Shape Shifters – Read Books Online Free Ebooks good best novels to read

Shape Shifters – Read Books Online Free Ebooks good best novels to read http://www.ilovenovels.com Sun, 14 Jan 2024 20:20:51 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.9.4 http://www.ilovenovels.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/favicon.png Shape Shifters – Read Books Online Free Ebooks good best novels to read http://www.ilovenovels.com 32 32 Boraleashe (Lord of the South Wind #2) Read Online A.E. Via http://www.ilovenovels.com/boraleashe-lord-of-the-south-wind-2-read-online-a-e-via Sun, 14 Jan 2024 20:20:51 +0000 http://www.booksnovels.com/boraleashe-lord-of-the-south-wind-2-read-online-a-e-via Genre: Fantasy/Sci-fi, M-M Romance, Magic, Paranormal, Shape Shifters Authors: A.E. Via Series: Lord of the South Wind Series by A.E. Via
Advertisement

Total pages in book: 53
Estimated words: 49027 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 245(@200wpm)___ 196(@250wpm)___ 163(@300wpm)

<<<<1 2 3 11 21 >53

All hail the Lord of the North Wind, Boraleashe Cavalerie. The last of the horsemen and harbingers of justice. The Overseer of the Realm of Winter, and Creator of the First Frost. Titan and Ruler of the Arctic World.

Boraleashe landed with the full force of his arctic power, showering ice and snow across the ground. Patrons bowed and tried not to gawk at him. Not because Boraleashe was the lord of an element, but because he was a strikingly beautiful titan, with his flowing white garments, and blizzard-kissed hair. Boraleashe Cavalerie was the opposite of his titan brothers. He was stoic, disagreeable, and his attitude towards others was just as biting as his frost. All titans were required to gift their pure hearts to another—to fall in love—as praise to the divinities for their dominion over an element. Refusal to pledge their heart was considered an act of defiance to the gods. There would be judgment… and atonement. For more than a millennium Boraleashe chose to shelter and hide his winter heart. He deftly avoided love by commanding army after army and fighting battle after battle. Fate intervened and gave Boraleashe the opportunity of earning a heart from a far more worthy love than he deserved. The newly appointed king of the Autumn World, Theodor Cavalerie, was the Bringer of Harvest and Treasure of the Realms. Why would a young virile lord like Theodor choose a surly two thousand-year-old titan like him? Boraleashe had no logical answer—he refused the handsome king for reasons no one would understand. Boraleashe confessed to his viceroy, “Adresin, if for any reason my heart were to ever get broken, I will suffer a misery and death far more excruciating than the Snow Moon’s curse on my heart. The universe had spoken for its final time, he either choose love… or loss. And there was only one man capable of penetrating Boraleashe’s icy interior. Only one warrior strong enough to save his soul from damnation.NOTE: This is a story of fantasy with woven elements of mythology that have been modified for the story. This series is set in fictional worlds, and part on Earth. Some descriptions, geography, and landscapes may have been altered to fit the story.Trigger Warning: Fighting, Violence

*************FULL BOOK START HERE*************

Notalus

The End of a Season

“Father, are you expecting someone?” Theodor asked at the first notes of the herald’s trumpets announcing a visitor to their realm.

“No.” Notalus frowned.

A gust of frigid wind raced past them, blowing food and napkins off their dining table and across the gleaming floor. Notalus had just enough time to fling his heavy robe around his alpha-mate, Dustin, before another powerful surge of cold shot through the courtyards, leaving dishes frosted over and a thin layer of ice in their water goblets.

Dustin growled, “Shit! What in the—”

“It’s okay.” Notalus lowered his shield from around them.

The temperature dropped to almost freezing, their breath now visible when they spoke.

“It’s him…” Theodor gritted out, leaving the room so fast his guards had to jog to keep up.

“It’s who?” Dustin rasped, taking in Theodor’s anxious reaction.

“It’s my brother, Boraleashe. The Lord of the North Wind,” Notalus informed them. “He is here in Tir an Fhomhair.”

“‘Brother’?”

“Well, we’re not brothers in the human sense. We are brothers in arms, brothers of the seasons, horsemen. We are not brothers of blood or kinship. We inherited the titan title from our fathers, but when we came of age to rule, that is when we met the others—I mean each other.”

“Does Boraleashe visit often?” Dustin asked.

“No. He doesn’t.” Notalus led them out of his chambers. He didn’t know if Boraleashe stayed isolated and never visited because of his furious winds or his frozen heart.

“Shouldn’t your son be at your side?” Dustin murmured out of the corner of his mouth as they preceded their court toward the palace’s foyer.

“Yes,” Notalus answered between clenched teeth, “since he is the king now. Not me.”

The guards opened the doors, and Notalus led his royal subjects down the palace stairs and into the grand courtyard. The trumpets sounded again, and gray storm clouds blanketed the sky, causing another dramatic shift in the temperature.

Boraleashe appeared in the sky atop his pearl-white stallion, Frostreign, in a mirage of frozen rain and snow. His robe was blizzard white and clasped around his neck with a sable fur collar, his armor shimmering like diamonds. His wind was so cold it sounded like icicles falling on a frozen lake. Boraleashe’s court trailed him by ground on their speckled Clydesdales, his viceroy paused in front to make his announcement.

“People of Tir an Fhomhair! All hail the Lord of the North Wind, Boraleashe Cavalerie, the last of the horsemen and harbingers of justice, the overseer of the Realm of Winter, and creator of the first frost. Titan and ruler of Tir an Amárach, the Arctic World.”

<<<<1 2 3 11 21 >53

Advertisement
Arion (Alpha Daddies #1) Read Online Paige Michaels http://www.ilovenovels.com/arion-alpha-daddies-1-read-online-paige-michaels Mon, 01 Jan 2024 09:40:42 +0000 http://www.booksnovels.com/arion-alpha-daddies-1-read-online-paige-michaels Genre: Alpha Male, Erotic, Fantasy/Sci-fi, Paranormal, Shape Shifters, Virgin Authors: Paige Michaels Series: Alpha Daddies Series by Paige Michaels
Advertisement

Total pages in book: 48
Estimated words: 44561 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 223(@200wpm)___ 178(@250wpm)___ 149(@300wpm)

<<<<1 2 3 11 21 >48

Alpha Daddies is a wolf shifter series that follows the lives of strong Alpha Protectors and the women they are fated to mate.

Jezebel has known her entire life she is destined to mate one of the elite Alpha Protectors. It’s a privilege and an honor. It’s also frightening. She’s never seen or spoken to her mate before the morning of the mating ceremony. She must vow to love, honor, and obey this stranger who makes her heart race the moment he enters the room.

Arion has waited twenty years for his mate to come of age. He has secretly watched her from afar, rejoicing in her accomplishments and experiencing her sorrows from a distance. She has finally reached her maturity, and now she is his to nurture and protect. Helping her accept her new life under his guidance is his first challenge. Keeping her safe from natural and paranormal enemies will be his life’s mission.

