Imprinted By The Alpha (BBW Paranormal Shape Shifter Romance) (The Marked One - Book 1)

by Jocelyn Thomas

  Satisfied that her mother wouldn’t read the change in her or guess at her activities, Ava trotted down the stairs to the welcoming scent of eggs and bacon permeating the air as it rolled out of the kitchen. She sat at the round table and marveled at her mother’s spread of food, which included French toast, homemade vanilla syrup, scrambled eggs, bacon, and fresh strawberries with cream. “I’m absolutely starving. Thank you, Mom.” She started filling her plate.

  “Yes, well, there’s something about good food that creates peace in a family. I’ve always said we were all so closely bonded as a family because we ate good, wholesome, filling meals together on a regular basis.” She sat across from Ava and gave her a winning smile. “I like making you happy, sweetheart.”

  The room was silent except for the sound of eating for several minutes. Sarah broke the quiet bubble, saying, “I think you should give Kelly a call after breakfast. I know she’s worried about you.”

  “I will,” Ava promised. After her shower, though, the lack of sleep was catching up with her, and the heavy breakfast made it hard to keep her eyes open. “I might go lie down for a bit after breakfast.”

  Sarah put her silverware down and stared at her daughter. “You’re birthday is in two weeks. I was thinking of throwing you a party here.” She sipped at her coffee, and Ava wondered about the sudden change in topic. For some reason, it felt suspicious, and she was curious if she’d just given her mother a clue as to what went on at Caleb’s house all night.

  “You don’t need to do that, Mom,” Ava told her.

  With a hesitant smile, Sarah said, “You only turn twenty-one once, sweetheart. It’s worth celebrating, and I can take care of everything, make sure it’s fun.”

  Ava knew there was some motive behind her mother’s insistence. It wasn’t that she thought her mother wanted to control her life, and she knew Sarah didn’t have a problem letting go as her daughter grew up. But this was apparently important to Ava’s mother, and Ava didn’t want to disappoint her again. “Okay, then.”

  Finishing up her breakfast, Ava helped with the dishes and then made her way back upstairs, dragging her feet as she entered her room. She plopped down on her bed, and frowned, realizing she hadn’t even exchanged numbers with Caleb. It was odd, she thought with a yawn, but she didn’t have the time or energy to ponder it as she drifted into a deep sleep filled with dreams of a sexy werewolf.

  Chapter 14

  Kelly stood in the doorway of Ava’s room, watching her sleep. She was relieved her best friend was safe, though she seemed almost comatose in her deep slumber. Walking in, Kelly sat on the edge of the bed, recalling Sarah’s explanation of what had happened. Instinctively, Kelly knew Ava had left out a great many details, but she could get that information out of her friend easily.

  Rubbing Ava’s leg, Kelly hoped it would be enough to wake her friend. In response, Ava smiled in her sleep and moaned, “Caleb.”

  Stifling a giggle, Kelly leaned down by her ear and whispered, “Oh, Ava, don’t stop.” She sat up again and watched Ava open her eyes and scan the room blearily. Kelly laughed hysterically as Ava’s eyes fell on her.

  “You bitch!” Ava swatted at her playfully.

  Kelly raised an eyebrow. “You tramp! You slept with him, didn’t you?” She grinned from ear to ear.

  Yawning and still groggy, Ava asked, “What?” She sat up, drawing her knees to her chest as she leaned against the headboard.

  “You heard me,” Kelly said, but she could tell Ava wasn’t completely coherent. Frowning, she asked, “Are you okay?”

  “I’m fine.” The words were distorted through another yawn.

  Kelly watched her with concern. “Your mother told me what happened last night. It was the creep from the bonfire and the bar, wasn’t it?”

  Ava nodded. “I think he waited for my shift to end. I was on the trail for less than a minute when I realized he was behind me.” Ava ran a hand through her hair. “I’m just glad Caleb was there. Who knows what would have happened?”

  Kelly shuddered. She would have been completely traumatized, just at the threat. “You’re going to report this, aren’t you?” she asked, tucking a stray lock of blond hair behind her ear.

  Ava shrugged. “Probably not. I mean, we’ve never seen the guy before, so he probably doesn’t even live around here. He must’ve been passing through.”

