DarkNight of the Moon

By DJ Jennings

He lurks in shadows and mystery at Camp Shifter, coming out only during DarkNight, the wild, bacchanalian free-for-all where anything goes.

Anything.

No one has seen him in the daylight, no one knows where he lives, no one knows his name–and the shifter nicknamed DarkLover by women, DarkDude by men, will do anything to keep it that way.

Andie Cumbington has been waiting her whole life for The Letter. One of the few shifters who is ecstatic about her newfound status, the chestnut-haired ballerina bear shifter arrives for her month at Camp Shifter with unbridled excitement. On her first DarkNight, she finds wild passion and–to her surprise–so much more, with a stranger who touches her heart as much as he lights up her body.

And then he’s gone, back into the shadows, hidden.

Exactly where he wants to be.

Craving his touch with an insatiable desire, Andie can’t let go. She always wanted the roll in the hay, but she never imagined the passion would be so intense.

Fate drives her to find love.

Then a simple errand turns into mortal danger for Andie, and an impossible choice as DarkLover must overcome his biggest fear in order to save the woman he loves.

But will it be too late?
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Welcome to Camp Shifter, where you’re about to change… in more ways than one.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Prosaic Press
• Release date: Oct 4, 2022
• ISBN: 9781950172139

Book preview

Chapter 1

It was 5:30 a.m. and Andie felt like she did on her first day of sleep-away camp.

Which, in a weird sort of way, made perfect sense.

Her skin tingled with excitement as she handed her bag to the bus driver, who gave her a weary, slightly jaded smile and tossed her wheeled duffle bag into the baggage compartment under the bus.

She knew she was lucky, although shifting onstage during ballet practice had been a humiliating experience. Not so much when it happened–she didn’t remember that–but the aftermath of waking up in a hospital, in restraints, completely naked under a thin sheet.

With a pain in her ass.

That turned out to be the shifter vaccine the hospital staff had administered. Unlike male shifters who spontaneously changed into their animal form for the first time, she hadn’t been transported directly to her nearest Camp Shifter in the back of a van, handcuffed to the wall.

Apparently, she’d collapsed shortly after sedation, and the slightly old-fashioned doctor at the hospital tended to favor female shifters, giving them gentler treatment than the guys received.

She was grateful.

And a little miffed.

Being miffed about her sore ass was nothing in comparison to how she’d felt with a sprained ankle, though. Sidelined from dancing for two months, minimum, she’d been sent off to Camp Shifter with crutches, a cane –

And a broken heart.

Name? A guy in a Camp Shifter polo shirt looked at his clipboard, his manner one of boredom. How could anyone be bored about Camp Shifter?

Andie Cumbington.

Full name.

She sighed. Andrina Moustaka Cumbington.

That’s a mouthful, he said as he checked off her name and turned to the next woman.

Hopping up the steps of the bus with the cane she’d insisted was fine (It’s enough, Mom! I swear. My body is healing faster now that I’ve shifted!), she shuffled to the third row and plopped down next to a small woman who looked like a terrified rabbit.

Huh. Maybe that’s exactly what she was.

Andie, she said, shoving out her hand at the poor woman, who jumped in her seat and shot Andie a nervous smile. At five foot, nine inches, Andie was a tall ballerina, but it was her hands and broad shoulders that set her apart.

Broad was an understatement.

How about huge?

Uh, I’m Lynn, the woman squeaked. Long, dull brown hair. Friendly brown eyes. Dressed in brown linen. There was a theme going on with Lynn, but as Andie settled into her seat, she didn’t care.

It was going to be okay. She had a friend. She knew someone on the bus. She was here.

She was officially a shifter.

Great to meet you! Andie said, spinning in the seat, her cane between her knees as she looked around the bus. How many of us are there? And what are you? I’m a bear.

Lynn shrank back as if trying to make herself invisible. I’m, uh–

You’re a rabbit, aren’t you?

Big brown orbs widened, her forehead becoming bigger, if that were possible. Well, I do come from a family of rabbits, so I hope so! I’ll find out after my first shift at the camp. How did you guess?

You look like one. I hope you’re not a wolf shifter, she thought to herself, surprised she didn’t blurt that out.

Lynn patted her thighs, her shoulders. I do?

You do.

Leaning forward, the quiet woman whispered, Is that good or bad?

It just is. Andie’s smile was met with a friendly one from her seatmate.

I’m so scared. I got The Letter two days ago. I turn twenty-five on Thursday! Lynn confessed. All my siblings are shifters. I thought I would be the odd one out.

Andie laughed through her nose. I’m the oldest in my family. Dad’s a shifter, Mom isn’t. No one else is eighteen yet, so we don’t know. I’m twenty-three, she offered up. My brother Jordan is seventeen. He hopes he’s not a shifter.

If he is, what will he be?

Andie shrugged. No clue. We’re all built like this.

Like what?

Big boned.

What do you do? For a job?

I’m a ballerina.

Eyebrows shot up fast, making Lynn look like she was in motion. "A what?"

Disappointment poured into Andie’s blood. Great. Another skeptic.

I, she said, with more force than she intended, am in training to perform. Her brow dropped. Or was. She pointed to her ankle. Before that. I guess now I’m not.

I’m sorry. It’s broken?

Sprained, but it's fine. As if to contradict herself, she moved it, pain shooting up.

How’d you do it?

I shifted during practice. On pointe.

Your first shift? You already had it? Excitement crowded out Lynn’s obvious shock. That's so rare for women! What are you?

