Blood Moon (Bear Sheriff Book 1) Read online

  The sun was high overhead and the breeze did little to cool him down. He unbuttoned his shirt slightly, climbing a small hill and looked around. There was nothing out in the pasture except some grass, rocks, and a few scraggly trees, clinging to life and determined.

  Just like Charming. Why anyone would move here…

  That train of thought brought him back to Angie.

  What if she doesn’t come back?

  She’d promised she would, of course. It wasn’t as if she could just abandon everything back home in New York. She had an apartment, an office – and who knows what else back there.

  A life.

  Can she have a life here?

  She insisted that she could, but Marcus wasn’t so sure. His thoughts were constantly drifting towards the negative, something he’d worked so hard to stop. He couldn’t though. Angie had everything back in New York. She had nothing in Charming.

  She has me. But is that enough?

  At that moment, the wind brought him a new scent, jolting him and causing all thoughts of Angie to vanish completely for once. It wasn’t Levi Stoltz, or even one of the family members at all.

  And it wasn’t human.

  Marcus broke into a run, heading straight back for the house. The sun was still high overhead, beating down oppressively, but he ignored it. There was someone – something – back at the Stoltz’s, and maybe whoever it was would shed some light on where Levi Stoltz had disappeared to.

  Maybe his wife is right. Maybe something did happen to him.

  He came around the back of the house to find a black SUV parked behind his car. Three men were standing next to it. They wore dark sunglasses and were lean and tall, but Marcus could sense they were dangerous.

  He took a breath, taking in the men’s scent – and he realized that no, these weren’t men at all – not exactly.

  These were Shifters, but they were like no other Shifters he’d ever met before.

  That only meant one thing…

  “Wolves,” he growled. They were watching him without a care in the world, though the hackles on the back of his neck stood up.

  “Never seen a Shifter before?” the tallest asked. He was standing a bit in front of the others. His eyes were a dull gold, much less noticeable than Marcus’s, and they barely registered him. He had long, black hair down to his shoulders and a lean to him like he had no respect for Marcus.

  Marcus knew he didn’t.

  “Who are you and what are you doing in my territory?” Marcus asked, ignoring the question. His kind – bear Shifters – were much more prevalent than their wolf brethren. Both species considered themselves true Shifters, though Marcus didn’t know one way or another who came first, and he didn’t much care.

  The only thing he cared about was that some bear Shifters were honorable and courageous. He’d never heard the same said for any wolves. In his mind, that made him better than them.

  “I’m Agent Augustus West, and these are Agents Lester and Waller,” he said, grinning a predatory smile. He reached in his pocket and Marcus’s hand went to the butt of his revolver, but the man just pulled out a badge and flashed it to Marcus. “FBI.”

  Marcus grunted an acknowledgment. Whether he liked it or not, these wolves were FBI – and that made them his superiors, in a roundabout way.

  “Looking for the Pastor? He’s in Vegas, you know,” West said, nodding towards the house.

  “Figured as much.”

  West raised an eyebrow at that and smiled.

  “Why are you here? I didn’t know the FBI would take the time to get involved in looking for the missing Pastor of Charming.”

  That dangerous smile again.

  “Well, to be honest – we’re not here for the Pastor,” he said, pausing. He reached into his pocket again and pulled out a pack of cigarettes and a lighter. He took the time to light it, take a big drag, and exhale slowly. “The FBI has taken a special interest in you, Sheriff.”

  Marcus’s nerves jumped. He tried to ignore it but by the look on West’s face, he didn’t do a very good job of it.

  “I bet you’re wondering why.”

  Marcus didn’t answer.

  “You killed the Mayor, Sheriff,” West said, as if that explained everything. He took another drag of his cigarette, then tossed it on the ground and stomped it out. His cowboy boots were polished, glinting in the sun. “And to be frank, there aren’t many witnesses to say just why you did it. Add in the murders, some other complaints, that incident in Haven a few weeks back… well, you can see that we’re not real sure if you’re doing your job.”

  “So they sent three FBI agents to babysit me?”

  The wolf’s laugh was short and bitter. “You could say that. We’ll stay out of your hair, believe you me. We’re just here to… observe. Make sure nothing else goes wrong in little ol’ Charming town. You won’t even know we’re here.”

  Marcus walked past the man, sizing him up as he did so. West was taller, but Marcus was built much stronger. Then Marcus climbed in his car, turned around in the driveway, and drove off without a glance back at the agents.

  FBI? Here in Charming? To watch me?

  Something didn’t add up.

  But he had a worried pastor’s wife to comfort, and he knew just who to direct her to for questions.

  Unsure of what the future would bring, Marcus drove back to Charming.

  SNEAK PEAK Fate’s Reaping Chapter 2

  New York.

