Seduced by Lies Vol. 1 Read online

  Ocean was a powerful witch and had control over the water element. She really could drown them if she wanted.

  Curtis sat up in bed. "No. Please, don't. The people just don't understand. They're scared. Please, help me up."

  I hesitated, once again torn between doing what I thought was right, and doing what was good.

  His eyes, sunken into his hollow cheeks, pleaded with me. "Please, help me."

  And so I helped him, and with Paul supporting him on the other side, we all walked out into the warm summer night together.

  I knew this was a bad idea, but I felt powerless to stop him when this was essentially his dying wish.

  A decent sized group had gathered outside the mansion, led by that creepy meth head, Billy, the guy who'd been watching us in the woods.

  We walked in short shuffles toward the gate where the people swarmed, and a piece of rotten fruit hit me in the chest. The bastards were throwing shit at us. I couldn't believe it.

  Billy noticed Rose and shouted to the group. "There she is!" He pointed at her. "There's the demon. Her kind killed my sister."

  The crowd became one being, roaring and raising its fist in anger.

  Curtis raised his hand to call for attention, but his voice was too weak to be heard over the screaming. I lent my voice, but it wasn't enough.

  Then Curtis called out, "Am I a monster? Am I a monster?"

  The people stopped and listened.

  Curtis leaned against me, his body giving out, his skin tinged with red, and yet more pale than before. "We are different, it is true," he said through shallow breaths. "But you have nothing to fear from me or my friends."

  "Your kind killed my sister," screamed Billy.

  "And your kind killed my father," Curtis said. "He died while out shopping late one night. A robber shot him at a convenience store. Does that make all humans murderers?"

  I could see the crowd simmering, unsure about how to take his words. But Billy was still furious. "Your kind is dangerous. You can kill any of us."

  This ignited the crowd again as they raised their voices. Group think at its best.

  Curtis pulled his hospital gown off his shoulder, exposing his wound. "The monster who killed your sister also attacked me. I will die from its bite. I'm not your enemy."

  Nobody listened. "It's a trick," said Billy. "They can't stop all of us. That's why they're hiding behind their fence. The law is on our side."

  Curtis turned to me. "Open the gate."

  I shook my head. "No, that's insane. They'll kill you."

  He chuckled. "I'm already dead, but maybe my last few minutes of life can change the course of our history. Open the gate."

  Father Patrick nodded, his eyes sad, and against my better judgment, against everything I believed in, I opened the gate.

  And Curtis walked into the mob.

  For a moment, it looked like it would work. Around him, the crowd went silent, stunned that he'd given up his protection.

  He walked up to Billy. "Do you really want to kill me?"

  Billy hesitated, his eyes darting around him like a wild cat. "Your kind needs to be controlled."

  "I swear to you," Curtis said, "I have never broken any laws. Do you still think I deserve your fury?"

  Billy remained silent, chewing on his lip.

  "Here I am," said Curtis. "You can fight me, if you want. But I won't fight back."

  Billy raised a stick. The crowd stood ready.

  Beside me, Paul reached forward. "Curtis, no!"

  "My sister's dead," said Billy, crying. "You deserve this."

  "I won't fight you," Curtis said, his face calm and serene even as I was ready to beat Billy to death with his own stick.

  And then Billy hit him in the gut.

  Curtis collapsed.

  I lifted the gate, screaming my rage.

  Billy hit him again. And again. Stomach. Kidney. Knees. Arms.

  I rushed toward them, pushing through the crowd as it swarmed me, ready to kill Billy and save my friend.

  Curtis looked up from the ground, his body broken and bleeding, but his eyes calm. "No. Derek. Don't fight them."

  I couldn't take it, couldn't let this happen. Paul screamed at me to save Curtis. Drake joined me, his fists clenched. He may not have had his super strength anymore, but he was still stronger than most of these fools.

  Billy hit Curtis one more time, then stepped back, gloating.

  Curtis lay on the ground, bloodied, cringing. People watched in horror, their minds splitting from the group as they saw a defenseless man being beaten to death. Some started to walk away.

  "Do not fear us," Curtis said, spitting out blood.

  "Shut up," Billy screamed, kicking him.

  Curtis groaned and looked at the crowd, locking eyes with individuals, forcing them to see his humanity. "Do not fear us. We are not the enemy."

  "I said shut up." Billy raised his stick again, but someone caught it.

  A big man in flannel glared down at Billy. "Stop this."

  Billy looked stunned. "He needs to pay. He's a monster, yo"

  "I see only one monster here," the man said, pulling the stick away. "Get lost."

  "No." Billy tried to attack Curtis again, but men grabbed him from behind, dragging him away.

  "Take him home," said Flannel Man. "And don't you return, Billy. Or I'll call the cops myself, ya hear?"

  I watched, stunned, as they pulled Billy away and Flannel Man and his friends picked Curtis up and carried him to us. To me.

