Hidden Powers

by Tara Lain

  Oh, give it up, drama queen.

  He sniffed, and when that didn’t do it, he wiped a hand over his nose. Yes, his mom would be ashamed.

  Finally he pulled up to his home. Bigger than the governor’s mansion, actually, but the coziest place he knew. He hit the opener and drove into the garage, turned off the car, and started to cry again. He dropped his head on the steering wheel. Great, Winter and Cole would have his ass when they saw his red eyes. He wouldn’t ever live it down. But he couldn’t stop.

  Eventually he gave up. Maybe I should shift and go for a run? The werewolf doctor who’d checked him over when he got home had advised not shifting for a few days after his experience, but hell, it wouldn’t kill him.

  He climbed out of the car, tears still pouring down his face, and walked through the open garage door into the rising moonlight. The thought of the pain of shifting made him cringe, and he stopped and leaned against a tree on the other side of the driveway. He’d have to go far from the house before he changed. It sounded exhausting.

  “Jazz?”

  Jazz whirled, and everything in his being lit up. Dash. Here. Maybe he forgot to tell Jazz something or… hell, left his jacket in Jazz’s car. Jazz’s heart didn’t care. He took off like Carla in her high-tops at full speed and from several feet in front of Dash, threw himself into Dash’s arms. Since Jazz was bigger, Dash flailed a little trying to keep up his end of the bargain, but when he pressed his hot, wet mouth onto Jazz’s, Jazz didn’t care if they fell off the edge of the Grand Canyon.

  Dash dragged his lips back, and Jazz reached for his head to change his mind, but Dash stopped him. “Wait for me. Don’t even think of dating any other guys, or kissing any other guys, or any of that shit. I know it’s totally unreasonable and unfair. I should never ask this, but I swear, Jazz Vanessen, if you look at another guy, I’ll come back and turn you into a toad, and not an alpha toad either. Am I clear?”

  Jazz laughed, and it was as happy a sound as he’d ever made. “Yes, dear.”

  “Nobody but me. Only me.”

  “Only you.” He smiled from his soul, then sighed and melted into one long, soul-stirring, moon-howling, heart-satisfying kiss. “You’re perfect.”

  Dash smiled and licked his lips. “We’ll see if we can’t exceed perfection in the years to come.”

  Oh man, he liked the sound of that. “Want me to show you what you’ll be missing if you even think of somebody else.” He grinned as lasciviously as he could manage with stars in his eyes.

  Dash stood and took Jazz’s chin between his long fingers. He gazed into his eyes. “There’s nobody else for me, Jazz. I know that for sure. Don’t ask me how. I’ve got no idea. But it’s like you’re programmed into my DNA. You’re my due north, and I’m organized around you. We’ve got so much to do yet in our lives, and we’ll grow and change, but I know it’ll be together. I’m happy to know that the day I die, you’ll be beside me.”

  Those damned tears slid out of Jazz’s eyes again. “I’ll text you ten times a day.”

  Dash shook his head. “No cell phones or computers.”

  “Oh.” He snuffled.

  Dash caressed his cheek. “Hey, remember that mind link?”

  A smile slowly spread across Jazz’s face at the same rate warmth consumed his heart. “I can’t wait to wait for you.”

  Dash kissed him deep and slow. “Until I see you again, my superwolf.”

  Jazz kissed Dash back. “Until I see you again, my superwizard.”

  “Is it too early to say I love you?”

  “Yes.” Jazz smiled, and there went the waterworks again. “I love you too.”

  “That’s all I need.” Dash backed away into the trees. “All I ever need.” And just like that, he was gone.

  Jazz stared at the space where Dash had disappeared for minutes—the space into which he’d lost his heart. Then he turned and walked back to the house, into the garage, and through the mudroom to the hall.

  As he passed the informal living room, his mom called, “Jazz, is that you?”

  “Yes, Mom.” He stuck his head in and smiled at the whole family.

  “How are your friends?” his mom asked.

