I tune up my bass after I rehearse some songs. Now that Andre has taken over lead, I play bass as well as sing. Andre used to play this for us before Noah disappeared, so I assumed both jobs in his absence. While I’m a decent multi-tasker, I didn’t want to screw up the more complex riffs, or my voice, when trying to balance playing and singing lead. Okay, so I’ve got to lick this underachiever streak in me. So what. Bass is easier to balance with singing.
Rita comes in with Regina. “Ten minutes! Let’s get our asses out there and get in position.”
We follow her out to the dimly lit stage and get ready. The crowd sounds like it has grown considerably from behind the closed black curtains. I start my internal mantra—keep calm—and get ready to rock the house. A switch inside my head flicks and I am confident and ready to go.
The curtains part, revealing those pulsing cube levels and a crowd that is wedged tight into the club. They spill over the dance floor and line the bar. Colored lights strobe across this sea of faces as we begin our first song. Werewolves gyrate with vampires. A Frankenstein’s monster lumbers to the bar. There are giant trolls, mummies, and just about every monster that ever graced the late night creature features I used to watch with Mom. This place is rockin’! It’s like instant Halloween, and my mood soars as I rip into song number two.
Just before we finish our first set, my focus is drawn to a man sitting near the left edge of the dance floor. Our eyes meet and his intense, icy blue gaze makes me uncomfortable. He’s older than most of the crowd in here. Hell, he could be my dad, easily, and I guess he’s about forty-five. A grey braid trails down the back of his khaki army coat and a grizzled beard lines his strong jaw.
Backstage, as Rita and I fix our makeup before our second set, I ask her, “Did you see that guy sitting near the stage? Grey hair, army coat.”
She gives a thoughtful frown. “Was he the one talking to that tall brunette that kept staring at us?”
“I just saw him.” I shrug. “Big dude. He was giving me the creeps. Kept staring at me.”
Rita shakes her foundation at me. “Yeah! That’s the one. The girl kept staring too. She was pointing at the stage, and I was like WTF?”
I hate it when she speaks in acronyms.
We discuss the guy and the girl as we head back toward the stage, but another surprise stops us. Noah is standing beside the stage entrance.
Walking up to him, I say, “I thought you were skipping this gig?”
He looks angry, frantic. Sweat beads his brow and his wide chest rises and falls deeply from heavy breaths. “We have to get out of here, now. Where’s Andre?”
“He’s right behind—” Rita’s words become a scream as the lights go out.
Just before they do, Regina steps into view and gapes at us. “Noah! How did you—?” A shriek and a growl cut off her question as darkness surrounds us.
Something heavy and hairy slams into my shoulder, making pain slice through muscle. Stars explode behind my eyelids as my head hits the floor hard. Just before I lose consciousness, I hear the howl of a wolf.
***
Chapter 4
Mud coats my lips when I wake up, and I spit the wet, gritty earth out while pushing myself off the ground. I sit up and find myself at the bottom of a deep pit. The sun is just rising, chasing a full moon from the sky. Shivering, I try not to think how much this reminds me of a mass grave.
My eyes twitch as I peer around, terrified I’ll find more bodies down here with me. What the hell happened last night? And where the hell am I? The scent of moldy soil nearly chokes me when I stand up.
After a few steps toward the center, I stop. My pulse pounds so hard it fills my head and ears with a whining ring. I forget to breathe for a second.
Yellow eyes turn to hazel as they watch me from the shadows.
“I want out of here, now,” I demand of my captor, moving closer to the glowing orbs.
“Stay back,” he growls, and I recognize the voice.
“Noah? What the hell is going on here?” Another step toward the shadows.
“Stay back!” He shuffles farther into the darkness.
“Screw you!” Now I’m more angry than afraid. “This mystery man bullshit needs to stop. And why am I in a freakin’ hole?”
