Howling Passion (Passion Moon 1): (A Shifter, Supernatural Romance)

by Renee Jordan

  Vanessa pulled into the roadhouse's parking lot. To my surprise, she climbed out of the car and walked me to the door, her hand on her gun, her eyes glancing about. My entire body tensed. Was Christian in there? Had he put his magic on Miss Maggie?

  I hated him so much. I thought living with Burt was bad. But at least I knew with Burt when to be afraid and when I could relax. But Christian was driving my nuts with terror. How could I relax with a man that could appear and disappear at a whim?

  Vanessa threw open the door and burst into the back of the bar, her eyes scanning about.

  “Deputy?” Miss Maggie asked, arching an eyebrow as she bused a table. “Is something wrong?”

  Vanessa relaxed. “No, ma'am. Just making sure Kotie's stalker wasn't patronizing your bar.”

  “And if he was, do you think I would just serve him drinks?” Miss Maggie demanded. “I'd crack a bottle across the asshole's slimy, no-good head. Trust me.”

  “Right, right,” Vanessa said. “Okay, Kotie, I'll be outside with Hank. Miss Maggie will keep an eye on you.”

  Miss Maggie threw an apron at me. “Time for you to get back to work. You've slacked enough.” A big smile crossed her lips. “Boy, what did Forrest do to you?”

  “They put on quite the show,” laughed Vanessa. “I'm surprised you didn't hear them.”

  My cheeks burned.

  “Sweetie, go run a brush through your hair,” Miss Maggie laughed. “You look like a haystack.”

  The tension melted out of me. I had a hard time believing Christian could do anything to me in Miss Maggie's bar. She's just push a broom into his arm and set him to sweeping. He'd wilt under her fierce stare. I don't think a person existed that Miss Maggie couldn't intimidate.

  Forrest and his deputies would catch Christian before too much longer, and then things would get to normal. Fantasies drifted through my mind, settling down with Forrest, adding a few touches to his house to breathe some warmth into it. We'd get married one day. I would be so beautiful in my wedding dress, and Forrest would be gorgeous in his tux waiting at the altar for me.

  Chapter Eight: Crimson Moon

  As the day wore on, the bar grew busier. Happy hour began, and I was too busy to worry about Christian. Miners needed their beers and nachos. A pair of flatscreen TV's, hidden behind the rustic panelings, were uncovered, and the bar grew boisterous as the basketball game played.

  It was March Madness. Whatever that was.

  I strode through the crowded tables, dropping off pitchers of beer, collecting dirty dishes, and slapping away hands that tried to be a little too free in showing their appreciations. I kept up a smile though.

  My feet were killing me. I hadn't walked so much in years. I thought I was in good shape, but the twenty foot walk from the bar to a table and back, repeated a hundred times in an hour, really added up.

  An ache formed in my lower back, right at my tattoo—I refused to call it a tramp stamp—and I rubbed at it often. A pricking itch formed, and every free moment I scratched at it. I couldn't wait for the end of my first day. I needed to relax.

  Another waitress named Penny—a giggly, plump blonde—walked in to work the late night shift. She flounced about the bar, flirting with all the guys in her low-cut top. She was practically spilling out of her top, revealing the tattoo of a blue tornado whirling between the slopes of her breasts.

  The guys all loved her.

  “So you're the stray?” Penny asked, sliding up to me at the bar as we waited on Maggie to pour our drinks.

  “I guess,” I smiled.

  “Everyone's talking about you,” Penny continued. “I know a few girls that are so jealous of you. We've all tried to land Forrest, and you just waltz into town and he falls for you like he had been hit by a ton of bricks.”

  “I...uh...”

  A broad smile crossed her lips and her vapid eyes widened. “Good for you. I never thought a normal would have tamed him.”

  “Normal?” I asked.

  Penny let out a vacuous giggle. “Oh, you don't know about—”

  “Kotie!” a loud voice called over the booming music.

  I turned my head and smiled as Forrest pushed through the crowd to the bar. Well, the crowd actually parted before him, many of the men nodding their heads.

  “You ready to go?” he asked.

  I glanced at Miss Maggie.