  “Well.”

  Pop-Pop looked up from his tablet. “And you, Jazz? How are you?”

  Jazz glanced around at this room full of people who cared about him. Loved him. He thought of the Superordinary Society and wondered what they might do together in the future. Then his heart and mind filled with Dash. “Never better.”

  With a smile that wouldn’t budge, he walked up the stairs and into his suite. He flipped on the light and gasped.

  Lysandra sat in a chair by the window. She stood. “I’m sorry to startle you, Jazz.”

  “That’s okay.” At least he thought it was.

  “Can we talk for a moment?”

  “Yes, ma’am.” He walked to the other chair and sat.

  She gazed at him with soft, beautiful, pale-gold eyes. Just when he thought she wasn’t going to say anything, she blinked. “Would you like to go to the, uh, same school as Dash?”

  Jazz heard his gasp before he realized he was gasping. His heart swelled. Wait. He frowned. “I thought you were spying on me because I might be a danger to your community. Now you want me to go to superwizard school?”

  She got a funny little smile. “I’m not completely sure why I spied on you, Jazz. You interest me.” She gazed at a spot on the rug for a long moment, and her eyes got glassy. Then she seemed to shake herself and smile. “I was so impressed with your untutored ability. I’ve told no one on the council about you, Jazz, beyond saying you’re a werewolf, but I’m prepared to do so. To share the entire story if you’d like to join Dash at school and hone your skills as a wizard.”

  Dash’s words filled his head. Only you. Superwizard school. Every young mage’s dream. No computers. No text. In the Himalayas. No one knows how long.

  “Will you make me stop practicing magic if I say no?”

  She frowned. “He told you. I must explain, Jazz. Dash committed a serious infraction against his community by defying me. It turned out well, and he saved us all, but he can’t be rewarded for his defiance. If he chose you and his friends over the goal of his magery, he’d have to forfeit what he was rebuking. Can you understand that?”

  Jazz took a breath to argue, but the word that came out was “Yes. He had to choose.”

  “Not forever. Just for now.”

  “I have to do the same. I’m an orphan who’s been given a life full of the most amazing love. I couldn’t leave my family, my pack, or my friends to polish a mere talent.” Or to chase his one true love.

  She smiled softly. “Aren’t you amazing? It’s like I’ve known you forever. Thank you, Jazz. That’s a lesson we all have to learn.” She leaned in, kissed his cheek, and then she was gone.

  Jazz gazed at the spot where she’d been.

  Amazing. Magic.

  He grabbed his phone and texted Carla. Hey, fam, any good werewolf movies in town?

  The answer came back instantly. Yep. Let’s all go tomorrow night. Bet they have wolf heads and hunky human bodies. Makes sense. ROFL

  More from Tara Lain

  Two werewolf households, both alike in dignity….

  Rome Siracusa, youngest son of the alpha of the nouveau-riche Siracusa pack, wants to be a faithful son and pack member, but he’s got two big secrets. One, he’s blessed with enhanced hearing, vision, strength, and the ability to shift at will. Second, he’s gay, a fact he can’t admit to his deadly homophobic father.

  Rome crashes a party at the mansion of his pack’s greatest enemy, the ancient, pure-blooded Havillands. Jules, the gay son of the drunkard alpha, is being married off to a rich entrepreneur. Smitten and moved by the beautiful male’s plight, Rome tries to find a way to save Jules—while digging himself deeper into pack politics and navigating his own arranged marriage. Secrets climb out of the caves as the werewolf gods speak through the mouths of their children, and
the two great families clash, suffocating the hopes of star-crossed lovers.

  An Aloysius Tale

  When Killian Barth, history professor, meets Blaine Genneau, quantum physicist, they ignite their own big bang. But Killian can’t pursue a physics professor—or a human. As the most powerful male witch in ten generations, Killian must bolster his dying race by reproducing—despite the fact that he’s gay.

