Hunter Reborn

Book 5: Moon Shifter Series

by Katie Reus

Genres: Action & Adventure Romance; Vampires; Supernatural suspense

Synopsis

The thrilling new Moon Shifter novel from New York Times bestselling author Katie Reus.

Losing her was the hardest thing he’d ever endured....

Warrior shifter Aiden’s investigation of the trafficking of vampire blood leads to a startling discovery: the beautiful vampire bondmate he thought was dead. Decades ago, they’d defied their powerful families to be together, but then Larissa disappeared without a trace. When their mating link broke, it nearly destroyed Aiden. Now she’s back with no memory of where she’s been. Even more shattering—Larissa claims she has no idea who Aiden is.

Now she’s back....

It’s a race against time to bring down an operation more evil than his pack ever suspected, and Aiden finds himself working side by side with a mate who no longer trusts him—and she wants out. But he lost her once, and he won’t let her go again. Unfortunately, Larissa’s blood is the key to a powerful monster’s dangerous plan—and he’ll stop at nothing to destroy her, sparking off a war between the supernaturals and humans that no one will win.

Release date: February 3, 2015

Publisher: Berkley

Print pages: 368

Sample

PRAISE FOR THE MOON SHIFTER SERIES

Also by Katie Reus

SIGNET ECLIPSE

Chapter 1

Aiden leaned against the front door of the SUV, arms crossed over his chest, as he waited for some of his other packmates to join him. Connor, Jayce, Erin, and Noah had already left for Winston-Salem, which was only a couple of hours away. Barely. With the aggressive way Erin drove they’d probably arrive sooner than expected.

At the soft sound of approaching footsteps, he straightened. When he saw Teresa enter the parking structure, he grinned. Her knee-high heeled boots barely made a sound on the hard ground as she strode toward the SUV.

Her dark eyes flashed in annoyance when they landed on him, the normally indiscernible flecks of amber seeming brighter under the soft glow of the moonlight streaming in through the skylights. “Don’t even start,” she growled. The petite dark-haired shifter clenched her jaw tightly as she eyed him.

“Start what? You look hot. . . . Did Natalia dress you?” he asked teasingly, knowing it was probably the truth.

“I wish I could be offended, but yes. She left this dress plus a threatening note on my bed that I’d better be wearing this tonight.” Teresa looked down at herself, then grimaced. She had on a short leather jacket over the dress that did little to hide how fitted it was. “Do I . . . look ridiculous?”

Aiden was surprised by the very real thread of insecurity that rolled off her. Teresa was truly a beautiful woman, but a sharp scent spiked in the air. The female was closer in age to Ana, her cousin and their pack Alpha’s mate, so he knew she was around seventy—even though she looked like she was in her twenties. As lupine shifters they aged a hell of a lot slower than their human counterparts. But Teresa had been born in a different time, unlike her younger sisters, and he’d never seen her in anything other than jeans, T-shirts, and work boots.

“No, you look—”

“What the hell are you wearing?” Ryan called out as he entered the parking structure, Kat hot on his heels.

The four of them were heading to Winston-Salem together as part of their pack’s recon mission of a supernatural club they suspected of trafficking vampire blood. Aiden loved Ryan like a brother, but he wanted to beat the shit out of him for the stricken look he’d just put on Teresa’s face. The warrior male was a computer genius but when it came to Teresa, he was an idiot.

She paled and looked down at the impossibly tight black dress that was secured by some sort of chain thing around the back of her neck. It hung a little looser around her chest—Aiden was pretty sure that was called a cowl—showing off all sorts of cleavage he knew Ryan didn’t want the world to see. But Ryan was too big of a coward to make a move on Teresa and Aiden wasn’t going to let the bastard hurt her feelings because of some territorial vibe the guy had going on over her.

