Primal Night Read online

  Primal Night

  A Prowler Novel

  Ally Parker

  Contents

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 26

  Chapter 27

  Chapter 28

  Newsletter and Stalker links

  Books by Ally Parker

  Sneak Peek

  Keen for more Prowlers?

  Copyright © 2019 Ally Parker.

  Cover Art by Croco Designs

  Editors: Creech Enterprises and Suzanne Johnson

  Digital formatting by Vellum

  Primal Night is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and events are the products of the author’s imagination and used fictitiously. Any resemblance to events, business establishments, locales, or persons, living or dead, is coincidental.

  All Rights Reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise) without the prior written permission of the copyright owner. With the exception of quotes used in reviews.

  This purchase allows you one legal copy for your own personal enjoyment on your reading device. The scanning, uploading, and distribution of this book via the Internet or via any other means without the permission of the author is illegal and punishable by law. Please purchase only authorized electronic editions. Thank you for respecting this author’s work.

  * This book contains swearing and sexual content (in some scenes is suggestively darker in nature) and is best suited for mature readers. *

  Created with Vellum

  Thank you so much for your ongoing support. Have a pawfect holiday season.

  This book is dedicated to you!

  1

  Darkness swallowed the valley whole, the shadows stretched across the cabins where the crescent moon’s light didn’t quite reach. Ryker Bennett liked these nights best. Darkness for a dark creature like himself. Darkness offered protection. Darkness held no expectations, and it didn’t judge him. Darkness hid the shadows haunting his soul and the monster taking over his heart.

  Wind billowed across his position high in the mountain’s cliff, flapping his coat. Plumes of misted air puffed out with his every breath, yet the bite of the frigid night didn’t chill his bones. After all, a cold-hearted beast didn’t feel a thing. This high up he couldn’t see the curling fingers of smoke billowing from what was his pack lands, but the ashen notes teased him every time he inhaled.

  With Christmas only a week away, he wondered if in his absence anyone had bothered to decorate the den. Probably not. It was a weak attempt to lift pack spirits anyway. He knew it and so did his men. The Council’s claws had been bone-deep into his pack and it had impacted them all.

  His men suffered the most.

  And for that I am sorry.

  Not that his apologizes had mattered in the end. He may as well have signed each and every shifter’s death warrant. The thought of his acts churned in his stomach and bile rose. Unlike most males of his kind, he didn’t have to wait to lose his humanity; he was already a monster.

  As if his thoughts of his pack summoned their attempt to reach him, the mental call ricocheted off the barriers he’d built since his status as Alpha of the Dark Falls pack shifted to fugitive. A sharp stab knifed its way into his brain, and he pinched the bridge of his nose. Denying his pack’s mental calls had that effect. It wasn’t natural that an Alpha abandon his pack, or ignore their pack link. Yet, his situation wasn’t normal, and he had to protect his men, even if that meant from himself.

  Now Dark Falls was alone. Vulnerable. So was he. Swallowing that thought, he spun away from his past and all that he had possessed to face the present. A cold, black void—even if he’d planned on claiming his mate, he wasn’t sure the bond could fill the emptiness eating him from the inside out. Mate. The thought of his female floated in his mind. She had been very naughty indeed. His lips tugged at the edge. That meant she had what it would take to be his and survive the shit storm that he was about to rain down against their kind. It would be a deadly battle and change their shifter world. Not that he planned to claim his mate. He would never tarnish a female with the likes of himself.

  Ryker bent and wiped his bloody hands on the dead vampire’s shirt and tossed the body to land on the pyre next to his companion. Striking a match, he lit the kindle and flames engulfed the vampires. As long as the wind stayed blowing north, no one would be the wiser. If not… Well, he’d deal with the fallout when it came knocking.

  “As the flames rise, know that the curls of smoke will not set you free. You will be tethered to the ashes and the scorched earth, lost in a world where you will suffer as did your victims. Never knowing peace, never finding release from your crimes.” Ryker spat at the flames and the air sizzled. He didn’t feel one ounce of remorse for killing the two vampires he’d entrusted to bring his mate safely to him.

  They worked for his father, Josef Bennett, a leading member of the Council community, and therefore they were despicable creatures that got off on hurting others. Yet obedient enough to be kept in the ranks of his father’s employment and, for instance, deliver a female to him without a single hair on her harmed. All for a price, of course. And they were getting their due. Not that the leeches had known Kali was his mate. To them she was just another female to add to his father’s collection.

  Not able to stomach the stench of vampire, he entered deeper into the forest. Snow started to fall and the cover it brought would ensure none of his tracks were discovered. His steps slowed, and his gaze skated along the trees, his senses stretched, seeking any hiding in his domain. When he was satisfied, he approached an alcove behind some boulders and reached down, pulling the branches and few rocks covering the entrance to his secret den.

