I thought I would share a sample of a new series that I have been busy writing. No edits have been made & the story may change a little once I have finished writing it.

Blood Moon Rising #1
G.E.M.A Collins Series



Chapter One

I took a steadying breath as I walked down the corridor in the military compound. I could feel sheer power coming from the males in the room ahead, the kind of power that came from strong men. Alphas and Elders wore it like cologne and it smelled good. Desire pooled down below as their scents filled my nostrils.

I had to get a grip before I entered the room. I was their new boss but no-one had informed them yet. Corporal Phillips had been given his orders and I had been given mine. To say there was an amount of distrust between my father and his men, was an understatement.

My Father set up the Paranormal Defence Team after discovering that my mother was a shifter. He discovered it whilst she was giving birth – to me. He set up the agency to protect me and now, I worked for him. My parentage was the biggest secret in history. If word got out that I was his daughter, someone would spend good money on discovering how to kill me.

I checked that my weapons were in place and that my silver handcuffs and vials of holy water were accessible. I knew how this scenario would play out. It was the same each time I was placed in another department. My Father liked to keep me on the move, that way I didn’t form friendships with my team thus keeping the secret safe.

My job – to protect the human race and keep peace between the races and my job was about to get more interesting given the impending Penumbral Tri Lunar Eclipse. To you and me, the rising blood moon, when each race will be driven by blood lust.

I could only hope that the scientists could come up with something before the shit well and truly hits the fan in two weeks time when the final stage of the Penumbral Tri Lunar Eclipse takes place. There are three stages to the Eclipse it happens over a 6 week period and comes every 10 years. The first stage – a new moon appears in the sky, the second stage – Another moon appears beside the first one, this one glows an orangey gold, and two weeks later, a third moon eclipses the other two moons, it’s considerably larger and glows blood red for two days. Every paranormal being cannot resist the call of the blood lust.

I shivered as I remembered the lengths my Father had gone to, to ensure my safety and those around me. But, locking up every paranormal being and surrounding them with things like holy water and restraining them with silver weren’t an option apparently, but getting each race to restricted buildings where they could rent and tear each other to their hearts contents during the Blood Eclipse was perfectly acceptable!

I heard Corporal Phillips addressing his men – my men. I silently made my way to the wooden double doors, and waited patiently. “Listen up men, Sergeant Collins will be with us in a few minutes and I want to give you the heads up. Our methods of kill first and ask questions haven’t gone un- noticed by the Paranormal Defence Team.” I heard disgruntled groans from the men. “Sergeant Collins has been brought in to establish peace between the races in the hope that Collins can get everyone to comply to the new guidelines that the government are putting into place.” “Sir, we won’t be able to control the bloodlust that we will feel let alone get the races to follow new rules.” “Agreed, but for now, we follow the guidelines, Sergeant Collins will be here to observe and report back to HQ before she takes up her position as your boss.”

I heard dismay and felt anger pouring from the males as they heard that their new boss – was a woman. That was always the problem in my field of work; the men didn’t think that a female should be in charge. We were the weaker sex and had no place in the P.A.D.T, well – it was now my job to show them just what us ‘weak’ females were capable of, and today, I would be starting with the double crossing, back stabbing Corporal Phillips. He was explicitly told to keep my gender from discussion. My Father feared that his men wouldn’t take too kindly to having a female in charge. Like I said, he had his orders, and I had mine. Luckily for me, my Father had insisted that Phillips knew nothing of my multi-shifting-abilities, or any of my other talents that my Father insisted I embrace.

I breathed in their scents once more and let the tide of desire swamp me before I called upon my leopard. I would need her strength, her speed and agility if I was going to stand a chance against the six men in the room.

My Father had seen fit to warn me of the men I would be in charge of, 3 Wolf shifters, 1 soul seer, 2 Elder Vampires. That was the only information imparted to me. It was easy to see why this department had become kill first, ask questions later when they had a soul seer in their group. Somewhere along the way, they had forgotten their roles in the department, and if they couldn’t be retrained, well, let’s just say my role would change, I would no longer be their boss, I would be judge, juror and executioner. My decision, final.