  But Kelly didn’t like it. “It shouldn’t matter. He’s probably one of those creeps who moves around preying on women. Maybe you could stop it by reporting him.”

  “He won’t mess with me again, Kelly. Caleb scared the fuck out of him.”

  Kelly hoped Ava was right. She hated to think the prick was still in town.

  “I swear to god, girl. You are nothing but trouble.”

  Ava rolled her eyes, and Kelly switched gears. Excitedly, she asked, “Did Caleb fight him?”

  She narrowed her eyes at Ava, whose lips curled up at the corners. “No, he phased into a werewolf and nearly tore him limb from limb. I think the guy probably pissed himself as he ran away.”

  “Shut the front door!” Kelly squealed, swatting Ava’s leg. She jumped off the bed. “I know we talked about it, but you actually saw it! So, what’s a werewolf look like? Is he grotesque like the wolfman, or is he all pretty with gorgeous eyes like Twilight?”

  She pounced back on the bed, crossing her legs and not waiting for an answer. She was much more interested in raunchy details. “Okay, spill it, chick. I want to know everything.” She felt like a kid in a candy store with her hand out for a treat. “Starting with what he looks like naked.”

  ******

  Ava knew Kelly lived for this, and she had to tease a little. “Well, a wolf has four legs and glowing eyes. Caleb’s happen to be this crazy amber shade that is so bright and piercing...” She trailed off. Kelly was rolling her eyes, but Ava was no longer focused on giving her hell. She was remembering how Caleb looked just before he transformed. She stared out the bedroom window, his face with glowing eyes clear in her mind.

  “Come on, Ava, give me the real rundown,” Kelly whined, bringing her back to reality.

  She cleared her throat and reiterated the story once again. “He lunged for the stalker guy, but I stopped him.”

  Kelly blinked, her expression puzzled. “What do you mean, you stopped him?”

  Ava shrugged. “I yelled for him to stop, and he did.”

  Kelly laughed incredulously. “Like telling a dog ‘down boy’? He just...stopped?”

  “I guess you could say that.” Ava didn’t like the comparison, but the simplicity rang true.

  “You should’ve let him rip that fucker apart.” Kelly was obviously disappointed with the outcome.

  Ava was a little concerned. After all, Kelly wasn’t the greatest at secrets. “Kelly.” Ava grabbed her shoulder and forced the girl to meet her eyes. “You can’t tell anyone about this, okay? You can’t repeat any of it. Caleb says most of the town has no idea he and his family are werewolves. It needs to stay that way.”

  “I won’t say a word,” Kelly reassured her. Ava relaxed until she saw the glint in Kelly’s eyes. “You still haven’t told me what I want to know. Come on, Ava, you had to sleep with him. I want details. How was it?”

  Blushing, Ava cupped her cheeks with her hands and bit her lip at her excitement. “Which time?”

  Kelly’s jaw dropped. “Oh my god, Ava! You slut!”

  Ava giggled and fell back on the bed. “It was absolutely amazing, Kelly.” She sighed. “I can’t even begin to describe it. There are no words for how incredible he is. All I can say is, we didn’t stop until we passed out from exhaustion, just before the sun came up.”

  Kelly shook her head. “You bitch! I’m so jealous. You always get the gorgeous guys.” She pouted, sticking out her lower lip.

  Ava rolled her eyes. “Get over it. I can assure you that, with Caleb in my pants, you’ll get all the attention from now on.”

  “Ava, honey?” Both girls went stiff as S
arah called up from the bottom of the stairs.

  “Yes, Mom?”

  “I’m going to run to the store. Could you go in my bedroom and grab my tote from the top shelf of the closet and bring it to me?”

  Ava pushed to her feet. “Sure, one second!” She stretched and started out of the bedroom, Kelly at her heels and stopping to lean in the doorframe as Ava entered her mother’s room. She started to reach to the shelf at the top of the closet, but she looked down and scowled.

  She bent over, a strange feeling coursing through her veins, like her blood ran thicker or something. “What is it?” Kelly asked quietly from behind her.

