by Bryce Evans
Temptations
Alpha City Book #5
Bryce Evans
Contents
Blurb
Prologue
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
Also by Bryce Evans
About the Author
Temptations
Alpha City Book #5
by: Bryce Evans
Copyright © December 2016 Bryce Evans
Art and Logo Copyright © Bryce Evans
All rights reserved.
Edited by: Alexis Ardent
Artwork by: Jess Buffett
Formatted by: Stacey Price
Published by: Bryce Evans
E-books are not transferrable.
This book is intended for the purchaser’s sole use.
Sharing, or downloading to other individuals or devices is illegal.
This work is fictional. Any resemblance to real persons, places, or events is purely coincidental.
All Rights Are Reserved.
No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission of the author, except in the case of quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.
I would like to acknowledge my mom, who passed away a few years ago; she told me to follow my dreams and never allow anyone to tell me I couldn’t achieve them.
Thanks to the love of my life, John, for making me a place to write and even taking up the slack when I was typing away in my own world. You helped to make my dream come true. It may be a small table in the corner, but it’s my corner of make believe, where dreams do come true.
Thanks to my beautiful kids, who keep me grounded and drive me crazy at the same time. I love you all.
Thanks to Janka Dustan who agreed to be my PA and tells me now what to do and when to do it. We have been figuring it out and having a great time at it. Thanks Janka.
Thanks to my Beta Readers: Janka Dustan and Mary Durham.
A SPECIAL THANKS to the REBELS. You know who you are.
It’s a long road but it’s worth it! We did it!!!!!! And now we are making it a reality.
Please be kind and leave a review on the site you purchased the book from.
Blurb
Nolan Banks, Alpha of the Bank Tigers faces many things in his role as the leader of his kind. When he meets Skylar, she’s the most intriguing woman he’s ever seen. His instincts scream at him he can trust her, but she represents everything he hates most; Dragon shifters. He has to decide if she is gathering information for her brother, and use her to discover their weaknesses and use that knowledge to wipe out her entire clan, and kill her at the same time.
Skylar is known throughout the shifter world as the last Dragon Princess. Her brother Jamal is hated, and now that she’s pledged her allegiance to fight with the Alphas of Alpha City, her brother will be after her as well. What she hadn’t planned on, was the Alpha of the Banks Tigers to mean so much to her.
Time has run out in Alpha City for the Alphas who run it. They must band together to face a danger more powerful than anything they’ve ever known. With all their lives on the line, it’s not a question of when, but who, will die next.
Prologue
Nolan runs for his life as the dragon king, Jamal, races through the sky toward him. He can scent the dragon’s fire as the smell of burned trees and flesh assaults his nose. He knows this is just a dream, but he has to find out what else is coming. He’s scared, but he has to hold it together for his people. They’re depending on him.
This is the battle that will decide the fate of the Alphas in Alpha City. They are preparing for a war that will either send them all to their deaths, or make them the slaves of a witch who wants to destroy them all. Claudia Blackwood and her fellow witches have aligned themselves with an unimaginable darkness that continues to grow within the coven. They can all feel the dark magic as it covets the once-clean air they breathe.
Nolan Banks, Alpha of the tiger shifters, knows that they might not make it. All of his best friends have mated and are part of the Order, who have pledged to work together to defeat what is coming. His emotions are all over the place, and he doesn’t have a mate to ground him like the others.
He can’t shake the horrible feeling that they are not strong enough for what Claudia has unleashed and brings with her to Alpha City. The dragon’s roar echoes behind him, jarring him out of his thoughts. Run faster, Nolan! a voice screams out. The clicking sound that always precedes the dragon’s fire punctuates the air, and he feels the blistering heat behind him. Tumbling forward, Nolan cries out in pain.
“Alpha! Alpha Nolan, wake up!” Fisher Reed yelled out.
“Oh God, please help us.”
Chapter One
Claudia watched as Jamal landed. Something was wrong. “No!” he roared in anger as he shifted back into human form. The rage was evident on his face. Something had definitely gone wrong.
She watched as a young girl ran out to meet him with a robe. After he took it from her, Jamal backhanded the girl, knocking her into the wall. Claudia listened as her head hit the cement wall, and knew the girl was dead. She shook her head. If he kept killing his maids, he would have to clean up after himself. Whatever set him off; she knew it had to be pretty bad. Her lover should have had a smile on his face when he returned from burning the whole town down.
The Alphas were getting wiser and getting help, but from whom? They had ferreted out most of her spies; she still had a few they didn’t know about, but little information was being given to them. She needed to get someone on the inside, and she knew exactly who to use—Roman Locke was waiting for her downstairs. He was on the Vampire Council, and would give up one of his own if it meant he got what he wanted. She had seen him at work, and knew that if anyone could find out what was going on, it would be him. If he didn’t have any good news or answers for her, though, she would kill him. Or better yet, let Jamal release his rage on him.
