Moonlight, Roses & Monsters – WIP

Here’s the cover reveal!

“Do you believe in destiny? That even the powers of time can be altered for a single purpose? That the luckiest man who walks on this earth is the one who finds… true love?” ~ Bram Stoker

Prologue

The coroner’s assistant, Rodney Morris, looked at the body again.  He couldn’t figure out why his boss didn’t care about the gouges on the chest of the ripped clothing.  And some of those marks looked like they were made by claws rather that a boat or rocks.

“I’m going to check this out,” he said under his breath.  He realized that talking to himself was becoming a bad habit.  Too much time around dead people, he thought.

As he looked more closely at the wounds, he decided they almost looked like marks from a large dog.  Then, he glanced at his watch and quickly finished what he was doing.  He was running late, and his roommate wanted to drink some beers tonight.  He’d even offered to buy, so Rodney planned to be there on time.

Rodney was on his eighth beer when he started talking about the body.  He knew better, but his roommate was giving him grief about his boring job.  Well, he’d prove to Christopher that it wasn’t true.

“Boring?” Rodney repeated, holding the side of the bar.  “Is it boring when I get to work on the body of the man behind those vampire murders?”

“Really?” Chris asked in surprise.  “I saw on the internet that the guy drowned.”

“They didn’t say anything about the best part,” Rodney replied, slurring his words.  “There were claw marks, Dude,” he whispered loudly.  “Claw marks like a wolf or something had attacked him.”

“Sure,” Chris said, taking another sip of his beer.  “Man, you watch too many of those sci-fi shows.”

“I’m telling you something went after that guy,” Rodney insisted, right before he passed out and slid to the floor.

“Your friend looks like he’s had a few too many,” the guy next to them said.  “Need some help?”
“Thanks,” Chris replied.  When they got Rodney to the car, Chris added, “He doesn’t get out very often.  Too much time with dead bodies.”

“Where does he work?” the man asked, “the morgue?”

“Coroner’s assistant,” Chris replied as he got into the car and started the engine.

Walking back to the bar, Peter Dawson realized that he had the next entry for his blog.  The guy was obviously drunk, but it was still a great headline.  Vampire Killer Attacked by Wolf, he thought.  Or even better, Vampire Killer Attacked by Werewolf!

In the basement of a large chateau on the northern coast of France, the medical student looked down at this computer screen.  The headline read Vampire Murderer Killed by Werewolf!  American bloggers sensationalized everything, Jacques thought, but he had heard something about the Swiss Surete bringing back one of those murderers.

Of course, it was just a rumor, but it might be worth bringing to his attention.  Herr Doktor did not like to be bothered with trivial rumors, but this might be enough to get Jacques out of the basement and into a room with a window.  As he looked at the headline again, he copied the link and sent it up to the tower.

Chapter 1

The sunlight played along the evergreen branches as the beams filtered down to the forest floor.  The air had that fresh fragrance of morning mixed with the smells of the woods.  Running along the path, the wolf stayed mostly in the shadows.  It moved very quickly, jumping over fallen branches as it raced along the trail.

When the path took an abrupt left, the wolf paused…then slowly trotted to the edge of the trees.  There was nothing but water and evergreen-covered islands as far as the eye could see.  Taking a few more steps, the wolf came to the edge of the hill and looked down.  From here the views of the house, the garden, and the woman were quite clear. 

The wolf watched the woman as she walked through the garden. She was beautiful.  There was no denying that.  It surprised him that he was so attracted to her with that slender figure and long, dark hair.  In the sunshine, he could see the bits of fire that ran through it.  She didn’t sense him at all, her complete attention on the rose bush she was carefully pruning.

The wolf came closer and wondered if he should approach her as she worked.  How would she respond?  Would she welcome him? Part of him desired her with a hunger that surprised him.

As the wolf stood there, debating what to do next, he saw the man enter the garden.  Damian walked over and put his arms around the woman, slowly turning her towards him and kissing her.  The kiss went on for some time, then he took her hand and led her back towards the house. 

The wolf was tempted to follow them.  This was getting interesting, and the woman definitely piqued his interest.  If he’d gotten to her first, would she have invited him into her house?  Or did she actually care for Damian?  He doubted a wolf could ever really trust a vampire, but he could understand the attraction.

