Moonlight Mist: A Limited Edition Collection of Fantasy & Paranormal) Read online

  Moonlight Mist

  Nicole Morgan

  Carma Haley Shoemaker

  Krista Ames

  Stephanie Morris

  Tmonique Stephens

  Donna R. Mercer

  Jan Springer

  Carly O’Shea

  Deelylah Mullin

  Helen Scott

  Erin Lee

  Terri Bruce

  Sharon Coady

  Kat Parrish

  Berlin Rhodes

  Erin Richards

  Rebecca Tran

  Marie Mason

  Cam Cassidy

  Romance Collections

  Night Falls © 2018 by Nicole Morgan

  Code Red © 2018 by Carma Haley Shoemaker

  Fighting Fate © 2018 by Krista Ames

  Close Encounter © 2018 by Stephanie Morris

  Only Tonight © 2018 by Tmonique Stephens

  Sparks Fly © 2018 by Donna R. Mercer

  Taken by Him © 2018 by Jan Springer

  Destined © 2018 by Carly O’Shea and Cam Cassidy

  Grateful for the Gymnasium © 2018 by Deelylah Mullin

  Flamekeeper © 2018 by Helen Scott

  The Acquisition of Dr. Iris © 2018 by Erin Lee

  Unexpected Trajectory © 2018 by Terri Bruce

  Safe with You © 2018 by Sharon Coady

  The Waking Dream © 2018 by Kat Parrish

  Iroida © 2018 by Berlin Rhodes

  Twilight Rising © 2018 by Erin Richards

  Honor Bound © 2018 by Rebecca Tran

  Loving the Lion © 2018 by Marie Mason

  First E-book Publication: October 2018

  ALL RIGHTS RESERVED: This literary work may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, including electronic or photographic reproduction, in whole or in part, without express written permission.

  All characters and events in this book are fictitious. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, is strictly coincidental.

  Romance Collections

  www.romancecollections.com

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  Contents

  About the Book

  Nicole Morgan

  Night Falls

  Carma Haley Shoemaker

  Code Red

  Krista Ames

  Fighting Fate

  Stephanie Morris

  Close Encounter

  Tmonique Stephens

  Only Tonight

  Donna R. Mercer

  Sparks Fly

  Jan Springer

  Taken By Him

  Carly O’Shea and Cam Cassidy

  Destined

  Deelylah Mullin

  Grateful for the Gymnasium

  Helen Scott

  Flamekeeper

  Erin Lee

  The Acquisition of Dr. Iris

  Terri Bruce

  Unexpected Trajectory

  Sharon Coady

  Safe with You

  Kat Parrish

  Waking Dream

  Berlin Rhodes

  Iroida

  Erin Richards

  Twilight Rising

  Rebecca Tran

  Honor Bound

  Marie Mason

  Loving the Lion

  About the Book

  Somewhere underneath a moonlit night lies an underworld that some may not believe exists.

  The creatures of this alternate plain lurk beyond the mist.

  Searching.

  Hungry.

  Craving for what they need.

  Some may find it. Some might even curb that hunger. But a few will not.

  Without knowing what it is they need to satisfy a primal need, they seek out something more. Something that will test their limits in search of something greater.

  Something powerful... Something everlasting.

  Night Falls

  Racinitine Pack 1

  Nicole Morgan

  About the Story

  Paul Holton is the leader of the Racinitine Pack. Rising to his position from bloodline and destiny hadn’t been easy for the strong-willed young man. Having sacrificed many of the things his kind long for in their reticent existence, Paul knew all he forfeited had been for the greater good.

  Kinzey Sloane had been finding ways to get herself into trouble ever since she was a rambunctious young child. Now a reporter for the small press, The Grand Lake Gazette, she was determined to make a name for herself, no matter what it cost.

  When Paul crosses paths with the tenacious and gorgeous redhead, Kinzey, he knows he’s in trouble. Not only can he see the fire in her, but he can feel it as well. But when Kinzey gets too close to his secrets, he is faced with making a choice that could change not only his world, but the only life his pack has ever known.

  Chapter One

  Paul Holton stared down at his opponent. Sweat dripped from his forehead onto Zeke’s, sliding down the side and falling into the crease of the scar he’d caused when he and Zeke were just boys.

