Nighttime at Willow Bay

Nighttime at Willow Bay

By Kasey Moone

Other Titles by Kasey Moone

Her Snowbound Knight

Overtime Play

The Wolf
Who Loved Her

Bubble Bath Delight

Campus Prowl

All Rights Reserve
d

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental. The publisher does not have any control over and does not assume any responsibility for author or third-party websites or their content. Any trademarks mentioned herein are not authorized by the trademark owners and do not in any way mean the work is sponsored by or associated with the trademark owners. Any trademarks used are specifically in a descriptive capacity.

No part of this book may be reproduced, scanned, or distributed in any printed or electronic form without permission. Please do not participate in or encourage piracy of copyrighted materials in violation of the author’s rights. Purchase only authorized editions.

Edited by
Lea Ellen Borg

Cover by Eric Dameron Hill

Copyright© February 2014 Kasey Moone

Chapter One

The first time she heard the noise had been amusing, almost expectant, seeing as she was camping in the woods, alone, in the middle of Willow Bay. Strange noises were expected, right? But ten seconds into the third sound, Naomi Johnson began to panic. Not because she was frightened, she told herself, no definitely not because she was frightened, but because to her, the noise sounded…human and very close. Like a man snarling. Like a man/beast getting ready to eat her alive.

Huddled in her tent, she clutched her blanket and prayed. Something inside her said flee, run, escape
, girl, but where could she go? Her hometown was six miles east, and most everyone had traveled to the neighboring county for the annual high school football championship. She’d been the only one to stay behind to go camping in the rural area of North Carolina, in hopes of clearing her mind of her cheating ex.  So, there was no escaping. She’d just have to stay in her tent and remain calm, because whoever was out there was bound to go away, right? 
Not likely
, replied a little voice in her head. Naomi frowned. Stupid survival instincts. Another low growl sounded from nearby.

Naomi thought her heart might explode. Someone
was
out there. She was sure of it. She could hear them!

She grabbed the large flashlight next to her, mentally prepar
ing herself to swing it upside her stalker’s head. Okay, she thought, maybe she
was
a little frightened. Just a little. Who could blame her? Only crazy women chose Willow Bay as camping grounds…those with a death wish.

Weren’t there rumors about this area of the woods? Stories of four
-legged-half man/beast creatures and demons with red eyes? Some even said werewolves lived there.

Naomi chuckled nervously.
Girl, stop it. Halloween’s a month away. Get it together.

She thought of her auntie, residential psychic of Jackson
ville, North Carolina. Hadn’t the woman warned her against entering the woods alone during her twenty-fifth birthday party last week?

“
See
,” her auntie had said, pulling her aside. “
There are creatures who’d love to get their claws on you, child
.”

“Okay, auntie,”
Naomi had responded politely, patting the other woman’s hand.  She was used to her auntie’s ramblings.
“Whatever you say.”

“
No, listen to me child! You are a Johnson.”

“So?”

“So, your blood is magical. They will claim you!”

“Who auntie?”

“The wolves, child! The wolves!”

At the prediction, Naomi had immediately gone to her mother to complain only to be told to ignore her auntie and to enjoy her party. “
Besides
,” her mother had said, “
your auntie ain’t right in the head. Just leave her be.
”

“
Mother, it’s getting old
!”

“
Just ignore her.”
 

But now, alone in her tent in Willow Bay, Naomi recounted her auntie’s ominous warnings and sat up straighter. Maybe her kin was right. Maybe dangerous creatures lived in Willow Bay, and maybe they ventured out during full moons, like tonight,
to capture innocents like herself. 

A sudden howl came from outside.

Naomi froze.             

Shit! Something
was
out there and if she didn’t do something soon, she’d end up just like her auntie said—
claimed.

~  ~  ~  ~  ~

Ryder Jory pressed his big body against the elm tree, positioning himself behind the tent, where the lady was holed up. The position was ideal; it gave him a perfect view of her curvy figure drenched in the moonlight. She was plump—big breasts and a big booty—just
how he liked his women. Her skin smelled of lavender and rosemary, her pussy of honey silk. Hornier than he’d ever been in his twenty-eight years of life, he mumbled a curse, and adjusted his erection. Must’ve been the full moon, he thought, glancing at the bright orb. Full moons drove Lupines looney, especially blood moons, a time when most of his kind shifted and participated in mating fucks.

Luckily the blood moon was weeks away, because he wasn’t prepared for the shift, or the intense hunger he felt for the woman. 

He’d picked up on her scent thirty minutes ago, on his way home from a successful hunt. Switching paths, he’d headed straight to her camping grounds, coming upwind of her, stopping in shock upon realizing she was alone. Most humans only visited the park area during the day—never at night. Most knew better.

What had she been thinking?

Yanking himself from the worries, he took a steady breath, his fangs emerging automatically. Damn, she smelled good. As the oldest in his pack, he’d always prided himself on his sexual restraint and civil manner. Working amongst humans as an engineer reminded him that he was not all claws and bite. That he was a civilized, contributing member of his community, unlike his wild Alabama cousins. But the woman’s presence had him second-guessing himself.

Hell, she was
tempting his beast.