I move close enough to see him clearly, and his appearance freezes my feet in place. He’s covered in a thick coat of gleaming brown fur from his waist down. As the pelt recedes into his skin, he stands naked. But before the fur disappears, bones crack and his muscles bubble. His face contorts as a long muzzle turns back into a human mouth. He howls loudly, dropping to his knees in front of me once more as the transformation completes. His face plops into the mud and he lies there, back rising and falling as he breathes heavily.
“Holy shit. You’re a werewolf!”
He sits up and looks at me, clumps of wet earth dripping from his face. “Yeah, I noticed that.”
Noah gets to his feet and is in front of me in three quick strides. His big hand clamps around my wrists and he drags me toward the left side of the hole. There is a corner here I hadn’t noticed, and when we turn it, we face an arched tunnel with a pinpoint of light at its end.
I stop him and yank my wrist from his fierce grip. “Stop dragging me. Before I go in there,” I point to the entrance, “you need to give me some information.”
He runs a hand through his hair, gives me an exasperated glower. Too bad. Damned if I’ll let anyone go caveman on me. “The people I know in Night Glamour did this. We need to get out of here.”
“Did they also turn you into a werewolf?”
He steps into the tunnel and crosses his arms over his chest as he waits for me to follow. “Yes.”
“I thought you said you knew people who knew people in Night Glamour?” Now I’m just screwing with him. But I’m not about to follow anyone blindly until I know some more facts.
He grumbles in frustration and throws his arms up in the air. “You’re arguing semantics now?”
“I’m not going anywhere until I know where I am.” Mimicking him, I cross my arms over my breasts and stand with legs wide apart and feet stubbornly set.
Shaking his head and muttering curse words, he moves back into the hole. “You’re in Glamour, the world of monsters. And if you want to get back to our world, you need to follow me.”
Hesitantly, I take his hand and let him guide me into the tunnel. “What’s this back to our world bullshit? This looks like Earth to me.”
“We’re still on Earth, yeah, but we’re in another dimension of it. Like I said, the world of monsters. Glamour exists right beside us, only humans can’t see it. The monsters have their world cloaked.”
Suddenly I feel like I’ve stepped into a bad fantasy novel. “I’m still gonna want more answers,” I tell him, swiping away a ridiculous large, glowing spider that drops in front of my face. “But I’ll wait until we’re above ground to get them.”
“Good, ’cause we need to find Rita and the others before my pack does.”
***
Chapter 5
The ground slopes upward and we enter a cave before we walk out into a thick, green forest. The morning sun has chased all the grey from the sky and I squint against the light as my eyes adjust.
“So your Glamour friends put me in that hole?” I say as I walk through tall, leafy undergrowth slick with rain.
“They aren’t my friends.” Noah scans the pine and fir trees before we move forward. “My pack ambushed your concert. They’re a little pissed I left without saying goodbye. They tried to separate us, but I fought off the wolf that grabbed you backstage and brought you here.”
“That hole is your hideout?” I wrinkled my nose.
“You could say that.”
“Creepy.”
He raised an eyebrow. “It kept you safe, didn’t it?”
“Next time I’d prefer not being buried alive, thanks.” I take his hand and familiar sparks tingle through my skin. I’ve missed his touch. “And now we
’re stuck in another dimension. Pinch me cause I’d like to wake up.”
“Once we find the others, you can.”
I’m worried about Rita, Andre, and Regina. Have these werewolves made breakfast of them? I hope not. My mind scans over the monsters in the crowd last night and I wonder were they all the real deal? Then that mysterious guy from the table pops in my thoughts. But before I can ask Noah about him, a shriek rips through the trees.
“It came from over there.” I point to the right and Noah and I run in that direction.
What we find when we break through the trees amps up my fear and rage.
The grey haired guy from the table is holding Rita captive. Her wrists are bound and he holds a length of rope attached to the knots that restrain her. She fights him and a brunette girl that accompanies him, but another female werewolf comes forward and strikes Rita, making her fall to the ground.
“Shit!” I want to run and help her, but if they discover us, I’m afraid Rita’s punishment will be even worse.
Noah is thinking along the same vein. He and I hide in a cluster of firs that grow close together and watch the procession.
