“Elisa doesn’t like to stay in one place for long. Sometimes we can’t even reach her by phone. She insisted on leaving when she found out Tristan was looking for her.”
“Tristan?”
“Her mate,” Dawson replied.
I swallowed. “You have a huge family.”
“The entire Pack is one big family,” Devin commented.
“Must be nice,” I breathed.
“Yeah.” Dawson smiled. “Welcome to it, by the way.”
“What?”
“I want you to stay. You belong here, Alessia. You don’t have to worry about feeling alone any longer.”
Devin nodded. “And we’ll help you through your transition. You won’t be the only witch here. Although, with the exception of Elisa and a couple of the Elders, you may be the strongest.”
“What kind of magic do your Elders wield?” I asked.
“Healing magic, binding spells…stuff like that,” Devin answered.
“And Elisa?”
“Oh, Elisa…” Devin rubbed his chin. He looked troubled. “She’s different in that regard. She has many specialties. Have you ever heard of blood magic, Alessia?”
I shook my head. “No.”
“Good.” Devin rose from his chair. “You’ll be just like family if you decide to stay.”
“I don’t know what to say, but I’m honored. I can try.”
“Sure. I know Dawson would love it. And in the process, I can keep a better eye on him.” Devin winked. “If our community resonates with you and you remain, then I can be assured that so will Dawson. He tends to work too much, and I miss having my brother around.”
The only emotion that filled the room in that moment was brotherly love. My heart softened as I confirmed that the bond these two shared was secure. Unbroken. I wanted that kind of security in my life. It was what I’d been searching for my whole life.
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Alessia
“How do you feel, birthday girl?” Dawson asked.
We were submerged chest deep in a hot whirlpool bath. Water rushed from the jets, creating a ripple of bubbles around us. The exotic aroma of bath salts floated up around me, calming me as I sunk deeper into the water.
My head rested back against Dawson’s chest as he held me in a reassuring embrace. The hard muscles of his chest pressed against my back. I sat on the bath seat between his strong thighs as the pulsating water from the jets worked to massaged our bodies.
“This feels like heaven.” I breathed deeply and opened my eyes. “But it’s not my birthday just yet.”
“It’s midnight,” he whispered against my ear. “And the moon is full.”
I glanced up at the skylight window over the tub to see the Full Snow Moon. “Beautiful,” I said.
“Just like you.”
“I was thinking…” I sighed deeply.
“About what?”
“All these memories,” I said. “It’s difficult to focus on just one now that I have them. I was so afraid about what memories would come to me, but these are happy memories. Not my own memories, but my mom’s.”
“How?” he asked.
“It’s like she withheld the bad memories on purpose. Most of these are of me and her together from birth to age five.”
“That’s fascinating. I would love to have remembered my mom that far back,” Dawson said. “What about the spells? And the witchcraft?”
“Those came with her memories too,” I said. “The power of witchcraft is so strong within my blood, that it’s rather difficult to ignore the urge to use them.”
We were quiet a while as we let the inevitable sink in. With or without my mom’s memories, the craft had already chosen me.
“Don’t worry,” I said. “She never used her magic for ill-fated purposes. I won’t either. Even though she hadn’t reached her maturity yet, her knowledge about the craft was vast. I suspect most of it was what she learned as a result of growing up with a family of witches. Her specialty was protection spells, like the one she placed on the ground by the yellowwood tree.”
“That’s a good thing for you, right? I mean…you never wanted the bad memories. Am I right?” Dawson inquired.
“No. Every once in a while, I have a flashback but they’re mostly traumatic memories like when my mom and stepdad argued or when he took advantage of her.”
“I’m sorry.”
“My mom selectively took away my memories on purpose. She had reason to believe that I would seek out the Osbornes before I was strong enough to defend myself. She was right. All those years, I was the one who begged my dad to help me collect all those articles about my condition. I was searching for acceptance, validation, answers…a family.” I swallowed. “If I had found the Osbornes before I met you, this could have ended terribly,” I said.
“You’re strong, Alessia. You would come out on top regardless,” Dawson offered.
I laced my fingers with his and held them tightly. “She didn’t want the same thing to happen to me. She made sure it didn’t, even if it meant sending me away with no reassurance that she’d ever see me again. She erased my memories the night of the fire. Run, Alessia…she said. Choose a normal life.”
“You’re safe now,” Dawson said.
“I know.”
He kissed the back of my neck and both of shoulders. “From here on out, we’ll create new memories together.”
I shifted around to face him. The water sloshed over the sides of the tub as I moved to straddle him.
“I’m glad I found you,” I whispered, wrapping my arms around his neck.
“And I’m glad you’re mine to keep, hold, cherish, and love forever,” he said, pressing a series of light kisses against my lips as he spoke.
“Love me now, Dawson.”
I rose over him and pushed my sex against his steel hard erection. He growled and grabbed my hips with his big hands.
“But I told the doctor that I wouldn’t tire you out. There could be consequences—”
“Damn the consequences,” I told him.
