Enemies, p.16
Capture Me in Moonlight, page 16
Capture Me in Moonlight
A Doomsday Brethren Novel
Shayla Black
Contents
Praise for Doomsday Brethren
Author’s Note
About Capture Me in Moonlight
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Seduce Me in Shadow
Tempt Me with Darkness
Doomsday Brethren
Also by Shayla Black
About Shayla Black
Join Shayla Black!
CAPTURE ME IN MOONLIGHT
Doomsday Brethren
Written by Shayla Black
This is an original work of fiction, crafted exclusively by Shayla Black.
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Copyright 2024 Shelley Bradley LLC
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Cover Design by: Christian Bentulan
Edited by: G. G. Royale
Proofread by: Julie Barney
ISBN: 978-1-958075-17-3
Originally published 2009 as Fated.
The characters and events portrayed in this book are fictional. Any similarity to real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental and not intended by the author. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form by an electronic or mechanical means—except for brief quotations embedded in critical articles or reviews—without express written permission.
eBooks are not transferable. They cannot be sold, shared, or given away, as it is illegal and an infringement on the copyright of this work.
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All rights reserved.
Praise for Doomsday Brethren
PRAISE FOR TEMPT ME WITH DARKNESS
“A hot, exciting romance filled with intriguing characters and a great storyline. I can’t wait for more in this imaginative series!” —New York Times bestselling author Lara Adrian
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“Deliciously wicked and sexy hot. . . . Shayla Black keeps me turning the pages!” —New York Times bestselling author Gena Showalter
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“A unique, powerful blend of the paranormal… A world not to be missed.” - New York Times bestselling author Lora Leigh
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“Compelling, unique, a paranormal romance with ‘epic’ written all over it!” - New York Times bestselling author Jaci Burton
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“This orgasmic paranormal…will keep Black’s fans panting for the next installment.” - Publisher’s Weekly
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“Action-packed with dark secrets and an ever-evolving plot. I am extremely eager to find out what happens next…” - Fresh Fiction
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“Intense drama, sexy magical warriors, and heartbreaking romance… Absolutely perfect.” - ParaNormal Romance Reviews
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“Page-turning magical suspense… The world-building is incredibly complex, and with Black’s innate ability to wring emotion from every pore of her characters, not only suspends disbelief but leaves readers clamoring for more.” - Fallen Angel Reviews
PRAISE FOR CAPTURE ME IN MOONLIGHT
Packed full of adventure, action and steamy romance! “I enjoyed it! I love how this magical world is slowly evolving, I am hooked and I can’t wait to see what is in store next for the Doomsday Brethren.” – Goodreads Reviewer
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5 Stars! “I loved it!” – Goodreads Reviewer
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5 Stars! “Well-written with good pacing, I loved this story and I want to read more in the series!” – Goodreads Reviewer
Author’s Note
Dear Reader,
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If you have not read the previous book in the Doomsday Brethren series, please STOP now.
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CAPTURE ME IN MOONLIGHT is the second title in the Doomsday Brethren series. In order to fully understand and enjoy this story, I recommend you read the first book in the series, TEMPT ME WITH DARKNESS, before you embark on this one.
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I sincerely hope you enjoy the saga of these characters I’ve come to love so deeply!
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Happy reading,
Shayla
ABOUT CAPTURE ME IN MOONLIGHT
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I crave her like no other…but touching her could destroy us both.
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Ronan
For thousands of years, the Wolvsey wizards have been cursed never to know their fated mate.
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Then I see her. A beauty with a bruised heart. A human who’s not supposed to know about our world. She’s off-limits, yet I’m obsessed. I shouldn’t crave her more than my next breath.
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If I claim her, she’ll die.
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***
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Kari
For two years, I’ve ached for the enigmatic wizard who watches me possessively every night, then leaves with another woman. After my cheating ex, I swore I’d never fall again. I have to stop wanting him more than life itself.
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If I give in, he’ll break my heart.
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There’s no place for us—in his world or mine. Yet our spark burns too hot to resist. And when a terrifying dark force threatens everything, we must band together…or we won’t survive.
• Cursed
• Fated mates
• Forbidden love
• Friends to lovers
• Secret past
Chapter
One
London
November
Ronan
There’s a bloody unwelcome sight.
I wander into the Witch’s Brew with Raiden, my twin brother, close behind. The rowdy London pub always draws a boisterous, eclectic crowd: athletic types, businessmen, goth girls…and many of magickind’s unmated. A surprise, considering its owner, Kari Keswick, is pure human.