Slowly backing into the woods, the wolf decided to wait and see what happened next…

Damian smiled as he led Selina up the stairs to her bedroom.  “I enjoy having the house to ourselves.”

“That’s what you said last night,” Selina reminded him.

“And I hope I showed you just how much.”  Damian pulled her to him as they reached the top of the stairs.  “If you like, I would be happy to show you again.”

“That would be wonderful,” Selina replied, “but the girls will be here in a few hours.  They said they had a surprise for us.”

“Then, we should make the most of the next few hours.”  Damian started unbuttoning her dress before they were even in the bedroom.  “You know I can’t keep my hands off you,” he whispered.  “Are you sure we can’t reschedule this surprise?”

“I have a few surprises of my own,” Selina said as the pulled him into the bedroom.

Damian closed the door and went back to undoing the buttons on her dress.  As he slid the fabric off her shoulder, he kissed her neck and worked his way around to the front.  “I think we should…” he began, then stopped and looked over towards the window. 

“What is it?” Selina asked, following his gaze.

“For a moment, I thought I sensed something.”  He walked over to the window and stood there for a moment looking out at the garden and the trees beyond.  “It must have been my imagination.”  He shrugged then turned back towards her.  “Now, where was I?”

When the phone rang, Selina slid out from under Damian’s arm and reached for the phone on the end table. 

“Hello,” she said, smiling as Damian ran a finger along her shoulder.

“Selina, we just wanted to let you know we’re running late,” Genevieve replied.  “Annalise and Isabella can’t decide what they want at the farmer’s market, but we should be there in a few hours.”

“Thank you for letting me know.”  Selina glanced over at Damian.  “And drive carefully.”

“We will,” Genevieve promised.

“So, we have a few more hours before the girls arrive?”  Damian smiled.  “What will we do with the time?”

“I’m sure we’ll think of something,” Selina said, giggling as he pulled her back under the covers.

Selina and Damian were sitting on the porch when the girls all walked up talking at once and carrying bags of food.

“We couldn’t decide, so we’re going to make prawns, steak, and stir fry,” Annalise explained.

“That’s because you wanted to have prawns,” Isabella reminded her.

“I’m just happy with the dessert,” Genevieve said.  “Chocolate eclairs from the French bakery.

“Oh, those are wonderful,” Selina agreed.

Damian smiled and wondered again how she did it.  To have raised the four girls, along with Suzette and Will, all by herself.  He offered to help with the groceries, but the girls insisted he stay on the porch and relax.

“We’ve got this,” Michela told him.  “Just enjoy the afternoon and prepare for cleanup duty.”

Damian laughed as Selina shook her head.  “That is no way to treat a guest in our home.”

After a few minutes, Selina stood up.  “Where are you going?” Damian asked.

“I thought I should check on them.”  Selina smiled.  “They can be a bit messy.”

“I’m happy to help them with the dishes,” Damian said.

“Actually, I have other plans for you tonight,” Selina whispered into his ear.  “I thought we might go into town and stay at the club.”

“Or my hotel,” Damian replied.  “They have room service.”

“Tempting,” Selina agreed.  She kissed him lightly on the lips, then went into the house.

Damian leaned back in the chair.  It was a beautiful place to spend the afternoon.  With over an acre of land, Selina had her gardens, the house, and even a small, private beach area.  As he looked over towards the water, he heard a noise, then smelled a familiar scent.

Jumping to his feet, he glanced from side to side.  “You’re getting too complacent,” Lorenzo observed, walking up and shaking his head.  “I could have killed you before you even knew I was here.”

“You were here this morning,” Damian said.  “I thought I sensed something.”

“I saw you with your pretty vampire.”  Lorenzo smiled but his eyes stayed cold as steel.  “She really is lovely.”

“Why are you here?” Damian demanded.  “And I have no desire to discuss Selina with you.”

“Desire has a lot to do with it.” Lorenzo turned as Nora walked up.  “But we’ll save that discussion for another time.”

“We’re here to change your mind,” Nora said, getting right to the point.  “You’ll be making a mistake if you leave Interpol, and I think you know it.”  She looked up at the house.  “Vampires and werewolves were never meant to be friends.  They cause nothing but trouble, and we are the ones who stop them.”