The books in this series include strong elements of age play. If this genre is offensive to you, this may not be the book or series for you.

*************FULL BOOK START HERE*************

Prologue

Four years ago…

“I thought I’d find you here.”

Arion didn’t bother glancing to the left to acknowledge his best friend’s voice. He’d known Brock for thirty-three years. They’d been born a few months apart to the Protectors. A privileged class in some respects. The Alphas of their pack.

“You like to watch her,” Brock stated.

“Yes. It’s hard to explain. I feel protective. I like to see her smile. I love that she’s happy.” Arion didn’t shift his gaze from the girl who would one day be his mate. She was only sixteen now. He had four more years to wait to claim her. But yes, he liked to watch her as she grew up. He’d come to this rock thousands of times over the years, hoping to catch a glimpse of her.

Today Jezebel was at school. It was her lunch period. She was sitting outside at a picnic table with her friends. As he watched, she tipped her head back and laughed.

Damn, Arion wished he could hear her laughter. He knew it would be music to his ears. But he’d never heard her voice. He was much too far away. All he could do was watch and keep his distance.

As a male past puberty, he had begun shifting more than twenty years ago. Adult males who had gone through the change had amazing vision—especially Alpha males born into the elite families.

Jezebel would develop improved vision too, after her change. The women in their society did not shift until after they were mated.

“Her hair is so pale it’s almost white,” Brock commented.

Arion gave his friend a hip check. “Get your eyes off my girl,” he joked. There was no need for jealousy. Jezebel was Arion’s. That had been determined at her birth. Arion had been seventeen when his mate was born with the birthmark on her inner wrist that matched the one on his.

It wasn’t unusual for the males in his family to find themselves a few decades older than their mates, but it was challenging and frustrating. The waiting.

“Damn, you can even see the sky blue of her eyes from this distance,” Brock continued.

“You know, you could pay attention to your own mate instead of mine.”

“Nope.” Brock shook his head. “Don’t want to know. I like surprises.”

Arion shook his head. “That’s just weird. I’m never going to understand you. She’s down there in the valley somewhere, and you’ve never looked for her.”

Brock shrugged. “I’ve watched you pine after this girl for years. I think my way is better.” He nodded back toward the object of Arion’s attention. “Her skin is creamy white, and she’s so petite. I hope you don’t break her.”

Arion finally jerked his attention away from his mate to glare at his friend. “Did you need something? Why are you here bothering me?”

Brock smirked. “The leaders are meeting this evening. Believe it or not, our presence has been requested.”

Arion lifted a brow. “Meeting about what?”

“How the hell should I know? I have the same status as you. We may be in our fourth decade and have the full responsibility of guarding the pack on our shoulders, but last I checked, my father hasn’t been communicating pack details with me ahead of anyone else. Has yours?” he joked.

Arion growled. “Of course not.” He sighed and turned back to catch a last glimpse of his mate as she finished her lunch, rose from the bench, tossed her trash in the receptacle, and followed her friends back into the school.

She was poise and grace and beauty. Most of her hair was loose today, the long blond waves falling almost to her butt. Like the other females in his pack, it had never been cut. She had the top pulled up in a cute bun with a circle of flowers wrapped around it.

Arion couldn’t wait until he could run his fingers through his mate’s hair, smell the scent of her shampoo, fist it in his hand to tip her head back so he could bare her neck.

He couldn’t wait to stare into her deep blue eyes, watch her mouth open in surprise, make her cheeks pinken with his words. Naughty words that would make her quiver and whimper and moan.

Four more years. It seemed like a lifetime. He hoped it would fly by.

Chapter One

Four years later…

“Why do you sit here all the time?”

Jezebel smiled as her best friend Suzette slid onto the top of the picnic table next to her. Jezebel kept her head tipped back so the sun warmed her face. Her eyes were closed though. There was nothing particular to see. She knew she was grinning.

“Jez?” Suzette nudged her. “Earth to Jez.”

Jezebel giggled. “He watches me.”

“Mmm. You’ve said that before. I don’t know how you could know that.”

“I can feel him. I have felt him for years. He watches me when I’m on this bench from somewhere in the mountains. Somewhere much too far to see.”

<<<<1 2 3 11 21 >48

Advertisement
New Law Shifters Read Online Hope Ford http://www.ilovenovels.com/new-law-shifters-read-online-hope-ford Fri, 09 Dec 2022 21:32:52 +0000 http://www.teennovels.net/new-law-shifters-read-online-hope-ford Genre: Alpha Male, Fantasy/Sci-fi, Paranormal, Romance, Shape Shifters Authors: Hope Ford Advertisement

Total pages in book: 77
Estimated words: 71774 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 359(@200wpm)___ 287(@250wpm)___ 239(@300wpm)

<<<<1 2 3 11 21 >77

Bestselling Author Hope Ford brings you four shifter romance books in one collection.

Ronan – She’s searching for freedom and I’m the one to give it to her.
Bruin – My only plans were to escape…until I fell in love.
Klaus – I went against my club and saved the wolf shifter once… and now she’s back.

*************FULL BOOK START HERE*************

Ronan

An Alpha Bear Shifter MC Romance

Chapter 1

Bree

The wind flows over my body as I drive my motorcycle on the open freeway. The further north I get from Southern California, the better I feel. It’s not just the feel of flying, although that’s good too; no, it’s finally striking out on my own. No more dealing with my overprotective parents breathing down my neck and trying to micromanage my life.

I’m on my way to Eden. It’s at the base of the Klamath mountains in California. The cabin that I’m looking to buy is close enough to the protected forest land that I can feel my inner bear shiver in excitement just thinking about it. The idea that I will be able to shift into my bear without having to worry about getting caught, well, that’s reason enough to make this trek across the state. The town I come from is small and everyone knows everyone. I was taught growing up to never show my bear. I can hear my mom now, “No one will understand, Bree.” I heard it all my life.

So when my cousin Bruin told me about the freedom that he has in Eden, well, I knew I had to do it. I had to go there. Of course, Bruin was always the black sheep of the family. He’s a bad boy and “part of that motorcycle gang,” as my mother always said. But I always looked up to him. He lived life the way he wanted and didn’t care what anybody thought. That’s it. That’s what I want. If my parents knew I was planning to meet up with Bruin, they would have found a way to stop me. But I’m twenty-two now, well past the age of being an adult, and I’m ready to be free.

I passed the sign for Eden a few miles back and as soon as I see a gas station I pull in to fill up. Getting off the bike, I stretch the worn muscles of my back and legs. With my hand on the pump, I can’t take my eyes off the mountains. They are beautiful. Taking a deep breath, I go to lift the handle when my thoughts are interrupted.

“Do you smell that? She’s in heat.” I turn around and look behind me, but I’m not quick enough. Two men have me cornered between the bike and the pump. I was too caught up and distracted to catch the scent of the bear shifters. Both of them are big and tower over me.