“We’ll track them,” he says. “Stay close until we can ambush them and get Rita back.”
I nod. “That guy was in the club last night, watching us. Who is he?”
Noah takes a moment to answer. “The king of the werewolves. And the one who turned me.” He reveals this information slowly.
***
We track them until sunset, but just before we are ready to ambush them, more werewolves join them and they set up camp for the night. Rita is led to a tent by the brunette werewolf Noah has told me is the king’s daughter. Her name is Brigette.
So we decide to set up camp too, just far enough away from the others that we won’t be spotted. The night is warm and we don’t light a fire. I lend Noah my jacket, which he wraps around his waist until he can get some clothes. All we have to sleep on are some leaves and soft moss.
“We’ll take turns keeping watch,” Noah says as he glares toward a pair who roast something over open flames. “When they move, we move. You get some sleep.”
“I can’t sleep.” I creep up beside him, careful not to make myself noticeable. “I’ll watch with you.”
Brigette emerges from her tent and comes to talk to her father—the big man with the grey beard I now know is Pierre Gévaudan. I notice emotions knot up Noah’s face. Jealousy flares low in my belly.
“You had a thing with her, didn’t you?” I stare him down.
“You’re playing Ms. Jealousy, really?” he whisper-hisses this at me. “After I found out you’re fucking my best friend?”
“That was a little different.” I poke a finger into the cleft between his pecs. “I thought you were dead.”
“Yeah, well I was blackmailed into being with Brigette.”
One of the pack glances in our direction. We duck down behind the trees and Noah growls something about lowering our voices.
“Right, you were blackmailed into screwing her.” I can’t stop myself, even if it is no time for a fight.
He pulls me close against his hard leg. His hands graze over my cheeks and his face is inches from mine. “I didn’t screw her. They wanted that, but I broke out of this place before it could happen.” His face moves closer. “Because all I could think about, all I cared about, was you and the band.”
Before I can protest, his lips crush into mine. Our present situation is forgotten as he pulls me down to the ground and his tongue slides into my mouth. Rough bark scrapes my bare arm, but I barely feel it as I return the kiss. Our tongues entwine as we taste one another. His warm, callused palm strokes my cheek and my hands slip over his cool, naked skin. I trace the lines and curves of muscle in his chest as he lays me down on a patch of dry dirt and underbrush.
His teeth graze my bottom lip as his fingers fumble with my belt. Seconds later, my zipper is undone and those wide, strong hands glide under the waistband of my panties. My pussy tingles in anticipation of his touch. My whole body throbs with need. I reach down and shimmy my pants below my hips to give him better access, but before his thumb can stroke my aching clit, he stops.
“No, this isn’t safe.” He props himself up on his hands and stares down at me, eyes glazed with desire. A flicker of yellow moves through his hazel irises.
I think he’s referring to Andre’s reaction, as well as our dangerous location, but both are the furthest thing from my mind right now. My guilt can be dealt with later, and I’ll just hope we don’t get caught by the werewolves.
“I want this.” Raising up, I take his bottom lip between my teeth, tugging it before I kiss him deeply.
He pushes me away. “No, you don’t understand. High emotions can … make me change. It’s not just the full moon that makes a werewolf. I’m learning to control it, but I don’t want to hurt you.”
Reaching up, I brush strands of dark hair from his face. “Don’t worry. I trust you.”
He stops me before I can untie my jacket from around his waist. “I’m not sure I trust myself.”
It’s all I can do not to growl in frustration. “Fine.” I slip the jacket off his hips. “Let me tie you up then. You can’t hurt me if you can’t touch me.”
“But I want to touch you,” he protests between kisses.
“Let me do the touching.” I sit up and motion for him to turn around so I can tighten my belt around his wrists. If he does wolf out, it won’t do much good. I’ll be dog chow in a heartbeat, but my instincts tell me not to worry.
Once his wrists are restrained, I push him down to the ground, remove my pants and underwear, and straddle him. His skin against mine is heaven, and while I miss his roaming hands, the feel of his hard cock sliding against my wet pussy provide enough consolation.
