Blood Moon

Copyright © 2014 A.D. Ryan

All rights reserved. No part of this book may
be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical terms,
including information storage and retrieval systems, without
permission in writing from the author, except by a reviewer, who
may quote brief passages in a review.

This book is a work of fiction. Names,
characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the
author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to
actual persons, living or dead, events or locales is entirely
coincidental.

Published by A.D. Ryan at Smashwords

This ebook is licensed for your personal
enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to
other people. If you would like to share this book with another
person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If
you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not
purchased for your enjoyment only, then please return to
Smashwords.com or your favorite retailer and purchase your own
copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author

(Blood Moon Trilogy ; 01)

ISBN
9781310370991

Text and Cover design by Angela Schmuhl

Cover Image: Shutterstock, © Serov

Dedicated to all who believed.

Here is where I try to thank those
who offered me nothing but their full support throughout this
entire journey.

First, and foremost, I’d like to
thank my incredible husband for bearing with me through all of
this. You’ve never once complained about what started as a hobby,
and as I decided to publish, you’ve continued to cheer me on.
You’re my rock, and I couldn’t have asked for a more incredible man
to share my life with. I love you with all my heart.

My children, who’ve always made
reading fun, I want this to encourage you and be proof that you can
achieve your dreams, no matter how unattainable they may seem at
times. Aim higher and reach for those stars.

To my mom for always encouraging me
in anything I’ve ever done throughout my life. You’ve been such a
source of inspiration—the pinnacle of strength that every young
woman needs in her life. The sacrifices you’ve made have not gone
unnoticed, nor has your unyielding faith in your
children.

Having shown me that losing
yourself in a well-written book can be one of the best things a
person can do, I thank my dad. With a book almost always in his
hand, his love of reading became my own favorite
pastime.

Tiffany and Lynda, two of the most
helpful and supportive women I’ve had the pleasure of meeting—even
if not yet face-to-face. I don’t know if I’d ever be able to truly
convey through words just how incredibly grateful I am to have you
both accompany me on this journey. Believe me when I tell you just
how much I appreciate all of your help over the years and how much
I appreciate your willingness to point out each and every one of my
grammatical flaws. Your constant critique has only strengthened my
writing, and for that I will be eternally grateful. From the bottom
of my heart, I thank you.

Always willing to read my new
story ideas, my baby sister has always been my biggest fan, always
chomping at the bit for more—even when it isn’t quite ready to be
read. The support she has offered me has been above and beyond,
always pushing me to go bigger and better than before, and always
taking that extra minute in her day to talk me down off the ledge
of plot-twist suicide.

My little-big brother, who’s
played his role in all of this, also deserves a shout-out. Without
my family behind me through this process, none of this would have
been possible.

And, finally, to my beta readers
and the fans of my earlier work. Jennifer, whose first read-through
offered me so much constructive critique with which to work off and
improve the flow of the story. You helped me strengthen and
fine-tune these characters before I offered them up to the rest of
the world, and I thank you for it. Felicia, Nicole, Sandy, Tracy,
and Becky, your love of this world I created has pushed me to
complete the second in the series far sooner than I’d originally
intended. The excitement you all had is what pushed me to put this
out there even more than my own desires, and for that I thank
you.

You all made this happen. I won’t
ever forget that.

Cheers,

Angela

A
young man, newly
twenty-one, sat in a crowded bar. His eyes searched the room as he
drank from his bottle of beer when, suddenly, he felt a pair of
piercing eyes on him. As he looked directly to his right, he
spotted the most beautiful woman he had ever seen. He couldn’t take
his eyes off of her, afraid that if he did he might lose her in the
crowd.

Somewhere in his periphery, his sister was
off dancing with her boyfriend, and while his father had given him
express orders to keep a close eye on her, he knew she was in good
hands. He knew she would be safe from the evil that had been
plaguing their city for weeks.

The entire city was on high alert due to the
rising numbers of grisly murders, and while the police were doing
everything they could, they had yet to break the case. The lack of
evidence made finding a suspect difficult, but they refused to give
up. With the promise to find the person responsible, the city
worried a little less, and life went on as usual.

The man locked eyes with the stunning blonde
creature, and he found himself most taken by her. Captivated, even.
He admired the way the short black dress hugged her glorious
curves, and how the strapless neckline showed off her well-sculpted
shoulders. As he openly gawked, he thought about how he had never
seen such a beauty before… Except, he
had
seen her before.
At that frat party he was just telling his sister about.

