Moon Chosen Box Set (BBW Werewolf / Shifter Romance)

by Mac Flynn

  "Hold a moment," he instructed them.

  "Quiet," Methuselah hissed at his zombie.

  Carey was silenced, but a new sound replaced to her howls. I recognized it as the noise of an outboard motor. Through the mists I could see a large, dark shadow approach where we stood.

  Erik whipped his head to us. "Hide," he just. "I will stand with her."

  We reluctantly hid just inside the thick group of bushes and trees. The shadow emerged from the fog and reveal itself as one of the boats Carey had intended to to take us on to Blackwood. A half dozen of those monstrous were bored, but the pilot was a normal, humanoid werewolf. Erik stood calmly with Carey at his site. Beside me was Greg.

  "Can they smell us?" I whispered to Greg.

  "The wind comes from the lake so our scents will not blow towards them," he told me. "However, when they land they may catch a whiff of us."

  "Are you all right?" the pilot of the boat yelled to the shore.

  I noticed Methuselah's mouth moved, but no sound came out. Sound came out of Carey's mouth, though.

  "I am, and I have one of the rebels!" Carey called back to the boat.

  "We'll come ashore then!" the boatman replied.

  We all waited in tense anticipation as the boat sailed closer to the shore. The bow hit the rocky beach and four of the monstrous werewolves jumped out into the water. They splashed their way to shore and to Erik They sloshed forward until they were within three feet of the pair when they suddenly stopped and raised their noses to the air. Their lips curled back in snarls and their eyes narrowed.

  "Now!" Erik yelled.

  We four jumped out of the brush. Greg and Marge each tackled one of the beasts, and Methuselah took on his shadowy form to attack two more werewolves. That left one for me, and one was definitely enough.

  I'd forgotten how massive these creatures were. This one towered over me like a skyscraper compared to a small wooden cottage. Well, this woodland call cottage wasn't going to go down without a fight, even if I didn't know how to fight.

  The werewolf snarled and jumped at me. He swiped one of his massive pause at me, and I ducked and drove underneath him. If there's one thing I'd learned through all my adventures, it was that a werewolf guy was still just a guy. I kicked my foot up and my shoe connected with his family jewels. The werewolf let out a high-pitched, blood curdling scream that echoed through the woods.

  He sank to his knees and clutched at his groin. I crawled out from beneath him through the rear exit and stood behind them. Now that he was down I didn't know what to do with them, so I fisted one of my hands and connected it with the back of his head. It was then I learned that some heads really were harder than hand bones. My bones crunched, and I yelped and clutched my bruised hand. The werewolf whipped his head around and his yellow eyes glowed with a fury that wanted nothing but blood as compensation.

  He stumbled to his feet and turned to face me. I gave him a shaky smile and backed up.

  "Can't we just talk about this?" I asked him.

  His definition of a discussion was to snarled and lung at me again. I stumbled over the beach sand and fell onto my butt. He was a foot from connecting his teeth with my head when Erik flew out from the side and knocked into the werewolf. They tumbled off to my left in a frenzy of claws and teeth. Erik connected one of his fists with the werewolf's face and knocked out my foe in one jaw-crunching below.

  My mate stood and turned to me. He walked over and held his hand out. "Are you all right?" he asked me.

  I smiled and took his hand, and he pulled me to my feet. "I am now."

  Thankfully the others had done a better job against their opponents than me. Greg and Marge were just finishing up theirs, and I didn't want to describe what happened to Methuselah's two guys. Let's just say I doubted I needed to feed him tomorrow night. We reconnoitered around Carey who still stood where Erik had left her on the shore.

  "Is everyone all right?" Erik asked our group.

  Marge grinned and nodded. "They're easier to handle and I don't get the slip on us."

  "I must agree," Greg chimed in.

  While we had fought against the odds, I noticed Hazel had stood off to the side with her arms folded across her chest. I wasn't the only one to notice her lack of participation.

  Marge scowled at the witch. "Maybe we should have the vampire drain you," she suggested.

