Claimed by the Beast - Part Four: Claimed by the Beast, #4
4/5
()
About this ebook
This is part 4 of the 6 part Claimed by the Beast paranormal serial romance.
Crystal's not like other girls. She may have rid herself of the monster inside of her, but she has no idea what that left her with. She's been changed in a way no one can help her understand.
With the Beast defeated she has time to figure that out. She's triumphed over evil and is looking forward to a gifted life with her new friends, her pack, and her boyfriend Hank. The only real challenge remaining is helping Stephanie become a witch. Or so she thought...
The world is a far bigger, more complex, and sinister place than Crystal imagined. There are more predators out there than she ever realized. Predators that blend in and live closer to home than she ever imagined. Predators that won't stop until she and her entire pack are dead.
Look for these other parts of Claimed by the Beast:
Claimed by the Beast - Part One
Claimed by the Beast - Part Two
Claimed by the Beast - Part Three
Claimed by the Beast - Part Four
Claimed by the Beast - Part Five
Claimed by the Beast - Part Six
Dawn Michelle
Dawn Michelle is a NY Times and USA Today bestselling paranormal romance author that started out as a girl next door turned mother of two and household champion. After years of watching her husband write novel after novel and not trying to write the stories she was interested in she decided it was time she showed him how it was done.
Read more from Dawn Michelle
Taken by the Beast Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Unseen Servant Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratings
Related to Claimed by the Beast - Part Four
Titles in the series (7)
Claimed by the Beast - Part One: Claimed by the Beast, #1 Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Claimed by the Beast - Part Two: Claimed by the Beast, #2 Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Claimed by the Beast - Part Three: Claimed by the Beast, #3 Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Claimed by the Beast - Part Four: Claimed by the Beast, #4 Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Claimed by the Beast - Part Five: Claimed by the Beast, #5 Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Claimed by the Beast - Part Six: Claimed by the Beast, #6 Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Claimed by the Beast - Bundle: Claimed by the Beast, #7 Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
Related ebooks
Claimed by the Beast - Part Six: Claimed by the Beast, #6 Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Claimed by the Beast - Part Three: Claimed by the Beast, #3 Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Claimed by the Beast - Part Five: Claimed by the Beast, #5 Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Claimed by the Beast - Part Two: Claimed by the Beast, #2 Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Claimed by the Beast - Part One: Claimed by the Beast, #1 Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Waking Dreams: The Soul's Mark, #1.5 Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Luna Proxy #6 (Werewolf Shifter Romance) Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Hungry Moon-Destiny Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Cursed Mates Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Blood Lines: Romeo Alpha Blood Lines Romance Series, #1 Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Alpha Resolution: Alpha Blood, Book 3 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsDesired By the Wolf: Part 4 (BBW Werewolf Shifter Romance) Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Moon Lovers #2 (BBW Werewolf Shifter Romance) Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Chased by the Alpha: Death is the Stalker, #2 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsInsatiable: Hunter's Moon Book 5 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsDeadly Mates: Deadly Trilogy, #2 Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Blood Moon Rising Box Set (Books 1-3): Blood Moon Rising Werewolf Romance Box Sets, #1 Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Alpha Initiation: Alpha Blood, Book 1 (Werewolf Shifter Romance) Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Hidden Magic Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Bound by the Vampire Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Wolf Bound: Wolf Bound, #1 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsInsatiable: A Werewolf's Wedding Book 3 Rating: 2 out of 5 stars2/5Alpha at Home Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Persuading Him: The Heiress, #1 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsInsatiable: The Werewolves' Challenge Book 4 Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Before Magic: The Hybrid Trilogy Prequel Novella Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsInsatiable: A Werewolf's Wedding: Insatiable, #3 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsFrozen Paws - Part 10: The Crush Saga, #10 Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Alpha Packed: Book 4 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsMarked by the Alpha: Death is the Stalker, #4 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratings
Occult & Supernatural For You
The Invisible Hour: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Book of Magic: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Pet Sematary Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Rules of Magic: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Hollow Places: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Magic Lessons: The Prequel to Practical Magic Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Going Postal Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Cloisters: A Novel Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Nothing to See Here: A Read with Jenna Pick Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Bradbury Stories: 100 of His Most Celebrated Tales Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Weiser Book of Horror and the Occult: Hidden Magic, Occult Truths, and the Stories That Started It All Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Lovecraft Country: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Twisted Ones Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Sour Candy Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Devil and the Dark Water: A Locked-Room Historical Mystery Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Conjure Wife Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Witches of New York: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Before You Sleep: Three Horrors Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5We Sold Our Souls: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Weiser Book of the Fantastic and Forgotten: Tales of the Supernatural, Strange, and Bizarre Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsNo Gods, No Monsters: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5All's Well: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Invasion Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Nightmare At 20,000 Feet: Horror Stories By Richard Matheson Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Fireman: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Shadows in Summerland Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5A Stir of Echoes Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Krampus: The Yule Lord Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
Reviews for Claimed by the Beast - Part Four
13 ratings0 reviews
Book preview
Claimed by the Beast - Part Four - Dawn Michelle
Claimed by the Beast
Part 4
Published by Novel Concept Publishing LLC
By Dawn Michelle
©2014
All rights reserved under the International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.
This is a work of fiction. Names, places, characters and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to any actual persons, living or dead, organizations, events or locales is entirely coincidental.
