The Monster Ball: A Paranormal Romance Anthology

by Heather Hildenbrand

  We were in my apartment. Alone.

  “Do you want to watch TV?” I asked.

  When he didn’t answer right away, I made the mistake of glancing at him. His eyes were still on me but desire burned through them. My body respond to the sight causing goose bumps to prickle across my skin. He reached for me and began to gently trail his fingers up the length of my arm. Fire ignited in my veins.

  “I don’t think watching TV is something either of us truly wants to do right now,” he said. His lips curled into a half smile as he continued to pin me in place with the intensity of his stare.

  When his fingers traveled over my shoulder and then dipped down to run along the length of my collarbone I shivered. I loved the feel of him touching me. I closed my eyes as his fingertips continued to travel over my skin. His warm lips pressed against my neck, and I exhaled a low moan.

  “I feel like I’ve waited my whole life for you,” he whispered, his lips grazing my hot skin.

  “Me too,” I breathed.

  Lust clouded my thoughts, and I took his hand in mine, steering him to my room. I was eager to get us to a private place where we could be free to give in to the sensations consuming us like wildfire.

  Chapter Twelve

  I stood at the coffee maker, adding more water to the machine while listening to Lola eat the food in her bowl. She was oblivious to how loud she was chewing. As I reached in the bucket on the counter for another pod of coffee, the front door of the apartment burst open. Brielle stumbled inside. She was still dressed in her Maleficent costume. Even after a night of partying she still looked amazing.

  “Hey! Oh. My. God. I had the best night of my life!” she shouted.

  That makes two of us, I thought to myself as my lips twisted into a smirk. I pressed the button on the coffeemaker to start it and then shifted my attention to her. She kicked off her heels and tossed her purse on the catch-all table.

  “You have no idea how much you missed last night.” She came into the kitchen and picked up the mug of coffee I had sitting on the counter. “But, you do have impeccable timing. How did you know I’d be coming home right now, as in this second, and have coffee waiting?”

  She took a sip. Her eyes snapped to me from over the rim of the mug. Her nose wrinkled like it always did each time she ate or drank something, but then her eyes narrowed.

  “Wait a minute. Something’s different about you,” she insisted.

  I tucked my hair behind my ear and felt my cheeks flush with color. If it wasn’t obvious before that I’d gotten some last night, it was now.

  “You know, don’t you?” Brielle asked, surprising me.

  My heart stalled. Know? She couldn’t possibly mean what I thought she did. Could she?

  I cleared my throat. “Know what?”

  “You know what you are.” A wide smile stretched across her face. “Yes! I’ve been waiting for this for so long! I always wished you’d let me take you to my friend so we could try to figure out how to lure out that magic of yours along with your memories. How the hell did you tap into it all on your own?”

  “How did you even know about that?”

  “Hello!” She pointed to herself. “Vampire here. Of course I knew. I could sense it coming off you. It was like your magic was trapped inside you or something, barely breathing.”

  Did she just say vampire?

  The kitchen floor swayed beneath my feet. Was I breathing? My chest felt tight. I pulled in a deep breath. It didn’t help. My lungs still burned for more air. “A what?”

  Brielle rolled her eyes. “Don’t be so damn dramatic. You had to know something was up. I mean how many times have you caught me drinking blood now?”

  My stomach rolled. The image of her from yesterday, drinking something thick and deep red while on the couch, flooded my mind.

  “Too many to count,” she said. “I mean what did you think I was drinking?”

  “Uh, red wine.”

  She laughed. “You’ve got to be kidding me. What kind of red wine is so thick it stains the damn glass?”

  “The fancy kind?”

  “Honey, that was blood.” She moved in for a hug. “Anyway, I’m so glad you finally know! This is awesome! It means I don’t have to hide anything anymore. I can stay up twenty-four-seven, and you won’t think anything strange. I can drink blood whenever now, and you won’t freak out. Seriously, this has been the best night ever!”