One of them reaches out and grabs the tip of my black hair lying across my shoulder. He lifts the strands to his nose and inhales deeply. I freeze next to them, weighing my options and knowing that I’m no contest to them like this, not in my human form.

After he smells my hair, he smiles, showing me his yellow-stained teeth. “Yes, I smell it. She’s in heat.”

I stand up straight and look at the other man, knowing he’s the alpha, the one in charge. “Get lost.”

They both laugh, but I can tell that me standing up to them has angered them because their backs straighten and their laughs are controlled and menacing.

The one I’m staring at takes a step toward me, crowding me. “She hasn’t seen our colors. Anybody traveling through or living in Eater territory has to pay the toll.”

My body jerks at the name. I remember Bruin mentioning the Eater motorcycle club and I don’t think it was good, but damn, I wish I had paid better attention.

“This is New Law territory, isn’t it?” I ask them, mentioning Bruin’s club name.

He lifts his foot and kicks over my bike before wrapping his hand around my neck. He was so fast, I didn’t even have a chance to make a sound. He smells like blood and hunger. He’s a bear shifter, I’m sure of it, and judging by the size of him in human form, he will be a big bear.

The roaring I hear makes me think that it’s the sound of the men shifting right out in the open. He grips my neck tighter. With my air supply cut off, I know I’m going to lose consciousness if I don’t act soon. I can’t shift fully, not out here in the open; it would put all the shifters in danger.

Bending the rules, I flex my hand out beside me, releasing my bear claws and drawing them across the face of my attacker. Suddenly the chokehold on my neck is gone. I’m bent over gasping for breath as the man moans, holding his face. I look behind them and realize then that the roaring sound I heard is motorcycles.

“There’s four of them,” the other Eater says. “We can find this bitch later.”

The man who choked me looks at me with his open wound on his face pouring blood. He wants to stay. I can feel it in his stare. But instead he tells me, “I’ll find you… you’ll get yours.”

<<<<1 2 3 11 21 >77

Advertisement
Leopard’s Scar (Leopard People #13) Read Online Christine Feehan http://www.ilovenovels.com/leopards-scar-leopard-people-13-read-online-christine-feehan Sat, 03 Dec 2022 10:16:12 +0000 http://www.teennovels.net/leopards-scar-leopard-people-13-read-online-christine-feehan Genre: Fantasy/Sci-fi, Paranormal, Romance, Shape Shifters Authors: Christine Feehan Series: Leopard People Series by Christine Feehan
Advertisement

Total pages in book: 151
Estimated words: 138334 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 692(@200wpm)___ 553(@250wpm)___ 461(@300wpm)

<<<<1 2 3 11 21 >151

Animal attraction takes over in this exhilarating Leopard novel from #1 New York Times bestselling author Christine Feehan.

The moment Meiling sees Gedeon she knows he's a leopard shifter--just as she knows she can't trust him. Meiling doesn't take chances, life has taught her better than that. So why does she find herself rescuing this deadly, gorgeous man, when she knows she'd be better off leaving him to die?

Gedeon is used to women throwing themselves at him, not throwing his injured body over their beautiful, deceptively strong shoulders and carrying him to safety. He might be embarrassed, if he wasn't so aroused by the very thought of this feisty lotus blossom.

As they strike up a working relationship that suits them both, Gedeon starts to rely on Meiling for just about everything. But when her hidden nature rises to the surface, the connection that links them shifts into an all-consuming desire. And neither will escape unmarked.

*************FULL BOOK START HERE*************

1

MEILING Chang stared in horror at the dead bodies in the open grave, dumped as if they were so much garbage. Five women. One was her cousin, her last relative on earth. She’d been too late tracking her. By how long? By the look of her, Libby had endured far too much before her life had been ended.

Meiling crouched at the edge of the mass grave, ignoring the black swarms of flies, beetles and maggots that fed in abundance on the bodies. Ants teemed over them. Overhead, large birds circled, some already sitting in the trees, beady eyes staring at the bodies, all too ready to pick them clean. The jungle was prepared to take care of business.

She wanted to scream in outrage until her vocal cords were shredded. Inside, where no one would ever hear or know, that was exactly what she did. She remained silent and small, huddled there in the shadows where it would take extraordinary vision for anyone to see her.

Her fists clenched helplessly on her thighs. She didn’t move them, even when she wanted to pound them. Feel pain. Make it real. Drive the pain deep and brand it forever in her bones the way it was in her heart and soul. She didn’t dare move. She was surrounded by the enemy. There were thirty of them and one of her.

She was so silly. Stupid. Just say it. She was a misfit. She didn’t belong. Not anywhere. She had heard it from birth, and this proved it. She should be in that grave, not Libby, not her beautiful cousin. Libby was a golden swan. Tall and elegant. She moved like a summer breeze. Her hair was a golden waterfall of sleek silk. She could talk to anyone and charm them instantly. How could her life end by being thrown into a pit in the middle of the jungle? It made no sense. None of this made any sense. Why hadn’t Libby listened to her just one time?

Grief stabbed at her. Along with it came the deep-down need for vengeance. She burned with terrible emotion. No matter how hard she tried to push it away, grief stabbed at her like ice picks, demanding retaliation. She had one pistol. She wasn’t certain the damn thing actually worked. Thirty against one. She didn’t even have thirty bullets.

She couldn’t just go away and leave the other women in those dirty little huts she’d discovered, not now that she knew what was happening to them. But what could she do? She waited, trying not to breathe in the smell of rotting flesh and decay until the men patrolling around the third hut went away. When they did, she eased back into the foliage. Giant green leaves resembling elephant ears covered her body. She crawled through the thick stems, wincing as the prickly stalks stuck in her skin.

The huts were a good distance from one another. The youngest girls were kept in filthy conditions in a makeshift, nearly see-through hovel that appeared to have been hastily thrown up at the last minute to shelter them. It was mostly made up of leftover boards from the other two cabins built for the young women. One held four women. They appeared to be in their early twenties. The second cabin, the one Libby had most likely occupied, held five women or girls in it. All were chained to beds and appeared to be drugged. They were anywhere from twenty to sixteen years old.

The huts were each about a mile apart, most likely so the women knew nothing about the others. They were always kept isolated, drugged and chained. There was no hope of escape from their dreadful situation. Most of them accepted their fate. A few, like Libby, fought it and eventually died or were killed by the men who had taken them. They were a ragged lot, and no one knew where they were. The moment someone came looking, either they were moved, or they were killed and buried in a mass grave no one would find. Either way, those making their money off them would never be caught or punished.

