Blood Moon Rising Box Set (Books 1-6)

by Lola Taylor

  He was about Nik’s age and handsome in an old Civil War kind of way. He had a classically straight nose, a muscular frame, and a few scars to his face. Nik instantly gained more respect for him then. He could relate to a fighting man more than these pampered wusses.

  The uniformed man bowed low to Alara. “My lady, I was hoping to cut in?”

  Nik instinctively growled and pulled her closer. The man’s eyes narrowed in warning, a low growl also coming up his throat.

  Alara put a hand on both their chests. “Gentlemen, please. Yes, Gerard, I would be delighted.” She turned to Nik. “Thank you, Mister…?”

  “Nik. Call me Nik.” He grabbed her gloved hand and brought it to his lips, kissing it. “The pleasure’s been all mine, Lady Alara.”

  Color rose to her cheeks again. God, she was so pretty when she blushed. Did she have any idea how she was making him feel, of the delicious chaos raging inside him as he gazed at her?

  Gerard gave Nik a look that said, “Get lost, Beta scum.”

  Nik gave him a curt nod, at last tearing his eyes off Alara as he walked away. He couldn’t get the feel of her body off his mind. Still, his sex yearned to be inside her, to make sweet love to her like no wolf had ever done before.

  He scowled. She was not yet marked. She was royal, and royals, especially of her caliber, almost always marked other royals. He was foolish to think he could bed her so easily.

  He smiled to himself. “You silly dreamer.”

  The thought of her lying in another man’s arms, naked, drove him near mad. He went for the bar, ordering a glass of Scotch. As he drank, he couldn’t take his eyes off the dancers, his gaze furtively searching for the woman who’d so captivated him.

  He caught them waltzing closer to the door—and she was looking his way.

  Alara.

  Gerard followed her gaze, his eyes landing on Nik, to which Nik grinned and waved.

  Gerard promptly looked away, his form noticeably stiffer than before.

  Nik snickered.

  “You’re awfully chipper. What’s put you in such a good mood?”

  Nik didn’t turn at his brother’s voice as he joined him. “Eh. I’m sporting a pretty good buzz. Where’s your mate?”

  Gage pointed to the dance floor, where an elderly man was spinning her about while she laughed. Gage’s eyes got that soft twinkle they always did when he was watching her. Nik knew his brother hadn’t taken his eyes off her the entire time. He was very protective of his mate, as all werewolves were, but especially since she almost died.

  “It looked like you were getting close to the brunette over there.”

  Nik shrugged. His temperature flushed as he remembered the feel of her curves beneath his palm as it glided over the silk. He could feel himself getting hard again just thinking about it.

  “You do realize who that is, don’t you?”

  “What do you mean? She’s some lord’s daughter. Her manners are evidence enough of that.” Nik took a sip of his champagne.

  “Oh, she’s some lord’s daughter all right. That’s Alara Crescent, daughter of High King Victor Crescent.”

  Nik spit out his drink. “You’re shitting me.”

  “I shit you not.”

  Nik looked back at Alara as she danced. So his hunches were right—she was royal. He just hadn’t expected her to be high royalty, as in, future High Queen of their kind. All his flirting and hopeful puppy dog eyes…. He’d been screwed before he’d even had a chance. Princesses didn’t mark nobodies.

  He became aware Gage was watching him carefully. Shit. He was getting careless. He had to keep up his cover. His little brother had enough on his mind. With a wide grin, he said, “So how’s the party?”

  “Dull, but I knew it would be,” Gage said. His tone turned serious. “I may have a lead on Mistress Black.”

  Nik immediately straightened. “What do you know?”

  “Nothing yet. But one of the werewolves sought me out and said he might have something.”

  “Point him out to me.”

  Gage turned around and discreetly whispered, “The blond-haired gentleman across the room, talking to the Davenport Alpha and his mate.”

  Nik’s eyes met an older man’s from across the room. The silver flower pin shone from his lapel. “That’s our informant?” he hissed. “He’s a Nightshade.”

  “I know.”

