Introduction 2
River was blissfully unaware of what she was. No one had ever told her, and because she wasn't yet twenty-five, she hadn't fully come into her powers. She was fast and strong and agile, a bit beyond a typical human, but she chalked it up to good genes. She was beautiful and stubborn with long, light brown hair and orange-red-like eyes that seemed to glow. She has fair skin with arms covered in tattoos. She was five-foot-five-inch with a body that looked like a super model's body. Perfect curves, large perky breasts, and she was tone everywhere. Guys couldn't keep their eyes off of her.
She had a big, bright smile with a nasty glare and didn't like to take orders from anyone. Her father and mother seemed to have hated her for whatever reason and used to beat her. They'd lock her away in a closet for days at a time. So as soon as she hit sixteen, she took off and made it about six months before she was found and returned home to be welcomed by the worst beating she'd ever endured.
Men were drawn to her like moths to a light, but she took no interest and shooed them away like a light shocking the insect. She hated being touched, no matter how it was, whether it be a hug or something from a creepy handsy man. With that wild girl personality, you'd think she'd have slept around, but she was still a virgin. She assumed it was because she was scared she'd sleep with a man who turned out to be like her father. She wasn't for being beaten anymore.
River couldn't seem to find her place in the world, so she moved around a lot. Here is a small town in Maine was where she'd decided to stay for a short time. Short to her was at most six months, but here she was still there two years later. Unknowingly the poor girl stepped into the middle of a battle between two werewolf packs, one that would be bloody, but it wouldn't end there; no, she would get to meet the master of vampires soon as well.
She worked in a cafe during the day and went to the local bar at night, having fun with the two friends she'd made and sung karaoke. Sometimes she got drunk, and her friends carried her home safely, and sometimes she was doing the carrying. But, if there was one thing she knew, Brice and Lilly were her best friends, the best people she'd ever known. And they were lycans. Initially drawn to her by her strange and yet oddly familiar scent and this energy that seemed contained in a shell about to break open and spill out. But stayed because of her demanding yet bubbly personality. She was with no doubt insanely loyal, and they knew that too. They are the reason she stayed, she'd never felt like she had a family, but these two were the closest she would have.
"Come on, babe, come sing with me," Lilly whined to River, who smiled, holding her drink in her hand.
"I'm feeling a bit...happy. I think I'll slur the words." River lied with a smile, and Lilly kind of hopped up and down in an attempt to throw a dramatic temper tantrum.
"PPPLLLEEEAAASSEE!" Lilly said, letting enough letter last too long, throwing her head in exasperation. River laughed at how dramatic Lilly was being and handed her drink to Brice.
"Watch this, please. While I deal with...this." River said, allowing Lilly to drag her to the stage; it was Lilly's night to get drunk, apparently. "What are we singing?""St...starships." Lilly stuttered, and River rolled her eyes, "you do the rapping part...cause I suck at it, and you don't."
"Oh, God." River said, handing the mic to Lilly holding the other in her hands. The DJ turned on the song, and the lyrics came up on the screen, and they began. Surprisingly Lilly didn't do too terribly for being drunk, and once they'd finished, she helped Lilly stumble back to her seat. Barely not missing the seat, Lilly got up and ordered another drink and the bartender entertainingly gave her one. He looked up at River, who was giving him quite the glare, and he shrugged and slinked away, escaping the intensity that came with her expression.
"Sing with me," Brice asked River, whom he'd been crushing on hard for the past couple of years, and she smiled, utterly oblivious to that fact making their way to the stage. Brice had a lovely voice, but River had an amazing and beautiful voice, so no matter what song they sang, whether it be together or individually, people would lean in to take it in. Brice got to pick the song and chose 'Just Give Me a Reason by Pink as if the song wasn't to drop hints her way.
The song started, and both werewolves had their nostrils assaulted by an intense scent coming from the bar's front door. Even as Brice kept singing with River, his eyes were glued to the hallway where the scent seemed to be coming from. And there he was, Malachi, the most terrifying lycan who'd ever lived. Malachi scanned and snifted the room, and his eyes landed on River, who was singing so beautifully. She didn't know what was happening, but Brice did, and he was worried, unsure if he should run and keep away from her and keep himself alive or protect her and indeed die in the process.Lilly's drunk ass sure didn't care as she stumbled up to Malachi, trying to seem angry and challenging. "Listen here, you werewolf...You keep your eyes off of my friend, or I'll...I'll gauge them out with this." She slurred, holding up a small stir straw as if it were a big, dangerous weapon. He looked down at her for a moment and then stepped around her keeping his gaze on River. His mate. He could smell her from where he stood, listening and making sure to put these moments away for later viewing. She smelled odd, not rotten, incredible actually, she was supposed to as his mate, but she also smelled different.
