Shadows of the Moon (Black Wolf Agency Book 2) Read online

  Shadows of the Moon

  Black Wolf Agency: Book Two

  Copyright©2014 Jessica Swan.

  All rights reserved.

  No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any means without the written permission of the author.

  This is a Revised Edition, Published by Jessica Swan, November 2014.

  Original Edition Published by Jessica Swan, September 2012.

  Dedication:

  To my friends and family, all of whom have been so supportive.

  To my writer friends. Couldn’t have done it without you! Kathleen, Julianne, Amber, Stefan, and Darcie thank you for all you’ve done! You’re amazing friends!

  ~ Prologue ~

  Selene was an ordinary woman; one who went to work every day, looking forward to the weekend off. It was early Saturday morning, and she was leaving her favorite club that was only two blocks from her apartment. She liked to go any available Friday night she had, whenever she didn’t have to go to work Saturday morning. She hoped one of these times; she’d meet a nice guy and hit it off with him. One would think that the young, hazel-eyed, beauty would have found her soul mate ages ago. She was gorgeous with a thin, yet shapely figure and average height. Her long, dark-brown hair was luxurious and wavy. Her eyes were her most captivating feature; she had the power to mesmerize men with a single stare. She never wanted to simply attract a man, though. She wanted to find someone special; her true soul mate, with whom she could share and emotional bond and could spend eternity with, just like in fairy tales.

  She had no such luck again tonight, though. It was about 3am when she finally decided to go home, and almost immediately after she stepped outside, it started pouring rain.

  “Great, just lovely,” she said sarcastically to herself, as she continued on in defeat. It had been one of those weeks. Nothing seemed to be going right for her.

  The rain started to fall even harder, soaking her to the bone. She crossed her arms tightly, shivering. She quickened her pace, looking forward to going home and taking a hot shower. To expedite her trip even more, she decided to take a shortcut along some quiet, less-used side streets. She normally wouldn’t go this way because it freaked her out a little, but really? What kind of criminals would be crazy enough to be out on a cold, rainy night like this?

  The rain was pouring hard enough to drown out anything that might have made a sound nearby. So, when she heard a distinct growling noise, she jumped, quickly turning around to see if anything was behind her. Whatever it was, if there was anything even there in the first place, had disappeared. Still, she was scared. She took off down an alley toward the main road she had come from. There were more streetlights there and far less of a chance of someone coming after her if she was in the light.

  Her heart skipped a beat as she was violently pushed against the brick wall to her right, and held tightly against it by a strong arm across her chest.

  “Please, let me go!” she pleaded, crying.

  It was too dark to see her attacker’s face. Not that it mattered; there was nothing she could do. He was far too strong to fight off, quite possibly stronger than any man she had ever encountered.

  Moving at a speed faster than her eyes could track his dark silhouette; he leaned down and bit into her neck. She screamed, and as she struggled to free herself from his grasp, with all her strength, she kneed him in the groin. He cried out in pain and loosened his grip just long enough for her to wiggle free and escape for the main road again.

  Not looking back, she ran as fast as she could until she landed herself in the middle of the main road. Out of the corner of her eye, bright headlights caught her attention. She turned just in time to see them coming straight for her and hear the car’s horn deafening blare. She had no time to react; it was too late. The car hit her, and everything went black.

  ~ Chapter One ~

  Marcus was running through the forest. He had no idea how far away from his home he was. If he hadn’t had the light of the moon, he wouldn’t have been able to see where he was going at all. He was only five. He didn’t know these woods yet.

  “Dad!” he yelled, crying. He was in such a state of panic that he barely acknowledged the bite wound on his arm, not that he was even able to see it good enough to know how bad it was.

  Finally, he saw a light far in the distance. It wasn’t much; just a small beam moving around rapidly. Then it focused on him and he heard his father’s voice say, “Marcus!”

  Marcus ran toward him as fast as he could, stumbling several times on the way. When he reached his father, he fell into his arms and cried.

  “Where were you all this time?” he asked.

  “I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to wander that far. I followed a dog into the woods and he bit me,” explained Marcus, holding up his arm. His father scooped him up in his arms, and rushed him inside, into the light. When he saw the bite wound, he started to turn pale as the color slowing drained from his face. Marcus knew that wasn’t good.

  Marcus woke with a start, sweating and panting heavily. The sheets all around him had been tussled, suggesting that he had been tossing and turning in his sleep, again. He had had that dream a lot in his lifetime, especially lately. Ever since he had agreed to work at Black Wolf Agency, he was constantly reminded of that night. The whole reason the agency was named was because of what he had become. All because of what happened that night.

  Being a werewolf wasn’t necessarily a bad thing, though. Being an NYPD detective for several years, he quite often found his supernatural abilities useful, though he had to be careful not to use them in front of his colleagues.

  In a way, he was happy he was getting to take some time off from the NYPD. Being around humans constantly had its downside. Getting to spend some time with other werewolves and witches would sure have its perks. The only thing is; he hoped he would fit in okay and make a good replacement for his father, Charlie, who was looking forward to retirement. Today was Marcus’ first day, and the first time he had seen them all since the meeting he and his father held a couple weeks ago.