It’s that very woman I watch now, all swinging golden curls and enormous blue eyes, as she leans over the bar, her brief blue T-shirt exposing a band of soft skin at her midriff as she whispers to a wizard. He’s big, with hair as dark as night and moody gray eyes. He has the look of a predator. Tynan Someone-or-other. Why the fuck is he single-mindedly focused on my Kari?
She’s not yours, you barmy bastard. She can’t be.
Fighting a gust of wind, I slam the pub’s door. She doesn’t look my way, merely grips Tynan’s shoulder as she stares softly into his eyes with a smile.
This fury poisoning my blood as I curl my fingers into fists must be the wretched emotion humans call jealousy. Though I’d rather swallow battery acid, I can’t stem my violent urge.
If that bastard touches Kari, I will kill him.
“You’ll burn holes in her if you stare any harder,” Raiden drawls beside me.
“For the past month, that tosser has all but rubbed against her as if he’s marking his territory.”
“So? It’s not as if you’ll spend tonight alone. In fact…” My twin scans the room—until his stare stops near the back. “I see two splendid possibilities by the window. Let’s go.”
Raiden sees such possibilities every place, and he’s rarely wrong. Even if I won’t spend the night alone, I’m dying to spend it with Kari. But she’ll refuse me, as she has for countless months in the two years I’ve known her.
Until recently, I assumed she didn’t want to cross the human-wizard line…presuming she even knows magickind exists. But given her present coziness with Tynan, she likely does. Which means her refusal is personal.
I seethe.
“In a moment.” I stomp toward the bar.
Raiden grabs my arm. “Forget her.”
Doesn’t he think I’ve tried?
I jerk free. “Shove off.”
“What the devil is wrong with you? Kari is hardly the most beautiful female you’ve shagged. Last week’s blonde was more stunning by half. What was her name?”
I have no idea, and that’s the problem. I despise waking up in a different bed, beside a different body, every morning. At barely ninety, I’m young by magickind’s standards. But I don’t want to live this way for ten more minutes, much less nine long centuries.
“Kari is different.” She’s special. “I’ve nearly gone mad trying to discern why.”
Raiden snorts. “She’s the only woman who’s ever told you ‘no.’ There are plenty who won’t. Pick one and move on.”
As if all women are interchangeable. But for Raiden—and the rest of the Wolvsey wizards—they are.
Why am I different?
“Chat up the women by the window,” I tell my brother. “I’m popping over to the bar to say hello.”
He rolls his eyes. “You’re wasting your time. Kari looks…busy.”
I turn back to find her pressing her soft pink lips against the big wizard’s stubbled cheek. The sight rips through my gut. She looks so delicate and fair against his strong, sun-bronzed face.
Tynan squeezes her hand. I clench my jaw so hard, I nearly grind my teeth into powder.
After stalking across the pub, I yank out the stool beside the big wizard. It screeches across the old stone floor. Everyone nearby turns to stare—except Kari.
To my left, the flames in the brick hearth ward off the coming winter’s chill. Heavy alternative rock plays in
She commands my attention and hypnotizes me with a smile that shines as brightly as her golden hair. Her otherworldly blue eyes that seem to take up half of her sweet face suck me in. One glance and I’m panting. My cock is hard as steel.
There is something about her I can’t pinpoint. If I could, maybe I could rid myself of this odd obsession. In the two years since I first set eyes on this woman, it’s only grown.
“Kari?”
Slowly, the other wizard releases her with a nod, as if he’s grudgingly giving her permission to greet me. With a sigh, she tears her attention from Tynan.
Is she fucking the wanker? Is she in love with him? The questions scream through my brain like a battle cry.
“Ronan.” She slides closer. “A scotch?”
“Double, no rocks.” I glance at Tynan. “New…friend?”
“I see your brother has already made yours for the night.” She peers over my shoulder at my twin with a sarcastic twist of her pretty mouth. “I hope you’re in the mood for a brunette. It appears she’s yours by default. Raiden always takes the redheads.” Then she looks at her watch and whistles. “Wow. Three minutes. That’s a record, even for him.”
I grimace. I don’t like coming here to find women, but Raiden insists nowhere else is more expedient or target rich.
“I don’t care who he’s found. He can have them both. I came for you,” I confess.
“We’ve been over this.” Kari reaches behind her for a glass on the shelf. “No.”
“Why?” Given her closeness to Tynan, it’s not because I’m a wizard.
