Discretion. These three ought to learn it. If Pam heard them they are so dead.
I was getting antsy by the second as I stood here alone. I refused to look in the direction I knew the trio stood. So, I watched the rest of the party and quickly realized something. Delta Kappa Epsilon, or at least this chapter, was NOT normal. How do I know? I’m a trained hunter. I can tell. And while not all members sent supernatural alarm bells in my head, many others did. I’ve seen at least a dozen hybrids and possibly pureblood supernatural beings here. The hybrid werewolves, which I’d seen two, were the easiest to spot. I had to pay closer attention to recognizing the demons and angels working in the room. I could see them looking at me but quickly averting their eyes. I furrowed my brows, followed their gazes each time, and noticed they were looking at the trio. That pretty much sealed it for me. Delta Kappa Epsilon is a fraternity mostly populated by the supernatural. I’ll be updating the guild database when I get home. I hoped these men wouldn’t grow up to be monsters kil
We are screwed. That’s the only answer to why Hana and her friend would disappear back down that hall for so long. Pamela likely overheard us, specifically Albert, and his uncouth and vulgar suggestion of having proof that one of us had been intimate with Hana. And now she’s taken Hana somewhere quiet to tell her, and as we speak, the Bloodmoon Alpha and his warriors are planning to kill us. For once, I can’t even blame my friends for why my life is in danger. This bet was my foolish idea. “Gentlemen, I want to apologize now.” I sighed, turning to my friends. “What?” Albert and Aidan gave me confused looks. “Miss Batista likely overheard us and has gone to tell Hana everything. As such, we’re going to die soon. So, I’m sorry that I got us into this mess.” I bowed my head in apology. “We aren’t going to die.” Aidan rolled his eyes. “Yeah. I don’t care how powerful Hana’s dad is. We aren’t pushovers.” Albert shook his head. “Besides, we knew the danger of making this bet. The d
Who knew an angel would have moves like that? I knew there would be plenty about the trio I wouldn’t know. The guild database would only contain information the guild found relevant. I could tell you their abilities, favored weapons, combat styles, and lineage. However, that’s all the database told me. It didn’t tell me their favorite food, drinks, music, or anything else. Of course, it wouldn’t go into such trivial things. It was a database on potential threats and, in their case, useful allies. It wasn’t a dating service. If I wanted to know Isak or any of these men better, I’d need to do the leg work. Don’t take that the wrong way. I don’t want to know them better because I’m interested. If I don’t show an interest in them, I won’t be able to make them suffer for their bet. The dance momentarily distracted me from that knowledge. Isak is undeniably attractive, and as much as I’ll deny it, there is a magnetic pull between us. An attraction that dancing only served to amplify. I h
I don’t know what transpired between Hana kneeing me in the balls, an attack I’m willing to forgive but likely won’t forget, and willingly dancing with us. I don’t think she knows about the bet. If Pamela overheard us and told Hana, she would not have danced with any of us. If she knew, Hana likely would’ve either come out throwing fists or left to plot our deaths. My groin can attest she’s not shy about violence. So I wouldn’t let myself worry about her knowing our bet. I want to know what Pamela said or gave Hana to make her more welcoming to us. Whatever she did, I believe Pamela had just earned an A in my class. Not that she doesn’t deserve a good grade on her actual work. Thus far, she’s proven to be an insightful student. She apparently can work magic to get Hana compliant. And as grateful as I am for whatever she did, I’m more grateful the girl was willing to leave Hana with us to go upstairs with Malcolm. Suggesting that Malcolm took the girl to his room wasn’t the worst thi
I thought they’d either not follow or only follow the normal way. I was wrong. They didn’t believe the number of humans present at the party was a reason to refrain from using teleportation to get ahead of me—sneaky bastards. I should have been prepared for it, so it was my fault for thinking they’d be more discreet. Albert opened his mouth as if using their powers publicly wasn’t annoying enough. Sure, I’ll own that I am sensitive on that subject and prone to overreact, primarily with violence. However, that doesn’t stop him from implying I’d run to my dad instead of dealing with them. I don’t care that he’s been drinking strictly from blood bags. Even if a small part of me was happy to hear he’s changed his diet since meeting me. And don’t get me started on their pet names. Between Isak calling me darling and Aidan calling me Leannan, I didn’t need Albert calling me Liebling. I may have grown up as a badass like my dad and stepmother, or I like to think I am, but I still have sof
