Midnight Falls: Children of the Goddess, Book 4 Read online

  His life was stolen to keep their secrets…

  Children of the Goddess, Book 4

  It has taken years for Liz to lay the past to rest. Now she has been called to find the missing Jasyn Dydarren, the only man who can save her friend Nicolette from the Shadow’s mark. Tracking him means chasing down a secret the Shadow Wolves want buried forever—and another man they want dead. A man with an eerily familiar face, whom she craves with an intensity she can’t explain.

  Hannah, an Unborn, never considered herself anything special, but she and Jasyn have something that is. Now her Were has been snatched away. She’s not a fighter, but she’s willing to do whatever it takes to find her heart’s desire and force him to see her as an equal at last. Or die trying.

  With alliances on the line and lives in danger, these two very different women must save their men, and come together to discover the truth…and destroy the Shadow once and for all.

  Warning: This book contains explicit sex. Sex on the stairs, sex in a tree, sex with two, (and sex with three). Vampires mating. Werewolves mating. And a lot of gratuitous ass kicking.

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  This book is a work of fiction. The names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the writer’s imagination or have been used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, actual events, locale or organizations is entirely coincidental.

  Samhain Publishing, Ltd.

  577 Mulberry Street, Suite 1520

  Macon GA 31201

  Midnight Falls

  Copyright © 2009 by R. G. Alexander

  ISBN: 978-1-60504-805-5

  Edited by Bethany Morgan

  Cover by Anne Cain

  All Rights Are Reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

  First Samhain Publishing, Ltd. electronic publication: October 2009

  www.samhainpublishing.com

  Midnight Falls

  R. G. Alexander

  Dedication

  For Cookie–Love is the reason. And to Beth and my Smutketeers: Lilli Feisty, Crystal Jordan and the glorious Eden Bradley, for always being there. I would also like to acknowledge the readers who have told me that they have fallen just as in love with these characters as I did when Regina first started to dance beside me and begged me to write her story. Thank you.

  Chapter One

  “Help me! Oh, God, somebody please help me!”

  He covered his ears at the grating, alien intrusion. Wild boars mating held nothing on that sound. Have to find it. Have to stop it. He stepped off the high limb of the tree where he’d taken his rest for the night, falling straight down to land, crouched, at its base.

  “Help!”

  He ran toward the noise, the mountainside forest a blur as he raced to the source of the unwanted intrusion. His nostrils flared. Woman. Human. She was doused with a repellent, an oily citrus that made him want to gag. Another odor, this one more familiar, covered that stink with its own. A dark smile lifted his lips, and he increased his speed.

  Shadow.

  Again? They’d left him alone for decades, why were they bothering him now? A hot poker of pain in his temples made him swear, freezing only moments before he reached the clearing where the screams had originated. Never mind. He didn’t care why. He could never have too much of a good thing. There was nothing better to break up the monotony than playing with paranoid dogs.

  “Silence her, she did her job. His scent is close. Now I will succeed and make the others look like fools.” The voice was nervous, merely pretending confidence. Not an Alpha then. Pity. Anything less than an Alpha tasted sour.

  “I still don’t understand why we have to kill it. Gyvain was very specific that it was to be left alone. Why are we listening to that a—”

  “Gyvain is dead. And he was never my Alpha, nor yours. It is an affront to the memory of our fallen fathers to leave that abomination alive. They say he looks exactly like the Storm Bringer. Unfortunately Gyvain’s son and his followers let the family have that body to burn. I think I’ll take this one’s head as a trophy, so that every one who sees it knows what I have done.”

  The names were like shards of glass rammed into his ears, and the throbbing in his head increased. Luckily, a feminine whimper distracted them from their conversation. The second Shadow murmured soothingly to the frightened girl. “Why should I care about things that happened before my time when I have such a gorgeous creature in my arms? Isn’t she a pretty thing? I didn’t know this side of the world had such pretty things. If we get him can I still have her? Keep her as you said after we slay the animal? ”

  Cocky youth. Calling him an animal? The insult more than the threat to the terrorized woman sent fog rolling in around the two Shadow Wolves and their captive.

