Belonging to Hayden (Tales of Moonspell 1) Read online

  Belonging to Hayden (Tales of Moonspell 1)

  Jessica Coulter Smith

  All rights reserved.

  Copyright ©2018 Jessica Coulter Smith

  Second Edition

  BIN: 06073-01949

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  Publisher:

  Changeling Press LLC

  315 N. Centre St.

  Martinsburg, WV 25404

  www.ChangelingPress.com

  Editor: Crystal Esau

  Cover Artist: Reneé George

  Adult Sexual Content

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  Table of Contents

  Belonging to Hayden (Tales of Moonspell 1)

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Jessica Coulter Smith

  Belonging to Hayden (Tales of Moonspell 1)

  Jessica Coulter Smith

  Daniela Gillespie has been captured by the local vampire nest in her small hometown. But the last thing she expected to find at the mansion was the man of her dreams.

  Alpha werewolf Hayden Collins has traded himself for the safety of his pack, but there’s a loophole. If he finds his mate, both of them will go free. The moment Daniela’s scent wraps around him, he knows she’s the one.

  There’s just one problem. One of the nest leaders, Julian Madix, has given them one week to prove they’re mated. If it can’t be done, the vampires will keep Daniela forever.

  Chapter One

  Impenetrable darkness surrounded her, the air was dank and musty, and the plink of water dripping was the only sound in her tomblike space. She felt dirty from sitting on the cold, stone floor for God only knew how long. Thick, heavy manacles encircled her wrists; a chain was looped through them and fastened to the wall. Her mouth felt like cotton and her head was throbbing. She had little doubt she’d been drugged. The question was why? And where the hell was she?

  Terror gripped her as possible scenarios bounced around her mind, none of them good. She’d only been awake for what felt like an hour or two, but she hadn’t heard or seen anyone in all that time. As far as she knew, she was alone. Her captors were obviously elsewhere in the building.

  A door creaked open and light spilled into the space, casting everything into shadow. What was illuminated scared her. She was in a cage, not unlike the many other cages lining the walls. It looked like she was in a basement, but that still didn’t tell her where she was. The last thing she remembered was having drinks with her friends at the local club. Moonspell being so small, one human club was all they had.

  Light footsteps descended the stairs and a tall, thin man came into view, illuminated by a shaft of light. His long, silvery white hair shimmered even in the darkened room, his pale skin glowed like a beacon, and ice blue eyes pierced right through her as he pinned her with his gaze.

  He unlocked her cage and roughly pulled her to her feet. Removing her chains, he gripped her arm firmly and began leading her out of the cell and up the stairs. The bright light hurt her eyes, and she squinted at her surroundings. Plush oriental rugs covered gleaming hardwood floors, the furniture looked like something out of an antiques catalog, and the paint on the walls was varying shades of blue.

  The man dragged her up a large curved staircase to the second floor and down a long hallway. Pushing open a door at the far end, he shoved her inside. He shifted his grip and pulled her across the room and through another doorway into an opulent bathroom. After opening the glass door on the shower, he turned it on and steam started billowing out almost immediately.

  “Strip,” he commanded.

  Her eyes widened and she clutched her shirt together at her throat. He wanted her to undress in front of him? She took a step back as if to flee, but she had nowhere to go. He’d closed the door behind them. And even if she did manage to make it through the door, she had no doubt he would catch her before she could reach the stairs.

  His eyes narrowed. “I said strip,” he growled. “Or I’ll do it for you.”

  She squeaked and took another step backward.

  Advancing on her, he gripped her shirt in both hands and ripped it apart, sending buttons flying everywhere. He tugged the material down her arms and tossed it on the floor. Reaching for the button on her jeans, he unfastened them quickly and jerked them down her legs. She tried to pull away from him, but he held her tight as he finished stripping away her clothes. Lifting her into his arms, he set her down in the shower.

  “Wash yourself.”

  With shaking hands, she did as he commanded. As the dirt washed down the drain, she should have felt better, but all she felt was stark terror at what might be about to happen to her. He seemed so calm and cool, so very in control.

  The man turned off the water and held out a towel, wrapping it around her as she stepped out of the shower. He helped her dry off, then slipped a skimpy satin nightgown over her head. The stark white material clung to her slim curves. He handed her a comb, and she pulled it through the long, black, curly locks. When she was finished, she set the comb down on the counter and faced her captor.

  He pulled her back into the bedroom, but they were no longer alone. A tall, dark-haired man lounged on the bed, wearing nothing but a pair of unbuttoned jeans. There was a hint of silver at his temples, but it only enhanced his good looks. His arms and chest were heavily muscled, his legs long. He watched her intently, but unlike the man holding her prisoner, this one didn’t terrify her. His gaze skimmed over her, caressing her. His eyes narrowed when he saw the man’s hand clamped on her arm.

