Inferno Wolves: The Complete Tale
Lyra Valentine
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Copyright © 2015 by Lyra Valentine
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.
Inferno Wolves: The Complete Tale by Lyra Valentine November 2015
Table of Contents
Into the Moonlight
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
After
Darkening Moonlight
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Out of Moonlight
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
After
About the Author
Into the Moonlight
Inferno Wolves #1
Lyra Valentine
Stella Carlson didn’t think she’d ever recover from her breakup. That is, until she meets sexy and mysterious Xander Dante. Stella feels Xander pull at something inside her, something she never knew existed. Now she’s torn between discovering the dark and dangerous part of herself Xander brings roiling to the surface or running away to a safety that just may be an illusion.
Chapter One
Stella glanced down at the doodle that should have been meeting minutes. Two triangular flags on poles touched their tips in the middle. A fang hung from the touching tips.
She cursed herself for letting her thoughts wander again and tucked a strand of dirty blonde hair behind her ear. The conference line clicked dead. Her boss wouldn’t be happy at her lack of complete notes again.
Stella stretched her short legs under her desk and rotated feet heavy with heels she was unused to wearing. She reached pink, cardigan-clad arms above her head, then carefully smoothed down the front of her black dress. She caught a glimpse of her reflection in the mirror she kept clipped to her monitor. The harsh office lights did her no favors. Big, dark brown eyes looked tiredly back at her full face. Her straight nose crinkled at how exhausted she looked.
The shape had entered her thoughts shortly after she’d been mugged nearly a week ago. Remembering the incident made the healed bite mark on her upper arm itch. It had healed remarkably fast, but left a faint scar. The attacker bit her and ran without taking a thing, so she supposed it technically wasn’t a mugging. The police hadn’t been able to find him, though they assured her that the sample swabbed off her arm would eventually turn up someone.
She hadn’t been able to stop drawing the shape everywhere since then. She swirled it in the foam of her morning lattes, she drew it in the margins of books, and she doodled it when she should be working.
It had become an obsession that she couldn’t identify the symbol. The internet had been of no help. The only results that turned up linked to conspiracy theories on government experimentation with shape shifting. The library had given her more results, identifying the touching flags as a mannaz rune. The results didn’t help explain why she needed to scrawl it on every available surface or why her shape had an extra part dangling from the middle.
“You’re coming out tonight, Stells.”
The voice made her jump before she remembered her promise to the other girls in the office. She would celebrate her birthday with them, allowing them to choose the spot so she wouldn’t need to stress over planning her own party. Stella grumbled inwardly. The idea wasn’t too thrilling. She felt in no mood for celebrations. She wanted to go home and figure out that symbol.
“You haven’t come out with us since Derek left months ago.” Vera’s disapproval was evident in her voice. She crossed her arms and leaned against Stella’s desk. She picked up a picture of Derek, then set it back with a frown.
Ah, Derek. Her missing other half. Derek, who had felt more like work than work in the past year, had left to mollify investors six weeks ago. If Stella was completely honest with herself, the only thing she missed about Derek was the sex. “Only if Jessica and Monique promise to behave themselves.” Stella hoped her joke was convincing enough acceptance of the plan.
She allowed Vera to coax her into joining the girls at a trendy new bar a short distance from their office called Clyde’s. Full of hot men and women, Clyde’s had transformed from a dumpy dive into a place the small city socialites could stomach without complaint. Monique and Jessica swore by it, claiming it was where both met their last dates.
“And not because they thought you were prostitutes?” Stella teased. They had tucked themselves into a corner where they could watch everyone entering the bar. She sighed, and felt a degree of anxiety leave her body.
“Only Monique!” Jessica giggled. Monique swatted playfully at her arm.
Stella waved over the server for another round of drinks and settled back to study the bar. The customer base was exceedingly attractive, the girls were right. She caught herself making eye contact with a dark haired, hulk of a man. He was turned out from the bar and scanning the crowd. He dressed down compared to all the other men, in simple jeans and a plaid button down shirt. His dark wavy hair was what Vera wished she had. Stella’s cheeks flushed and she looked away quickly.
“Who’s that?” Monique wondered. She sounded more than curious.
“The next Mr. Stella.” Vera suggested.
Oh, no, Stella thought. “He’s really not my type.” She found she’d changed her nervous behavior from tracing the mysterious shape to toying with a lock of her hair.
“He doesn’t need to be your type to have a good time,” Monique stated.
“Besides, it’s time to put Derek behind you and have some fun.” Vera sipped from her drink and frowned at the bottom of the glass.
“You could have carried Derek around. Imagine letting that man throw you over his shoulder and taking you home, caveman style.” Jessica urged.
“Let me go check on those drinks,” Stella offered. She needed to get away from everyone. She let them see her head toward the bar, then found a quiet nook near the bathrooms.