  His fog.

  He knew they could smell him, that the fog was only a momentary confusion, meant to terrorize and distract more than protect him. But that was what he wanted. So few things gave him pleasure, but it gave him pleasure to scare them. And they were scared. They had come onto his territory, had come for him, and again and again they underestimated his abilities. Abilities that only seemed to grow stronger with time.

  One leaping stride had him directly behind the nervous one, who was too busy growling to notice he had a visitor. He sank his fangs deep, one hand over the villain’s mouth to keep him quiet as he drank the dark blood. Just as he’d thought. Sour. The images the blood brought did nothing to ease his pain. But it gave him the sustenance he needed. Satisfied him in a way the local wildlife never could. He lifted his mouth, smiling as the slender neck twisted easily in his hands, breaking with a satisfying crunch.

  The cocky Were called out to his now silent companion, but it was too late. The woman had fallen free to the hard ground, and he was flailing in the air, his claws desperate to pry the large, strong hand from his throat.

  The lovely dark skinned girl looked at her savior, squinting through the mist. “Thank you. Thank you, you saved my—”

  “Run.”

  He wanted to drink her dry, to drain her blood. He knew instinctively that it would be sweet, would erase the bitter taste of Shadow on his tongue. Where were her instincts? Humans lacked all sense of self-preservation.

  “Run now.”

  She backed away at his growl, tripping over her shredded backpack. Her richly scented blood poured down her knees, tempting him as she scrambled into the woods. She didn’t look back. So. Not that stupid after all.

  “You may as well kill me.” The gasping Were in his grip continued to struggle. “I won’t tell you where the others are. Won’t tell you who you—”

  Snap.

  Silence. Blessed silence. He turned and slowly walked back the way he had come. He could have told the bastard he didn’t want to know, that he didn’t care. But it would have been a lie. Still, after all these years, he knew better.

  Curiosity may not kill the cat, but it sure as hell gave him one hell of a headache.

  Three years. It was less than a moment to a vampire who counted time in centuries. But so much had happened since Liz had been gone this time. Good things. And horrible things. She watched a raven fly overhead and smiled. “Does the Mediator know you’re out here?”

  The bird’s image shimmered, transforming into an exotic female with dusky skin and golden eyes. The white streaks in her long, dark hair only enhanced h
er youthful sensuality. They were badges of honor from what she’d suffered at the hands of Grey Wolf. “You’ve gotten very good at that, Regina.”

  “I still wish I could change into something more intimidating. I’m glad you’re here, Liz. I think you need to know what to expect before you go inside. And Zander always knows where I am. So does Max.” Regina rolled her almond shaped eyes, but Liz could see she was relieved a Sariel guard was nearby. Everyone had been thrown by the recent attacks.

  “So Max is watching over you since Kit got married?” Regina’s hand slid through Liz’s arm, squeezing gently. Did Regina think she needed comfort? Kit had been her lover, for a time, but they’d both known it was temporary. She was truly happy for him.

  “Kit and Jesse were visiting her brother in America. The last time he called, it sounded like he was a little overwhelmed by his new in-laws. Zander said Kit had been trained for battle, but didn’t have a clue how to deal with family game night.”

  Liz smirked. Jesse and her brother had lived their lives believing they were only human. They’d only found out a few years ago that her mother had been in love with a god. One of the Mother’s children. To live normally after that had to be difficult. “Jesse’s father hasn’t been able to help with our current situation then? You’d think blood counted for something.”

  “He can’t interfere anymore. The last time was a special situation, I told you. His brother Ba’al was involved.”

  “Two gods, scorpion men, a wedding. I miss all the excitement. And I heard through the grapevine that the Weres, Truebloods and Unborns are soon to sign a treaty.”

