Penumbra: ShadowShifter Series, #0

By Kharma Kelley

With the recent death of the pack's Alpha, Aidan's clan is preparing for the Selenium Circle---the ritual for which any able-bodied Aristan may fight in the circle and the right to be the next leader.

Aidan Bloodlocke, a foster to the deceased Alpha, always struggled to belong, especially when his foster brother, Kieran, sees him as a rival and a foreigner. 

Kieran is eager to participate, feeling it is his birthright to lead in the legacy of his father. However, when Aidan decides to step up for the right to lead, tension swells and loyalty is put to the test in this ShadowShifter prequel to "Selenium Night!"

• Language: English
• Publisher: Wicked Bayou Press
• Release date: Aug 23, 2018
• ISBN: 9780998157375

Kharma Kelley

A Paranormal Romance and Urban Fantasy author, Kharma Kelley has been enamored with all things that go "bump in the night" for who knows how long. She truly believes that finding humanity and beauty in some of the most seemingly unconventional places is part of the romantic psyche to her. A big fan of the Big Easy, Kharma tends to weave her proud Cajun heritage and values into her books. She enjoys reading other urban fantasy and romance novels and playing Minecraft in her spare time.  "Tall, Dark & Deadly" is the first book of her "Agents of The Bureau" series. Expect more sexy, dangerous and even hilarious installments to be released along with a new "ShadowShifter" series coming in 2017. She frequents Wattpad (which she refers to as a story "incubator") often and beta tests her new story ideas there as well as provide guidance and critiques to aspiring authors. Her works are often compared to Laurell K. Hamilton, Sherrilyn Kenyon, Gena Showalter, Kresley Cole and the late great author, L.A. Banks. Quote from Kharma Kelley on writing Paranormal Romance:  "There's something intriguing about strong women finding love in all the "wrong" places in the world of fantasy. Of angels, demons, ghosts, werewolves and your occasional blood sucker, all these paranormal metaphors are catalysts of what humans are and crave most...that we're all different, beautiful and a little bit weird--and just want someone to love us for who we are."  She lives in Texas with her husband. You can visit her author website at www.authorkharmakelley.com

Book preview

Chapter One: Mysterious Son

A full moon was often a bad omen when tracking for a new camp. Though the pack was strong and renewed with the recent Selenium Circle, Ninon was so tired and aching, she feared she would collapse from exhaustion. She took a moment to stop and stare at her reflection in a nearby puddle. She missed her human face.

Traveling was safer in wolf skin and, yet, seeing herself unchanged for so long frightened her. Would she forget her own image?

Ninon stepped past the puddle. This was no time to get sloppy or self-centered. A full moon meant that enemies were nigh and ready to lash out at an Aristan pack such as them. Their Thesian rivals possessed neither grace nor mercy. They had to keep moving.

The others trailed behind with barely a sound. No wolf dared to breathe until her mate, Tiberius, said so. Winning the Selenium Circle for the second time seemed to have given him more energy than she could fathom at the moment as he trotted ahead with a sudden urgency. Then he stopped cold in his tracks. Only the rumbling of his growl filled the night.

Ninon began to creep up to him, letting her bright wolf eyes settle on him with concern. What's wrong?

Stay back, Ninon. Whoever he is, he's rogue.

She blinked. Who's rouge?

Their psychic connection cut off as a large shadow leaped from the mists of the woods. Ninon stepped back, warning the others as Tiberius wrestled with the fierce entity.

The night filled with howls and growling as she watched the mysterious wolf attack Tiberius with a ferocity that chilled her to the bone. Every devastating blow Tiberius unleashed on the wolf, he kept coming back.

What sort of madness was this? To attack a pack completely alone?

Tiberius tossed the determined wolf on his back. Bloody and heaving, he knew this was his chance to go for the kill. Charging full force, Tiberius advanced as the rogue wolf leaped to his feet and bared his teeth. He glared into Tiberius's eyes, his look chilling, unyielding. Meeting his eyes, Tiberius paused as he finally saw the wolf in his entirety.

Ninon responded to his own thoughts. Arista's hands, he's nothing more than a pup, Tiberius.

He's more than that, Ninon. You saw what he is.

And what is that, exactly?

Feral. How mad must he be to attempt taking on me and the other wolves here? I'll soon as kill him before–

Before we take him in? Ninon's voice had a hint of contentment as if she entertained the idea with great fervor.

Tiberius growled at his mate's insane suggestion. "Never."

He’s Aristan, Tiberius. I can sense it. He’s lost.

Then everyone was at a standoff. Ninon noticed the other males in the pack had formed a semi-circle around the area, flanked strongly to the wolf's rear. It was a formation fashioned to both protect the females and offspring and, at the same time, enable a sweeping motion of cornering the prey to attack so it couldn't run. They were ready, motionless, for the signal to rip the wolf to pieces.

