Entwined (Vukodlak Brew Book 1)

by Christine M. Butler

  Table of Contents

  Title Page

  Dedication & Author Note

  Vukodlak Brew Books

  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

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  What to Read Next

  Other Books

  Acknowledgements

  Music to Read to…

  About the Author

  Entwined

  Christine M. Butler

  Copyright © 2017 Christine M. Butler

  All rights reserved.

  This book may not be reproduced or redistributed, in part or in whole, without documented consent from the author.

  Any resemblance to real life persons, places, or things is purely coincidental, except where credit has been given in the author’s notes.

  Dedication & Author Note

  For the readers who love when the main characters let their inner animal out to play.

  For those of you who fall in love with the Vukodlak World you should know that you can visit it any time. I based the Vukodlak Pack in Bryson City, North Carolina (home to the Polar Express, as well as other train rides). The Nantahala Outdoor Center is also mentioned in the book briefly, and you should really check out their calendar of events, because they have some super cool rafting/kayaking trips you can get involved with, not to mention their fabulous restaurants and shopping!

  What’s more, the Vukodlak Brewery was inspired by the Nantahala Brewing Company in Bryson City. They’re pretty inspirational people, and they produce some truly fine beverages too. Yum! ;)

  So, if you want to get a real world feel for my paranormal world, head on down there (up there, over there, whatever) and check it out for yourselves. I can’t promise you’ll see any real werewolves, but hey, you never know. At the very least you can sample some damn fine local brew! ☺

  xoxo

  Christine

  Vukodlak Brew Books

  All Vukodlak Brew Books may be read as stand alone books. Reading them in order will allow for maximum enjoyment though as each previous book has some information that carries into the next.

  Entwined

  Enraged

  Engineered

  Enamored

  Enraptured

  Ever After

  Chapter One

  ~*~ IZZY ~*~

  The warm, pleasant, and not entirely unwelcome tingle that raced up my spine sent a shiver of excitement through me as my body went supernova with a wave of heat, pleasure, and pain I never thought possible in combination. The mix was a heady drug that I didn’t think I’d ever have enough of. Each bead of sweat breaking from my skin was noted, catalogued, and dismissed in a thought process so quick it could only be considered instinctual.

  I took one more gasping breath as the heat of the moment burned through me, my skin, my hair, hell - my very being began to ripple with the intensity. The sensation bowed me over breaking me into a billion pieces only to put me back together and rip me apart all over again. Distantly, I heard a scream tear through the night, my own voice harsh with the sound it attempted to make as everything I thought I knew shattered. The world before me came into hyper focus. Everything was clearer, smelled sharper, the ground was lower. It was with that last conscious thought that I realized I was lying on the grass now. I attempted to stand on shaky legs. Only where there once were two feet there were now four paws covered in fur, sharp claws seeking purchase in the soft grassy land beneath me. This time, when I opened my mouth it wasn’t a scream, but a howl that broke forth. I put all my fear, confusion, and wild excitement into that sound. To my surprise, another howl answered, calling to something inside me, making me turn to look up into the tree line that climbed the mountain beyond me.

  There, stepping out from behind a copse of trees and mountain laurel was a large gray and tan wolf. Its bulky stature nothing compared to the power that seemed to ripple out into the very air around him as brilliant emerald eyes sought mine out. The smell of sweet summer rain and wild animal musk permeated the air. A deeper part of myself begged to take over then, pleading with me to run to him. The incessant need to do so was thrumming through my veins when the shaking began.

  “Izzy, come on, we have to get ready or mom and dad will be pissed!”

  The fog of my incredible dream lifted and faded, but I could still feel the adrenaline and endorphins from all the excitement pumping through me. I half expected to see myself covered in fur when I finally peeled my dry eyes open. Now, there was a ridiculous notion. “Iz, if you don’t get up I’m going to…”

  “Calm down, Liz. You just killed the best dream I’ve ever had,” I huffed after cutting my twin sister off.