  “You've worked more than long enough,” she nodded. “If it wasn't for the special circumstances, I would have let you go home when Penny arrived.”

  “Special circumstances?” Penny asked. “You mean the witch?”

  Did everyone in this town know about this stuff?

  Forrest put his arm around my shoulders. “Come on, let's go.”

  “Okay,” I nodded. “It was nice to meet you, Penny.”

  Penny beamed, “You take care of him, sweetie.”

  “Oh, I will,” I said as I blushed. The waitress let out a wicked giggle and flounced off as Forrest's arm tightened about me.

  It was quiet outside. The loud roar of the bar muted to a whisper once the door closed. Forrest's SUV was parked out front, and I climbed into the passenger seat, glad to be off my feet. I yawned as Forrest started up his SUV and did a quick U turn.

  “So you didn't find him,” I stated.

  Forrest glanced at me. “How did you...?”

  “You would have told me right off,” I laughed. “Right?”

  “I would have.” He let out a frustrated growl. “He was spotted twice though. We're forcing him to expend his power, tiring him out. He'll slip up, and then my men will grab him.”

  “What will you do when you catch him?”

  He shot me a look. “Depends on him.”

  “Would you...” I couldn't bring myself to ask how far Forrest would go.

  “I would if I had to. If he continues to be a threat to the people I love.” Forrest glanced at me. “But it won't come to that. We'll put the scare into him when we catch him. He'll learn how things work here. They always choose to leave over the alternatives. Christian's a coward.”

  “He attacked me,” I said. “He showed up outside your police station. That doesn't sound like a coward.”

  “He attacked a woman all alone and fled when I showed up. The moment he glimpses my deputies, he disappears. He's scared. Once he realizes we can catch him, that we can hurt him, he'll take the hint. So don't worry.”

  I smiled. “I'm not worried when I'm with you.”

  Forrest's grin was pleased.

  “So...what is the power? What is Christian after?”

  His fingers drummed on the steering wheel. “I'll show you.”

  Forrest made a left off the winding road that led up to his house. A sign flashed in his headlights. “Moon Tear Spring.” The road grew bumpy, the SUV bouncing about as gravel grated beneath the tires. The headlights danced about ahead of us as the vehicle drove over divots and bumps.

  I grabbed the handle over the door as Forrest sped down the access road. What was he going to show me? What was so special about the Moon Tear Spring? It was just a hot spring? Did some magical power bubble up from the center of the earth?

  The bumps made my lower back ache worse. I squirmed, trying to find comfort in the bucket seat, my fingers reaching back to massage my prickling flesh. A gate loomed ahead, painted dull-green, with a closed sign over it.

  The SUV screeched to a sliding halt, a billow of dust continued drifting ahead. “This is what he's after,” Forrest said, unbuckling his seat belt and climbing out the SUV.

  I followed.

  Forrest strode forward, pulling out a set of keys from his pocket. They jingled as he searched for the right one, then he stuck it in the thick padlock keeping the rusting chain closed. He twisted hard. With a pop, the lock sprang open. The chain rattled as Forrest pulled it clear before he pushed the gate wide, it creaked as it yawned open.

  I shivered. Steam rose ahead, lit by the SUV's headlights. It drifted along the ground, curling through the lush
ferns and thick brush the lined the path. The air hummed with a primal vitality, a pulse shuddering through the earth at my feet. I stepped down the trail, my feet almost dragged by the energy surging through the ground.

  The steam curled around my feet, eddying in my wake. Forrest stopped ahead, looking down at something reddish. My steps grew heavier. My back burned. My heart hammered in my chest.

  Forrest stood before the crystal clear waters of the spring. The heat warmed the air, caressing my skin as I grew nearer. The pool was deep, it's bottom lined with veins of quartz that glowed with a faint, red light.

  “Why's it glowing?” I asked, a shiver passing through me.

  “The crystal's reflect the moonlight. The brighter the moon, the brighter they glow.”

  “But shouldn't they be silver?” I swallowed, glancing up at the sky. The moon was above the trees, bright, full, and an orangish-red.

  “It's a passion moon,” Forrest said, his voice growing low as he looked up. “A lover's moon.”

  “I've never heard of that,” I whispered, transfixed by the moon.