When she walked into the living room, Jamal was pouring himself a drink while Locke cowered in the corner. At least he wasn’t down on his knees shivering. God, she hated when they did that. He stood stock-still as if they might forget he was there. Damn vampires and their unnerving ability to stand still like statues.
“What happened?” Claudia asked, settling in a chair facing the dragon. She watched as Jamal poured himself another drink and gulped it down before he acknowledged her.
“My sister.” Those two words had her up and across the room in an instant. Her heart was banging like a sledgehammer against her chest.
“What?” Claudia held up a finger, staring at Jamal. “I don’t think I heard you right.” She could feel the rage building, the magic that was bottled up inside her slashing at her insides, trying to break through. This could derail her plans.
“You heard me.”
“I thought you said she would never interfere. You said—”
Turning around, Jamal gritted his teeth and threw the glass against the wall. “I know what I said.” She could actually see smoke coming off of him, and the faint lines of his scales protruded through his skin as his anger flashed.
“You’ve actually seen her?”
“I had the tiger Alpha in my sights, and would’ve
burned him alive if it hadn’t been for Skylar. She saved him.” Jamal’s hands clenched into fists, as he slammed one into the wall, punching a hole straight through the concrete. “I can’t believe she’s come back. Why now?” Claudia watched as Jamal closed his eyes and leaned against the wall.
“This doesn’t change anything,” she said, turning around with a dismissive wave of her hand.
“It changes everything.” Jamal’s voice was lower, which meant he was very dangerous right now. She stepped away from him in case he decided to hit something else, and forced her to end his life sooner than she was planning. She needed him just a little bit longer.
“How? How does this change our plans?” Claudia clasped her hands together and waited for an answer. It didn’t matter; she had planned for this too long to change anything now. People were already in place. Her plan was strong, and would take Alpha City by surprise. Everyone would soon be bowing down on their knees in her presence. The sister would just have to be dealt with. Jamal would have to show her that he could handle this.
“My sister is strong. Maybe not as strong as me, but very close. And I don’t know how many dragons she has with her. If there are others, than we need to change our plans. She knows me well enough to know what I would do to hurt Alpha City.”
“No!” Claudia’s magic swarmed around the room, searching for someone or something to sink its claws into. When she turned around and faced Jamal she didn’t see fear on his face; he was worried now, and if he was worried, then the sister was a problem.
She could see her own face in the mirror hanging on the wall. The magic flowed all around her now. She loved the power, craved it, and when she got Thoth’s power the Elves wouldn’t stand a chance against her. Nobody would. The God’s magic would give her the control she needed to rule the world.
“Changing the plan is not an option. I have put all of this into motion, and we will not change it.” Pointing her finger at Locke, Claudia allowed a small snippet of her magic out. “You will find out if there are other dragons and report back to me. Don’t fail me, Locke.” Claudia laughed, shaking her head. “You don’t want to see what happens to those that have. Do you understand?”
Her magic flicked across Locke’s face like a hot knife cutting into butter. He pushed his hand against the cut but blood continued to flow through his fingers. The magic had burned straight through to the bone. “I want to know what they are planning. Every detail, every person they have in place. I want to know it all.”
“I understand.” Locke hurried out of the room before she could decide to kill him. When she turned back to Jamal, he was smiling.
“I love to watch you in action when you get mean.” Jamal slammed her forward against the couch. Grabbing her hair, he jerked her head back toward his chest. “Now be a good girl and bend over.”
Locke rushed to the SUV. His guard, Hank, was waiting with the door open. When Hank saw blood dripping down his face, he went on alert. Before he could bombard him with twenty questions, Locke gritted his teeth and muttered, “Just get in and go.”
He had turned Hank ten years ago when another wrestler broke his leg. At the time he was called Hank the Tank, but now he was Locke’s personal bodyguard. Hank was good at finding out information; he would torture his victims until they gave him everything he wanted. When this was all over, he would send Hank to visit the witch. She would pay for what she had done. He didn’t have what he needed yet, but he would. Soon enough he would be in control, and he’d give the witch what she had coming.
Hank was driving down the road and out of the gate before he spoke. “What happened, Master?”
“A problem. A big problem. One that I’m forced to deal with now. When this is over, remind me to kill the witch,” Locke hissed, pressing the towel against his face. He looked in the mirror he had stashed in the side panel; the wound was already healing. “Are Ken and the others ready and waiting?”
“Yes, Master. They just arrived outside of town and are waiting for us to arrive.”
“Good, I want them scouting the area for anything useful. I have to be at the council meeting later, so you’ll need to get them started.”
“What are we looking for, Master?” Hank asked.