Lorenzo smiled and nodded.  “I couldn’t have said it better myself.”

“You should have phoned rather than fly all the way here from Italy,” Damian said. “If you really want to have this conversation, meet me at my hotel tomorrow at noon.”  He wrote down the address and handed it to Nora. 

“We’ll see you then,” she replied, turning and quickly disappearing into the trees. 

Lorenzo smiled.  “Don’t be late.  I’d hate to have to come here again.”

“If you do, it will be the last mistake you make,” Damian replied, but Lorenzo had already vanished into the woods.

The next morning, Selina woke up and kissed him.  “I do like this hotel room.  What were you saying about room service?”

Damian smiled. “I said they serve breakfast all day, so there’s no reason to get up right away.”

Selina smiled.  “I do have work to do today.  There’s a lot to finish before we meet with the contractor tomorrow.”

“Are you sure you want to take on such a large project?” Damian asked, then held up a hand at her look.  “Never mind.  I shouldn’t have asked.”

“The girls are too excited about getting their own apartments to stop now,” she replied.  “They’ve been talking about nothing else.”

“Very true,” Damian agreed.  “And the art school will be a great addition to the neighborhood.”

“That reminds me, I’m supposed to meet with Charles Paulsen tomorrow morning.”  Selina smiled.  “He’s got some wonderful ideas about the school.”

“I’ll have to see if you can fit me into your busy schedule,” Damian said.  “Maybe you can pencil me in for this evening?”

“I’ll look at my calendar and get back to you,” Selina replied, then laughed as he pulled her back under the sheets.

Damian looked at his watch again and paced around the hotel sitting room.  Selina had left an hour earlier, but he wanted to get this meeting with Lorenzo and Nora over as quickly as possible.  Hopefully, they’d go back to Italy.  Damian would feel better with an ocean between them and Selina.

They were ten minutes late, but he smelled them before he heard the knock at the door.  When he opened it, he tried to look calm and a little bored.  “Nice of you to show up.”

“We were delayed,” Nora replied.  “Lorenzo saw a cute blonde in the hotel bar, and you know how he gets.”

“She was very…inviting,” Lorenzo said, showing his teeth when he smiled.  “You know how I love to play Little Red Riding Hood.”

“Run out of women in Europe?” Damian asked, raising an eyebrow.

“We’re here because we think you’re making a mistake,” Nora said.  “You would be lost without Interpol.”

“He’d be lost without us,” Lorenzo added, “or do you think you can survive without your pack?”

“I’m doing just fine,” Damian countered.

“With a vampire?” Lorenzo asked.  “I’m surprised she hasn’t made you her own…or has she?”  He stepped forward and reached for Damian’s neck.

Damian stepped to the side, easily avoiding his grasp.  “She’s not like that.”

“Tell me about her,” Nora said, sitting in one of the chairs. 

“Yes, do tell us all about her,” Lorenzo added.  “How did you two meet?”

“You’re not helping,” Nora said, giving Lorenzo a look.  He pretended to ignore it but sat down in the chair next to her.

“She’s never taken a human life.” Damian ignored Lorenzo and talked to Nora.  “Selina is smart, caring, sweet…”

“Beautiful,” Lorenzo said.  “Don’t forget that.”  Looking at Nora, he added, “She probably glamoured him the moment they met.”

Damian took a step towards Lorenzo, but Nora held up a hand.  “Enough Lorenzo.  Either stop baiting him or leave.  We don’t have time for this.”

“Have somewhere to be?” Damian asked.  “Don’t let me keep you.”

“We’re not exactly here on official leave,” Nora said.  “Our superiors may think we’re in Milan.”

“Milan?” Damian repeated.  “What if they contact you with a case?”

“What are the chances of a paranormal attack in the next twelve hours?”  Lorenzo shrugged.  “If you haven’t come to your senses by then, we’ll be leaving anyway.”

Damian walked over to Nora and smiled slightly.  “I appreciate your concern, but Selina is not the only reason I want to walk away from Interpol.”  He glanced over at Lorenzo.  “It’s no fun anymore.”

“It has its perks,” Lorenzo said, thinking about the blonde.  “Women love Interpol agents.  And of course, we have our own unique abilities.”

