Shadow Moon Series Book 2

Vanessa was enamored with the new world. Two decades of confinement had left her social life in shambles. She hadn’t been a recluse before her imprisonment, and she had no intention of becoming one now.

She strolled down the street, taking in her surroundings. The houses and cars were all identical, but the people were a different story. Their fashion was daring, revealing more skin than she was accustomed to, their hair was a riot of colors, and their bodies were canvases of art.

She was smitten.

As Vanessa sauntered down the familiar road toward the coven, her mind was a whirlwind of thoughts. She fantasized about the new cuisines she could try, the sights she could explore, but a dark figure loomed in her mind—a man.

His hair was as black as midnight, his eyes a warm hazelnut brown. His chiseled jawline was the kind women would swoon over, and from what she had seen, he had a body she could spend all day exploring.

“Enough,” she muttered to herself. She had to erase him from her thoughts. He may have been her savior, but she had to keep her distance.

Vanessa tried to concentrate on her surroundings, but her thoughts kept drifting back to him, back to the day he had rescued her.

For the first time since her capture, they had moved her from the cells to a house in the countryside. When she had resisted, injuring one of the guards in the process, they had thrown her into a cage.

The punishment had been severe, but nothing she wasn’t already accustomed to. They had left her alone in the darkness, praying for her life to end. But destiny had other plans.

“Hello.” A gentle voice broke her reverie.

“Are you okay?” She realized then that she wasn’t dreaming.

“Leave me alone,” she mumbled, assuming it was another guard come to torment her.

The stranger approached the cage and unlocked it. She was so lost in her thoughts that she only caught snippets of his reassurances about her safety. Did he not understand that safety was a luxury she could never afford, that she was trapped in a never-ending nightmare?

He stood behind her, motionless, so she decided to crawl out. She’d rather endure the beating and then retreat to her corner to nurse her wounds and her pride.

She rose to her feet as quietly as she could. He had helped her up but then just stood there, observing her. When he raised his arm, Vanessa recoiled.

His confusion was evident as he raised his hands in surrender, assuring her he meant no harm. He held a gun, which he moved aside, casting light into the room. Through her disheveled hair, she could barely make out his face. He wasn’t one of the regular guards.

He reached out again, his hand moving toward her face. She braced herself and took a deep breath. His fingers gently brushed her hair away from her face, their touch electrifying her skin. A jolt of energy surged through her, reviving her.

She looked at his face, his eyes captivating her. A sense of familiarity sparked in her mind but vanished as quickly as it had appeared.

“Mine,” he murmured, and chaos ensued.

He pulled her toward him, pressing his lips against hers. She was so taken aback that she froze. He deepened the kiss, his lips demanding hers. As his tongue grazed her lips, her sanity returned.

She mustered all her remaining strength, placing her hands on his chest. She ignored the sensation of his muscles under her fingers. “Somnus,” she whispered.

A wave of energy flowed from her to him, sending him sprawling. He fell to his knees, a look of disbelief on his face. She backed away from him, his gaze following her.

She was almost at the door when his voice halted her.

“Witch. You can run, but I will find you,” he said before succumbing to sleep. She turned to look at him, admiring his peaceful form.

She knew he was a wolf. His aura was a dead giveaway, but something was off. His reaction to her suggested that she was his mate, an impossibility.

She cast him a final glance. “Give it your best shot,” she said, before disappearing into the darkness. She was swallowed by the night.

Honnnnnk.

The blare of a car horn yanked her back to reality. She found herself standing in the middle of the road, so engrossed in her memories that she had wandered into the path of oncoming traffic.

“Oops, sorry!” she called out, waving at the driver before stepping onto the sidewalk. She crossed the street and paused to look up.

The sight that greeted her was familiar. It was the place she called home, the place where she had grown up, and now, the coven house. It was a three-story behemoth, intimidating from the inside out. The paint was a washed-out white that desperately needed a fresh coat. The garden was a wild jungle, with plants reaching up to the second story, clinging to the walls.

She unlocked the gate and stepped inside. She let her fingers graze the flowers as she followed the barely visible path, the sensation soothing her. After tasting freedom for three weeks, she had spent every single day outdoors.

Vanessa walked into the house, the door already unlocked. She surveyed the entrance, noting that nothing had changed since she left. Old portraits of witches adorned the walls, a thick layer of dust making them appear brown.

The wooden floor creaked beneath her feet, just as it always had. It was the sound of home. A staircase stood before her, clothes strewn over the railings—a testament to living with over thirty other women.

The murmur of voices floated through the air, leading her to the kitchen. Witches huddled over cauldrons, stirring and chanting.

“You do realize we’re in the twenty-first century, right? You could use regular pots,” she teased.

They all looked up at her, grinning.

“But where’s the fun in that?” the eldest, Sarah, retorted. Sarah was the coven leader, the head witch. Despite Vanessa being three times her age, Sarah was in charge.

For some inexplicable reason, Vanessa had stopped aging on her twenty-first birthday. She had watched her friends and family pass away, unable to figure out why no spell could break her curse. That was why she kept her distance, avoiding new friendships because the heartache was too much.

“So, what brings you here?” Sarah asked, wiping her hands on her apron as she approached Vanessa.

“I’m ready for a new assignment,” Vanessa declared.

Sarah’s face clouded with concern. She took Vanessa’s arm, leading her away from the others.

“Are you sure that’s a good idea? It hasn’t been long, and your powers aren’t fully restored,” Sarah whispered.

“I know. But I can feel it, it’s almost there. I’m just so bored, sitting around all day. I need some action, I need to explore this new era,” Vanessa complained.

“You have a point, but I don’t think you should take on an assignment,” Sarah reasoned. “You’ve been through so much. Those feelings don’t just disappear.”

“That’s exactly why I need to get out there. I feel weak, and capturing a villain will change that,” Vanessa tried to persuade Sarah.

After a moment of contemplation, Sarah finally nodded. “All right, but it’ll be an easy one. Maybe a fledgling vampire who hasn’t paid his dues?”

Vanessa jumped up, clapping her hands. “Perfect!”

“If anything goes wrong, you let us know right away,” Sarah warned, her expression stern.

“Of course. So, where am I headed?”

“Wildwood.”

You’ve got to be fucking kidding me. Florida. Not even an exciting part of Florida, but the most boring place on earth.

They do say be careful what you wish for.