Aiden whirled on the tall cowboy. “What the fuck’s your problem? Teresa looks like sex on heels so pull that stick out of your ass.” Without waiting for a response, he opened the back door to the SUV and motioned to Teresa. “Come on, sweetheart, you can sit in my lap. We need to get ready for our role as a couple. It probably wouldn’t hurt if we kissed as practice—”

On an angry growl, Ryan dropped the bag he was carrying and rushed him, claws already unsheathed. Teresa let out a yelp as Kat dragged her out of the way. Aiden had been ready for the attack. He didn’t want Teresa in a sexual way—he didn’t want any female other than the one he’d lost—but he liked to rile up his jackass packmates fighting their mating instinct. Ryan had a future mate literally dropped into his lap but the male was too damn stubborn to embrace the gift he’d been given with Teresa. For that alone Aiden wanted to slice him up. Provoking him allowed Aiden to let loose his beast.

Aiden didn’t try to avoid the attack, but embraced Ryan’s tackle. Letting the other lupine grab him, Aiden slammed his fist into Ryan’s ribs. As he started pummeling his packmate, Ryan turned and slammed an elbow across Aiden’s face.

Instead of fighting the pain, he savored it. Nothing could compare to the agony he’d been carrying around for decades. He might put on a happy face for packmates, but every morning he woke up and that invisible knife embedded in his chest was still there.

Time was supposed to lessen the pain of loss. Or at least that’s the bullshit he’d been told. And that’s exactly what it was. Bullshit. Time just made it worse. He died a little every fucking day. Right now he wanted to make someone else hurt and Ryan was a convenient target.

Rolling into the face slam, he came back strong, plowing his other fist across Ryan’s jaw. His packmate flew back against the SUV with a loud thud, but bounced back immediately.

Before Aiden could attack him again, something hard slammed against the side of his head. What the hell? He turned to see Kat with a long wooden sparring stick in her hands.

Ryan laughed, then held up his hands protectively as Kat brought down the stick on him too. It rapped against his knuckles, making the other male cry out in annoyance.

“What the hell is wrong with you two? We’ve got shit to do and you’re acting like cubs!” Kat held the sparring stick firmly in one hand as she glared at both of them.

She’d been turned only a few months ago and was just in her twenties. She was young by human and shifter standards. Considering both he and Ryan were close to two hundred years old, their behavior was that much more shameful.

Out of the corner of his eye Aiden kept tabs on Ryan, but watched Kat warily. He deserved everything she had to dish out. They shouldn’t have been fighting right before a mission. Before either of them could respond, she held up a hand in warning.

“I don’t even want to hear it! Both of you, get in the car. Ryan, front seat, Aiden back seat with Teresa. I am driving.”

Aiden could tell Ryan wanted to argue, but he nodded instead. His expression dark, the other shifter grabbed the laptop bag he’d dropped and rounded the vehicle without looking at Teresa. Aiden, however, wrapped an arm around her shoulders and squeezed. She looked close to tears, but she didn’t say anything as she got in before him.

Most of his male packmates thought he was a flirt and a player. Nothing could be further from the truth. He just hated seeing any female in pain, especially someone as sweet as Teresa.

The drive to Winston-Salem was long and awkward. Thankfully Kat turned on the radio, but that was pretty much the only conversation. Normally they all played around with one another, but after what had happened, Aiden wasn’t surprised at the silence. He also wasn’t sorry for what he’d instigated.

He was fucking tired of scenting Teresa’s pain whenever Ryan gave her the cold shoulder or said something to hurt her feelings. It didn’t even matter that it was unintentional. The thing was, Ryan was one of the most decent males that Aiden knew. He’d taken in an abandoned cub and adopted him as his own. And it was clear he had feelings—strong ones—for Teresa. It wasn’t like he went out of his way to hurt her, but it seemed like he did more often than not lately.

“We’re almost there,” Ryan said quietly as he clacked away at his laptop. He was going to stay behind and monitor their movements in the secret club that catered to supernaturals.

Most of the others had already arrived and planned to break in to the nonpublic area of the place, but Aiden, Teresa, and Kat were going to infiltrate the club and place hidden cameras wherever they could. Natalia was meeting them there and she and Teresa were going to be more of a distraction than anything, if necessary. It was why Teresa was dressed so skimpily.

Without turning around, Ryan reached back and held out two small earpieces. One for Aiden and one for Teresa. The technology was impressively small and undetectable to the eye because of how they settled in the ear canal. Everyone had already tested these so they were ready to go once Kat parked.