“That stuff always seems to work better for you two than me,” Nora added. “However, we agreed we’d use this curse/gift as a way to help others.”

“And we’ve done that,” Damian agreed.  “But how long do we have to keep going?  When do we get lives of our own?”

Lorenzo started to reply when Nora stood up and put a hand on his arm. “Damian is right.  We deserve a life of our own.  It was bound to happen at some point.  You almost quit after meeting that redhead fifteen years ago.”

“Sometimes, I wish I had,” Lorenzo conceded.  “But she wasn’t a vampire.”

“He makes a good point,” Nora agreed.  “Damian, do you really think you can trust this vamp…woman?”  With your secrets and your life?”

“Absolutely,” Damian replied.

“Maybe you can,” Lorenzo said, “but I cannot.  How much have you told her?”

“Not everything,” Damian admitted.  “Just about how we were changed and working for Interpol.”

“That’s something,” Lorenzo replied.  “If you were completely glamoured, you would have told her everything.”

“He’s obviously not under her control,” Nora said, looking from Lorenzo to Damian.  “I say we let it play out for a few more weeks.  Either you’ll grow tired of her…or not.”  She smiled.  “You’ve always grown tired of them before, so this may not be a problem.”

“This is different.”  Lorenzo took a step towards Damian.  “You’re close to claiming her, aren’t you?”

“That’s none of your business…” Damian began, then shrugged.  “I don’t know.  I will say that I’ll talk to you before it gets that far.”  He looked at Nora.  “Both of you.”

“I can live with that,” Nora replied.

“I guess I’ll have to…for now.”  Lorenzo bared his teeth and growled slightly.  “Don’t make me regret this decision.  If you reveal too much, she becomes a liability to all of us.”

Damian forced himself not to growl back.  Instead, he simply nodded, then followed them to the door.  “Safe trip back to Italy.”

“Oh, we’re not leaving yet,” Lorenzo said quietly.  “Too much fun to be had in this town.”

“We’ll be leaving in a few hours.” Nora punched Lorenzo in the arm.  “Time to get back to Italy before you both lose whatever common sense you have left.”

Damian couldn’t help a smile as he watched her take Lorenzo’s arm and lead him towards the elevator.  She was the only one who could deal with him that way.  If she hadn’t been like their little sister, Lorenzo probably would have claimed her long ago.

Damian looked at his watch.  If he left now, he’d have plenty of time to shop.  He wanted to get Selina something unexpected…and he knew just what it should be.  He might not be able to confide all his secrets, but he could surprise her all the same.

Chapter 2

Selina was sitting in her office at the nightclub, almost done with the paperwork she’d neglected the past few days, when the phone rang.  She answered and smiled as she heard Damian’s voice.

“Carina, I would like to cook dinner for you tonight,” he said.

Selina knew Damian could make an amazing omelet, but he had never offered to cook dinner before.  “That would be lovely.”

“I will bring all the ingredients,” Damian assured her.  “Seven o’clock?”  He paused, and she could picture the way his eyebrow raised slightly.  “I take it the girls will be in Port Townsend this evening?”

“Yes, the club is closed tonight, so we’ll be all alone,” Selina replied.  “Are you sure I can’t do anything to help you.  With dinner, I mean.”

“Wear something that is easy to clean,” Damian said.  “Spaghetti can be a bit…messy.”

“All right.”  Selina started to ask him something else, but he had already hung up.  “Until tonight,” she whispered, setting the phone back down on the table.

Selina checked in the mirror and smoothed the long skirt of her black lace dress.  It wasn’t exactly easy to clean, but she knew Damian would like it.

She almost jumped as the bell rang.  “Carina, you look beautiful,” Damian said as she opened the door.  “Perhaps I should have dressed more formally,” he added, glancing down at his dark pants and white shirt. 

She looked up at him and smiled, then kissed him on the lips.  Taking a step back, she asked, “Are you sure I can’t help you carry anything?”

Damian wanted to drop the sacks of food and put his arms around her, but instead he shook his head.  “Let’s go down to the kitchen, and we’ll get started.”

The way he said the last part had Selina wondering what exactly he had planned for this dinner.

Damian set the bags down on the kitchen counter and pulled out a bottle of wine.  “I thought something Italian would be appropriate.”  He took a step closer and lifted a lock of dark hair off her shoulder and ran a finger along her cheek.  “Italian wine is always best with Italian food.”

