Bad Boys of the Night: Eight Sizzling Paranormal Romances: Paranormal Romance Boxed Set

by Jennifer Ashley

  Aiden and the males in his pack assembled before the red, empty barn. Every one of them stood over six feet, an army of muscled warriors ready for action.

  They all screamed testosterone. Aiden detached himself from the group, and headed for her, his gait strong and confident. Stalking her like the predator he was.

  How could she fool this powerful werewolf, who had desired her so much that he’d bought the note on her ranch and fought against strong alphas to have her?

  Desired her, and the females in her pack. Not loved her.

  She had to get them the hell off her land before the disease struck all these healthy male Lupines. Fishing her favorite knife out of the scabbard strapped to her thigh, Nia gripped it, feeling the edges of the hilt. It felt like an old friend holding her hand.

  Aiden scanned the grounds. “Where’s the rest of your guards? The males?”

  “My guards are out patrolling.”

  No lie, for the strongest of her guards were patrolling. He didn’t need to know they were all females.

  Guilt filled her. And now she had a pack of males on her land, land that could kill them. Damnit, why did Mitchell have to bring them all?

  Nia swept the knife tip in a wide arc, pointing at all the men. “Overkill much? Trying to impress me, Mitchell?”

  He frowned. “Why are you so edgy with me? You asked for my strongest men. All my men fit the bill. If they had been alpha and fought in the challenge, they might have beaten me.”

  “Too bad they didn’t.”

  “I said, might have. I would have won, no matter what.”

  “You’re pretty cocky and determined, huh Mitchell.”

  “When the prize is you, sweetheart, I can be very determined.” Aiden studied her body, the heat of his gaze like a visual caress. “Have I ever told you how sexy you look in leather?”

  She looked at his men, their loyalty to Aiden obvious. Next to her, Roxanne gave a real smile, adjusting the strap of her rifle on her shoulder and giving Garth a meaningful glance.

  A glance promising hot sex. Nia knew the woman’s frustrations. And the depth of her loyalty. Celibate, until her leader had chosen a mate.

  So long celibacy, nice to know you, Nia thought as she caught her beta making flirtatious eye contact with Garth.

  She did not see one familiar face among the Mitchell males. Her niece’s mate. “Where’s Jackson?”

  “I left him on the ranch to help run things while I’m gone.” Aiden gave her a thoughtful look. “And I wasn’t certain if you wanted him on your property for the challenge, seeing as you lost your niece to him. I know how much you love Lexie, and wanted her to stay with you.”

  Nia had formally adopted Lexie after her parents abandoned her for having a deformed foot. It had been a rough time for the entire pack, having lost their alpha to the disease. But having Lexie around, and trying to comfort the grieving, confused teen had assuaged Nia’s own grief, and proved to be a welcome distraction.

  “I love her, but I want her to be happy. Is Jackson making her happy, Mitchell?”

  He nodded. “Very much so.”

  Nia sighed. “Then I can’t ask for anything more. Let’s go.”

  Aiden slowed his pace, keeping a possessive hand on the small of her back as they set out for the thick forest at the ranch’s border.

  “So you brought only the single males, except for Darius,” she told him. “Are they here to support you or comfort you if you’d lost?”

  “They want to select mates from the females in your pack.”

  “And what if you had lost?”

  “They knew I would not.” He smiled.

  “You’re that sure of yourself.”

  “I want you that much.”

  Such frank talk rattled her. She gave him a curious glance. “Desperate to settle down, Mitchell? What happened? Werewolf Mingle or another online dating site didn’t work out?”

  “I didn’t want any other female,” he said softly, his gaze giving her another one of those long, appreciative looks. “I want what is due to me, what you owe me, Nikita.”

  “I owe you nothing.”

  “Except your virginity.” His dark gaze gleamed. “But I’m willing to wait until tomorrow night to claim my prize.”

  She bristled, her fingers curling tighter around the knife hilt. “I’m not a carnival toy you won by playing ring toss.”

  “I never said you were.” He stopped and clasped her shoulders, his expression intent. “You’re far too precious. But know this, Blakemore, when I see something I want, I stop at nothing to get it. From the moment I saw you riding Windstorm, your hair gleaming in the sun, laughing as you raced through the pasture, I wanted you.”