  Nik studied Gage. “Do you trust him?”

  “What choice do I have? No one’s been able to dig up anything on Mistress Black. I can’t risk my mate’s—or my pack’s—safety. I have to do whatever it takes to find out who she is.”

  Nik hated the desperation in his brother’s voice. Not that he’d know anything about mates, but Nik was dead certain if someone had tried to kill his little brother—someone he loved more than anyone else in the world—he would do anything necessary to track down the assassin. Nik downed the rest of his champagne. “I’ll go with you.”

  They started to walk over to the other side of the room when gunfire broke out. Nik immediately grabbed Gage and hit the floor as Gage cried out his mate’s name.

  “Danica,” he said frantically.

  “I know,” Nik replied. “We’ll find her.”

  More gunfire—there were multiple assailants. Nik couldn’t risk his brother’s safety. He listened for the source of the assault.

  It was coming from the ballroom.

  His heart skipped a beat in fear.

  “Alara.”

  At first, Alara didn’t believe what she was hearing. There couldn’t possibly be gunfire, but it sure sounded like it, coming from multiple directions. Then there was the sensation of something grazing her arm, right before Gerard slammed her into the floor and shielded her with his own body.

  “Attack!” he bellowed. “Guards, get the high family out of here!”

  Alara looked around frantically as people screamed and scrambled about. It was total chaos. She wasn’t even sure what she was searching for until Gerard hauled her up and started ushering her to a side door.

  “Alara!”

  She inwardly breathed a sigh of relief as Nik came running toward her, though she had no idea why. With his piercings and tattoos, he looked more likely to be the shooter than her savior. Despite all that, she found the outward display of rebellion oddly enticing. Which was unusual, because the captain was generally more her type. Clean-cut. Well-mannered.

  Safe.

  She blinked several times. What the hell was wrong with her? She’d just been shot, and here she was weighing the physical pros and cons of the men around her.

  His eyes immediately snapped onto her arm. “You’re bleeding.”

  “It’s nothing,” she said.

  “Get out of my way, Beta,” Gerard growled.

  Without asking for permission, Nik swept Alara up into his arms, clean out of Gerard’s grasp. She felt her cheeks heat as he cradled her body to him, holding her as if she weighed no more than a feather. It felt… good. Right, even.

  Gerard stood there, mouth open in outrage. “What the hell do you think you’re doing?”

  “Getting her out of here. You should see to your guards, Captain.” Nik hurried to the exit. No sooner had he taken a step when his fingers brushed her bare skin, and light shone through the lace of her glove. She ripped it off. A bright blue glow filled the space around them, coming from the back of her hand.

  It didn’t hit her at first what was happening. But as the light dimmed, shimmering along her skin in the form of a pretty, swirling powder-blue symbol, she knew what had just happened. She stared at her hand. “You marked me.” It sounded insane coming out of her mouth, but saying it aloud made it no less true.

  She didn’t know how to name the look in Nik’s eyes. He seemed more afraid now than when they were being shot at. Finally, he blinked, composing himself. “So it appears,” he said quietly.

  She stared at him. “This has to be a mistake. You’re not royal.”

  The briefest flicke
ring of hurt flashed through his eyes, and she bit her tongue, suddenly sorry to have sounded so arrogant. Since when did she care so much about bloodlines? Maybe her mother and father had rubbed off more on her than she at first thought.

  “The Mark never lies, love,” Nik said grimly, walking through the hall past frightened guests. People shoved past them, in a hurry to get out, but they were moving in the opposite direction.

  She shoved the troubling—and appetizing—idea of being mated to Nik out of her mind for now. “Um, shouldn’t we be following the crowd?”

  “Oh, sure. Put us all in one place to make us easier to shoot. No, thanks. If that’s your captain’s idea of safety, then he’s an idiot.”

  She bristled. “He’s one of the most brilliant knights to be inducted into the Order of the Moon.”

  “And he has the hair product to prove it, too, I bet.”

  She made a fist and hit him, wincing when her thumb popped.

  “Tuck your thumb on the outside, not in,” Nik said with a smile. “That’s a good way to break it with the way you have it.”