  “It’s true. And it’s been a real coup for Zander. Trade and information sharing, even ambassadors from each species. In fact, Zander is trying to lay the groundwork to add Kit’s people, the Igigi, to the treaty. The giants are a private people, and they aren’t technically the children of the Goddess, but now that Ba’al’s sacrifice is no longer hanging over their heads, they are more open to outsiders. Of course, that’s on hold…”

  It was disturbing, the merging between their worlds. It was happening faster than she’d ever imagined. Political and personal alliances were being made. Peacefully. Smoothly. Times were changing. It was hard for Liz to take in. To believe. “When I first met you, Reggie, my little Gypsy, I knew the laws against changing a Reader. You were such a forlorn little thing. And the men in your family.” She sneered. “That father of yours was actually planning to sell you to some dirty merchant. You deserved better. I think I saw myself in you.” She shook her head, looking at the star filled night sky. “But I didn’t know that night would bring this to pass. That you would be Zander Sariel’s grathita. That a man from the purest line of Truebloods would ever find his mate in an Unborn, let alone one with your abilities. I don’t think I really believed in the Mother’s Message.”

  But Mal had. Her late husband Malcolm Abaddon had believed in The Mother, the creator of Trueblood, Were and Human species alike. Unlike Liz, he’d believed that the werewolves and vampires had been created to watch over the world of fragile humans. Destiny, not genetics. He also believed in the Mother’s Message, the prophecy of the Goddess said a Reader would turn all the old rules upside down. Change everything. He’d been right about that. He’d been right about a lot of things. She could only hope she’d done right by him, and that wherever he was, she hadn’t shamed him by creating the Deva Clan.

  Liz hesitated outside the Abaddon home. “Tell me, Reggie. Why are we here? I can’t believe Nicolette, of all people… I told her what this family had done to Malcolm, their precious son. You know Sebastian joined forces with that Shadow Grey Wolf and had him murdered. His own brother.”

  Would the crime have been possible if he’d been within the safety of Abaddon land? If he hadn’t married an Unborn? It was one of the questions that haunted her. That kept her fighting for her dead husband’s cause.

  For some unknown reason, Nicolette had come to stay here at Abaddon manor. Nicolette had been the one who had remained at her side during her darkest days, after she’d left this place. She knew about the Abaddons, about the Trueblood’s prejudice. It was Nicolette who had helped her put her plan to create a clan for the vampire outcasts in motion.

  Unborns, like they were, were for the most part accidents made by libidinous Truebloods searching for their true blood mates. Many were killed when they didn’t experience Unity, but some escaped. Some survived. Liz had been an exception, created and kept in love. But when she realized how heartless the clans and their elders could be, realized the danger Nicolette and others constantly faced, alone and unprotected, the Deva Clan was born.

  The Abaddons weren’t to be trusted. Not even the mad, old Elder, who’d been taken off the council after the truth about Sebastian and Grey Wolf had come out, thanks to Regina.

  Regina sighed, drawing Liz out of her musings. “I don’t know why she came here. She’s visited other clans before this, had her affairs, but I knew this was different. When Elder Abaddon invited her to stay with him and she accepted, she asked me not to pry, not to use my abilities to read her. I had to respect her wishes. You should know these last few years Nicolette has shined. She’s been totally in her element as the Deva representative. I know you think this is your fault for not accepting a seat at the table, but if you’d seen the way she had the Elders wrapped around her finger, you would know you made the right decision.”

  A familiar voice came out of the darkness. “Did you tell her, Reggie?”

  “Tell me what, Lux? That your being out here instead of at Nicolette’s side means your amazing skills as a Healer have failed? Is she gone?”

  Liz watched Lux drag a frustrated hand through his striking burgundy hair as he came closer. She had always thought him handsome. But his loyalty to Malcolm, his friendship and help after her husband had been slain, meant more to her than any temporary intimacy they could have had.