I took his lips hungrily, thrusting my tongue gently inside his mouth. He kissed me back, his lips gentle and searching.
I slid my pussy down his thick cock, seating myself to the hilt. Gathering my arms around him, I pulled him closer so that our heated bodies felt like one. I moved up and down over his shaft, setting the tempo. He rested his face on the curve of my shoulder and stroked the side of his face against my neck. He moaned as he licked and nipped at my sensitive skin, sending thrills of pleasure through my core. Sooner or later, I knew he would mark me as wolves do when they claim a mate, but I didn’t want to rush this. We had each other now. That was all that mattered. What began as an erotic build of heart-warming sensations, ignited into soul-drenching fiery passion. We came together in a firestorm of blinding emotion. It was epic. I didn’t know love could be this epic.
EPILOGUE
Dawson
“Happy birthday to you,” I sang to Alessia. I couldn’t sing worth a lick, but she smiled anyway.
Alessia, her dad, and I sat at the far right end of the banquet table at the old Caedmon mansion with a massive three-tier chocolate cake sitting in the center between us with twenty-five lighted candles on top.
“This is the best birthday ever,” Alessia said, looking back and forth between Mr. van der Hoeff and me.
“Go on, make a wish.” Her dad gave her a hopeful stare.
“I have everything I want,” she said. “Well, maybe I do have one more wish left.”
“Go for it,” I said.
She closed her eyes and pressed her lips together. I adored her beauty, closed eyes and all. Dark lashes swept her soft cheekbones. Her perfect, pink lips were pouted and the bridge of her nose was pinched together as she appeared to wish long and hard about what she wanted.
A calm serenity filled the atmosphere as we waited.
I need you so much, Dawson. I can’t thank you enough for helping me with my transition.
/>
My heart filled with joy. I would put my life and reputation on the line for her again. She was my mate and I cared deeply for her.
I love you, Alessia.
She smiled and opened her eyes. The silver in her eyes shined brightly. Ever since she’d woken up after the battle with her aunt, I had sensed the aura of her magic. The old Alessia was still there. She was just more than we both had ever predicted.
She was my world. She was everything to me. My witch. My one true love. Soon she would be bound to me. I’d already received her dad’s blessing.
She blew out her candles, all twenty-five of them. Today would be the first day of our new journey toward her not so normal life. And I would be there for her every step of the way.
* * *
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CAEDMON WOLVES SERIES
MESSAGE FROM AMBER ELLA MONROE/AMBRIELLE KIRK
Thank you for reading Wolf’s Temptation, the seventh book in the Caedmon Wolves series. If this is your first introduction to the series, you might enjoy starting from the beginning and reading the previous books.
CAEDMON WOLVES READING ORDER:
WOLF’S HAVEN
WOLF’S PROMISE
WOLF’S TOUCH
WOLF’S DESIRE
WOLF’S STRENGTH
WOLF’S HONOR
WOLF’S TEMPTATION (current book)
Or Click to Purchase Caedmon Wolves Collection which includes the first six titles.
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Bonus Book: Prelude (Dresdan Coven)
PRELUDE (PREQUEL TO DONOR)
They were never meant to touch …
A vampire rebel …
Vicq is one of the Dresdan–the oldest, most ruthless species of vampire. Scarred by the deaths of everyone he once cared about, he holds himself aloof, impenetrable walls around his heart.
His mortal enemy …
Elaina hunts vampires for District 5, an underground group with its own shadowy agenda. A seasoned veteran and elite tracker, she has no time for relationships.
An instant addiction …
Brought together by betrayal, Vicq and Elaina find a passion that breaks all the rules. Now they’re both being hunted–and their forbidden love could be the only thing keeping them alive long enough to learn the truth.
DRESDAN COVEN READING ORDER
PRELUDE BOOK 0
DONOR BOOK 1
REQUIEM BOOK 2
Prologue
“Vida o muerte?”
"What?" the dying man croaked, confusion marking his face.
“Life or death? Which do you choose?”
Vicq’s Maker had given him this choice long ago. Not one ounce of hesitation consumed him as he extended the same options to the infected and wounded man lying on his back on the pavement, coughing up blood and struggling to stay alive.
The fact that a Dresdan had drained a human within a few short miles of his coven alarmed him. When Vicq had set up his coven near the foothills of the Black Mountains, the territory had been vacant of any vampires. Was Master Russo getting close to finding his sanctuary? Had he sent another army of Dresdan Soldiers to track him down? Or was it mere coincidence that this man was left here to die?
“I’m already dying, aren’t I?” the man asked, sputtering up blood.
“You’ve been drained by a vampire—a Dresdan. Sí…eventually you will.”
“Well, why don’t you finish me then, vamp?” he spat. “I’m too weak to move, and the sun has burned me to a crisp. Put me out of my misery…please.”
“You’re alive because you were infected with Dresdan blood before you were drained. What did you do? Try to square off with one of us?”
“Yes,” he hissed between clenched teeth. “I didn’t know he was a dirty, stinking vamp.”
