Full Moon

By Jordan Deen

You know her story. You know her painful initiation into the werewolf world and you’ve seen her struggle to find the truth. Now, Lacey Quinn is ready for the war to be over. Are you?

Lacey has been used, lied to and cheated out of the only thing she ever wanted: independence. Struggling with her newfound knowledge of being pack leader, Alex coming back into her life and the kidnapping of Lily’s mate—Matt—Lacey is faced with one of the biggest decisions of her life: fight or flight. While she knows running from the war will risk many lives, but staying means she would never have the life she wants and quite possibly never know a world without werewolves, witches and war.

Sometimes doing the right thing isn’t always the first or most obvious choice. Lacey Quinn is about to challenge what everyone thinks is the right thing to do. Unfortunately for her, most will not agree with her decision or the painful outcome.

Sometimes, love means death.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Jordan Deen
• Release date: Jun 16, 2014
• ISBN: 9781311870940

Jordan Deen

Jordan Deen is a Young Adult and New Adult Fiction writer from a small suburb of East St. Louis, Illinois. Her novels are a mixture of urban fantasy, paranormal and edgy contemporary. In her free time, she loves to read, bake, attend concerts, travel and play with her two-legged and four-legged sons. She is known for her love of quirky clothes, multi-colored hair and has a fondness for tattoos, high heels and cupcakes. In addition, she is a tech junkie that can be found most mornings and early afternoons on her tablet talking to folks on Facebook and Twitter about books, current events and music.Her debut novel, 'The Crescent' was a 2010 Reader's Favorite Award Winner. Her third novel, 'Breaking Lauren' was a Texas Book Association Finalist in 2013.

Book preview

Full Moon

BY

Jordan Deen

Full Moon

Jordan Deen

Copyright © 2014 by Jordan Deen

Smashwords Edition

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eISBN: 9781311870940

All characters appearing in this work are fictitious. Any resemblance to real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means without the prior written permission of the publishers, except by a reviewer who may quote brief passages in a review to be printed in a newspaper, magazine or journal.

To everyone that has supported me through this book

I send a huge and heartfelt thank you.

Some distrust my motives,

While others doubt our connection;

Some doubt my strength,

And question my chosen path;

They don’t realize how they’ve pushed me;

They’ve made me ready for this fight.

I will not falter.

My light will not fade.

There are thousands of us but it comes down to one;

They wish it wasn’t me.

But, it is.

And now we will all pay for their decisions.

Every last one of us.

Book of Infinity: The writings of Lacey Quinn

Page 1

Serena insisted I start this, now that Brandon and I have bonded. Our union ceremony won’t be until next year and, of course, not until we find a permanent home. I’m slowly learning Lamanic. I’ve also started reading Serena’s journal… again. Now that I know she is my grandmother, every word seems more . . . vital. I’ve decided to read Emma’s journal after Serena’s. Reading Emma’s first would be taking history out of order. So, first come the werewolves, and then, the witches. I need both anyway to figure out where we go now that we’ve fled Oregon and are on our way to Baja. Brea’s parents are taking us in, or, part of us, for a while. Serena and Michael decided it would be best to split up the group. Brandon and I stayed with Michael, Emile and Serena. Brea, Catch, and Alex have taken Lily in another group to meet up with us in Baja. It’s better we don’t travel in a large group, anyway. Although it’s strange, I can sense her and Brea. Serena said it’s because my powers are growing, but I still can’t shift on my own. That disappointment greets me every day. While Brandon is supportive, I know he’d prefer a mate that could shift on her own and he deserves that.

Since I’m not sure really what to write in this thing (and I refuse to write about the color of my first sheets), I’ll write what I have learned so far:

The Mares are in charge of the Half Moon Council, but they won’t be for long.

The Arlets are currently the second in command and they helped Alex. We aren’t sure if they are with us, or against us.

Robert and Liam… well, they took off. Bailey went with them. Her parents are devastated and Michael thinks they will defect from our group soon. There will be no love lost there with me—they see me as competition, not a leader.

Alex: even though he came with us, he desperately wants to find his cousins Brent and Kayla. He is not sure if they are truly related to him or if they were stolen too.

We haven’t found Alaina or Galena’s journals, and currently, we have no leads.

We are heading to Baja, but along the way, Serena is finding as many witches in hiding as we can. Her logic? Any witch backing is better than no witch backing. We are now on our way to the Lune Coven that resides in Santa Monica. Supposedly, they are a cursed group of witches looking for a cure of their own.

