SavageLust

Desiree
Holt

Night Seekers, Book Five

The Night Seekers, a clandestine group of humans and wolf
shifters, are on the trail of the Chupacabra. For team member Dante Martello, killing
as many of the beasts as possible is the only thing easing the loss of his
wife. Felicia fell victim to the creature years ago, but Dante’s pain is as
fresh as ever. He’s a hollow shell, his existence narrowed to a single-minded
purpose.

Making him completely unprepared for Regan Fortune, who
jumpstarts a heart—and libido—he’d thought long dead.

Killed while researching the Chupacabra, Regan’s brother is the
latest victim of the beast—and his fiancée is still missing. Even as Dante and
Regan embark on a hunt to avenge her brother, find the missing woman, and
prevent further deaths, the couple can’t deny the attraction exploding between
them. Sizzling erotic nights blunt their mutual pain and hint at a possible
future…if they can catch the madman responsible for unleashing the legendary
beast.

A
Romantica®
paranormal erotic romance
from Ellora’s Cave

“Okay, it’s official.”

Reed Fortune looked over at his fiancée. “What’s official,
babe?” He grinned. “Us? Damn straight.”

Lisa McKay laughed, the sound musical. “I know that, you
idiot. It’s one of the reasons we’re out here celebrating in nature. What I
mean is, I’ve just decided the scenery in Texas Hill Country is one of the
Seven Wonders of the Ancient World.”

Reed raised an eyebrow. “You changing the location of one of
those old icons?”

“Actually, only one of them still exists. The Great Pyramid
of Giza. There are about five new Seven Wonders lists that people have conjured
up, so why can’t I start my own?”

“I guess you can. It’s okay with me.”

“I mean, look at this, Reed.” She made a sweeping motion
with her arm. “Have you ever seen anything that takes your breath away like
this? Aren’t you glad we live in the middle of such an awesome area?”

She was standing on a rocky outcropping on the edge of a
bluff, staring out over the Pedernales River flowing beneath them. The sky was
painted a brilliant mixture of deep pink and ocean blue and glittering gold.
The colors actually seemed reflected back from the low mountains and the
meandering water below. Although they were already into November, the days were
still blessedly warm enough for outdoor activities.

The sight of her tall, lithe figure on the rock took Reed’s
breath away. That was nothing new. Sometimes just a glimpse of her did that to
him. She’d fashioned her thick blonde hair into a braid that hung down her back
but a few stray wisps escaped, brushing against her skin. The cerulean sky, the
same color as her eyes, was her backdrop, the whole bathed by the gold of the
sunlight.

Her t-shirt and shorts outlined a body that he knew every
inch of, one that was highly toned yet soft beneath his touch. Just last night
he had slowly and thoroughly explored it. Thinking about that and looking at
her now made his cock harden and press against the fly of his hiking shorts.

God, he loved this woman. He gave thanks every day that she
had come into his life, especially considering his…special situation.

Reed Fortune was a shifter, and therefore very careful about
establishing relationships. He and Lisa had been together a long time before he’d
even brought up the subject. He was more than grateful she had an open mind and
a natural curiosity.

“We’ve hiked a lot of trails, babe,” he said, shaking
himself out of his reverie. “Seen some incredible views.”

She nodded. “I agree. But this…this is just outstanding. A
research trip
and
gorgeous scenery? Can’t beat that combination.”

“And we haven’t even seen the falls themselves yet,” he
reminded her.

“What’s even better,” she added, “is we’ve practically got
the place to ourselves today. I wonder where everyone is?”

He shrugged. “Busy. Doing other stuff.” He rubbed his chin.
“Lucky for us in more ways than one. I have a feeling that’s why my instincts
told me we should do this now.”

His face sobered as he thought of the dual reasons for today’s
hike. Yes, they were celebrating their engagement doing one of the things they
loved best. But they had a deeper, more dangerous reason too.

Reed had written a number of bestsellers about outrageous
legends, and Lisa had helped him with most of the research. This research trip
was much trickier though. Their latest project concerned the legendary
Chupacabra, the “goatsucker”, whose brutal killing methods were the stuff of
nightmares.

At first Lisa had tried to talk Reed out of it. Their
research had uncovered all the stories over the past years—centuries,
even—about the devil beast and the devastation it left in its wake, stories
that often frightened her. But Reed was convinced there was something more
going on here, something so horrific people refused to put a name to it. After
all, how many of these “goatsucker” creatures could there be? Was it possible
there was some kind of breeding place for them?