I pushed open the double doors and let my eyes quickly take in every detail. The Vampires eyes became bloodshot as they caught my scent, they were professional protectors of the city, and they should be able to control their lust for blood and sex. The shifters tracked every movement I made. Two of the three stood, I felt their dominant nature pressing into mine trying to get me to be submissive – well, good luck with that! 1 shifter remained seated, watching me with extreme caution. I made my way to Corporal Phillips; he held out a hand to greet me and smiled a friendly enough greeting, the fool!

I had a silver handcuff attached to his wrist and secured to the desk in no time. The two Vampires moved with speed and precision, unfortunately for them, I was prepared. I flipped the top off the two vials of holy water and flung it into their faces. It stopped them in their tracks as their faces burned. I hit them hard, their bodies landed on the floor and I cuffed their wrists to their ankles. I had just clicked the cuff into place when one of the shifters launched itself in human form at me. The second one circled around, waiting for his moment. I let my desire fill the air. My musky unique scent had them stiff and wanting to climb on board and ride me in no time at all. I heard their animals growling at one another as they prepared to fight over me. I noticed the other shifter still in his seat, watching with interest a slight smile of amusement playing on his lips. This was the man who I would gladly fuck. He remained in control and radiated power. This was my new corporal.

I placed myself in the middle of the two shifters, each one tried to make a grab for me, their protective nature kicking in, a helpless female, one they could claim and mate with… I had them cuffed together by their wrists before they knew what had happened.

It was time to put my new corporal to the test. He was wolf, I knew that my wolf would love to tease this one until he wouldn’t be able to resist. I called her to me, I felt my clothes drop to the ground as my body transformed easily into her form. I dropped to the floor in a submissive way that wolves do. My backside stuck in the air ready for him to claim me. His eyes began to shine and I knew I had him. I rolled over playfully, letting him know that I wanted him. His body shook as he resisted the call from his wolf. Yes, this was exactly the kind of man I wanted on my team. I crawled on my belly towards him. My eyes were locked with his as he watched me. I could smell his desire, it fuelled mine, making me waft the scent towards him. Pure lust burned brightly in his eyes, yet he remained in his seat in full control. So far, he had passed with flying colours, but the real test was about to begin. Was he man enough to be led by a female.

I concentrated on returning to my human form. My eyes never left his. If he was going to attack, I needed to be ready. The change swept over me. I stood up, completely naked in my human form and that was when he moved. He was fast. His arms wrapped around me, holding me against his chest. His mouth moved close to my ear and he whispered, “You can’t tempt the wolf, but the man will always respond to a naked lady who parades herself in front of him – trying to tempt him.” His breath caressed my skin, heating it and making it quiver all at the same time. This was the final test, both for him and for me. God damn it, if I mated with him I would be shoved back into the lab the moment my father learnt that I was sexually mature and my biological clock was ticking.

My voice came out in a soft whisper, “Stand down private.” I felt his turmoil as he battled with his wolf. Oh yeah, he wanted me. I felt his grip tighten and was preparing for a battle when he stepped away.

I pulled on my leather trousers and fastened my weapons belt before tugging on my cropped top. I looked around the room at my captured crew. “Private, I’m GEMA Collins. Sergeant Collins. My first recommendation is you get promoted to Corporal. I could use a good man as my second.” I heard one of the Vampires speak. “A female Sergeant? – no fucking way!” I crouched at the side of him, his face had healed, but the skin where the silver handcuffs held him – was giving off a small wispy smoke. “Well soldier, that’s just too bad.” I stood and turned so they could all see me. “This department has just been taken out bar one, by a single female. You let your dicks do your thinking. Lust, the most basic emotion and you all lost your sense of reason. I need strong men on my team, not men who will be easily led by their baser needs.”

I turned to see the private who had remained seated for the most part. “Private?” He stood to attention, “Private Adams ma’am” “My name is Sergeant Collins, if you douches have trouble remembering my name then I will have trouble putting in my reports.” I indicated for Private Adams to step forward. I chucked him the keys to the handcuffs. One thing I’d learnt was – if you were close enough when they got free, they still felt the need to prove themselves. Adams could have the fun of calming them down.