Vicq shook his head and tapped the roof of his mouth with his tongue. “Careful. It’s a miracle that you still speak. Based on the amount of blood dried up around you and your current state, I don’t expect you to live more than a half hour. If you’re not dead by then, the sun rises again in five hours, and that’ll surely kill you. Whoever drained you and left you for dead wanted your passing to be slow. You can wait just another half an hour for death, can’t you?”
The man grumbled but couldn’t lash out due to his weakened state.
Vicq continued to speak, “To the north, there’re mountains. To the west, more mountains. To the east, we have valleys. You’re out in the middle of nowhere here, and miles from any hospital.” Vicq waved his arm to illustrate the landfill just a few yards behind him. “What’s a human doing out here, anyway?”
“I was…delivering a car. A Ferrari. Top of the line. The vamp betrayed me. He took the car and left me.”
“You don’t have much blood left. Decide quickly. I can give you more time, but, of course, you’ll be forever changed.”
“You’re one of them. One of those bloodsuckers who did this to me. I don’t know if I can trust you.”
“When I feed from humans, I don’t get messy.”
“If…” The man coughed. “If I take your blood, will I become like you?”
Vicq’s intuition told him that the man was worth saving or turning. And he had learned long ago that listening to his initial hunches was beneficial.
“Depends… Life or death?”
Creating a vampire and then leaving him alone to fend for himself was against the Dresdan code.
“Life, of course.”
Vicq lifted the injured man, bringing him to a sitting position. He brought his wrist to his fangs, split his vein, and offered the man his arm. “Drink, but not too much. You might feel a little drowsy afterward. There’s a motel five miles up the road from here. I’ll get you there to recover after this, but I suggest you stay inside for at least three days.”
“Will I be normal again?”
“What do you think? You’ve been bitten by Dresdan. Enough with the questions, human. You won’t be the same, but you won’t be a vampire either.”
“Why should I trust you?”
“You shouldn’t.”
The man looked at him apprehensively. “What will I owe you?”
“When I’m in need of a car, I'll come to you.”
He didn’t miss the light sparkle of hope in the man’s eyes.
“Cómo se llama?” Vicq asked.
“Emory,” the man whispered. His lips had turned ashen white and his eyes virtually soulless as he struggled to hold on to what little life force was left in him.
“When you’ve had enough of being a human on the edge of insanity with a taste for blood instead of food, and you’re ready to cross over, remember my name. Vicq.”
The man cupped Vicq’s wrist in his hands and tipped it to his lips.
He’d chosen life. Vicq wasn’t surprised. Most any human would choose their life over uncertain death.
Most any human…but not him.
Life or death.
When Vicq had been given the choice by his Maker over sixty years ago, he’d chosen death because life, as it was back then, was both uncertain and unjust.
1
Two and a half months later…
Elaina Arakelian turned her wrist over and glanced at the time on her watch again. 8:01AM. She had less than an hour to reach the District 5 base for scheduled training, yet all the tables at The Pancake Hut were occupied. The eatery was busy, as was expected during the breakfast rush. It was the only diner within a fifteen-mile radius of the base. This place had been here for years, even before the District set up shop, yet they refused to add takeout service. She was hungry and extremely low on fuel. So, she’d wait. From here, it would only take her fifteen minutes to reach base. If she timed it just right, she could get there on time.
When Elaina looked up again, she noticed that many other District 5 members were here to grab breakfast before training started. Among them were full-fledged trackers—just like her—and recruits. She wasn’t on a first-name basis with any of them—yet. Her priorities were simple. Train, complete assignments, and collect her paycheck and monthly stipend. Upon recruitment, they’d been told not to use their legal names. They weren’t allowed to hold on to any fragments of their past lives. They were basically dead to the rest of the world. They’d pledged their life to the mission. Even in death, they would all become the property of District 5.
It was too early in Elaina’s contract to forget her family and friends. She didn’t know that she would ever forget them, but it was her duty now to remain at a distance and protect from the shadows. She still had many memories. Her memories were her own and no one else’s. Nobody could take that from her. But that didn’t change the fact that she was still bound to District 5’s mission.
“Ma’am?”
Elaina’s attention shifted to the server, standing to the right of her.
“We have a seat for one,” the server continued.
She followed the server to an empty stool near the serving bar. Three cooks manned their individual stations directly in front of her. They seemed to be working quickly despite the number of order tickets the waitresses threw at them.
Eggs were being cooked on the griddle, sunny-side up. Sausage and bacon sizzled. Steam floated up from the pancake tray. This was the closest she’d get to a home-cooked meal.
Elaina looked down at her watch again just as a waitress approached her. 8:07AM. From the looks of it, she’d have just enough time to pig out. She ordered the breakfast platter that was chock-full of protein. She’d need it. This was the last training session of the season for trackers. If she passed with flying colors, the District 5 heads would be more likely to hand her an assignment worthy of her skills.
Wolf's Temptation (Caedmon Wolves Book 7) Page 16