Midnight Surrender: A Paranormal Romance Anthology Read online

  Midnight Surrender

  Midnight Surrender

  A Paranormal Romance Anthology

  Charlotte Abel

  Kelly D. Cooper

  Shannon Dermott

  Laura A.H. Elliott

  Alyssa Rose Ivy

  Amy M. Jones

  Airicka Phoenix

  Compiled and Edited by Kris Kendall

  Published by Kris Kendall at Smashwords

  Copyright 2012 Kris Kendall

  Copyright © 2012 by Surrendered Press

  This book is fictitious. All references to ancient, historical events, persons living or dead, locations and places are used in a fictitious manner. Any other names, characters, incidents and places are derived from the author’s own imagination. Similarities to persons living or dead, places, or events are entirely coincidental.

  All rights reserved. Each story is owned by the original author and has been included in this compilation with their express permission. This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the publisher except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

  This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each reader. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

  Printed in the United States of America

  First Printing, October 2012

  ISBN 9781301752041

  ...

  Contents

  First: A Crescent Chronicles Story by Alyssa Rose Ivy

  The Gathering by Charlotte Abel

  Down the Rabbit Hole by Charlotte Abel

  Prelude to Mercy by Shannon Dermott

  Intentions by Airicka Phoenix

  Wanting by Airicka Phoenix

  Shadow Slayer: The Lost Excerpt by Laura AH Elliott

  Tunnel of Love (or Heartbreak) by Amy M. Jones

  Dance by Moonlight by Kelly D. Cooper

  First A Crescent Chronicles Story By Alyssa Rose Ivy

  “It looks like tonight’s activity just arrived.” Jared’s comment made me snap my head up from the bar. The only activities my friend cared about involved girls—he had my attention.

  It didn’t take long to see what caught his eye. She was gorgeous—especially those long tan legs that were shown off nicely in the short yellow dress she wore. Slim but clearly athletic, I could already imagine how much fun she’d be.

  I finished off my Jack and Coke, tossing the empty glass down on the mahogany bar. The new guy who bought the place had gone to town on the hunk of wood. I doubted he had any idea that the hotel he’d purchased housed a hell of a lot more than rooms, food, and booze.

  The girl walked around the lobby like she owned the place, her eyes taking in every detail. Finally they found me, and I got a look at her bright green eyes. I gave her my trademark smile; it worked every time. She smiled back, and I nodded, telling her to come over. I thought she was going to, until she shook her head and kept on walking. She didn’t even give me a second glance. What the hell?

  I was barely aware of Jared talking. “I call dibs on the blonde.”

  “Blonde? She was a brunette.”

  My other friend Owen laughed. “There were two girls, Levi.”

  “Oh, I only noticed the one.”

  Jared smirked. “You seriously didn’t notice that blonde? That top didn’t leave much to the imagination.”

  “Did you see where they went?” I really didn’t care about the blonde, but I had to find Miss Legs. I couldn’t believe she’d blown me off like that. I was right—she was going to be a lot of fun.

  “They’re probably in the court yard.” Owen yawned. He seriously worried me sometimes. Some girl dumped him, and he’d been practically a monk since. The guy needed to get laid; Jared and I were going to have to try harder to get him out there.

  “I could really use a night with that one,” I said to Owen. Our taste in women had always been more similar. Jared only went for busty blondes, where as I wanted the brunettes with the long legs. A nice chest didn’t hurt—not at all, but a short skirt on the right girl could drive me crazy.

  “I noticed her.” Owen’s small smile would have been enough for me to let him have her usually, but this one was for me.

  “I’ve got to find her. She might even be worth a second night.”

  Owen snorted. “Real nice.”

  Jared finished his drink. “We’ll find them, but we need to get moving. Your dad’s going to get pissed if we’re late.”

  “Yeah, I know.”

  I took one last glance around to make sure she hadn’t changed her mind and come back, before I walked over to the elevator. I smirked at the weird bellboy that was always staring at us. He took a step back and lowered his eyes.

  Once the doors shut, I inserted the key and pushed the button for the basement.

  “What do you think he wants us for this time?” Jared asked, leaning back against the wall.

  “Like I’d know, but he didn’t sound happy.” I only listened to one message, but I had a feeling it was the latest of many.

  “I guess we’ll find out.”

  The elevator doors opened, depositing us into a room that would be dark for the average person, but we had no problem seeing. I pushed open the doors, and we headed toward my Dad’s office, which was located just off the main chamber.

  I knocked on the door loudly. “Who is it?” Dad called.

  I knocked one last time just to be a pain. “Who do you think?”

  “Come in, Levi.”

  I walked in, Owen and Jared following behind.

  “Close the door.”

  Jared slammed the door harder than he needed to. The action wasn’t lost on my dad. His glare had Jared standing up straighter.

  Dad didn’t miss a beat. “You missed last night’s council meeting.”