  I didn’t know what to say. Brielle was a vampire. How had I not known? Now that she’d said it, it made perfect sense though.

  She took another sip from her coffee, her eyes never wavering from me.

  “There’s something else different about you.” Her head tipped to the side as her gaze grew more intense. “No. Wait a minute. There’s something different about our apartment. Someone’s here. Who?”

  “Uh, hi there,” Ren said. He stood in my bedroom doorway, shirtless and barefoot. His hair was disheveled from sex and sleep, and he looked mouth-watering.

  Brielle’s gaze snapped back to me. “Oh! This cup of coffee wasn’t for me then, was it?”

  I shook my head.

  “Okay. Well, here you go.” She handed it back to me and then walked away backward. “I’m going to my room. I’ll put in some earbuds, crank up some music, and let the two of you get to round two or six, or whatever number you’re up to, without worrying about me interrupting or hearing.”

  My cheeks flamed. I covered my face with my hands as she disappeared into her room.

  “And, I’m guessing that was your roommate,” Ren said. I heard him making his way to me, but I refused to remove my hands from my face. I was too mortified. “She’s interesting and a vampire too.”

  “Yeah, I guess so.” I reached for the container of sugar, avoiding his eyes at all costs. I felt stupid for not having known what I was for so long when everyone around me seemed to have picked up on it somehow. I knew I’d been under a spell by a devourer but still. Also, I should have been able to piece things together about Brielle on my own. We lived together for crying out loud. “Sugar?”

  “Only from you.” Ren placed a chaste kiss to my lips. “Ready for round two? I feel like we have a lot of catching up to do if your roommate thinks we should be at six by now.”

  “I can’t believe she said that.” I covered my face with my hands again. “I’m going to kill her.”

  Ren wrapped his arms around me, pulling me close. “Yeah, considering she’s a vampire, I highly doubt that.”

  I pursed my lips together. “You’re probably right.”

  “Seriously though, I wasn’t joking about being ready for round two,” Ren said. A wicked grin shifted across his face that sent warmth streaking through my lower stomach.

  “Then follow me.” I teased him.

  We made our way back to my bedroom, leaving our coffees behind because the only thing I craved now was Ren.

  The End

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  She-Wolf

  By Alyssa Rose Ivy

  Prologue

  Most people were excited when they received their invitation. Let me rephrase that. Most creatures were excited. This invitation never made it into the hands of humans. My three older sisters had each jumped for joy when the silver parchment arrived for them. I tried to hide from mine, but eventually it found me anyway. Why would I be upset by finally being invited to the biggest, most exclusive supernatural party of the year? Because I knew who else would be invited this year. And that meant it was finally time to face two brothers I never wanted to see again. One broke my heart. The other broke my spirit. Yet somehow I was going to have to choose one to spend the rest of my life with.

  Chapter One

  I ran through the woods, loving the feel of the wind on my fur. The night was warm, but the slight breeze made all the difference. There was no one around for miles; it was just me and the oc
casional small animal under the towering trees of the forest. Every so often I’d reach a clearing and glance up at the star filled sky. I savored the freedom while running in my wolf form.

  I thought a trip to the mountains would solve everything. The rest of my family stopped using the woodsy escape in July. They didn’t head back up there until January. They hated the heat and the bugs. I wasn’t a particularly big fan of either, but by October neither was too much of an issue. So in the end, I got acres of woods to myself in a fairly comfortable climate. And most importantly, there was no way the invitation would find me there. It would for sure be sent to my family’s main place right outside of Atlanta.

  I ran out further from the cabin. The sun would be up in a few hours, but unlike being near the city, I didn’t have to worry about being spotted all the way up here. I was alone, and I loved it that way.

  My love of solitude was my parents’ first hint that there was something a little off about me. When you’re a wolf-shifter, like I am, you’re supposed to love being part of a pack. It’s in your blood. However, I preferred to run alone. Hunt alone. And if I had it my way, live alone. Unfortunately unless I avoided the invitation my days of solitude were numbered. I was almost of age. This was my year. My turn to start a new pack and unify my family with another.