For me, the next step is to finish the journals, the Half Moon Book, and start on the book of mates. Serena has added Bailey and Liam’s bonding to it, against Michael’s wishes, but like it or not, they are still Amanas; Rogue or not.

And that brings me to another topic: MATES.

I haven’t started reading through the entire Book of Mates, and I’m only slightly aware of who the people are that we will be staying with. So, this is just what I know… so far—

My family:

Serena and Josef (Werewolves— paternal grandparents

Alaina (Witch)—maternal grandmother. Spouse: unknown

Gregory (Werewolf) and Emma (Witch)—my parents.

Michael (Werewolf) and Emile (Werewolf)—my future in-laws and pack leaders

Thomas (Werewolf) and Ava (Werewolf/Emile’s sis)—second in command

Will (Werewolf/Michael’s Brother/Micah & Taylor’s dad) and Sharon (Werewolf)

Brandon (Werewolf) and Me (Werewolf/Witch)

My Friends:

Brea (Werewolf) and Catch (Werewolf)—my best friend/guardian and her mate

Lily (non-transformed Werewolf) and Matt (Missing/Werewolf—Brandon’s BFF)

Nicole (Werewolf) and Dillon (Werewolf)

Lucia (Werewolf) and Christian (Werewolf)

Trish (non-transformed Werewolf/Brea’s sis) and Micah (non-transformed Werewolf)

Taylor (non-transformed Werewolf) mated to Serena’s great niece? Name UNK.

Alex (Werewolf)—mate UNK.

Brent (Werewolf)—mate UNK. Location: UNK.

Kayla (Werewolf)—mate UNK. Location: UNK.

Enemies:

Liam (Werewolf/Enemy) and Bailey (Werewolf-Psycho). Affiliation: Ex-Amana

Robert (Werewolf)—mate UNK. Affiliation: Ex-Amana

Sophie (Werewolf)—mate presumed dead. Affiliation: Mares

Gavin (Werewolf/Jerk) mated to Jillian (Werewolf/Ex-BFF). Affiliation: Mares

The Arlets—specific names: UNK. Current location: UNK. Current affiliation: Mares—possibly.

Possible other Werewolves seeking to destroy me? Thousands.

I think that is it for now. It’s my turn to drive, hopefully I can convince Brandon to stop for some time for a bathroom break and a milkshake in the next town. One week until we are in Santa Monica. Wish me luck.

L~

Chapter One

Heroes die; legends live forever.

That was the motivating first sentence of the chapter that began the prophecy dictating my life—straight from the Half Moon Council handbook. Yep—not really all that motivating. The one week trip to Santa Monica had turned into an almost five month long trek that was filled with plenty of mystery and intrigue—but not a whole hell of a lot of results or answers.

People joined and left our little sliver of a group almost daily. Frustration had doubled and tripled to the point that it was unbearable even for mates to be together. It felt like our lives had been wadded up into a ball and stuck in a vice until the pressure could’ve caused our heads to explode. Everyone was stressed over the lack of information regarding Matt’s whereabouts after he was stolen by Robert and Liam; but no one mentioned it. No. It was like this huge secret that no one talked about—mostly for Lily’s sake. But, then again, I became oddly agreeable to the fact that there were just things that no one wanted to talk about: me being the true pack leader; me not being able to transform without magic—me me me… no one wanted to talk about me. In fact, it was pretty obvious that I was the last thing that anyone wanted to talk about and it started to appear that everyone believed I brought this war to them, when in fact, they had truly brought it to me. I never asked for any of this shit and if I could’ve pushed the big fat rewind button, I would have already at that point.

My annoyance grew at Serena’s insistence on following every obscure lead to random covens in search of any shred of help we could get though it was obvious after the first coven that the witches would not be our allies in the fight. In fact, most of the witches only wanted to focus on the bad history between the werewolves and them… and they’d give me stern warnings over "what you don’t know… although none would go any further or explain. So much for solidarity with either of my heritages! Both seemed hell bent on keeping me out of the need to know" group. That really had been the story of my life.

I’d come to accept that I could believe only what I read, knew first hand or was told by Brandon and Brea. As for anyone else, I had to question their motives considering the history I had with most of them. Serena, Michael and Emile had lied to me pretty much since the day I met them and I couldn’t help but feel they were still holding something back, but I knew the only way to get information would be to seek it out. Problem is: how do you find information when you don’t truly know what you’re looking for or even where to start?