  “What are you talking about? We just met last week.”

  “I called an emergency meeting last night.”

  Shit. I knew there were more messages. “Yeah, well, I didn’t know.”

  “Is that all you have to say for yourself? Twenty-two years old, and you behave like a child.”

  My dad never minced words, but he usually kept his cool. Things had to be serious for him to be flipping out on me in front of my friends.

  “I’m sorry. It won’t happen again.”

  “It better not.” His icy stare left little doubt he was serious.

  “What did you discuss?” I shifted uneasily from foot to foot.

  “The Blackwells. There’s talk of a takeover attempt.”

  “Like those Yankees could do anything,” Jared spat. He never kept his mouth shut, not even in front of my father.

  “Has your father taught you nothing, Jared? The second you start underestimating your opponent you’ve lost your advantage.”

  “Yes, Sir.” Mentioning Jared’s father usually had that effect. His dad was essentially the head of security for my family’s business. We’d spent many nights getting wasted and talking about how much we hated our fathers. Neither of us would ever live up to their expectations.

  “So what’s the plan?” I slunk down in a high back chair, this could take a w
hile.

  “The plan is that you grow up and find a girl.”

  “This again? I’m not ready. Just because you and Mom got married at twenty doesn’t mean I have to do it.”

  “You’re not twenty. You graduate college in a year; it’s time to stop chasing after everything in a skirt. Find someone worth your time.”

  “What does this have to do with the takeover attempt?”

  “Don’t play stupid.”

  “No one cares whether I have a mate. They know I can have a kid, it’s not a big deal.”

  “Everyone cares. Everyone.” He cracked his knuckles; he only did that when he was particularly worried.

  “Well, I’ll take a mate when I meet the right girl.” I leaned back in my chair and stretched out my legs. Getting angry wasn’t going to help the situation, but I was tired of this bullshit.

  “You can’t find her unless you look.”

  “He does plenty of looking,” Owen mumbled under his breath.

  “Looking for a mate is different from looking for a girl to jump in bed with. I’d have thought you’d understand that, Owen.” Dad really liked to get you where it hurt. Owen definitely got that.

  “You told me I have until graduation, that’s months from now.” I planned to enjoy every last day of my freedom until then, starting with tonight. I needed to get out of the meeting so I could find the girl.

  “Building a relationship takes time. Do you expect to meet someone and bind yourself to her the next day? Don’t wait too long.”

  Jared sniggered.

  “I’m tasking you two with making sure it happens. We all have a lot to lose if Levi can’t keep his pants on long enough to find a worthy girl.”

  “Absolutely, sir.” Of course Owen agreed immediately.

  “Can we please talk about the real plan? The one that doesn’t involve my sex life?”

  “All we can do is stay alert and make sure our own ranks are loyal. If things come to blow, we can’t have any mutiny from within.”

  “I’m guessing my dad’s already on that?” Jared asked.

  “Yes. But I expect you all to do your part.”

  “Will do, Sir,” Jared replied. Even he knew that pushing my Dad could have dire consequences.

  “Good. Now get out of here. I have better things to do today.”

  “Bye Dad, great talking to you.” I got the hell out of his office and back to the elevator. I was angry, and I could feel the transformation wanting to happen. I relaxed and pushed it back. I had better things to think about.

  ***

  “So where do you think those girls are?” I knew I was being ridiculous. There were plenty of attractive girls around, but there was something about her that got under my skin. She wouldn’t be escaping from me again so easily.

  Jared tossed me a beer from the fridge. We were back in our apartment hanging out. “It’s their first night in the French Quarter, they’ll be at the Cat’s Meow. They always go to the Cat’s Meow.”

  “No way. She’s not the type.” I tried to picture her at a place like that. No, she was classier. She’d probably be looking for a lounge or something.

  “Not the type? I guarantee they’ll be there. I bet you fifty they’ll sing karaoke.”

  Owen walked in, dumping three po-boys on the table. “Who? Those girls from the hotel? Yeah, I’m in on this. My bet is Girl’s Just Want to Have Fun. They always sing that.”

  “No, I bet they’re more the Like a Virgin types,” Jared threw in.

  “I’m game. But let’s make it a hundred. I haven’t washed either of you out in a while.” Things were always more fun when there was money involved.

  They both laughed. “All right, a hundred.”

  The door burst open again, and the flash of red hair made it immediately obvious who’d arrived.

  “Have you ever heard of knocking?” Owen snapped at his little sister Hailey.

  “If you have a problem with it, lock the door.” She swiped a Coke from the fridge.

  “Is there a reason you’re gracing us with your presence?” I’d known Hailey my whole life and she was like a little sister—the annoying, won’t ever leave you alone type. She was only three years younger than us, but sometimes it seemed like ten.

  “Yeah. I need Owen to talk to Dad.”