  “Shut it,” she growled.

  The gunfire had stopped, but Nik never slowed his pace. Alara could hear Gerard barking orders from the foyer. “One of the assailants has been killed,” she said, listening in.

  “Exactly—one of them. Until I know how many there are, we’re staying hidden. This is as good a place as any.”

  He kicked open a door and barged in, shutting and locking it behind him. It was one of the sitting rooms her father used to entertain guests. Windows covered by pulled drapes lined one wall, and expensive sofas and chairs sat about the floor.

  “Plenty of exits,” Nik said, eyeing the windows approvingly. “In any case, we should stay down. Wouldn’t want to go to all this trouble and then get nicked by a stray bullet if they start shooting again.” Nik pulled her to the floor, keeping an arm around her. She had the mind to feel outraged he would dare pull a princess so close. She might have even considered slapping him—if, that is, she didn’t like the feel of his hand on her waist so much.

  Her brain warred with her hormones. It’s the Fever, that’s it. No way would you be attracted to someone so rough-looking, so rude… so deliciously handsome and brave.

  She shook her head and blushed when she realized Nik was watching her with an amused gleam in his eyes.

  “You all right?” he asked.

  “Fine. Just dizzy from the adrenaline rush,” she said, mentally wincing at how breathy her voice sounded.

  He looked at her arm, which had stopped bleeding. “Does it hurt?”

  “To move it? Yes. It’ll be sore, but the bullet just grazed me. It didn’t go in.” The wound had already closed up thanks to her accelerated healing. A few more minutes and it would be nothing more than a faded scar.

  “Thank God,” Nik murmured, pulling her closer.

  Her heart began to pound. She could smell the cologne he was wearing, a dark, musky scent that reminded her of sin. Beneath the silk of her dress, her nipples tightened, and she felt a pull deep below her navel, a longing to join with her mate forever.

  She had heard the mating Fever was insane. Most of the time the mates were strangers, then BAM! They got hit with crazy lust and couldn’t take their eyes—or their paws—off one another. It sounded so ludicrous. Never in her life had she wanted to bed a complete stranger. It wasn’t something a lady would do.

  Until now.

  “You’re breathing heavier,” Nik said huskily, running his thumb up and down her spine.

  She swallowed hard. “Am I?”

  He leaned in closer, and she forgot how to breathe. “Do I frighten you, my lady?”

  His lips were beside her jaw. She sighed, leaning into him as he drew his arm tighter around her. “No.”

  “Do I….” He slowly kissed her jawline, sending exquisite shivers tingling across her skin. “Entice you?”

  She dug her nails into his arms. “Yes.”

  With his free hand, he tenderly stroked her cheek, then let his fingers trail down her breasts to finger the tight, round nipple of her right breast through the soft silk. She sighed, throwing her head back and rubbed her aching breasts against his hand, whimpering as he toyed with her nipples in slow, tantalizing movements.

  “Oh, Alara,” he breathed, his voice more ragged than before. “Do you have any idea what you’re doing to me?”

  She had a pretty good image in mind. She felt like she was going crazy inside, like all this restless energy was building up and craving a release. She wanted to rip his pants off, mount him, and ride him until she screamed.

  Slowly, he trailed kisses down her neck, kissing the crown of her breasts. She sighed with longing, gripping his back and pulling him closer as he peeled back the fabric at the top of the dress.

  He paused, his breath coming hard and hot against her skin.

  She opened her eyes. She didn’t even know she had closed them, she was so taken with him. “What’s wrong?”

  A stricken look flickered over his features. Clearing his throat, he straightened her dress and sat up, looking away.

  She studied him, ducking her head to try to see his face. “Nik?”

  His Adam’s apple bobbed as he swallowed. “It’s nothing. I’m sorry for getting carried away, my lady. It won’t happen again.”

  Her heart sank. Did she do something wrong? She’d never had a boyfriend before. Her parents would never allow her or her sister to date. What was the point, when you might not end up with them in the first place?