I turned to the back of the room and grabbed a coffee from the percolator. The atmosphere had changed; the men were coiled and ready to strike me down as a team. Adams eyed them cautiously. I felt his Alpha close to the surface. I sent my voice inside his head, Stand Down Adams. His head snapped towards me, I gave a single nod of my head letting him know it was me. His eyes widened and I felt him pull back a little.

I felt the heat running over my palms, just waiting to ignite. Just one of many enhanced features – which my Father insisted I embraced. I readied my party trick as I placed the mug down on the nearest surface. “Stand Down. I will not tolerate being challenged this way.” I saw a wicked glint in the elder’s eyes; I guess I wasn’t forgiven for using the vials of holy water. I knew it hurt like a bitch, but nothing compared to the fire ball that would surround them if they continued to make me feel threatened. I saw just a tiny nod, one vamp to the other; it was enough to have me moving my hands, releasing the flames. A circle of fire surrounded them, not touching them, but close enough for them to feel the heat. Their teeth elongated and the whites of their eyes were bright red. The Vampires snapped and snarled at me, but one movement of my hand, and they were toast.

The two shifters made a joint decision. As they leapt into the air, they took on their wolf forms and were heading in my direction. I held up a hand ready to blast them with fire balls when Adams caught hold of the scruff of their necks and bought them both to the ground. He pinned them in place and his Alpha nature radiated from him holding the wolves in a submissive way. Whilst part of me was glad he had felt the need to protect me, I was mad because this was supposed to be me showing them that I was worthy of being the Alpha, worthy of being a sergeant and in charge of them. If they didn’t respect me, then this whole exercise had been for nothing. “Release them Adams. They need to see and so do you that I don’t need protecting. You need to see why I am in charge here.” I saw indecision on his face. Adams doubted me. It was time to turn up the heat. I would have a killer headache, but it would solve this pissing contest that the males had going on.

“Corporal Jenkins will be unconscious in the next two minutes. I have removed the oxygen from the air that he is breathing. See how his lips are turning blue?”  Oh now I had their attention. Adams stepped back and the wolf shifters whined as their corporal gasped for breath. He grabbed at imaginary hands that were holding his throat. His eyes began bulging from their sockets. “Do I have your attention now boys? Do you believe that a female has the right to be called Sergeant and be respected as one or would you like me to show you what else I can do?”

I saw Adams smile to himself and heard him say “You’re the one, kick butt Collins they call you.” I smiled a warm smile, secretly pleased that he had heard of me. “Sergeant will do. When we are on the field, you will call me Gema. Understand?” The chorus of “Yes Sergeant,” was music to my ears.

I grabbed my coffee and took a seat at the rear of the room. Private Adams slid my cuffs and keys onto a table and returned to his seat. Corporal Jenkins stood at the front of the room. His eyes went everywhere but to me. I guess I hadn’t made any friends today, but I made a better friend than I did enemy – once they calmed down and got over the fact that their new boss was a woman, we would get on like a house on fire.

I listened to Corporal Jenkins as he addressed the men in the room. Jenkins spoke of the Penumbral Tri Eclipse and told the men how new orders had come into play, shifters at one end of town, and Vampires in the other. The warehouses were to be sealed with the shifters and vamps locked inside, so the humans stood a chance against the strange phenomenon that caused blood lust in other races.
They made their way from the room and I followed behind. They hit the training facilities. I made a mental note to bring a change of clothes so the next workout they did, I would be able to join in. I spent the afternoon watching two hot Vampires, Austin & Quinn sparring. Watching them for more than half an hour made your head spin. These guys didn’t break out in a sweat and just kept going, each dodging the others move and trying to get in a few of their own. Their muscles rippled under their pale smooth skin. As I wandered closer and inspected them close up, I got the feeling that they were trying to compel me. I gave them a sweet smile and continued to ogle their bodies. There was so much they were going to have to learn about me. I wasn’t your average shifter.