If a slightly intoxicated Hailie had approached me under different circumstances, I’d have been inclined to give her what she wanted. And by different circumstances, I don’t simply mean approaching me while I’m with Hana. Hana standing right there was a good enough reason to refuse Hailie and other women; that’s not the only factor. I’d not have thought twice if I hadn’t had this bet with my friends. However, I plan to win this bet, and that can’t happen if I fuck and feed as I please. However, I realized someone had already fed on the girl and did a poor job of using compulsion on her. I’ll have to learn who that was and teach them a lesson. Mess-ups like this catch the attention of human arthritis, the guild, and worse, the order. I’d rather not see some fledgling vampires turn to dust because no one taught them any better. I swear it’s like vampires are hardcoded not to give guidance to those they sire. I am, thankfully, old enough that my use of compulsion is flawless. You can’
I am not in Bloodmoon. I cannot just beat the CRAP out of Hailie. This is the real world. In the real world, hospitalizing this drunk bitch would be assault. Also, I’d feel bad for beating up an intoxicated person. I don’t know if she’d say that shit while sober, so it wouldn’t be right to hurt her for it. Now if she said that shit while sober, a whole different story, I’d still have to control the violence, but I wouldn’t have just taken it without making a cutting remark of my own, at the very least. It’s not like Hailie was the first to comment on my lack of assets. This is why I easily had the answer of being a card-carrying member of the itty bitty tittie committee. I learned quickly that if I had a flaw, I better own it. Sure, I’m still an A cub. Big deal. It’s not like I’m flat-chested. I learned to buy the right bras and tops to accent what I have. I don’t need big tits to get males. Dad told me I got my mother’s figure. She found love, which means I can do it too. It just wo
It’s been a week since the DKE party. We didn’t end the night with plans with Hana or her agreeing to stop avoiding us. I did think we’d made progress that night. She’d looked out of her window and made eye contact. And while she hasn’t outright disappeared when I’ve spotted her around campus, she’s always had a reason she couldn’t do more than say hi and bye. I need to be proactive in my pursuit. We’re already halfway into October, which may not seem like a big deal, but it does mean there are only seven weeks left of the semester. Then, it’s highly likely that Hana will return to Bloodmoon for the winter holidays. Sure, the winter holidays are only for a couple of weeks. That’s two weeks we wouldn’t have access to h. We’re already flirting with danger, so going to Portland for a chance to see her and win this bet puts us too close for comfort to Logan. What I need is an in. I need a way to see Hana or at least get her number to set up a date. Yes, I said date. Please don’t read i
Dear Readers, I will be taking the rest of September off from writing new stories to focus on getting The Reluctant Alpha ready for paperback. October will bring the return of Auðr in his short story The Hybrid's Vampire, where he takes a lead role with Sage. Their story will be added to the Bloodmoon and Incubi Anthology. Follow me on social media, look for Author Bryant, to stay up to date on everything I'm working on. See You In October! Bryant
I know they say that time flies when you’re having fun. I’ve never really thought about the passage of time and how fast it can go. I’ve always been an in-the-moment kind of guy. However, certain changes in my life have me contemplating that saying—not only considering it but also worrying about it. I don’t want time to fly. It’s been ten years since my life changed forever. It’s hard to imagine a decade of Pam in my life. I won’t say the years flew by, or they went at a snail’s pace. I savored every day I’ve had her in my life. From the day I met her on the rugby pitch to the day, I knew I couldn’t live without her to the day I proposed to her by Iris Pond, to the day we got married in a very intimate ceremony by Iris Pond, to today when our new house in an uproar of decorating for our baby shower party. Yes, you heard that right. A baby shower. That’s why I’m contemplating the passage of time in ways I never had. It still feels like it was just yesterday that I’d gotten on one kne
The further we got from the restaurant and my parents, the more relaxed I became. I am so glad they live far the fuck away from me. I don’t need that kind of pressure and negativity in my life. I wasn’t already super close to my family, to begin with, and now that I have this supernatural secret, it’s even less. Couldn’t they have just been happy for me? I graduated from a prestigious university. I have a well-paying job lined up for me in my field. I have a nice apartment lined up to move into. Best of all, I have a great and supportive boyfriend. These are things any parent should be over the moon about. I’m not the first kid in the family to graduate from college, but I’m the first who didn’t move home for a year or more after graduation to ‘get on my feet.’ “Pam, you know we didn’t need to rush out. I was perfectly prepared and ready to deal with your parents.” Malcolm said. “I know, but you shouldn’t have to. They’re my family, and I’ll handle them.” I shook my head. “That’