  It seemed different, somehow. Larger. Crowded. Exhausting.

  And it no longer seems like home.

  True, Charming wasn’t her home, either. Not exactly, and maybe it never would be. But she knew, at that moment in her life, that’s where she belonged.

  Standing at the window of her sixth floor studio apartment, Angie Campbell smiled and watched the sun go down. It was bittersweet; it would be the last sunset she would witness from her apartment.

  But it means a new beginning. A new chapter in my life.

  She’d been gone from Charming for almost two weeks and her heart ached to go back. She missed her sheriff – more than she would have expected. In the short time they’d been together, they’d already grown closer than she would have thought possible. There was something about Marcus Stone, something she’d never had with anyone before.

  And she was ready to go back. Back to him.

  Angie had spent the last two weeks moving at a million miles a minute. She was ready to get back to Charming and enjoy the slow pace of life. She’d arranged Erica’s funeral, set up a bank account for her niece, and made sure her family would be well taken care of. She’d sold her apartment, packed up what she wanted to take to Charming and donated the rest, and even ended her lease on her office.

  I’m leaving. For good, this time.

  Truthfully, over the years, she’d spent little time in New York. Most of her time had been devoted to doing her job – trying to revitalize old neighborhoods, and she didn’t spend much time doing that in New York.

  No, she didn’t think she would miss New York City. She wouldn’t miss the bustle, the hustle, the stress, and never feeling like she could slow down. Life was different in Charming, even if she was still working and trying to make it a better place to live.

  What happens when I’m finished, though? Will I leave, move on to the next job? Work out of Charming, or will I go somewhere else?

  I have the money. That much was true. She wasn’t rich by any means, but she was extremely well off. She wouldn’t be able to stop work altogether and retire at that very instant – but she was well on her way. Another few years of hard work would pay off. But I still have to get there, and to get there, I still have to work.

  In a surprising twist of events, her contract with the city of Charming was still going through. She’d expected that it would fall apart with the death of the Mayor – after all, it was his idea – but the contract had been with the city itself and she was still working on a plan to make Charming a better place to liv
e.

  After the murders and the death of the Mayor, though, she wasn’t sure if it would survive a hit to its reputation.

  I’ll do my best. I know I can turn things around. It’s my job, after all.

  She sat down at the table and grabbed her glass of wine, taking a small sip. Her mind was wandering, and it was going to the only place it ever did: Marcus.

  He was something else entirely. Kind, strong, and a Shifter. She found that out of all of the things she’d learned about him, that was what she least cared about. She’d ran into all sorts of people doing her job, so what made Marcus any different?

  Maybe the fact that he can turn into a bear?

  She’d fallen for Marcus – at least a little bit, even if she wouldn’t admit it to herself – before she’d even found out that he was a Shifter. He’d explained it to her, and she thought it was something she could swallow. He wasn’t that different, and in a little place like Charming, life didn’t change that much when she found out he could shift.

  I want to see him again. The first thing I’m going to do when I see him is jump into his arms, tell him to take me to the bedroom, and…

  There was a knock at her door and Angie jumped. Her face was blushing from her dirty thoughts, her mind coming back into focus, and she wondered who could be at her door. She hadn’t been trying to keep a low profile since she’d been back but she hadn’t also gone out and met with many people, either. She took another sip of her wine and crossed the room, setting the glass down on the counter-top.

  She peered through the keyhole and her heart plummeted, yet she opened the door just the same. The man standing outside of her door was handsome in a proper way – he wore a perfectly fitted pair of slacks and a blazer, his hair and beard perfectly manicured and trimmed. He was a man who knew he looked good, and there would be no telling him otherwise.

  “I’d heard you were back in town, Ange,” he said. His words came out of his mouth like silk. It had once charmed her, now, it churned her stomach and it took everything she could muster not to slam the door in her face.

  “You missed the funeral,” she said shortly.

  “Ah,” he said, giving an obviously practiced half smile. “It couldn’t be helped, I’m afraid. May I come in?”

  In response, she stepped to the side and ushered him into the room.

  Jonathan Hall was a total ladies’ man. He was rich, well groomed, and well loved by nearly anyone who met him. Angie shot laser beams at his back, embarrassed to admit that she, too, had fallen for his charms when she was younger and just starting her business.

  He’d come to her, then, and offered to help her expand. She’d agreed, completely wooed by him. She’d thought he was the one. That is, until she found her was pursuing other women behind her back.

  She’d severed the relationship immediately, never looking back. Unfortunately, they often ran in the same social and professional circles, and it was impossible to ignore him. She’d never forgiven him, and never would, and she disliked the man – but she could never seem to keep him away.