  We gathered around him. Me, Rose, Drake, Sam, Paul, Father Patrick.

  Flannel Man choked back a tear as he laid Curtis on the ground in the center of us. "I'm sorry."

  My anger wasn't ready to forgive. "How dare you?"

  But Curtis stopped me, putting his hand on my arm. "It's okay. They'll learn. They will learn."

  "You should have let me fight them," I said, knowing he was nearing the end and unwilling to face this.

  "No." He closed his eyes, breathed a ragged breath and opened them again. "I thought fighting was the answer once, but no more. No more."

  "Don't die," Paul said, openly weeping. "Don't die."

  "I am done with this world," Curtis said. "Thank you, for making me feel welcome."

  Unbidden tears burned my eyes. "All are welcome here." I yelled toward the crowd, and toward the Bishop with his hateful heart. "All are welcome here. No matter how different. All are welcome at Elysium."

  I kneeled again next to Curtis, giving Paul enough room to be by his side in his final moments.

  "Elysium," Curtis smiled. "I'm glad to have been here."

  CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

  DEREK O'CONNER

  WE DIDN'T WAIT long to have a funeral. Everyone who needed to attend was already here, so three days later we got everyone together for the service.

  I had our clan shift into wolf form to dig the grave, the first one at Elysium, though not the first loss for most of the kids here. Those who escaped Rent-A-Kid saw their teachers and friends die in the final battle, and likely this brought back a lot of that pain.

  Curtis had been well liked since he came out and stopped bullying, and the tears were all genuine.

  Father Patrick conducted the service around the graveside and spoke of Curtis's life and courage, and his final act of heroism. "Curtis understood what we stood for. He understood that everyone deserves a chance at happiness. That everyone deserves to find Elysium."

  Curtis became a martyr for our cause.

  My entire pack showed up wearing the formal robes for druid ceremony, showing full honor to a boy they didn't know well but respected nonetheless.

  When the Bishop showed up, Drake turned to him in shock. "Why are you here?"

  "I'm not such a villain as you think I am. There is one among you who made me feel welcome, and he deserves my respect."

  I'd already known the Bishop's answer. He understood what Curtis strived for.

  Drake glanced at me, then turned to th
e Bishop. He nodded. "Thank you for coming."

  I would miss Curtis more than I wanted to think about. He and I had become close during martial arts lessons, and it wouldn't be the same without him.

  I had patrol as soon as the service ended. We'd set up shifts and I was up next. "I'm heading out now," I told Rose and Drake.

  Rose reached for my hand. "I'm coming."

  Drake nodded. "Me too, dude." He looked around for Sam, then stood still a moment, most likely communicating mentally with her. I often wondered what it would be like to have that with Rose.

  We told Father Patrick where we were headed, said our goodbyes, and patrolled the perimeter of Elysium. The new name had spread through the school so fast that the craftier students had already started making t-shirts and the writers were planning a student newspaper of the same name.

  It was starting to feel real, to feel like more than just a bunch of orphaned paranormals taking refuge in a big house, which made saving this place all the more important.

  Curtis was buried here. We couldn't leave. Ever.

  "Why do you think this lycan kills our kind?" Drake asked.

  I shrugged. "Like Curtis said, people hate and fear what they don't understand."

  "Do you think he would have killed Curtis if he'd known him?" Rose asked, her heart-shaped face grief-stricken.

  "I hope not," I said, thinking of the man who had finally stopped the insane beatings, who had finally seen the truth about Curtis and his pure heart. "I hope no one could do such a thing."

  "People will never stop hating those who are different, we saw that the other night," Rose said.

  "And we saw that it could be overcome," I reminded her, marveling at this role reversal. She was usually the optimist, despite being betrayed by her whole family. I was usually the sullen pessimist. When had that changed?

  "But this lycan isn't so different from us, is it?" Drake asked "Isn't it…" He stopped, staring off into the distance as his body shook, a vision overtaking him.

  We watched and waited.

  "Red eyes." He said. "It's here."

  He looked past us, into the woods. I turned to follow his gaze and saw the glowing red sign of the lycan's presence.

  I began to shift as the lycan charged at us. I prepared to fight, to protect my wife and best friend, but the lycan bypassed me, flew past Rose and headed straight to Drake, knocking him to the ground.

  I finally got a good look at him. He was man-shaped in ways, but covered in fur, with clawed hands, red eyes, and a long snout with sharp teeth. He stood several feet taller than me and was savagely attacking Drake, who didn't have his paranormal strength to fight back.

  I completed my shift in a fraction of a moment and attacked the lycan, forcing it to put its attention on me and get away from Drake.

  Rose screamed as the beast swung its paw and knocked me away. My body crashed to the ground, shifting back to human against my will as I groaned, feeling broken bones trying to mend.

  Rose stood, shaking, screaming, tears streaming down her face. "Leave them alone!"

