Magical Holiday Love (The Anthology Novella Series Book 4) Read online

  Table of Contents

  Dark Savior

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Epilogue

  A Wolf’s Christmas Gift

  About the Author

  Copyright

  I just wanted to take a moment to say a quick thank you to all of the amazing people who have walked with me along the way on this incredible journey.

  There are way too many to name. My family, my friends and those friends who have become family…you all mean the world to me. Know that you are appreciated and loved. Always…

  Dar

  Chapter 1

  Dr. Mara Prescott sighed heavily as she rubbed her aching, watering eyes; trying her best to concentrate on the slides in front of her. She had gone almost twenty-four hours without sleep, and it was beginning to take its toll her… but she was so damn close! She could feel it!

  The last four years of her life had been spent working her ass off trying to find a cure for Xeroderma Pigmentosum; the extremely rare disorder that caused the UV rays of the sun to be deadly to those who were unfortunate enough to suffer from it. Those very rare few like her younger brother, who had died much too young from the practically unheard of disease.

  She quickly jotted down a few notes and stretched, rolling the kinks out of her shoulders and wondering if she should just call it a day. She was so tired she was actually beginning to see double.

  She had been at the facility for almost a year now; being funded by a company that she was beginning to suspect had a lot more military ties than she had first been led to believe. She found herself starting to question exactly who was funding her research…and why. But, the very last thing she wanted or needed to do at the moment was to make any waves with the powers that be; even if it did seem that the closer she got to finally making a break-through, the more amped up security was getting. Suddenly, men dressed in fatigues were becoming the norm around the place.

  God Lord, she thought with the tiniest of shivers crawling across her spine… just what in the hell had she gotten herself into? It seemed as if she was wondering that more and more in the past few weeks and it was beginning to unnerve her. Something seemed…off.

  When the company Geotech had approached her about her research; she couldn’t have passed up their offer if she had wanted to. Not if she wanted to keep working on finding a cure for a disease that had swiftly become her obsession.

  She had been refused yet another grant from the research lab she had previously been working with, and financially, she would have just been unable to continue.

  The bureaucrats at the lab had told her in their overly sweet, overly condescending way that it was just not cost effective to allow her to continue her work on such a rare, non-mainstream disease. Non-mainstream she thought with a snort. So, in other words…if the damn Kardashian’s didn’t suffer from it, it didn’t mean a thing to anyone who mattered! Time to hit the road! They wanted more movie of the week diseases!

  She had felt as if she had failed her brother, and suddenly, like a beacon of light from above, in had stepped Geotech and Alexander Black! He had contacted her and informed her that they were very interested in her research and they were more than willing to fund it.

  They would provide her with a lab and anything else she could possibly need, and she had jumped at the offer as if it had been Heaven sent! How could she not?

  But now…there seemed to be a little more going on than had first met the eye and she didn’t know how she felt about it all. They usually left her alone to do her work… but lately, it almost felt as if she was being monitored.

  Mara stood and stretched her aching muscles, thinking that maybe it was time to call it a day after all. There was only three days left until Christmas and she supposed she should do something festive. Her apartment held no holiday spirit what-so-ever, and she actually found herself wondering when the last time she had really cared to celebrate the holidays had been. She shrugged the thought off and decided that she would deal with all of that later. Christmas was the least of her worries!

  She shut down her computer and packed it up; hoping that a nice long shower, a glass of wine and some quiet time would help to clear her head.

  She tossed her long blonde hair into a half hazard pony tail, and grabbed her jacket, her mind slipping back to the nagging thought that it seemed as if no matter what she did, or how hard she tried - she was still missing something.

  Mara nodded quickly to the guard as she stepped off of the elevator and headed towards the front exit. Guh! More damned fatigues, she thought with a furrowing of her brow. Just where in the hell was Charlie?

  She found that she really missed the older man’s nightly call of ‘Have a great evening, Dr. Prescott!’ Or his offering of his wife’s homemade Christmas cookies! The buttery, sugary delights were something she was beginning to look forward to and about the only festiveness of the season for her this year. Charlie was one of the sweetest guys that she had ever met and he always seemed to worry about her working such long hours. He would inquire if she was eating enough with a slight frown marring his grandfatherly face…hence the boxes of cookies that he shoved at her almost daily. GI Joe there, didn’t seem to care in the least!

  She tried to shake the thought off as she left the building. Hurrying over to her car, she found herself reasoning that Charlie had probably just taken off to spend the holidays with his family. Perhaps if she had had a family of her own, she would have done the same, she thought wistfully.

  Damn, it was much later than she had initially thought, she realized as she glanced around at the long-deserted parking lot. Not that the building she worked in really held that many employees to begin with, but this was completely empty!

  She hit her key fob and heard that familiar beep letting her know that the doors were now unlocked and smiled broadly. Home! Shower! Eat…then blissful, wonderful sleep!

  Just as she reached out for the door handle, she felt an arm slip around her from behind in a vice-like grip and she opened her mouth to scream; but before she could even think of making a single sound, she felt something sharp jab into her neck… then only darkness. The last thing she was aware of was being pulled into a very strong embrace and the sound of her keys hitting the pavement.