The mysterious blonde exuded confidence with
every step she took toward him, her ice blue eyes staring into his
and a coy smile slowly spreading across her face. He watched,
entranced, as she licked her ruby-red lips and made her way through
the crowd toward him. Her long blonde hair swayed behind her as she
walked forward with purpose, and he imagined wrapping it around his
hand to pull her head back for a kiss. Suddenly nervous, he
swallowed thickly as she approached. He recalled feeling this way
when he first met her, too.

“So, we meet again.” Her melodic voice
floated on the air between them, and her cool breath washed over
his skin, tempting him to act on his fantasy from only a moment
ago. “Where did your friends go?” she asked, looking around,
causing her luxurious blonde hair to sway in the breeze of her
movement.

It didn’t escape his notice that the way she
held herself was almost regal, her posture perfect, and he could
only assume she was a dancer by trade given her natural grace.

“Oh, they went to go dance,” he informed
her, glancing back toward his sister and waving when the smaller
red-haired girl looked his way at the same time. With curious eyes,
she regarded her brother’s unknown companion before turning her
attention back to her boyfriend.

Smiling, the blonde woman arched an eyebrow.
“And you don’t dance?” she queried.

The man laughed, knowing just how
uncoordinated he was. “I try to refrain from anything that could
make me look foolish in front of members of the opposite sex,” he
told her honestly.

His eyes wandered over her porcelain
features, and he watched her lick her lips again. It surprised him
just how taken he was by her. She was a stranger to him, yet he
felt so comfortable in her presence, like there might be something
more between them. Was it preposterous to think this way about a
woman he just met? In most cases, yes, but something about her just
felt right, and he needed to know more about her.

“So, what made you decide to come out
tonight?” the stranger inquired. “When I invited you and your
friend over there”—she gave a nod toward the dance floor—”you said
you weren’t so sure.”

He found his voice and shrugged as he
answered, “It’s my birthday.”

“Really?” she purred, the vibration
travelling beneath his skin and settling in his groin. “Well isn’t
that just…lovely.” She gave him a small smile as her fingers played
with the large tear-shaped pendant that hung near the swell of her
breasts. The color of it reminded him of blood.

Realizing where his eyes were focused, he
quickly snapped his attention back to her exquisite eyes and not
how she delicately fidgeted with her necklace or how her fingers
skimmed her skin, causing her flesh to pebble in their wake.
Embarrassed, he swallowed thickly, causing her to laugh softly,
like she found his ogling endearing. “Can I buy you a drink?”

The smile that graced her lovely face was
wide and showcased a set of perfect white teeth. “Well, I am quite
thirsty.” She leaned in to whisper in his ear, her breath tickling
his neck and sending a chill down his spine. “But I was thinking we
could maybe get out of here. Go somewhere a little more
private.”

He was shocked—there was absolutely no doubt
about it. Normally, he wasn’t the kind to be so impulsive, but when
he looked into her dazzling blue eyes, he was no longer in control
of his own body. Without a moment’s pause, he took her outstretched
hand and let her lead him from the club.

Outside, the temperature had gone from dry
and arid to crisp and cool. She pulled him down the alley beside
the club and pressed his body against the brick wall. Barely any
light from the street lamps along the sidewalk reached them, but he
had enough to see the excitement on her face. Her hands traveled
wildly over his chest, and the speed of her breathing seemed to
increase with her zeal.

Something about her made his inhibitions
disappear completely, and soon his hands came up and gripped her
biceps firmly. His earlier desire came rushing back, and he wrapped
her hair around his hand and tilted her head back, bringing his
face down to kiss her neck. Her skin tasted like vanilla and sex as
he moved down over her collarbone and toward her ample breasts. It
intoxicated him, making his entire body hum with anticipation.

Feeling energized and unlike himself, he
turned and pressed her body against the hard brick wall, ready to
hitch her leg around his hip and grind himself against her, but the
woman wasn’t impressed by the loss of dominance. In an effort to
reassert her control, she fisted his hair in one of her hands and
lifted his head away from her, rolling them along the wall until he
was, once again, pinned.

Nervous, his eyes danced between hers. “I’ve
never done this before,” he said before realizing how inexperienced
this confession made him sound. He gave his head a quick shake as
if to clear the fog that confused him and tried again. “I mean,
I’ve done
that
before. I’ve just never been so…impulsive
before.”

The woman continued to smile at him. “Well,
I promise to take it easy on you, then.” She leaned her head in
slowly and pressed her lips to the hollow of his throat, her tongue
darting out and tasting him. He expected the heat of her mouth
against his flesh, but was instead met with the chill of what he
could only assume was the biting wind of the approaching season
change.

As she licked and kissed his throat, he
groaned softly, trying desperately to pull her body into his. “I
don’t even know your name,” he panted, clutching her hips tightly,
his growing arousal firm against her belly.