Fallen Prey: A Fallen Cross Legion Novel (The Fallen Cross Legion Book 1)

by Aliya DalRae

  ~~~~~

  N early two years had passed since Felino Stivali stepped foot in Fallen Cross, Ohio. His first fateful visit had been more than five years ago, when they had taken down that black-market Shifter fur trade. Since then, he and his Werewolf partner, Carabas, had been to the four corners of the earth, solving mysteries and righting wrongs. If the money was good, they were available for hire. A few of those jobs brought them back to the States, and while none were in this specific neighborhood, he never missed a chance to check in on his favorite liger.

  Of course, she had no idea.

  What he shared with Kythryn Flannigan in that cabin in the woods he’d meant to be a fling, a stress reliever for him and an adventure to help her let go of that moron who’d broken her heart. Marking her as his mate had never been in the plans.

  They both knew that it wouldn’t work between them. She would have come with them had he asked, and probably would have served useful a few times, but that wouldn’t have been fair. Whether she knew it or not, she deserved a lot more than he had to offer. A mercenary’s life was no way for a woman like her to live.

  So, he’d let her go. Against the whispers in his heart and his cat’s desperate screams, he’d walked away and never looked back. Well, as far as she knew. This was, in fact, his third trip to Fallen Cross to check in on her, to be sure she was well.

  Even now, he sat in cat form in the V of a tall oak tree behind the home she shared with her father. He flexed his claws, dug them into the thick bark, and relaxed them again before repeating the process. It was a habit, and one he should break, but he’d been waiting to catch a glimpse of her the better part of the day. His long, black tail swung lazily in the air, belying the ill feeling that was settling on him the longer she remained away.

  He could feel her, of course, the link he’d created when he marked her ensured he would always be able to find her. She was off to the south, farther away from home than she’d been during any of his previous visits. She’d been there for hours, and he was beginning to think she would never come back.

  Had she found someone? He flexed his claws again, unsure how he felt about the prospect. The more he thought about it, the edgier he got.

  That’s it, he thought and jumped from branch to lower branch until he was close enough to leap to the ground. If she wasn’t coming here, he would go to her.

  It took longer to find her than he’d anticipated. He knew he was close, but he drove by it three times before he realized something wasn’t right. After ditching his old truck behind a burned-out husk of an abandoned house, he shifted into his cat again and slipped down the hill toward a chained-off drive he’d seen on the third pass.

  The whole thing felt off, wrong. He sniffed around the chain posts, the chain itself, and the trees to the left and right of things, but every time he went to slink under the barrier, he stopped. Whatever was on the other side of that chain didn’t want him or anyone else to find them.

  One thing he knew for certain, though, was that regardless what lay beyond this wall of unease, Kythryn was there as well. He could feel her, so close he should be able to touch her. It went against everything his senses told him, but he’d not let anything keep him from her. He ignored the screaming in his mind and focused on his cat’s determination to find the female he’d chosen as his own.

  It was like swimming the English Channel without a wet suit, slick shards of ice slipping along his skin as he dove beneath the chain as quickly as his cat could manage it. Once there, the uneasy feeling dissipated, as did the image of spooky trees crowded together over a broken lane.

  What he saw now was a perfectly maintained driveway, lined by grand pine trees and oaks. The pavement took a steep dive into a hill that would impress the most jaded roller coaster enthusiast. At the bottom of that hill was a huge mansion, stories tall and an acre wide. The structure was no-frills, though impeccably maintained, and sat nestled against a large forest.

  Stivali spent longer than he should have inspecting the house, for what lie beyond spelled out the rest of the story. Barracks lay further back on the property, six identical buildings of such precision that they could only house something militaristic.

  The moon was on the rise, and a pillar of smoke reached black fingers into the star-filled sky from a clearing beyond the cluster of buildings. It brought with it the scent of burning flesh, and something else, something unexpected.

  Vampire.

  And they had Kythryn. He pushed down the panic that threatened to take him again, and slunk back into the forest’s shadows. He’d stumbled into a Legion Compound, and it was only luck that prevented him from running into a patrolling Soldier or worse.

  He’d obviously been away too long if Kythryn had somehow gotten herself involved with the Legion.

  He slid through the trees, worked his way to the back of the mansion where Kythryn’s call was the strongest. Once settled, he searched the windows for any sign of her. He was on the verge of breaking into the place when a light appeared on the third floor. A little while later, the drapes flew open and there she was, her dark hair falling in tousled waves, her face pressed against the window, lips turned up into that quirky smile that haunted his dreams.

  And she was naked.

  Stivali growled. She was as beautiful as the night they’d met, maybe more so, and that look on her face one he knew well. So, he wasn’t surprised when an incredibly large male walked up behind her and wrapped his equally nude body around her. She glanced up at him, this time with a look he’d never seen before. It was one of pure adoration. It seemed Kythryn had, indeed, found herself someone to love.

  Stivali sat back on his haunches and chewed at a burr on his paw. This was a lot for him to digest, even more for his cat to take in. It was what he wanted, of course, for her to be happy. Still, he hadn’t expected it to sting quite this much.

  His cat was telling him to bust into the mansion and shred that Vampire into a million pieces. His was the more emotional side of Stivali’s persona, and he had a point. But Stivali forced himself to stay where he was, to watch the way the Vampire interacted with his Kythryn. To look for some sign that she needed rescuing, that he needed to storm the bastille and carry her away from this beastly hoard.

  His cat howled as Kythryn turned in the Vampire’s arms and jumped up to wrap her arms and legs around his neck and waist. Then she kissed him with more passion than even Stivali could recall. When she slid down his body and went to her knees, he knew it was time to go.

