by Bianca D'Arc
Tales of the Were ~ Were-Fey Love Story #3
MIDNIGHT KISS
by
Bianca D’Arc
This book is a work of fiction. The names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the writer’s imagination or have been used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, actual events, locale or organizations is entirely coincidental.
This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.
Copyright © 2018 Bianca D’Arc
Published by Hawk Publishing, LLC
All Rights Are Reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.
DEDICATION
With many thanks to my friend, Peggy McChesney for her enthusiasm about this project. Big kudos to my editor, Jess Bimberg as well, since she went above and beyond, playing hurt and then sick to finish this one.
Special thanks to Dad who put up with my distraction while writing this, and a lot of poorly prepared meals, dirty dishes stacking up, and un-vacuumed carpets because of it! LOL. I tend to get a little, um…focused…when a book really speaks to me the way this one did. I think it was all worth it.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Prologue
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Epilogue
Excerpt from Phoenix Rising
About the Author
Other Books by Bianca D’Arc
PROLOGUE
Margo Mahigan surveyed the campground in rural Pennsylvania with amusement Her Pack had moved in and taken it over completely for the past week. The kids were having a ball, trying to catch fish in the little stream that separated the campground—which had been closed for the season before her family descended—and the cow pasture on the other side. The adults had created conversation areas in various parts of the campground, and at night, if there were an abnormally large number of huge “dogs” on the loose, nobody said anything.
The owners of the property were being paid handsomely for the exclusive off-season rental. They weren’t on site at night, so the campers could do as they pleased. That nearly the entire Pack had chosen to travel to the United States from Canada at this time of year to welcome back two lost members said a lot about their desire for unity and reunion.
The Pack had nearly fallen apart completely twenty years ago when the leadership had come under the magical influence of a human named Mathias Bolivar. That Bolivar had since been discovered to have magical powers wasn’t entirely surprising to Margo. Only a mage could have influenced the Alpha pair so greatly that they lost complete contact with their only daughter.
Evie had run away, believing her family had disowned her for daring to mate with a fey warrior. In truth, they had begun looking for her the moment she left, but her trail had been magically fouled. Even the Alpha wolf could not pick up Evie’s scent.
For twenty years, Evie had been lost to her family and the wider Pack. Her disappearance had been a wound that had never healed. From time to time, various members of the Pack would try to pick up the trail, to no avail. Margo had first been drawn to detective work because she had participated in several of the efforts to try to find Evie in the human world.
Margo had turned her interest into a career. She hadn’t been the one to find Evie, much to her chagrin, but she had helped many other families in similar circumstances since becoming an agent of the foremost shifter detective agency in North America. In fact, she had just been promoted to head up the Canadian operations of Collin Hastings’ agency. It was a great honor, and a great responsibility.
She had taken a little time off, though, once word of Evie’s reappearance—with her grown son, Joshua—had spread. The fact that Josh had found his mate and was getting married in the human way, with a ceremony and a big party, was cause for celebration. The entire Pack had wanted to come, to show their support and re-forge ties that should never have been broken. Not everybody could take off at a moment’s notice, but those who could had packed up and driven close to a thousand miles from Canada to southeastern Pennsylvania, to be there for Josh’s big day.
The ceremony had taken place on the winter solstice. It had been a beautiful, romantic ritual, shared among family from both sides. The bride was a powerful priestess, from a long line of holy women with fey blood and magical men who had passed muster to join such a lineage. The ceremony itself had been presided over by the High Priestess, Bettina, who was called simply grandmother by everyone in the bride’s family.
Josh had been raised as a lone wolf by his mother, Evie. His father hadn’t been in the picture. In fact, his sire, Sir Rayburne, had only recently been reunited with his mate, Evie. He’d spent the last twenty years as a prisoner in the fey realm.
Margo still couldn’t really imagine going it alone for all those years. She had a lot of respect for Evie, and she was really beginning to like her cousin, Josh. He was a steadfast sort of guy, with a deep core of goodness about him. And his mate, Deena, was a little spooky, but also a lot of fun.
Her family, though… They were all very nice, but her younger brother was… Margo wasn’t sure how, exactly, to describe Gabriel Llewellyn. Infuriating? No. He wasn’t that bad. Intriguing? Definitely. Sexy as all get out? Hmm. Yeah. If she was being honest with herself, she was very attracted to the rogue.
But he was a mage. Born of a union between a priestess and a mage. That combination confused Margo’s inner wolf, who was a bit of a monster. Margo had been born with more than her fair share of Alpha tendencies, which made her a great detective who wouldn’t let anything stand in the way of finding what she was looking for or protecting those who needed her help, but it also made her wolf a little unmanageable at times. Like when it didn’t really understand where someone stood in the hierarchy of the Pack.