After our stop at the second coven, Serena let it slip that the witches were in hiding because they were in fear of retaliation from the Half Moon Council for their actions during my parents’ mating. Which, by the way, I still didn’t know the full story of since no one would talk about it (witches included) and Brandon wasn’t in the need to know group either. Once I took over, this secrecy and no one playing nice with each other would have to stop. Each side would have to put their histories behind them since I held allegiances to both, although I knew that would be easier said than done considering the fact that the books Serena had given me to study wouldn’t reveal the answers I needed from them. I mean, I knew things were going to be hard when I ran away with the Amana’s, but I didn’t realize things were going to be that hard, for that long.

I guess I had let all the hype about the great things I’d do go to my head, and my patience was wearing thin that I wasn’t this all power werewolf they told me I’d be. Moreover, all these wonderful things they claimed would come to be hadn’t happened yet. All I had gotten out of the deal thus far was struggling with reality, running from unknown enemies and fear with a healthy dose of lying and misleading on the side. Not really how I would’ve been spending my time if I had gone to college. Nope. Not in the slightest. What a difference a few years and one pivotal decision could make!

My eyebrows creased as I re-read the same section of the Council book all over again. Then without warning, I’m pelted with a cheese puff, right between my eyes.

Score, Lily screamed.

Not fair. Alex shifted on the ratty couch he’d been calling a bed for the previous three days. Sometimes I wished he had stayed with the other group, but after Liam and Robert’s attack against me was thwarted, the focus of the Amana’s became finding Matt, figuring out how Alex could transform without a mate, and (much to Brandon’s dismay) why Alex could heal so quickly. Serena, my half-witch doctor/full werewolf grandmother spent most of the weeks after the attack trying to make sure Alex made a full recovery; luckily, he did with a little help from her. But, at times like this one, I wished he hadn’t. He pelted me with another cheesy puff that bounced off my cheek and into the century old book that I’d been trying in vain to translate.

Jerk.

Before me sat an Adonis with the body of a God and the mind of a preteen just looking for ways to annoy his babysitter. Just my luck. I would’ve given anything to have the old, loving, I’d-die-without-you Alex again. But that Alex was long gone and he had been replaced by the overindulgent twerp in front of me. I guess my freedom and some kind of normalcy weren’t the only things that I missed.

Don’t you two have anything better to do? I asked, but it fell on deaf ears. Lily closed one eye, took aim, and tossed another orangy projectile. The sticky, preservative-filled, crusty snack landed in my newly dyed red hair—another try at concealing my identity from anyone that would come in contact with me. Sure, not as if the emerald green eyes wouldn’t give me away. Then again, brown contacts had become just another piece of the Lacey Quinn goes incognito kit. The disguise shit was seriously getting old.

That counts as three points, Lily sang out.

Yanking at the cheese puff proved futile; the crunchy thing disintegrated under my fingers sending orange snow all over the ancient treasure opened in my lap. Ick. My fingers would be orange for days afterwards. I guess I should’ve been thankful that Alex served as a perfect distraction for Matt’s absence, but somehow the reward didn’t match the cost and with these two, I was always the odd man out.

No, you didn’t bank it off of anything. Alex pulled another projectile from their shared bag of snacks. "Phhhssppph. Amateur."

I flipped pages, shifted in my chair and rolled my eyes fully knowing my pouting would not affect either of them in the slightest. Alex’s once intoxicating attitude and addicting personality was long gone; instead, he was replaced with an immature, annoying, thirteen-year-old indulging, teenage boy, who happened to be in his mid-twenties.

Alex, don’t encourage her, I pleaded, but again it fell on deaf ears and my personal space was invaded with another artificially orange bullet. Stop, already. I brushed the orange dust from the book. Serena would be pissed when she saw what happened to the family’s history. It’s not like it really meant anything to Alex, but Lily really should’ve known better. This was her family since birth; Alex had become a bad influence. Brandon, my true soul-mate, wouldn’t be pleased with this little turn of events; Lily was his little princess and he hadn’t been here to witness her rapid decline. Michael had pulled him away to forge the path for us to meet up with Brea’s family in Baja while we chased more mystical leads. I guess Serena thought it was the best use of our resources, but so far, none of the witches had been helpful. In fact, most that we had encountered weren’t friendly in the slightest.

And since Alex was considered a trusted member of the Amana’s, and not Brandon’s mortal enemy, he was placed in charge of my protection and most witches wouldn’t come anywhere near him. Then again, he kind of sucked at protection anyway. Like chucking cheese balls at me was considered protection … puhhh-lease.

