Caught Between Shifters

by Juniper Hart

  Deeply ingrained in their genetics was a deep distrust for others, the witch’s betrayal imprinted in their minds and passed through the generations. This made it very difficult for the Birch Mountain Alphas to find their fated mates.

  Have you read the other books in the Birch Mountain Alphas series?

  Shifter Scandal

  Captured by the Shifter

  Unleashed by the Shifter

  Thank you for reading my book. Readers like you make an author’s world shine. If you’ve enjoyed this book, or any other books by Juniper Hart or another author, please don’t hesitate to review them on Amazon or Goodreads.

  Every single review makes an incredible difference. The reason for this is simple: other readers trust reviews more than professional endorsements. For this reason, indie authors rely on our readers to spread the good word.

  Thank you very much! I am giving you a virtual high-five!

  - Juniper Hart

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  About the Author

  Juniper Hart is a romance writer from the Midwest, who loves telling the insta-love tales of werewolves, dragons, and other paranormal heroes. She specializes in sweet and short alpha romances that always promise a happily ever after.

  Juniper resides in Miami, Florida with her husband and rambunctious blue-eyed son.

  Find out more about Juniper Hart at SecretWoodsBooks.com

  Receive a FREE paranormal romance eBook by visiting our website and signing up for our mailing list:

  SecretWoodsBooks.com

  By signing up for our mailing list, you’ll receive a FREE paranormal romance eBook. The newsletter will also provide information on upcoming books and special offers.

  BONUS BOOKS

  Killian’s Seduction: A Vampire’s Offer

  Text Copyright © 2017 by Alexis Davie

  All rights reserved. This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the publisher except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

  This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictionally. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or to actual events or locales is entirely coincidental.

  First printing, 2017

  Publisher

  Secret Woods Books

  secretwoodsbooks@gmail.com

  www.SecretWoodsBooks.com

  Killian’s Seduction

  A Vampire’s Offer

  By: Alexis Davie

  Killian’s Seduction: A Vampire’s Offer

  Prologue

  Charlotte’s fingertips fidgeted with the camera that hung about her neck as she followed the trail into the forest. A cool morning breeze wafted through the skyscraping pine trees, making the light mist come down diagonally. She didn’t mind the feel of the soft raindrops on her face; it was actually helping her keep awake as she started her journey. Charlotte hadn’t been up and moving around that early in years, but she needed to beat the sunrise to set up some shots in the perfect natural light. Her only hope was that she could get some lucky shots for her portfolio so that she could finally make her splash in the world of professional photography. It was early October, and despite the breathtaking change of the season, most of the art Charlotte noticed downtown was focused on ‘the life of the city.’ Gritty and edgy stills of graffiti, rundown buildings, and close-ups of people on the streets filled every gallery and coffee shop in town. Even though it was cliché and perhaps a little overdone in the broader scheme of things, Charlotte hoped that capturing some natural photographs of wildlife would make her stand out and gain her a spot in a gallery opening. With her savings running out, she had to claim a spot or start applying for bartending jobs to supplement her income. After four years in college, Charlotte was ready to take on the world and start a new career on her own terms.

  She breathed in the scent of the forest, the smell of the soil and pines filling her nostrils. After living in the city for so long, Charlotte had almost forgotten how at peace she felt in nature. As she made her way up to an overlook, she could hear a chorus of birds beginning to chirp in the distance. Speeding her pace, Charlotte finally reached the cliff. Stepping onto the rocky surface from the tree line, her breath was taken away by the scenery. From the ledge, the thick Washington forest laid in clear view for her, framed by tall mountains and low-lying clouds. The sun was just starting to peak out from behind the mountains, shedding light on the valley and lake before her. Her eyes scanned all about, taking in the view before turning to go back to the tree line. Stopping at one of the first trees, Charlotte grabbed ahold of one of the branches in her reach and hoisted herself up. She carefully scaled the tree until she was content with her vantage point. Leveling her camera, she peered through the lens and zoomed in to get the perfect shot of the sunrise. She waited patiently for the sun to peak out just over the horizon before she snapped the picture. The morning rays reflected beautifully over the shimmering water below.

  While in the tree, Charlotte noticed a family of squirrels starting to stir from their burrows and scurry up the tree. Turning the camera on them, she rapidly took pictures, hoping that one of them would be a clear close-up. The petite woman then moved about the tree as cautiously as she possibly could. She snapped photographs along the way of the little creatures that resided within—some still sleeping, some going to sleep. Charlotte was captivated by the task at hand, losing herself in awe of the natural beauty surrounding her. When she finished taking photographs from the tree, she climbed down and continued on the trail, being sure to take shots of anything that caught her eye.