He wanted her. Needed her.
He somehow knew that if he got his hands on her, an uncontrollable mating heat would overtake him, an unstoppable arousal that would change the both of them forever. Ryder looked at the small tent. This was ridiculous. Creatures like him often ran high, but this was way out of hand. Borderline illogical. His hunger. His need for her. Shit, he hadn’t even seen her face! And yet, he instantly knew that the greatest pleasure of his life would be found in her body. 

A sudden breeze encircled him, carrying the woman’s scent—rosemary and honey. Ryder took a step toward the tent.

The lady heard him, for her flashlight swung in his direction. He quietly returned to the shadows.

“Who’s there?” she called.

One side of his mouth rose in an amused grin. Was she really going to interrogate him in the middle of the fucking woods?

“I
said, who’s there!” she repeated, trying to sound brave. “I know someone’s out there. I can hear you breathing, scumbag.”

Three months, thought Ryder. He hadn’t fucked in three months. He needed some.

“I called the police,” she announced. “They’re—they’re on their way!”

Liar, he thought. Cell phone reception didn’t exist
in this part of the park due to the mountains. Didn’t she know that? What was the ill-prepared woman doing in a place like Willow Bay? Ryder stepped around the tent, his back against another elm tree.  At 6’4”, he’d always been the tallest boy in school, always the butt of everyone’s jokes with nicknames like ‘Lurch’ and ‘Paul Bunyan’, until the girls caught on that he was cute and his little brothers started kicking dudes’ asses. And after his werewolf genes kicked in, school had been a breeze. He’d excelled inside and outside the classroom. Girls loved his eyes because they were blue aquamarine, a family trait, his mother had claimed. “
Only for the strongest Jory wolves
.”

Ryder smiled, watching the woman as she dug into a bag. He wouldn’t force her. When she got a good look at his face, she’d beg him to fuck her.

“I said, who’s there?” she called again. “I’ve called the police. They’re on their way.”

Ryder stepped toward the tent.
“The police won’t be coming, darling.”

Chapter Two

Naomi shouted in fright.
A man
. A man was standing just outside of her tent speaking to her. A man with a very sexy voice—rough, hungry, ready.

“God,” she muttered. He sounded hot…and horny.

A twig cracked from outside. He was moving. The man. Walking. Marking his territory. Sweet Jesus, could he see her silhouette in the tent? Had he’d been watching her all this time? She clicked off the flashlight.

“What do you want?” she asked, working hard to keep her voice calm.

“You picked the wrong night to go camping,” replied the man, a deep rumble in his throat. At the sound, her nipples grew hard and her heart hammered. Naomi cursed her body’s reaction. What was up with her? Now was not the time to get hot and heavy for a total stranger. But her body refused to listen, for she swallowed tightly, and whimpers passed her lips as she imagined the man taking her on the ground.

“Listen, you. Back off! My friends will be here any m
inute.”

Out of nervous habit, she ran her fingers through her braids, smoothing the long locks behind her ear. “So take off!”

“It’s dangerous to be alone in Willow Bay, ma’am—especially at this time of night.”

“
It’s just a park.”

“With very special inhabitants.”

“Back off!”

“These woods are…different.”

“Those are just rumors!” she blurted, surprised that the stranger shared her auntie’s silly superstitions.

“Lady, I’m no liar. You best start packing your things. There are interesting…beings…in these parts of the woods. You wouldn’t want to meet one. You must not be from around here.”

“I am too! And if something happens to me, people will come searching. I’m an important person in my community, pal!”

Silence stretched between them. And then: “Nothing’s going to happen to you…that you don’t like.”

Naomi scowled, catching his meaning. Her fingers immediately went to the collar of her jacket.
If this pervert thinks I’m going to give him some he seriously has a screw loose.
She ruled her body with an iron hand. No man got close, not even her ex. It would be a cold day in hell before she let a creepy mountain man touch her…even with the sexy voice.  

Naomi shook her head. Why was she thinking about this? She needed to plan her escape. She needed to stay sharp. Figuring that she’d have a better chance confronting the stranger face to face, she gathered her courage. “Look you, I don’t know who you are but move back. I’m coming out.”

Her brain worked. If she distracted him, she could make a run for the West End Trail, where an emergency phone sat in an old dial up box. It was only two miles away so she could do it. She
had
to do it. Her cell phone didn’t have a signal.

“Sure,” replied the man calmly.

Clutching her flashlight close to her, Naomi unzipped the tent and rushed from the compartment, stumbling down a hill to stand next to a row of prickly bushes. For one blind moment—while her eyes adjusted to the darkness—she thought the man might charge her. 

But he didn’t.
Only waited for her to catch her bearings.

When her eyes finally adjusted, she cried out in shock.

He was huge. The man. Well, if you wanted to call him a man. He stood well above
6’, looking like a fairy tale Norse God. He had very long hair, which was as blond as the sun, on his shoulders. Large in build, his muscular, athletic body screamed bad boy. Three silver earrings pierced one ear, a mysterious tattoo slithered around his neck. He was dressed in a white shirt and dark hoodie over dark jeans and huge combo boots. His eyes were pale, pale gray, possibly blue, and they immediately warmed as they scanned her body.