Lantac Golgor—a hated, evil man.
Not all Enforcement Officers are evil. I know this, of course.
Some are decent, upright, honest, and conscientious.
I don’t know if they’re in the majority or the minority. I’ve not had many dealings with the red-coated patrollers.
But I have had dealings with Lantac Golgor. And I personally know him to be evil.
Worse than evil. Corrupt, heartless, and cruel.
I’d been extremely disappointed to see Lantac Golgor—my sworn enemy—seated in the Huntington living room, being entertained by the family, charming them, ingratiating herself with them.
As I made my way back through the park and approached Chalmer’s Grove, I pictured Adara sitting there beside him, mesmerized by his slick manners, his quick wit, his intelligence, and his amiable conversation.
I stopped on the path and stared into the woods to the place where we had, not even an hour before, ma
As we all sat in the living room with our guest, the Enforcement Officer Lantac Golgor, my mother suddenly realized that Fawna might be truly ill.“Wait.” She scrutinized my face and her tone shifted from the happiness of a moment before to one of suspicion. “Wait a minute here.” The veins stood out on her knitted brow. “Fawna’s illness was so bad that a doctor was called?”“Er, yes, Mother.”“What are you not telling me?” Her voice rose quickly to a screech. “I will not be lied to by my own family.” She seemed to forget her manners, to forget that she had company. “A lie of omission is still a lie.”“Calm yourself.” My father patted her arm.“Calm? Calm? You be calm.” She turned back to me, her voice still high. “What’s going on? Adara, I demand that you tell me.”Everyone in the room, including our guest, was
I sat there with Edin in his study. By now, due to my revelations about Fawna, he was extremely despondent.“Despondent” is not a strong enough word.He was practically crying into his brandy.He had downed one drink after another since I told him the truth about the Huntington girls—that they were gold-diggers, that Fawna’s feigned interest in him was mere opportunism, and that I’d even heard their mother plotting with them to catch rich husbands.That he had to rid himself immediately of Fawna, the lovely girl he’d fallen in love with that very day.Just as I’d fallen in love with—or thought myself in love with—her sister, Adara.“It can’t be,” he was saying, his voice laden with disbelief.Edin is not like me. I’ve been called dark and moody. This was true even before I was bitten and turned into a werewolf. Perhaps that’s why my sire was unable to
The next morning I rose early, packed a spare dress to replace the one that had been ruined by wine stains as the doctor had struggled to cure her, and rushed to see my sister, Fawna.I feared I might encounter Dane Wiltshire at Edin West’s home, Seaview, where I’d left my sister to recover from almost being poisoned. But that thought couldn’t keep me from going.Now, as I walked through the park, of course I passed Chalmer’s Grove. I thought about how I’d made love to Dane in the darkness among the trees the previous evening.I remembered the sweetness of his touch, the delight as he’d pushed inside me, the ecstasy of my shuddering orgasm, and the pleasure of holding him as he’d climaxed, too.Forcing these ideas from my mind was the second memory of my conversation with Lantac Golgor later that night.Had he been speaking of anyone else, I’d not have believed him. But I knew—everyone on the is
I slept late the next morning.I had dreams all night long.In one, a nightmare, I was desperately trying to capture an Enforcement Officer. I chased him to the mainland, where I was terrified of being recognized as a Lupine and being shot for escaping from Vukasin Island. I awoke in a sweat before I caught the Officer and before I myself was caught by the authorities.In another, I had Fawna pinned down, and I was stuffing aconite—the leaves, the roots, and the flowers—into her mouth. I struggled not to do this, but in the dream, it was as if my movements were not my own. I couldn’t control what I did. Then Fawna metamorphed into Adara, and now I was taking off my clothes and preparing to have sex with her. But after my clothes were off, instead of making love to her I began cramming gold coins into her mouth. She struggled against me, shouting, “You’re wrong. You’re wrong.” She begged me to stop hurting her. But I cont
NOTE: This book is for ADULT AUDIENCES ONLY. It contains sexually explicit scenes that may include multiple partners, same-sex partners, sex in public places, sex in front of others, acts of sadomasochism, spanking, bondage, and so on. These are described with very explicit, sexual, graphic language. If you find such things disturbing, offensive, triggering, etc., this book is not for you, so please do not read further. All sexual activity in this work is consensual, and all sexually active characters are 18 years of age or older. In this book there are no sexual acts between humans and creatures in animal form, and there are no sexual acts between family members or other relatives. You must be at least 18 years of age to read this book. Prologue: Dane I barely recall what happened, but I remember this: She growled. It was the sound not just of an animal. But of an other-worldly animal. And one out to kill. That low throaty growl sent shivers down my spine. Meanwhile, the moon
The moon was waning. Taleeneff, or “Wolf Week”—the week of the full moon when all humans leave and the werewolves run rampant on Vukasin—was over. Fortunately. I despise Taleeneff. I typically lay in a supply of food and cage myself every night. I take care to always be chained and in the cage before sundown. Gauging the exact moment when the change begins, when I morph into a werewolf, can be difficult. I’ve never missed yet, but it’s a constant concern. More than a concern. A worry. A fear. Even a terror. The Zokeery Enforcement Officers, they are heartless beasts. I say "beasts," because they’re werewolves, too, but they’ve been assigned by the mainland humans to keep the peace among Lupines on Vukasin during Taleeneff. Although they are werewolves, however, the Zokeery never run rampant. When Vukasin was established and the Zokeery were first assigned, scientists on the mainland created a rare and special potion to counteract the effects of werewolfism. It uses a rare plant a
After crossing the vast expanse of Dane Wiltshire’s property, I reached the house I’d come to see. . . . Only to be disappointed by a large “SOLD” sign. There'd be no realtor on hand to show me the interior of the fine villa. What a let down. Now I had to make my way back across the wet sand, toward my home beyond the park on the other side of the island. The sun sank on the horizon. The air turned cool. The nights were cold, beginning at dusk. A wind blew off the sea with gusts of salty air. I regretted not bringing a jacket. I trudged through the wet sand. The feeling of the same on my feet was chilling, especially when I failed to dodge the cold waves. I paused and put on my sandals, even though I knew the saltwater would ruin them. I kept walking, rubbing my hands up and down my sides, trying to warm myself. My thin dress had seemed so practical earlier in the bright sunlight. Now, my nipples grew erect and hard from the cool breeze and rubbed painfully against the thin
Enchanting. This was the word in my mind while I watched her walk away across the sand. She was lit by the golden glow of the sun. The wind ruffled her long hair. The hem of her dress swirled around her calves below the long black sweater. “Enchanting.” I said the word aloud. My heart was pounding. I could see it moving under my shirt. I have what my father called “an amorous nature.” But I infrequently felt this kind of excitement. And never for a woman who’d not been turned. I thought of the splendid werewolf Bianca. She'd had a mane of black hair and porcelain skin, and was an Alpine wolf in Lupine form. She was thin and graceful, with a swan-like neck, long well-formed limbs, and a thin waist. And she adored me. With an old, established, wealthy pedigree, her father and mine were distant cousins. Everyone expected a marriage proposal. After just three months together, her mother and aunts were looking at wedding gowns for her. I had strong feelings for her. But I knew i