Serena’s going to be so ticked at me. Rolling my eyes, I dug through my trusty backpack, one of the few items that remained from days that seemed like they were a lifetime ago. Easier days. Ignorance-is-bliss-days. Days when my parents weren’t a deceased werewolf and witch that were killed the night I was kidnapped due to my uniqueness, being the first offspring of a werewolf and a human/witch, whatever.

That really was my only claim to fame: the freak show that came through my lineage. Nothing else about me had manifested as special, unless you would count my ability to shift with the help of candle magic and resist the urge to tell off my thirteen-year-old room mate when I got a Barbie heel wedged in my toes. Really, at thirteen, that obsession should’ve been gone … unfortunately it wasn’t. We had moved dozens of times and I managed to lose dozens of socks and my favorite pair of sweats, but yet somehow Barbie’s shoes safely made it to each new destination. Go figure.

One more shot, then … I think I win, Alex boasted. A sigh escaped my lips—he may be irritating and I may be happily mated—but Alex still equaled hotness in a heather gray, form hugging shirt and those deep inset eyes that looked greener and greener every day now that he had accepted the Amana’s as his true family.

Alex. My eyes glared into his, trying to completely ignore the fact that just last year he was almost the second guy I went all the way with. Please, stop. I have to get this done. I promised Brandon I’d at least be through this section by the time he’s back.

Defeated, and way too big for the couch, Alex slumped against the threadbare cushions. "You used to be fun."

"You used to be charming," I quipped, then instantly wanted to take it back. We in no way talked about our never-to-be-revived relationship, and the fact was, neither of us really wanted to. There had been days I couldn’t breathe without Alex and there was a time when he’d give his life for me, but like most good things, that had come to an end the moment Serena smashed the remaining pieces of the cursed bracelet that Sophie had used to tie me to Alex and prevent my bond with Brandon.

Although the look Alex gave me said that deep in his heart, those days weren’t over—that he’d probably still give his life for mine—my breathing no longer hinged on him. My breath, my happiness, my forever, relied on Brandon and his well-being. The depths of my imagination couldn’t stretch far enough to think of a life that Brandon didn’t exist in. Love was such a meager word to describe the relationship that we had. It was much more than anything physical, more than emotional, more than earthly.

Alex deserved to have that in his life. He needed it like we all did. How he transformed without bonding was definitely a mystery and one of my top priorities to figure out… but there were about ten other things that needed to come first, including learning how to read Lamanic, my ancestors’ language; translating the Half Moon book that could (quite possibly) hold the key to our futures; and to learn how to become this all powerful werewolf to rule everyone. Psshh. No pressure or anything.

That’s pretty low. Alex didn’t have to say anything else. I knew what he implied and the way he shoved the bag of cheesy-puffs into the couch felt like he wished it were my head … or my heart—one of the two. Not that I blamed him. It’s not like I had a choice on which one of them I mated with. If I had, I can’t guarantee my choice would’ve been Brandon, but the bond we shared was irreversible and undeniable and unchangeable. Brandon held my heart, and Alex … well, the spot he once claimed wasn’t big enough for them both.

Alex, wait. I jumped from my chair to grasp his arm, but he was out the door in less than a stride. Lily defiantly stared at me with all the meanness a pre-teen could evoke. When I slammed the book shut—mostly out of frustration—some of the onion paper sliced hard into my index finger sending perfect crimson droplets onto its leather bound cover.

Great. Blood and cheesy puffs—the perfect side dish for the meat and potatoes of my family history. Serena would really kill me. Using the sleeve of my old faithful hoodie I smeared the blood across the lunar phases depicted on the cover. The blood red blended into the cracked leather and inset wells of the moons adorning the front. Everything happens for a reason, but I seriously hoped this wasn’t an indication of things to come, of my future experiences with the Council. There were only a few guarantees for the future: blood would be spilled, lives would be lost and death would come to my front door.

Would I be able to outrun the demons at the gates or would I be forced to face them head on? The answer still eluded me; but it wasn’t an easy choice to make or answer to give. No. Too many people were relying on me and I hated the idea that with so many people’s hopes and dreams on my shoulders, I couldn’t just make things happen. I was waiting—just like everyone else—and I didn’t think anyone really understood that.

So, Serena wouldn’t sugarcoat it. She’d go straight for the jugular and let me flail around on the floor for my insensitivity. For being so anti-Alex at first, she had become his biggest advocate in the recent weeks. Alex wasn’t quite a pawn, but why she wanted him happy and assigned to protect me was beyond me. It reminded me of how badly my parents, or at least my fake parents, had pushed me towards Alex and