The energy in the SUV shifted as they continued down a long dirt path surrounded by woods on either side. It was time to work and everyone knew it. No matter what conflict Aiden had with Ryan at the moment, he wasn’t worried about his packmate being unprofessional. Up ahead, Aiden could see the taillights of another vehicle that must have turned off the highway before they had.

Once they reached the end of the path, it opened up into a giant field where the industrial-building-turned-nightclub sat. High-end vehicles were parked everywhere around the makeshift gravel parking lot.

“Everyone have what they need?” Ryan asked as Kat maneuvered to a dark corner.

The vehicle stopped and they all murmured affirmations. Kat and Teresa each had six small video cameras in the lining of their clutch purses—in case they were searched on the way in. That didn’t seem to be the norm, based on previous experiences, but they weren’t taking any chances this time.

“Everyone, turn on your earpieces,” Ryan said.

Once they made sure they were all on the same feed, everyone opened their doors except for Ryan, who remained glued to his laptop. The rest of the group had gone completely dark per their Alpha’s orders. Connor didn’t want his team to have any distractions or any possible way for them to be discovered. Plus, Jayce and Kat could communicate telepathically, so if there was an emergency Kat would just let the other team know through Jayce.

Teresa hovered outside her door; then her chin tipped up almost mutinously as she slipped her leather jacket off. It was February and freezing cold with a dusting of light snow on the ground, but as shifters they had much higher body temperatures. He knew that wasn’t why Teresa was taking off the jacket though.

Without looking at Ryan, she tossed it onto her seat, then slammed the door. Aiden’s eyes widened when she sauntered away. The back of the dress dipped dangerously low, all the way to the top of her butt. One wrong move and she’d be showing off everything.

Grinning, Aiden threw an arm around her shoulder. Since Ryan could still see them and hear every word they said, he tugged her closer. “You should let Natalia dress you more often,” he murmured.

Teresa nudged him with her elbow, but she smiled. A real one. And that painful scent wasn’t rolling off her anymore. He hated seeing any female in pain and that smile soothed his inner wolf immensely.

As they drew closer to the front doors, he straightened and so did Kat and Teresa. They might be posing as partygoers, but everything about this mission was serious to them. There’d been mass reports of humans doing violent and illegal things while under the influence of vampire blood. The humans—who were still alive—all said they felt as if they weren’t in control of themselves, as if someone else was pulling their strings.

After some research they’d discovered reports of vamp blood deals going down here. Winston-Salem was too damn close to Aiden’s pack’s ranch in Fontana Mountain. And Connor Armstrong wouldn’t let any of that shit encroach on his territory.

Next to Aiden, Teresa pulled her buzzing cell phone out of her pocket. “Natalia’s on her way. She’ll be here in twenty minutes,” she said after glancing at the screen.

“Good—according to Jayce, everyone else is inside. They’re slowly searching the place but haven’t run into any snags,” Kat said.

If they did, at least there was enough of the pack here as backup. With supernatural beings there was never any telling when a threat could escalate out of control. If someone was dealing vamp blood out of this club and they got wind that the Armstrong pack was looking to shut them down, there was no telling what could happen.

Chapter 2

Raw energy hummed through Natalia Cordona as her boots crunched over the gravel of the crude parking lot. There were too many vehicles to count outside the industrial building that had been turned into a club. She was running late because one of her sisters had had some sort of crisis so she’d gotten stuck on the phone. While she loved her sisters, her Alpha Connor had given her a chance to be part of this recon mission and there was no way in hell she wanted to screw this up. Not when she was one of the youngest—translation, coddled—of the pack. As she stepped inside the entryway, she scented another shifter nearby.

Next to a vintage elevator a tall shifter with a military-short buzz cut stood waiting, his arms crossed over his huge chest. He flicked her a quick, dismissive glance.

She frowned as she headed his way. Not standing too close as to crowd his personal space, she didn’t hide that she was studying his profile. He was a lupine like her and there was something oddly familiar about him. Which was strange for her since she hadn’t spent much time off the ranch except for when she’d been away at college.

His jaw clenched once and she realized she’d been staring too hard.