  “Oh. Was he cute?” She would assume that the best dream of my life had to do with a guy. Liz couldn’t get enough of boys or men. You would think that being identical twins would make us act just the same too, but it didn’t. Where my sister was boy crazy and the life of the party, I was shy and definitely had not met a boy who made me swoon yet. She was the athlete with a slightly thinner, more muscular body while my curves were more pronounced, because cardio sucks. Our body shapes were really the only notable physical differences between us as we shared the same blond hair, blue-eyed five foot seven inch package.

  I chose to placate my sister. “He had the most amazing eyes I’ve ever seen,” I whispered in an awe-drenched, if still sleep-laden, voice.

  “Well, damn! In that case, I’m really sorry I woke you.” Then she chuckled and hit me with a pillow. “At least you’re getting some in your dreams, even if you’re too picky in real life.”

  “Really, Liz?” I rolled my eyes at my sister.

  “Oh come on, you’re probably the only virgin in our graduating class. Thank God mom and dad agreed we could go away to college! Pretty much everyone from high school thinks you are a closet lesbian.” Liz snickered as she continued getting dressed.

  “Great!” I huffed out as I tossed the covers aside and hauled my butt out of bed.

  “Time to get ready for this supposedly epic train ride through the mountains.” Liz was rolling her eyes this time. “I wish the parental units would have let us pick the little family adventures we’re supposed to go on for this trip. I so wanted to tour that brewery by the train station instead of getting on the train.”

  “Neither of us is old enough to drink,” I reminded her.

  “Nope, but we are old enough to scope out those incredibly hot guys I keep seeing duck inside there when we walk downtown.” She winked her eye at me. It was a look I could never pull off, because I didn’t have the attitude to back it up the way my sister did.

  “Well, maybe you can throw them your number while we sit in front of the brewery waiting for the train to depart.”

  “Good idea, I’ll start filling out little ‘call me’ tabs now.”

  “Mmm, maybe you can add the disclaimer that you’re still jailbait until our birthday.” Again, she winked, “I don’t tell the college guys that I’m still 17, why would I tell complete strangers? Besides, 18 is rolling up fast, and we’re not in Tennessee right now. The age of consent in North Carolina is 16, sister dear.” I did the only smart thing and turned to ignore the rest of her tirade about all the sights I’ve somehow missed. I had missed out on things like mister manly-man in jeans
that apparently were made to conform to the award-winning ass he was sporting, according to her. Instead, I focused on getting ready for all the family fun we were supposed to have later. The whole time I did, the dream seemed to cling to the very pores of my skin. Leftover jitters and shaking fingers reminding me about the hormone overload I’d taken when I had turned furry in my sleep.

  ~*~ DRE ~*~

  I’ve never been one to be led around by the balls, but the moment I caught her scent on the wind I had to follow. HAD TO. I’d never before felt compelled to hunt, especially another person, but her scent was pure bliss, and like an addict whose last hit was wearing off I was already searching for the next. My problem was the streets in our sleepy little mountain town were actually crowded no thanks to the damn tourist trap of a train that was just pulling out. I had yet to decide if she was on the train or lost in the crowd. All I had to go on was my damned nose, because I hadn’t actually seen her.

  The loud hiss of the train’s breaks releasing broke my trance. I took another deep breath hoping to catch a hint of the stranger’s scent again, but to no avail. All the other people around, the restaurants, breweries, and the smell of engine exhaust from both the train and the cars moving around the little town spoiled the trail. “A hint of perfection, and then she’s gone,” I grumbled to myself.

  “Dre, what’s up with you?” My best friend, Garret, asked me when he finally caught up.

  “I think…” Hell, I wasn’t even sure I was right, but the gnawing in my gut made me speak anyway. “I think I scented my mate.” My admission came out no louder than a whisper.

  “Fuck! Seriously? Where is she?” Garret was looking around the crowd, just as lost as I was, only he was confused because when you saw your mate you weren’t supposed to be able to take your eyes off of them.