  I doubled back around toward the lake as my legs tired. I stopped right at the bank, let go of my wolf, and let my human form take over. The moon reflected off the water, creating a shimmering effect that tempted me to dive under the dark waters. I held off. I didn’t mind standing around naked, the area was private after all, but there was something about those dark waters that made me nervous at night.

  Out of the corner of my eye, I saw a flicker of light—something different than the moon’s reflection.

  I watched, my stomach turning over and over, as the silver beam solidified into a floating slip of silver parchment.

  I shook my head, stepping back when I read the elegant script: Monster Ball. Somehow, seeing the invitation made me feel less alone and more aware of how naked I was after shifting back to my human body.

  I turned and ran. I reached for my wolf. That would get me back to the cabin faster. I didn’t turn around at all. I ran up the steps and shifted back, grabbing the towel I always left hanging on the porch rail. I wrapped the towel tightly around myself and turned around again to face the silver paper fluttering in the breeze.

  I sighed. There was nothing I could do. This was my year. I’d known it. The invitation probably could have found me on Mars. I read the Monster Ball script once more before flipping over the parchment.

  Just as the moon has brought me to you,

  so shall the moon bring you to the ball.

  October 31st

  The Witching Hour

  There was no way to RSVP. No need to. No one turned down an invitation to this ball. And there was no avoiding it. If I skipped the ball and messed with our family tradition, I’d be in more trouble than I could imagine. My parents had made a promise to the Madison family soon after I was born. It was a promise that couldn’t be broken, even by me.

  I was still standing on the porch, wrapped in my towel, as the first hint of pink and orange crossed the sky. I’d been stuck there for hours, entranced in memories I wished I could forget but knew I never could.

  Chapter Two

  “Really, Kat, you should be excited.” Danielle, the oldest of my sisters, was perched on the porch rail. “I wish I had the chance to go again.” She closed her eyes, and I knew she was lost in her memories.

  “It’s not a lack of excitement about the ball. You guys have told me how amazing it is, but I’m not excited about who I’m going to see there.” Not in the slightest. In fact I was positively dreading it.

  “So this is about the Madison twins?” Darla, the youngest of my sisters—two years my senior—squeezed into the rocking chair I was in. “I don’t get it. What could possibly be wrong with them?”

  “Nothing is wrong with them exactly.” I’d considered telling Darla the truth many times, but I’d always chickened out.

  “Oh, so they aren’t good enough for you?” Belle, the second from oldest stepped out onto the porch with her toddler son perched on her hip. “Is that it?”

  “No. That’s not it.” I swallowed down a few choice words on the tip of my tongue. Getting into a fight with my sisters wasn’t a great idea. I was outnumbered, and I knew it.

  “Then what is it?” Belle pressed. She never left well enough alone. She also never let things go.

  “It’s nothing. Absolutely nothing. It’s just nerves.” Technically I was nervous, so it wasn’t a complete lie.

  “What are you going to wear?” Danielle had returned from reliving her past. She leaned back a little, and her long auburn hair blew in the breeze. None of the four of us had the same color hair. My father called us his little rainbow. That is if a rainbow could be made up of black, brown, red, and blonde. I was the brunette of our sisterhood.

  “I hope you shopped before you came up here because I can’t imagine you’re going to find anything this far from a city.”

  “I have a dress. You can stop worrying.” I certainly hadn’t called my sisters up to help, but they’d come anyway. We didn’t spend nearly as much time together anymore now that they’d all started their own packs, so I think their arrival had more to do with finding an excuse to get together than anything else. The problem was I needed space. I always needed space. Conversation was hard for me even if it was with the people I knew the best.

  “Let us see it.” Darla leaned back, sending us into a deep rock in the chair.