A bear. Andie rubbed her ass. That vaccine hurts.

Wincing, Lynn sat back. Thanks for the warning. I’m terrified of needles. I’ll probably faint.

We need the vaccine, though, when we find out we're shifters. Right? At least you didn’t shift first.

Not sure which is worse.

What do you do? Andie asked, suddenly wanting to take the spotlight off herself. For a living? You’re older than me. She knew lots of Camp Shifter attendees were college students, military recruits, or working regular jobs back home.

I’m a petroleum engineer.

Andie’s jaw dropped. Like, you manufacture gasoline?

No. I design tires.

For cars?

Yes.

Cool! We have something in common.

A ballerina and an engineer?

My folks own an auto shop. I’m a mechanic, too. Deal with tires all the time.

"A ballerina and a mechanic? Lynn’s face split wide open with mirth. Isn’t that a bit much?"

The shifter part is the cherry on top of all this awesome. Gesturing toward her body, she moved her open hands around in circles.

The two lost themselves in relieved giggles.

The bus was filling up rapidly. Lynn offered Andie a protein bar, which she took with gratitude. Her stomach had been full of butterflies that morning, but now she was starving.

As the bus doors shut with a pneumatic wheeze, Lynn texted, rushing with shaking fingers. Phones would be collected, Andie knew, for the first week or so at Camp Shifter. No distractions from the outside world. They were there for one purpose:

To fuck everyone they could get their hands on during DarkNight.

No, no, no... That wasn’t true.

They were there to learn to be shifters.

But Andie’s real purpose was, well...

DarkNight.

Hence the fucking.

Another man in a camp polo shirt stood at the front of the bus as the engine rumbled to a start, the vibration thrilling Andie. This was real. This was happening.

She was a shifter, headed to camp, ready to start a whole new phase of life.

My name is Josh, and I’m one of the three directors at the camp, the man said, his voice startlingly hot, making Andie look at him. Dark hair, bright, intelligent dark eyes, and that mature look of a man who knows himself well made her keep staring.

I’m handing out packets you can read on the way to the camp, which is a short, fifty-minute ride. You guys are all lucky enough to live pretty close. Grin. I normally don’t do these trips, but because you’re so close, and because a bunch of our staffers wanted to go home for the Fourth of July, here I am. Bigger grin. Welcome.

Cheers and applause greeted him. Andie shoved her pinkie fingers in her mouth and gave a piercing whistle that made Josh look at her.

Danielle’s going to love you, he said when she stopped.

Who’s Danielle? she called back, enjoying the attention, the banter, the distraction from her ankle.

One of the three directors, Lynn said meekly. Danielle, Josh, and Travis are all wolf shifters. They run the camp.

Andie stared at her as Josh turned away to greet someone else. How did you know?

Lynn tapped a piece of paper on top of her packet envelope. It’s literally in the first paragraph of the first letter.

Oh. Andie laughed at herself, catching Lynn’s slightly frustrated response out of the corner of her eye. I’m just so excited. I’m not paying attention.

Oooooo, DarkNight, someone behind her hissed, giggles from two women following. Twisting in her seat and pushing herself up as much as her injured ankle would allow her, Andie caught the eye of two blondes. They were identical.

Literally.

Sisters? she asked.

Duh, the one on the right said, with an eye roll Andie supposed she deserved. We’re twins. Got our letters on the same day.

Did I hear you mention DarkNight? Andie’s voice got loud. So loud, heads turned.

More giggles. Two sets of gorgeous, delicate blue eyes stared at her. They looked like dolphins. She wanted to ask but bit her tongue. Exuberance was always her weakness.

I can’t wait to meet DarkLover, the one on the left said, winking at Andie. Have you heard of him?

A sudden wave of extremely unfamiliar shyness made her clam up. Where was this coming from?

He’s the best sexual partner on the planet, Lynn peeped from her seat. Andie looked at her. Lynn’s nose was shoved between the two seats, murmuring at the twins. I hear he has as many penises and tongues as you need.

Lynn! Clapping her hand over her mouth, Andie realized she was blushing.

Two very ingenuous eyes met hers. Just because I’m quiet doesn’t mean I don’t know my way around a good cock.

The quiet ones are always the nasty little buggers in bed, the twin on the left said. The twins and Lynn burst into giggles.

Andie was mute.

DarkLover was her secret obsession. She knew everything about him, which wasn’t much. Her need to meet him, to sleep with him, to be one of his women was so overwhelming, it was her private shame.

Completely unmoored by the conversation, she pretended to be in pain. I, um, my ankle hurts, she said, begging off from being social. I’m going to nap the rest of the way.

Closing her eyes as people murmured their sympathies, she tried to ignore their conversation.

And the tremendous throb between her legs.

Chapter 2

The bear silently padded along the path over rocks and pine needles. Blotches of sunlight undulated across the forest floor as the ocean breeze wafted through the trees. The birdsong went silent as he stretched up to full height and started clawing a favorite tree in long, even strokes. It was a warm, lazy midsummer day. He would gouge up the tree to make it just right before settling in for some good back scratching.

No one would ever guess his true identity.

And he liked it that way.

He could hear the bus before he could see it. Both ears cocked up and he turned his head in the direction of the road. A belch from the engine when it rounded the corner, followed by a deep whine and the sound of stones popping under the tires as it labored up the long dirt driveway, gave him pause. The bus went past him, and he sniffed the air. Gasoline, sea salt, motor oil, and the scent of human beings.

His nose twitched again.

Women. There were women on the bus.

Pussy always smelled so damn fine.