<<<<1 2 3 11 21 >151

Advertisement
Storm Echo – Psy-Changeling Trinity Read Online Nalini Singh http://www.ilovenovels.com/storm-echo-psy-changeling-trinity-read-online-nalini-singh Mon, 03 Oct 2022 08:16:13 +0000 http://www.booksnovels.com/storm-echo-psy-changeling-trinity-read-online-nalini-singh Genre: Fantasy/Sci-fi, Paranormal, Romance, Shape Shifters, Virgin Authors: Nalini Singh Advertisement

Total pages in book: 131
Estimated words: 121389 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 607(@200wpm)___ 486(@250wpm)___ 405(@300wpm)

<<<<1 2 3 11 21 >131

NYT bestselling author Nalini Singh takes us into the hearts of two fractured people in a world on the brink of a psychic Armageddon . . .

Silence has fallen. The Psy are free to feel emotion. Free to love. But Silence was never a prison for Ivan Mercant. The biggest threat to his future lies dormant in his brain—a psychic monster that wants only to feed. And now, the brutal leash he’s kept on that monster is slipping. He prepared for this day, for the end of Ivan Mercant . . . but that was before he met Lei.

As primal as she is human, this wild changeling brings color into his life, laughter to his soul. Then the dream shatters in a rain of blood, in silent bodies in the snow. Lei is gone. Vanished without a trace . . . until he meets strangely familiar eyes across a busy San Francisco street.

Soleil Bijoux Garcia is a healer who has lost everything. She exists in a world of desolate aloneness . . . till the day she finds herself face-to-face with a lethal stranger. The animal who is her other half knows this man, but her memories are tattered fragments. Sorrow and a need for vengeance are all that drive her. Her mission? To kill the alpha of the DarkRiver leopard pack.

But fate has other plans. Soon, a deadly soldier who believes himself a monster and a broken healer might be all that stand between life and death for the entire Psy race.

*************FULL BOOK START HERE*************

Chapter 1

The child has severe attachment issues. It is not Silence. He is simply psychologically damaged to the extent that he may never be able to form an attachment to another on any level. As such, his loyalty to the family cannot be guaranteed. He is a risk.

—Private PsyMed report on Ivan Mercant, age 8 (20 June 2059)

3 May 2083

IN TERMS OF age, Ivan fell in the older cadre of Ena’s grandchildren. Younger than Canto, older than Silver and Arwen. He’d also always been the one who gave the family the least trouble—no trouble at all really. Canto was as stubborn as a bull and Silver had a steely spine, and neither ever bent for Ena unless they wished to do so.

As for Arwen, gentle, empathic Arwen could be obstinate in his own way. Like water running over stone. Slow and persistent until the edges of the rock were no longer so sharp and the water had carved a new channel without the rock ever being aware of the change.

Ivan, in contrast, was more wont to say yes than no. Ask any of the other three and they’d never use the words “obstinate” or “stubborn” in relation to Ivan. One of the teenage members of the family had used the term “chill” to describe Ivan, and when Ena had looked up what that term meant when used in that context, she’d had to agree.

Ivan flowed through life, willing to bend, never opposing Ena … and still doing exactly what he wanted and nothing else. It had taken a long time for Ena to realize that the least openly stubborn of her grandchildren was also the most relentless in his quiet will. It was Ivan, after all, who’d never studied at the tertiary level, despite Ena’s strong desire that he do so; and it was Ivan who’d chosen to walk a path she’d initially forbidden him from pursuing.

Ivan did as he pleased … but he did have one vulnerability.

“Ivan?” she said now, as she watched him pack the final items for his journey to San Francisco. She rarely intruded in the suite he kept at the family compound, but with him leaving today, it was well past time to have this conversation. “Is all well?”

“Of course, Grandmother.” He unzipped a side pocket of his holdall, then reached for a small and flat black bag that could contain either his toothbrush and soap—or a weapon.

There was no way to know when it came to Ivan.

“Are you certain?” She remained in the doorway, for she would not push into the private area of his bedroom—though she knew Ivan wouldn’t rebuff her. That was the problem, and why she asked so little from him. Because Ivan would give it to her. He went his own way when it came to his life and the choices he made, but should Ena ever request he do a task, he’d do so without hesitation.

Whether it was to put a bullet in someone’s head or to allow her in his space.

That was Ivan’s only vulnerability.

“I’m fine,” he said, zipping up that pocket. “Why do you ask?”

“You’ve been different since you returned from that training course in Texas.” Close to a year and a half ago. She hadn’t been sure at first, and Ivan had somehow slid out of any conversations where she tried to bring it up, and then he’d vanished from her sight for various duties. “Did something happen?”

The most minute pause in his efficient movements. So small that likely not even Canto, Arwen, or Silver would’ve noticed, and they were the closest to Ivan aside from Ena. But Ena had always looked at Ivan with more careful eyes than she had his cousins. They’d all needed her in one way or another, but Ivan … he was the one least likely to verbalize or openly show that need.

He’d learned too young that asking for help was useless. No one would ever come. She’d tried to overwrite that ugly lesson, but it had been too long embedded by the time Ena came into his life. All she’d been able to do was make sure she responded to his unspoken needs—and hope that one day, he’d learn that she would always respond if he asked her for anything.

Now he closed the final tab on his holdall and turned to face her, those eyes of pale blue shot with darker shards striking against his black hair and the cool white of his skin. “Just the cut I received on my calf,” he said, “and that’s long since healed.” Slipping the strap of the holdall over his shoulder, he walked to join her in the doorway.

“Are you certain, Ivan?” Ena didn’t budge; she hadn’t held this family together through the cold reign of Silence by being weak of will, and she wasn’t about to let Ivan obfuscate this. Because the thing was, Ivan never lied to her. He just somehow managed to give her only as much information as he wanted.

<<<<1 2 3 11 21 >131

Advertisement
Gentle Scars (To Be Claimed #2) Read Online W. Winters, Willow Winters http://www.ilovenovels.com/gentle-scars-to-be-claimed-2-read-online-w-winters-willow-winters Tue, 05 Oct 2021 20:22:45 +0000 http://www.booksnovels.com/gentle-scars-to-be-claimed-2-read-online-w-winters-willow-winters Genre: Fantasy/Sci-fi, Paranormal, Romance, Shape Shifters, Vampires Authors: W. Winters, Willow Winters Series: To Be Claimed Series by W. Winters
Advertisement

Total pages in book: 43
Estimated words: 40050 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 200(@200wpm)___ 160(@250wpm)___ 134(@300wpm)

<<<<1 2 3 11 21 >43

Read Online Books/Novels:	Gentle Scars (To Be Claimed #2)
Author/Writer of Book/Novel:	W. Winters, Willow Winters
Language:	English
ISBN/ ASIN:	B08LX688V9
Book Information:
From USA Today best-selling author, Willow Winters, comes a tempting tale of fated love, lust-filled secrets and the beginnings of an epic war. There was never a question of whether or not I would be his. It’s simply what fate demanded. There’s a knowing when the werewolves find their mates. It’s an aching need, a desperation… one they would die for. But for their mates, it’s a trance, a pull, a submissive desire that’s at odds with the shadows of my past and how I’ve learned to survive. I didn’t know how hard I’d fall. I didn’t know what destiny would bring. I didn’t know it then that I would die for him as he would me. This is book 2 of the To Be Claimed Saga. Wounded Kiss is book 1 and should be read first.
Books in Series:	To Be Claimed Series by W. Winters
Books by Author:	W. Winters, Willow Winters

Part I

Lost Puppy

Prologue

Veronica

* * *

No one is meant to live forever. Even immortals. As a vampire, I knew one day my life would be over. I imagined it would be due to violence.