  A growl rumbled from him. “Release her.”

  She was suddenly free, yet she still had nowhere to go.

  The man beside her moved toward the door. “I’ll give you twenty-four hours, dog.”

  Dog? As in… No, he couldn’t possibly mean the other man was a werewolf! It was no secret that there was a werewolf pack in Moonspell. She wasn’t sure if she had anything to fear from him or not.

  The werewolf rose from the bed and came toward her. He circled her, checking her out from every angle. Stopping behind her, he leaned in close and sniffed her neck. She heard a low growl rumble in his chest right before he kissed the sensitive skin below her ear. He placed his hands on her waist and addressed the man again.

  “You’ll give me longer than twenty-four hours. No one else will touch her.”

&nbs
p; The man hissed, showing a set of very sharp fangs. She gulped as she realized she’d been in the presence of a vampire this entire time. He could have drained her at any moment, and she’d have been powerless to stop him.

  “You forget your place. You may be an alpha, but here you’re just a prisoner. Aiden has a thing for dark-haired women. She’ll service him tomorrow night.”

  “No! She’s my mate and will bed no one but me.”

  The vampire looked surprised. “Your mate? You’ll have to pardon me for not taking your word for it. I’ll need proof.”

  “You know there’s only one way I can prove it. After we sleep together, we’ll be marked.”

  “Very well. I’ll give you a week. After that, you lose the opportunity to be free.”

  The werewolf growled in frustration. “You remember our agreement? You’d leave my pack alone if I came here with you. I also remember the document saying that if I found my mate, I would go free, and so would she. There were no time limits mentioned.”

  The vampire’s jaw tightened. “I remember. When both of you wear the marks, I will set you free. Until then, you’re the prisoners of the Grant family.”

  “Julian, she’s mine. I won’t share her.”

  He gave a regal nod. “This can be your suite until the terms are met. And if they aren’t…”

  The werewolf tensed. “You’re not taking her from me.”

  Julian gave him a cold smile. “You have one week to fulfill the terms of the agreement.” He studied them a moment. “If she isn’t marked within a week, she goes into the harem. If you want to leave no doubts as to whether or not she’s your mate, you could make sure she bears the full mark.”

  Giving her one last look, he left, closing and locking the door behind him.

  With a final growl, the werewolf turned toward her. His dark chocolate gaze bore into her, stripping away her defenses.

  “Did you mean what you told him?” she asked softly.

  “About you being my mate?”

  She nodded.

  “Yes.”

  “You could tell just from my scent?”

  He grinned. “Your scent and my reaction to you the moment you walked into the room.”

  She might find him attractive, but was she really ready to just jump right into bed with him? Even if she was his mate, they were still strangers.

  “If I don’t bear the mark of the alpha soon, he’s going to put you in the harem.”

  “Harem?”

  “You’re in a nest. More specifically, you’ve become the property of the Grant family. And if Aiden Grant sees you and decides he wants you, then there’s nothing anyone will be able to do to stop him, not even me. Not unless we can prove you carry my child. If you do go into the harem, it’s guaranteed that he’ll call for you, and I doubt he’ll let you go anytime soon.”

  “I take it that’s a bad thing.”

  “The last woman he had didn’t live past three weeks. He likes to bite in the throes of passion, and sometimes he drinks a little too much.”

  She began to shake and her legs felt weak. Her options were few. Sleep with the werewolf, or become part of a vampire’s harem, where she would most certainly face death. If what the werewolf said was true, then she was his mate. And as an alpha’s mate, she would be treated with respect within his pack. She also knew werewolves cherished their mates. She’d never again have to worry about men like her ex-boyfriend, Charlie. He’d been a mean drunk, and toward the end, he’d gotten drunk often.

  The werewolf lifted her into his arms and carried her to the bed, where he laid her down gently.

  “I know it’s a lot to take in, and if it were up to me, I’d give you more time. I wish I could give you all the time in the world to get to know me and get used to the idea of being my mate, but time isn’t something we have much of. Julian will be back in the morning, and if we’re not marked…”

  “I’ll be taken to the harem,” she finished.

  “Not tomorrow night, but we only have a week.” He paused. “Maybe we should start with the basics. My name is Hayden. Hayden Collins.”

  “I’m Daniela Gillespie.”

  He smiled. “A beautiful name for a stunningly beautiful woman.”

  She blushed.

  “Is there anything you’d like? Food, perhaps? I doubt they’ve fed you much, if anything, up until now.”

  Right on cue, her stomach rumbled. “A bite to eat sounds good, but how are you going to get food?”

  He pointed to a small box on the wall near the door. “I’m going to ring for it. There’s a button that goes straight to the kitchens, one to the security office, and one…”

  “One what?”