  “The moon burns red sometimes,” Forrest growled. “Glowing like a lover's heart, shining its passion down on us. Can't you feel it, Kotie?”

  “I...” My words trailed off. Forrest's eyes glowed gold, his pupils swollen into black pits.

  “It calls to me. The moon's song fills my soul.”

  “Forrest?” Worry swirled in my stomach.

  His muscles bulged in his forearms, straining his uniform's sleeves.

  “Kotie!” he howled, his fingers grasping his shirt and pulling, ripping buttons off, exposing his muscular chest. He threw his ruined shirt to the ground, turning to face me. A hungry growl snarled from his lips.

  The black barbwire tattoos crisscrossing his chest and torso seemed red beneath the passion moon's light.

  “Forrest,” I swallowed.

  He lunged out me. I yelped, trying to back away. His arms encircled me, pulling me into his crushing embrace. He snarled before his lips met mine in a hungry kiss. His body burned against mine, his muscular chest rubbing hard on my soft breasts.

  Forrest was possessed by some mad beast, some great lust that had awakened in him. I tried to resist, but his strength, his need, overwhelmed me. The red moon shown down on the both of us, igniting my passion almost as fierce as it lit Forrest's.

  He bore us down to the soft soil around the hot spring. My hands ran across his muscles as his tongue probed my mouth. His lust bulged the front of his pants. He felt so powerful and virile tonight. I spread my legs, surrendering to his need.

  “Forrest!” I moaned as his mouth sucked at my neck, his teeth nipping me, marking me. Fabric tore, my blouse ripping beneath his strong hands. I didn't care. “Yes, Forrest!” I moaned. “Take me!”

  My body was on fire. I didn't care that his hands were rough tonight. His calloused fingers squeezed my breasts through my bra. He shoved my cups up, freeing my breasts to the night air. He pinched and pulled my nipples, the twisting pain shooting down to the heat between my thighs.

  “I need you, Kotie!” he growled in my ear. “The moon is drowning out everything else. Don't let it take me!”

  “I won't,” I moaned. “Hold me. Love me. Anchor yourself to me.”

  His strong fingers slid down my body. The snap of my jeans popped. He yanked them down my hips until they bunched around my knees, pinning my legs together. He growled in frustration, flipping me over onto my belly.

  “The moon song is overwhelming me, Kotie!”

  The soil was cool on my breasts. I pushed myself up on my hands and knees. “Take me, Forrest. I'm here. Listen to my voice. Not the moon's.”

  I didn't understand what was wrong with him, but he needed me. Forrest's throbbing girth slid against my thong-clad pussy. I was soaked with excitement as he humped against me, pressing the cloth into my soaking lips.

  “I need you!” His fingers ripped my thong away.

  And then he was in me.

  My back arched, pushing back into his cock. “Yes, yes!” I groaned as he filled me, stretching me open. My breasts shook beneath me, swaying with the force of his thrusts. “So good! Enjoy me! Forget about the moon!”

  “Yes! Yes!” he groaned, his fingers squeezing on my hips.

  I looked over my shoulder. His barbwire tattoos seemed black again, no longer painted red by moonlight. I shook my hips, twisting on his cock, savoring every moment he was in me as I drank in the sight of his rippling muscles.

  What a gorgeous hunk he was.

  “Fuck me,” I panted. “Oh, yes, Forrest! Forget about the moon and love me!”

  He took me with such a frantic need. Our flesh slapped together, echoing through the woods. My fingers dug into the soil. Hot pulses flashed through me. The moonlight burned passion on my bare back, fueling the growing pleasure inside me.

  “Forrest!” I screamed into the dark night as my orgasm crashed through me.

  I gasped as my mind was overcome in rapture. Forrest's girth drove over and over into me, crashing bliss through my body. I couldn't think. I didn't care about anything but what Forrest did to my body. Our flesh slapped together, his growls roaring through the night.

  His cock throbbed inside me.

  “My mate!” he growled. “Thank you!”

  Forrest buried into me. Heat pulsed into me. I shuddered as his seed burned through me. Another come rolled through my body. I shuddered, my body trembling in joy. Forrest collapsed on me, pulling me to the ground in his embrace. We shivered together, panting in bliss.