  Hazel frowned. "Magic is not something to be wasted on every small fight," she shot back.

  Marge gestured to one of the fallen behemoths. "You call this a small fight?"

  "We don't have time to bicker," Eric interrupted them. "We must board the boat and continue on."

  "What do we do with her?" Marge asked. She jerked her thumb towards Carey.

  Eric turned to where she pointed and frowned. "We cannot take her with us. She would only be a hindrance."

  "Blackwood might not be too happy with her, either," I chimed in.

  Eric turned to our resident vampire. "Can you order her to remain here until we return?"

  "You mean 'if,'" Marge corrected him.

  Methuselah gave a nod of his head. "I can." He turned his attention to Carey and I saw his lips move without sound. Carey turned away from the lake and towards the trees. She marched down the path where we came and disappeared.

  "What did you tell her to do?" I asked the vampire.

  I instructed her to wait for us at the witches cabin," with a silver platter.

  Hazel scoffed. "She'd better not wake up and cause a bigger mess than she already has."

  "She will only wake up if I order it or if I am destroyed," Methuselah told her.

  With all the loose ends taken care of, we all turned our attention to the boat. Methuselah had also done us a favor by taking out the remainder of the werewolves who had remained on the boat.

  "I'll pilot the ship," Marge offered.

  "Very well, but we must stay to the shore as until we're within a few miles of the Den," Erik advised her.

  We all climbed in to the boat and Marge started the engine. It roared to life and we sped off down Wolf Lake to face our main opponent.

  CHAPTER 3

  Lake water sprayed over us as the fog swept over the bow of the boat. There was a heavy silence over us.

  "How far is it from here to the Den?" I spoke up.

  "A few hours," Eric replied.

  "And that's if we don't meet trouble," Marge chimed in.

  "How many of these boats does Blackwood have, anyway?" I wondered.

  Eric shook his head. "The only one who might have been able to answer that question we left behind."

  I sighed. "Of course. The only time Carey would be really useful and she's not here." I turned my attention to Methuselah. "So how long can I stay out here until you get sunburned?"

  "A single ray from the sun will burn through my flesh," he admitted. "When the sun rises, I must retreat into darkness."

  "So if we find trouble after sunrise you're not going to be of much help," I surmised.

  "If you wish to describe it as such," he grudgingly agreed.

  I looked around at her strange little group. There were four werewolves, a witch, and our sun-shy vampire.

  "Maybe our little group with surprise them somewhat so much that they won't bother us," I joked. Eric frowned and walked to the bow of the ship. I threw my arms. "Come on, the joke wasn't that bad."

  He shook his head and placed a hand on the front railing. "It's not that. I hear something."

  "Greg, take the helm!" Marge ordered him. He barely had time to grab the wheel before she abandoned it for the bow. Marge scrambled to the front and nearly showed me over the side to get at the bow beside Eric.

  "There's enough room for everybody," I growled at her.

  She ignored me and lifted her nose to the wind. Her eyes widened and she turned to Eric. He's out there, and close."

  "Who's out there?" I asked her.

  "Captain Black," she revealed.

  I grinned. "Good. We could use
a little help."

  Marge looked forward and pursed her lips. "I don't think he's going to help us this time."

  My grinned slipped off my lips. "Why not? What's changed?"

  "He has."

  "Um, do you think you could elaborate?" I requested.

  "How do you know?" Erik asked.

  "I can smell it in his scent," she revealed. "Something has changed in him. He's one of those monsters now."

  I furrowed my brow. "Wait, so if he's nearby and had a little bite of werewolf to eat, doesn't that mean-"

  I got my answer before I finished my question as several large shadows loomed out of the fog. I recognized them as Captain Black's ships. There was also the sound of motorboats, and I saw their shadows flit between the large vessels. We were outnumbered a hundred to one. I looked over the faces of my companions and saw they were grim.

  "Anybody have a plan?" I asked them.

  "I may have a suggestion," Greg spoke up. All eyes turned to him. "We may be able to board them and, with Hazel's help, change the crew to our friends once more.

