Moon's Sweet Poison
MOON’S SWEET POISON
Deadly Mates
Scarlet Hyacinth
EROTIC ROMANCE
Siren Publishing, Inc.
www.SirenPublishing.com
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A SIREN PUBLISHING BOOK
IMPRINT: Erotic Romance
MOON’S SWEET POISON
Copyright © 2010 by Scarlet Hyacinth
E-book ISBN: 1-60601-779-9
First E-book Publication: March 2010
Cover design by Jinger Heaston
All cover art and logo copyright © 2010 by Siren Publishing, Inc.
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.
PUBLISHER
Siren Publishing, Inc.
www.SirenPublishing.com
Letter from Scarlet Hyacinth
Regarding E-book Piracy
Dear Readers,
Your support and opinion always mean a lot to me. I was a reader before I was writer, and as such, knowing that people enjoy my stories gives me tremendous happiness and satisfaction.
Some of you may know that I originally started writing on FictionPress and AdultFanFiction. It was because of the many friends I made there and through their constant support that I persevered in writing.
However, I have to point out that, unlike stories on FictionPress and AdultFanFiction, my published books are intellectual property and are not free. The amount of time and effort authors, editors, and cover artists put into each and every one of these books is astonishing. I spent one month polishing Enraptured for my readers, to offer them the best experience when reading my work. It hurts me, emotionally and financially, that before I could earn anything from my book, it was pirated and distributed illegally.
I sometimes can’t help but wonder if all the effort is worth it. Writing is my passion, but writing for publishing is very different than posting free stories online. As much as I hate to admit it, taking into account all the work I put into these books and the poor financial profit, it somehow seems I’m wasting my time.
Maybe many of you think that being a writer instantly translates into thousands of dollars. Well, it doesn’t. Many authors cannot support themselves with their writing, especially in the e-publishing industry. They have to hold day jobs while they write in the evenings and on weekends. I am still a student, sneaking in writing between studying for exams and trips to the library.
Please do not pirate my books. If you have downloaded this copy illegally, know that every reader is important and your support would mean the world to me.
I hope you enjoy the story. Please e-mail me your thoughts and comments at scarlet.hyacinth@gmail.com.
With love,
Scarlet Hyacinth
DEDICATION
For everyone who doesn’t think I’m a freak for admiring snakes so much.
MOON’S SWEET POISON
Deadly Mates
SCARLET HYACINTH
Copyright © 2010
Chapter One
Pale rays emitted by a full moon shone down through the darkness of the night. They seemed to sing a ballad, a hypnotizing melody that reached out to a chosen few. The magic of the night was said to soothe restless souls and cradle lovers in its embrace. Yet for Viktor Petrovic, the gift and blessing sought and yearned for by many meant only fury and betrayal. The melody of the moon taunted him, making him even more aware of the anger and hatred that surrounded him...
For their kind, a full moon meant a celebration, a night of revelry and freedom. The animals within awoke to bond with their brothers and sisters. Rather than a custom, it was almost a compulsion. However, just as with many other rules, this one didn’t apply to Viktor. He knew this. He accepted this. But when his father chose to announce his mating to Emilie, the daughter of a neighboring pack leader, without so much as consulting him, Viktor stopped being so accepting. Sasha had crossed the line, and Viktor could no longer withstand his father’s meddlesome ways. He felt tired of being manipulated, used, and forced to change.
The Alpha of the Rook Valley pack did not take Viktor’s disobedience well. Sasha Petrovic ruthlessly eliminated and dealt with anyone who dared to oppose him. Because of this, his relationship with his son had actually turned into a tense, silent confrontation. Unlike everybody else, Viktor didn’t allow his father to intimidate him. In the forested grove where the pack always met, he faced Sasha dead on, heedless of the hostility radiating off of the other pack members. Sizzling fury burned in two identical sets of ice blue eyes as Sasha attempted to force Viktor to submit. “I’m sick of your insolence, pup,” the Alpha growled, his voice arrogant and commanding. “You will obey me in this!”
“Your orders mean nothing to me, Sasha.” Viktor laughed derisively, feeling his claws extend in clear contradiction to the indifference of his tone. “Do you really think a fossil like you can force me into anything?”
Insulted, the Alpha snarled, his anger flowing off him in waves. Under normal circumstances, such an offense would have been considered a challenge to the Alpha’s leadership position, resulting in a fight for power. However, due to Sasha’s hold on their pack, Viktor suddenly found himself surrounded by a circle of his father’s minions, ready to strike at the Alpha’s order. Ignoring the danger, Viktor laughed again. “Look at you, old man! You can’t even face me on your own! You’re pathetic.”
Viktor felt the tension thickening in the air with his every word, until it became almost palpable in its intensity. His nerves tingled with the knowledge of the imminent fight and his wolf paced impatiently inside of him, yearning to break free and attack.