Not because I fell in love.

“Promise me you won’t take the drug anymore.” Vince’s voice is tight, his plea desperate. The bloodied tears that stain my cheeks fail to stop.

I chose this. I did it for him. For us. If there’s a chance for us to have a real life together, one where I won’t grow old … One where I could possibly have a child … it’s for love. I never asked for a mate. In all my decades, I never felt this deep need.

Just as I never asked to be immortal, and now …

“Promise me, Veronica.” All I can do is slowly nod my head.

I’ve turned into a fool for him. Become weak for him. I would do anything for him.

“I promise.” I whisper the words I know are a lie. No one is meant to live forever and this had to be done.

“I will give you everything you need. I promise you, my love. It could kill you.” I sniffle and kiss the crook of his neck. His gentle embrace brings a warmth to my chilled blood. “I would die without you.”

He says that, but expects me to live when he’s gone from this world. He’ll understand. He must. He’s my mate and he’ll forgive me.

“I love you, Veronica.”

“I will love you forever, Vince.”

Our forever.

Vince

Weeks before

The first moment I felt my mate

* * *

How the hell did Devin do it? How could he leave his mate after feeling this?

My fingers ball into fists as I stand on the stage, stiff and all but snarling.

A burning shock lingers in my blood, chilling my skin with a cold sweat and willing my limbs to go to her. To my mate. My heart races, adrenaline coursing through me as the pull to go to her is overwhelming. By order of my Alpha, I’m ignoring the instinctual demand, just as he did last year. With every second my feet stay planted on this damn stage, the pit in my stomach grows larger, twisting and churning. My dry throat closes, threatening to suffocate me. The aching need devours me. I’m practically fucking weak and useless.

I need her.

How the hell did he ever wait for the offering? How could he resist when she was so close and he felt this?

“You will wait.” Devin’s command rings loud in my mind.

My wolf whines, but settles. “It hurts.” My teeth grit as another wave of stinging heat rolls over my body, punishing me for disregarding her. My neck arches, straining against all reason. With my muscles coiled, I fight my instincts. I have no intention of going against my Alpha, but this is fucking torture.

“I’m trying.”

Our telepathic conversation pauses as the young women hesitantly walk across the stage. They reek of fear and anxiety, and the awful stench is a slap in the face. The reverberation of their shoes clicking against the metal stage continues to get faster and faster as more of them scuttle past us. The Authority demands the humans be deathly afraid of the paranormal species. Given my urge to howl in utter agony at this moment, I imagine I could reduce them all to nightmares and lasting trauma if I openly struggled to control myself.

Containing this visceral reaction is brutal. The fear it creates will be rewarded by the Authority, so perhaps there’s a silver lining. The humans’ fear is good for us; not so good for the Alpha’s mate, though. I can smell her dread from here. They call her Grace. Although I can barely focus on her, I’m proud to welcome her into our pack. If she knew more about why these treaties exist and what it means to be chosen, I’m sure she wouldn’t be so damn terrified. But then again, neither would any of the other humans.

A smirk pulls my lips up; I can faintly hear Dom and Caleb’s mate telling Grace something about us having sticks up our asses. The humor relieves the agony for a moment.

“She must’ve met Dom.” I stifle my chuckle at Lev’s comment. Grace’s friend, Liz, isn’t as scared as she should be. Either that or she’s putting on a front. I barely resist the urge to turn my head toward Dom to gauge his reaction.

Caleb snickers and says, “Our mate’s a little firecracker, isn’t she?” I can practically feel his grin. Ever since the two of them felt their pull to her, Caleb’s excitement has been radiating through all of us and his wolf won’t stop panting for her. If he were in wolf form, he’d be drooling with his tongue hanging out of his jaws. Dom’s enthusiasm is dampened by his reluctance to share his mate. I’m sure as hell not jealous of those fuckers. Especially not now that I’ve found my own mate.

<<<<1 2 3 11 21 >43

Advertisement
Claimed (The Lair of the Wolven #1) Read Online J.R. Ward http://www.ilovenovels.com/claimed-the-lair-of-the-wolven-1-read-online-j-r-ward Fri, 30 Jul 2021 23:08:18 +0000 http://www.booksnovels.com/claimed-the-lair-of-the-wolven-1-read-online-j-r-ward Genre: Fantasy/Sci-fi, Paranormal, Romance, Shape Shifters, Suspense, Vampires Authors: J.R. Ward Series: The Lair of the Wolven Series by J.R. Ward
Advertisement

Total pages in book: 126
Estimated words: 121735 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 609(@200wpm)___ 487(@250wpm)___ 406(@300wpm)

<<<<1 2 3 11 21 >126

Read Online Books/Novels:	(The Lair of the Wolven #1) Claimed
Author/Writer of Book/Novel:	J.R. Ward
Language:	English
ISBN/ ASIN:	1982150378 (ISBN13: 9781982150372)
Book Information:
A heart-pounding new series set in the Black Dagger Brotherhood world, with a scientist fighting to save the timber wolves—and getting caught in a deadly trap herself... Lydia Susi is passionate about protecting wolves in their natural habitat. When a hotel chain develops a tract of land next to the preserve, Lydia is one of the most vocal opponents of the project—and becomes a target. One night, a shadowy figure threatens Lydia’s life in the forest, and a new hire at the Wolf Study Project comes from out of nowhere to save her. Daniel Joseph is both mysterious, and someone she intrinsically wants to trust. But is he hiding something? As the stakes get higher, and one of Lydia’s colleagues is murdered, she must decide how far she will go to protect the wolves. Then a shocking revelation about Daniel challenges Lydia’s reality in ways she could never have predicted. Some fates demand courage, others require even more, with no guarantees. Is she destined to have true love... or will a soul-shattering loss ruin her forever?
Books in Series:	The Lair of the Wolven Series by J.R. Ward
Books by Author:	J.R. Ward

Town of Walters, est. 1834

Upstate New York

LYDIA SUSI’S DESTINY came for her in the veil, on a random Thursday in the early spring.

As she ran along the wooded trail, two miles into a loop that would take her through the preserve’s northeastern acreage, she was measuring the glowing line that topped the contours of the mountains. Soon, the stripe would expand to an aura, and after that, the sun would accept the handoff from the moon, and day would arrive.