Selina just nodded.  After a moment, she let out a breath and said, “What exactly do you have in there?”

“Pasta, tomatoes, onions, garlic, zucchini…have you had thinly sliced zucchini in spaghetti before?”  He looked at her and raised one eyebrow.  “It’s amazing.”

“I’m sure it is,” Selina agreed, wondering how the room had gotten so warm.  Although she was a vampire and normally cool to the touch, Damian managed to warm her up in a way she could not quite explain but very much enjoyed.  “Why don’t I open the wine?”

Damian handed her the bottle, then took more vegetables out of the bags.  “I thought we could have a salad with the pasta.”

Selina took two glasses out of the cupboard and poured the wine.  “What type of salad?  Caesar?”

“No, I was thinking of making something a little different,” Damian replied, pulling out a bottle of olive oil.  “The secret is in the dressing.”

“I already have olive oil,” Selina said, handing him a glass of wine.  Taking a sip of the merlot, she added, “This is very good.”

“I thought you would enjoy it.”  Damian looked at the olive oil.  “This is also from Italy.”  He smiled at her in a way that sent heat down to her toes.  Opening the oil, he poured a few drops on his finger.  “Everything is better from Italy, don’t you agree, Carina?”

She thought he was going to have her taste the oil, but instead he reached out with his other hand and turned her wrist over.  Gently dabbing the oil in one spot, he kissed her wrist and slowly began working his way up her arm.

As she was about to suggest they wait to make dinner, he stopped.  “As I said, the secret is in the dressing.”  Still holding her hand, he moved her closer to the counter.  “Lemons, sea salt, a little red wine vinegar…and of course, some freshly ground pepper.”

Selina wasn’t sure what he had planned, but she could tell he enjoyed keeping her guessing.  Two could play at that game.  She slowly pulled her hand away and picked up the olive oil.  Putting some on her finger, she ran it across her lower lip, then tasted it.  “You’re right.  Italian is definitely better.”

Damian felt the wolf want to leap out and claim her.  It always wanted her, needed her.  It was something he had to fight against constantly, keeping that part of him under control, and he wasn’t sure if she knew how dangerous it could be. 

Selina sensed something was bothering him.  Deciding to slow things down a bit, she took his hand and smiled up at him.  “I would like to dance.  Do we have time?”

Damian nodded.  “Always, Carina.  You are beautiful on the dance floor.”

They walked out of the apartment and back through her office.  As they reached the dance floor of the club, he leaned down and kissed her hand.  “A waltz?”

“I would like that.”  She watched him as he walked behind the bar and chose the music.  When he got back, he smiled and waited a moment.  As soon as the first notes began, he swept her into a slow circle, and they waltzed around the floor.  He had his arm wrapped around her and his hand pressed lightly against her back, guiding her around the dance floor. 

“I do love to dance,” Selina said, sighing slightly as the music ended.  She lifted her hand from his shoulder and took a step back.

“We should definitely do it more often.”  Damian pulled her to him and looked into her eyes for a moment, then bent her back very slowly and kissed her. 

When he finally pulled her up, he gave her a wicked grin.  “As much as I love to waltz, perhaps next time we should try the tango.”

Selina only nodded, still trying to catch her breath after that kiss.   Finally, she managed to say, “That would be very nice.”

Damian was still holding her.  “There is so much I would like to do with you tonight, but I did promise to make you dinner.  Why don’t we finish, and then I can show you some of the other things I have planned for this evening.”

Selina felt that warmth again and did her best to keep her voice even.  “After we finish dinner, I’ll show you some of the things I have planned for this evening.”

Damian smiled, then twirled her around very slowly before leading her off the dance floor.  As they walked through the club, Selina stopped at the bar.  “Your Italian wine is very good, but I think champagne would be nice with dessert.”  She smiled.  “French champagne perhaps?”

“French is my favorite,” Damian said.  “At least, it is now, Carina.”

“Not Italian?” Selina teased him.

“France has the most beautiful women.”  Damian kissed her hand.  “You are proof of that.”

Selina picked up the champagne bottle.  “You finish making your special dinner, then I’ll show you what we’ll have for dessert.”