I moved on to watch the wolf shifters. The assault course had been put together well and was set up to really challenge them. Private Sawyer and Private Thompson struggled to keep up with Private Adams. Jenkins came and stood next to me watching his men – my men! “I think you will be pleased with how fit the men are.” Was he seriously looking for praise? It was his duty to ensure that the men were ready for any eventuality. Earlier proved to me that the men were complacent, none of them saw me as a threat and each of them thinking that a woman couldn’t offer anything to their training. “I will put the men through their paces tomorrow. I want you all in your running gear.” He arched an eyebrow but managed to keep any comment to himself. “You will address me as Sergeant, Corporal. I have earned this title the same as you have earned yours.” “Yes Sergeant.” I could feel his displeasure at being corrected and pulled up for his lack of respect. This was going to be a long and boring process, unfortunately, I had two weeks to get them ready and then I would be on the move again, to another drama in another city.

I was glad when the day was over. My feet were killing me, but high heels looked so much better with my leather trousers!

I made my way to my silver Porsche Boxter Convertible and longed to take it for a spin on the country roads, but that would have to wait, I needed to find my accommodation and send my Father an email

I slid onto the seat and fired her up. The engine purred to life and as I pulled away I noticed Private Adams standing in the shadows watching me leave. I gave a polite smile letting him know that I had seen him and headed to my quarters.

Chapter Two

My Father had secured me a small family house on the edge of the compound. There were plenty of field and open space for me to run at night. Not that I wouldn’t run in the daytime if I wanted too. This military base was used to all sorts or people coming and going, no-one human or otherwise would bat an eyelid if I ran as a panther, leopard, wolf or lion. They might take a good look up in the sky if I shifted into a large golden eagle or something like that. That was the beauty of having a Father who dabbled in genetics. He’d enhanced my shifting abilities and I could take on more or less any form. I could call the power of the animal and not fully shift; this was something I preferred to do as it saved answering too many questions.

Most people expected me to be a wolf, so that was the animal that I ran as unless my Father had me shipped out to an exotic location where I could run as a leopard or tiger or whatever animal was natural there.

So – my first day and already Jenkins and his men know that I can use flame as easily as I can breathe. They know that I can control the air around them and remove oxygen. If they are going to continue to be pains in the butts then I would show them just what I can do with water and the earth, although, calling earthquakes and tremors always knocks me about for a couple of days and leaves me feeling drained.

I quickly sent an email filling my Father in of the days events. If Jenkins complains about me using fire or nearly suffocating one of his men, then the least I can do is let my Father know that I faced the usual crap that I faced when going into a new base. I sign out telling him I will be in touch in a few days. I try not to maintain regular contact and never at the same time of day. I use email, phone calls and have even been known to buy a new phone and ditch it once my assignment changes. Call me paranoid but I like swap and change things about to make it harder for people to link me to my Father. He will be visiting the compound in about a week. He will address me as Sergeant Collins and will make no references about me being his daughter, nor will he mention any of my talents. To everyone around I will look like just another employee of the Paranormal Defence Team.

The cupboards were empty and my stomach was telling me that it needed sustenance. I’d passed a little pub on the way to the military base that had chalk boards with the day’s specials on. I grabbed my purse and keys and headed out with the thought of eating and then going for a long run as a wolf. I didn’t have a problem eating alone, I was used to it. I used to be envious watching women sitting in a posh restaurant with a hunky man draped over her arm like eye candy, but that life wasn’t for me. The first moment I’d shown an interest in a male and my Father insisted on taking my blood and checking out the intended male to see if he was compatible. A human wasn’t good enough and neither was Jordan the male shifter that had caught my eye a few years ago. I tended to keep my interests in any males to myself and not share my thoughts with my Father for fear that I would be called back home and turned into a guinea pig again.

He had made his intentions quite clear to me. If I breed, my child will undergo similar experiments to me, and become my Fathers ultimate weapon. He wants a shifter who is immortal, I unfortunately can be killed – you just have to know how! And trust me when I say – my Father spent lots of his time and money trying to see if I was immortal. He decided after nearly killing me, several times and several ways – that I wasn’t what he hoped I would be, but my child would be. He apparently knows where he went wrong and plans to rectify it as soon as I conceive.