Gabe was not Pack. He might be related by marriage now, but he wasn’t a shifter. Her inner wolf didn’t know what to do with that. How strong was he considered among his fellow mages? Was he a power to be reckoned with? Was he the equivalent of an Alpha? Until her wolf could get a bead on exactly where he fit into the social structure, she would feel uncomfortable around him. As if someone was stroking her fur the wrong way. Not entirely unpleasant, but definitely a little off.
“Auntie Margo! Come look what we caught!” The plaintive little voice piped up from somewhere around Margo’s knee.
She looked down to find her brother’s youngest boy had snuck up on her again. Little Angus was going to be one hell of a tracker when his time came. Margo reached down to scoop the child up in her arms and walked him down to the bank of the creek where the rest of his siblings were playing with makeshift fishing poles, plastic buckets bought at the dollar store and making a huge, muddy mess. It sure looked like fun.
Gabe watched his woman from afar. He
was visiting the campground in order to finalize plans for a big New Year’s Eve party he was helping coordinate. He was hoping to arrange some surprises for the newlyweds on the farm where the party was going to be held. In order to have any chance at maintaining secrecy until the big day, he’d been granted special permission to enter the Pack’s temporary territory at the campground.
What he saw made him smile as Margo—the delectable Margo—bent down to pick up a muddy child with a heartbreakingly tender expression on her beautiful face. She was going to be a great mother herself, someday, and Gabe had big plans to make sure that any children she had would be theirs—together.
He wanted Margo for his mate. It was just as simple as that. He’d taken one look at her and fallen hard. Something about her spoke to him on a basic level, and he knew she was the only one for him. Now all he had to do was get her to see it, too.
CHAPTER ONE
The New Year’s Eve party was rockin’, and Gabe was very pleased with the results of his planning and scheming over the past few days. They’d managed to cobble together a respectable band between the shifters and those of his family who played instruments. He’d even found a werewolf DJ among Margo’s Pack to fill in when the band needed a break.
Family members from both sides took turns singing, and everyone cheered them on. It was a good old-fashioned party with plenty to eat and drink. Gabe had sourced that stuff locally, as well. He’d financed this little shindig as a gift for his sister’s wedding.
Deena was pretty much tied to her farm because of the animals she’d taken in and her very special and demanding magical gift. She did best away from crowds of humans and living more or less sequestered on the farm with her animals. Which was why she and her new mate, Josh, hadn’t gone away on a honeymoon trip.
It had to be a little bit of a drag for them to still be surrounded by the whole extended family at this point, but Gabe hoped the party would help make up for it in some small way. Besides, after New Year’s, most of the wolf Pack would probably start heading back to Canada. His family would head back to their homes, as well. They’d all gathered here for Deena, but the newlyweds probably wanted some alone time, and the celebration of their mating had stretched on long enough.
Gabe, though… He had plans.
He wasn’t going home with the rest of his family. Nor was he going to allow one wolf in particular to go off without him. No, he was making plans to go on a manhunt with the luscious Margo. Where the trail would lead them, ultimately, he didn’t know, but he was eager to find out.
Not only did he want to help capture or permanently neutralize the mage who had done so much harm to Josh’s family, but Gabe wanted to spend time with Margo. That he could do both at the same time was a win-win, as far as he was concerned.
“You did a great job with this party.” A female voice came from Gabe’s side. He looked over to find Jacki Mahigan—Evie’s mother and matriarch of the wolf Pack—coming up beside him.
“Thank you, ma’am. I’m glad it all worked out. Did you have any of the shrimp? I’m sorry I didn’t order more. I had no idea your family would be so fond of seafood.” Was he babbling? Maybe. But this woman was somewhat intimidating.
Gabe had grown up in a family full of strong females, but human magic was old hat to him. Shifter magic… Now, that was something different. For some reason, it set him a little on edge, but in a good way. It was exciting. Sort of.
If he was being honest with himself, it was Margo that he found exciting. The rest of the wolf Pack was still a bit of an unknown quantity. In dealing with magic users, Gabe had learned to be cautious until he fully understood the group dynamics in any new situation. Meeting the Mahigan family of werewolves was no exception.
“We’re pretty serious carnivores, and sometimes, it’s nice to mix it up with seafood since we live inland,” the Alpha female told him. “Don’t worry, you did great, and everyone’s having a wonderful time.”
Gabe had already said thanks, so rather than repeat himself, he nodded respectfully. They stood side-by-side for a few minutes, watching the proceedings in companionable silence. The Alpha female seemed to be happy, which made Gabe happy. Her Pack had been through a lot of sorrow. They deserved a bit of happiness.
“You’ll have to run fast to catch up with our Margo,” Jacki said out of the blue after they’d been standing there some time. Gabe was surprised, but not in doubt of his ability to woo the magnificent Margo.
