Red and Her Wolf
- Title Page
- Copyright 2012 Marie Hall
- Acknowledgements
- Dedication
- Blurb
- Prologue
- 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
- Epilogue
- A word from the Author
- Sneak Peek: Jinni's Wish
- Books by Marie Hall
Red and Her Wolf
by
Marie Hall
Cover Art by Elaina of For the Muse Designs Copyright June 2012
Edited by C. C., Lea Griffith, Jennifer
Blackstream
, Marie Hall
Formatted by
Ironhorse
Formatting
This is a work fiction. All characters, places and events are from the author’s imagination and should not be confused with fact. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, events or places is purely coincidental.
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced in any material form, whether by printing, photocopying, scanning or otherwise without the written permission of the publisher, Marie Hall, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in the context of reviews.
This book is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be resold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this ebook with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each person you share it with. Thank you for respecting the hard work of all people involved with the creation of this ebook.
Applications should be addressed in the first instance, in writing, to Marie Hall. Unauthorized or restricted use in relation to this publication may result in civil proceedings and/or criminal prosecution.
The author and illustrator have asserted their respective rights under the Copyright Designs and Patent Acts 1988 (as amended) to be identified as the author of this book and illustrator of the artwork.
Published in 2012 by Marie Hall,
Honolulu
,
Hawaii
,
United States of America
Acknowledgements
:
First and foremost to my fans for sending me awesome notes, asking when Wolf would finish, how much you love Kingdom. To you guys, you rock. Second, I could never have done this without the help of many, many wonderful people. Sonya, C.C., Joyce, and Jennifer… you all are always awesome and a real encouragement to me. To some very special fans:
Gaele
Hince
,
Livia
, and Katie at
Curse of the Bibliophile
. You girls went above and beyond, I’m grateful to know you.
Dedication
To my fans, this one’s for you guys…
Red and Her Wolf
‘Bad boys need love too…’
Long ago there lived a beautiful child. Her name was Violet. Fair of skin, with blonde hair and large blue eyes. Born of wild magic, she was a woman with a child’s heart. Innocent and lovely, but not at all what she seemed--you see Violet went by another name: The Heartsong.
She was the child of fairy magic, the physical manifestation of all fae
kinds
unbridled power. Cosseted and pampered, she grew up in isolation, never knowing who she really was, or why there were those who’d seek to harm her.
Ewan of the Blackfoot Clan is a wolf with a problem. He’s been sent to kill the Heartsong, but the moment he lays eyes on the blonde beauty he knows he’ll defy the evil fae he works for to claim Violet as his own.
This is the tale of Little Red Riding Hood and the Big Bad Wolf, as it really happened
…
Prologue
:
Long before the Hatter met his
Alice
, or Gerard his Belle… a Wolf claimed his mate…
Weak light spilled through the twisted forest. The sky, a wash of orange and pink, threatened to give way to night. Violet shivered, hugging her cape tight around her body. Strange sounds whispered on the breeze. The call of night owls and the squeak of tiny field mice played a gentle melody in the background.
But there was more--something slithering, creeping like the cold hand of death slinking slowly behind her. The wind whipped through her hair as she tried to brush it back. Her heart pounded a chaotic rhythm in her skull as she swallowed the bile working its way up her throat.
Grandmother hadn’t been feeling well. She gripped the handle of her basket, fingers clenched until her nails gouged her palm. Violet never strayed from the safety of her home, never farther than the river. Grandmother had taught her years ago that beasties of the worst sort lurked beyond.
She glanced up at the massive trees that towered above her. Skeletal branches twisted gnarly fingers heavenward. It was easy to imagine the forty foot behemoths might at any moment open sappy maws to suck her up.
Shivering harder, she picked up her pace, nearly running. Lungs heaving now with the effort to climb the steep hill leading back to the safety of her river. Night was closing in quickly. Already the colorful splash was giving way to the inky blue of a silver studded sky.
A raven cawed and ice skated down Violet’s spine. She swallowed hard, first noticing the bird back at the apple orchard. Yellow apples--almost golden the way they shone in the sunlight--a prize worth escaping the temporary safety of her grandmother’s home for. The gift should make her ailing Gran smile again.
Bushes rustled behind her.
Violet didn’t look back. She wouldn’t. To look back might make the fear manifest. Ignoring the knot of dread in her gut, she yanked at a dangling root and hoisted herself over the hill. The river was finally in sight.
A black blur brushed her cheek. Fear slithered down her throat. The raven circled back around, and with a loud
caw
, dove for her again.
Violet marched.
***
“
Och
.”
Danika
--fairy godmother semi-extraordinaire--sailed through the breeze with her fairy friend like a graceful swan cutting a swath through a placid lake. “I swear that Gerard will be the death of me. He has a thing for the maids of the sea now.” She shuddered, eyeing Miriam the Delighted.
Miriam’s large white teeth flashed at
Danika
as she grinned. “The man’s useless,
Danika
. Truly, ye should give him up as a lost cause.”
“No,”
Danika
shook her head, zipping high and low, dancing through the air with the joy of a fairy with ample time on her hands. “I’ll find him his match, you mind my words.”
Gathering her fairy dust, Miriam threw it at a pitiful looking bloom of a rose, its red drooping petals gleamed a deep ruby red when the golden dust settled upon it. The flower gave a happy chortle and waved on its thin stem back at them.
Miriam snorted. “Are ye sure of that now? Wouldn’t ye rather seek my boon, I could tell ye quite simply who she is.”
Danika
scoffed. “No, Miriam, I work alone. I’ve told you time and again I’ll not
be needing
the use of your boon…”
Danika
narrowed her eyes, a flash of red sailed past her vision. She stopped flying and gripped Miriam’s elbow. “Did you see that?”
Danika
whispered, heart pounding forcefully against her chest.
Miriam’s swirling lavender eyes scanned the valley below. Just at that moment, the last of the days light winked out like the pitiful flicker of candle glow. Kingdom was bathed in a sea of black and blue, making it hard to discern much of anything at the moment other than shadow and sound.
“See what?” Miriam’s brown and white speckled moth’s wings flitted slowly behind her back.
Danika
frowned; sure she’d seen a flash of red. She licked her lips; rumor had it the
Heartsong
had been hidden here centuries ago. Unlimited power in the form of a beautiful girl, a conduit for any fairy, and power so tempting she’d had to be hidden. In the care of the only fairy known to be truly pure of heart: Jana the Green.