  I hung my head. “I don’t know if she was just lost in the crowd, on the train, or in a damned car,” I huffed out in frustration. “I lost her trail before I ever saw her.”

  Garret dropped a hand on my shoulder. “We’ll find her again.”

  I hoped his words were true, but a sinking feeling in my gut told me I’d just lost her. I stared off into the distance where the train had begun pulling out. It wasn’t until the last car passed that I smelled her again. Her scent wrapped around me like a silken cloak. “There! She’s on the train. Last car.”

  “Well, that’s good news. The train will be back in two hours, and you’ll be waiting here to sweep your mate off her feet.”

  I turned to look at my best friend, my second in command. His gruff appearance was enough to scare most people away without a thought. He was exceedingly tall at six feet five inches, but his large muscular frame coupled with the unruly beard and dangerous look in his coal black eyes stopped people in their tracks. I laughed at my own assessment of him. “Maybe you should hang back when I do that, Garrett.”

  He laughed too, knowing exactly what I was getting at. “Aw, come on, maybe she has a friend with her or a sister. Maybe her mom is a MILF. You could just share the wealth my man.”

  “Yeah, maybe you should use your time wisely and shave that rabid animal off your face before the train gets back. You have two hours and superhuman speed, you should have time.” I made a point to eyeball his beard skeptically before adding, “maybe not.” It only made him laugh harder.

  “Chicks dig the mountain man look. You should trade in your barely there scruff for some real facial hair instead. Too bad you can’t grow a beard in two hours. Your mate might just fall in love with my beard.”

  The growl erupted from me before I could stop it and Garrett’s laughter rose up full and bold from his belly as he doubled over. “Man, you’ve got it bad, and you still haven’t seen her. What if she’s a dog?”

  “Aren’t we both technically dogs?” I raised a brow at him even as I demeaned our kind by insinuating we were no more than subservient household pets.

  “You know what I mean,” Garrett stated seriously.

  I shrugged. “I guess it won’t matter. Instinct wins out. She’s my mate for a reason.”

  “What if she’s married and here with her husband and 2.5 rug rats?”

  “I guess she’ll need a good divorce attorney.”

  “And her pups?”

  “They better not be pups, because no other wolf better have tried to claim my mate, but if she has human offspring we’ll just have to figure out how to care for them in the pack. Fuck, why are you asking all these inane questions?”

  “I don’t know, man. I just put myself in your shoes and tried to figure out what I would do and then I was like… what if…”

  “Enough with the what ifs, Garrett.”

  “Fine, but what the hell are we gonna do for the next hour and forty-five minutes?”

  I pointed to the Vukodlak Brewery’s outdoor tables with a grin. “Beer?”

  “Now, you’re talking. I hope Hank’s working. I’m gonna need someone to laugh with when your potential mate shoots you down or needs a paper bag over her head before you can bed her.”

  ~*~ IZZY ~*~

  My stomach clenched as we approached the train. “Do we have to ride this thing?” I questioned my family, damn near pleading with them to say no.

  “Humor your mom, Iz, she’s lost both you and your sister to college.” My dad smiled as he threw an arm around my shoulders. I didn’t miss the way he looked around like we were coming under attack soon or something. He did that quite often since we came back to my parents’ hometown for fall break. I sometimes wondered why, but how did you ask someone why he was suddenly waiting for some unknown evil? I figured my dad was just stressed. For some reason, which neither of our parents would explain to us, my father loathed coming back home. “I’m not exactly thrilled to be in the mountains on vacation either, but we’re going to make the most of it for your mom. I promised her a visit with family before you guys got really engrossed in the college life, and we weren’t able to make it over the summer. This was the best I could do. Let’s just try for your mom, okay?”

  “Ugh, fine, but I really do have a weird feeling in my stomach.” My father’s shoulders stiffened. I ignored the gesture and continued on. “I just feel like I should stay here and not get on the train. Maybe it’s one of those weird premonition things. You know, when people turn around and don’t get on an airplane before it crashes?”