I yank my shirt over my head, exposing my braless breasts, then I reach down to explore his sculpted flesh. No need to worry about condoms since I’m protected against pregnancy, and I’m pretty sure, after what Noah’s just told me, he’s been with no one since me. I position his hard cock and get ready to sink him deep inside my cunt when shouting interrupts us.
“I know you’re out there, Wilder!” Pierre refers to Noah by his last name. “I can smell you and your bitch.”
Noah sits up and I topple off him, falling in a disgruntled heap next to my clothes. I notice his eyes are now pure yellow and some fur sprouts from his neck and lines his shoulders. Apparently I turned him on enough to bring the beast out after all.
“Get your clothes on,” he whispers, scrambling to grab my jacket and tie it around his waist once more.
I grumble obscenities, annoyed by the intrusion of our dangerous reality, but I remind myself my friends are at risk. There will be time for getting off later.
“We need to get out of here.” Noah helps me to my feet, but we remain hidden in the cluster of trees.
“But we can’t lose them,” I say, looking toward the camp of werewolves. “We have to get Rita back.”
Noah and I watch as Pierre gathers the pack near the fire and speaks with them. Brigette emerges from the tent where she took Rita and comes over to him, speaking close to his ear. I can’t hear what is said, but judging by Noah’s concerned expression he can.
“Did it heighten your sense of hearing, too?”
He gives me a confused frown, then realization dawns on him. “Yeah, and my sense of smell. Which really sucks when you’re in a public toilet.”
“What’re they saying?” I glance back at the company of wolves.
“They’re moving out. Sounds like they’ve located Andre and Regina, and Adam is close behind them.”
“Adam?”
He nods in response to my bewildered expression. “A werewolf who has turned on Pierre and is trying to prove he’s corrupt. We need to get to Adam first.”
***
Chapter 6
Once the Dark Moon pack is a fair distance ahead, we move out. Catching up with Andre, Regina, a
nd Adam is apparently more important than hunting us down at the moment, and while I’m grateful on one hand, I’m worried about the fate of my friends and this werewolf I haven’t met yet.
When we finally emerge from the forest, I find we’re on the edge of Cosmo City, but Noah explains to me that I shouldn’t expect familiar territory when we enter the mid-sized metropolis. What we’re about to walk into is pure Glamour, he tells me. Though it might look like home, the resemblance is only an illusion.
“So what’s the deal with you and Pierre and Brigette exactly?”
He draws his dark eyebrows down and gives me a glare, but after a sigh he reveals some more information as we walk down a pitted old highway that leads to the outskirts of the city.
“I made a deal with Pierre, but he wanted more. He wanted me to become Brigette’s mate. The werewolf world … well, it’s kind of interbred. Put it that way. I escaped and now they want me back.”
I shook my head. “This is all too weird.”
Before either of us can say more, a black Dodge Charger comes roaring up the pavement towards us. I run for the side of the road, but Noah doesn’t move. He stands in the car’s path and I scream at him to get out of the way. I run back to grab his arm just as the car stops two feet in front of him. Its engine purrs like a big cat as Noah strides up to the driver’s side.
The tinted window rolls down and an Asian-Canadian man takes off his sunglasses to look us both over.
“How did you know where to find us?” Noah says to him. “We were heading to the city to look for you.”
“Regina figured you’d head to the tunnels. She sent me. Get in,” the man says. “We’ve got things to discuss.”
Before Noah moves to the front passenger door, he points to our visitor. “Merry, meet Adam Stobard.”
Adam tosses a bag at Noah as he gets in the front seat. “Regina figured you’d wolfed out and shredded your clothes. Here’s some replacement gear.”
“Thanks.” Noah slips into a pair of jeans as I climb in the back and buckle my seatbelt. “What was up with Regina getting us a gig at Night Glamour? Please tell me she hasn’t turned to Pierre’s way of thinking.”
Shifters & Bad Boys Bundle (Shifters & Bad Boys. Man love, bdsm, and rockstar romance. Book 1) Page 31