  “I doubt I’m going to, but about what?” Owen answered, finishing off his sandwich.

  “He’s making me request J.L. as a dorm, there is no way I’m living in an all-girls dorm!”

  We all laughed. I still couldn’t believe she was starting at Tulane in the fall. How was she old enough for college?

  “Come on, this is so not fair.”

  “You can’t be surprised.” Owen tried to keep a straight face.

  “So he caught me making out with a guy? It’s not like I was sleeping with him!”

  Owen cringed, probably mentally picturing his sister hooking up with someone. “Hailey, Dad’s always been protective. Inviting a guy over when they weren’t home—not the smartest decision—but how could you be stupid enough to get caught? You always wait until you know they can’t possibly come back.” Owen said it snidely, but I think he actually felt bad. Their parents definitely treated them differently.

  “So you really won’t talk to him?” she whined.

  “Living in a girl’s dorm isn’t that bad. It’s nicer than a lot of the others.”

  “I guess.” She slumped down on a couch. “I hope I at least get a cool roommate.”

  “Me too, because then maybe you won’t show up here uninvited all the time.” I couldn’t resist. She was so easy to annoy.

  “Arrgh! You guys are useless. Thanks for nothing.” She stormed out just the way she arrived.

  Owen got up, pushing back his chair. “Seriously, how am I related to her?”

  Jared collected our plates and brought them to the sink. No one would believe how much of a neat freak he was. “I don’t know, she’s hot and you’re ugly as shit.” He grinned.

  “Don’t even start.”

  I laughed. My roommates were definitely entertaining.

  ***

  “You better be ready to pay up,” Owen taunted. We’d spent the better part of an hour searching the Quarter. After striking out at a few places, I didn’t want to admit that my friends were probably right. I finally gave in and we walked into the Cat’s Meow. It had been a while since I’d dragged myself into that place. It’s not like it was much worse than the rest of the Bourbon Street bars, but you also had to suffer through horrible singing. The current song was no exception.

  I looked over toward the stage and sure enough there they were, singing Girls Just Want to Have Fun. I had really misread her, or maybe it was the friend who convinced her to come. “Fine, I’ll get you your money later.”

  It’s not like I cared about two hundred bucks. The important part was that I’d found the girl. Mm yes, and she was wearing a short skirt. So maybe singing wasn’t her strong suit, but she looked good doing it.

  I bought a beer and went ahead and got a shot for her. I had a feeling she was going to need it when she was done. There was something about her expression that said she wasn’t having as much fun as she was pretending to. But I was. Hell, I was having a great time. That jean skirt was so short, I got a real nice view.

  “Are you sure they’re legal?” Leave it to Owen to ask such a dumb question.

  “Yeah, they’ve got to be eighteen.”

  “You sure? Do you really want to mess with jail bait?”

  “Shit Owen, they’re not kids. They got in here didn’t they?” Jared argued.

  I tried to ignore them. I was still enjoying my view.

  “They could have fakes. But it’s your problem, not mine.”

  “Exactly, go find your own. Or wait, you don’t do girls anymore.”

  “Shut the fuck up.”

  “Both of you shut up.” The song ended and I watched as the girls jumped off the stage. I waited until they separated to make my move.


  She was definitely flustered, not even paying attention to where she was going.

  “You look like you could use this.” I pushed the shot into her hand.

  She looked up at me, and I saw the recognition in her eyes. She remembered me. She nodded and then downed the shot.

  “What was that?” She coughed a little. I probably could have gotten her something tamer, but what would have been the fun in that?

  “A jaeger shot.” I laughed. “Feeling better?”

  “Yeah. I can’t believe I did that.” She looked back over her shoulder, like she was making sure the stage was still there.

  “It really wasn’t so bad. It was more entertaining than if Cyndi Lauper performed it herself.” Much more entertaining. I looked at her up close for the first time. She was even hotter. I finally tore my eyes from her legs and checked out the rest of her. She had a nicer chest than I originally thought. I watched as a few drops of sweat ran down from her neck and disappeared into her tank top.

  “So, thanks for the shot, but I need to find my friend.”

  “Hey, you can’t run off on me again.” If she thought she was getting away this time, she had another thing coming. She was mine. “Besides, your friend appears to be unavailable.”

  Surprisingly, Jared didn’t already have her in a corner somewhere. She was occupied by some guy who looked like he was in town for a conference. I knew that type. He was looking to score, have a story to run home with. The blonde was drunk enough he might get lucky.

  “Run off on you again? That implies we have run into each other before.”

  So she was going to play that game?

  “I saw you at the Crescent City Hotel this afternoon, but you took off before I could say hello.” I leaned in closer, using the blaring music as an excuse, even though I could hear perfectly well. Damn, she even smelled good. I didn’t recognize the perfume—but it was light, the right kind.

  “Oh, I didn’t notice you.”

  It was time to act interested in her life. “You here for vacation?”