I waited for the guard to lift the barrier, he bid me a good evening and I drove my little boxter back to the quaint little rural pub called ‘The Sly Fox.’ I pulled up next to a black hardtop Porsche and climbed out. I drew in the scents around me and knew who I would find in the pub. I considered moving on and finding somewhere else to grab a meal from, but I kind of liked the idea of fitting in for a change, even if it was just for a couple of weeks. Perhaps this time I would actually take the time to get to know my men instead of training them for whatever disaster was heading their way and then moving on without saying goodbye, kiss your ass or anything.

I grabbed my purse and took a final look around as I pressed a button on the key fob and the roof closed on my car. The sky was losing light and I knew that when I left he pub, two large moons would be visible, one a soft yellowy white and the other would be glowing orange. The car park and surrounding were quiet and I could detect nothing out of place. No-one had followed me so I safe to go in and relax for a little while.

I sat on the bar stool and drank my Bacardi and coke whilst I waited for my ‘table for one’ to be prepared. I heard friendly chatter around me and had a quick look around. Private Adams stood a few feet away playing darts and sipping from a pint glass. His smile lit his eyes and he genuinely looked pleased to see me. He leant over and spoke to his friends before joining me at the bar. He looked so comfortable in these surroundings and I was sure no matter how confident I tried to look, I would always look out of place. “So, are you Sergeant still or can we be a little less formal?” “Adams… Gema is fine.” He pulled up a stool and sat beside me and gestured to the barmaid to refill our glasses. “Eating alone or would you like some company? I can ask Kerry to set my place with you if you want?” I cast a glance back towards the dartboard, his friends carried on playing as if he hadn’t been with them. They were obviously from my Fathers Agency, all of the males had short tidy hairstyles, no stubble on their faces and all stood upright and proper: they dressed smartly as if they were still representing the company. It was quite endearing really to learn that my Fathers men were proud men.

“Don’t worry about them, as soon as they’ve had their meal they will be heading back to barracks, their shift starts soon.” A couple of the guys looked over but shouts from their companions drew their attention away. “Okay Adams, join me for a meal and then you can tell me the best places to go for a run.” His eyes devoured me, never had a man made the breath catch in my throat with just a single look. I picked up my drink and took a sip whilst mentally fanning myself… I needed to keep my shit together!

Adams took a sip from his pint glass and said “Sure, maybe you’d let me show you, I know some great places where you can run and relax after.” I could feel his wolf close to the surface waiting for a response. There was something exciting about Adams, he was so in control and had his wolf on a tight leash. His out was calm but inside he was coiled, his wolf paced anxiously waiting for a signal from Adams, this was a true Alpha, one worthy of my time. “Sure Adams, but just so you know, I usually run alone, it’s been said that I don’t play well with others.” I saw his excitement in his eyes and Adams took a while before he spoke. He was getting his wolf under control. “Cole, my names Cole, and just so you know, my wolf loves to take charge.” My insides went into overdrive at the challenge that he had just laid down. I felt myself shiver inside as my desire intensified. Cole drew in my scent and tried to hide a satisfied smirk.

Kerry the barmaid came over to the table, she flirted a little with Adams before asking me to follow her to my table. Cole grabbed his drink and followed. Kerry set a place for Cole before disappearing through a set of swinging doors. The dining room/restaurant part of the little pub had a few patrons in. Our table was tucked into a corner of the large room giving me full view of the room. I opted for the seat against the wall, that way no-one can sneak up on me. I felt like Cole was assessing me, taking in every detail and trying to fathom me out. It wasn’t unnerving; it was reassuring to know that he was thorough. My Father would be glad to know that he had selected a good man on his team. I had a moment of rebellion come over me… I wouldn’t tell my Father about Cole until my mission was finished and I had moved on, that way there could be no interference from my father. With my mind made up to keep Cole a secret-guilty-pleasure, I began to relax. I wasn’t on duty and I was in good company. I liked Adams and more importantly my shifter side liked him too.

