Blood Moon Rising Box Set (Books 1-6)

by Lola Taylor

  Gage and she didn’t speak the entire way to the room. His face remained hard and his jaw clenched as he practically dragged her from one hallway to the next. She knew that kind of rage-driven haze. Sometimes in a tough situation, anger was the only thing strong enough to get you through it. Anger at the world, anger at the mess you were in, anger at yourself….

  She tried feeling angry, wanted to feel angry or latch onto an emotion that was stronger than fear. But all she could seem to do with every step was fall apart more and more on the inside.

  All her worst fears came rushing back to her: the fear of ending up alone and with someone she did not love, the fear of finding herself in a loveless marriage she couldn’t back out of….

  Her knees shook as she bit back a sob of despair, nearly tripping as her legs turned to Jell-O.

  Gage’s grip tightened. “We’re almost there. Just hold on a little longer. I need you to be strong, Danica.”

  She nodded. Strong. Right. What the hell had gotten into her? Where was that inner strength she’d so carefully nurtured while enduring all those years of hardship?

  She suddenly felt selfish for falling apart when Gage needed her. Had she even stopped to consider what was going through his head?

  He seemed to have it together so much that she often found herself relying on him more so than the other way around. But that wasn’t how relationships were supposed to be. You had to lean on each other’s strengths in times of individual weakness. That’s what being in a relationship was all about. It meant you didn’t have to navigate life’s troubles alone.

  They reached their room and Gage quietly shut the door behind them. In the tomblike silence of their bedroom suite, Danica’s thoughts suddenly seemed that much louder.

  Will Malachite try to kill Gage to get the upper hand?

  Does this mean I’ll never get to see Gage again?

  Her heart nearly broke her sternum from beating so hard, and she found it hard to breathe despite her best efforts to calm down.

  There was no calming down from this. Sometimes, you just needed to hold someone and be held.

  “Gage?” she whispered, a tremble in her voice. She could tell by how hot her eyes were, and by how the room blurred every time she blinked, that there were tears in her eyes.

  He turned to face her, his face scrunching up with worry when he saw her expression. He already looked so agonized, so torn. It was the same look she knew she wore.

  She didn’t need words to express what she wanted. It didn’t matter they no longer had a bond. They didn’t need one.

  Slowly, she reached back and undid the zipper on her dress. As the silky material fell away from her body, Gage’s eyes grew darker with lust.

  She peeled the gloves off one at a time, letting them fall to the floor beside her dress. Next, she stepped out of her heels and pulled down the already soaked panties and panty hose.

  With both hands, she unclasped her bra and removed it. Her nipples puckered at the sudden chill, throbbing because they longed to feel Gage’s touch.

  His gaze openly roved over her body as she removed the pins holding her hair in place. It spilled over her shoulders and chest in a cascade of golden curls. Removing her jewelry, she stood there and let him take in her naked body.

  Her sex ached. Teasingly, she reached down and pressed the pads of her fingers against herself. She gasped at the sudden wave of heat her body responded with and began stroking the hyper-sensitive nub. It was so easy to get lost in her emotions right now. She eagerly let go of her worries, releasing herself to the sensations pulsing through her. Her breasts heaved up and down as her breathing grew more labored. She didn’t want to think about tonight, or tomorrow, for that matter.

  She only wanted to feel.

  Gage watched without blinking as he tossed his jacket to the side and undid all the buttons on his shirt with expert precision.

  Though he was undressing quickly, it felt like an eternity to her. She needed to feel him inside her before she came undone. It hadn’t been that long since they’d had sex, but with the threat of separation looming over their heads, it seemed like she hadn’t made love to him in forever.

  The tips of her fingers reached inside of her, coating her in her own hot, sweet nectar.

  Gage stepped out of his pants, shoes, and socks, and then yanked off his boxers. His erection jutted out proudly between his legs, the length of his swollen shaft making Danica restless. She hungered to feel him moving inside her, filling her up with deep, long strokes.