  "Surrender," Paul ordered.

  “Not a chance, brother.”

  With an abrupt movement, Zeke elbowed his big brother in the ribs and grinned when Paul released his hold in agony.

  Getting on top of him, Zeke pinned him down and said, “You may be older, but you’ll never be faster.”

  Paul’s eyes glinted with an amber glow, the color that only showed when his other side was trying to shift through.

  With a burst of adrenaline and strength that he knew his little brother wouldn’t be able to overcome, Paul pushed Zeke off of him and several feet away.

  He then got up from the dirt covered barn and stood over Zeke. “Faster, yes, but never stronger, my brother.”

  Paul held his hand out to help Zeke up, but the gesture was refused. Like t
he sore loser he’d always been, Zeke pushed his hand away and stood up in what could only be described as a childlike huff.

  “You cheated.”

  Laughing, he asked, “How exactly did I cheat? And when did this become a competition?”

  “You used your powers. I saw your eyes. And it’s always a competition.”

  “Only because you say so, brother. But not everything has to be. And don’t think I didn’t notice your hair prickle and begin to lengthen when you were on top of me. If you’re going to pull the powers card, you might want to take a look at your own tactics first.”

  Zeke glared at his brother. “Whatever.”

  Shaking his head, he could do nothing more than chuckle. His little brother might be fast, and one of the best fighters the Racinitine Pack had ever seen, but he still had the temperament of a fifteen-year-old boy who didn't get his way.

  “Are you two at it again?”

  Both men turned to see Nova, their sister and the middle child of the trio, standing in the moonlit silhouette of the barn doors.

  “Just a friendly workout, sis.”

  “Friendly, my ass,” Zeke snapped.

  “I guess I know who lost,” Nova teased.

  “Shut up, Nova. You always side with him.”

  “Maybe that’s because you’re always acting like a petulant child,” she replied.

  “All right you two, knock it off.” Paul walked toward his sister and kissed her on the cheek. “Why do you antagonize him?”

  She shrugged. “Because it’s fun, and because I can.”

  “Well, knock it off. You know what a sore loser he can be.”

  "I heard that," Zeke muttered, brushing the dust off of his pants.

  Rolling her eyes, Nova turned her attention toward Paul. “Everyone has gathered for the meeting. They’re out in the clearing.”

  “Thanks, sis. Let’s head out there now.” He turned toward his little brother. “All of us.”

  With a sarcastic smile, Zeke added, "Yes, let's all show up like one big happy family."

  “I’m serious, Zeke. We need to show a unified front. Our pack is depending on us to be the example here. Until we know what is going on, none of us can show any signs of doubt or hesitation. Understood?”

  His siblings nodded in agreement. Despite their disagreements, they all knew how dire their current situation was.

  A few minutes later, Paul and his siblings arrived at the clearing where their pack’s meeting place had been established generations earlier. Buried deep in the forest of Rocky Mountain National Park, no one but animals had ever crossed this desolate part of their land.

  He took his place atop a large stone where many leaders before him had stood, and turned to address the members of their pack.

  “Good evening, everyone. Thank you for coming on such short notice. I realize it’s not easy to sneak away from our normal existence, but times are ominous, and we need to discuss what has been happening.”

  “Is it true that it might be one of us?” a male voice from the crowd called out, causing a stir among the others.

  “Now, let’s not jump to any conclusions. There’s no reason to start a panic over this.”

  “Start a panic? People are dying!”

  Paul looked down at Ingrid, one of the older female pack members. She'd been a caregiver for him and his brother and sister when they were younger. It pained him to see her look so confused and scared as she looked up at him.

  “Ingrid, I realize that. And I know you’re scared. I’m sure many of you are. But I want everyone to know that we don’t know anything yet. The very little information we have is just that. Very little, far too little for us to draw any conclusions. And I certainly do not think it was one of us.”

  “So are you saying it was a real wolf? A bear?” she asked.

  “We simply don’t know. But I do know our kind. And none of us would ever hurt a human. Much less two innocent hikers. We’ve spent generations reining in our powers so that very thing doesn’t happen.”

  “I read the news reports. Those attacks didn’t come from any bear. If it wasn’t one of us, it had to be a wolf.” Royce, another member of the pack, shouted out from far back in the crowd.