  She wandered through the land for hours and hours, climbing trees and exploring grassy nulls in the wilderness. Several water bottles and granola bars later, the sun was starting to set. Charlotte couldn’t believe an entire day had already gone by, and she really didn’t want to leave. City life was necessary for a photographer, she felt, because how else would she get her photographs displayed? But it was suffocating her. Charlotte felt crammed into her tiny one-bedroom apartment and was claustrophobic even when outdoors. Every place she went was always crowded, and she wasn’t a people person at all. In nature, she was relaxed, but she needed to get back before it got dark. Charlotte let out a heavy sigh, savoring the view of the river she had found nestled in a valley for just a moment longer. Reluctantly turning to leave, Charlotte blinked. Strange, she couldn’t see the trail from where she was standing… Surely she hadn’t wandered too far, right?

  Charlotte remained calm. There was no need to panic. Panicking would blow up in her face. Trying to think clearly, she headed in the direction that looked the most familiar. Stepping into the tree line, her eyes searched her surroundings desperately for the trail. Where could it be? Her heart started to thump in her ears as she wandered aimlessly between the trees and along the river, trying to remember when she’d last seen the trail. The entire day she had been so careful to not let it out of her sight, yet somehow she had. Of course a day that had been so wonderful would end dreadfully. Charlotte didn’t have the luck to have a perfect day.

  The more time that passed, the more anxiety bubbled underneath the surface. It was getting darker and darker out, and Charlotte began to fear she would have to spend the night in the forest. Oh, she definitely didn’t want to do that. The park rangers wouldn’t be patrolling this far out, and it would get dangerous out there. Shrugging her pack off her back, Charlotte fished out her cell phone and turned the screen on. Damn it. No signal. Soon, a full moon was hanging low in the sky. As Charlotte continued along the river, the trees towered over her like twisted shadow creatures, bowing
with each gust of wind. Even though she knew she needed to head into the trees to spot the path, walking next to the water soothed her. With the moon just above the water, it illuminated the river bed. It was much more inviting than the shadows and the eerie aura radiating from the darkness of the forest.

  As she reached a bend in the river, a noise shuffled behind her. Hairs on the back of her neck stood on end, her eyes widening. Each thud of her heart was painful as she slowly turned to see what had caused the noise. There was nothing. Was her mind just playing tricks on her? That thought wasn’t a lasting one, the sound of crinkling leaves came from behind the brush lining the forest. It was definitely an animal of some kind… Charlotte turned back around and hurried along, hoping that if she left it alone, it would leave her alone as well. But after a few steps, Charlotte could hear the rustling grow closer. Whatever it was, it was following her. Maybe it was just a squirrel or raccoon…

  With another glance back, she noticed the way the moon caught the reflections of two yellow eyes within the shadows just a few feet away from her. She could see the tell-tale almond-shaped pupils of a wildcat. Charlotte stumbled back in fright before steadying herself and breaking into a run. There was a roar from the cat as she darted into the trees, but the woman was no match for the wildcat. In no time, it launched itself at her and pinned her to the ground. The mountain lion’s sharp claws dug into the flesh of her biceps as it lowered its menacing face to hers. The beast's skin pulled back to flash its elongated teeth as it growled at her. Charlotte could see the primal instinct deadening its eyes. She was an invader in its world, and it had the right to protect its home. Charlotte desperately wanted to tightly shut her eyes to brace for her pending death, but the terror made her unable to even blink.

  Before the lion could strike, a flash of white tackled it from Charlotte. Hisses and screeches sounded from the cat before there was an unnerving silence. The woman wasted no time to find her footing, backing away several feet before finally glancing around for her savior. The first thing her eyes found, though, was the mountain lion lying dead at the base of a tree. Her wide chocolate eyes went wild to find the thing that had protected her from the beast. Nothing was stirring in the immediate vicinity of Charlotte; all life had already left the area to avoid deadly wildcat. But then, her eyes focused on a pale figure just off in the distance. The glowing silhouette of a man in the moonlight. Without thinking, Charlotte raised her camera to her eye and quickly snapped a picture. When she lowered the camera from her face, the pale man was gone without a trace. How was he so fast? Charlotte was frozen in place, trying to take in all that had happened and how closely she had walked with death.

  Chapter 1

  TWO WEEKS LATER

  Charlotte stood alone with her champagne flute in hand, not a sip taken from the glass. She wanted to stay clear-headed during the gallery opening, even if her nerves begged to be soothed by a few sips of the bubbly. She had no real reason to be nervous though; her photographs had already sold. Her eyes fixated on the little red plaques next to each one that signified it had been purchased already. They had sold within moments of the gallery opening—the buyer paying three thousand dollars for each of her eight photographs, which was higher than the prices she set. Charlotte had been mingling with the guests for over an hour and had yet to come across the buyer; she wanted to meet the person who liked her work enough to pay such a crazy amount. She was proud of the project, but she didn’t think it was worth twenty-four grand. Perhaps if she were a world-renowned nature photographer, but she was a no-name artist.