Her grandfather had always told her there were two twilights, two gloamings, and if you wanted to find your past, you went into the pines in the evening as the sun went down. If you wanted your future to come to you, you went alone into the forest in the veil, during that sacred transition of night into morning. There, he’d told her, when the distinction between that which ruled the light and that which held domain over the dark was at its narrowest, when the moon and the sun reached for each other before the rotations of their orbits tore them asunder, there was when the mortal could brush up against the infinite and seek answers, direction, guidance.

Of course, that did not mean you got good news. Or what you wanted.

But life was not an à la carte buffet where you could choose everything that went on your plate—another words-of-wisdom from a man who had lived to be 101 years old still smoking a pipe and drinking a glass of sima after his dinner year round.

Why limit spring to just Vappu? he’d said.

Lydia had never believed in his superstitions. She was a researcher, a scientist, and the kinds of things that her isoisä had gone on about did not fit in with that Ph.D. in biology she’d bought on layaway from the federal government and was still paying off.

So no, she was not out looking for any prognostication from the universe this morning. She was getting her workout done before she headed into her office at the Wolf Study Project. With the way things had been going lately, she was going to blink and it would be seven at night. Short-staffed and under-funded, everything was a fight for resources at WSP, and by the time she locked things up every evening, she was exhausted. So Carpe Cardio was her motto and why she was out in this misty darkness—

Lydia let her stride peter to a halt.

Her breath pumped in clouds that captured and held the moonlight, and as a breeze came across the trail, her body did the same with the chill, grabbing it out of the air and bringing it in under her windbreaker.

As she shivered, she looked behind herself. The trail she was on was the widest one in the preserve, a highway rather than a street, but she couldn’t see much into the trees. Pines crowded up close to the shoulders of the packed path, and the fog wafting through the craggy trunks and fluffy boughs obscured the forest even more.

In a quick calculation, she figured she was a good three miles from any other human, two miles from her car at the trailhead’s parking area, and a hundred yards from what had caught her attention.

There, up ahead, something was close to the ground, moving.

Fight or flight, Lydia, she thought. What’s it going to be.

She reached around to the small of her back. There were two cylinders mounted on the strap of her fanny pack, and she left the Mace where it was. Clicking on her flashlight and bringing it forward, she swung the beam in a wide arc—

The eyes flashed over on the left, a set of retinas flaring the light back at her as pinpoints. The stare was about three feet from the ground and the pupils were set close together, as predators’ were.

Lydia looked around again.

“I’m not going to bother you,” she said. But like the gray wolf spoke English?

The growl was soft. And then came the rustling. The animal was prowling toward her.

“Oh, shit.”

Except …

Lydia kept the beam down on the fallen pine needles as she, too, walked forward. Something was wrong with the wolf, its gait wobbly and uneven. Yet the spirit of the hunter remained undeterred—and she was identified as its target.

She was about twenty feet away when she got a sense of the fully mature male. He was filled out, at a healthy weight of about a hundred and thirty pounds, and his mottled white, gray, and brown fur was thick and lush, especially at the tail. But his head was hanging at a bad angle, and he was dragging his back paws as he continued to close the distance between them.

It was obvious when the wolf was going to collapse. Though his head remained forward, his body listed to the side, his will staying strong even as his rear legs, and then his forelegs, gave out.

<<<<1 2 3 11 21 >126

Advertisement
The Hunger (The Lycans #3) Read Online Jenika Snow http://www.ilovenovels.com/the-hunger-the-lycans-3-read-online-jenika-snow Sat, 24 Jul 2021 22:16:07 +0000 http://www.booksnovels.com/the-hunger-the-lycans-3-read-online-jenika-snow Genre: Fantasy/Sci-fi, Paranormal, Romance, Shape Shifters, Virgin Authors: Jenika Snow Series: The Lycans Series by Jenika Snow
Advertisement

Total pages in book: 81
Estimated words: 74538 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 373(@200wpm)___ 298(@250wpm)___ 248(@300wpm)

<<<<1 2 3 11 21 >81

Read Online Books/Novels:	The Hunger (The Lycans #3)
Author/Writer of Book/Novel:	Jenika Snow
Language:	English
Book Information:
I had no family, no friends. I was utterly alone and always had been. And once I aged out of the system that had raised me, I decided to find out exactly who I was. Where did I come from? Who were my parents? What made me… me? It became the fire in my veins. And my journey led me to Scotland, the Highlands, and for the first time in my life I had this feeling of… belonging. What should have been a simple hike through the Scottish countryside led me to discovering that there were things far more mysterious than trying to find out who I was. There were other things—creatures—lurking in this world, ones who were stronger, fiercer… ones who were not human. Everything I’d ever known seemed like a fable now. And it was one of those otherworldly creatures who stalked me—chased me. And I knew I couldn’t outrun him. I couldn’t escape. He’s bigger than any man I’d ever seen, stronger than anyone should be. His growls were feral, his fangs animalistic, and when he watched me it was with glowing eyes. I found myself at his mercy, chained to a bed, and alone with this man who isn’t really a man at all. I asked him why I was there, why he took me, held me against my will. And all he said was… I was his mate.
Books in Series:	The Lycans Series by Jenika Snow
Books by Author:	Jenika Snow

1

Darragh

“I’m putting it on record that this is a stupid fucking idea.”

I couldn’t help but laugh at Evelyn’s choice of words. She was my best friend—really, more like my sister. We were all we had in this world anymore. It was a sad reality. Literally. She was family, and I was hers, because we had no one else.

No siblings. No parents. No extended family.

We were both orphans in every sense of the word.

Being foster kids, Evelyn and I hadn’t been given the best path in life starting out, but we’d made due.

My grandparents had died shortly after moving to America.

My mother died giving birth to me.

My father was unknown.

Evelyn had pretty much the same upbringing, except her mother was a junkie who wanted her next fix more than she wanted to take care of a baby.

We’d connected in the same foster house, both of us there for a couple of years—the longest we stayed in one place. We’d both been fifteen, almost sixteen, and I could see this fighting spirit in Evelyn. I’d latched on to that, because she made me feel stronger just by her presence.

We’d been thick as thieves since.

But life hadn’t been easy. We had to struggle, fight for everything we had or wanted. And it was hard. We went without a lot of things, went hungry more times than we should’ve, because there was always someone bigger, stronger, who could take it easily.

We didn’t have anybody to root in our corner but each other, and so I was pretty sure, even if it was temporary, even if I assured her over and over again that I would be back, it probably felt like a betrayal—another person abandoning her.

“Yeah, bad fucking idea,” she muttered under her breath. “I don’t have a good feeling about this.”

I rolled my eyes but chuckled. “That’s just because you don’t want me to leave. You’re just nervous.”

She grumbled, but I could see on her face that, yeah, that was the truth. I could see her blinking rapidly and heard her clear her throat a few times, and I knew she was trying not to break down and cry. And I was trying not to do the same too.

When I decided to go on this wild-goose chase, it had pretty much been four years in the making. I’d had to save up, be stable in my life before I went balls to the wall on this crazy hunt to see if I had anyone who’d give a shit about me out there. I might come up to a big fat dead end, but it was worth the risk to me.