  She probed deeper inside herself as he approached, his darkened gaze dropping to her hand. Silently, he lowered himself to the floor one knee at a time and gently pried her hand away. Grabbing her hips, he pulled her closer until her sex was touching his lips. He kissed her tenderly in sweet kisses that sent tendrils of pleasure curling up through her senses. She gasped, throwing her head back and leaning into him as he began to lick her. The sweetness of the gesture only made it more erotic. Not once did he become hurried or frenzied. No, he was taking his time and savoring her taste.

  When she thought she would come undone, he rose and hoisted her up so her hips were even with his. She wrapped her legs around him as he walked them over to the bed, where they collapsed atop the soft silk sheets.

  He kissed her on the mouth with the same sweetness he had shown her most sensitive area. The tang of her juices clung to his lips, mingling with their saliva as he gently nipped at her lower lip.

  She opened her legs wider as he shifted his hip placement so the head of his cock nudged her wet seam. She ached deep within, her body longing for him to take her.

  With a whimper, she dug her nails into his buttocks, urging him to get on with it.

  He cupped her cheek, his eyes exploring her face intently. Then his mouth came down on hers hard, right about the same time he drove himself into her.

  She gasped as he began thrusting fervently, and his tongue teased hers in desperate, breathless kisses. She bucked against him and ran her nails down his back. He groaned low in his throat, his strokes going deeper as he cradled her against him.

  She clung to the man she loved as he drove himself deep inside of her, the dizzying sense of pleasure building in her core making her delirious.

  Sex could just be sex, or it could actually be love given physical form.

  As Gage made love to her, possibly for the last time, all the emotions of love and adoration she’d felt growing this past month came to a swell. She cried out about the same time he did, their hearts beating as one.

  When she came down off the beautiful cloud of ecstasy, she sighed with contentment and relaxed against the sheets.

  Gage, breathing heavily, kissed her on the mouth. “How was that?” he asked raggedly.

  “Superb. As always.”

  He gave her a ghost of a smile, but the troubled look in his eyes returned and eclipsed whatever happiness she’d seen there.

  He rolled over to lay on his back and wrapped his arm around her waist, pulling her against him. She clung to him as closely as possible and pressed her ear against his chest so she could hear his heartbeat. It was quite possibly her favorite sound.

  A thoughtful minute passed while she traced patterns on his chest with her fingernail. She stared at the unmarked skin, feeling the calm of resignation settle over her.

  And the bitterness of resentment.

  “There’s no backing out of this, is there?” she said in a resigned voice.

  “No,” Gage answered.

  If it were possible, Danica would have gotten closer. She knew trying to convince him to run away with her was a moot point. They couldn’t abandon their pack. She’d grown fond of them, and they really had started to feel like a family of sorts to her. Besides, no wolf who ran from a challenger would ever be able to call himself an Alpha.

  Their relationship wasn’t the only thing at stake—so was Gage’s pride as an Alpha.

  She frowned, wondering when someone would point out that he was t
echnically “unmated” and no longer fit to be an Alpha. With all the fuss surrounding the decision of who would be the next High King, no one probably cared much about what happened to an insignificant “country pack.”

  Her frown deepened. The Council had to be aware of the tattoos’ absence. Well, they sure as hell were now, thanks to the ballroom spectacle.

  So why hadn’t they taken Gage out of the running for High King?

  Gage held her tight and kissed the top of her head. “I will win you. You are mine, and I am yours, as it was always meant to be.”

  His tone sounded so reassuring.

  But she couldn’t help but notice the shadow of doubt hiding in his eyes.

  Gage’s inner wolf couldn’t wait to be unleashed. Wolves, especially Alphas, took challenges of character very seriously.

  And Malachite had thrown down an iron gauntlet.

  Gage gripped Danica’s hand as they rounded the corner of the last hedgerow before the courtyard.