  Ava was slow to answer, not quite sure. She got down on all fours, noting absently that the grocery tote her mother wanted was here in the floor. As she reached for it, the hand she rested on shifted, and the floorboard beneath it moved. Ava looked back at Kelly, confused and concerned. Kelly raised an eyebrow, and Ava shook her head, clueless. She turned back and pressed harder on the board, and it popped open.

  She pulled the board out to expose a hole beneath it. The light didn’t shine down into the hole, but Ava tilted her head and caught sight of a black satin bag with drawstrings tightly pulled and wrapped around the bag. She picked it up gingerly, not knowing what to expect, but it was heavy.

  Ava curled around, sitting on the floor and crossing her legs in front of her as Kelly rushed forward. “What the hell?” Kelly asked in a loud whisper.

  Ava didn’t know. What was her mother doing with a hiding spot under the floor of her room? What could she possibly need to hide? Desperate to find out and yet anxious about unveiling her mother’s secret, Ava untied the strings and slipped out a large brown leather book. There was some kind of strange stitching all over the cover. Ava was bewildered, having never seen anything like it before but somehow sensing its significance. If it wasn’t meaningful, why would her mother need to hide it?

  “Holy shit.” Kelly’s eyes bulged as she spoke in an exaggerated whisper full of awe. “That looks really old. And what language is that?” Without touching the cover, she pointed to the unfamiliar letter-like figures that seemed to form the title. Ava ran her finger over those words, unable to think of anywhere she’s seen these characters before.

  She exchanged glances with Kelly, who looked as nervous as she felt, and Ava opened the book with delicate fingers. Her heart raced as her eyes fell on an illustration of what she could only describe as vampires feeding on several humans. There was an inscription above the picture, written in hieroglyphics.

  “Ava, that doesn’t look like ink,” Kelly said, her voice trembling as she pointed to the drawings, scrawled in dark red.

  The image was horrifying, the idea of what had been used to write in here nauseating, but Ava was too curious to put the bound volume away. She turned another page and jumped with the creak of a floorboard, her and Kelly both raising their eyes to see Sarah entering the room.

  Ava stared at her mother, fear crawling down her spine at the icy chill that radiated from her hazel eyes that almost seemed to glow. In absolute shock, she watched her mother raise a hand in front of her chest, point to where she sat next to Kelly, and twitch a finger. The book in Ava’s lap slammed shut so hard Ava had to jerk her hands away before her fingers were crushed. With a flick of her wrist, Sarah sent the book floating back into the satin bag, which tied itself and shot back into its hiding place beneath the floor. Ava gawked as the floorboard replaced itself and the nails shot down into the board.

  Ava turned to Kelly, whose face with eyes wide and mouth ajar mirrored her own. “Both of you get downstairs now!” Sarah hissed through her teeth. Her words carried authority that sent static electricity through the air, and Kelly didn’t argue, sliding past the older woman and flying down the stairs.

  Ava didn’t move so quickly. She was trying to comprehend what had happened, and she also regretted snooping in her mother’s room. She shook her head as she stood. “Mom, I’m sorry...”

  Sarah wasn’t going to hear it. “Now, Ava!” She pointed to the stairs. Ava said no more, left the room, and hurried down the stairs. She had no clue what to make of all this. She’d never seen that book before, and from her mother’s reaction – also new to her – Sarah wanted to keep it that way. Her mind raced as she joined Kelly downstairs.

  The other girl sat on the couch in the living room, chewing her nails, and Ava sat next to her. Obviously, Sarah Bertrand had a huge secret she’d been holding back. But with the policy of honesty Ava had with her mother, she was determined to find out what that secret was.

  Chapter 15

  Sarah made her way to the bed, grabbing the headboard as she fell onto it. She knew it was no coincidence that she felt more and more drained these days. With Ava’s birthday around the corner, time was not on her side.

  She chided herself, angry that she’d been so careless with the book, thinking that Ava would never find it. She’d always known the day for explanations and talks about destiny would come, but she’d never wanted Ava’s delicate hands to fall on that book. She’d bound the thing with the strongest enchantment to hide it that she knew. When she told Ava her destiny, Sarah knew she would determine the purpose of the book, and Sarah didn’t want to teach her.