I ate with gusto, it had been hours since I’d eaten and with my metabolism I needed food regularly. Cole watched on in amusement. “It’s good to see you have a healthy appetite.” I held the forkful of steak away from my mouth and smiled sweetly. “It’s okay for you; I expect you visited the dining halls at lunchtime?” Cole nodded. “Well all I’ve managed to grab all day was a stale sandwich from a small corner shop on the way here.” his eyes lost the humour and he said, “But you expended all that power earlier… you really should take more care of yourself.” I lazily pointed to my plate that was nearly empty, “This will hold me for a little while.” Cole went to the bar and came back with a new drink for us. Luckily shifters could drink a lot before the alcohol took effect.

Just as we were finishing up, the men that Cole was with at the dart table were escorted into the dining room/ restaurant. I saw Cole tense up. I found it intriguing that a man so sure of himself and so in control would feel threatened by his friends. I touched his forearm, “Cole?” his eyes shot to mine and held me still. His wolf was so close to the surface and Cole was doing everything he could to keep it under control. I scanned the men looking for the threat that Cole was surely feeling. He shook his head and held out a hand for me to take. I cautiously took it and let Adams lead me from the room and back into the bar.

Something had changed, Cole wasn’t carefree and relaxed, and he was deep in thought and looked pissed. Whatever was wrong with him, was nothing to do with me. “Thanks for joining me but I’ll be heading out now.” I grabbed my purse and began to walk away. I felt a hand in the small of my back, Adams was following me out. The heat from his hand spread throughout my body making it tingle. I shuddered slightly and continued out the door and into the car park.

I cast a quick glance up at the night sky. Two large moons were a reminder that I was here for a purpose. I wasn’t here to make friends or try and understand what had caused Cole to feel threatened. I had a job to do. I continued to my car and pulled out my set of keys. Adams watched my every movement before stepping closer. His hands rested on the soft hood of my car on either side of my shoulders and his face inched closer to mine. My body melted, my heart rate increased and I felt my breath catch in my throat…. I tried to lift my hand to stop him, I wanted to put it on his chest and hold him away from me but my body acted of its own volition. My hand snaked around the back of his head and pulled him the remaining inches until our lips locked together.

My body pressed closer and I shamelessly ran a hand down his back raking his skin through his shirt, not stopping until I had reached his butt. I tugged him closer and felt his body react to the intimacy between us. His hands ran up and down my arms, he enfolded his arms around me and held me close. My body betrayed my mind, I knew this was a bad idea, but there was no denying the attraction that I felt towards him. My blood was replaced with desire; I felt it running through my veins. His tongue thrashed with mine as I tasted and devoured everything he offered.

A noise from inside the pub had me pulling away. I took that moment to try and clear my head. “Cole…We can’t…look I shouldn’t have,” his lips crushed mine again before he stood up and took a step away. “If this is the part where you tell me it was a mistake, save it. This is no mistake.” Even as I said his name again as a desperate plea for him to understand, my arms wrapped around him, pulling him close. I felt his teeth scrape my neck and I froze. If he marked me, then my Father would know that I had let a male get close to me and for him to get that close, meant that I liked him. Adams replaced his teeth with his lips and I shivered in delight as his breath tickled my skin.

“Run with me Gema, forget about the Penumbral Tri Eclipse or anything else and just let me spend time with you. You will be gone soon and I will be alone again… Let us just enjoy our free time together.” his voice hypnotized me, it called to me on a deep level. His male dominant side just holding back but the power from him radiating like a beacon calling to a deep dark place inside of me that was reaching out wanting to connect. My skin itched to bare his mark, a deep part of me wanted him to claim me. It was powerful, intoxicating… if I wasn’t careful my biological clock would start ticking and then kaboom! I would be lost and found all at once. I would always have a mate, someone to lookout for me and me for them. The loneliness would be gone and he would be forever imprinted on my skin, in my mind and on my soul.