Derek left her. She knew they were over when he left for on an extended business trip, but he didn’t have the courage to say it to her face. He’d emailed her the next day to let her down easy. He was transferring permanently to be with another woman. She couldn’t bear the shame and continued to let everyone think he was still away for work. Tonight, though, proved the girls weren’t dumb.
The pit in her stomach when she thought about Derek felt sour. She should be thanking him for cutting her loose. It was more honest than keeping her as a sidepiece. The sour pit turned hot with anger. They had their problems, yes. There was still no excuse for cheating on her.
Stella straightened. She smoothed down the front of her black dress, imagining she was wiping away the last of Derek from her life. He was gone. She needed to move on. He didn’t deserve her emotions.
She pasted a smile back on her full lips. She’d finish the evening with the girls after a few more drinks, and head home.
Stella rounded
the corner and crashed right into a man with a drink in his hand and an unfocused look in his eyes. “Sorry,” she muttered at the same time he did. They danced off balance for a second before he turned the drink in his hand to the side and spilled over a tiny bit of liquid on her dress.
“Damn! I’m so sorry,” he apologized. He tried to spill more during her initial shock, and failed. “I guess you’ll just have to come upstairs to my place to change clothes.”
She gave him a withering look. “I don’t think so.”
“Are you giving the lady a problem here?”
The hunk from the bar had appeared at Stella’s side. He smelled wonderful, like fresh cut grass and wet dirt after the rain. Stella blinked. Where had that thought come from?
The drunk man said, “I was just offering her a change of clothes since she spilled a drink.”
Stella rolled her eyes. “You purposefully spilled it on me as some weird pickup line.”
“I wouldn’t do that!” He protested.
The hunk shook his head. He made an attempt to cross between Stella and the drunk on the way to the bathroom, stumbled, and spilled his own drink down the front of the drunk’s shirt. The drunk jumped back in cold shock.
“Sorry, buddy,” he said and pat the man on the shoulder. “I guess you’ll just have to go home and change.”
The drunk muttered some excuse and shuffled off under a tough look from the hunk. Stella brushed at the wet spot on her dress. It wasn’t too bad, she decided. It didn’t even smell like booze, and a sample of her fingers tasted like water. The drunk had been too cheap to spill anything costly on her. She didn’t know whether to be impressed or offended.
“Thanks. That was a new one.” She watched the drunk weave through the crowd toward the door. She turned her attention back to the hunk and noticed his completely empty glass. “Let me replace your drink,” Stella offered.
“I can’t let you do that. You can let me buy you one, though.” The man flashed a grin down at her. Down, because she felt she was looking up ten stories to meet his beautiful green eyes.
“Whiskey sour?” Stella asked. She was impressed her voice didn’t crack.
“Stells, we’re going to head out.” Vera, Monique, and Jessica were crowding their heads around the corner to get a better look at the man.
Those bitches, Stella thought. They weren’t very subtle. They wiggled their fingers in goodbye before she could object.
“So, Stells.” He held out his hand. “Xander Dante.”
“Stella Carlson, actually.” She met his handshake. His hand engulfed hers. He felt almost too hot to touch, feverish without a hint of clamminess. The shape she’d been drawing popped into her head when their skin touched.
Xander stared at her for a moment before shaking himself off. “How about those drinks?”
Two drinks later and Stella felt fantastic. They were cozy in the corner previously filled by her coworkers. Xander was great company: polite, with just a hint of power underneath it all. She couldn’t recall most of the subjects they chattered about, but she her cheeks hurts from laughing. His arms bulged with muscles when he shifted in his seat. She wanted those arms wrapped around her.
Xander leaned in, closing the gap between them over the tabletop. “I have to be honest… I don’t usually go to these types of places. I was stood up by a blind date.”
Single? Be still my heart. “My friends dragged me out tonight, too. The insisted I was far too young to celebrate a birthday at home.”
“Your birthday? I hope it’s been enjoyable.” He trailed his lightly down her arm.
“The company has certainly improved.” She smiled up at him through thick eyelashes.
“I hope this isn’t too forward of me, but would you like to get out of here?” Xander’s words did not slur as badly as she imagined her own sounded. He trailed his fingers back up her arm and rested his hand on hers.
Her mouth went dry while she felt herself grow wet. She deserved to have fun on her birthday, didn’t she? She admitted to herself that she wanted little bit of danger and suspense. Men bragged all the time about bringing home their latest prize from the bar; wasn’t it about time she did so herself? Some small part of her justified her actions in a gender equality arena, but the truth was she wanted Xander in a way she’d never been drawn to Derek. She didn’t want the easy choice tonight. She wanted the man who would protect his woman, not cowardly abandon her.