She averted her gaze forward when the elevator jerked to a halt. Even though it looked vintage on the outside, once the doors whooshed open it was all sleek and shiny on the inside. Whoever owned this place had definitely refurbished part of it. Her boots clicked on the flooring, but his were silent.

Natalia couldn’t help another sneak peek at him as they stepped inside. “You look . . . Have we met before? Did you go to Duke?” That was where she’d gone to college. She hated not being able to figure something out, and this guy was seriously making her radar ping.

He snorted and looked at her as if she was disgusting. “Not interested.”

Her eyes widened when she realized what he meant and she laughed. “Go fuck yourself. I wasn’t hitting on you.” That was when it clicked into place. He looked like Jayce-freaking-Kazan, Kat’s mate. “You just look like my friend’s mate Jayce, but . . . okay then, whatever.” She trailed off and turned to face the doors when it was clear that 1) the guy was ignoring her and 2) there was no way Jayce Kazan had any relatives.

Or she didn’t think he did. He’d never mentioned any—not that he would ever have a reason to talk to her in a one-on-one situation. He was hundreds of years older and an enforcer for the Council. But Kat hadn’t said anything either and Natalia and the tall, gorgeous female shifter had become friends ever since she and Jayce had moved permanently to the ranch.

Natalia pulled out her cell phone to text Kat to let her know she’d be arriving in a minute when the elevator jerked to a halt and an alarm blared. Whipping her head around, she glared at the tall jackass who’d pressed the emergency stop. He wasn’t putting off any hostile vibes or attempting to crowd her and it was the only reason she was containing herself. “What’s the matter with you?”

His eyes narrowed. “Did you say Jayce?”

“I swear to God, if you don’t release that button I’m going to flay you alive.” If some asshole thought he could trap her in an elevator he was in for a surprise. She knew she probably shouldn’t have started in with the threats right away but she couldn’t help it. Before her mom died she’d always told her she needed to get ahold of her temper—and her sailor mouth. Natalia didn’t bother trying to watch her mouth. And her temper, hell, she came by that honestly. Her mother had no one to blame but herself for that trait.

Taking her by surprise, the giant shifter’s mouth quirked up. “You’re quick-tempered for such a little thing.”

Her canines and claws descended. “You want to find out what this little thing can do?” She had no idea why she was getting so worked up but this guy was bringing out the crazy in her. She felt edgy and restless being near him. It was unsettling and she didn’t like it.

He let the red button go, but eyed her as the elevator jerked into motion again. “Were you referring to Jayce Kazan a moment ago?” Now he was all politeness and civility. But she wasn’t fooled. This guy was a class A predator. She could see it in every taut line of his muscular body.

The truth was, she hadn’t been hitting on him but now she noticed that he was actually pretty good-looking. Okay, more than pretty good. And for some reason, that annoyed her. “So what if I was?” Turning away from him, she shoved her phone back in her pocket and watched the numbers fly by on the elevator and pretended to ignore him.

“He’s mated?”

God, what rock was this guy living under? Okay, maybe it wasn’t exactly common knowledge so she should give the guy a break, but he rubbed her the wrong way. And he’d been rude to her so he could suck it. She shrugged noncommittally.

The elevator stopped on level nine and she could feel the pulsing beat of the club music even before the doors whooshed open. Hell yeah, time to work. Her entire body hummed with anticipation. She couldn’t believe her Alpha had okayed letting her be part of this mission and there was no way she’d screw it up. She was tired of life on the ranch. Her old Alpha had tried to keep the entire pack sequestered from society, and it wasn’t like she was happy he was dead, but she liked Connor as an Alpha a hell of a lot better. He understood that they needed to interact more with humans and he seemed to genuinely like the other species. She did too. Humans were amazing. They were fragile compared to supernatural beings but so many lived like they’d never die. It was inspiring.

“So what are you doing here by yourself, little wolf?” the guy asked as she stepped out of the elevator.

Immediately she was blasted with too many sensory things. Music, smells, voices . . . it was all so much. This place was supposedly owned by someone supernatural so why did they have the music so loud? With their sensitive hearing it was aggravating. Most supernatural-owned places she’d been to in the past had been conscious of their clientele and kept the music at a lower level.

