NIGHTWIND PACK BOOK 4
LAURANN DOHNER AND KELE MOON
In the small, northern California town of Hollow Mountain, a dangerous supernatural battle of survival is unfolding, one that real estate agent Lauren Haley unknowingly steps into the night she finds out her fiancé has been cheating on her.
With her self-esteem in tatters, Lauren stops by the local dive bar where her best friend works, hoping for a drink and a pep-talk. Everything changes when a handsome stranger walks in and Lauren decides to do something she has never done—just once—before returning to her ordinary life.
Kade Riley, a powerful were-panther who has been shunned for his unique lineage and hardened by life's trials, doesn’t know the reasons why a beautiful human woman asks him to spend one night with her—no strings attached. He just can’t resist a good thing when it falls in his lap.
It was supposed to be just once, but life has other plans.
Even as a brutal war threatens to erupt around Kade and Lauren, their shared attraction grows more intense. With Kade's dangerous life poised to engulf her, can Lauren navigate her fears and step into the world of the paranormal?
1
“Oh, Lauren, I’m so sorry.” Roni, the diligent best friend that she was, placed a drink in front of Lauren. “You waited five months for this asshole, and this is what you get? It’s bullshit.”
Lauren lifted the drink, toasted Roni, and took a gulp. “Yup. The girl who answered sounded fresh out of high school. She said Brent was in the shower. In the shower—like I couldn’t put that together. Then she got all bitchy, asking me who I was. When I told her I was his fiancée, she flipped out.” She snorted, tore the engagement ring off her finger, and slid it across the bar to Roni. “Here’s my tip to you. Never trust someone in the military who gets sent to another state for eight months of duty. Bastard. Then, the girl tells me she’s pregnant. He’s been cheating on me for three months. They met in a bar, and she’s eight weeks along.”
Roni glanced at the ring and then pocketed it. “I’ll save it for you until you’re sober and you can pawn the thing.”
Lauren tucked a strand of long blonde hair behind her ear. “Flush it for all I care. I never want to see it again. I’ve been going through batteries while that son of a bitch was knocking up Miss Right-Out-of-High-School. He called me two days ago, telling me he loved me, going on about how much he missed me. She probably ran to the store or something, so she wasn’t home when he called. He’s a cheating, two-timing, lying asshole.”
Roni hesitated, studying her for a while before she whispered, “I’m really sorry, Lauren. I know you thought he was the one.”
“Yeah.” Lauren took another gulp of the drink. It burned down her throat all the way into her belly. “He said he wanted to knock me up right away when we got married. I guess he couldn’t wait.” She blinked back tears. “I’ve been sleeping with a body pillow, and did I mention the batteries? Five long months, and I’ve been loyal. I get hit on all the time, but I remained loyal to that bastard.” She took another gulp. “Well, not anymore. I’m free and getting laid.”
“I don’t think that’s a good idea, Lauren. You could go home with a serial killer, or he could have a disease. He could even be married or hurt you in some way. You’re always telling me this shit—listen to your own advice. You have been saying those things to me for ten years since Paul ran off to go to college and left me behind. High school sweetheart, my ass. I get wanting to get over him by getting under someone else. Fun sex is great, but you’ve always been kinda serious about these things. One-night stands aren’t who you are. You should lay off the rum and cokes. You don’t want to wake up with regrets.”
Lauren waved off her complaints dismissively and turned in her seat to glance around the large room. The Barn was the seediest bar in town. It sat at the edge of the woods at the base of Hollow Mountain and had turned into a well-known rough establishment that catered to bikers and some of the town’s notoriously bad elements.
It was also a place Lauren had warned Roni not to work at. Even if Roni had family friends who worked there, it was still too dangerous. Of course, her best friend hadn’t listened, so that’s how Lauren ended up getting shit-faced drunk inside the place while visiting Roni.
“I have to go deliver drinks. You sit right here.” Roni shot her a warning look. “There’s no one in this bar you want to mess with. There’s been a lot of biker gang shit going down around here lately. Bad stuff. Trust me on this.”
Lauren rolled her eyes and pushed hair over her shoulder again, cursing its thickness, hot and annoyed that it kept falling forward. Her gaze roamed the bar again. She recognized a few of the guys. Dean Hatcher had grown up to be a small-time criminal, in and out of jail—not her type. Her attention focused on the men sitting in the corner. She recognized faces but didn’t know names. Just over twenty men were in the bar, but none of them were to her liking.
Roni returned. “Let me make you some coffee. That’s your second drink, and you’re so not driving home, lightweight.”
“Great. I’m in the mood to get laid, and there’s not one man in here that I’d touch with a ten-foot pole. My luck sucks. I guess I will go home.”
“That’s the best thing I’ve heard you say since you walked in the door.” Roni moved down the bar. “I’m getting you a pot of coffee going.”
Lauren’s focus turned to the large picture window by the counter when the lights caught her attention. She saw a big, black older SUV pull into the lot. As it parked, she caught a glimpse of an out-of-state plate. She bit her lip and crossed her legs when she saw the man who climbed out.
Her heart raced when the stranger headed for the door. He had long black hair and was a powerfully-built man, noticeably tall and wide-shouldered. He wore a black leather jacket, and it looked tight around his large biceps. He walked gracefully and smoothly, far more so than most men.
She saw his jeans were molded to muscular thighs when he stepped inside the bar, and she swore a hush filled the room for a few seconds like everyone took notice of him… Lauren knew she sure did. When he started to turn her way, she spun on the barstool, and her gaze went to the mirror behind the bar.
He was extremely good-looking in a rough and sexy kind of way. His eyes appeared dark, but she wasn’t sure of the exact color. He had an olive skin tone, and it was obvious he spent a lot of time in the sun. She got the impression he was very outdoorsy.
He lifted his head a little, still standing in the doorway, giving the place a careful once-over. He looked dangerous to Lauren, definitely a man you didn’t want to meet in a dark alley. She took another sip of her drink and kept her gaze locked on him in the mirror. He moved into the room and further down the long bar counter. He took a seat about eight barstools away from her.
She swallowed the drink and causally glanced down the bar. The light was better, and it let her study his profile. Forget good-looking—the guy was downright hot. He screamed tough. All male. He was the kind of man she avoided like the plague. She liked blonds with medium builds and no taller than five-foot-nine. Otherwise, she just felt too short at five-foot-two. Brent was my type. She gritted her teeth and reminded herself, Brent is a cheating bastard.