TENPTATI0N 0NLEASBEB

Paianoimal Romance
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PBF FREE FIRST CBAPTER
Copyiight 2uu9 Kaii Thomas
www.authoikaii.com
email: authoikaiiyahoo.com

Prologue
Sedona, Arizona, present day
The nights blackness cloaked the land, hiding those who didnt wish to be
seenthe various nocturnal animals and even humans who roamed the
woods at night. Beyond the wide expanse of manicured lawn, the forest
loomed expectantly. All that dwelt within its dark, protective interior
embraced the stillness, waiting and watching. He would hunt again this
night.
Naked, Aiden Calhoun walked through his back door and lifted his face to
the sky, inhaling the crisp air. Varied scents rode on the slight breeze
forest creatures, including shape-shifters in their animal forms, the earth and
the surrounding greenery. He felt the watchfulness of the animals, knew he
was the cause of their tension, their wariness. For the past month, his
relentless searches had disturbed the land and its occupants.
Frustration rippled off him in waves as he moved through the dark paths
in the dead of night. His potent rage hovered just beneath the surface, a
silent warning to any who would cross his path while he stalked his elusive
prey.
His sleek, muscled body moved with supple grace as he walked onto the
cool, crisp lawn. His six-foot form blurred as he broke into a lope, then a
run. His speed increased until the moons luminous rays caught glints of
black and nothing more. Thick, unruly waves of coal-black hair rippled over
his shoulders, gleaming with blue-black tints in the faint glow of moonlight.
Charcoal-gray eyes blazed with a cold fire that fueled his strength and speed.
His sleek muscles and tall frame sinuously blended, shifting into a dark
form just short of seven feet in length from flattened nose to long, winding
tail.
Large paws, equipped with razor-sharp retractable claws, replaced human
hands. Toned arms and strong legs morphed into furred limbs that raced
across the ground without missing a step. Tufted ears lay flat against his
rounded head with the force of his bursting speed. His wide mouth gaped in
a feline grimace, deadly shearing teeth glittering in the moonlight. The
emerging fur retained the coal-blackness of his hair and, although his eyes
were now narrower and slanted, they retained their silver-gray glow.
Aiden Calhoun was a man of immense preternatural powers, his creature-
counterpart the form of a black cougar. No stranger to the night, he was a
deadly hunter without equal. The need for vengeance burned deep within his
soul, a darkness so strong it threatened to overpower his humanity. It urged
him into the forests interior, pushed him to find answers. He glided silently
across the forest floor, barely seeming to touch the brittle leaves.
Stealth and deadly intent pulsed through his powerful form. His uniquely
colored eyes glowed with piercing purpose as he scanned the pathways, the
undergrowth.
Each night his final destination remained the same. He slowed his run as
the secluded place came into view. Cautiously, he walked into the small
clearing where his younger brother, Kyle, had been brutally murdered, his
blood still staining the ground where he was found. Stubs of black candles
remained in a burnt circle, dark symbols drawn with black ash surrounding
their perimeter. The stench of black magic still lingered in the smoky air and
it was a smell Aiden would never forget. He growled low in his throat,
remembering the gruesome scene.
Kyles body had been savagely burned, barely recognizable in this place
of sacrificial rite. They had found his wife, Sonia, outside the circle, her
flesh cooling in death, a goblet containing poison near her body. When they
moved the bodies, a note saying forgive me was found under her hip.
Aiden had been shocked beyond measure. He had known his brother and
sister-in-law had been having some problems but thisobscenity was
incomprehensible. He couldnt, wouldnt rest until he understood why Sonia
had murdered Kyle, and who had helped her. To die at the hands of one who
supposedly loved you had to be the most horrendous of deaths.
Aidens need for justice didnt care that Sonia had also taken her own
life.
I hope she is burning in whatever hell she was sent to.
She might have committed suicide before they had been able to get any
information, killing herself after massacring her beloved, but she had
unwittingly left them clues. Aiden vowed to uncover the identity of her
accomplices, make them pay for the heartache they had caused his family.
All he knew was that they were magic-users, extremely proficient in the
black arts. Hed searched relentlessly and Aiden was sure he was closing in
now, that he was getting closer to the truth. He felt it in the air.
Change was coming.
He lifted his head and roared his challenge into the night. He was ready,
willing to destroy whatever, or whoever, might be the source of his familys
pain. There was no place his enemy could hide. His family would be
avenged.
Hed find himor her.
And, when he did, hed take great delight in destroying them.

