Beneath the Broken Moon: Part Two: Shifter/Vampire Romance (7 page)

Neal Kelly was the Alpha of Alphas? Tears burned my eyes. Now I remembered him. Father had pointed him out at one of the meetings when I was younger.

Neal wouldn’t save me from my father, but my desperation didn’t want to listen. “No, Dad, I didn’t mess up.” My voice lacked any emotion, which fit the increasingly numb sensation that sheltered me. “You insulted our Alpha’s son and my future mate. Why?”

His lips curled back from his teeth, and he narrowed his eyes at me. “How dare you! You should’ve kept out of danger and not gone to his home without my permission. You always get into trouble. Our family will be disgraced because of you.” He forced his way between my legs.

I slammed my knee into his groin, and he slapped me hard. Pain radiated from my cheek. I snarled, but he pressed his hand over my mouth again. Sinking my teeth into his fingers, I savored the taste of his blood trickling into my mouth. The need to shed my human skin and rip out his throat snapped inside me. That brought back my training.

I punched him in the jaw. His head snapped backward and he lost his balance, collapsing on top of me. I headbutted him in the face. An audible crack broke the silence.

His hand clenched over my breast again, as if to anchor himself and regain his power over me. But I wouldn’t fall for that. Not with my confidence crashing back into me.

Stay strong.
Brendan’s words echoed through my head.

I punched him again, throwing more force behind it. This time he toppled off the bed, but not without ripping my nightgown.

I clutched the pieces together and scrambled off the opposite side of the bed. Father growled behind me. Sprinting to the door with a supernaturally fast limp, I reached for the doorknob. My fingers had barely brushed it when he grabbed the back of my neck and slammed me face-first into the door.

Blood trickled from my forehead, and my legs weakened from the impact.

Father fisted his hand in the nightgown, and I slammed my head back, hitting his nose again. He released me to cover his nose, cursing all the while.

I scrambled for the doorknob again. If I could just wake my mother, I might be safe. She’d fight him with me. If he succeeded, my position as an Alpha Queen would be ruined.
I
would be ruined. That couldn’t happen.

The door opened a crack before I could turn the knob, and Chandra peeked inside. Her eyes widened and her jaw dropped open. The door snapped closed behind her, and her footsteps hurried down the hall to her room.

She chose not to help. She’d said it should be me; now she was getting what she wanted, I guessed.

Tears streamed down my cheeks as he dragged me to the bed. He forced my face into the mattress, muffling my cries. His zipper opening was the only other sound.

No
. I refused to let this happen. I pushed up from the bed and spun to face him, ready to fight until one of us was dead. He clocked me in the jaw, and darkness shaded my vision. My body fell back, feeling weightless for a moment before I hit the mattress.

The image of Chandra colliding with my father as he reached for me was the last thing I saw. She was back.

“You bitch,” he slurred. “You’ll pay the price for her this time, then.” Chandra started to scream, but it cut off with a thud. A door rattled in the hallway. That’s why Mom hadn’t come to help. She was trapped in their room.

Betrayal stabbed me in the heart like a knife.

I couldn’t stay here after this. It didn’t matter if I lived as a vagrant in the Outskirts for the rest of my life. I’d survive even this.

CHAPTER TWELVE

Carmela

I opened one eye. The other had swollen shut from Father’s punches last night. My body wasn’t healing as quickly as it should have. Could it be from not shifting? The visit with Dr. Matthews came back to me. No, it had to be the silver bullet.

My limbs refused to budge, but I had to leave now before Father came back. Remembering yesterday brought tears to the surface, but I held them at bay. For now, I needed to focus on the task at hand.

Hefting myself up, I nearly flopped back onto the bed from the agony ripping through my body. I climbed to my feet, then carefully made my way to the closet, easing it open without a sound. No one could hear me leave; they might try to stop me. I pulled a small duffel bag out and unzipped it, cringing at the sound it made. That same noise brought back the near-desecration I’d suffered from a man who was supposed to love and protect me. I knew I’d hear it play back in my mind for a long time to come.

Chandra...
I glanced around the bedroom, but she wasn’t here. Part of me wanted to check her room to see if she was okay, but fear kept me rooted in place. If my father was home, he could try to finish what he started.

I tossed a few outfits into the bag with my good arm, grabbed a couple of essentials like a hairbrush and a picture of my mother and me smiling. After closing the bag, I went to the window and pushed it open to see if anyone was lingering outside. My bedroom faced the street. I had to be extra careful not to get caught.

The sun was just above the horizon. I couldn’t count on Father being at work. He could be passed out on the couch for all I knew, especially with all the alcohol he’d consumed. No one would take him seriously smelling like the bottom of a whiskey barrel.

I looked down at the sidewalk below the second-story drop, remembering how badly it’d hurt jumping
out of Derek’s window. This time I was even more injured, but I wasn’t about to stay here and put up with more. Mother might suffer from my actions, but I couldn’t remain under that man’s power after he almost raped me.

I put on some clothes and shoes, then ran my fingers through my hair. If I looked suspicious, the
Cazador
or police might be curious about me. Neither sounded good. I couldn’t tell the police what had happened—it would force my family into plain sight, and the
Cazador
would have even more targets to hunt.

Where could I go? Maybe I should accept my fate and go to the Outskirts. The area was originally a refugee camp for those trying to get into the city, but the people who lived there were poorer than poor and far more dangerous than anyone you’d find here. They were more like animals than people, nocturne or not. I shoved the thought aside. Right now it didn’t matter where I went, as long as I got out.