My life, the one I longed for – flashed before my eyes, image after image of Cole and me, babies, children, normal things that everyone bar me could have…. The images changed, Cole wired up as my Father as he pumped him full of chemicals altering his DNA, my babies with drips in their arms and my Father pumping them full of different shifters DNA so they could multi shift… Chemicals being poured over their skin – just so he could record what happens. Him shooting them at close range to see if they could eject the bullets from their skin like I could… I saw a satisfied smile on his face as he wrote G.E.M.I.A. on a report.

It was the slap in the face and bucket of cold water that I needed to get my head together and my hormones in check. Cole wiped away a tear that was running down my cheek, I didn’t know that one had escaped until his fingers brushed against my skin. The tear that escaped and rolled down my face was a symbol of how much I longed for a chance at something normal. Adams lowered his face and gently cupped mine in his hands. I pushed at his chest angry that I had shown a weakness. I twisted out of his grasp and paced the car park whilst trying to sort out the mush in my head. Adams stood stock still watching me, anticipating my next move. I felt like prey and if I ran, he would pounce. It didn’t scare me, it excited me… and that was another indication that I had to get away. I needed to tell my Father that this assignment wasn’t for me. He needed to find someone else and I had to leave A.S.A.P and put as much distance between Cole and myself as I could.

He narrowed his eyes and took a step closer, “Gema, I’m asking you to run with me, not mate with me… No strings and no pressure.” I shook my head and opened the door to my car. I would get back to the military base and run there. Adams pulled his set of keys out and said, “Perhaps another time Sergeant.” I gave a tight smile and pulled the door closed. Adams had got to me. I wanted to run, with him – I wanted to do more than run, but if I did then there would be no going back to me being his boss.

I pulled away and pushed the car hard around the little country lanes. I pulled up outside my quarters and ran inside. I turned on my laptop and composed an email to my father.

Dear sir,

I have been sent to the Paranormal Defence Team in Somerset. I feel that this was a mistake. The men here are more than capable of putting the new guidelines into practice. I will ensure that Corporal Jenkins is replaced and will liaise via computer with the new Corporal that is fit for the responsibilities and will welcome the post.

I look forward to my next assignment.

Sincerely

Sergeant G.E.M.A Collins.

I hit the send button and hid my laptop from sight. My leather trousers hit the floor as I stripped off my clothing and headed out the back door. I called my wolf and she responded instantly. The shift was swift and I let her set the pace as I ran over the open ground. I could smell that I wasn’t alone. Sawyer and Thompson were running as wolves, I knew it was them as I hadn’t met any of the other shifters yet. I sensed Quinn and Austin, the vampires close to the barracks so I headed towards the open ground away from them. The last thing I needed was them catching my scent and them getting affected by my scent. I weaved in between trees and up and down steep hills pushing myself harder and harder as I went.

After a while I found a cropping of rocks and curled up amongst them. My mind wandered over everything that had happened since I came here and it kept stopping at Cole. Instead of having a buzz-cut standard military hair cut, Coles was longer on top and he wore is pushed back. His hazel eyes had gold flecks that seemed to shimmer when he was close to me. He had strong masculine features and was really hot. I’d met a lot of male shifters and Cole had a larger than average frame, but seeing him – you knew that his size wouldn’t slow him down. He was lean and powerful, muscular but not in a body builder way. His clothes tonight clung in all the right places showing off his defined tummy muscles. Power radiated from him, I guess some would find him intimidating – but I found him sexy. Hell I found everything about him sexy. I heard my wolf whine and I knew that she was agreeing with me!

I heard movement close to me as shifters ran in a pack. I stayed perfectly still and waited for them to pass by. I heard them yipping and play fighting as they got further away. I stood and watched from the cropping of rocks as they quickly disappeared out of sight. A part of me longed to run in a pack for fun. I had only ever run when on an exercise or mission. I had never experienced the playful side of running in a pack. My mother had died when she was giving birth to me. I knew that my Father protected me from the truth because I would blame myself for her death but I couldn’t help wondering if she had been around that things would have been very different.

I met a lot of different shifters when I was young, my father would be present when they taught me to shift shape. I had a nanny to care for my needs; she cooked and generally cared for me whilst my Father worked long hours setting up the PADT.