  Even a fling with Blaine is out of the question, because Killian has been told sex with humans drains his power. But if that’s true, why can young human Jimmy Janx dissolve spoons with the power of his mind? If Killian can sort through the lies he’s been fed, he’ll still face his biggest obstacle—convincing rational scientist Blaine to believe in magic.

  With his ancient and powerful cat familiar, Aloysius, on his shoulder, Killian brings the lightning against deceit and greed to save Blaine from danger and prove love is the greatest power of them all.

  An Aloysius Tale

  Sammy Raphael is a crappy witch, and on top of that, he can’t seem to get a boyfriend. Where other supernaturals can bring down lightning and manifest wealth, Sammy can paint. Granted, the “prophetic” paintings he creates at night always come true, but they never predict anything important. Sammy feels like a total loser with a worthless ability.

  One night he paints a gorgeous guy who turns out to be his secret crush, the human Ryder, but Ryder’s changed so much he’s almost unrecognizably beautiful. Then Sammy paints an angel who turns out to be a witch. But is that witch also a devil—a devil who can bring down Sammy’s whole community and everyone he loves? And why the hell does Ryder keep changing? Aloysius, the black cat familiar, always backs a winner. So why is he backing Sammy?

  An Aloysius Tale

  Aloysius, the magical black cat and powerful witch’s familiar, isn’t afraid to go into battle to protect his master, but the outcome of the fight turns his feline world upside down. A direct hit of magic steals not only his memories and power, but even the body he’s lived in for several centuries. When he wakes up naked on the floor of a veterinarian’s office, it isn’t as the cat Aloysius, but as the sixteenth-century French gentleman Alain Bellarose. And when Alain sees sexy and enigmatic veterinarian Luke Elliott, he decides he’ll make the best of his time as a human.

  Luke is a man with secrets who generally prefers the company of animals—though the flamboyant boy who washes his face with the side of his hand and tries to lick his own privates might prove an exception.

  Meanwhile, Witch Master Killian Barth and his secret weapon, Sammy, struggle without Aloysius’s power to draw on. Two evil females are circling, and seeing the coven’s weakness, they’re about to move in for the kill. When Alain’s memories return, he’s faced with the ultimate dilemma: protect his community or stay with the man he loves.

  Tales of the Harker Pack: Book One

  Cole Harker, son of an alpha werewolf, is bigger and more powerful than most wolves, tongue-tied in groups, and gay. For twenty-four years, he’s lived to please his family and pack—even letting them promise him in marriage to female werewolf Analiese to secure a pack alliance and help save them from a powerful gangster who wants their land. Then Cole meets Analiese’s half-brother, panther shifter Paris Marketo, and for the first time, Cole wants something for himself.

  When Analiese runs off to marry a human, Cole finally has a chance with Paris, but the solitary cat rejects him, the pack, and everything it represents. Then Cole discovers the gangster wants Paris too and won’t rest until he has him. What started as a land dispute turns into World War Wolf! But the bigger fight is the battle between cats and dogs.

  Readers love Tara Lain

  Love You So Special

  “This book was just as cute as the first and second book in the series. And for another couple of hours, I was transported to the world that the author has created….”

  —OptimuMM

  “It’s a wonderful contemporary romance, short and sweet and an easy evening’s read. I definitely recommend the book and the series.”

  —Jessie G Books

  The Case of the Sexy Shakespearean

  “The Case of the Sexy Shakespearean triumphs, both as a mystery and a romance. Chalk up another successful start to a new series for Tara Lain.”

  —Kimmers’ Erotic Book Banter

  Love You So Madly

  “It’s a lovely story, with great characters, very little drama, and a whole heaping of sweet romance….”