  Her eyes scanned critically over her display, taking in each picture for the millionth time. She had selected the best photos from the day and laid them out in chronological order, entitling the series, A Day in Washington. The photograph she had taken at dawn, deer grazing in a meadow, a tree that had grown around an abandoned bike, the squirrels, birds flying in a cloudy sky at noon, exposed tree roots at the river’s bend, toads croaking at twilight, and the mystery man in the moonlight. Charlotte’s gaze always fell back to that photograph. It had been hard for her to get it off her mind in the weeks that followed. Her thoughts always raced with possibilities when she tried to find an explanation as to how the man could have killed the mountain lion so quickly and then ran away in the blink of an eye. Charlotte toyed with the possibility that she hit her head when the mountain lion tackled her, and her perspective had just been skewed. But the photograph before her proved as evidence that something was off about the man in it. It was a remarkable picture, and Charlotte was ridiculously lucky to have had captured it. The shadowy foliage outlined the photograph, some of the vibrant greens coming to life by moonlight peeking through the higher branches and highlighting patches of the evergreen leaves. The moon reflected off the shimmering river beautifully and illuminated the shore so clearly that you could make out the rocks that lined the riverbed. And then there was the pale silhouette. In an image so crisp, somehow only his figure was blurred. Not a single detail could be made out of the man. Heck, she couldn’t even tell if he was wearing clothes. It had been the photograph that gained her acceptance into the gallery, she thought, since the person who viewed her portfolio gushed so much over it. Overall, Charlotte suggested it was a good thing she had included it in the project. She had almost kept it for herself.

  “Are you the photographer?” a deep voice with an Irish drawl called from over her shoulder. Charlotte nearly jumped out of her skin at the suddenness, not having realized how deep in thought she was. Two cool hands were gently placed on her arms to steady her. Her eyes traveled up the arms of a tailored suit to the face it belonged to. A set of vivid green eyes were burning into her. The man who towered over her by a foot was jaw-droppingly handsome with scruffy facial hair, defined bone structure, full lips, and tousled raven hair. “Sorry there, dove. Didn’t mean to frighten you,” he said musically. “So, are you the artist?” he questioned her again.

  “Oh, yes. I’m Charlotte Jones,” she said weakly, extending a hand for him to shake.

  When his cold hand grasped hers, Charlotte witnessed his eyes take her in. He liked the way her slender yet womanly frame filled out the simple black dress she wore that flared out from the waist and flowed to her mid-thigh, and the black stockings that went just above her knee kept drawing his eyes to her legs that were long for her stature. And her chin-length bob of pecan brown hair framed her soft, angelic face perfectly. He loved the way her doe-like eyes glimmered up at him with curiosity and sheepishness. “Killian Walsh,” he purred to her in a voice huskier than the one he had used previously. “Your work is breathtaking, Miss Jones,” Killian cooed to her, his intense gaze unwavering once he locked eyes with her.

  Charlotte could almost feel sparks flying through the air. A man with his good looks was bound to be married or a womanizer, so any flirting would be meaningless and just his nature, right? “Thank you, it means a lot to me. This is my first time showing my photography at a gallery,” she admitted to him with a kind smile.

  “You don’t say?” he said, making her brow crease in confusion. “Well, I didn’t know I had purchased the debut collection.”

  Charlotte gaped then, staring up at him with nothing but shock and awe. The gorgeous Irishman had bought her photographs? For twenty-four thousand dollars? “You bought the collection?” she breathed, still too astounded to comment any further.

  Killian nodded, “Aye. It caught my eye.” His gaze finally left her and went to the portraits on the wall. His eyes were fixated on the last photograph for several moments. “I really enjoyed the sunrise photograph,” he added, his eyes then peeling away from the last picture and landing on the first.

  “Thanks. It was quite an adventure getting to that overlook by the crack of dawn,” she chuckled dryly.

  “Not a morning person, I take it?” he questioned, glancing to her with humor gleaming in his eyes.

  Charlotte shrugged, “Not really. I’m a night owl. The sunrises I normally see are just before I g
o to sleep.”

  Killian delivered a grin that would make any girl weak in the knees. “You’re my kind of lady then.” He winked at her.

  A deep blush covered Charlotte’s lightly freckled cheeks. His heart sang in his chest at the sight of it. He didn’t even know the world made humble women anymore. “You have a wonderful eye, Miss Jones,” he complimented. “We all think we know what nature looks like… But then there’s a fresh, unique perspective that brings a whole new beauty to it.”

  It was like he was trying to make her blush—and he was trying; Charlotte just didn’t know it. She tried to recover herself, not wanting to look like a little school girl who was too shy to talk. “Well that’s probably the nicest compliment I’ve ever received on my work, so thank you. I take it you’re an outdoorsman? With having purchased such a collection…”

  Killian flashed her that heart-melting smile again. “I suppose I am. I spend quite a bit of time in the wilderness.”

  “I must say I’m jealous,” Charlotte replied. “It’s easy to get caught up in the city life and lose touch with nature. I was thankful for the project in that sense. It was almost like therapy.”

  The slight smile on her rosy pink lips had Killian magnetized. There was something about the woman before him that was simply charming, and he couldn’t shake it. “Well, I may actually be able to help you get more time in nature,” Killian told her with confidence.