“Don’t ask me again. Please.” She slams the glass on the well-worn bar between us.
I grab her hands. They’re soft, despite being slightly work-roughened. At a mere touch, desire burns, dismantling my composure. I ache to see her long fingers wrapped around my cock or feel her short, practical nails digging into my back as I fuck her hard. “You’re a fever to me. I need to touch you.”
“That line work for you often?”
Kari thinks my choked admission is a ploy? “I’m telling you the bloody truth.”
She shakes her head, curls brushing the pert breasts I’ve fantasized about touching, and extracts her hands to fill my glass of scotch. She shoves it my way. “Like any fever, you’ll recover. That’ll be twelve pounds.”
Swallowing a curse, I slide human money across the bar. “I just want to talk to you.”
“You want to shag me. And then forget me as you have every woman you’ve met here for the past two years. You have too many notches on your bedpost, and the line to be next is too long. No, thank you.”
With that, she turns her attention back to Tynan.
Bugger!
Raiden motions me over. I grab my drink and slide off my stool.
Kari huffs and turns away. Under her seeming dismissal, I glimpse her hurt. It nearly fells me. If only she would give me a chance… Then again, even if she did, where would it lead? Outside of the mate bond, magickind doesn’t subscribe to the human notion of monogamy. And Wolvseys don’t mate. It’s better for everyone.
Swallowing my frustration, I turn and paste on the expected smile. The brunette my brother procured for me is pretty enough. Nice mouth. Pert breasts. Still, if my magic didn’t require the energy derived from frequent sex, I wouldn’t bother. Perhaps I’ll be able to close my eyes and pretend she’s Kari. It would hardly be the first time. But now that wizards seemingly aren’t off Kari’s to-do list, I shouldn’t…but I’m determined to make her mine—at least for a night.
Kari
With the slam of the door, Ronan Wolvsey and his date disappear for the night, assaulting me with an all-too-familiar pain. I’m gutted each time he leaves with another woman, knowing he’ll pleasure her while I toss alone in my bed, wanting his heart and devotion—things he’ll never give any one woman.
Ronan is strictly the love-‘em-and-leave-‘em type.
“Who is he?”
I regard my newest regular, Tynan O’Shea. He’s polite and quiet—for now. But he’s a brewing storm, haunted by the murder of the girl he loved. I don’t know much about magical politics or its villains. In fact, as a human, I shouldn’t know about magickind at all. Some indiscreet wand waving after too much liquor changed that a few months back. But this Mathias d’Arc bastard, who killed Tynan’s beloved Auropha, sounds right scary. If I can help the grieving wizard, even by merely listening to him reminisce, I’ll do it.
If there’s one thing I understand, it’s loneliness.
“Just a regular who thinks he can crook his finger and I’ll shag him.”
Tynan pauses. “Has he ever kissed you?”
“No.” Not that Ronan hasn’t tried. Not that I haven’t thought about his masculine slash of a mouth devouring mine, demanding all from me as I lose my fingers in his midnight hair. Of my palms skimming his five o’clock shadow while his green eyes fuse to mine as he sinks deep inside me…
“Hmm. Ever…been with a wizard?”
“Not that I’m aware of.”
Tynan manages a grin. “If you’d slept with one, you would know.”
“Really?” I drop my voice. “You look human enough. Prettier perhaps, but I assumed the anatomy works the same.”
“Yes and no.” He doesn’t elaborate.
“Come on, then. Spill. What’s different?”
“Everything I’m about to tell you must remain secret. We cannot allow word of our existence to spread.”
Not that I’d ever reveal anything, but if I tried, everyone would think I’m barking mad. “Of course.”
“Wizards are mostly like human men, except we must…indulge often to power our magic or we die.”
“Die? You’re serious?”
“Quite. Because of that, we have more”—he clears his throat—“stamina.”
So Ronan wasn’t exaggerating when he swore he’d shag me all night long? Even the thought makes me flush hot.
I haven’t bothered with sex since discovering that my fiancé, Edward, had a revolving door to his bed. Ronan has the same flaw. Yes, according to Tynan, the manwhore has a good reason, but watching him choose someone else almost every night…it hurts.
Still, I’m foolishly tempted to let Ronan break my celibate streak. Tynan’s whispers are only making me imagine a night with him. Even the details he’s divulged make me hot and fidgety. “I see.”
His voice drops another octave. “We also have extra senses.”
Fascinating. “Such as?”
“Wizards have an instinct that enables them to sense their lifelong mates. We know in an instant if a woman is ours.”