  The courtyard, much like the rest of the garden, was immaculately kept. Polished stone tiles arranged in a spiral shone under the wrought iron lampposts. It would have been romantic, had it not been filled to the brim with bloodthirsty werewolves.

  Malachite stood at the opposite side of the circular courtyard, wearing nothing but a pair of sweatpants. Even his feet were bare.

  His long hair hung freely about his massive chest. He was even more muscular than Gage remembered, looking like a striking mixture between a rock star and a pro wrestler.

  Malachite’s dark eyes lifted, and he flashed Gage a wicked smile. “I thought you had tucked tail and run, little pup.”

  “And miss another chance to kick your ass? I don’t think so.”

  Malachite’s smile hitched. “Careful, boy. It would be humiliating for you to boast so and then lose in front of all these royal werewolves.”

  “Who said anything about losing?”

  Alara cleared her throat and stepped forward. She still wore her classy black evening gown. Most of the gathered werewolves still wore their ballroom attire, too. Gage heard muffled voices and could hear the scrape of money as it was exchanged.

  They were placing bets on this fight. Not that it surprised him.

  Anything to make an extra buck… or an extra hundred….

  “This will not be a fight to the death,” Alara declared. The steel in her voice said it was a nonnegotiable matter. Some of the werewolves growled in disgruntlement, including some of the women, but Alara went on.

  “You must stay within the circle or you will be disqualified. The first wolf to knock out his opponent wins.”

  She gestured to each of them. “Gentlemen, if you would please.”

  Gage’s heart sped up, not from fear but from adrenaline. He was, surprisingly, looking forward to this. He had been ever since he first saw his tormentor in the hallway and all those repressed feelings of anger broke past the box he kept them locked in and surged forward.

  He wanted to shed Malachite’s blood. The bastard deserved it after all he had put Gage and the rest of the Moonstruck Pack through.

  Danica squeezed his hand and kissed him on the lips. “Kick his ass.”

  Gage grinned. “Planning on it.”

  Danica didn’t beg him not to fight. Instead, she regally clasped her hands in front of her and stepped back so she was just outside the circle.

  Gage couldn’t be more proud of his mate, his queen.

  She truly had changed a lot in only a short span of time. The unsure girl was gone, replaced by a woman with a backbone of iron.

  Her strength fueled his resolve to win this for her.

  He met Malachite in the middle of the courtyard.

  Malachite cracked his knuckles and rolled his neck. “Ready for an ass-kicking?”

  “I was about to ask you the same thing.”

  “It does not matter if you fight in your human or wolf forms,” Alara said. She took a deep breath. “On three. One… two…”

  Gage’s heart beat so fiercely he could feel it in his ears.

  Don’t. Lose.

  “Three!”

  Nik yanked her back as the two men burst out of their skins in a split second and changed into werewolves. Snarls and growls erupted as they lunged at each other.

  Once the fight began, all Gage could focus on was the enormous black wolf in front of him. He gave himself over to the majestic white werewolf he shared a soul with, giving in to its strength and its brutality.

  He tasted the hot tang of blood along his tongue as his teeth sank into Malachite’s flesh. Pain shot along his shoulder as the black wolf’s jaws found purchase. It hurt like hell, but it did not disable him.

  As they clawed and snapped at one another, spinning and rolling about the courtyard, all Gage could see was red. All sound leveled out into a drone that buzzed so loudly in his ears, he couldn’t even hear his own heart beating anymore.

  He could only see one face in his mind the entire time.

  Danica.

  Thinking of her gave him renewed strength.

  He had no idea how long they fought. He could tell when Malachite started to tire, and that’s when he made his move. Malachite leapt at him, but he wasn’t fast enough. Gage leapt out of the way and wrapped his jaws around Malachite’s throat. If he could squeeze long enough and cut out Malachite’s air supply, he could knock him out without killing him.

  Malachite struggled, but barely. He knew as well as Gage did that with the way he held him, he could just as easily tear out his own throat on Gage’s fangs.