  Chapter 2

  Rayne Masters tossed the new recruit to the mat with a solid slam as he grinned devilishly. The recruit sprang back up in an instant and faced him in silent challenge; eyeing his foreboding instructor standing there so cock-sure of himself with what he hoped was an intimidating snarl.

  “I’m going to wipe that smirk right off of your face, Masters,” he growled at Rayne, only a moment before lunging forward and attacking the mountain of muscle with everything he was worth.

  Rayne burst into a hearty laughter as he effortlessly side-stepped the attack and knocked the man down to the floor once again. “Bellows, just give it up already,” he snickered confidently.

  “Shit, Masters! You just royally suck!” Sam Bellows ground out as he once again picked himself up off of the floor, his fangs descending from his gums and his eyes beginning to glow slightly.

  “That I do,” Rayne responded with a good-natured snort. “Now, put those damn things away,” he said, motioning to the Vampire’s fangs, “and let’s call it a day. I’m hungry as hell. We can go at it again tomorrow.”

  Sam took a moment and concentrated on calming down, feeling his fangs retract almost immediately. “How do you do it?” He finally asked Rayne seriously.

  He had
only just been recruited into the Special Forces team six months earlier, and he couldn’t understand how his commander always seemed to keep his cool. The man was intense and foreboding as hell, Sam thought with a shake of his head. Well over six foot two with a muscular, intimidating form, the man was a force to be reckoned with; yet he could remain calm in almost any circumstance. In the entire time that he had been here, he had never seen the Vampire lose his temper once.

  “Do what?” Rayne asked, walking over to the small refrigerator at the back of the Gym and grabbing a bag of blood. He popped it into the microwave and grunted in disgust. “Jesus, I hate this bagged shit,” he grumbled under his breath, and Sam chuckled.

  “Right from the source, eh Masters?” He asked with a grin. “There’s nothing better than taking it straight from some hot things thigh, huh?”

  “Damn straight,” Rayne chuckled in return.

  His reputation with the forces was notorious. Rayne Masters could have any damn woman that he wanted, and he usually did. His thick dark hair and intense green eyes were every woman’s wet dream, and it wasn’t hard to get them to agree to a quick romp with the man in question. Not with a body like a brick shit house, great looks and a deep, smoky voice that had women fawning over him. And, with just a little mind manipulation, they were never the wiser that he took a bit of sustenance from them as he pleasured them. All they ever remembered was a night of passion with the man of their dreams. It was their ultimate fantasy come to life and Rayne was only too happy to oblige.

  Sam shook his head, a smile cutting across his face. Despite his arrogance, he really liked Rayne. He was a tough as nails, no-nonsense commander who always put his men first. He was fiercely loyal and was one of the best that the Forces had ever had. The Vampire was a damn legend, and Sam found it an honor to be training with him.

  “Hey, Masters?” A young man called as he stuck his head through the doorway. “Black wants to see you in his office asap.”

  Rayne groaned as he extended his fangs and punctured the bag of blood, draining it down in an instant. “Shit,” he said, tossing the now-empty container into a near-by trash can. “It looks like we’ll be suiting up. Might just be high time to pop your cherry, newbie.” With that, he gave Sam a cocky grin and left the Gym.

  Rayne casually strolled through the doorway of Alexander Black’s office without even bothering to knock. The two men had known each other for centuries and had never bothered with protocol.

  “Hey, Al,” Rayne called with a grin, sitting down and propping his legs up on Alex’s desk. He could see his friend tense up immediately and snickered.

  There were two things that drove Alexander Black to the point of distraction. One – being called Al, and two – having someone prop their feet up on his desk and Rayne knew it. Rayne also took great pleasure in driving his friend ape-shit crazy at every given opportunity.

  Alex shot Rayne an irritated glare and waited until he had dropped his feet back down to the floor before speaking. “I have a mission for you,” he informed him quietly, and Rayne noticed that Alex wasn’t his usual relaxed self. Something was definitely bothering his friend. “It needs special attention and you and your team are the only ones that I trust with it.”

  “Where are we going and how many do you need?” Rayne asked, already sifting through his mind and making preparations. In their field of duty, when you were called… you were usually expected to leave immediately.

  Black’s men were an elite splinter group of the military’s Special Forces sector. Calling this team of men Top Secret would have been a severe understatement. They were made up of some of the deadliest Supernatural’s in existence. Vampires and Shifter’s; they were used specifically for special missions. Missions that called for their heightened senses, strength and savvy. There were eight in all, not counting Alex, who had founded the group decades earlier. Alex’s deep ties to the higher ups in the military kept their missions top secret…and very much in demand.

  Alex seemed to hesitate a moment. Something that Rayne had never seen him do before, and it actually threw him for a loop. “What’s going on, Alex?” He asked evenly, knowing in his gut that this was something that was not sitting well with his friend at all. He seemed edgy and on guard.

  “I need you to extract someone who’s been taken hostage by Maurice and his fold.” Rayne watched as Alex flinched slightly as he said the words, as if they were beyond unpleasant and left a nasty taste in his mouth.