  He’d known things were about to get dicey and had made provisions suitable for the threats to come. If nothing else, his father had taught him to be resourceful and always prepare for the worst. The steel trapdoor opened with a muffled moan, and he gently placed the door lid against the rock bed in the event the noise traveled.

  You could never be too careful. Creatures of the dark always listened from the shadows. Not that he was scared. Hell, he was the darkness. There was nothing left of him but a sliver of humanity. Nothing and no one would stop him from his quest. It had taken him a long time to come to terms with the truth, but once he did, his resolve was impenetrable. Josef Bennett was evil and justice would be delivered, if it was the last good thing he did.

  He told himself that story every damn day, hoping against all hope he’d stay true to what was right. Every day, it got harder to remember why he cared. If he were honest, lately he felt duty was simply a motion to maintain the ruse that he wasn’t already lost.

  Ensuring the entrance was covered, he descended the stairs. His boots scraped on the stone steps, made with his own hands. Flakes of snow drifted to the floor with each step. No one knew of his safe haven. Not until now. He’d gotten rid of the two vampires. The only one left alive was his. Kali, his mind whispered, sampling his mate’s name. Just the thought of her made his breathing ease.

>   A crash thudded deep within the underground tunnels. A smile tugged at his lips. It seemed his mate had been busy and freed herself from the bonds he’d ordered her to be placed in. Quickening his pace, he weaved through the network of tunnels to his room, and because he was a sick bastard a lick of excitement coursed through his veins. What would his female be like? Would he have enough strength to deny her mating urges? After all it was only natural they would be drawn to each other.

  No matter how many people he’d been surrounded by, he’d always been alone. So he hadn’t prepared for another person to share his den. Yet, under the circumstances, it seemed fitting that his female share his quarters. Where he could keep her safe. Safe from his father’s knowledge, safe from his reach, and more importantly, safe from the Pit.

  Ryker tsked, projecting his voice. “Kali, my frisky little kitty, you’ve been busy.”

  Pulling the single key from around a chain on his neck, he shoved it in the keyhole and turned until the mechanism clicked. He sucked in a breath and nearly groaned, drawing in a nose full of night lilies that could only come from Kali. Straightening his shoulders, he turned the knob, preparing to meet the female that held his future in the palm of her hands.

  Kali Sinclair’s heart pounded hard and fast. The deep baritone voice was unfamiliar. The lock clicked open, and any second the male responsible for her capture would walk through the door. The pine scent of the shifter clung to the bed, and it intensified from beyond the barrier, mixed with stench of death. She lifted her lip, preparing to do something. Anything. Her only focus: survive.

  Was the male working for Jefferson Reynolds? It was hard to tell with the muffled voice. She swallowed hard, chills snaking down her spine. Even thinking of the male’s name resulted in her breath seesawing out of her chest. Jefferson was evil incarnate. She’d been forced to walk hand in hand with a monster and land a front-row seat at the damage the male could wield. Ever since her escape, she’d been hunted by him.

  Calm down. Breathe in. Hold. Breathe out. She craned her neck, stretching the tension from her shoulders. As long as the male wasn’t Jefferson himself, she could handle the situation. Hell, who ever held her captive would be a walk in a park on a sunny afternoon compared to that sadistic bastard.

  Her gaze swung around, skimming the bed, a small dresser, and office desk, searching for something, anything that could be used as a weapon. Nothing. Damn it! It didn’t matter; she was a weapon, as the male was about to find out.

  The door lock clicked, and her attention shot to the only barrier between them.

  Muscles tense, she prepared for battle. Once she’d escaped Jefferson’s grasp, she swore she’d never be a victim again. Her whole life had been fighting for survival and, damn it, she would win this battle. Her time of being controlled, tormented, and living in fear was over. One thing she knew with all certainty—she would never give up. She’d fight tooth and claw until her last breath.

  Soundlessly, the door yawned open and as if the bowels of hell had released the devil himself, a six and a half foot shifter strolled into the room, blood dripping off his leather duster. His eyes skimmed the small space and barely stopped on her before he entered. Shirking out of his jacket, he tossed it in the corner behind the door. Then he reached up and grabbed the back of his gray, blood-spattered tee, and ripped it over his head, leaving him in only some denims and boots.

  Adrenaline spread like a fire, blazing through each limb and organ until her body shook with contained energy. A drop of blood trailed down from the male’s brow, the stench of death wrapped around him as if he wore it often. And damn it if her body—her wolf—didn’t respond.

  She pushed down the unsettling feelings and focused. If he’d thought she would be easy pickings, he was going to be sorely mistaken. She shook her head, still foggy from that damn vampire control. “Come any closer and you’ll be sorry.”