  She didn’t have Windstorm anymore. She’d sold the mare to help pay for the ranch’s bills. So much had changed since the day Aiden first saw her. Except his determination.

  “I knew I’d do anything to have you.”

  A shiver coursed down her spine. The wolf was more ruthless than she’d ever expected. Nia stared at him.

  He released her shoulders. “Please, put away the knife.”

  “I know how to use it.”

  “I’m sure you do.” He gave a rueful glance downward. “On all the right parts.”

  Nia gave a grudging laugh and sheathed the blade. She really liked this male. Would hate for him to succumb to the fate of the ranch’s other males. At that thought, she sobered. “After we’re done here, send your men home.”

  “No. I want them to get to know your females better. My men have become a little, ah, testy. They need to settle down. They need a woman’s touch around their homes.”

  “Barefoot and pregnant, waiting hand and foot on their men,” she muttered, resenting the idea.

  “Barefoot, yes.” A crooked grin touched his full mouth. “Pregnant, eventually. But my men are accustomed to fending for themselves.”

  “Uh huh. Next thing you know, you’ll be telling me they iron their own shirts and cook dinner.”

  “Of course. And bake cookies, too,” he teased.

  The ridiculous image of all those big, muscled males wearing aprons as they slid trays of cookies into the oven coaxed her to give the first real smile she’d felt in weeks.

  Somehow this wolf always made her smile and she truly enjoyed verbally sparring with them. Her expression went cold. She must keep him at arm’s length.

  Had she a choice, she’d have remained single, chaste and alone. Freedom proved too valuable to her, and she enjoyed making her own decisions. Perhaps too much.

  She’d been forced into this challenge because Aiden owned the note on her ranch. Nia had fought hard to maintain her ranch and her people in this untamed region of rugged country. But if her people were to survive once Niki found a cure for the disease, they needed mates. Strong males like the ones in the Mitchell pack. Emotion rose in her throat. Her own personal needs mattered little. The survival of the pack came first.

  But Aiden didn’t realize exactly what he was walking into at her ranch.

  The alpha’s dark gaze swept over the land, with its tangle of undergrowth and the overgrown pastures. Aiden had seen how her ranch had fallen into disrepair.

  And he’d seen she had no mature males in her pack, a fact she’d hidden until now.

  “What happened to all your men, Niki? Why did they die?”

  She’d told him that many of the males left after her father and brothers died because they refused to be ruled by a female alpha. The explanation had suited him, until now.

  “Die? Why do you ask?”

  He stopped and gave her a level look, his black brows drawing together in a scowl. “If the males left because they refused to take orders from a woman, they’d have taken their families as well. Their mates. Lupines mate for life.”

  Her stomach churned and her palms grew sweaty. “Some of them do. And now you’re questioning me on this?”

  “I had my doubts before. Now that this is my pack as well, I want answers.”
>
  Resentment filled her. How easily he took charge. And what about all my hard work? You would never see me as an equal, Mitchell. You’re too alpha.

  “Can we deal with one question at a time, Mitchell? Like the question of how we’re going to kill these gnomes?”

  At his nod, she kept walking, but Nia knew he wouldn’t let it slide. Aiden would needle her for hard answers she didn’t want to give.

  As they reached the forest’s edge, Aiden halted. His nostrils flared and a muscle ticked beneath the crispness of beard stubble shadowing his jaw. His hand shot out, stayed her.

  “That’s no gnome.”

  Fear congealed on her tongue as she tested the air. “Worse. Skin.”

  Gunfire cracked in the distance. Aiden’s jaw clenched. “Godsdamn it. Didn’t you have a mystic ward the land against two-legged trespassers?”

  Garth and Darius gave him an inscrutable look. Nia’s jaw tensed. She heard Roxanne draw in a shaky breath. The most powerful mystic in their pack had died more than two years ago, leaving their borders vulnerable.

  “Security Fail. New hashtag around these parts.” Nia pushed at a stray lock of hair. “These intruders kill wolves. Nothing stops them. They’re scared of only one thing.”

  Roxanne held up her rifle.