  For the first time in all of her years, Sarah wished she could change the future, change the course they were on so that Ava would never have to face what was coming. But she couldn’t. Fate made sure that, even if someone was ignorant enough to try to alter the course of events, another incident would shift everything back to the original path. It was time to start the process with Ava, time to give her the truth about whom and what she was.

  Taking a deep breath, Sarah got to her feet and steadied herself, patting her hair and smoothing her clothes. She squared her shoulders with strength and determination, and she made her way downstairs to confront the girls.

  ******

  “What the hell just happened?” Ava turned to Kelly at the question and saw her friend was still shaking. “Is your mother a witch?”

  Instinctively, Ava scowled and shook her head, but inside, she asked herself the same question. The woman they had seen upstairs wasn’t the one Ava had known for almost twenty-one years, and she was reeling with the thought that, for all she knew, Sarah Bertrand was nothing like what she presented on the surface.

  She knew Kelly wanted answers, but she didn’t have any. She was going to have to wait for her mother’s explanation and hope that it was honest, even if it was frightening to hear the truth.

  Kelly opened her mouth to say something, but she snapped it closed as Ava elbowed her, seeing her mother slowly descending the stairs.

  Ava’s mother didn’t speak, her face hard and drawn, expressionless, as she took a seat in the leather armchair across from the couch. Ava had sat in that spot earlier, spilling a tough truth, and she willed Sarah to return the favor. The room sizzled with tension and anticipation.

  Ava’s mother looked past them at some distant spot. “What I tell you today stays in this house. Neither of you will repeat a single word of it. Do you understand?” Her eyes shifted, darting back and forth between them with an intense, piercing gaze.

  “Yes, ma’am,” they chorused. Ava clenched her hands in her lap, her nerves singing.

  There was a pause. “That book is called ‘Conjuring of the Dead’, and it is extremely dangerous. It’s currently bound by a spell from our bloodline. Only an Oracle – or a chosen one – can use the spells it holds.”

  Ava read the fury in her expression and flinched. Her stomach churned, and she felt compelled to ask, “What types of spells are in it?”

  ******

  Sarah wavered back and forth between fury that Ava had found the book and fear of what it meant for her daughter. She stared at Ava meaningfully, feeling her fragility and knowing that this whole incident worried her greatly. Sarah didn’t want Ava’s fear. She wanted her daughter to simply understand that some forces were not to be toyed with, despite the
necessity of their existence.

  With a long, shuddering exhalation, Sarah answered, “The text consists of a number of spells intended to assist the dead to journey through the underworld and safely into the afterlife. The instructions on performing the incantations properly are included in the ritual practices that are detailed within. But there are also some of the most powerful spells ever known in that book, including the means with which to allow some of the most dangerous supernatural creatures to rise and roam again amongst the living.” Sarah explored first Kelly’s face, then Ava’s, for signs of understanding. Satisfied that they were paying attention and absorbing the information, she went on, “Our family has hidden and protected the book for centuries, and no one has discovered it uninvited until now.”

  “Holy shit,” Kelly blurted, and Sarah shot her a glare. She blushed. “Sorry, Mrs. Bertrand.”

  She turned to her daughter, who appeared to be deep in thought. Likely, she wondered why, if this was a family secret, it had never been told to her before. She said nothing, and she didn’t look up at Sarah, who thought it best to remain silent and let her daughter process the details she already had before handing over a barrage of additional information.

  “Is my mother aware of this book’s existence?” Kelly asked, more quietly this time.

  Without taking her eyes away from Ava, Sarah nodded. “Yes, she is. And if she’d ever mentioned it to you, with your precociousness, you would have gone searching for it. That couldn’t be allowed. The same is true of Ava.”

  ******

  Ava wanted to know who had been involved in the protection of such an evil book, and why her mother was in the midst of it, even housing the damned thing. It seemed like every answer her mother gave led to more questions. Finally looking up at the older woman, Ava asked, “How did you do that? With your finger, I mean.” She couldn’t say the word ‘magic’ right now without feeling ridiculous. After all, she was still trying to swallow the word ‘werewolf’. She would have appreciated these kinds of discoveries being a little more spread out.