  “Nah. There’s no reason to.” I brushed some of Darla’s blond tresses off of my face.

  “Why won’t you show us?” Belle frowned. “Is it because you don’t have a dress? Please don’t be an idiot about this. If you embarrass our family, I will never forgive you.”

  “I won’t embarrass anyone.” But myself. There was always the chance I’d embarrass myself. That seemed to come with the territory. As nervous as I was about facing the Madison brothers, I was glad my sisters wouldn’t be there to watch.

  “Let us see the dress.” Danielle smiled. “Please. We can help you get ready and still head out in time so that we’re not in the way when it’s time for you to go.”

  “You’re not going to give up on this easily, are you?” I already knew the answer.

  “Of course not.” Darla rocked back again.

  “Fine.” It was obvious they weren’t going to take no for an answer. “But no getting mad.”

  “Why would we get mad?” Darla stopped rocking. Suspicion dripped from her voice.

  “Because.” They’d see soon enough. There’d be no kicking them out.

  “I’ll be right back.” I hopped up from the rocking chair.

  “Want any help?” Darla asked. She was ever the helpful one.

  And I was never one to accept help I didn’t need. “I can put a dress on myself. But thanks.”

  Danielle laughed. “You know you’ll always be the baby.”

  “Some of you already have real babies.” I nodded over toward where Belle bounced her son.

  “That doesn’t change anything.” Danielle jumped down from the rail. “You’re the youngest sister. The years can’t change that.”

  “You guys aren’t going to give me space until I agree, huh?”

  “Not a chance.” Danielle grinned. “So either let us help or get to it.”

  “I’ll be right back. I can put the dress on myself, and then you guys can help with the rest I guess.” I tussled my nephew’s hair, and he squealed as I stepped around Belle into the cabin.

  I walked through the kitchen, around the huge wooden island, and directly to the back staircase. Even though I’d had the place to myself, I still slept in the little attic bedroom. Some habits never change.

  I’d left the room a mess. I hadn’t bothered to make my bed, and I was glad I’d managed to shake my sisters
off before they followed me up there. On top of everything else, I wasn’t in the mood for a lecture.

  I took a deep breath before I unzipped the black garment bag my grandmother had insisted I bring with me. Technically she hadn’t been with me when I pulled out of my driveway, but she would have known. She always knew.

  I could still see her face when she’d pressed the bag into my hands on my way out.

  “Find joy. Keep an open mind. Everything will work out.” She spoke softly as I’d hesitated in the doorway.

  “You can’t know that.” I wanted to tell her yes, I agreed. She was right. But I couldn’t lie to my grandmother. Not directly. I had managed to avoid telling her my Madison brother story though.

  “Yes I can.” She kissed my cheek. “Enjoy your quiet time, but don’t dread the future. Life is too short to waste a minute.”

  I’d nodded and thanked her before heading out to my car. After a quick stop by my apartment, I’d made the much needed trip up to the mountains.

  After initially leaving it in the car, I’d thought better of it and dragged the garment bag all the way up to the attic, but I hadn’t looked at its contents yet. That didn’t mean I wasn’t fully aware of what I would find inside.

  I pulled out the long red dress. On the surface, it didn’t look like much, but I’d never touched something so silky before. I pulled off my shorts and t-shirt and slipped on the luxurious fabric. I realized quickly there was no way I could wear a bra with it. The back dipped low, and so did the front. One nice thing about having less on top was that I could get away with skipping a bra when need be. That didn’t mean I felt all that comfortable with what little I had being so on display. A quick glance down told me that although I technically looked okay, I was showing off a whole lot more than I normally would. There was no mirror in the tiny bedroom, but I’d seen enough. The dipping neckline combined with the slit that went nearly to my thigh made the dress quite sexy compared to my usual taste, but this was the Monster Ball. Besides, I had no other dress options. As Danielle said, finding something formal to wear up here in the mountains wasn’t going to be easy. Especially since I was nearly out of time.