She glanced up at the male, but didn’t stop walking toward the entrance where a security guy stood next to a roped-off entryway. It actually wasn’t a condescending question—though the “little” part annoyed her. Most shifters traveled in packs so maybe he was just being curious. “I’m not by myself.” Well, she wouldn’t be in a few minutes. She was meeting Aiden, Teresa, and Kat. Jayce, Connor, Erin, and Noah were also here, but they weren’t going to interact with her group. They were doing their own reconnaissance and breaking into the offices and back rooms of this club while she, Aiden, Teresa, and Kat were simply hanging out, drinking and pretending to party while they surveyed the club surroundings. She almost asked this shifter why he was by himself but she didn’t want to open herself up for any more conversation.

The bouncer—who was definitely a vampire—didn’t even card them as they approached, just smelled them. It was subtle but Natalia recognized what he was doing. He gave them a quick nod, then unhooked the heavy, velvet rope and let them pass.

“Let me buy you a drink,” the male said as he kept pace with her.

“No, thank you.” She glanced around the expansive room. It was three stories and the first floor had three bars and a dance floor. High-top tables surrounded three sides of the dance area. From her position she could see private areas on the second floor—which was technically the tenth floor overall of the industrial building. But supposedly no one could get to the lower floors except through internal stairwells from this dance area.

The sectioned-off rooms looked like opera boxes. Some had curtains pulled back, revealing that they were empty, while others blocked whatever was going on inside. Natalia could only guess for what. On the floor above that she saw flashes of purple strobe lights, but glass encased the balcony areas overlooking the first-floor dance area. She couldn’t hear any extra music so maybe that floor was insulated well.

As she scanned the crowd she spotted Aiden and Teresa dancing among the throng of shifters, vamps, fae, and some other creatures whose origins she didn’t even want to guess. Kat was sitting at one of the high-top tables and when she spotted her, the tall female smiled.

The male next to her sighed. “Listen, I just . . . do you seriously know Jayce Kazan?”

Natalia looked at him, assessing him. She had no clue who this stranger was or what his intentions might be and she sure as hell wasn’t leading him to Jayce’s new mate. Kat could take care of herself but Natalia wasn’t going to point her out to anyone. She shrugged. “Kind of. I met him a while ago. It’s not like we hang out or anything. What’s your deal? And what’s your name?”

The male watched her as if he didn’t believe her. Which he shouldn’t since she was lying. Sort of. She’d worded her answer so she wouldn’t put off that metallic scent associated with lies.

“My name’s Aldric.” Now he watched her even more intently, those grayish green eyes turning mercurial. He stared as if he expected some sort of recognition. She just raised her eyebrows, unsure how to respond. She didn’t want to give him her name. After a few long moments, he stepped back. “I’m sorry I bothered you. Enjoy your evening.” Then he disappeared into the crowd.

Natalia watched him walk away, then glanced at Kat. Instead of fighting through the crowds she texted her friend. Something weird just happened. Going to the restroom on the west side. Meet me there in ten minutes.

Kat checked her phone, answered okay, and didn’t look in Natalia’s direction again. They were going to act as if they didn’t know each other. Which was all part of their plan if anything out of the ordinary happened. It wasn’t like her conversation had been particularly strange but it had been odd enough and she wanted to let Kat know. Then Kat could easily let her mate know through their telepathic bondmate link.

This floor of the club was thick with supernatural beings. The scent of sex filled the air and as she walked past the dance floor she realized there were actually people having sex on it. Vamps, of course. Hedonistic maniacs. She shook her head and kept her pace steady, but not too fast as to draw attention to herself.

As she made her way through the crowd she passed a couple of vamp cocktail waitresses on roller skates carrying trays of drinks—some of which she could tell were blood. They wore skirts that might as well be Band-Aids and had little pasties over their nipples. Why even bother wearing them?

At the west side exit, she pushed open a heavy metal door and stepped into a brightly lit hallway. When the door shut, all the sound and scents from before faded. Damn, that was some serious insulation. From the recon her pack had done and the map Ryan had given everyone a couple of days ago to study, she knew there was a bathroom down this hallway on the right side. There were a lot of other doorways though and the pack wasn’t yet sure what was behind them.