  “And this.” The knife slid into Nia’s palm. She twirled it, staring into the woods that had been in her family for generations. “I prefer my combat up close and personal.”

  True enough. How many times had she gone on midnight raids to clear these woods of threats?

  He seized her wrist. “Not that personal. Those are shotguns. They’ll turn you into mincemeat before you can draw close.”

  Aiden glanced at Darius and Garth. “Take Roxanne and the men, follow the trail of humans and deal with them. I’ll handle the gnomes. I want one for questioning, to find out why it’s invading this territory.”

  Fear touched her. If the little pipsqueak blabbed to Aiden, their secret no longer remained safe.

  She’d rather kill the gnomes herself.

  “Nikita, stay behind me,” he ordered.

  Not giving him time to react, she tugged her arm free and raced into the forest, the sharp sound of his rich curses trailing behind her.

  The gnomes were normally dull-witted, but sharp when it came to money. They scented the presence of Pandora’s Chest and would do anything to have it. Trample over pack territory. If a rival pack or hell, any Other discovered the secret, they’d destroy her people in their madness for power.

  This was the real deal, and Others killed for such power.

  The real deal, that came at a terrible price.

  Disease.

  Death.

  Fangs flashing and piercing, horrible screams, the empty look in the eyes of the males gasping their last breath as the parvolupus disease claimed them at last.

  A tendril of scent, beer and sweaty Skin filled her senses. Nia hugged an oak tree and closed her eyes. Scent was her best ability, not sight.

  A branch cracked to her left.

  And then a hand closed over her shoulder, a warm, calloused palm slid over her mouth.

  “Don’t scream,” a deep voice rumbled in her ear.

  Nia clasped his wrist, her fingers barely meeting, and pushed away his hand from her mouth.

  Fury raged in Aiden’s dark eyes as he turned her around. He pinned her shoulders against the oak with his hands. “I told you to follow me. You didn’t listen. Do you know how damn dangerous it is, tackling a pack of gnomes on your own? They can maim you before they kill you.”

  But his hands were gentle as he cupped her face. Aiden stroked his thumbs over her jaw. “You’re never endangering yourself again. Deal? I’m not watching you risk getting crippled and scarred. I’ll handle this.”

  Her lower lip trembled. Few in her pack other than her sister would notice if she returned with scars. They were all too busy trying to survive from one day to the next.

  Nia managed to find her voice. “Don’t be so arrogant, Mitchell. We’ll handle this together. We can’t risk keeping one alive. Have to kill them all. They’re too slippery.”

  “Where are they?” His voice sounded so sexy and deep. She shuddered as he pressed tight against her.

  “8 o’clock, about one hundred yards and closing in.”

  His erection pushed through his jeans against her belly.

  “You sure you can fight them in your delicate condition?” she asked.

  “Darling, I can fight in any condition.” He blew a warm breath into her ear. “But I’d rather make love to you so let’s get this over with so we can look forward to consummating our union.”

  Aiden’s tongue traced a line over the outer shell of her ear, and it felt like a lick of fire between her legs. Clenching her teeth, she brought up her knife as he moved out.

  A bitter wind rustled through the trees, kicking up dead leaves and blowing them in puffed-cheek playfulness. Nia concentrated on the scents. Sour lemon fear and stale candle wax. Spongy rot mingling with metal and cordite.

  A hunter with a gun, recently fired.

  Aiden jerked his head to the left. She followed.

  Beneath his shirt, his muscles flexed as he stalked through the trees, moving as silently as his wolf. He took the pathway flanking the ribbon of clear creek water that ran from the property’s edge to the pond. When he reached a small clearing in the trees, he stopped and ducked behind the trunk of a tall oak tree. Nia joined him, biting back a hiss of real alarm. She pulled out her knife.

  Twelve gnomes with little pointed caps and equally pointed teeth surrounded one scared Skin clutching a shotgun. The red of the gnomes’ caps matched the human’s hunting jacket.

  A large wet patch stained the front of his jeans. Her nostrils flared at the scent of urine. Beside her, Aiden narrowed his eyes. His lips pulled back in a snarl, claws emerging from his fingers.

  Nia wrapped her fingers around his thick wrist, shook her head.