“When something is meant to be, it’s meant to be,” he replied softly, knowing the werewolf woman would hear him with her sensitive shifter hearing.
He could see her head turn toward him in his peripheral vision, so he swiveled his head to meet her gaze. It wouldn’t do to show a lack of confidence to the predator that lived inside the petite woman—especially since Gabe was feeling the hand of fate on his shoulder where Margo was concerned.
“I didn’t believe it before I met your sister, but your people can form mate bonds like mine, can they not?” Jacki wanted to know. Her stance said she wouldn’t go away until she had the information she wanted.
“There are a few theories floating around, but most of us believe it has something to do with the mix of fey blood and human magic in our ancestry.” Gabe kept his words low so as not to share this conversation with any of the other nearby werewolves. “All that magic, along with the fact that the Goddess takes more interest in our family than in most others, seems to lead us to our perfect mates. Like my sister, Deena, found your grandson, Josh. Surely, you’ve noticed how strong their bond is?”
The Alpha female looked over at the couple dancing a few yards away. Deena and Josh were gazing deeply into each other’s eyes, as if only they two existed in the entire world. Their devotion was easy to see, and the magic that swirled around them was something Gabe had seen before among the members of his family who were mated. That was a bond that would last the ages.
“What does it look like to you?” Jacki surprised him again by asking.
“Magic,” Gabe replied. “Swirling. Meshing. Twining together in ways that will never be undone. Utter devotion and perfect partnership.” He looked back at Jacki. “Isn’t that what mating among your kind is like?”
Her head tilted to the side. “Something like that, but it’s not visible to the eye. Not the same way you see the magic. It’s something we sense.”
“And what do you sense when you look at Deena and Josh?” Gabe challenged.
The Alpha female smiled gently as she looked at the young couple. “Mating,” she said softly, then turned back to meet Gabe’s gaze. “You’re right. They are as mated as if they were both shifters. So, tell me. Is that what you wish for with our Margo?”
Gabe swallowed, knowing Margo’s Pack was important to her, and vice versa. He would have to be straight with them, no matter what. The last thing he wanted was to alienate the Alpha female. A direct question deserved a direct answer.
“She draws me,” Gabe replied boldly. “I feel the pull of the bond that could form, given the slightest chance. I am compelled to be near her.”
Jacki regarded him for a long time then finally nodded. “Then, I wish you luck, young man. She is a strong woman, but I sense you’re no lightweight either. If she wants you, I doubt the Pack will raise any objection. Your family has been good to ours.”
“That goes both ways, ma’am,” Gabe said politely. “Your family is part of our extended family now, through this marriage. I hope to draw the ties even closer if I can convince Margo of what I believe in my heart.”
“Then, why are you standing here talking to me? Go out there, boy, and get her.” Jacki shooed him toward Margo, who stood on the other side of the dance floor, watching the crowd and talking with some of the others.
It was nearing midnight, so Jacki’s prodding fit very well with Gabe’s plans. He wanted to be the man holding Margo at midnight. He wanted to start their New Year off with the first of many kisses they would share…but he had to time it just rig
ht.
“May I have this dance?” Gabe asked Margo as he approached.
Gabe had arranged with the DJ, who had taken over from the impromptu band, to play a few slow dances around midnight. The werewolves seemed to universally enjoy dancing, so the chances were good that Margo would agree to his request. If she didn’t, he still planned to be at her side at midnight. He’d prepared a few topics of conversation to keep her talking until the countdown. He had it all worked out.
Margo tilted her head and gave a moment of thought to Gabe’s question. He was asking her to dance? While Deena’s family was mixing and mingling pretty liberally with the wolf Pack, those dancing were mostly wolves. The occasional human couple would try their luck with the slower songs, but for sheer rambunctiousness, you couldn’t beat a werewolf Pack.
“Are you sure you’re up to it?” Margo asked the all-too-human—okay, he was a tiny bit fey, too, but mostly human—male.
She looked pointedly at the mosh pit that passed for a dance floor as the younger set jammed to some noise they called music. Margo wasn’t old, but she was a little more discerning than her teenage Packmates.
Gabe held one finger to his temple and squinted as if listening to something only he could hear. “I predict a sudden change in tempo coming…right about…” He nodded to the DJ, and like magic, the music changed. “Now.”
Margo had to laugh. He’d set her up for that, but she couldn’t fault him. The music he’d chosen was perfect. A gentle, almost sexy beat that two people could dance to. Together. Not jumping around in a crowd, but face to face, body to body. Close. Intimate.
Her inner wolf woke up and took notice of the male in front of her. While her furry side still wasn’t sure what they thought about him, neither of her forms could argue with his choice in music. The wolf liked the beat, which sounded like the rhythm of a heart. Soothing. Warm. Home.