The thought made her heart pound in her chest. It wasn’t right.

They are picking on a child.

Even as the thought surfaced, it still seemed absurd. That wasn't the resolve of a child that stood before them all. There was no love or innocence in those eyes. None.

What happened to him to make him so enraged? He reeked of unfettered anger and despair. And yet, as he stood there, death imminent, he challenged.

Ninon's eyes stung. No. Feral or not, there will be no bloodshed tonight. Tonight we will welcome new brethren.

It was their time to make a new change for the pack as the new Alpha couple, and tonight would be the start of something different.

I've had enough of this. Ninon walked between her mate and the Aristan wolf.

Tiberius growled. No, Ninon!

The Aristan pup backed up, threatened by Ninon's presence in his space, but she held fast trying to reach his mind. For their kind, connecting with each other, or whispering, was normally as easy as breathing, but, if a wolf was to lose practice or lived solitary, it was tough to get them to reconnect.

She looked at him. An utter mess, he had no connection with anyone. In the wild, isolated, his only language was violence. She felt an urge to nurse his wounds, ghastly and bleeding. She turned to Tiberius.

You must let me earn his trust.

Have you gone mad yourself? Look at the state of him! Do you honestly think he will welcome your hospitality? He's insane. The woods have taken the sanity out of him.

She stared at the young Aristan and her heart wrenched, thinking that Nathan would have been his age by now. Her sweet son’s memory was a raw image overlapping the clueless, feral Aristan youth. Their faces in her mind almost as one.I can't explain it to you. But I think I can get through to him. Please, let me—

Tiberius growled at her. "It's dangerous. I won't risk you, xerhmon. I can't."

Please, Ninon turned to face her mate. You both must trust me.

Tiberius, defeated, took one step back as if to signal the feral Aristan that he was standing down. He watched him and nodded at Ninon who continued to slowly approach the wolf cautiously. Despite his valor, Tiberius did not trust the wolf, though he trusted his mate with all his heart. No matter what the outcomes and tragedies in his life, Ninon's unwavering love, and strength had been an immeasurable gift to him. And he'd gladly kill to protect it.

If he moves, he dies, Ninon. No negotiations.

Tiberius' ominous tone made her still for a moment. She understood his position. Her mate's job was to protect the pack at all costs, even her. And he was unrivaled. He didn’t like to take chances and no one ever thought to challenge him in the pack. She had to admit she respected his position and trusted his judgment, no matter the aftermath. It was for her own protection. Though she was strong with a fighter's heart, she was no match for the growling wolf before her. The rogue could snap her in two.

Trust me, little one. By the hands of Arista, you won't regret it. She chanted in her head as she stepped toward him. "I need you to hear me, little one."

The mysterious wolf stood still. His growling escalated in warning, yet he made no move to strike.

What was she approaching him for? This had to be a trap. The growling of the surrounding wolves reminded him that they were ready to tear into him, a distraction to get the better of him. He scoffed at the idea. I don't give a shit. I'll take them all on. This is my territory.

As he watched her getting closer to him, somehow he sensed no fear or hostility from her. In her bright eyes lived concern, though whether it was for him or herself was anybody’s guess. But there was caring in there, too. It made him uneasy. The last time he saw kind eyes like that, they belonged to a wolf trying to torture him to death.

No, kindness was the last thing he needed.

Before he could get his bearings, Ninon, only a breath apart, closed in on him and licked his muzzle where Tiberius had sunk his teeth in. Puzzled, he pulled away. As he did so, a pain racked his head, which throbbed so hard, he yelped.

As it cleared, he heard a faint whisper in a language he couldn’t understand that started to get louder with clarity. He looked around sweeping, wondering if they would use this vulnerability against him to strike.

Don't be afraid, Lukos. I won't hurt you, Ninon cooed to him.

Confused, he stumbled back. "How do I know that? You’ve brought your muscle and whole of your pack down on me. What were you saying to me earlier?"

Ninon’s heart swelled with a bit of hope. "You stumbled upon us is all. We have no desire to harm you. You’re one of us, an Aristan ShadowShifter. How long have you been out here?"

Her voice was like lavender in the wind. As fired up as he was, the tone cajoled him to drop his guard. But that was foolish. They were strangers and, though her kind appearance jumbled his thought process, he wasn’t about to yield and find himself at the mercy of another group that meant to torture him. "I don’t know. All I know is that I’m alive, and this is my territory that I’ve carved from nothing. Why should I share it with you and your mate? Why should I share this with any of you?"

Ninon took a step closer, but stopped at the warning of his growl. He had no reason to trust them at all. He was alone, wounded and clearly defensive. It didn’t help that all the pack eyed him like an enemy of the people, her mate included.

Intrigue, as