  Jaw clenched to granite, he scowled at her, but sheathed his claws. Surprise filled her. The man was willing to follow her lead.

  “The human can wait. Let him go,” she whispered. “Have you ever killed a dragon seeking gnome?”

  “Only a regular one.”

  “Easiest is to distract it by removing its hat. They’re vulnerable with their heads exposed. Flick off the cap and then you attack. If you don’t cut off their heads, they reanimate.”

  Twirling her blade, Nia stepped into the clearing. Seeing her, the hunter looked relieved, then he ran off.

  Twelve red caps quivered, their owners’ normally merry gray eyes filled with fury at being denied their toy. Their bright blue coats and dark green trousers were stained with dirt, and blood dripped from their neatly trimmed white beards. Gnomes gone wild. Nia lowered her blade, ready to attack.

  The one closest to her held the tiny corpse of a sparrow, which it gnawed like a child sucking a Popsicle.

  No one messes with my birds. She growled. Tensing her thigh muscles, Nia sprang forward, the blade pointed outward. The gnome glanced up, then dropped its meal with a snarl.

  And then he raced away. She caught him. Flick. Her knife tip stabbed the gnome’s hat, sent it spiraling into the air. Beneath the hat, the gnome had a bald head. The creature screamed, grasping for the cap. Nia kicked the gnome, sending it sprawling. It crawled away, fumbling with the tiny blade in its belt, but she pounced. Holding it between her thighs, she squeezed hard and then brought her blade down, slicing off its head. Bright greenish gray blood spurted over her leathers.

  It wasn’t as efficient as killing them in wolf form, but it sufficed.

  A loud snarl sounded behind her. She turned, stunned at the sight of Aiden.

  He’d shifted and tore at the creatures, snarling, jaws snapping. She’d warned him to cut off their heads, but the wolf was magnificent, a huge killing machine whose paws raked over the gnomes’ heads, sending their caps sailing. And then Aiden snapped, his jaws tearing off the c
reatures’ heads.

  By the time she charged forward, ready to assist, he’d killed the remaining gnomes. He went and washed his muzzle in the cold stream.

  Nia scanned the clearing. The ground was littered with gnome blood and gore, making it difficult to single out a scent. She circled the clearing’s perimeter, searching for escapees.

  Crunching leaves and breaking twigs drew away her attention. Aiden’s males, accompanied by Darius, Garth, and Roxanne, raced into the clearing just as Aiden returned. The wolf loped up behind her, head-butted her thigh. Aiden lifted his dark eyes to her, the message in them clear. Shift.

  Sorry, I can’t. I haven’t eaten raw meat in more than a month and I have a little trouble. But pride prevented her from telling Aiden this.

  Aiden changed back to Skin and clothed himself by magick. “Niki, shift to wolf right now so we can patrol the rest of the area and flush out any stragglers. I don’t want you fighting in Skin anymore. It’s too inefficient and that damn knife can’t protect you as much as your wolf can.”

  “No.” She turned to Roxanne. “Report.”

  “Got the Skins.” Roxanne gazed at Garth in obvious respect. “Garth gave them a lecture, and I didn’t even have to show my gun. I believe he scared them off for good. We found the other hunter who fainted. Darius tied him to a tree.”

  Garth gave a modest shrug. “Treat Skins with the threat they fear the most. Not weapons, but lawsuits for trespassing.”

  Nia smiled, relief filling her. At least the Skin threat was gone for now.

  “Any more evidence of stragglers? Or other intruders?” she asked Roxanne.

  Her beta shook her head. “None. Our patrols have all checked in.”

  Good. Nothing to worry about.

  Aiden laced his fingers around her wrist. “Nikita. I told you to shift.”

  “The gnomes are all dead, as you just heard. It’s not necessary.”

  “Oh, but it is,” he said softly. “Now that the threat is dispensed, it’s time to address the issue of your disobedience.”

  Her mouth went dry. “I did nothing wrong.”

  “You disobeyed me. In front of my pack. I made my rules known to you when I signed up for the fight. Anyone, including my mate, who directly disobeys me, gets mounted by me to know their proper place.” Aiden narrowed his gaze. “Shift into wolf. Right now.”