They went back into the apartment, and as Damian set the plates on the table, his cell phone rang.   Ignoring it, he sat down and lifted his wine glass.  “To you, Carina.  You are always beautiful, but in this candlelight you are breathtaking.”

Selina smiled and lifter her glass.  “To the first of many dinners cooked by the most amazing man I’ve ever met.”

They toasted and Damian’s phone rang again.  At Selina’s look he shook his head.  “If it were important, they would text me.  Now, tell me what you think of the sauce.”

Selina picked up her fork as Damian’s phone buzzed.  “Seems you’re getting a text.”

“I’d better get this.  It’s Interpol.”  He pulled out the phone and read the text, then he stood up.  “I’m sorry, Selina.  I need to call them back.  May I use your office?”

“Of course,” Selina said.  After a few minutes, Damian came back into the apartment.  When she saw the look on his face, Selina stood up.  “What is it?”

“I have to go to Italy.”  He leaned down and kissed her on the cheek.  “Lorenzo and Nora need my help.”  Damian didn’t mention they’d been in Seattle a few hours earlier.

“I understand.”  Selina placed her hands on either side of his face.  “They are your family.”

“My pack and my family.”  Damian looked into her eyes.  “We don’t always get along, but we are bound together by what happened in the past.”  As Selina squeezed his hand, he added, “I’ll be back as soon as I can.”

“When do you have to leave?”  Selina glanced down at the table.  “Do we have time to finish dinner?”

“There won’t be a flight out until tomorrow morning,” Damian replied.  “Interpol has already taken care of the travel arrangements.”

“They knew you would say yes,” Selina said, smiling slightly. 

“I know we talked about going to Paris…” Damian began.

“We’ll do that later,” Selina assured him.  “And if you don’t have to leave until morning, then we should finish our dinner.”

“It’s probably cold.  I can warm it up if you like.”  Damian stopped talking as Selina began unzipping her dress.  “Carina, what are you doing?”

“I’m making the most of this evening,” she replied, letting the dress slide to the floor. 

The next morning, Damian was lying in bed and watching Selina as she slept.  He hadn’t felt so attracted to anyone in a very long time.  Or so protective.

Selina opened her eyes and smiled.  “Did you get any sleep last night?”

“A few hours,” Damian replied. 

“Were you watching me sleep?” Selina reached over and ran a hand through his dark hair.  “When do you have to leave?”

“Soon.”  Damian glanced at the clock by the bed.  “I need to stop by my hotel.”

“I can drive you…” Selina began.

He shook his head.  “You look too relaxed exactly as you are.  Besides, it will be easier if I take a taxi.”

Selina took his hand and placed it on her heart.  “You know I will be here when you get back.  Take as long as you need.”

Damian wanted to say it.  To let her know exactly how he felt about her.  He cared about her.  He probably even loved her.  He knew she was more important to him than anyone since Beatrice.  “Selina, I…you know how much you mean to me.”

“I know.”  She kissed his fingers one at a time, then let go of his hand.

“Carina, I have to be honest with you.  Lorenzo didn’t say what Interpol needed our help with, but it could very well be…”

“Hunting vampires.” Selina finished his sentence.  “It’s what you do.”

“It’s what I did,” Damian replied.  “I don’t have the desire to do that any longer.”

“You don’t have to stop for me,” Selina said.  “You know I’ve never taken a human life, but a rogue vampire can be a threat to everyone.”

“It puts us on opposite sides.”  Damian drew her close and almost whispered. “I want us to be on the same side.  Now and always.”

It was the closest he could come to telling her how he felt.  Maybe going back to Italy would allow him to truly put Beatrice’s memory to rest. 

“Be careful,” Selina said, then kissed him very slowly and with such gentle passion, Damian was tempted to try to get a later flight.  But the sooner he dealt with this, the sooner he could return to her.

“If you need anything, you know you can always call me.”  He smiled.  “If I don’t answer, leave a message.  I will call you back as soon as I can.”

Selina nodded.  “I will.  She got up and pulled on her robe.  “I’ll walk you to the door.”

As they got to the top of the stairs, Selina put a hand on his shoulder.  “Be safe.”

“I’ll call you when I land in Italy,” Damian promised.  He leaned down and kissed her one more time, then turned and walked out the door.

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