It’s been three and a half years since my world turned upside down. Things I thought were myths suddenly became real, and the world, which was already dangerous, became a thousand times worse. Sure, I’ve been in therapy to work through my abduction and this newfound knowledge of the supernatural. I still have sessions with Doctor Westbrook, but rather than weekly, it’s usually just a biannual check-in. Having Hana and especially Malcolm in my life has made dealing with this new reality easier. The guys at DKE were more relaxed around me once Malcolm not only told them we were dating but that I knew the truth. I thanked the ones who came to help save me. As for the ones that betrayed Hana and her stooges, my meddling wasn’t necessary. Malcolm and Harris had kicked all their asses, and when the frat president returned from break, they were formally expelled from the frat. I accepted that I could never tell my family about the supernatural. Not that they’d believe me if I did. However,
It was weird being around so many werewolves. Sure, we have our share of hybrid werewolves in DKE. Hell, Corin, Derek, and Edward are on the rugby team with me. So, I have no issues with wolves. It’s just different being around full-blooded ones. No one was outright rude or anything. I didn’t like all the eyes on me. I felt like they had a lot of questions they wanted to ask but didn’t know if they should ask them. “If no one’s going to ask it, I’m gonna.” One of the wolves spoke up. “Ask who what, Silvercloud?” Aidan asked, folding his arm as he leaned on the wall with me while we waited for Hana and Pam to finish their talk. I recognized the name Silvercloud—not as a person’s name but as a corporation. It was a tech company that I knew well as a mechanical engineering major. I’ve tried to get internships there but have yet to submit a presentation that was up to snuff. “Silvercloud? Like the tech company?” I asked. “Yes and no.” Aidan shrugged. “That…” He nodded his chin toward
“Where was I? Oh right. Albert, well, he’s a vampire. There are some dampires in DKE, meaning the children of a male vampire and a human woman. Dampires have potential powers, but they won’t be unlocked unless they are turned.” She explained. “McHickey is a vampire? Okay, that I can totally believe. No one ever sees him during the day. And I’ve bumped into him, and he’s cold, literally.” I nodded, which made the most sense of everything she’d told me. “How will that work? If you have to share a bed with him, it’ll be like a human-sized ice cube under the covers. Is his dick cold too?” Hana pinched the bridge of her nose. “I… wouldn’t know. I haven’t done anything like that with any of them.” “Fine, but after you do, you need to tell me. I’m curious.” I chuckled. “I’m willing to accept that these things are real. But how does that all add up to what happened to me?” “So Isak, Aidan, and Albert used to be part of the Order of the Jade Seal. The child vampire, Azer, and the African an
Waking up in a strange bed in a strange place was weird. I at least had Malcolm with me. If I kept my eyes closed, I could pretend we were still at Yale in his frat dorm room. That was normal. That made sense. No getting kidnapped off an airplane by a teacher. No being held prisoner by three crazy people. No fearing for my life. No seeing my new bestie shoot three people in the head. No washing brain chunks out of my hair. And no crazy conspiracy theories flooding my mind to try and explain it all away. Of course, I couldn’t stay in bed and pretend it was all just some nightmare. I’m Pamela Grace Batista. I’ve got a reputation to uphold. So, I put on my brave face. I tried to be upbeat. After finding Hana, I focused more on all the eye candy her hometown had to offer. Though not even the smorgasbord of chunks or finding out Malcolm had been calling me, his girlfriend could truly erase all the anxiety and trauma I was trying to bury. I was glad Hana didn’t plan for us to have brea
After I’d walked Pam to my room, I returned to the kitchen with my frat brothers. For those that were innocent, I understood and would apologize to them later. All this is blindsiding them. For those that are the rats, those fuckers should’ve seen this coming. Our frat motto is Kerothen Philoi Aei, which means Friends from the Heart, Forever. You don’t betray your friends. “You get all their phones?” I asked. “Right here. No one’s going to alert the enemy.” Harris nodded, holding up a grocery bag full of phones. “Why did you have Harris take our phones?” Sal asked. “And what is he talking about ‘enemy’?” Tomaso demanded. If either of them is involved in this, I don’t know how I’ll handle it. They are more than my frat brothers; they are my teammates. Also, if they are involved in this, I don’t know how I’d explain to Coach and the rest of the team why they’re at best on the injured list next semester or, at worst, dead. I didn’t want to think of that possibility, but I knew I had
After texting Hana, I took the initiative. Just call me Santa Pam. I played McFingers like a damn fiddle bringing up Dai-suk-it. He and his friends were already making their plans. I couldn’t hear what they said in that room, but I could imagine. The look on Aidan’s face was priceless when I told him Hana’s lackluster fling was sniffing around. I’ve never seen someone move as fast as he did to return to his room. I checked my flight status on my phone as I entered the frat’s kitchen. I knew there wouldn’t be many guys here over break, but there were close to twenty guys in the kitchen, and they all went silent when I walked in. I arched my eyebrow as everyone turned to look at me. “Um. Hi. Did I interrupt some super-secret frat meeting?” I joked. “Yes.” “No.” “This is bullshit.” “What’s she doing here?” “Get out.” “Are we done here?” It was a cacophony of different answers. Some contradicted each other, and others were just rude. Like fuck you very much. Who the fuck i