  Her wolf struggled to surface. Black-tipped claws shot out from her nail beds, and fur skated along her arms. She urged her body to shift fully to her wolf, but nothing else happened. Damn it. One of the male’s black-slashed brows shot up as if to mock her strength. A deep rumble snaked its way up from her chest. She may be smaller than the male holding her captive, but she was lithe and light on her feet and knew how to fight dirty, as he’d soon learn.

  Glancing from the cuffs still attached to the bed and her broken bra wire hanging from the lock, he raised his brows and shot her a smile that morphed the hard angles of his face to something completely different. Something exquisite. Something that spiked her already-pounding heart rate.

  “Impressive,” he said, kicking his chin toward the cuffs.

  It would have been more impressive if she’d found a way out of there before he’d shown up. He unbuckled the button of his jeans and stepped closer to her. Pent-up energy fueled her movements, and she threw her fist at the male. His fingers wrapped around her wrist. She tensed and drove another punch with her left arm.

  In what would have been an inspiring move if it wasn’t happening to her, the shifter dodged her strike and spun her on the spot as if they were dancing. Her back thudded against his rock-hard stomach. The hard length of his arousal pressed against her back and dread stole her breath. More alarmingly, her body responded. A quiver shook in her lower belly, her nipples beaded, and she bit her lip.

  What in the moon was wrong with her? Not trusting her body’s response, panic fueled her struggles to dislodge his hold on her. The band of his arm tightened, plastering her closer to his body. She wasn’t going anywhere unless he allowed it. With his other hand, he reached forward, his large frame blanketing her, and picked up a towel from the dresser. The heat from his body engulfed her, and anger thrashed inside her chest. Damn it! She’d spent her life fighting for freedom and within seconds one male had her caught in his grasp and his mercy.

  Before she could react, his breath whispered across her skin. “Do not move to touch me again.”

  She shivered. The heat from him disappeared and she spun to face him, to find he’d stormed toward a basin built into the wall on the opposite corner of the room. He dampened the cloth and proceeded to wash the blood from his tanned skin.

  She frowned. If he wasn’t going to attack her, what did he want? The thought churned in her stomach. The sad part was, no one would be coming to save her. Well, she didn’t plan on waiting for some hero to save her anyhow. She’d just save herself.

  She wet her lips and asked the one burning question she needed to know. “What do you want with me?”

  2

  What did he want with her? Wasn’t that a loaded question? In a perfect world, he would have wooed her, pushed her down on the bed, mated the hell out of her, and she would have loved every second of his attentions. His deflating arousal hardened.

  Kali was the perfect female specimen. Her hair, the color of his morning coffee, curled at the tips and hung past her shoulders. She was on the smaller side for a female shifter. To him it didn’t matter. Even her straight, sharp nose was faultless. His gaze drifted down, and he imagined his hands spanning across her tiny waist. Just like a decadent dessert, so tempting and so sweet.

  She stood tall, her muscles tensed with fury, and a healthy dose of panic rolled off her in waves. Since his arousal hung heavy in the air, it didn’t take a genius to understand she wasn’t interested. Maybe if he wasn’t on the run things could have been different.

  He shook his head. Life wasn’t perfect. Hell, his life was about to become a one-way ticket to death. So, instead of dooming his mate to that destiny, he’d settle for her safely tucked away until fate had served justice.

  Tearing his gaze from her dark eyes, he clenched his jaw. “Nothing. I want nothing from you, Kitty.”

  Unable to keep the bite from his words, he focused his attention on anything but the female standing right next to his bed. Standing half-dressed wouldn’t go far to reassure his mate his intentions were honorable. He snorted. Had there ever been a time his intentions were
honorable?

  “Don’t call me that!”

  Turning his back to his destiny, he headed to the dresser and removed his blood-soaked pants, tossing them into the pile behind his door. He’d have to burn the clothing soon or the smell could lure unwanted attention. “With all that spitting and clawing, you’re definitely a kitty.”

  Kali sucked in a breath. He tossed a glance over his shoulder to find her gaze trailing over his body like a beam of heat. Clearing his throat, her eyes darted away to his desk. A tug pulled at the corner of his lips and he put some clean jeans on. She may not have wanted him, but she was curious to look her fill. He frowned. Why didn’t she want him? Couldn’t she sense they were mates? By rights she should be suffering from the urge to mate too since she was also a shifter? Or so he’d heard.

  “Nothing? Then why go to all this trouble? Why am I here?”

  No one could know that she was his. Including Kali. Corruption and lies ran deep into the Shifter Council, and he was about to expose it all. He couldn’t risk Kali being used as a pawn. So he did what any good mate would do—protect his female any way he could. Even if that meant not being completely honest. One of the downsides of being a shifter; lies had a particular spicy smell. He’d have to tread carefully with his answers.

  “Someone has invested interest in your well-being and wants to keep you safe.”