  And, truth be told, she didn’t want to. Jonathan Hall was a protégé at what he did. He was a gifted real estate developer and somehow always had all of the information Angie needed to make a successful revitalization.

  While Mayor Copeland had personally reached out to Angie to help with Charming, he’d first been in contact with Jonathan, who had then recommended Copeland talk to Angie. In a way, the only reason everything in Charming had happened was because of him. She didn’t know whether to thank or damn him.

  He was already going to her cabinet and grabbing a glass for the wine. Without even asking, he poured himself a glass, drank deep, and then refilled his glass.

  “What do you want, Jon?” she asked. She crossed her arms and stood close to the door, ready to usher him out when she found out what he truly wanted. She couldn’t even begin to count the amount of times he’d tried to win her back. She desperately hoped that now wasn’t one of those times.

  “I’m sorry about what happened in Charmon.”

  “Charming,” she corrected.

  “Yes,” he nodded, as if he hadn’t even heard her. “That’s all my fault, I fear. I should never have put you in contact with that man. If I would have known…”

  “It’s fine, Jon, really,” she said, exasperated. She didn’t blame him. She’d gone to Charming on her own free will, and if she hadn’t – well, she never would have almost died. Erica would still be alive.

  But I never would have met Marcus, and how could I live my life without him?

  “I don’t think I’ll ever forgive myself, Ange,” he said, setting the glass down and looking serious for once. “When I heard what had happened, I almost flew out there myself.” She knew he was lying. He would say anything to get on her good side. “And when I heard you’d also been shot, well, my heart just broke.”

  “Thanks for the concern,” she told him, her voice flat. “So, did you come all of this way just to apologize?”

  He looked flustered for a moment but quickly recovered. “Not at all, my dear.” She gritted her teeth. She hated when he called her Ange. She hated dear. She hated anything he called her. “But I heard you were quitting your business. I couldn’t let you do that.”

  “Well, no need to worry, then. I’m not quitting. Just relocating.”

  He raised an eyebrow and asked, “To where? You can’t… You can’t mean you’re going back to that town?”

  “I am,” she told him, smiling at the thought of meeting Marcus. He wouldn’t be able to meet her at the airport, and she knew the drive from Phoenix to Charming would be rife with anticipation – but knowing that he would be there waiting at the end of it was enough to see her through.

  “But why?”

  “That’s where I’m doing business.”

  “You can certainly do business from here. There’s no need to risk yourself. What if you were hurt again?”

  “I won’t be.”

  “How can you be so sure?”

  “I’m…” she said, hesitating. Her personal life wasn’t any of Jon’s business and she certainly didn’t think he needed to know, but she said, “I’m seeing someone now.” She hoped it would be enough to see Jon to the door.

  But he just narrowed his eyes as if he couldn’t believe it. “Someone from… that place?”

  “Yes,” she confirmed.

  He didn’t answer.

  “Is there anything else?” she prompted.

  He looked angry for a split second. Jonathan Hall had been the last man she would dated, but that had been years and years ago. She wasn’t his.

  She’d never been his.

  “I need a partner,” he said.

  “A partner?”

  “In my firm,” he explained. “I’m expanding the business. And I need a partner. There’s no one else in the world I trust more than you. I need you.”

  Angie hesitated a moment. Years ago, when she’d been under Jon’s spell – working with him was all she’d ever wanted to do. The deals he’d closed, the people he’d helped…

  The idea of it had been intoxicating.

  “I can’t, Jon,” she told him. “I’m going back home to Charming.”

  “Home?”

  She hadn’t even realized she’d said it. But she nodded just the same.

  “Angie,” he whispered. She immediately focused on him. His tone was one she’d hardly ever heard, only used when he needed to get his way, and he’d called her Angie, something he never did. “Remember when you were first starting out? Growing your business?”

  “Yes,” she said curtly. She remembered all too well. She remembered the help he’d given her and the consequences that it had brought along with it.

  “You wouldn’t want how you got started to become public knowledge, would you?”

  “You were involved in that. Just like me. If you try to hang me out to dry, I’ll take you down with me. You know that as well as I do.”

  �
��You would never dare, darling.”

  “Don’t push me, Jon,” she hissed. “And now, I want you to leave my apartment.”

  He smoothed his blazer and nodded. “Consider my offer, Ange.”

  She walked to the door, opened it, and watched him leave. He smiled at her as he did so, unfazed completely. “I’ll be in touch,” he said, smiling. And then she slammed the door behind him.

  She’d made a mistake working for Jonathan Hall when she’d been younger. She’d made a mistake being with him. But she never would make those mistakes again.

  — You don’t want to miss what happens next in Fate’s Reaping. Grab your copy here!

  Also by Becca Fanning

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  Legacy

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