Total Eclipse of The Hunt

by Mandy M. Roth

  TOTAL ECLIPSE OF THE HUNT

  A HAPPILY EVERLASTING SERIES NOVEL

  MANDY M. ROTH

  RAVEN HAPPY HOUR LLC

  Total Eclipse of The Hunt© Copyright 2017, Mandy M. Roth

  ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

  eBook ISBN: 978-1-947908-03-1

  Print ISBN-13: 978-1981230778

  Print ISBN-10: 1981230777

  All books copyrighted to the author and may not be resold or given away without written permission from the author, Mandy M. Roth.

  This novel is a work of fiction. Any and all characters, events, and places are of the author’s imagination and should not be confused with fact. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, or events or places is merely coincidence. Novel intended for adults only. Must be 18 years or older to read.

  Published by Raven Happy Hour, LLC

  www.ravenhappyhour.com

  Raven Books and all affiliate sites and projects are © Copyrighted 2017

  CONTENTS

  The Happily Everlasting Series

  About Total Eclipse of The Hunt

  Note from the Author:

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Newsletter

  About the Author

  Featured Titles from Mandy M. Roth

  THE HAPPILY EVERLASTING SERIES

  COZY PARANORMAL MYSTERY ROMANCE NOVELS

  Dead Man Talking

  by Jana DeLeon

  Once Hunted, Twice Shy

  by Mandy M. Roth

  Fooled Around and Spelled in Love

  by Michelle M. Pillow

  Witchful Thinking

  by Kristen Painter

  Total Eclipse of the Hunt

  by Mandy M. Roth

  Curses and Cupcakes

  by Michelle M. Pillow

  Visit Everlasting

  https://welcometoeverlasting.com/

  ABOUT TOTAL ECLIPSE OF THE HUNT

  Total Eclipse of The Hunt (A Happily Everlasting Series Novel)

  A Cozy Paranormal Romance Mystery

  Welcome to Everlasting, Maine, where there's no such thing as normal.

  As a centaur, Deputy Jake Majoy (Deputy March) is immortal, and has seen and done a lot in his five hundred years. Enough to know that Everlasting feels like home. It’s been perfect for him to fade away and blend in; you see, the town is anything but normal—and the locals protect their own. So when a newcomer ends up in their midst, at the same time things go missing around town, it’s his duty to step in to restore law and order. But the pull he feels to the woman is anything but part of the job.

  Kelsey Gibbons has (literally) followed all the signs leading to Everlasting, Maine. There is a great power at work, drawing her to the tiny seaside town. She’s hoping Everlasting will be a safe place to ride out the storm engulfing her personal life while she works to unravel the mystery of who sent her a mysterious pendant and a bus ticket. When her arrival coincides with an uptick of crime, it becomes very clear that the chaos has only just begun. And when a hunky man in uniform shows up on the scene, it’s all she can do to focus on finding answers.

  When the truth about Everlasting is revealed, Kelsey learns she’s not so alone in the world and she’s braver than she thought—not to mention, she’s destined for a hot dude who can shift into a horse.

  Can she and Jake beat the clock…and the evil that has come back to town?

  *Books in the Happily Everlasting series can be read in ANY order!

  DEDICATION

  To the Roth Boys, for always understanding my oddities and so far, not requiring DNA testing to prove you’re related to me. To Middle R Boy, specifically, who walked me through how tongue-tied a guy can be around a girl he likes. To Mr. Mandy for helping to work through plot points on the story and for making me laugh. To my grandmother for her endless idioms that inspired so many of Petey’s sayings. And to the readers who took a chance on me being able to write cozy mysteries romances. Thank you!

  NOTE FROM THE AUTHOR:

  The number one question I’ve gotten from readers about the Everlasting series is are there more books coming out in the series world? The answer is an easy one: yes! It’s up to each individual author to decide when/if they’re doing more in the world, but I can tell you that I have more planned, and to be on the lookout for a possible spin-off series from me.

  It’s been so much fun getting to work in a shared world/town. When the four of us came together and brainstormed Everlasting, I wasn’t sure if we’d be able to pull it off. But we nailed it! We decided to break up the world building a bit by each inventing locations within the town and creating our own cast of characters who could make crossover appearances in other books. This was a riot and had us laughing as we did it.

  From my brain came Petey, Penelope, Hugh, Sigmund, Buster, Wilber, Curt, Jolene, Mrs. Mays, Deputy March, and the rest of the new characters you’ll be meeting in this book. Locations: antiques shop, fuel station, truck stop diner, Curt’s restaurant, Pete’s bait shop, the marina, and Hugh’s fishing charter.