  Paul let out a sigh and placed his hands on his hips. He knew his pack wanted answers. And oh, how he wished he could give them any answers at all. But the fact of the matter was, he had no idea who had killed those hikers two nights before. And as much as he hated to admit it, he wasn’t entirely sure it wasn’t one of them. Wolves had been rather dormant in their area for quite some time. The odds that it was an animal and not one of their pack were slim.

  His duty was to his pack. He had to keep a level head. At the very least, until he knew what was going on. It was his only option.

  The knowledge that there might be a killer among them was a fear he didn’t care to voice.

  Chapter Two

  Kinzey Sloane stood outside the sheriff’s office on the concrete steps, heat from the summer sun all but catching her feet and black heels on fire. She had to remember to opt for comfort rather than style if she was ever going to make it as a beat reporter.

  The crowd outside was filled with hushed conversation and rumors about the first suspicious deaths their county had seen in almost three years. Sheriff O’Keefe had vowed to clean up their area of Colorado when he had taken his seat years earlier, and he’d kept his promise. Drunk drivers were dealt with swiftly; there seemed to be fewer ‘party campers,’ as they were referred to by the locals; and even petty crime had slowed down to nearly nothing.

  In fact, he was so good at his job that it made her job that much harder. It was becoming harder and harder to report the news when there was none to report. She hated to admit it, but hearing about the gruesome deaths over her police scanner in the newsroom that morning had actually given her a moment of glee. For a moment, she wondered if she was carrying some sort of sadistic killer chromosome, but chose to ignore the comment for fear of what the answer might be.

  The sheriff stepped out of the double glass doors and up to the podium. “All right, just quiet down now. I’ll be making a brief statement, then I’ll take a few questions.”

  “Sheriff, has the medical examiner determined a cause of death yet?” Kinzey immediately asked.

  “What’s your name, young lady?”

  “It’s Kinzey. Kinzey Sloane. I’m with the Grand Lake Gazette.”

  He grinned at her in an almost-mocking way. "Of course you are. Now listen here, Ms. Sloane, the way we do things here is that I make the statement and then if I call on you, then you may ask a question. Okay?"

  “Yes, sir, of course.” Kinzey swallowed her embarrassment, but her cheeks turned red just the same.

  A few reporters nearby from some of the bigger cities laughed at her, and she pretended to ignore them. She was going to have to find some thicker skin if she was going to make it in this business.

  "Now, as I was saying." The sheriff cleared his throat and began, "The hikers whose bodies were found late last night have been identified as Claire Youngsblood and Abe Clarkson from Moab, Utah. They were twenty-seven and thirty years old, respectively. The cause of death is still undetermined, but the medical examiner hopes to have the autopsies completed by tomorrow. If there are any questions, I'll take them now."

  The sheriff motioned to a reporter with The Post. "Yes, thank you, Sheriff O'Keefe. Is it true that the bodies were mauled beyond recognition?"

  He didn't look pleased with her question. "I'm not releasing details of their deaths at this time. All I can say is that the coroner will update us once he has completed his investigation. Until then, everything would be mere speculation."

  “That doesn’t sound like a denial, Sheriff.” The reporter added.

  "Next question." He ignored her reply and moved on to the next reporter. "Ms. Sloane?"

  “Uh…” Kinzey stood frozen, wondering why he’d called on her when he’d already answered the question she had.
>
  Her cheeks felt flushed from embarrassment as all eyes were on her. Needing to prove to her colleagues and herself that she was more than just some kid fresh out of college, she wracked her brain for something to ask the Sheriff, who looked all too amused by her silence.

  “Have the Park Rangers been called in to determine if the injuries could have been caused by any wild animals in the park?” Her eyes widened as she impressed even herself with her astute question.

  “Yes, wildlife officials have been called in, and they will be working with the coroner to determine the cause of the injuries. Now, if there are no other questions, I have some work to do.”

  “Sheriff.” Several reporters called out to him in unison, but he merely turned his back and walked back inside.

  “Good job, kid.” The reporter from The Post nodded to her as she walked by.

  Kinzey gave herself an imaginary pat on the back as she made her way through the crowd and back to her car.