  "That sounds like a suicide mission," I commented.

  Marge pursed her lips. "I want to try it."

  Eric turned to me and there was a an encouraging smile on his lips. "We seem to be quite adept at those types of missions," he pointed out.

  I sighed and shrugged. "Why not? I was going to try to live forever, but I guess that's overrated."

  "It is," Methuselah agreed.

  Greg slowed the boat and floated us until we found ourselves facing the armada.

  "So how exactly are we going to do this?" I asked our group.

  "Like this," Greg replied.

  He put the boat full power and we jettisoned across the lake towards the armada. I yelped and caught hold of the railing so I wouldn't tumble backwards onto the deck. We sped towards our enemies, and they greeted us with a barrage of cannons and gunfire.

  "Get down!" Eric shouted. He grabbed the top of my head and shoved me to the deck while everyone else followed suit.

  One of the bullets pinged off the railing and clattered to the ground in front of me. It was long and white, not the usual metal casing of a bullet. I picked up the dart and turned it over in my hand.

  "What the hell is this?" I wondered.

  Eric pursed his lips and looked ahead. "They are tranquilizers. They intend to take us alive," he surmised.

  "Not if they keep using those cannons," I called back.

  Eric shook his head. "Those cannons aren't aimed at us. They are aimed at our sides to steer us where they wish us to be."

  "Then I must disappoint them," Greg spoke up.

  He spun the wheel and we flew off to the left. The cannons stopped firing, but the smaller and more maneuverable motorboats steered our way. They came up on our right side and others came up at our front.

  "They're trying to make us turn left!" Marge shouted.

  Greg grimaced and spun the wheel. If we would've been in a car we would've been on two wheels as we took a sharp turn to the right. My hand slipped from the railing and I let out a yelp as I slid across the deck. Before I could spill overboard Erik grabbed my hand and pulled me against his body.

  "Thanks," I told him. "I thought I was going to become fish bait."

  "It is more likely they would have run you over," he told me.

  I grimaced. "A wonderful picture to put into my head," I replied.

  While we talked our crazy driver steered left and right to avoid colliding with the oncoming traffic. Our little cruiser slipped between our foes and raced towards the bows of the sailing ships.

  "I hope you have a plan!" I yelled at Greg.

  "At my signal, you will jump," he shouted back.

  "That's not a plan! That's a suicide!" I argued.

  "We have no choice!" Erik agreed with his homicidal servant.

  Erik tucked me under his arm and stood. Marge grabbed Hazel, and the witch let out a horrible shriek.

  "Release me! I won't die this way!" Hazel growled as she beat her fists against Marge.

  "Afraid a little soaking will melt you?" Marge shot back.

  "Focus!" Erik called to them.

  Greg steered our small boat past the bow of the lead sailing ship. He followed its right side. I could see the away boats ten feet above our heads, along with a wooden ladder that led from the deck and down to the waterline.

  "Now!" Erik yelled.

  He jumped, and I went unwillingly with him. Erik slammed against the side of the ship, but managed to grasp one rung of the ladder with his hand and another with his foot. He swung me onto the other half of the ladder. I heard a splash beneath us and looked down.

  Marge and Hazel weren't so lucky on their landing. Marge fell a foot short of the boat and the pair crashed into the water. They both came up sputtering.

  "You stupid werewolf!" Hazel yelled.

  Marge's reply was to place her hand on top of Hazel's head and dunk her beneath the water.

  Methuselah landed below us on the ladder. I heard a roar of an engine and saw Greg pilot the ship boat away.

  I whipped my head to Erik. "What's he doing?" I asked him.

  Erik pursed his lips and shook his head. "I do not know."

  We watched Greg race the length of the ship and turn the corner at the rear. In a moment he turned the ship out of sight. We saw half a dozen other ships follow in close pursuit.

  "We have to go help them!" I insisted.

  "No," Erik argued. "He will lead some of their forces away from us. We mustn't waste his distraction."