  The lycan looked at her and paused.

  "Leave!"

  It moved closer to her, and my heart clenched. I forced my bones to heal faster as I crawled forward. "No, Rose. Run!"

  She ignored me, facing off against the lycan. "Leave!" She said again, her face set in its stubborn way I recognized from our own lovers' quarrels.

  When the lycan moved to attack, when my heart nearly tore itself to pieces, Rose screamed out one more time. "Leave!" But this time, her words turned into a roar as she began to shift.

  I expected to see her wolf form take shape, for her to drop to the ground on all fours, but instead she grew bigger, taller, her fur turning thick and long until she was a…

  Oh God. No!

  She became something larger than the lycan. Something unlike any animal I'd ever seen. A giant beast, with the look of a bear. A giant bear with golden fur.

  But how? This couldn't be happening. I didn't know what was worse, her shifting into a huge bear or being attacked by the lycan while I lay helpless and broken.

  Both sucked.

  Rose stood on her hind legs and roared. It was a deafening sound.

  People began to run from the mansion toward us. Back up.

  I hoped they got here soon, in time to save Rose. To save Drake, who hadn't moved since he was attacked.

  The lycan, despite the immediate threat of a giant glowing bear, turned his attention back to Drake, as if he wasn't finished yet.

  Rose knocked him out of the way, putting her bear self between him and Drake.

  They fought, but I couldn't tell who was winning, or if the lycan had bit her yet. Would a bite in bear form be as fatal as it had been for all the others?

  I couldn't lose Rose. I had to do something, but what?

  It's here to kill them, and it's fast and strong and… and it went straight for Drake.

  It all clicked.

  My fury grew.

  And I called out. "Ryder! Ryder!"

  The lycan stopped and turned to face me. An odd expression of surprise on the hideous face.

  While he was distracted, Rose hit him over the head so hard that he collapsed into a heap.

  Rose roared again, groaned and shuddered, a look of pain on her face as she shifted back.

  I prayed to whatever god was listening that all of her humanity came back with her.

  And it did. My beautiful, entirely human wife, lay naked on the ground just as my bones realigned.

  Still in pain, I made my way to her, bringing my shirt with me to drape over her as I pulled on my jeans.

  We looked at the lycan, who now lay unconscious in human form.

  Ryder.

  Rose looked up at me, her face a mix of emotion. "How did you know?"

  "Because he went for Drake. He wants Drake dead," I said. You protect his kind? Ryder had asked. He hated Drake's kind.

  Drake's name spurred Rose to action and she ran up to him, stifling a sob. "Drake? Drake, wake up!"

  What are you? I wondered of my best friend. Why did he want you dead?

  Blood covered him, and I couldn't see where the wounds began, there were too many.

  One thing was clear, these weren't just scratches from the lycan's claw.

  Drake had been bit. More than once.

  All color drained from Rose's face as she looked up at me. "Drake's dying."

  We heard a sob behind us as Sam ran up, Ana trailing behind her. Sam leaned down to her husband, grabbing his hand as Father Patrick picked Ana up and walked away with her.

  But we could all hear the child scream as Sam stared at her husband.

  "Dada. I saw. I saw. Dada's dead."

  TO BE CONTINUED…

  Watch for Seduced by Lies, Volume 2, later this summer.

  Thank you for reading. We hope you enjoyed Seduced by Lies. If you did, we'd be very grateful if you'd post a short review online. Your support really does make a difference.

  If you'd like to leave a review on Amazon, you may do so here.

  Again, thank you for your support.

  Want more romance? Pick up our full length, stand alone, new adult contemporary romance, Kiss Me in Paris on Amazon now!

  When the city of love

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  only their darkest secrets can tear them apart.

  When the city of love brings two lost souls together, only their darkest secrets can tear them apart.

  Winter Deveaux tried love once. It didn't end well. Unable to open herself up to another heartbreak, she hides in her romance novels as she struggles to break out as a real author. She thinks Paris holds the answer to a new start, but when her nightmare follows her across the world, she's forced to face the darkness living like cancer inside her soul. If she doesn't, she might miss her chance to become the kind of writer she's always wanted to be. But more than that, she'll miss out on the greatest love she's ever known.

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ge is heir to the largest ranching family in Texas. Part cowboy, part architect, Cade has his feet forever in two worlds. When he receives an acceptance letter from the school of his dreams, he must decide between family and destiny. But ghosts from his past still haunt him, and circumstances beyond his control may decide his fate.

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  Genre: New Adult Contemporary Romance

  Full length novel: 87, 000 words

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  "From start to finish I couldn't help but laugh, cry, cheer…" –Dalene Kolb

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  If you haven't read Seduced: Rose's Story, or The Forbidden Trilogy, you can find them at the links below:

  Seduced: Rose's Story

  The Forbidden Trilogy

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