  When I finally sat down to put pen to paper and write my very first cozy paranormal romance mystery ever, Once Hunted, Twice Shy, I realized that the cast of characters I’d created couldn’t be my normal foul-mouthed alphas. That just isn’t done in cozies. I had to figure out a way to give my readers the alphas they were used to from me, but minus the potty mouth. Then it came to me. Make the hero be foul-mouthed but unable to express as much. Why can’t he? A bet, and a potion to make sure the bet was won! Haha! Coming up with silly ways to curse was so much fun. And having my other characters tease Hugh about it was a hoot.

  Getting to cross over with Michelle M. Pillow’s characters (Aunt Polly, Anna, and so many more) has been a blast, and it was perfect to be able to use Polly as the one who mixed the anti-cursing potion for Hugh—not to mention gave him fleas once. And Michelle’s brainchild of the Witch’s Brew coffee shop has been a favorite stop for my characters (it really does serve the best cup of coffee in town).

  Being able to slip in mentions from Jana DeLeon’s book—such as the lighthouse, Cornelius (minus his pants, LOL), and the favorite watering hole the Magic Eight Ball, where Petey likes to hang with Monte and Sam—has left me giggling more than once now as I write.

  Having the characters stop for a bite to eat at Kristen Painter’s Chickadee Diner, with the always-great waitress Betsy, feels like I’m wrapping a warm blanket of home-cooked goodness around my characters. Not to mention it always makes me hungry for blueberry cobbler.

  I truly never thought the Everlasting series would resonate with readers on the level it has. I’m beyond thrilled, and I know that the other authors are as well. Seeing everyone enjoy the cast of characters and the town as much as I do really hits me in the feels.

  Thank you so much,

  Mandy M. Roth

  ONE

  KELSEY GIBBONS STARED out the window of the passenger bus, watching tree after tree go by. While there were a decent number of trees that still had their leaves, a large number were now bare. She felt she’d become something of an expert on the matter since she’d pretty much only had trees to look at for most of her journey. It had been somewhat jarring at first, as she’d spent so ma
ny years living in Boston that one didn’t drive through endless trees with any sort of ease.

  In fact, she didn’t drive at all.

  She’d never had a reason to learn.

  Public transportation was how she’d always gotten around. Yet, this was the farthest she’d ever traveled on a bus, and she couldn’t say she wanted to repeat the experience anytime soon. It had involved more than one bus change, the last happening almost an hour ago.

  This bus was colder than the others, and she found herself tightening her jacket around her more, wishing she had a throw blanket or something to help cut some of the cold she felt. The outside temperature had dropped to the point that a coat was needed, but so far, snow hadn’t arrived. She wondered how much longer before that would change. A small piece of her hoped it wouldn’t be too long, as she’d love to see what the area looked like blanketed in fluffy white snow.

  Her hand went to her backpack, which she’d kept close to her at all times as of late. She couldn’t help but think about its contents. A few changes of clothes, her favorite pajamas with unicorns on them, a small amount of money…and the pendant that had turned her life upside down. When it had arrived on her twenty-fifth birthday, wrapped in purple paper with a giant white bow, she’d been confused, unsure who would send her a present. It wasn’t as if she’d ever gotten a birthday gift in her life before.

  She had no family to speak of, and she’d spent her childhood bouncing from foster home to foster home. She’d always kept mostly to herself while she waitressed during the days and took college courses at night. She’d never been very close to any of her coworkers or classmates. In fact, she wasn’t close to anyone, despite desperately wanting to be.

  She longed to have people. A network of friends. Someone to confide in. She had no one. No boyfriend. No one to notice she wasn’t in Boston anymore.

  That reality hit her hard.

  She could vanish, and no one would report her missing. No one would look for her.

  Sadness crept over Kelsey and she swallowed down the lump in her throat. No point in crying on a bus in front of strangers. That wouldn’t help her any. It would only serve as a reminder that while she was surrounded by people, she was on her own.

  That being said, she’d gotten by with her solitary existence, doing what she must to make a living while she studied history. Her hope was to one day work at a museum, tucked far away in research, never needing to interact with people much.

  Then the mysterious present had come into her life. The pendant with a triple crescent moon and a purple gemstone was beautiful. Along with the pendant had been a bus ticket to Everlasting, Maine.

  A place she’d never heard of.

  There had been no card, no tag, no return address on the present. None of her neighbors recalled seeing anyone near her apartment door (not that they paid too much mind to one another, since they weren’t close).

  That had been nearly a week ago, and since then, she’d been basically hammered over the head with nonstop signs for Everlasting. There had been an ad on the side of the B-line bus that hadn’t been there before the present came. Brochures for Everlasting were suddenly at the coffee shop she frequented and on campus. She’d even found a poster for the town pinned to the bulletin board where she worked.

  Basically, it had been all Everlasting, all the time.

  And then some.

  She’d intended to ignore it all, but everything in her life had flipped onto its head. She’d unexpectedly been let go from her job for no reason. She’d gone to sign up for next semester’s classes, only to find there was a hold on her account that no one could explain. Last but not least, her landlord had informed Kelsey that she wouldn’t be renewing her lease, as she’d sold the building to someone else and, according to her current lease, she had to vacate the property at once so they could begin repainting and prepping for whoever the new tenant would be.