  Slipping through the enchanted barrier wasn’t nearly as unpleasant as slipping in had been, and Stivali was back at his truck before he knew it. He shifted quickly, threw on a pair of jeans, and climbed behind the wheel.

  Carabas was waiting for him at the cabin. They had yet another job lined up, this time in Mumbai. Come tomorrow, they would be off on a new adventure, one that would pad their bank accounts quite nicely.

  He hated to admit it, but Kythryn was exactly where she needed to be. For now, she seemed content, and there was nothing he could do that wouldn’t disrupt the happiness she’d found. He didn’t care for her choice in mates, but then again it wasn’t his place. That mark had been impulsive, his cat’s way of staking a claim that they both knew he could never collect on. So, he would let her be happy with her Vampire.

  But as he drove down the dark country road, he vowed that if she ever needed him, he would drop everything to be at her side.

  about the author

  Born and raised in a farming community in rural Southwest Ohio, Aliya DalRae grew up a middle child, with an older and younger brother. Surrounded by corn and cows, it was not unusual for Aliya to immerse herself in books, her way of escaping the humdrum small-town life to visit fantastic lands full of mystery, myth and legend. And of course, romance.

  Aliya’s first love was musical theater, and as a teenager she dreamed of one day performing on Broadway. Those dreams were put on hold when life intervened (as life often does), and she moved on with
other pursuits.

  After graduation, and a brief time living in England, Aliya returned to her home town, where she worked mainly in administrative positions, but her love for books never waned.

  In 1992, Aliya met her immortal beloved, and they have been inseparable ever since. When not weaving romantic tales, she can be found working side by side with her husband in their furniture restoration business, where she weaves caned chairs instead.

  Aliya is a paranormal/urban fantasy writer and is the author of the Jessica Sweet Trilogy. Her debut novel, “Sweet Vengeance,” was published in February 2016, and was honored as a Golden Quill Awards Reader’s Choice Finalist in 2017. Her second novel, “Sweet Discovery,” is a Top Three Winner in the 2017 Virtual Fantasy Con Awards, as well as a 2017 SIBA Awards Nominee. Her short story, “Bittersweet,” also received a 2017 SIBA nomination. Recently, Aliya released the Fallen Cross Pack Series, a four-part series of short stories

  Visit Aliya at:

  http://aliyadalraeauthor.wixsite.com/aliyadalrae

  https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/15019566.Aliya_DalRae

  www.facebook.com/AliyaDalRae

  https://www.instagram.com/aliyadalrae/

  https://www.bookbub.com/authors/aliya-dalrae

  Thank you for reading Fallen Prey! I urge you to read and review books by Indie Authors every chance you get. Your words of encouragement or even constructive criticism help us all become better writers and drive us to put forth our best work for you, our readers. Click here to leave a review for Fallen Prey.

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  Also by Aliya DalRae

  THE JESSICA SWEET TRILOGY

  Jessica Sweet is a small-town girl with big time troubles. Her birth parents abandoned her, her adoptive parents are recently dead, and her visions are about to take on a life of their own. Enter Raven, the Vampire race’s version of the boogeyman, and star of Jessica’s oldest and most frequent vision. And he’s drop dead gorgeous. This three-part series details Jessica and Raven’s rollercoaster relationship as they battle evil Sorcerers, feral Vampires, and their own doubts and flaws.

  SWEET VENGEANCE

  SWEET DISCOVERY

  SWEET DESTINY

  THE FALLEN CROSS PACK SERIES

  Patrick O’Connell was a family man with a wife he loved and a child they adored. A fateful trip to the corner store robs him of everything he holds dear, including his humanity. This four-part series chronicles Patrick’s change from regular Joe to Werewolf Alpha, following the fated couple’s struggles to regain the life and love so cruelly torn from them.

  BITTER BEGINNINGS

  BITTER CHALLENGE

  BITTER LOSS

  BITTER END

  THE FALLEN CROSS PACK BOX SET 1-4

  BITTER BEAUTY

  SHORT STORIES

  BEFORE JESSICA THERE WAS ANNA…

  Malcolm Gatta was a normal Feline Shifter with a normal Shifter life. However, the arrival of a new Clowder member has set him on a journey of love and loss that will lead him down a path of darkness…a path from which he would rather not return.

  Bittersweet is a prequel to the Jessica Sweet Trilogy, covering the four years prior to Malcolm’s arrival at Jessica’s home. Take a peek into the life of everyone’s favorite Shifter. You’ll never look at King Kat the same.

  BITTERSWEET

  SWEET DISTRACTION

  ANTHOLOGIES

  In this collection of fabulous fairy tales, Aliya DalRae brings Once Upon a Time into Fallen Cross with these contributions:

  Sweet Distraction

  Kythryn’s heart is broken. The man she loves just married her sister, and in response she’s decided a night of heavy drinking is in order. When a tall, dark and mysterious man, a Cat Shifter like herself, no less, walks into the bar wearing high boots and a duster and makes a strange request, she cannot help her curiosity. (Because, you know, cat.) Following him out of the bar may have been a mistake, but it’s one that will change her life forever.

  Bitter Beauty

  Butch Montgomery is second in command to the Fallen Cross Wolf Pack’s newly appointed Alpha. Though life in the Pack is a bit tumultuous at the moment, things are definitely looking up. When a strange wolf wanders onto the Pack’s hunting land, Butch finds himself torn between an odd desire to bring her into the fold and protecting the solitude he’s only recently reclaimed.

  ONCE UPON A FABULOUS TIME