Each species had the same scent. Vampires smelled like vampires, humans like humans, and lycans smelled like lycans, but she was an odd mix of them all, and it confused and intrigued him. At least fate had been kind to him in the form of a gorgeous mate, she was small, but she looked solid and self-assured the way she stood. She wore a tight long sleeve black shirt with a plunging neckline showing off a lot of cleavage. He appreciated the view but wasn't too fond of the fact that so did many other men, and he could feel the arousal from the men and some women as they stared at her. But what really was pissing him off was the lycan singing beside her, obviously aroused by her as well.
When they'd finished, she walked toward him, slowing down as she passed by him, and she caught his scent, and he smelled as amazing as he looked, but she kept on walking. The three lycans in the room were a bit confused by this. Usually, when an alpha finds his mate, the mate is drawn to him as if the mate energies were a beacon to be followed. It didn't matter the species, as vampires were similar when it came to mates.
She went to the bar standing between Lilly and Brice and leaned her back against the bar, looking at Malachi.
"He is...attractive." She said in an unsure tone, as if unsure how she should feel when seeing him.
Her dark orange-red eyes brightened just enough that they were most definitely glowing, and Malachi looked as if he were in a trance as their eyes locked on each other. Lilly had sobered up moments after Malachi walked around her, as soon as she realized who he was.
"He looks like bad news, babe. A bad choice." Lilly whispered, her eyes set hard on this man. She and Brice knew precisely who he was, and they were scared, but at the same time, they couldn't leave their beloved friend to fend for herself against the beautiful monster that stood before them.
"Well, Lil, you know me...I'm all about bad choices." Her and Malachi's eyes never wavered as they continued to stare. She could smell him. She didn't realize that's what she was doing, but he smelled terrific, almost drunk by the way he smelled.
"Let's go." Brice said quietly, "let's get home and watch a movie." He grabbed River's hand to pull her away, but the moment he touched her hand, Malachi's eyes turned black, and Brice dropped her hand with a gasp.
"Yeah. I think that's a good idea." Lilly added, and no one moved their eyes from Malachi. Brice and Lilly tensed up as soon as he began walking toward them. River was still relaxed as she almost always was. Calm, cool, and collected.
"Hello," Malachi said as he approached them, more brooding than ever. River straightened herself up from the bar.
"Scottish?" She asked, coming off as if she had little interest in him.
"Yes." He replied, taking a small step closer to her. They both stood there a moment staring at each other, it felt awkward to everyone else, but the sexual tension was intense between the two of them.
"Cool. Welcome to America." She said, looking at Lilly then at Brice, "let's go. It's my turn to pick the movie tonight. Nice meeting you. Bye."
Lilly hesitated before hurrying around the back of the stunned Malachi. Brice and Lilly tried to rush River from the building, but she refused to hurry. Malachi watched her walk out, hoping to see her look back at him, but to his disappointment, she didn't.
*Author's note:This book contains violence, sexual scenes and talks about rape. Reader discretion is warned. I appreciate all of the support my reader's provide for me and my kids. Please don't forget to give gems and votes and reviews please. Every little bit helps!
RIVER POV ll I could see was the tall, brooding, beautiful man standing there merely ten feet from me, staring at me. I could feel his eyes on me, felt like they were looking into my soul. I felt this strange pull towards him, but I resisted it. It would be so weird just to follow it to a total stranger, no matter how hot the guy was. To be honest, he seemed just as drawn to me as I was him for a split moment time seemed to stop. She took a deep breath before following Brice back toward Lilly, who sat at the bar looking oddly sober and scared. Even the way Brice walked seemed tense, and I could sense that it had something to do with the man standing in front of me. As I walked by him, my knees felt like jello and almost gave out from underneath me when I got a whiff of him. I fought through it, and if my friends were nervous about him, then I'd stay away. I got to the bar and leaned my back up against it between Lilly and Brice, their nerves so tense that I could feel the con
Introduction Victor, one of the oldest vampires around today, stood pacing back and forth on the hardwood floors of his mansion overlooking a lake in the British countryside. He knew something was happening. The energies from the moon had shifted, again, just as it had nearly a thousand years ago. And a little over a thousand before that. He knew what these energy shifts were; he knew them very well. "Hybrid." Was the word that slipped through his pale lips, and as if on cue, a man burst into the study, gaining Victor's full attention. "There have been reports in Maine in the United States that a young woman who has gained the attention of an alpha lycan. She is reported to have a strange smell, not like a human or a lycan or a vampire, but a mix of all three...Or none at all, depending on who you ask. And reportedly her eyes sir are red." The man said, and Victor smiled wickedly. "We shall be going to Maine then." He said, skipping away merrily. "Uh, one thing, sir..." T