  There wasn’t anything he could do. As Danica would have said, he was SOL.

  Gotcha.

  There was a weird shimmer of green light, and the fur began to melt away from the black wolf’s flesh as it shrank and reformed into a man.

  Malachite, completely naked, groaned and clutched at his head. His skin shimmered with thousands of green tendrils that crawled over him like worms.

  Gage immediately let go. What the hell is this? It looks like… Green Magic.

  Malachite continued to writhe on the stones, groaning while he clutched at his head.

  “Look!” someone cried out. “Gage’s paws!”

  Gage looked down. His paws were shrouded in the same glowing green tendrils that slithered over Malachite.

  His eyes widened. Freaked out, he immediately shifted back into a man and stared at his hands. The green glow slowly began to fade. He blinked. What the—?

  Someone slammed into him, knocking him hard to the ground. The breastplate of a guard dug into Gage’s bare back, the rim of the armor grinding against his spine. He gritted his teeth as two more guards latched onto him and held him against the stone. Gage managed to turn his head to the side so he could speak. The motion of talking was still awkward due to the fact his chin was pressed against the ground. “What the hell is this?” Gage demanded.

  “He’s a magic user!”

  “Did you see his hands?”

  “It was Green Magic! What if he’s one of them?”

  Whispers swirled around him. His inner wolf sensed the fear and shock of the people around him.

  Wait a minute… they thought he was a warlock?

  “It’s not what you think!” he shouted. “I have no idea what happened!”

  “Of course you don’t,” Norman crooned, stepping forward and smiling with artificial sympathy. “I’ve heard of warlocks not being able to control their powers in times of great duress. Then again, you could always be lying….”

  Gage struggled as he fought to lunge at Norman. “You son of a bitch! You had something to do with this, didn’t you?”

  Norman held up his hands. “I’m not the one with glowing fingers. And magic never lies.” He stood and turned to Alara, who had gone pale. She stared at Gage as if she didn’t know him.

  Her father, who had tried to kill her, had been a Green Warlock. Of course she’d be freaked out.

  Someone had planned on that and was trying to frame Gage
. But who? And why?

  He glared at Malachite. Medics knelt next to him, checking his vitals. He was sitting up now.

  And smirking at Gage.

  Gage growled. The desire to rip the other werewolf’s throat out shot to the front of his senses, nearly overriding his common sense.

  “This man is obviously in possession of Green Magic,” Norman declared to Alara. “As he has been caught cheating, that should disqualify him from the challenge, and he should be withdrawn from consideration for High King! He should be thrown in the dungeon!”

  Alara snapped to her senses and glared at Norman. “We don’t know what really happened.”

  “So are you saying you’ll allow this potentially dangerous warlock to roam free about the palace? What if he is one of the members of the Order?”

  “That’s not true!” Gage snarled.

  “Gage, shut up!” Nik barked.

  Gage pressed his lips together. He got it. Really, he did. Much like how human law worked, anything he said could be held against him. And Norman had a reputation for twisting one’s words around to his favor.

  Alara’s mouth formed a thin line as she deliberated. “Very well. Guards,” she said weakly.

  Gage wasn’t surprised by her ruling. After all, she had the safety of the people around her to consider. She had to keep her personal feelings out of it. As an Alpha, he understood all too well the sacrifices that had to be made in order to rule.

  Alara’s eyes lifted to his, her expression heavy with guilt. Then her gaze hardened to cool steel as she addressed the guards. “If he’s harmed, it will be your lives.”

  They exchanged a look and gulped. “Yes, ma’am,” they said at once, fisting their hands over their hearts and bowing to her.

  She looked to Gage again, regret shimmering in her eyes.

  He gave her a small smile, letting her know he didn’t blame her, and curtly nodded as the guards hauled him to his feet. They began leading him away when Danica shouted, “Get away from me!”

  Gage’s head shot around so fast that a nerve in his neck pinched. He winced, straining to see what was happening behind him.