. I don’t need a man.”
“We’re talking about some fun not a commitment. And a real man beats a drawer full of toys any day.”
“That’s what you think,” Dawn replied as they passed through the small lobby and into the main room. The screech and screams of Sam’s friends could be heard over the loud music and flashing, colorful lights. A long bar lined the far wall with a number of large men working behind it. There were more men standing around the room. Some stuck to the shadows. More bouncers, Dawn assumed. A large dance floor monopolized the front of the room with platforms at each corner and a long catwalk down the middle.
Sam grabbed her arm and pulled her along to where her friends had staked out a few tables right up against the dance floor. The tables were already lined with a few bottles of vodka and large margarita glasses with orchids painted on the outside of them.
Dawn recognized a bunch of the women from the group that invaded her home earlier. They’d left sooner than she had Sam had. Truth be told, Dawn had been dragging her heels doing chores, uncertain if she wanted to come here. There was a certain amount of curiosity, but this place had always made her feel uneasy. She couldn’t put her finger on it, but whenever she passed by this place even before the club was built, a shiver would run down her spine, and she’d have to fight the urge to turn down the road leading her here.
More than once she’d been out riding and checking on her fences and discovered that she’d directed her horse toward this place and that scared her. As if coming here would start an addiction she knew she’d never kick.
“What are you going to have, Dawn?”
“Just a beer I guess.” Dawn tucked her fingers into the front of her jeans.
“When you go and get it, can you get me a Frozen Orchid, please?”
She clenched her jaw against the first reply that threatened to shoot out her mouth. This was her little sister and she wasn’t going to jump down her throat. Sam would only make a scene and then pout for the rest of the night.
Instead she headed over to the bar. The bartender was another big muscular man wearing a dark T-shirt that said, “Midnighters—You’ll never want to leave,” across the chest. A long thick braid of black hair hung down his back and she wondered if he’d be willing to work on her ranch. Black tribal-like tattoos snaked around his muscular forearms. He looked like someone who was used to hard work.
“A draft and a Frozen Orchid please.”
He gave her a friendly smile and nodded. “Sure thing.”
Dawn leaned back on her elbows against the bar and looked around. This place seemed to be completely out of place in the middle of southern New Mexico. The place was packed and getting fuller by the minute. Sam and her friends were already out on the dance floor having a great time.
She felt a bit underdressed given how everyone looked, but she’d long ago given up dressing up for anything. Her life was the ranch now and there wasn’t any need for fancy clothes there. Most of the women were done up in cowboy boots that looked like they’d just walked out of a showroom. She snorted to herself. They probably insist on walking on the sidewalk so their boots don’t get dusty. Two glasses slid next to her elbow and she turned to pay the bartender before taking them over to the tables. The girls saw her coming and headed back.
“You’re the best, Dawny!” Sam gave her a big hug as she took the glass and almost knocked Dawn’s beer out of her other hand. “Beer, Dawn? Really? This is my party. You should be drinking these things.” Sam took a big slurp of her slushy drink and dramatically moaned. “Oh my god, it’s so good. You have to try.”
“I’m fine with beer, Sam. I have to be up early in the morning and I can’t risk a hangover by mixing.” Sammy didn’t look happy but Dawn was starting not to care. She planned to have a beer and play along but then get back to the ranch.
“You need to loosen up, Dawn. You’re young and have the world at your feet. Why you insist on living out here and being dirty all the time is beyond me.”
Dawn glanced down at herself. I’m not dirty. Okay, her boots might be dusty and her hat had seen better days but it was finally broken in the way she liked. Chastising herself for listening to Sam’s shallow comments, she took a seat at the far end of the table, away from the raised walkway.
She relaxed back into her chair when the lights darkened further, sparing her any more comments from her sister or pitying looks from Sam’s friends. Dawn might not be planning on staying long but she would at least satisfy her curiosity about what really went on around here. The rumors in Mystique were rampant, most of them exaggerated every time they were told,
but considering her sister had heard about the place she wondered how far the rumors spread.
* * * *
“She’s here.” Storm twirled one of his arrows around his fingers as he watched his warrior brother, Derechos, pace back and forth in front of him. Their fellow Midnighter, Puma, had headed out onto the stage and the women’s screams rose to a deafening level.
“I don’t like this. We should take her to Lu’um now and have a traditional ook’at. I feel like we’re cheating and not giving her a chance.”
Storm gripped the arrow’s shaft, stopping the movement. “Derechos, we’re sitting here while Puma dances for her, and Blaze will be dancing before you do. That’s plenty of chances as far as I’m concerned. If she hadn’t come tonight I could have waited longer, but not now.” The need was clawing at his throat to go out there and toss the woman over his shoulder and head home with her.
Unlike the other Midnighters who stumbled across their Atans, the women chosen by the gods to be theirs, he and Derechos had found theirs months ago and had carefully avoided her. That didn’t stop the two of them from travelling along the edge of her property in hopes of catching a glimpse of her. They’d been obsessed with hunting their enemies and making certain she was safe, only returning to Lu’um when absolutely necessary to recharge their energy levels.
“We should have claimed her the day we saw her.” Derechos pulled at the neckline of his costume. Destiny, who started this crazy idea, was going to be crowing at the top of her lungs when she found out that the club had started attracting Atans. That was the point of this place and the ridiculous costumes they wore when they danced. The legends told that when the portal opened, their women would be drawn to this area, unable to resist the silent call of the Midnighters’ presence. Only they learned, almost too late, that an ancient enemy had been lying in wait in this world for them.
Corralling Dawn [Midnighter Seductions 3] (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting) Page 1