Chapter One

This is beyond crazy, Kira, Lena Douglas muttered to her cousin. Its too
dark to find the exact place. Why couldnt you have waited until tomorrow?
Kira Douglas took in a deep, calming breath. She exhaled slowly,
mentally arguing with her feet because they refused to take another step.
Things rustled in the surrounding bushes, among the dense trees. Shed been
fighting her silent demons from the first moment they stepped out of the car
and now all the forest sounds taunted her from just beyond the beam of their
flashlights, threatening to let those demons run free.
With her right hand, she grasped the garnet jewel that hung on a fine
white-gold chain around her neck, mentally praying to the Goddess for
courage. She needed to do this now, before any more time passed.
We cant afford to lose this moons phase, Lena, she answered quietly.
The full moon was a time for bringing things comfortable in the dark into
the cold light of truth, a time for completion, closure. It was time to find
answers to questions, to put an end to this mystery once and for all.
Are you sure youre ready for this, Kira? Lena watched her closely.
The dark aura is still strong, even after a month.
Im counting on that power. Kira closed her eyes for a moment. She
held her garnet stone close to her chest. I have to know what happened,
Lena. You tried but nothing came from your seeking spell. If Im to accept
Sonias death, I have to know why this happened.
It was still hard to believe. She had heard through Lena that Sonia had
been growing more mentally unstable. Kira had never suspected the depths
of her sisters torment. Sure, theyd had their own problems, been estranged
for more years than Kira liked to think about. But she hadnt worried when
her sister had left their home in Louisiana and moved across the country to
Arizona to live with Lena. Lena kept Kira current on what was going on in
Sonias life. She knew that her sister had lived with Lena and her father until
her marriage. Kira had thought things were finally looking up for Sonia after
her marriage and the news of the new baby. Despite opposition from her in-
laws, who thought that magic practitioners were to be avoided, Lena had
said that Sonia kept insisting things would work out, that she loved her
husband deeply. The two had fought every obstacle thrown in their path and,
when they were blessed with a beautiful baby girl, Marissa, they had seemed
happy, whole. At least that was what Lena had kept telling her.
When Lena contacted her and told her what had happened, Kira had been
stunnedno, shocked. Sonia and Kyle dead, murdered in a bizarre ritual.
Marissa, their young daughter, living with a family whose lives and careers
revolved around wildlife conservation, something Kira was sure Sonia had
never meant to happen.
All reasons why Kira found herself standing in a dark, foreboding forest,
surrounded by Goddess- knew-what, preparing to confront the remnants of
the spell her sister had used to kill her husband, and then herself. Doubts
assailed her. Did she have the strength? She hadnt used her powers for
years.
Not since that last time.
That horrible day she still couldnt forget.
That bitter reminder of her failure to cope. Her cowardice.
Shed withdrawn into herself after that day, away from the rest of the
world, cut herself off from her heritage. But, in doing so, she had failed
Sonia at a time when her sister had needed her most. Perhaps, if she could do
this one thing, she could make some sense of Sonias actions. Help her
sisters restless spirit find peace.
Its right around this bend. Lena pointed toward a group of bushes with
the beam of her flashlight. Its so isolated I wasnt sure I could find it in the
dark.
Kiras heart rate increased. She could feel the power residue even though
the site was still probably yards away. She frowned.
The lingering magical traces remained strong. This couldnt be right.
Sonia never controlled this kind of power. She had never been as adept in
their witchcraft heritage as Kira, hadnt bothered to take the time to study
and practice the way they had been taught, the way Kira had since
childhood. Sonia had always been far more interested in immediate results
rather than working toward a goal. Sonia should never have been able to
manifest this level of power. Her unease increased. How could Sonia have
become soadept?
They entered a small clearing where the ground was charred in a
circular formation. Around the perimeter, Kira could see black pinpoints of
hardened wax where candles had obviously been used. She noticed faint red
marks blending with the burned ground, an indication that a dark and
dangerous magical rite had taken place. A transparent black aura surrounded
the entire circle, wavering like a guarding mist.
Red circle. Black fire marks. Black aura.
Kira shivered despite the heat of the night. Oh, Goddess. She didnt need
Lenas confirmation that this wasnt normal residue from any spell Sonia
could have cast.
Black magic!
She shook her head, not wanting to believe it.
Lena nodded her head in agreement to Kiras silent assessment. When I
tried to cast a visual spell, the aura defeated my power. It thickened and I felt
something dark, evilthreatening. She shuddered visibly. I was afraid to
push it any more, afraid of what I might call forth.
Why is it still here? Kira questioned, her gaze searching the
surrounding area. What purpose would be served for the residue to remain
in place after the rite had been completed?
And how do we get past its barrier to find the answer? Lena asked.
Kira knew there was only one way and it wasnt a path she wanted to
contemplate. Born into a powerful family, generations of witches, her
powers had once been immensely strong. Perhaps still were. But she didnt
trust her abilities any more, hadnt used them for years. Shed come here
tonight hoping Sonia would show her the way. Tell her what she needed to
know.
Shed hoped against hope that she wouldnt have to call her power.
You have to try, Kira. Its the only way. Kira shook her head. There
had to be another way.
An invisible blanket of quiet suddenly settled over the clearing. The
forest had turned ominous, eerily silent. Kira and Lena looked at each other
and their hands met, sweaty palm to sweaty palm.
Their inner senses spread outseeking
And found a threatening aura of immense power and strength.
Menacing. Angry. Potentially dangerous.
And it wasnt coming from within the clearing. It came from the forest. It
wanted them gone.
Now.

*****THE END