“I don’t know yet, but the shifters are up to something, and I want to know what it is. In the meantime, we’re altering our plans. Find me someone who knows what’s going on in Alpha City. I need someone on the inside who can tell me what the Alphas are planning. Right now, you’ll meet the wolf and get the spray he’s selling us. It’s supposed to mask your scent.” Locke looked out the window. “You know what to do when you get it?”
Hank chuckled. He hated animals, and that included shifters of any kind. “I’ll kill the dog once I get it.”
“You do mean the wolf, Hank?” Locke corrected him.
“Yes, Master.”
“Remember, Hank, we have to make them believe that we’re on their side when we arrive in Alpha City. Calling them dogs isn’t going to convince them we have their backs. Get yourself under control. We have enough problems now that the dragon princess has arrived helping the shifters.” The vampire watched as Hank glanced back at him.
“I thought she was dead.”
“No, not dead but in hiding. Now she’s back, and the king is worried. And if he’s worried about her, than we need to be worried about her. They want to know if there are others with her, and my life depends on finding that out.” Locke leaned his head back against the seat. “They’re not going to give up that information to me. We—or rather, you—need to find someone to who would know that.”
“Yes, Master.”
“And Hank, how about doing this quietly? If they find out that we’re double-crossing them, they’ll kill us both.” Locke hated having to play nice. They would all pay in the end. He should’ve been the High Master, and before he was finished, he would be. Mick Vanguard and his family would die right along with the shifters. He’d had enough of the aristocrat and his family—they were a disgrace to his kind.
Chapter Two
Mick Vanguard sat down at the table and made sure he made eye contact with each member of the Vampire Council. There were only a few that he trusted, and Roman Locke wasn’t one of them. The smile the man was giving to the other members was fake and dangerous. Mick knew his true ambition was to control both the vampires and the shifters. He had a hunch that Locke was the one supplying information to the witch, and he would pay for not supporting his people.
Maggie Lamont, one of his daughters, had already informed him what Locke had done to her mate’s mother. When Judd was a boy, Locke had tried to attack him. Judd’s mother had saved her son’s life by knocking Locke to the ground, and in return he killed her—taking every last drop of her blood, and then ripping her throat out. All this had occurred in front of Judd, who swore to get revenge. And if Mick had anything to say about it, he’d be helping.
Mick couldn’t count the number of times Locke had gotten into his home, bugging it and listening to his private conversations. There was too much information that Locke happened to know about. Only a few of his children and him knew about it. They searched the house and found bugging devices in every room. Locke brought up something that he was working on and the only way he knew was from the listening device he had planted. How he got them in his home was still a mystery to him. Now they checked regularly for any device. Now that he had planted the cameras nothing else was getting out, but Mick was still careful about what was being said inside his own home.
Everyone was present at the meeting today and Mick needed the Masters to agree with him if his plan was going to work. High Master Jacob Privet stood up, placed his hands on the table, and addressed the council members. “Let the meeting begin. We have a lot to talk about.” Jacob was a good friend and confidant to Mick. After his Sire was killed, Jacob had taken Mick under his wing. He owed the man a lot. If Jacob ever needed him for anything, he would be there.
“Master Mick Vanguard
has asked to speak to the committee about Alpha City.” The High Master nodded toward him.
Standing up, Mick bowed to him. “Thank you, High Master. Gentlemen, I have news from Alpha City. The city is in a tremendous battle with the witch Claudia Blackwood and the dragon king, Jamal. Their sole mission is to get into Valceria.” Mick watched as some of the members looked shocked and whispered to one other. He didn’t want to beat around the bush; it was time for the Vampire Council to get involved and help. Others, like Roman Locke appeared surprised, but Mick saw the smirk cross his face before he hid it. “Yes, Valceria. She has sworn to kill all the Alphas and make the shifters her slaves.”
“Sorry to interrupt, Master Vanguard, but I have also heard some disturbing news involving Alpha City. I was told that Bo and Cat Toland are still alive and have mated. Now they have a clan, and are living outside Alpha City. You were in charge of killing them so they couldn’t mate, were you not?” Roman Locke said with a smug expression.
Mick had known this was going to happen. Locke was going to try and discredit him so the vote wouldn’t go through. “For someone who professes ignorance about the situation in Alpha City, you sure know a lot about what’s going on.” Mick let that last statement sit with the other members. “But to answer your question, obviously they knew about our plans and found a way around them. We found two bodies in that car, but apparently it wasn’t them.”
“What are we going to do about this clan?” Locke looked out toward the other members.
“Nothing,” Mick answered confidently, staring at Locke.
“Nothing? But they are stronger than us, and—”
“Mean us no harm. My daughter Maggie is mated to Judd Walsh, the Alpha of the panthers in Alpha City. They are both vampire-shifter hybrids, and very strong indeed. However, they mean us no harm as long as we leave them alone. Maggie has assured me that Bo and Cat Toland have no plans to go after us for revenge. And…”