She quickly ducked into the bathroom and was relieved to find the three stalls empty. The place was all marble, mirrors, and gold finishing touches. After a few minutes passed she sat on one of the cream tufted settees and checked her phone again. No message. She was supposed to get an earpiece from Kat, but until then she was in the dark.

When she realized she’d been tapping her booted foot against the tile at a rapid rate she forced herself to stop. Another glance at her phone told her ten minutes had passed. Feeling uneasy, she stood and started to head for the door when the sound of a woman screaming outside the bathroom rent the air.

Natalia raced out the door to find a half-naked woman covered in blood running down the hall. Her eyes were wide and her blond hair was tangled all around her face. “Help me!” she screamed.

Out of an instinct to help, Natalia unsheathed her claws. When the human woman saw them, however, she screamed even louder and jerked to a halt. Cringing, Natalia drew them back in and held up her hands to show she meant no harm. “I can help you. What’s—”

She stopped talking as two angry-looking vampires rounded the corner at the end of the hallway, blood dripping down their faces and bare chests. They slowly stalked down the hall, looking like rabid but very deadly predators. Something was wrong with their eyes. They glowed bright amber in the way of vamps, but . . . something was off about both males. She just couldn’t figure out what it was.

Oh, shit.

The woman looked back and forth between the vamps and Natalia, raw fear in her eyes. Natalia wanted to move between the female and the two males but didn’t want to spook her. She held out a hand. “Come to me.” The human just stared at her, as if frozen in a state of shock.

At the sound of a door opening, Natalia swiveled. Her claws once again unsheathed as she turned to face the new danger. Instead of a threat she found Kat slipping into the hallway. Her pale blue eyes widened and went pure wolf as she saw the woman and the vamps. Without pause, she unzipped her black jacket and tossed a blade to Natalia.

With her quick reflexes she caught it midair.

“Take the human to the restroom!” Kat ordered. “Jayce and the others are on their way,” she murmured low enough for only Natalia to hear.

Holding the blade tightly she nodded and faced the human again. “We can help you.”

The female took a jerky step forward, her eyes still wide and a little manic, but it was clear she’d decided to trust them. Probably thought they were the lesser of two evils. Holding out her blade-free hand, Natalia wrapped an arm around the bleeding woman and started to usher her down the hall. As soon as she got her to relative safety she was coming back to help Kat.

She knew for a fact that the enforcer’s mate could take care of herself—she trained with her mate and his enforcers-in-training almost every damn day of the week—but Natalia would do anything to help a packmate and she wouldn’t let Kat fight alone.

As she practically dragged the now-sobbing human down the hallway another door burst open. A male vampire with descended fangs appeared in the doorway. Natalia shoved the human behind her. The vamp moved like the wind, slamming Natalia against the wall.

Her back ached as plaster splintered behind her but before she could move, the vamp’s eyes widened, turning bright amber as he looked down between their bodies.

The blade Kat had given her was embedded in his chest. Natalia shoved forward deeper and twisted it hard. Shock registered on his face—right before he turned to ash.

Chapter 3

Aiden casually leaned back against the edge of one of the polished wooden bars. It was the only one not in use on this floor of the club. He had a drink in one hand as he surveyed their surroundings. Though his stance was casual, he was wound tight.

Kat had disappeared a few seconds ago, telling him and Teresa that she was meeting Natalia in one of the restrooms. He knew Teresa wanted to go because Natalia was her youngest sister, but she’d stayed with him to give Natalia the space she’d been craving. Teresa’s sister was starting to assert her independence and his Alpha wanted to give it to her. Something Aiden respected. Not all Alphas were like that. No, they still had ridiculously archaic ideas about how their pack members, especially the females, should be treated.

Teresa came in from the dance floor after having been dancing with a couple of female vamps, her eyes alert even though she fake-stumbled once for show as she headed toward him. Tonight, they were just partygoers. Technically Aiden could have come in here and put all the cameras in place himself, but without a cover date, he’d known females would have been coming on to him all night. It wasn’t arrogance, just experience. The thought of any strange female sidling up to him made h