  —Divine Magazine

  TARA LAIN believes in happy ever afters—and magic. Same thing. In fact, she says, she doesn’t believe, she knows. Tara shares this passion in her stories, which star her unique, charismatic heroes and adventurous heroines. Quarterbacks and cops, werewolves and witches, blue collar or billionaires, Tara’s characters, readers say, love deeply, resolve seemingly insurmountable differences, and ultimately live their lives authentically. After many years living in southern California, Tara, her soulmate honey, and her soulmate dog decided they wanted fewer cars and more trees, prompting a move to Ashland, Oregon, where Tara’s creating new stories and loving living in a small town with big culture. Likely a Gryffindor but possessed of Parseltongue, Tara loves animals of all kinds, diversity, open minds, coconut crunch ice cream from Zooeys, and her readers. She also loves to hear from you.

  Email: tara@taralain.com

  Website: www.taralain.com

  Blog: www.taralain.com/blog

  Goodreads: www.goodreads.com/author/show/4541791.Tara_Lain

  Pinterest: pinterest.com/taralain/

  Twitter: twitter.com/taralain

  Facebook: /www.facebook.com/taralain

  Barnes & Noble: www.barnesandnoble.com/s/Tara-Lain?keyword=Tara+Lain&store=book

  By Tara Lain

  Hearts and Flour

  Trex or Treat

  ALOYSIUS TALES

  Spell Cat

  Brush with Catastrophe

  Cataclysmic Shift

  BALLS TO THE WALL

  Volley Balls

  Fire Balls

  Beach Balls

  FAST Balls

  High Balls

  Snow Balls

  Bleu Balls

  Balls to the Wall – Volley Balls and Fire Balls Anthology

  Balls to the Wall – Beach Balls and FAST Balls Anthology

  Balls to the Wall – High Balls and Snow Balls Anthology

  COWBOYS DON’T

  Cowboys Don’t Come Out

  Cowboys Don’t Ride Unicorns

  DREAMSPUN BEYOND

  #15 – Rome and Jules

  DREAMSPUN DESIRES

  #5 – Taylor Maid

  LONG PASS CHRONICLES

  Outing the Quarterback

  Canning the Center

  Tackling the Tight End

  LOVE IN LAGUNA

  Knight of Ocean Avenue

  Knave of Broken Hearts

  Prince of the Playhouse

  Lord of a Thousand Steps

  Fool of Main Beach

  LOVE YOU SO

  Love You So Hard

  Love You So Madly

  Love You So Special

  A Love You So Anthology – Love You So Hard and Love You So Madly

  MIDDLEMARK MYSTERIES

  The Case of the Sexy Shakespearean

  The Case of the Voracious Vintner

  MOVIE MAGIC ROMANCES

  Return of the Chauffeur’s Son

  PENNYMAKER TALES

  Sinders and Ash

  Driven Snow

  Beauty, Inc.

  Never

  Sinders and Ash and Beauty, Inc. Anthology

  SUPERORDINARY SOCIETY

  Hidden Powers

  TALES OF THE HARKER PACK

  The Pack or the Panther

  Wolf in Gucci Loafers

  Winter’s Wolf

  The Pack or the Panther &Wolf in Gucci Loafers Anthology

  Published by DREAMSPINNER PRESS

  www.dreamspinnerpress.com

  Publ
ished by

  DREAMSPINNER PRESS

  5032 Capital Circle SW, Suite 2, PMB# 279, Tallahassee, FL 32305-7886 USA

  www.dreamspinnerpress.com

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of author imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

  Hidden Powers

  © 2019 Tara Lain.

  Cover Art

  © 2019 Reese Dante.

  http://www.reesedante.com

  Cover content is for illustrative purposes only and any person depicted on the cover is a model.

  All rights reserved. This book is licensed to the original purchaser only. Duplication or distribution via any means is illegal and a violation of international copyright law, subject to criminal prosecution and upon conviction, fines, and/or imprisonment. Any eBook format cannot be legally loaned or given to others. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without the written permission of the Publisher, except where permitted by law. To request permission and all other inquiries, contact Dreamspinner Press, 5032 Capital Circle SW, Suite 2, PMB# 279, Tallahassee, FL 32305-7886, USA, or www.dreamspinnerpress.com.