Lisa and Reed hardly dared whisper the thought to each
other, but Reed was determined to be the one who discovered the real origin and
perpetuation of the Chupacabra.

More than that—he wanted to extinguish the breed.

He also had a personal reason for this particular project.
Reed and his sister were the last of a shifter clan that had been shrinking for
years. Stories had been passed down to them from their parents about the voracious
hunger the Chupacabra had for wolves. For shifters, in particular. And Reed was
determined to track the beast to its lair and find a way to destroy it for
good.

It was sheer luck that he and Lisa had hooked up. She had
been studying werewolves, of all things, in the library when he was doing
research in some very old books. One thing led to another and, well…

When Reed thought about her excitement the first time she’d
seen him shift, his cock hardened and his blood raced. Who would have guessed
he’d be lucky enough to find someone like Lisa? Not to mention the fact that
once she’d discovered his true nature, the sex became hotter and more electric
than ever.

Because the level of disbelief in the Chupacabra was so
high, a lot of work had gone into pulling their information together. Studying
countless articles and reports to determine if the descriptions of alleged
victims’ bodies matched the goatsucker’s methods. Reed had discovered that the
number of deaths had increased in the past year. And although they occurred in
various states, the majority of them took place in Texas.

Using information from ancient books and plotting on a map,
he’d decided the beast’s next target area would be Wolf Mountain. Too crowded?
Yes. Illogical? Also yes. But there was
nothing
logical about the
situation, so here he and Lisa were.

“I know it defies reason,” he told Lisa when he’d made plans
for the hike, “but my wolf senses are tingling. I need to do this.”

“And in that particular place?”

“Yes.” He had looked at her, baffled by even his own logic.
“Everything I’ve found says it hunts in isolated areas but something keeps
leading me back to Wolf Mountain. Sometimes instinct overrides logic.”

“Then I’m coming too,” she insisted.

“Too dangerous.” They had just gotten engaged and he didn’t
want anything to happen to her.

“We’re in this together. Where you go, I go.” Then she’d
kissed him so heatedly he wasn’t sure his cock would ever stop straining to get
out of his jeans. “Besides, we can use it as a celebration. What better way to
seal the deal than making love under the stars listening to a waterfall
nearby?”

Still, he made sure that in his backpack, along with camping
gear and his ever-present iPad, he had a heavy-duty pistol at the ready. He
might be adventurous but he wasn’t stupid.

What he really hoped was to trace the attacks to a human
source. With so many killings in the past few months, he couldn’t avoid the
possibility someone was breeding the creatures. It was better than the scary
thought of the beasts self-perpetuating. But who would do that? And why? Not
for the first time, he regretted allowing Lisa to come with him. He realized,
though, she just would have tried to follow him anyway. She was safer being
with him than alone.

Glancing at his watch, he saw that it was close to noon.
They had started out early, passing Wolf Mountain itself before noon and taking
the portion of the trail that paralleled the bluffs. The weather was certainly
with them. Although it was November, the days in this part of Texas were still
warm enough for outdoor activity. Tonight when they camped, they’d build a
small fire, pull on their sweatshirts and huddle close together. Then, in the
shelter of their tent, they’d make love hot enough to dispel any chill in the
air.

He couldn’t wait.

Unless, of course, the beast made an appearance and changed
everything.

“Let’s take a picture.” Lisa motioned to him. “Bring your
cellphone.”

He stood on the outcrop beside her, putting his dark head
next to her blonde one, and positioned the camera to capture their faces and
the scenery behind them.

“Say cheese.” He grinned and snapped the picture. “Let’s
move on to Jones Spring,” he suggested. “The brochure says there’s a heavily
forested area almost to the edge of the bluffs. We can find a place to rest and
eat lunch shaded by the trees.”

“Great idea.” Lisa pulled a bottle of water from her hiking
belt, uncapped it and drank thirstily before replacing it. “I’m ready. Let’s
get moving.”

“I want to get our camp set up before dark so I can watch
and be prepared.”

“Do you really think this is safe?” Her voice held an
undertone of anxiety. “You know, what we’re doing?”