  Erik swung himself onto the ladder above me and climbed. I reluctantly followed him, but we hadn't gone up more than a few rungs when the crew peeked their heads over the side of the deck. I didn't recognize any of their faces, but that was probably because they were transformed into the hideous, cannibalistic werewolves like those who had protected Carey. There mouths dripped with saliva and their very yellow, maniacal eyes glared down at us. One of the werewolves was particularly large, and I noticed a familiar belt around his portly waist. I wasn't the only one to recognize the werewolf.

  "Black!" Marge yelled beneath us.

  The hideous lead werewolf was indeed Captain Black, but he was our friend no more. His sailor clothes were torn from his transformation and all of his crew that presented themselves over the deck were also transformed.

  "Change them back!" I heard Marge yell at Hazel.

  "I can't in this water!" Hazel growled. "There is no way I can concentrate if I'm about to die from drowning!"

  "Then we will make some room for you on the deck," Erik spoke up.

  "How?" I asked him.

  My question was answered when he proceeded to climb up the remaining rungs the ladder towards our old friends and new foe. He came within two feet of their arms and held out his palm towards them. A blast of fire burst from his palm and shot up towards their faces. The werewolves weren't so stupid as to keep watching the fireworks. They pulled their heads out of sight, and Erik took the opportunity to finish his climbing. He jumped the last foot onto the deck and disappeared from sight, but I heard the welcome party. There was the sound of growls and snapping jaws, and in a few moments one of the sailors flew over the railing and into the water below us. The werewolf came sputtering to the surface and snapped his large, long jaws at Marge and Hazel.

  "Can you focus when your life is in danger?" Marge challenged Hazel.

  The witch pulled something out of her soggy cloak and threw it at the werewolf while speaking a few words.

  "Taste fresh no more after you eat this core!" Hazel shouted.

  The werewolf snapped his jaws over the small object that Hazel threw. His eyes widened and he grasped his neck in his hands. The creature made a choking noise, and I was shocked and glad to see it revert to his human form. The now-human werewolf look around himself in bewilderment.

  "What happened!? How did I get here?" he asked us.

  Marge tucked Hazel beneath her arm and caught the
bottom rung of the ladder. "Now it's Black's turn," she ordered Hazel.

  Hazel squirmed in Marge's grasp. "Not if I die from your body odor!"

  I could see Marge wasn't going to wait for me to get out of the way so I rushed up the ladder before she could push me off into the water. I reached the top rung and picked my head over the side of the deck. The ship was just as I remembered except for the complete and utter chaos caused by my mate. Erik was in the center of the storm. He stood in front of the door to the captain's quarters and was surrounded on three sides by the mutated werewolves. Captain Black himself was the closest Erik, and our old friend swiped at my mate.

  I don't know what came over me. At the sight of Erik being attacked a red color swept over my eyes. The world around me slowed down and I felt a power coursing through me that equaled the power of a thousand energy drinks.

  I pulled myself over the lip of the deck and raced towards the crowd. There was at least a dozen of the transformed werewolves around Erik, and twice that many situated around the rest of the ship. I barreled into the closest group of werewolves around Erik and slammed my shoulder into their sides and backs. They were shoved aside like bowling pins, and me with the wicked curve on the throw. I breached their wall of bodies and flew into Erik's arms. He caught me and pulled me behind himself.

  "Stay behind me!" he ordered me.

  "Like hell I am!" I yelled back.

  I slid around him and jumped at the group on our left. The werewolves were just as huge has ever, but I knew their weakness. I slid onto the deck like I was trying to steal home and glided between their legs. I threw punches and kicked kicks at their groins. A chorus of pain and agony swept over the group, and they all crumpled to their knees clutching at their vital parts. I now breached two places in their walls around Erik and was able to see Marge and Hazel climb over the climb onto the deck. Marge jumped onto an attacking werewolf as Hazel pulled out more of whatever she had thrown at the werewolf in the water. Her catch phrase was now the spelling incantation, and she threw whatever she had like a professional baseball pitcher. The werewolves snapped up her small objects like they were candy, and each one clutched at their throat and collapsed to their knees writing in pain as they transformed back into their normal selves.