  My sister had to tune into our conversation just in time to hear me say that. “Well, then you end up all Final Destination with Death chasing you down.” She laughed and grabbed my arm, pulling me onto the boarding train. “Come on, Izzy, live a little. We can knock traveling by train off our bucket list.”

  “I don’t even have a bucket list, Liz.”

  “Fantastic, we’ll make one. Item number one is a train ride with your awesome family.” She laughed again as she tugged me behind her to the last train car.

  “Take it easy on your sister, Liz,” my mom called out. “She’s a spoil sport like your dad. He doesn’t want to be here either.”

  “See, it’s a sign. You two should go while dad and I can stay here to shop some more,” I offered with a mega-watt smile.

  “Sorry honey, we already have tickets and seats. Take some pictures and enjoy the view.” The train lurched forward announcing my inability to back out now. I was going to be stuck in this metal box for two freaking hours. Well, we’d get off at some outdoor center on the river for a bit, but otherwise it was fall foliage and a rickety ride for me. Fantastic.

  I pulled my cell phone out and lowered the window nearest my seat. As the train pulled out beyond the Vukodlak Brewery that my sister had been yammering on about earlier my stomach pitched and rolled again making me jump and snap a picture of the crowd on the street by accident.

  “Oh, nice one sis! He’s a hottie. His friend looks like Grizzly Adams though.”

  “What?” I asked, and she pointed to the picture I accidentally took with my phone. As soon as I looked down I couldn’t take my eyes off the man in
the picture. Not the one my sister dubbed Grizzly Adams, but the one with the bright green eyes and jaw covered in a couple days worth of stubble. I was so engrossed in the image of him that I missed the fact that my dad plopped down beside me. I could have sworn I heard him growl.

  “Who is that?” He asked gruffly as his eyes narrowed on the image.

  “No idea. My stomach did that funky thing again and I accidentally took the picture.”

  My mom leaned over to look then, “Oh, which one are you drooling over?” Without even thinking I responded by pointing at the man with the serious green eyes. Then my face heated with a blush when I realized what I’d just admitted to. My father growled again. “Lori, we need to talk,” he said to my mother as they both moved to another part of the train car. They put their heads together while I went back to staring at the picture, at those eyes that seemed so familiar for some reason. Actually, I knew exactly where I’d seen those eyes before. They were on the wolf in my dream this morning before my sister so rudely woke me up, and ruined it. I didn’t even realize I had tuned everyone and everything out so completely until my sister interrupted my thoughts again.

  “That looks serious. What did you do?”

  I turned to see my mom look like she’d just been given the shock of her life. “Dad flipped out a bit when he saw the picture of the guys at the brewery. We’re probably going to get the lecture and a sex talk again before fall break is over. I’m sure it’s just more residual worry about us being gone away to college this year.”

  “Great,” Liz huffed as she rolled her eyes. “Thanks! Next time you want to take pics of hot guys maybe you shouldn’t ogle them in front of the parents. Since we’re already in trouble you should text me a copy so I can stare at the hottie too.” She snickered when I gave her a dirty look.

  My stomach clenched tight again. I did not want to share him with her, not even a silly picture. I didn’t even have a good reason for the way I felt. I just knew I was oddly territorial over the green-eyed man whom I’d never met. Hell, he was too old for me anyway. He looked to be mid-twenties while I wouldn’t even turn 18 for three months. Instead, I closed the photo gallery, and turned my camera back on in order to snap some pictures of the leaves that were changing color and dropping along the river’s edge. The train sailed past as I captured bright yellow and red leaves as they drifted down into the waters that flowed in the opposite direction we were currently headed. They were losing their fight to hang on to more life before winter. Meanwhile, I was just losing it period. With every new picture I took my fingers itched to search out the one I had accidentally snapped in front of the brewery instead.