For additional information contact:
www.novelconceptpublishing.com
5699 Applegrove Dr
West Bloomfield, MI 48324
––––––––
Cover art © 2014 Cora Graphics
Warning: the unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is illegal. Criminal copyright infringement, including infringement without monetary gain, is investigated by the FBI and is punishable by up to 5 years in prison and a fine of $250,000.
Sign up for Dawn Michelle’s newsletter.
Look for these other Claimed by the Beast parts:
Claimed by the Beast – Part One
Claimed by the Beast – Part Two
Claimed by the Beast - Part Three
Claimed by the Beast – Part Four
Claimed by the Beast – Part Five
Claimed by the Beast – Part Six
Chapter 1
She walked through the muddy ground on the mounded ridge and crouched low. She watched the deer as it swam across the channel of water. The doe’s front hoof splashed as the bottom rose to meet it. She guessed the deer was two years old, based on its size. She was wary enough to look around, but not experienced enough to see the wolf crouching between the trees.
The doe turned and began to climb out of the water. Her hooves squelched in the sucking mud, slowing her. The wolf rose, knowing her time was now. She sprang around the trunk of the tree, her rear claws digging deep in the mud and kicking the wet dirt high into the ground.
The doe jerked her head around and dropped low so her belly touched the water again. She blew and dug her hooves in while her front shoulder dropped so she could turn away from the wolf. The water and mud slipped, making the doe lose her footing. Her hindquarters hit the water and softened the blow, but it put her reactions off and caused a fatal delay.
The doe sensed escape to land was doomed so she turned and tried to take to the water. The wolf bore down on her, changing course and slamming into the deer even as the hoofed animal splashed deeper. The doe fell in the water and scrambled back to her feet, bleating her panic. The wolf’s jaws clamped down on the doe’s neck and crushed together.
The doe struggled but the water blunted the striking hooves. Unable to draw in any air, her strength faded fast. The wolf tipped the doe over as soon as she sensed the doe’s strength was failing and put her weight on it to seal the deer’s fate. The doe thrashed a few more times and then shuddered and went still.
The wolf shook her head, ensuring that the doe was dead. She couldn’t feel her heartbeat in her mouth, nor did she feel any tension in the doe’s muscles. Satisfied, she dragged the doe out of the water and onto the muddy bank. She looked around, searching for any scavengers or predators that might think to steal her kill. Seeing nothing, she turned to the side of the carcass and bit down. She closed her eyes to keep the gore from blinding her as she feasted. Her sharp teeth pierced the fur and flesh and she let the first spray of blood across her tongue.
Her senses exploded and she snorted. She was starving and she needed the meal. Her body was weak and aching. She snapped her jaws again but felt no resistance, only air. She stretched, reaching out and trying again. Nothing.
Crystal blinked her eyes open and saw the flickering shadows across a ceiling made of vines, branches, and weathered wooden planks. Her throat ached and her mouth felt like it was filled with cotton. Her lips were puffy and even licking them proved they were chapped and dry.
Crys!
Crystal moved her head enough so that gravity took over and it flopped to the side. A shirtless Hank was next to her in three long strides. He reached down and rubbed her cheek with his strong hand.
Crystal tried to smile but it hurt her lips. She gave up and let herself sag against whatever she was laying on. She guessed it was Clover’s bed since she could see a wall above her head and the other wall behind her.
You scared me,
he said with a soft and raspy voice.
She opened her mouth to try to respond but he shook his head and pressed his fingers to her lips. She kissed them and lay still, too tired to protest.
Give her this,
Clover said from somewhere behind Hank. Crystal couldn’t see around her broad-shouldered savior and didn’t have the energy to try. She must eat.
Hank turned away from her and then twisted back, holding another one of the witch’s bowls. Crystal’s eyes widened and she tried to shake her head. She’d had enough of Clover’s brews and concoctions and misery!
Clover stepped around Hank and looked down at her. She studied Crystal’s face and then said, It’s warm, not hot.
Crystal narrowed her eyes and then grunted. She winced, her dry throat feeling like it was stretching and splitting open from the simple sound. Hank came to the rescue, dropping down to one knee beside the organic bed and gently slipping a hand under her head to tilt it up. He brought the bowl to her lips and nodded encouragement until she parted her lips. He placed the edge of the bowl against them and slowly let the warm broth spill into her mouth.
The smell and feel of the warm liquid chased the shadows away. She found the strength to lean forward more and capture more of the soup. She swallowed the broth down, feeling each tiny shred of meat and each fiber of vegetable mixed into it. It was salty and wonderful, reminding her of a gritty chicken broth.
She saw Clover moving and tried to tilt her head up. She sloshed some of the soup, making it run down her chin and neck. Hank got the message and pulled the bowl back out of her way in time for her to watch Clover pull back a blanket made of grasses and tiny vines woven together. Crystal felt the cooler air cause her nipples to crinkle and stiffen. Her breath hissed through her nose as she glanced up at Hank. He smiled down at her, his eyes fixed on her face.
Crystal blushed and swallowed the mouthful of soup and licked her lips. The salty broth stung but it felt good at the same time. Her throat was lubricated and even the stinging in her sinuses began to abate. She remembered all that she’d been through and the countless chances Hank had to see her body. If he was still there and still helping her, he didn’t care what size dress she wore. He really was perfect.
You are weak,
Clover said.
Crystal looked at her and let her eyes narrow. She