“Absolutely. I’ve got a gun with me, I’m cautious, and I
know what to expect if we come across the thing.” He studied her face. “Do you
want to go back and I’ll finish this myself?”

“Not on your life. I’m in it with you all the way.”

Before she could take a step, they heard the rustle of
leaves and a whitetail doe appeared at the edge of the trees. Spying the two
humans, she stood absolutely still, shielding the two fawns that bounded to her
side.

“Don’t move,” Reed whispered as he eased his cellphone from
his pocket again.

Lisa made herself as still as a statue while Reed moved the
phone into position and snapped pictures of the little family. Then, as if
suddenly deciding they needed to hide, they took off through the woods and were
swallowed up by the trees.

“Wow!” she whispered. “Just wow.”

“Uh-huh. And certainly better than the coyotes we heard
howling a while ago.”

Other animals appeared in their line of sight as they
continued their journey. They came across rabbits scampering through the pecan
and juniper trees. Raccoons lumbered across their path and clambered up the
ash, elm and sycamore trees. Reed busily snapped as many pictures as he could.
The trail was long and arduous but they were seasoned, experienced hikers and
they’d plotted their route sensibly. They were rewarded with a wide variety of
sights that included scrubland, dense cedar woodlands, valley vistas, springs,
the river and the famous thundering falls.

Just after one o’clock, they reached Jones Spring. A wide,
flat area bumped up to the edge of the spring, a perfect place for picnicking.
Reed dropped his backpack to the ground, took out a thin thermal sheet and
spread it beneath a wide elm. Lisa grabbed their lunch from the insulated bag
in her own backpack and began to lay out the food.

She had just opened a bag of trail mix when she stopped and
sniffed the air. “Reed? Do you smell that?”

He looked up from his backpack. “Smell what?” He lifted his
head and sniffed.

Turpentine.

The alleged telltale scent of the beast.

“Lisa, get over behind those trees,” he ordered. “Right
now.”

“Why? What’s happening?”

“It’s the scent. The devil beast has a distinctive smell,
remember?” He dug into his pack and pulled out the gun he’d stashed there. With
his other hand, he opened the camera on his cellphone. If this was indeed the
Chupacabra, he wanted to record what he saw.

At that moment, an unearthly sound roared at them from the
trees.

Lisa froze. “R-Reed?”

“Don’t move.” He tightened his grip on his handgun.

The unholy sound echoed again and the undergrowth shook as
small animals scurried to safety and birds sped madly through the trees.

Just as Reed turned and began to rise slowly to his feet, an
ungodly apparition burst through the vegetation.

His breath froze in his lungs and he was sure his heart
stopped beating.

Facing him was a creature straight from a nightmare.
Standing at least five feet tall, it had the muscular legs of a large goat and
a scaly body with knifelike protrusions down its spine. Its eyes were a vivid
red, glowing like the embers of a fire, and its jaws were like those of a
grizzly. Two enormous fangs protruded from its mouth and as Reed looked at it,
the creature’s tongue snaked out and licked its ugly lips.

Fuck! Fucking shit!

He was actually looking at the Chupacabra.

Until that moment, he’d had a tiny inkling of hope that the
legends were just fanciful stories and the beasts doing all the killing were
really some other animal.

But this was real—and more horrific than he’d ever imagined.

He wanted to tell Lisa to run, to get out of there, only no
words came out of his mouth, even though his mind raced. He tried desperately
to shift but the turpentine-like scent flooded the air, the odor seeming to
inexplicably neutralize his wolf. It choked him and completely froze his
ability to shift. He couldn’t even raise the gun and shoot.

Then in a blink, the devil creature was on him, its massive
claws gripping him, the huge fangs bared, the smell of turpentine overpowering.

As he tried to break the grip of the animal’s knife-sharp
claws, he was vaguely aware of Lisa finally getting to her feet and
backpedaling to the edge of the clearing. Her scream split the air like a shard
of lightning.

In the next instant, fangs pierced his neck and the razor
claws tore at his body. Monstrous pain, worse than anything he’d ever felt,
consumed him.

Then there was only blackness and death.

There was no one to hear Lisa’s terrified screams when the beast
grabbed her, hoisted her in powerful scaly arms and sped off, her cries still
ripping the air.

Or to see the man dressed head to foot in black, waiting by
the helicopter hovering just above the ground in a hidden clearing.