  Maurice Dufrane had been a thorn in their sides for more years than either one of them cared to admit. He was an arrogant as all get out Vampire, who wanted nothing more than to rule the humans as their master and they his servants. He believed that humans were no more than cattle to be drained and disposed of; or kept as blood bags to feed from and torture.

  The Vampire had smarts, determination and an overabundance of wealth at his disposal to make tracking and catching the bastard damned near impossible; even for Rayne and his team.

  “And, just who are we extracting?” Rayne asked eyeing his friend up and down as Alex tossed him a file.

  “Her name is Dr. Mara Prescott,” he whispered, and Rayne swore that he detected a hint of guilt in his friend’s voice. It hovered over him like a dark cloud. “She’s been doing research for a company of ours,” he went on; sounding more and more uncomfortable as he did and Rayne couldn’t help but wonder just what in the hell was up.

  Rayne opened the folder and felt his entire body come on full alert in a heartbeat. Inside, there was an eight by ten of what had to be the most beautiful woman that he had ever seen. Long, blonde hair that fell in thick, wavy curls down her back, huge blue eyes and full perfect lips. Jesus!

  He studied the picture closely, his jaw tensing as he did. She wasn’t going to last long if she was in the grip of Maurice and his little band of blood suckers. Shit! She was just too damned tempting for her own good! Those animals would be all over her like white on rice, and just the thought of what they would put her through caused an ache deep in his gut. They would be savage.

  “What is she researching,” he asked, unable to take his eyes from the woman smiling in the picture that he held. It was a shot taken by someone without her knowledge, and she looked relaxed and happy, her gorgeous face lighting up with her smile.

  Alex sighed tiredly and rubbed a hand across his face, sounding completely beat down. “She’s been working on curing a disease that causes the sun to be deadly to some people,” he replied, his voice very low and hesitant.

  Rayne’s head shot up, knowing that if this branch of the military was funding this research, it might mean…no. It couldn’t be.

  “You actually think she’s close to finding a cure…that would allow Vampire’s to walk in the sun?” The words were out before he could stop them and Rayne winced slightly.

  Rayne knew that one of Alex’s most coveted desires was to be able to walk outside during the day, and wondered if he was the one who had funded the good Doctor’s research himself…ergo the guilt that he was picking up on. Alex’s mate was human, and Rayne knew that he wanted more than anything to be able to spend time with her outside, in the sun. To live as close to a normal life as a Vampire possibly could.

  Alex nodded his head slightly; looking pained and just a tad bit green about the gills. “We’ve been monitoring her advances, and doing our own studies on…our kind. She’s very close. Right now, our subjects have been able to remain out for almost a full hour.” He sighed heavily as he looked to his friend. “Somehow, whisperings of her research have gotten to Maurice’s ears, and he wants that cure. Imagine how powerful he could be if he had it and used it only on he and his followers?”

  Rayne’s jaw clenched at the very thought of this lovely creature being held by that sadistic asshole and his band of power hungry misfits. Maurice’s Vampires were blood thirsty, vicious killers, and to think of the damage they could do if they were able to walk around in the sunlight was staggering.

  “Shit,” Rayne h
issed through his teeth.

  “Yeah,” Alex agreed sadly; and Rayne found that he was unable to keep himself from asking the question that was gnawing at his insides.

  “Are you involved with her?” He knew that it was highly unlikely. Vampire’s mated for eternity and never cheated on their mates; and Alex was completely and totally devoted to Jessica… but still, he had to ask.

  Alex met his gaze full on and shook his head. “Only in the sense that I funded the dummy company to help her continue with her research, and her being taken is most likely my own damn fault. I didn’t have enough security in place that I should have, and there had to be a fucking mole.” He ground out guiltily. “This is going to absolutely terrify her.” He said the last with a shaky breath, and Rayne felt his gut jerk once again. No freaking way!

  “She’s human?” He asked, and Alex nodded miserably. “And, let me guess… she doesn’t know that we even exist.” It wasn’t a question; it was a statement, and Alex nodded once again, looking as if he was going to be sick. “Christ, Alex!” Rayne snarled, his green eyes darkening with his anger.

  “She thinks that she’s been working on a cure for a very rare disease that her younger brother died from, not knowing that it could possibly help us...see daylight.”

  Rayne stood and began to pace the room. Son of a bitch! It was hard enough doing these missions when the person being extracted knew about their kind! They didn’t have to deal with the surprise that came when they realized that Rayne and his men were faster, stronger, more blood thirsty…and not human. Shit! Shit! And… shit! What in the hell had Alex been thinking?

  Rayne pushed his anger back and looked at his friend. “And, just where would I be going?” He asked finally, knowing that this was going to need to be a very small group going in. Small…as in one, he figured. Christ!

  Alex shoved another folder across the desk and looked at Rayne apologetically. “I’m sorry, Rayne, but you’re the best that I’ve got. I need you to get her out of there safely and as quickly as possible. I couldn’t exist knowing that I had gotten her killed…. or worse,” he finished with a sad shake of his head.