Feral Deceptions: A Rejected Mates Reverse Harem Romance, page 1
FERAL DECEPTIONS
A REJECTED MATES SHIFTER ROMANCE (AWAKENING OF THE CHOSEN BOOK 1)
CALLIE STONE
FREE GIFT
Remnant Halos - The Angel's Guardians Prequel
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I must return to Heaven, even if it will break my heart.
As an angel, I have no business getting tangled up with Creatures on Earth, especially vampires. But when vampire Emilio’s attempt to rescue innocent witches ends up in his own death, I can’t simply watch on. Even though I know the punishment, I bring him back to life, and thus, fall from Heaven.
Soon, my white-hair, huge wings, and angelic powers attract unwanted attention. I must return to Heaven. If I stay, I’ll end up as a prized prey of human hunters who will stop at nothing to claim my angelic powers for themselves.
Together with Emilio, I start my journey to the tallest point of the land, the gateway to Heaven. As we avoid my pursuers, I can’t help but fall for reckless, kind, and funny Emilio. He might be a Creature of darkness, but he’s perfect for me.
Yet with each day I spend on Earth, I grow weaker, and my chances of reaching Heaven dwindle. Even if I make it to the top of the mountain, I’ll have to face the hardest choice ever. Because if I’m permitted to return to heaven, I’ll never see Emilio again.
Remnant Halos is the prequel to The Angel’s Guardians series. Don’t miss this delicious paranormal romance read filled with magic, forbidden love, and heart-pounding action!
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It is not legal to reproduce, duplicate, or transmit any part of this document in either electronic means or in printed format. Recording of this publication is strictly prohibited and any storage of this document is not allowed unless with written permission from the publisher except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
This book is a work of fiction. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, or places, events or locations is purely coincidental.
Cover Design by MiblArt
CONTENTS
Prologue
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Next in the Series: Entangled Soul
Author’s Note
About the Author
Free Gift
PROLOGUE
“Only the dead have seen the end of the war.” -George Santayana
Astor
Sweat stings my eyes as it drips down my face and onto the rough woolen blanket I am using to shield the young shifter. Surrounded by the aftereffects of such a brutal battle, I move fast as I try to escape.
It is a privilege to have the care of the four-year-old Amirah placed on me. The alpha of the revered Blood Moon pack of wolf shifters has given such an honor to me with his dying breath. He pleaded for me to keep her safe until it is time for the Chosen to become.
I step over the bodies, in both human and wolf forms, that litter the blood-soaked ground beneath my feet. Blood pounds in my ears, and the cries of my pack mates echo in my head as someone executes them. I can still hear steel striking steel in the distance. The metallic scent of blood and death gags me.
I can feel the child’s body wracking with silent sobs. I lean down and whisper for her to stay quiet and not move. My heart is heavy with the weight of this task and the pain of seeing the fallen. My mind and soul struggle to accept what I am seeing.
I feel the ground rumble beneath my feet and hear a dangerous growl.
“Astor. Stop, now,” said a deep voice coming from the left side of the courtyard. I know that voice: it belongs to a rogue shifter that left the pack some time ago after refusing to conform to our peaceful ways.
A large man in blood-splattered clothes steps out and blocks me. He holds a sword with crimson red dripping off the tip from his last victim.
“Eamon, I don’t want trouble. I’m just trying to get away.”
“Get away? There’s no getting away. Those who did get away are already gone by boat. It’s of no consequence. When we find them--and we will--I will execute them. Dark Moon is no more, and Red Blood will take over this compound.
“What do you have there?” He gestured to my arms, the small bundle of Amirah still racking with sobs.
“It’s nothing--just a wolf pup that got injured in the battle. It’s not a shifter, just a playmate of one of the children.”
“Right. You always had a soft heart, Astor. You were someone I once respected, so I’m giving you one chance. I can kill you and gut your little pet, or you can join us. Your choice.”
I know there is no way I can get out of the compound alive, not now that Eamon caught me trying to escape. This is all the fallen alpha has ever asked of me, and I cannot fail this task. I decide that the best way to hide is in plain sight.
“I’ll join you.”
CHAPTER 1
“Young love is like a raging fire that can’t be tamed.” -Paige P. Horne
Amirah ~ Eleven Years Later
A storm of epic proportions brews inside me, waiting to spew forth with anger. I know not if I will be defiant or let my anger rage, but I know I have had enough of being trapped within these walls.
I glance out the window of our cabin that sits outside the Red Blood Pack compound. Our gabled roof is hidden from unwanted eyes. The fall foliage is a splendid display of golds, deep red, and burnt orange. The breeze blows the leaves off the trees, sprinkling the ground with vibrant hues. I want to feel the air upon my skin and smell the ocean that carries in the breeze. What I want is the freedom to live like any other girl my age.
