Bull Creek Chronicles

"Well, aren't you going to congratulate your brother?" Fitzgerald Everest asked as he poured himself a hefty glass of whiskey. Dimitri watched as his older brother downed half of it, refilling the glass again before turning back to face his siblings, one hand stuffed in his pocket. "The first of the three Everest children to be married off demands some congratulations, don't you think?" Fitz and his new bride were set to leave on their honeymoon in the morning, which gave Dimitri's older brother time to drink more of their father's whiskey as his payment for marrying Mandy Taylor.Dimitri ran a hand through his light brown hair as he stared down into his own whiskey glass. "You don't sound like a man who wants to be congratulated as much as mourned," he said, before taking a small sip, the whiskey warming his belly, but doing nothing to warm his mood."I'm still not sure why you went through with it," Lainie said from the sofa, a glass of wine in her hand. "Do you even love Mandy? I me

Neal Porter leaped up onto the wooden deck of his cabin, his sleek fox scampering over the wooden planks as he scurried away from the dark gray coyote chasing him, his claws slipping on the wood planks before he found purchase. For the last thirty minutes, he dipped under fallen branches, leaped over stumps and through piles of fallen leaves, weaved around birch, oak, and pines in a mad effort to pull ahead of the larger predator, but the coyote remained relentless. The early night cast shadows on the ground, and Neal tried to remain in them as much as possible, using his smaller size to get lost in the darkness. However, a bright red fox stands out no matter what, and the coyote was only a short distance behind him.Neal leaped into the air over the front steps, hoping to get under the porch and out of reach, but the coyote stayed right behind him, so close that Neal could hear the animal's heavy breathing. He chanced a glance back, just as the larger animal leaped into the air after

Neal held the door open for Tina at Gracie's Diner, just as a loud shattering of ceramic ripped the air from inside the small cafe. He forced his way into the diner and past several customers, Tina right behind him, as he tried to discover what happened. As soon as he managed to shove a path through the onlookers, he saw Alanna Bradbury standing over one of Bane's men, her hand around his throat as she pressed him down on the table she had apparently just dumped him on. By the look in her eyes, the wolf inside of her was the one about to shred the man's throat."Alanna!" Neal yelled as he moved to her side, grabbing her arm and trying to force her off the other man before she shifted and caused even more of a scene. He had no idea what the guy's name was or why the redheaded wolf shifter was ready to kill the man, but Neal wasn't about to tolerate this type of madness in his town. "Get off him!"Alanna turned to face him, her eyes holding the hunger of a predator ready to make the kill

Dimitri Everest knocked on the thick mahogany door before entering. The back room at Shades belonged to the Paranormal Council, and one just didn't barge in without permission unless he wanted their head handed to them. Dimitri wasn't sure how Jed explained the secret room to the humans who frequented Shades, but no human, except perhaps Gavin Covington, had ever made it past the door to see what was on the other side. Dimitri heard the click of the door being opened, admitting him, but no one stood on the other side. Dimitri took a deep breath as the tingle of magic raised the hairs on his arms as he slipped through the open doorway. The door closed on its own just as it had opened as soon as he stood inside.Sconces on the walls flickered flame light, casting dark shadows on the walls and floor, but still brought enough light that he could see the three people sitting at the round council table taking up the middle of the room: Talquin, the alpha of the vampires, Agatha Rochester, wh

Lainie groaned when she heard her father call her name. She should have known she wouldn't be able to slip inside of her house unnoticed. Her father seemed to have a sixth sense of knowing when his children tried to avoid him, and Lainie had done her best to do just that ever since his big announcement of pairing her up with Miles Hemingway for the rest of her life. Her father hadn't even asked her! He just assumed she would be the dutiful daughter and obey his wishes for her future, so he could better his business connections. It was bad enough that Fitz fell for their father's machinations. Lainie refused to be their father's bargaining chip. Hopefully, he got that hint Saturday night.As soon as she walked into her father's study, however, she knew she should have known better. Daniel Everest did not take hints. Or suffer disobedience. When he set his sights on something, he bulldozed his way to his happy conclusion."There's my good girl," her father said as soon as she passed thro