  Not that she would stand a chance now anyway. Lux had claimed his grathitas. The only Trueblood in history to have two as far as she knew. Weres no less. The new Alpha of the uniting Were packs and a female with more power than any one being should have. Arygon and Sylvain. Liz had reasons to dislike the pair of them, but they’d made Lux happier than he’d ever been, and neither one of them could help their connection with Grey Wolf. Thank the Mother that shaman was dead. She was only sorry she hadn’t been the one to kill him.

  She noticed Regina and Lux share a speaking glance, and he sighed. “She isn’t dead, Liz. But, she isn’t responsive either. Priestess Magriel and Reggie have both tried to reach her telepathically, but her mind is a void. It’s like she went somewhere else and left her body behind.”

  Liz bit the inside of her cheek until she tasted blood. “What happened?”

  He shook his head, his gaze shifting away from hers guiltily. “We don’t know.”

  “Bullshit.” She gripped his shirt and dragged him closer, her upper lip curling to reveal her fangs. Lux snarled back and the air crackled with electricity. “Fuck all, Lizzy, this is why we didn’t want you to come yet. Regina should have waited until we knew more.”

  “She deserves to know what’s going on, Lux.”

  Liz knew her smile was less than comforting. “Yes, she does. Tell me.”

  Lux pried her fingers off his shirt and gripped her hands in his own. “We’re not sure. Elder Abaddon’s blood servant said he saw Nicolette meeting someone outside the manor gates. It wasn’t the first time. But that night something happened. They were ambushed, attacked. By the time the servant arrived at the gate, they’d disappeared. Nicolette was found unconscious near the standing stones on Abaddon land. But…the man she was meeting was nowhere to be found.”

  Liz looked over at Regina, who sent her an image that made her growl, her eyes starting to glow. “Jasyn Dydarren? She was meeting with Arygon’s brother? He’s responsible?”

  An angry female voice made the trio turn in surprise. “No! Damn you, Liz, don’t you dare blame Jasyn f
or this. He was taken trying to protect her.”

  Shit. She hadn’t realized Hannah was here. Nicolette had made the elfin blonde a part of their Unborn family in the nineteen twenties, when a car accident had left her near death. “Protect her? After a lifetime of vocal hatred? You expect me to believe that Jasyn Dydarren actually fought to protect the woman who’d slept with his father, revealed Arygon’s sexuality to his pack and transformed you into the thing he most hated? The Jasyn I know could barely stand to be in the same room with her. Don’t let your feelings for the Beta blind you, lass.”

  “It’s true, Liz.” Lux tightened his hands on hers, his look quelling. “Jasyn changed after his stay with the Igigi. He seemed…lighter somehow. More sure of himself.” His gaze landed meaningfully on Hannah. “Sure of what he wanted. Besides, the servant saw him fighting off the beasts, until he was overcome and taken away.”

  Liz studied Hannah’s tear stained face and lowered her chin in acknowledgement, feeling like she’d just kicked a puppy. “I’ll withhold judgment. You said beasts. Weres then?”

  Hannah nodded. “From what Sylvain sensed and the mark burned into Nicolette’s temple, it looks like Shadow Wolves.”

  They marked her? Someone was going to pay. “We’ve killed Grey Wolf and his father Gyvain. Hell, we have the Antara and a Reader, two women they know could destroy every last one of them. What are there, like ten of them left? Why would they be so bold? And what could those black magic bastards possibly want with Jasyn?”

  “We aren’t sure, but Elder Abaddon is babbling that his son is coming back from the grave for revenge.” Liz pulled away from Lux and turned to face his older brother Zander. They had her surrounded now, trying to calm her before she did something rash, she was sure.

  The blond, broad shouldered Mediator of the Clan Trust held Regina close in the crook of his arm, his face grim. “Sadly, I do not believe we’ll get anything more coherent than that from him. As twisted as he has always been, no man should outlive his children. And he has lost all of his to violent ends. And now…Nicolette.”