As I tossed my leg over the windowsill, fear clenched my chest at the drop.
Stop it. You have to leave.
I tossed my bag to the ground, then leapt before I could convince myself to stay. My legs buckled beneath me as my weight hit the ground. Pain gnawed at me like a million piranhas, nearly crippling me.

I clawed my way to my feet, snatched up the bag, and hobbled away. For a long time I just put one foot in front of the other, sticking to the shadows as much as I could. My thoughts were mostly empty. If I didn’t think about what had happened, maybe I could pretend it was just a dream. But that didn’t calm my fears. I kept an eye out for anyone I knew. At any moment, I expected to hear Father’s voice shouting for me to come back.

My feet shuffled along the sidewalk. Dusk settled in around me, and the surrounding streetlamps bathed me with their glow. I lifted my gaze to see Derek’s home, and I froze. Should I knock? What if he turned me away after seeing my condition? What if he thought I was too much trouble?

My shoulders sagged, and I sighed. What other option did I have? Brendan? My father would expect me to run there. He might try to negotiate to bring me home again. No way could I run to him. It was too dangerous. Besides, he’d tried to protect me from my father; maybe I should’ve told him about the beatings sooner. But what could he have done? We weren’t mated yet.

I peeked into the alleyway alongside Derek’s house. It was empty. Inching forward, I kept an eye out for anything suspicious. Elliot, his vampire friend, could be with him, for all I knew. Maybe this was a bad idea.

What would I be opening myself up to by asking for his help? Did it matter? I didn’t have anywhere else to go. I reached the back door and raised my fist to knock.

I tapped on the door twice. If he wanted to invite me in, he’d answer. If not, I would survive without him. One of the werewolves I knew from Militia training lived in the Outskirts. She’d been friendly, while most of the others looked down on me for being an Alpha Queen. They were jealous, but it was understandable; life was hard for them.

Besides, I’d been given enough training to not let what happened get the best of me. At least not the physical pain. Hopefully the emotional trauma brewing inside me would disappear with time as well.

AUTHOR’S NOTE

Thank you for reading
Beneath the Broken Moon: Part Two
! I hope you enjoyed reading this story. Please consider leaving a review at Amazon or on Goodreads, even if it’s a line or two. It truly helps! Also, if you’re interested in being the first to know when Part Two releases, sign up for my
newsletter
or like my
Facebook page
.

Website

Newsletter

Facebook

Twitter

Goodreads

OTHER BOOKS BY SARAH M
ÄKELÄ

Beneath the Broken Moon Serial
(New Adult Paranormal Romance)

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Part 4

Part 5

Cry Wolf Series
(New Adult Paranormal Romance)

Book 1:
The Witch Who Cried Wolf

Book 2:
Cold Moon Rising

Book 3:
The Wolf Who Played With Fire

Book 4:
Highland Moon Rising

Cry Wolf Series Boxed Set (Books 1-3)

The Amazon Chronicles Series
(Paranormal Romance)

Book 1:
Jungle Heat

Book 2:
Jungle Fire

The Amazon Chronicles Collection

Hacked Investigations Series
(Futuristic Paranormal Romance)

Book 1:
Techno Crazed

Book 2:
Savage Bytes

Courts of Light and Darkness Series
(Fantasy Romance)

Book 1:
Captivated

EXCERPT FOR
THE WITCH WHO CRIED WOLF

CHAPTER ONE

Mia

Jessa’s New Age shop—Eternally Magick—was empty. Usually, Jessa was around. But, right now, she wasn’t. I leaned against the front counter, resting my forehead against the cool glass. Athames, crystals, jewelry and really cute dragon statues were locked in the case beneath my fingertips. While I enjoyed hanging out at the shop and seeing what new potions were available, I wished Jessa had given me some kind of clue as to why she wanted me here. But she was my best friend and mentor; the reason had to be important, if for nothing else to spend much needed time together.

I glanced over my shoulder at the wall of ingredients lining the shelves, ripe for the picking. It had been a while since I’d made a new potion. Maybe if I could stock up on a few things...

“Not what you’re here for,” I whispered to myself. The urge to see what she had nearly drove me away from the counter, but I held myself in check.

Making potions was one of my hobbies. I loved the creativity and excitement that went into building something from nothing, and the brief connection with my power.

Tapping my fingers on the counter, I stared at the curtained-off backroom. Worry crept into my chest. Why wasn’t Jessa here? She never stood me up. This wasn’t like her.

“Jessa?” Usually she came right out when the bells on the door chimed. Biting my lower lip, I considered going into the back. Someone could steal things without her keeping an eye on the store.

“Coming,” Jessa called. The black-haired and blue-eyed beauty swept into the front of the store like a hurricane of flowing skirts. She always looked like she’d just come from a Renaissance faire.

I loved the way she dressed, but I knew that style would never be my thing. My parents would think I’d flipped my lid, and my older brother....
Shudder
. Nolan would laugh at me, probably joking with his best friend—and my crush since forever—Ethan Parker.

“Where have you been? I was getting concerned.” Stepping around the counter, I wrapped my arms around her and she embraced me in a hug smelling of lavender and honey.

“Just in the back. I had to wrap up a call and I guess I didn’t hear you come in.” Jessa smiled, but something was up. She appeared a bit too eager to pretend everything was fine.