If I didn’t find anything out, then I was exactly where I was now. But if I found something out… anything… that was priceless to me.

I’d been working odd jobs since I was sixteen and saving anything I could. I’d gotten a small sum from the state after I turned eighteen, which really meant, “here’s some money, but it’s time for you to get out and grow up now.”

I’d immediately taken a DNA test, one of those spit-in-the-tube kind you mail back. Six weeks later I got an email with my results. I assumed, like most people living in America, I was probably a mix of many different countries. I’d been surprised to see I had pretty much all Scottish ancestry, with the barest hints of Irish and English thrown in for good measure. It even broke down the part of Scotland my ancestors had originated from. Double score on that.

So I had a starting point to go off of. And then the years had passed, and I worked my ass off while going to college. After four years I graduated with my bachelor’s in history.

And now here I was, getting ready to say goodbye to my best friend and hoping like hell I didn’t come back empty-handed.

“It's hard leaving,” I said softly and smiled. I didn’t know what else to say that wouldn’t cause both of us to be blubbering messes.

“I know. You need to go do this, and I was only kidding that this was a bad fucking idea.” She smiled, and it was genuine. “You need to find out who you are. I want you to, and then you’ll come back and tell me all about it.”

“And bring you sweet-ass souvenirs.”

“Well duh. That’s the best part.”

We both laughed, but when she glanced away, I felt my own throat tightening. “Hey,” I said softly and waited until she looked at me before smiling. “I probably won’t find out anything, and I’ll be back before you know it.”

She snorted and shook her head before grabbing my shoulders and giving them a reassuring squeeze. “No, you need to find out information on your family. I want you to, even if I’m acting like a little bitch right now.”

<<<<1 2 3 11 21 >81

Advertisement
Her Fate (Shifted Love #4) Read Online Fiona Davenport http://www.ilovenovels.com/her-fate-shifted-love-4-read-online-fiona-davenport Sun, 17 Jan 2021 19:48:58 +0000 http://www.booksnovels.com/her-fate-shifted-love-4-read-online-fiona-davenport Genre: Alpha Male, Fantasy/Sci-fi, Insta-Love, Paranormal, Romance, Shape Shifters, Virgin Authors: Fiona Davenport Series: Shifted Love Series by Fiona Davenport
Advertisement

Total pages in book: 22
Estimated words: 19987 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 100(@200wpm)___ 80(@250wpm)___ 67(@300wpm)

<<<<1 2 3 11 21 >22

Read Online Books/Novels:	Her Fate (Shifted Love #4)
Author/Writer of Book/Novel:	Fiona Davenport
Language:	English
ISBN/ ASIN:	B08SMK53RW
Book Information:
Trinity Ruslan wasn’t a fan of small towns or wolf shifters. And she really didn’t like the pack that lured her little brother away from his family. Timber Ridge was the last place she wanted to visit, but she couldn’t resist the chance to name her newest niece or nephew. Damon Kemp never expected to find his fated mate. Not with the awful luck the males of his family had. But he got the best shock of his life when he caught Trinity’s scent and realized she was his destiny. Now he just had to show her how great living in a small town with a wolf shifter could be.
Books in Series:	Shifted Love Series by Fiona Davenport
Books by Author:	Fiona Davenport

1

Trinity

Spotting my brother’s name on the screen of my cell phone, I curved my lips up in a grin. When Tane moved to Timber Ridge, I missed being able to pop over and see him whenever I wanted. Even after all these years, I still didn’t understand why he’d chosen to join a pack out there. Tiger shifters tended to be more solitary, sticking to family groups. I’d been shocked when he’d decided to leave New York City to spend his life in the boonies with a bunch of mangy wolves. For the first year or two, I expected my brother to change his mind, but I eventually accepted that he wasn’t in a rush to come back to civilization. No matter how much I wished he was. And once Tane met Calliope, his mate, any hope I’d had about him coming back home for good disappeared since her best friends were mated to the alpha and beta of the pack.

The distance between us felt like it had grown even more when they’d started having cubs. His mate and children kept him pretty busy, especially since my nieces and nephew were a handful. Alena, Kyla, Azlyn, and Rush were the center of my brother and sister-in-law’s world, and traveling all the way to the East Coast with the four of them wasn’t easy, so they tended to stick closer to home—a place I didn’t visit often since I resented the pack for luring my brother away from his family.

“Hey, little brother,” I greeted after accepting the call. “Have you and Calliope finally decided you’re ready to leave your sleepy little town behind and move to the big city where you belong?”

“Not even a little bit.” I flopped down on my couch as my brother’s laughter drifted through the line. Leaning against the cushions, I closed my eyes. Work had been kicking my butt lately, and I was exhausted. Opening a successful restaurant in New York City wasn’t easy, but I’d just finished launching another one last week. It was already my third for the year, and the first had earned a Michelin star last month. My boss was beyond thrilled with my work, but he was pushing for me to start my next project when what I needed was a little break. “It’s more like the opposite.”

My eyes popped open, and my brow wrinkled as I wondered what my brother meant. “How so?”

“Instead of us coming to you, I’m hoping you’re free to take a little trip to Timber Ridge,” he explained.

“As if,” I scoffed, shaking my head as I hit the button to turn on the speaker function. He knew better than to expect me to agree to his request, especially now that I’d lost someone else to a wolf. My best friend from childhood, Corinna, recently mated with a wolf Upstate in the Silver Lake Pack. “You know how I feel about being in wolf territory.”

“C’mon, Trinity. Mom and Dad have plans, and Tabara is in the middle of production for a new show.” His voice took on a pleading tone. “None of them can come watch the kids, and I want to take Calliope away for our anniversary. I know how you feel about coming here, but I really need your help.”

“Dude. I love you, but—”

Before I could finish my argument for why I had no interest in coming out to babysit the nieces and nephew whom I loved, he interrupted me. “Alena, Kyla, Azlyn, and Rush would love to see their Auntie Trinity. It’s been too long, and they’ll be devastated if I tell them you wimped out on coming here to babysit them.”

“What?” I shrieked, sitting up and glaring at the screen of my phone even though Tane couldn't see me. “You can’t tell them that.”

“Sure, I can.”

His smug tone made me wish we were having this conversation face-to-face so I could make him pay for it. But just because I couldn’t kick him in the shin or twist his nipple didn’t mean I couldn’t fight back against my little brother. “Fine, if you insist on being a jerk, then I’ll be forced to share all sorts of fun stories about their daddy the next time I see them. I’m sure Calliope will be thrilled when Alena and Kyla get inspired by your antics since they’re old enough to try some of the crap you pulled when you were younger.”

“You don’t play fair,” he grumbled.

He sounded much less satisfied with himself, which made me grin. “I never have, and I never will.”