  She touched his arm gently. He looked at her then, eyes searching hers. She wasn’t sure what she was seeing there at first. Then it hit her.

  Pain.

  She knew because it was the same look she saw in her own eyes every time she looked in the mirror.

  Nik, what’s happened to you?

  Someone called her name, running past the door, followed by more shouts.

  “They’re looking for you,” Nik said, rising and adjusting his now rumpled jacket. “We should meet up with the guards. Your parents must be worried sick.”

  She took his hand and let him pull her up. As soon as she was on her feet, he dropped her hand and turned away. It was like an invisible wall had erected between them. He was distancing himself from her, and she had no idea why.

  She started to reach for him, to tell him they could wait, but he was already walking toward the door.

  For a moment, she didn’t move. She didn’t want this moment to end. For a few seconds, she had felt wanted and desired, something that had never happened to her before. Men flirted with her, but she knew it was because they hoped to gain favor with the king. They didn’t care about her. But Nik, the way he’d kissed her and touched her, awakening feelings she’d never felt before…

  She clenched her thighs, realizing when she shifted her weight that she was wet. It made the heat coursing through her intensify.

  Nik turned back to her, one hand on the doorknob. “Coming, Your Highness?”

  “Alara.”

  “What?”

  “I want you to call me Alara.”

  He smiled, but it didn’t reach his eyes. “Very well. Alara, are you coming?”

  The desire in his eyes was gone. He looked at her with all the interest of her mother—that is, with none. Whatever had happened between them was lost.

  With a resigned sigh, she reluctantly followed behind him.

  He stayed by her as they walked down the hall. People huddled together in clusters, shaking and talking amongst one another. Guards were everywhere, and debris from the gunfire littered the floor. Holes poked through the walls, allowing one to see clear into the next room.

  “What were they after?” she asked, eyes narrowing as she looked at her decimated home.

  “Don’t know,” Nik said grimly. “But it doesn’t appear like anyone else is hurt.”

  She wondered with fear if Izzy was okay.

  “Nik!”

  They both tu
rned as a handsome Alpha and a beautiful blond-haired woman walked quickly toward them.

  “Thank God,” Nik said, embracing the man. “I was worried about you. Are you and Danica all right?”

  “We’re fine,” Danica said. Her hair looked a little unkempt, probably from hitting the floor and trying to run like everyone else. All the guests looked a bit harried. Danica looked at Alara and smiled warmly. “Hi,” she said, extending her hand, “I’m Danica. And this is my mate, Gage, Nik’s brother.”

  Alara blinked, surprised. No one had ever shaken her hand before. Tentatively, she reached up and took the other woman’s hand. “Alara. Pleasure to meet you.”

  Danica’s eyes drifted to her hand, widening. “Oh.”

  Alara followed her gaze. She’d forgotten to put her glove back on. The Mark shone in the light, shimmering with blue crystals.

  Gage’s eyes landed on her hand, widening. He looked at Nik, a question on his face.

  Nik rubbed the back of his neck, looking troubled. “Yeah. The Mark’s mine.”

  Gage blinked, his mouth opening as if to ask a question, when Gerard said, “Alara!”

  She had just enough time to look up when he took her into his arms, holding her tightly. She blinked, startled.

  “Thank God you’re all right. After that fool took you away, I wasn’t sure what had become of you. I thought he had kidnapped you.”

  Nik growled, his hands fisting at his sides, but Gage held him back.

  Alara pushed away from Gerard, stepping back to put some distance between them. He stared at her in puzzlement. “I’m sorry to have worried you,” she said quickly and politely. “But Nik took excellent care of me.”

  “I bet he did,” Gerard murmured darkly. He and Nik glared at one another, and Danica wetted her lips, stepping between them.

  “I hope you apprehended the people who did this,” she said, turning the conversation away from Alara. Alara instantly liked her.

  “We killed one of the shooters, but the other two got away,” Gerard said, all business. “They were warlocks. And they were using enchanted bullets.”

  “What?” Nik and Gage said at the same time.

  “What kind of enchantment?” Gage asked.