  It was then she’d finally given the anonymous bus ticket to Everlasting serious consideration. From what she’d seen on the internet about the town, Everlasting was charming and small, yet thriving. It made its money through tourism for the most part. And the news that came out of the town was always positive. About how well the schools were doing. Or featuring this festival or that. Every photo she’d seen reminded her of a place locked in a golden age of small towns when everyone knew and cared about everyone else.

  Hunger to be part of that burned in her. To know it if only long enough to discover who had sent her the pendant and bus ticket, and why.

  Finding a place to live while she was in Everlasting had been a cinch. She’d lucked into an incredibly cheap cabin that she’d been able to rent for next to nothing and on a month-to-month basis. Of course, it was all done over the phone and the internet, so she hadn’t actually laid eyes on it yet, but the photos she’d been given were breathtaking.

  She’d followed the signs (literally) to Everlasting and could only hope it was for the best.

  About all I can do.

  She reached into her bag and touched a red velvet pouch. In the pouch was the pendant, on a black leather cord. It could easily be worn, but she’d never put the thing on. She’d merely stared at it, somewhat swept away by it, yet uneasy all the same. The compulsion to put it on was always there, just below the surface, but she didn’t like the pull it had over her.

  No. She’d fight the compulsion. Nothing good would come from totally giving in.

  Content that the pendant was still close (not that she’d let it out of her sight since she’d gotten it), Kelsey closed her backpack and shifted slightly in her seat, ignoring the smells and sounds of the bus. Between the bathroom that wasn’t far from her seat and smelled as if it needed to be cleaned, and the noxious fumes from the exhaust, she’d had a low-grade headache since she’d boarded.

  Thankfully, the toddler who was taking a trip with his mother had finally fallen asleep. He’d spent the better part of the last hour running up and down the center aisle, pretending to be an airplane, before screaming endlessly because he didn’t want to sit down and he wasn’t tired.

  The fact he was out cold was proof otherwise. Not that he looked comfortable. He was currently partially upside down with one foot up on the seat back, his head hanging off the seat cushion and his arms suspended in midair. His mother, who had been at wit’s end with him, apparently subscribed to the mentality of letting sleeping dogs lie.

  No one else on the bus was making any effort to help the child be more comfortable. They seemed happy he was down for the count as well.

  There was a middle-aged woman on the bus, wearing pale yellow from head to toe, with a giant fake flower pinned to her coat. She’d been working on a crossword puzzle since Kelsey had boarded the bus.

  Two young men who barely looked to be out of their teens were in the very back; each had earbuds in their ears and had scarcely spoken a single word. They seemed content to just sleep and listen to whatever it was they were listening to. It was evident they were related, from the similar facial structures, light dusting of freckles, and matching red hair.

  The bus had others on it as well. An older gentleman across the aisle from Kelsey who hadn’t seemed too bothered when the toddler was acting up. An elderly woman who clutched a small black book to her chest as she stared out the window. And a man who looked to be in his forties, wearing a pair of glasses that kept sliding down his nose while he read a newspaper.

  Everyone going somewhere together, yet seeming worlds apart.

  Kelsey patted her backpack and then stared out the bus window once again. A sign announcing Everlasting was twelve miles ahead was there. Leaves were accumulated at the base of it, matted to the ground. A sure indication that winter really was on its way. Maybe she’d get her wish and see snow there after all.

  A man was walking on the side of the highway. He was dressed in a pair of faded old jeans, boots, and a worn army jacket. He wore a black knit cap covering half of his shoulder-length dark hair. His head was bent as he w
alked with a duffle bag slung over one shoulder. For a second she thought he might put a thumb out and try to hitch a ride, but he didn’t.

  As the bus drove past him, he turned his head slowly, his icy-blue gaze landing on her.

  She jolted slightly in her seat. While he was a handsome man, there was something about him that said he was dangerous and someone to avoid. A shiver raced down Kelsey’s spine. She just hoped Everlasting wasn’t his destination too. She wasn’t so sure she wanted to be anywhere near him.

  When she realized she was judging a man without even knowing him, shame filled her. People had done that to her enough in her life to know what it felt like.

  “I’m a horrible person,” she said softly, lowering her head, her long brown braid falling over one shoulder.

  “Oh now, I don’t think that’s true,” said the older man in the seat across the aisle. His white hair was cut close to his head and his dark gaze held nothing but warmth as he looked at her. He’d not said much since she’d boarded at the last stop, but there was a certain peace about him that helped her feel calmer. She wished she could bottle it for later, as she’d not felt much peace in weeks. “I have a sense for these things, and there is nothing about you that is horrible. Ornery? More than likely. Horrible? No.”