  “Forrest,” I sighed, staring up at the passion moon as he held me. “What was that?”

  “The moon and I have—” He tensed, sitting up, looking around.

  I shivered, holding on arm across my naked breasts as I tried to pull my skinny jeans up my legs with the other. Forrest rose, pulling his pants up, staring down the path.

  “What is it, Veronica?” he growled.

  The blonde deputy stepped out of the darkness, a blanket hanging over her arm. She tossed it to me, and I wrapped it around my half-naked body. “There's a fire at the elk lodge,” Veronica said. “Broke out during their meeting. Fire department's on the way there. Hank pulled everyone off the search. It's a big one. Fire's going to need our help.”

  “Damn,” Forrest muttered. “Where's Hank?”

  Veronica pointed back at the trail.

  How had they known where we were?

  “You and Hank take Kotie to my house. Babysit her.”

  Veronica nodded.

  “Forrest,” I whispered. “We need to talk.” I needed to know what just happened.

  “When I get back,” he said, leaning down to brush my sweat-stained forehead. “I'll explain everything when I get back. But this fire...”

  I nodded. “Go. Save lives. Be the hero.”

  “Don't be bitter. I love you, Kotie. You kept me together tonight. I...passion moons are always difficult.”

  “Why?”

  He hesitated. “Tonight. When I get back. Okay.”

  “Fine,” I sighed.

  He turned and strode back to his SUV, his figure merging into the bright beams of the headlights.

  “Looks like you two had quite the tumble,” Veronica smiled, her nose twitching. “Wish I had a fellow on a night like this.” She glanced up at the moon. “Listen to her song.”

  My gaze turned back to the pool. It pulsed and danced with energy. The power flowed into the pool. I stood on one of the conduits. I could almost see two more flowing into the spring, merging their three powers right in the center.

  Veronica wrenched her gaze from the moon. “Let's get you to the house.”

  I nodded, holding the blanket tight about my dirt-stained body.

  I needed answers. Forrest would explain everything when he returned. What happened to him wasn't normal. The moon didn't sing to people. It didn't make them turn into wild, sex-starved maniacs.

  Sure the sex had been amazing, but it scared
me. What was wrong with him?

  I glanced up at the passion moon. “What did you do to him?” I whispered.

  “Do to whom?” Veronica asked.

  “Nothing,” I muttered, striding down the path to her waiting cop car. “I need to take a bath.”

  Veronica let out a snorting laugh. “You do look like you tumbled naked down a muddy cliff.”

  Chapter Nine: Dark Magic

  I sank into the hot, steaming tub of water.

  Every part of my body ached. Between working at the roadhouse and Forrest's amorous, passionate lovemaking at the spring, I was worn out. The water engulfed my sore muscles. I sank in lower, leaning back and stretching out my legs. I savored the warm bliss..

  First, I had taken a quick shower to scrub the dirt off, but now I wanted to relax. Hank and Veronica were downstairs, the TV a low whisper through the floor. I wish Forrest had some scented bubbles bath, and maybe a few candles for a relaxing mood.

  I'd have to buy some when I got paid.

  Oh, well. I relaxed in the tub and puzzled over Forrest. He wasn't a witch. He said so himself, but he was something more than human. Something wolfish and primal. A werewolf, maybe. Yesterday, I would have thought that was crazy.

  But that was when I lived in a world without magic.

  And there was definitely magic in the world. It pulsed beneath my feet at the Moon Tear Spring. The passion moon touched Forrest. It almost possessed him. What would have happened if I wasn't there to anchor him?

  Christian said I was drawn here. What if I was? I felt an energy at the pool. Three different types of power flowed into it. They were all similar, but they seemed to pulse with a different...taste, merging to form something special.

  Something that drew Christian.

  Why did he need me though? Clearly Christian was powerful. He could teleport, and he had tried to control my body. Was there something special about me? I didn't think there was.

  The more I thought, the more I itched to get answers.

  I shuddered in the tub, my body growing restless. Why was I just lying here? I should go downstairs and question Veronica and Hank. Surely they could tell me something. Veronica was affected by the moon. Maybe not as much as Forrest, but it did sing to her.