MALACHI'S POV It was a restless night of sleep. It was filled with intense thoughts of my mate, the woman who had seemed to have little interest in me, but I wasn't going to give up. I know she worked somewhere in the tiny town, so I explained what she looked like to a few of my wolves, and off they went, prepared to go to every business in town every day until they found her. Luckily for my anxious ass, it didn't take long. My beta called me, and I immediately answered the phone before the second ring. Fueled by anxiety and desperation to find my mate. "Hey, I found her. She is at a cafe in the town center called Morning Java. She is a barista, and I see what you mean about her scent. She smells different than anything else I've ever come near before. I'll stay here and keep an eye on her until you arrive." Morgan said, hearing my sigh of relief. "Alright. Thank you. Make sure the others know, no reason to keep searching. I don't want them anywhere near her." I was very s
LILLY'S POV Maybe it was just me, but it seemed like Malachi found my reaction to his words amusing, but a guy with his reputation, I'm sure that's probably the case. His eyes shifted between the man that opened the door and me, and he had a slight smile in the corners of his mouth. But, after a couple of moments of silence, I could tell he was getting annoyed and impatient with us. "Let's talk." He finally broke the silence, walking away from his door leaving it open. I don't think it would've ended well if we had rejected his offer to come inside, so that would've been a bad idea, not that I thought going inside was a good idea either. "She is your friend?" "She is," I answered nervously, unsure if it was a comment or a question. "She is my mate. Ask me or tell me your concerns. I know you have them." I know he could sense the fear me and Brice were putting out, and he smirked before sitting down in a large, cushy black living chair, gesturing to the couch opposite of him. H
VICTOR'S POV Once we had landed the plane, I became impatient. That hybrid was out there waiting for me. But not just any hybrid, a female hybrid. They were useful beyond their ridiculously powerful and savage nature; the males mainly were just killing machines. I never minded America, though I did prefer it right after the Civil War had ended. Maine was a beautiful area though, it wasn't heavily developed in most of the state like most others. I knew she wouldn't be too hard to find; she would have a unique scent to her; I would just need to look. I can't imagine it would be too hard since it was such a small town. I was pleased to know she worked in a cafe and that there was only one in town, it made the search easy. When I entered the cafe, I got a very weak scent of her, which told me that she'd been here not too long ago. I guess I would have to wait, even though I didn't really want to, because I couldn't stand the smell of lycans, and were at least two of the nasty creatures
RIVER'S POV I was in a soft warm bed when I woke up, the room was dark but I could see the sunlight peeking underneath the floor-length curtains, the fireplace was still going so that told me someone had been into stoke it a few times throughout the night. I felt better now. My whole body was sore as I attempted to get out of bed, when I stood I realized I was wearing a long black t-shirt instead of the nightgown, and knowing someone, very possibly Malachi had changed my clothes while I was unconscious I was still so relieved not being with Victor. Malachi walked silently into the room rubbing his eyes and yawning, I think me sitting on the side of the bed caught him off guard because once he stopped rubbing his eyes and saw me he gave a slight jump. He wasn't wearing his shirt so I assumed the one I was wearing was his. He sat beside me and I could clearly see the dark circles and bloodshot eyes, it was then that I knew he was the one who kept the fire warm all night probably
RIVER'S POV The threat of Victor attacking hung heavily on us all, it had been a week since that night, and things seem still, quiet even. I still got to go to work. There was someone there at all times, just in case. I got the feeling that Malachi enjoyed watching me work. He smiled at me the entire time. "He is super hot." Jamie, my co-worker, said, gesturing to Malachi. "Yes, he is." I confirmed, "his name is Malachi." "Oh, you know him? So you two aren't just eye fucking for no reason?" She teased with a bit of an annoyed undertone. "He's my boyfriend," I said; she seemed a bit jealous as her face for a split second turned red. "So, you think it's cute that he sits here so much while you work?" "He did that before we started dating. You've been gone two months. This is what he did before. He does his work here." I kind of lied; some of it was true. I mean, he did have an empire to run, so he did his work there for a few hours in between Brice and Lilly being there. It had be
RIVER'S POV Today was cold as hell out. The weather was below freezing and heavy snow fell. I felt trapped inside, but knew it was for the best. It has been a week since Morgan and I discovered we were brother and sister. And with that, I was relieved to know the man I was fated to be with, to have offspring with wasn't not actually blood-related. The idea of being cousins with him grossed me out and I know it did him to. I must've been hard on everyone to find all that out. But hardest on him and I. A lot of questions had been answered, but all those answered questions did was reveal many more, different questions. I laid on my bed, in the room that I shared with Malachi. He kept his hands to himself for the most part, which was hard on both of us. But as time went on my feelings for him only grew, and I knew the wait would be worth turning him into a hybrid so I wouldn't have to lose him. After learning about Morgan and me, he decided that if me being able to turn lycans into