“Please, father. I just want to go out for a little while. I rarely get to leave the cabin and just look at how beautiful it is. The Blood Moon is coming soon, and you’ve already refused me going to the Samhain festival of our pack,” I plead.
My foster father explained to me long ago that there are shifters that would do me harm if they were to recognize me. My entire existence had been a secret since the day of my birth father’s murder. Allowed little freedom, I never get to shift.
“Amirah, you cannot. You know it as well as I do. You torment yourself by wanting what you cannot have,” he said.
He gets up from his worktable and walks to me. He rests a hand on my shoulder and gives it a gentle squeeze.
“I don’t deny you because I’m being unfair. This is just how it is, for now.”
“You always say that: ‘for now.’ When is it not going to be ‘for now?’ I have no friends. I have no life. It isn’t fair.” I stomp my foot, shrug his hand off my shoulder, and pull away.
“I’m sorry. The answer is still no. I have to make a delivery of medicines to the compound. Stay inside until I return.”
He grabs his messenger bag full of medicines and leaves.
I follow him to the door and watch him enter the forest. He is a skilled and respected alchemist, and those of the pack assume he is a recluse because of the secret methods he uses to make his medicines. It’s because we aren’t of Red Blood, and he needs to keep them away from us. Since wolf shifters heal quickly and are immune to the diseases that kill humans, his medicines counteract poisonings or for commonplace pains amongst the elders. The pack needs his skills, so they respect his choice to live outside the compound.
Coming out of the woods is a beautiful gray she-wolf--a regular wolf, a predator that migrated to Maine from Canada. Willow. When she was younger, her leg got caught in a trap, and my foster father treated her injuries. Since then, when he’s not around, she guards me. She’s been my only friend.
She pads up to me, and I let her in the front door. I place my hand on her head, and she leans into my leg, resting against me. I bend over and kiss the top of her head, and she licks my hand. Intuitive to my emotions, she knows I am upset.
“It’s okay, Willow. I’m not mad at you, but I think I’m going to go lay down for a while,” I say.
As I walk to my room, I gaze out the window, and a thought hits me. Father wouldn’t be back for a while, and if Willow thought I was resting, I could sneak out. If I shifted, I could make it to the coast and back fast.
I grab a sack with a short string and jump through my bedroom window, leaving it open for my return. I take off my clothes, put them in the sack, grab the string with my teeth, and then shift. My bones transform, my muscles stretch, and I stand as a large, sleek black wolf within seconds. I run full speed, heading toward the coastline.
I am free.
Air whips through my fur as I skid to a halt at the line of trees marking the forest’s end. I stand there and take in the rocky coastline.
I drop the sack, shift, and get dressed as the sound of the waves crashes into the sea stacks. It may have sounded violent to some, as the waves thrash
Opening my arms wide, I spin in circles and laugh. The water sprays, landing on my face. I slip my tongue out of the corner of my mouth and taste the tang of salt on my lips. I jump into the waves and dance in the seafoam churned up by the water. I look out into the blue water, feeling thankful for my freedom, even if it will be brief.
The hair on the back of my neck prickles where the loop of my long black hair is tied away from my face. I tune into my senses to feel if there is danger nearby. I sense no threat, but goosebumps cover my arms--someone is watching me. I can feel it; I know it.
I shield my eyes from the blazing sun and scan the area. I try to pick up a scent. With a light breeze, a faint scent surrounds me: the scent of a male. As quickly as it comes, it disappears.
My eyes water from the intensity of the sun’s glare. I move further down the coastline. Ahh, there he is. I am concerned, but he doesn’t move from where he sits on the rocks.
I run in the opposite direction, playing in the water and trying to act natural. I tune into my senses to feel if there is danger again, and I still sense none, so I try to enjoy the pleasures of the landscape. I can still feel his eyes on me, so I turn to look at him. I don’t recognize him, but that’s not surprising since I’m kept in isolation.
He rises and makes his way stealthily down the rocks. He has a grace and elegance that I have only read about--there is something imperial about him, royal even. He moves with confidence, strong and sure. I can’t help but notice he is quite handsome. I shake my head and turn away. This time is just for me.
I dance to the rhythm of the sea. Lost in my freedom, I smack into something hard that knocks me back. Before I land on my bottom, large hands grip my forearms to steady me.
I look up at the most handsome shifter in existence. He is gorgeous. Tall and muscular, he towers over my petite size. Looking up, I see a jawline that could cut diamonds. My fingers itch to stroke his black hair, tracing the designs on the razored sides.