  Marcus got up and made his bed right away. That was one thing people couldn’t accuse him of; living like an animal. He always kept his apartment clean and tidy, just as he liked to be himself. Next, he took a quick shower, shaved, then combed his short, dark-brown hair and got dressed.

  He was anxious to get to Black Wolf Agency. It was only 4am, but he figured he better get used to the early hours if he planned to take over his father’s position. After he was dressed, he threw on a light jacket; not that he needed it, being a hot blooded werewolf. Then he locked the door on his way out and headed to his black Crown Victoria parked outside. He hated that he would have to give up this wonderful car if he resigned from the police force. He enjoyed getting to cruise around the city at pretty much whatever speed he wanted.

  It only took him ten minutes to get to Black Wolf Agency. He parked on one of the side streets in the general vicinity of the building as to not draw attention to it. Then after seeing that no one was watching him, he unlocked and entered the first door, making his way carefully through the elaborate security system.

  Upon entering the building, Yvonne hurried over to him. She looked stressed and worried about something. “Good, you’re here, Marcus,” she said, leading Marcus toward one of the back rooms. “Charlie called in and said he wouldn’t be able to make it today, so I need to come to you about this.”

  “About what?” he asked, clueless.

  Yvonne didn’t answer the question. She didn’t need to. As they entered the room, he saw what she was talking about before his very own ey
es. Lying unconscious on the table before them was a beautiful, brunette woman. She was battered up a bit and had a large patch of blood on her neck.

  “What the hell, Yvonne? Why did you bring a human in here? My father specifically said to me that humans should never be brought in here.”

  “We found her on the side of the road on our way here a little while ago,” said Lucius, walking into the room with a few wet cloths, bandages, and other first-aid items.

  “We think she was hit by a car,” explained Yvonne. “We were going to bring her to the hospital, but Lucius noticed the wound on her neck. Take a good look at it.”

  Marcus walked up to the woman and leaned over her, studying her wound. Then, out loud, he concluded, “Damn it! It’s a werewolf bite.”

  “Yes, it is,” said Lucius. “This is very strange, because I generally don’t see conversions like this. Under these particular circumstances, I believe this poor woman was probably bitten against her will and attempted to run away, getting hit by a car in the process.” He had no idea how right he actually was about what had happened to her.

  “Did you find out her name?” asked Marcus.

  “She still had her purse with her, so I checked her wallet for ID. Her name is Selene Beckett. She just turned twenty-eight.”

  “Poor girl,” said Marcus, stroking her hair gently. He felt so sorry for her, having this life forced upon her, just like what had happened to him.

  “Why do you say that?” asked Lucius. “I mean, yes, it must have sucked getting hit by a car, but otherwise she’ll be fine. In fact, she’ll heal a lot faster than she would have when she was human.”

  “She’s not a werewolf yet, Lucius. Make sure she stays unconscious. Drug her, do whatever. I don’t want her to have to deal with all the pain from the accident, along with the agony during her conversion. It would be pure hell for her if she had to experience that.” Marcus knew at about this point of the conversion, she would begin developing the fever, and sure enough, when he felt her forehead, she felt hot. “She’s already beginning to change. She has a fever.”

  “So, what do we tell her when she wakes up?” asked Yvonne.

  “We’re not going to tell her anything. Here’s what we’ll do. We’ll give her enough drugs to knock her out for the next day or so, drop her off at her apartment, and hope she can at least have a bit of a normal life.”

  “No, Marcus,” said Lucius. “She must know what’s happening to her.”

  “She’ll be fine. She looks like she’s the calm type. Just as long as she doesn’t lose her temper, she will probably be able to get by without even knowing what she is.”

  “This is so not a good idea,” said Yvonne, shaking her head.

  “Yvonne, I had the same thing happen to me when I was only five. If I could have avoided this life, I would have. I’ve always stood out from the crowd because of this. All I ever wanted was a normal life. This is her best chance at having one.” Marcus could remember how different he felt around the other kids growing up. He had to be careful and control his strength and speed when they played games together just so he wouldn’t give anything away.

  Neither Yvonne nor Lucius said anything. They understood how Marcus felt. Perhaps this was her best chance. How could they argue with him? He had lived it.

  “Drug her up, and Lucius and I will bring her to her apartment before anyone else gets here and sees her.”

  After she was given the proper dosage of drugs, Lucius and Marcus looked up her street address on her driver’s license and brought her to her apartment, which was only a couple blocks away, luckily. They took her keys out of her purse and let themselves in. After carefully placing her on her bed, Marcus stood over her for a moment, staring at her. Even with all the injuries she had sustained from the accident, he still thought she was beautiful. In a way, he was relieved she was becoming a werewolf; her injuries would be healed by the time she woke up, most likely. Judging by the way she appeared, she may have not even survived the accident if it weren’t for that werewolf biting her.

  “You’ll be alright, Selene,” said Marcus, stroking her cheek softly. “It was all just a bad dream.” He wanted her to think that, at least.