Fortunately—or unfortunately—the crowd parted to reveal a silhouette Viktor knew too well. He frowned at the sight of his old friend, Flame, heading towards him. The worry and sorrow of the past few weeks marked Flame’s handsome black face. Quite honestly, Viktor couldn’t bring himself to care, since after all those years of close friendship, Flame betrayed him. In the end, Flame proved to be just like everybody else.
Viktor directed a glare at his former friend, silently warning him away. Ignoring his anger, Flame grabbed his arm and pulled him aside, away from the Alpha. “Pull yourself together, Vik!” he begged in a whisper. “You don’t want to do this.”
Viktor broke out of Flame’s hold, giving his former friend a disgusted look. “You’ve no rig
ht to tell me what to do, Flame.”
“I’m your friend,” the other werewolf countered. “I care about you.”
Viktor just snorted. “Yeah, right. I suppose that’s why you’ve been so supportive of my new mating. Because you’re my friend and you want what’s best for me.” Ignoring Flame’s wince, Viktor continued to speak in a disdainful tone. “You know, I really thought you were different than these ass-kissing, back-stabbing bastards. Shows how much I know about people. You can just—”
A familiar feminine voice suddenly interrupted his angry rant. “Oh, stop being so stubborn, Viktor. Flame is right.”
Viktor turned to face Flame’s mate, Jessica, and barely managed to suppress a growl as the sickeningly sweet voice of his enemy continued to taunt him. “Besides, you need a mate and what better choice than Emilie?”
Viktor prayed for composure, hoping he’d manage to keep himself from irreparably harming Jessica. She’d been the bane of his existence for the past fifteen years, and he needed all the control he could muster to deal with her.
Giving the female werewolf a scathing look, Viktor growled back. “And who, pray tell, gave you the right to judge whether I need a mate or not?”
Jessica attached herself to Flame’s arm and gifted him with one of her famous fabricated smiles. “It’s for the best. Besides, the agreement is already in place. We can’t back out now.”
“I don’t give a fuck!” Viktor bellowed. “There is no ‘we’ in this issue! You did not bother to ask me when you agreed to my supposed mating. It’s your mess. You fix it.”
Flame looked like he wanted to say something, but Viktor’s anger silenced him, just like it silenced all of the other members of the pack. Viktor’s inner Alpha rarely got the better of him, since he always tried to keep his dominant side hidden. He knew it wouldn’t be wise to challenge his father for leadership of the pack now. Many wolves didn’t trust his volatile personality and considered him unfit to rule. Unfortunately, he had yet to prove them wrong and his continuous refusal to mate didn’t help much. Inwardly cursing, Viktor turned on his heel and began to push through the crowd, daring them to attack him. He actually felt the urge to take them on, to rip some throats out and unleash his temper on his father’s stupid followers. Even so, he knew none of the wolves present would attempt any act of violence upon his person. His Alpha voice cancelled out any possibility of them doing so.
As expected, the werewolves allowed him to pass, and he managed to reach his bike without any opposition whatsoever. The pack’s sudden unnatural stillness irritated Viktor, but perhaps it was better this way. He needed to get out of there immediately. He needed to leave behind every word spoken today, every glare that caught his eye, each and every moment he spent in the company of his pack.
Climbing on his motorcycle, Viktor took another look back at the gathering of werewolves he'd just abandoned. Jessica seemed smug, and his father still seethed, but Flame’s sad expression somehow reached Viktor. Shaking his head, he looked away from his former friend and started the bike, abandoning the forest and the rough terrain in favor of the concrete marking human civilization.
* * * *
“I’m sick of this, Jamari. I want out.” Kai glared at Jamari as the other assassin calmly sat on his leather chair and smirked.
“Really, little brother?” Jamari arched a dark brow. “You want out?”
Jamari’s voice sounded almost friendly, but his eyes held the threat that hung over Kai’s head all his life. The Assassin Guild treated everyone with cruelty, not only its targets, but also its members. They didn’t take betrayal or rebellion well. Kai no longer wanted to be afraid. “I don’t want to do this anymore.”
As expected, Jamari didn’t delay in showing his true colors. In an instant, his strong body pinned Kai’s to the wall, and he hissed in Kai’s ear. “I always knew you were weak. Weak and uselesssssss.”
Kai could feel the cold anger radiating from the other assassin and he wondered if the moment of his death had finally come. Jamari killed many of their kind, and Kai always suspected that he would one day meet the same fate. He’d futilely tried to find a way to escape the guild, but in the end, he’d given up. He was, and had always been, alone. It didn’t matter anymore.
The pressure on his windpipe suddenly disappeared, and Jamari dropped him unceremoniously on the floor. Before Kai could recover, Jamari returned to his place behind the desk.
“All right,” Jamari said as he sat down. “I agree with your proposal.”