“That’s putting it mildly.” He chuckled again. “I guess I’ll just have to resort to bribery to get you to come out here.”

“What kind of bribe?” I tilted my head to the side, intrigued by what he thought he could say to lure me to a place I hated.

<<<<1 2 3 11 21 >22

Advertisement
The Lion and the Lamb Read Online Jenika Snow http://www.ilovenovels.com/the-lion-and-the-lamb-read-online-jenika-snow Sat, 28 Nov 2020 19:44:04 +0000 http://www.booksnovels.com/the-lion-and-the-lamb-read-online-jenika-snow Genre: Alpha Male, Erotic, Fantasy/Sci-fi, Paranormal, Romance, Shape Shifters Authors: Jenika Snow Advertisement

Total pages in book: 52
Estimated words: 47338 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 237(@200wpm)___ 189(@250wpm)___ 158(@300wpm)

<<<<1 2 3 11 21 >52

Read Online Books/Novels:	The Lion and the Lamb
Author/Writer of Book/Novel:	Jenika Snow
Language:	English
ISBN/ ASIN:	9781771305105
Book Information:
Working at a strip club for the notorious lion shifter Leo Castill?  It sounded dirty, wrong… exciting. It took many years for Tatum Weatherton to grow comfortable with her curvier body, but she was confident now and took a chance to apply at one of the hottest gentlemen’s club in the city, The Lion and the Lamb.  But from the moment Tatum and Leo met, something changed in her. He made her feel hot, needy, wanting things she’d never even dreamed of, things that were arousing and obscene.  He was bigger than life, his body strong and muscular, built to pleasure the opposite sex. Built to make her feel good.  And when he said she was his mate, that he’d claim her, mark her so every other male knew who she belonged to, Tatum should have ran in the other direction.  But she couldn’t stop wanting him. When a threat forced Leo’s inner lion to come free and protect her, the blood of his enemy covering her powerful beast, Tatum knew the only place she’d ever feel safe, the only spot she was meant to be, was at Leo’s side.   Reader note: This book was previously published under the same title. It has been re-edited and minimally revised. The story itself is the same for those who previously read it. There may be sensitive material to some readers.
Books by Author:	Jenika Snow

1

“I can’t work at a strip club, Kiki.” Tatum would have laughed out loud at her best friend’s suggestions if she didn’t know without a doubt Kiki was being dead serious.

“And why not?” Kiki gave a little huff of irritation.

“Well—” Tatum cut the rest of the watermelon and tossed it into the bowl. “—for one thing, it’s a strip club.” She said those two words like they were the dirtiest thing imaginable, and she instantly felt the air chill. Looking over her shoulder, she saw Kiki cross her arms under her huge breasts and scowl.

“What in the hell is that supposed to mean?” The indignation in Kiki’s voice was crystal-clear.

Tatum sighed and turned around. She placed her hands on Kiki’s shoulders, and said, “You know I didn’t mean anything by that. It’s just…” Tatum sighed and looked at the ceiling. “Do I look like someone who would be prancing around a strip club?” When she looked back at her best friend, she could see a smile touch Kiki’s red-painted, Botox-injected lips.

“First of all, it’s a gentlemen’s club.” Tatum rolled her eyes. She refrained from pointing out that “gentlemen’s club” was just a fancy and expensive name for a house full of strippers. “Second of all, if you wanted to dance, you so could. You definitely have the body for it.”

Tatum held up her hands. “No, no, no. I do not want to dance, and I most definitely do not have the body for it.”

“Whatever. We are so not going there again.” Kiki picked up the bowl of fresh fruit. She turned away and started walking out of the kitchen, talking as she went. “Besides, the position that is open is for a waitress, not a dancer.”

Tatum had no choice but to follow her. She grabbed the paper plates on her way out the door. The outside patio of Kiki’s home was like some kind of oasis. A small Koi pond sat off to the side and was surrounded by greenery and a trickling waterfall. A pool was situated on the far end of the yard, the color an unrealistic blue, but looked refreshing nonetheless. The covered deck held the table that Beau and Kiki filled with grilled meats and side dishes.

The heat of a Las Vegas evening in July was close to the surface of the sun. Beads of perspiration started to cover the back of Tatum’s neck as the dry heat slammed into her. Sitting on one of the chairs, she watched Kiki wrap her arms around Beau, who stood behind the grill. Smoke billowed around him as he laughed softly at something Kiki murmured to him. Coming over to eat dinner with Beau and Kiki every Sunday evening was the norm. Tatum had known her since they were bratty, pimply teenage girls.

Beau had come into the picture the year they turned twenty. That had been five years ago, and even after all that time, Kiki and Beau acted like teenagers in love for the first time.

Tatum did this a lot—just watched them interact with each other. They were so intense together. Maybe it was a bit creepy that she watched them, but she liked to see the person she cared about most in the world happy. Her own love life was nonexistent, and aside from a few boyfriends after she graduated high school, she had been alone.

“I told Tater that she should go apply for the waitress position at the Lion.” Kiki sashayed back to where Tatum was seated.

She refrained from rolling her eyes at the ridiculous nickname Kiki had given her when they were kids. It did no good asking her to stop calling her a vegetable, because Kiki did whatever the hell she wanted. Beau turned and brought over a heaping plate of more meat. There was already enough on the table to feed an army, but then again, Beau was built like a soldier.

“I think that’d be sweet. That way I can watch over both of you.” Beau’s deep voice was like an instant fire-starter. At well over six feet tall and layered with thick muscle, Beau wasn’t someone to mess with. He had a headful of auburn hair that fell to his shoulders and only intensified his dangerous persona.

Most of the time, he kept it in a tight, short ponytail at the nape of his neck, especially when he was at work, but at home, he let those silky locks hang free. His body was corded with muscle, and the tribal tattoos that wove their way up his arms added to the whole intimidating factor.

Kiki had started working at The Lion and the Lamb two years ago. She certainly had the body and moves to be a “dancer” there. Beau had gotten a job as a bouncer shortly after Kiki started her employment there. Even now, Tatum suppressed her laugh as she remembered the way he went all caveman when he tried to get his girlfriend to stop working at a strip club. He didn’t know how stubborn Kiki was, and at the end he loved her enough to have trust in their relationship and calm down with the alpha shit.

<<<<1 2 3 11 21 >52

Read Online Books/Novels:

Gentle Scars (To Be Claimed #2)

Author/Writer of Book/Novel:

English

B08LX688V9

Read Online Books/Novels:

(The Lair of the Wolven #1) Claimed

Author/Writer of Book/Novel:

English

1982150378 (ISBN13: 9781982150372)

Read Online Books/Novels:

The Hunger (The Lycans #3)

Author/Writer of Book/Novel:

English

Read Online Books/Novels:

Her Fate (Shifted Love #4)

Author/Writer of Book/Novel:

English

B08SMK53RW

Read Online Books/Novels:

The Lion and the Lamb

Author/Writer of Book/Novel:

English

9781771305105