When I got to about 8 years of age, my Father got rid of the nanny – it soon became clear that if she’d have stayed, she would have seen too much. I was always hooked up to machines and being injected with various concoctions that my Father had made. I got really sick, I thought I was going to die and then it got to the point where I wished death would hurry up and take me, but that was just the start of it. I had many close encounters with the pearly white gates and whenever I came back it was my Father who was holding me, spilling his tears of regret on me.

I have no doubt that he loves me, but there are times I long to be someone different. I longed to not be a part of his defence team, but it was expected of me and always had been. Especially after he spent so much time planning my abilities, altering my DNA and causing strange yet wonderful phenomena’s such as the ability to throw flame from my palms. That took some getting used too. The first time I discovered I had flame I was 12 years old. I woke up feeling really hot, it was then that I realised something was wrong. I rose from my bed screaming as fire swept over the bed. My Father rushed into the room, assessed the situation and began praising me…I got angry and nearly burnt him to death. It was after that incident that I practiced daily – I didn’t want to hurt anyone with my new ability. During my later teenage years my Father began training me to fight whilst he continued to perfect his chemical concoctions.

Causing earth tremors or quakes really knocks me about. I’m not sure how it works really; I tune into the grounds natural resonant frequency and begin by changing its pitch. It’s not something I enjoy doing and will avoid it at all costs but if my Father requested that I do it to eradicate a threat to human life from a paranormal being, then I would do it in a heartbeat.

A howl ripped through the night and I listened to the wolves howl in response. I held a howl back reminding my wolf that we wasn’t one of them, we never would be. My experiences so far in life had already taught me that I was here for one purpose and one purpose alone and that was to be an ultimate weapon for the good of humankind. If my Father had received the email I would probably have my next assignment. With the way things were going in Somalia with the sea pirates, I would probably be sent there to see if this was a human problem or if there was a darker paranormal event going on.

I glanced up at the two moons and knew that my Father would insist on my being locked away when the Penumbral Tri Lunar Eclipse happened. I was too much of a risk to have on the streets and could cause too much damage and although I was created this way to protect the humans – sometimes it was me that they needed protecting from. I was sixteen the last time the Eclipse happened and locked away in a silver holding cage, sprinklers were fitted to the ceiling with a direct line to holy water. My Father had installed cameras to record how the Eclipse affected me. I had never seen the footage but the memory of feeling so out of control had me worried about any poor souls who didn’t try and protect themselves from supernatural beings.

The military base would become a sanctuary for the humans, guarded by my Fathers finest human men, they would be armed with Silver bullets and were trained to kill. Quinn, Austin, Corporal Jenkins, Private Thompson, Adams and Sawyer would be stationed close to the military base and their job was to keep their kind away from the humans. A tough job – given the fact that they too – would be suffering from blood lust. My Father has been working on a new vaccine and this will be the first trial. My Father’s paranormal men are to be the guinea pigs.

With a heavy heart I head back to my quarters. My pity party is over and I need to get my head down for a while. Tomorrow was going to be a tough day. I was supposed to be sitting-watching-assessing how the team interact with one another and decide if their policy of kill first and ask questions later is an appropriate action of my Fathers team. If it isn’t and they can’t change – then it is up to me to eradicate them and remove the threat of misuse of power. Although sometimes I did question my Fathers strong beliefs on this matter!

A single rose lay across the step in front of my door. I paused and looked around. Adams had been here. He was still close, watching me no doubt. I jumped up at the door and used my paws to open the door. I left it open knowing full well that Adams would follow me inside.

I quickly shifted to my human form, grabbed my discarded clothes and climbed into them as quickly as I could. I waited for over five minutes for Adams to come inside. Once I realised that he had already left, I slammed the door and thumped my way up the stairs and hit the shower… Damn him, now I looked like I was needy!

I shoved on a shoestring vest and knickers and put the rose into some water before going up to bed. No-one had ever bought me flowers before. Just that one simple act had my heart doing a happy little dance until I reminded myself that this relationship was going no-where.

 

I hope you enjoyed reading this work in progress, let me know what you think of it so far. ~ Kirstie