Kai suppressed a gasp at the astonishing answer. He never actually expected that Jamari would grant his request, but he knew better than to trust his half-brother. There had to be a catch.
As Kai suspected, Jamari continued to speak. “On one condition.” Jamari gave Kai a wicked look, a wide smile on his ebony face. “One last job.”
Kai frowned at his half-brother. What did Jamari have in mind now? He analyzed his brother with suspicion and reluctantly nodded. “Show me.”
Jamari grinned and retrieved a black envelope, throwing it on the table in Kai’s reach. “Viktor Petrovic. Son of the Alpha of the local werewolf pack. He needs to be dealt with quickly and efficiently. However, an outright attack would not be indicated in this case. We need to proceed with caution.”
Kai took the files, swiftly browsing through the notes on the particulars of his target. He could see why Jamari would prefer a more subtle approach to the assassination. In spite of his assassination talents, Jamari couldn’t really blend in with the environment and had zero skills of undercover work. Werewolves in general were known for their fighting skills, but they did have a weakness: their libido. This particular wolf seemed an extraordinary opponent, but his peculiar sexual orientation could be exploited as a lethal vulnerability. The best way to get to him would be seduction, the field where Kai excelled.
Kai flipped through the pages of the file, taking in all the details of the job. He felt sick to the stomach at the idea of having to kill again, but if it gave him a chance of getting rid of this life forever, he’d do it. His frown deepened as he realized that the contents of the file didn’t help him prepare for the job much. Other than the identity, a brief physical description, expected strengths, and the general habits of the target, it was pretty much useless. It didn’t even contain images of the werewolf to be killed.
Kai stole a glance at the other assassin, confused. “Pictures?”
“We don’t have any.” Jamari just shrugged. “We’ve just received the job and the information.”
Kai sighed, acknowledging the fact that he wouldn’t get his freedom for a while now. He couldn’t go ahead with the job armed with only the succinct information in the file. Damn it! With a frustrated sigh, he threw the file back on the desk.
“I’ll need time to prepare, to infiltrate the environment, to—”
“You’ll do it tonight,” Jamari interrupted.
Kai almost gaped at his brother. The information in the file didn’t give him a complete picture of the target, and it hadn’t even been double checked. In the case of such a delicate operation, this was the recipe for disaster.
“You can’t be serious. Jamari, you know better than—”
The moment these words escaped his lips, Kai found himself pinned against the table face down, immobilized for the second time that day. It felt humiliating, and Kai hated himself for not fighting back. Behind him, Jamari gave a dark chuckle and whispered, “Oh, I’m serious, Kaiden. I’m actually being nice with you today, you little slut. You’ll do what I tell you to or else…”
Jamari’s strong hand squeezed Kai’s hip, and Kai winced in pain, fighting to remain still. Even on Jamari’s good days, Kai preferred not to cross him. Actually, he always tried not to cross his half-brother. Nothing good could ever come out of Jamari’s anger.
“All right, brother,” Kai said in his most obedient tone. “It will be done.”
“Good boy.” Jamari let him go and petted him on the head like he was a
good dog. Kai smoothed his clothing and met Jamari’s eyes again. “Thank you for your trust. I will not let you down.” He gritted his teeth, struggling to keep his anger and hatred from showing on his face.
Jamari practically beamed at him, and the smile made him look even crueler. “I know you won’t. Now go.”
Kai turned his back on his half-brother and made for the door, only to be stopped half way by Jamari’s final words. “Remember, you need to do it tonight to get your prize.”
Kai didn’t answer, knowing his brother didn’t expect him to. He exited the room and took a deep breath. One last kill. One last kill and this would all be over.
* * * *
As Viktor entered the urban area, he welcomed the lights and deafening sounds, all bustling with human life. He needed to get his mind off Flame, his father and the pack, and thankfully, he knew exactly where to go to achieve this purpose.
Rook Valley had long ago ceased to be the quaint, small American town. The nearby shifter packs made it prosperous, and the humans naturally flocked to money. Because of that, Rook Valley grew from a small community into an actual city. Luckily, influences of shifter leaders pretty much kept it from the public eye.
The presence of the humans would have been unpleasant if not for the advantages stemming from becoming one with the crowd. Now, Viktor could actually be himself for a change, without worrying the local florist would come running to his father. He could actually find people with the same interests and desires they weren’t afraid to show.
Impatient, Viktor revved the engine and turned up the speed, reveling in the feel of the wind blowing through his white hair as he effectively dodged vehicles in motion and ignored the angry horns that sounded when the motorcycle ran through traffic lights. Due to his outrageous speed, he soon arrived to his destination. Viktor grinned in satisfaction. His favorite club was private, inconspicuous, and best of all, gay. From the outside, it looked like a perfectly common building, but Viktor knew better. Here, he could indulge himself in male flesh all night long, without risking detection by fellow members of the pack. Here, he could find the forgetfulness he so badly needed.