“Are you okay, little one?” he asks.
Lost in his blue eyes, I cannot speak.
He chuckles. “I guess that’s a yes.” He runs his hands down my arms and grasps my hand. “Come, let’s sit. Maybe you just need to catch your breath for a moment.”
I am still unable to speak as he leads me to a flat rock. Placing his large hands on my hips, he lifts me onto it. He hops up next to me and holds out his hand.
“I’m Tiernan Tate,” he says as he shakes my hand.
I clear my throat and shake my head, my long hair falling loose.
“My name is Amirah Faolan.”
“Well, Amirah, it’s nice to meet you. I know you’re not human; you’re a shifter. I haven’t seen you in the compound. I would remember.”
I blush. I have never met a male before except my foster father’s trusted few.
“Yes, I’m from the compound--but I was in Ireland the last few years, training in guardianship with another pack,” I lie.
“So, you’re to be a caretaker.” He shrugs. “Somehow, I doubt that’s what will be. Come, let’s walk.”
He hops off the rock and lifts me down, placing me on my feet. He takes my hand, and our relationship begins. Our conversation is effortless. He thinks I am funny. I don’t feel awkward, immature, or scared. I can tell him anything--but I must not. I have sworn to my foster father that I will never.
When the sun sets, I know I have to return to the cabin. Hopefully, Willow hasn’t discovered me missing. I tell Tiernan that I must return home before my family comes looking for me. I don’t want to leave him, but I must. I wave goodbye.
“Wait,” Tiernan calls.
I turn around, jogging backward. “Yes?” I ask.
“Can I see you again?”
“Under the light of the moon, I will return.”
He gazes at me with tenderness. “I’ll be waiting for you.”
CHAPTER 2
“No man, for any considerable period, can wear one face to himself and another to the multitude, without finally getting bewildered as to which may be true.” -Nathaniel Hawthorne
I sneak out every week to meet Tiernan. We walk along the shore under the light of the moon with the twinkle of the stars shining above. We spend hours together under the night sky, getting to know each other, holding hands, and talking on ‘our rock.’
I never lied to my foster father before, but I now become a skilled liar. Meeting Tiernan like this, I risk our lives, but I can’t stop. Tiernan makes me feel beautiful and cherished. Desire controls me.
The week before Samhain, Tiernan tells me we can’t meet. He has responsibilities to the pack, and he will be busy with festival preparations, he says. I ask him what those responsibilities are, and he tells me it doesn’t matter. When it’s time for me to leave, I have to ask, but I don’t know if I want to hear his answer.
“Tiernan, after this week, will I see you again?” I hold my breath, afraid that this is the end.
“Amirah,” he says as he jumps from our rock and moves between my legs. “Look at me,” he orders.
He must know I don’t want to because he grabs my chin and forces my eyes to meet his. His touch is gentle yet firm. I look into his eyes.
“Amirah, I have responsibilities I can’t ignore. For a week--that’s it. After it’s over, we will meet again. I promise.”
I smile. The next moment will forever be embedded in my mind. He leans forward and whispers my name, then lays his lips gently on mine.
My heart pounds. He presses his tongue against my lips, forcing them apart, and enters my mouth. He groans as he deepens the kiss. Following his lead, I open my mouth more, and our tongues entwine. He pulls me close. He groans again and then steps quickly away.
“I’m sorry. I don’t know what I’m doing,” I stammer, embarrassed because I must have done something wrong for him to have stepped away. I fight back the tears. He steps between my legs again, resting his hands on my thighs.
“You don’t get it, do you, little one? How beautiful you are, how sweet you taste--your innocence is part of your beauty. I want you--but you are young, and now is not the time,” he says as he brushes my loose hair away from my face.
“Really?” I ask with a smile on my face.
“Really. Just know that you are mine. Now, get going before I forget how innocent you are.”
He pulls me off the rock and sets me on my feet. On tiptoe, I give him a quick kiss and take off running for home.
This is a night I will never forget: under the moonlight, with the smell of the sea in the air, that magical moment. I hold that moment in my heart during the nights apart. It feeds my soul and keeps the magic of the moment alive. It’s the memory of his lips on mine that keeps me happy during the time we remain apart.
Willow comes to stay with me on the 31st because my foster father has to appear at the festival. I know he will return soon, so Willow and I sit outside around our own bonfire, feasting on snacks and performing the sacred prayer and rituals. On this night, the veil is thin, and those of the Otherworld can come into ours more easily.
When we finish, we leave the fire burning low, snacks and drinks on the ground as offerings to appease any spirits that may cross the veil. I get ready for bed with Willow taking her position as my guard.