  On their way out of the apartment building, Lucius said, “She’ll be back.”

  “How do you know that?”

  “Marcus, you are young. You have so much yet to learn about werewolves, even though you have been one most of your life. Even if she doesn’t find out on her own what she is, she will be drawn to others of our kind.”

  “In that case, I think it’s best if we keep an eye on her. What if that werewolf comes after her again?” Marcus felt the doubt rising in him, that maybe he was making the wrong decision.

  “Well, in that case, she’ll be able to defend herself.” Lucius said, shrugging his shoulders.

  “But she probably has no fighting skills,” said Marcus, frowning.

  “Marcus, you can do whatever you want. If you feel it’s best to keep an eye on her, then keep an eye on her. Just make sure she doesn’t notice you. You don’t want her to think she has a stalker.”

  Marcus couldn’t help but laugh and think, ‘Me? A stalker? Yeah, right.’ Then he said, “Okay, I’ll be careful.”

  With that in mind, they got back in Marcus’ car and headed back to the agency, both of them hoping that Selene could live a normal life for as long as possible.

  ~ Chapter Two ~

  When Marcus and Lucius returned to Black Wolf Agency, they were glad to see Yvonne was still the only one there and they were spared having to explain where they were to any of the others.

  “How did it go?” she asked.

  “It went well,” answered Lucius. “We got her in her apartment safely and without being noticed.”

  “Good, and with all that powerful shit I pumped into her earlier, she should be out for a while, probably until late tonight or early tomorrow morning.”

  “That’s perfect, thank you, Yvonne,” said Marcus.

  “You’re welcome, Marcus. I just hope we did the right thing, though.”

  “Well, if not, we’ll be seeing her again soon,” added Lucius.

  Just then, Marcus’ phone rang. He answered, not bothering to look at the caller ID.

  “Hello, Detective Marcus Anderson speaking.”

  “Hey, Marcus, it’s Johnny. I know you’re on vacation, but I thought you’d want to see this. I know you’re into all the freaky murder cases like this.”

  Marcus’ heart sank in his chest. Was it Selene? Had the werewolf come back to finish the job? With baited breath, he asked his partner, “Who is it, Johnny?”

  “I don’t know, some guy, but the way he was killed was, well, strange.”

  Marcus let out a sigh of relief. Good, it wasn’t her. “I’ll come down right away.”

  Johnny gave Marcus the address of the crime scene and he hung up, rushing toward the door.

  “Yvonne, Lucius, I’ve got to go to a crime scene. Can you hold up the fort until I get back?”

  “I couldn’t help but overhear what you two were talking about,” said Lucius. “I’ll go with you. You might need help.”

  “Alright, but should anyone ask you, you’re my uncle and I dragged you along for the ride. Cause’ God knows we don’t need the damn questions that cops can ask.” Marcus rolled his eyes.

  “Works for me,” said Lucius grinning.

  By the time they arrived at the crime scene, it was 5:30am and still dark out. The darkness didn’t bother Marcus and Lucius, or any other werewolf for that matter, but it was a real drag for everyone else who had to be at the crime scene so early in the morning.

  As soon as they got there, Johnny spotted Marcus and went up to him, spouting out some facts about the victim, “Okay, so, we found an ID on the vic. His name is Michael Jones. He’s a lawyer, forty-two years old, lives just a few blocks away.”

  “Wait, how do you know he’s a lawyer?” asked Marcus.

  “See that briefcase over th
ere?” Johnny pointed to a briefcase several yards away that was splayed out across the ground, its contents scattered. “That was his, and those papers scattered everywhere are his work papers.”

  “So, when are you gonna show me the vic?” asked Marcus patiently.

  “I hope you’re ready for this.” Johnny cringed as he spoke.

  They approached a mass on the ground, covered by a sheet. Johnny bent down and pulled the sheet off for a moment, letting Marcus and Lucius take a good look. Not only did the victim have a brutal bite mark on his neck, but his face also had claw and tear marks all over it, as well as his chest and arms. They guessed the tear marks were from where the attacker had bitten him repeatedly and tore at his skin. Johnny re-covered the body. Normally he didn’t get grossed out by seeing stuff like this. In fact, he thought he had seen it all. That is, until today.

  “Have you ever seen anything like this?” asked Johnny.

  Marcus and Lucius looked at each other and then back at Johnny. Lucius shook his head ‘no’ and Marcus simply replied, “No, I haven’t.” He hated to lie to his partner, but he had to, for so many reasons he couldn’t even begin to name them.

  Marcus knew he and the others at Black Wolf Agency would have to set out and find the murderous werewolf before he killed again.

  ~ Chapter Three ~

  Selene woke very slowly from her comatose state. She must have been lying there for about twenty minutes, thinking about everything that had happened to her; walking home in the rain, taking that awful shortcut, being attacked and bitten by that man, and then being hit by a car. That was the last thing she remembered until now. She finally opened her eyes.

  “What the hell?” she said, noticing she was in her apartment. She sat up, rubbing her eyes groggily. ‘What am I doing in my apartment?’ she thought. ‘Am I somehow still sleeping? Am I dead?’