  “The last one goes straight to Aiden’s room. It’s part of why we’re in this suite.” He paused a moment to contact the kitchen for a tray of food.

  “I didn’t even know vampires lived in nests, not in real life anyway. I’ve read stories about them, and seen it in movies before, but… the only vampires I’ve heard of live alone.”

  He nodded. “That’s typically the case. But there are times when vampires will band together and form a nest. The Grant family has started such a nest. Aiden Grant is every woman’s fantasy, with fangs. He’s good looking, he’s rich… unfortunately, he’s part of the walking dead. And he owns the suite we’re in. The harem is kept on Aiden’s corridor, but all the vampires use it.”

  His gaze sharpened on her for a moment. “With your looks and coloring, I doubt he would want to share. I don’t think you’d be part of the harem for longer than it took him to notice you. The minute he sees you, it’s over. Whatever you do, do not leave this room. Not unless you’re forced to.”

  “You really think he’d kill me?”

  “I don’t think he would mean to, but yes, I think he would. While he can be deadly, I don’t think he truly wishes to harm the women he’s with. There’s something tragic about Aiden, something that seems to call to women. Please don’t fall prey to his charms.”

  She nodded. “Hopefully I’ll never meet him and won’t have to worry about it.”

  “Aiden has servants, vampire and werewolf alike, who wait on him hand and foot. There are even humans around during the day.”

  “Werewolves? But, don’t you hate vampires?”

  He grinned. “Do I look like I’m here voluntarily? As an alpha, I made an agreement to trade my services for the safety of my pack. My second-in-command is running things until either my time runs out or I find a way out of here that won’t jeopardize my pack. Seamus will have things in hand in my absence, but I know my pack misses me as much as I miss them. I’ve only been here two weeks, but it feels like longer.”

  She bit her lip and studied him. “It must be difficult being away from them like this.”

  He nodded. “They’re my family and friends, people I’ve grown up with or welcomed into the pack since becoming alpha. They’re my responsibility and it chafes that I can’t be there to protect them. But I know I did the right thing, if for no other reason than it brought me to you. Had I not signed that blasted agreement, I wouldn’t have been here when Julian brought you in. You were to be my reward for good behavior.”

  Her whole face flamed in embarrassment.

  “Before you ask, no, I haven’t been a saint, but I haven’t been with any of the women here. You were to be my first.”

  She mutely nodded.

  He reached out and caressed her cheek. “Now that I’ve found you, there will never be another woman in my life. Everything I’ve always wanted is right before me. We just have to find a way out of here.”

  “About the marks Julian mentioned…”

  “What about them?”

  “He said if we really wanted out of here I would be fully marked. What did he mean?”

  Hayden’s jaw tightened. “It means you’ll have conceived. I can only hope it will be enough time. My own mother took years before she conceived me, and yet a friend of mine has had a child every year since his ma
rriage. So I guess it just depends on the couple and the situation. Maybe, if we’re lucky, we’ll conceive the first time and meet both his conditions and get out of here quickly.”

  “And if we don’t? If we haven’t… if the week comes and goes and…”

  “I’m not letting them have you! I’ll fight every last one of them before I allow Aiden to lay one finger on you. You’re mine.”

  “Hayden, I don’t belong to anyone but myself.”

  He narrowed his eyes at her. “You know what I mean. You’re my mate and I’ll protect you at all costs, even if the price is my life.”

  “No! I won’t let you do that.”

  “It isn’t up for discussion.”

  Daniela fidgeted. “Could we spend our time doing something other than fighting? You claim that I’m your mate, and I understand that a little. I’ve had werewolf friends before, but I know nothing about you. If we’re going to be intimate, shouldn’t we spend our time getting to know one another?”

  He smiled and took her hand in his. “You’re right. Forgive me.”

  “You said your mother had trouble conceiving you. Do you have any siblings, or are you an only child?”

  “I’m an only child. Mom was pregnant once more after me, a sister they said, but she miscarried in her sixth month. We don’t know what happened.”

  “How big is your pack?”

  “It’s fairly small. Only fifty adults and about thirty children and teens.”

  Eighty people! He was responsible for so many people, had sacrificed himself for them. Already that put him heads above the men she usually dated. How one loser after another found her, she’d never know. And she attracted all kinds. Alcoholics, drug addicts, abusers, you name it and they found their way to her.

  “I’m surprised they haven’t stormed this place to break you out,” she said.

  “I made them promise not to. All it would do is get them killed. And if they attacked during the day, the vampires would just seek retribution at night. Whether we like it or not, we’re no match for them. Although, after being here for the past two weeks or so, I can better understand how they work. I’ve gained some insight into their daily lives and have learned their strengths and weaknesses. I’m not sure if they realized that when they brought me here, or if they just didn’t care.”