Xander started slow in the cab. They sat close together, and the driver rolled his eyes. Xander’s fingers traced patterns on the skin of her legs. He dipped his fingers higher and higher under the hem, until she was sure the cab driver would notice and either kick them out or start watching himself.
Stella rested her head on Xander’s shoulder. She nuzzled closer and took a deep breath. His scent tightened something deep inside her. She shot her tongue out and licked his neck. She grinned at his sudden intake of air.
He lived on the edge of town where the houses were old, large, and many were falling apart. His shone like a jewel compared to his neighbors, few as they were. Most stood empty, and their yards were spacious.
The house itself was a bluish-gray, with white trim. The door and accents matched the rust red flagstones weaving a path from street to porch. Perfectly messy planters lined the house to give it some extra privacy from the road.
Xander paid the cab driver and turned to her studying the house. His hands wrapped around her waist and nuzzled his mouth close to her ear. “Still sure about this?”
“Xander.” She hesitated. She felt him still against her. She was alone with a man she barely knew, in a part of town she didn’t know well, and she still felt safe. She turned into his embrace. “Yes. I’m sure.”
He picked her up and carried her up the three steps to the front porch. He set her down to dig into his pockets for keys, then opened the door into the most charming house she’d ever seen.
She didn’t have time to take it all in, however. Xander ushered her inside and shut the door behind them. He pushed her up against the door and kissed at her neck again.
“You’re gorgeous,” he murmured between kisses. His hands held onto her waist and his thumbs rubbed slow circles.
Stella’s heart rate spiked at his compliment. She loved being desired. It had been so long since she received a genuine compliment from a lover. His words, his dilated eyes, his quickened breath, it was all because he wanted her. The knowledge was a heady brew.
She wrapped her legs around Xander’s waist when he picked her up once more. He stepped into a living room and sat down on a deep blue sofa. She sat in his lap, her legs straddling his. Her pulse raced. He was gorgeous. His skin was lightly tanned, and she wondered if part of his earthy scent came from working outdoors.
He kissed her neck fast and hard before she could wonder anything more. He moved his lips toward her mouth, nipping at her skin intermittently. She leaned into him and groaned when his lips finally met hers. He tasted even better than he smelled.
Her hands roamed his chest. She slipped her fingers under the hem of his shirt and stroked the skin there. She ground herself against him and felt him already hard. The bulge in his pants told her he wanted her as much as she needed him — desperately.
His hands moved from her hips to her back. He held her closer as their kiss deepened. She needed to feel the rest of his chest. He was hot through the fabric, and she wanted to feel his warmth against bare skin. Stella stopped her teasing fingers and worked at the buttons of his shirt.
She made a noise deep in the back of her throat and twirled her hips harder against him. He was more muscled than should be physically possible. His chest was covered with her preferred amount of hair. There was just enough for her to dig her fingers into without turning him into a shaggy dog. She leaned lower and flicked her tongue against his skin.
“That’s not fair.” He leaned his head back to enjoy the feeling of her mouth on his skin.
She continued to lick and kis
s up his chest. She worked her hands at his belt and pulled it free from the loops. She tackled his zipper next. She reached his mouth and kissed him hard. She couldn’t hold herself back any longer. She needed to feel Xander inside her. She pulled his cock free from his pants.
He moaned when her hand stroked him to his fullest length. The sound sent the blood in her veins rushing. She imagined feeling his every inch and bump. Her panties grew wetter as she thought of him slowly easing into her. It dawned on her that she didn’t need to just imagine the act.
She pulled her underwear to the side and slipped him inside her slick opening. She lowered herself fully on him. She’d never felt so complete or confident. Hungrily, they stared into each other’s eyes.
“You feel amazing.” He breathed. His hands cupped her ass.
She nodded, unsure if she’d be able to speak intelligibly. She lifted herself up slowly. He filled her almost too much. She teeth caught her lip as she slid down his shaft again. “Holy… Oh,” she gasped. Her eyes closed with the pleasure.
Xander stood, holding her still against him. He walked them upstairs. “We’re just beginning.”
He deposited her on the bed, and reached under her dress. He peeled her panties down her legs. She was suddenly very thankful she’d shaved her legs and trimmed down to a tiny strip on her mound. In spite of everything, she wanted to feel pretty on her birthday.
He stripped himself down, then turned back to Stella. With her help, he pulled her dress over her head and unsnapped her bra. He groaned when her breasts bounced loose. They threatened to spill over even in his large hands. He kneaded at her skin and rubbed his thumb over her nipples. She shivered at the sensation.
Stella leaned back when Xander moved to take a nipple in his mouth. His tongue swirled it to attention while his hand did the same to the other one. Her legs rubbed together to relieve some of the tension building in the pit of her stomach.
Inferno Wolves: The Complete Tale: Werewolf Paranormal Romance Page 1