Page 2 of Midnight Hunt (Wolves of Midnight #4)

1

VIOLET

The crowd erupted into chaos. I joined the excitement, rising from my seat to clap and holler at the top of my lungs.

“Yeah, Reid! Woohoo!”

It was the first football game of the season, and we’d won by a landslide—not surprising, considering who the quarterback was.

For four years running, Reid Zimmerman had led the New England Rebels to Super Bowl victory. Never before had the NFL seen a quarterback throw with such speed and accuracy. He’d taken the industry by storm, quickly rising in fame and securing the adoration of millions.

Girls fawned over him at every opportunity, all but willing to donate a kidney for one of his megawatt smiles. Charities loved him, benefiting from his giving nature, and fellow players respected him for his down-to-earth attitude.

Reid was the epitome of an all-American hero. Friendly, kind, hot as hell, and to his female fandom’s chagrin . . .

Taken.

That’s right. The six-foot-three, twenty-five-year-old quarterback with golden hazel eyes, dark brown hair, and gorgeous light brown skin was my boyfriend.

Oh, and did I mention he was a werewolf?

That part wasn’t common knowledge, though. In fact, no one in the packed stadium but me and a handful of others knew that he could transform into a massive black wolf. Hiding his furry side from the public wasn’t always easy, but he somehow managed. He usually only needed one night a month to wolf out, often choosing to head home to his pack in Maine for the occasion.

Constantly being in the spotlight held risks, yet Reid fit into the human world with an ease I couldn’t help but admire. I wasn’t too bad at it myself, but Reid blew my efforts out of the water. He truly was an impressive male, and I was lucky to call him my boyfriend. Perfect strangers reminded me of that fact on the regular—and not always in a nice way.

I was dating a superstar, and with that reality came a fair share of jealousy. I could feel eyes on me even now as Reid scored the final touchdown of the game. His teammates rushed into the endzone to celebrate their victory, and I forced my eyes to remain on them instead of the excited crowd around me.

Reid had offered to buy me a private box seat on the second level, but I’d turned it down in favor of being closer to the action on the sidelines. Although we could both easily afford the VIP seats, I didn’t want to stand out any more than I already did. The sister of a New York billionaire dating the most popular quarterback in the NFL got quite enough attention already.

As the players became a bobbing pile of navy-blue jerseys, Reid suddenly turned my way and blew a kiss into the air. Girly screams pounded my sensitive eardrums, but I just smiled and blew him a return kiss. He grinned a mile wide, holding my gaze a moment before turning back to his teammates.

I continued to watch him celebrate, a small smile playing about my lips. He made it easy, so easy to like him. Being with him was like filling my lungs with oxygen. Simple. Automatic. Effortless.

Hmph .

As the disgruntled sound filled my mind, I replied back through our telepathic connection, Don’t start, Sable .

What? I didn’t say anything .

Yes, you did. You said a thousand things with that little sound .

My wolf familiar let out another harumph. You’re the one with the loud thoughts, Vi. At least I know how to keep mine to myself .

Yeah, well, keep your sound effects to yourself too. I’m having fun, and you promised you wouldn’t spoil it for me tonight . Please, Sable. Don’t start another fight .

She huffed again, but it was more of a sigh this time. Fine. Have your fun tonight, despite how much I’m going to hate it.

Rolling my eyes, I started gathering my things. This wasn’t the first time I’d been at odds with my familiar, but she’d never been this mopey for so long before. Despite the fact that we shared a special bond rarely seen in the supernatural world, the celestial being and I often wanted very different things. The moment she’d chosen me at birth to house her essence on the earthly plane, I’d been gifted a sliver of her spirit. The connection allowed me access to her powerful abilities and innermost thoughts, but that didn’t mean I always understood or agreed with her.

The past eight months had been a constant battle of wills with the strong-minded demoness. She hated being away from her pack. Our pack. And every time I took her away, even for a day or two, she complained the entire time. Even worse, she didn’t like Reid and reminded me of that fact every chance she could. Whenever he tried to kiss me, she would push to the surface and effectively separate us.

It was getting old. Really old. Especially since she refused to let us have sex.

As I finished collecting my things and headed for the stairs, I recalled what had happened when I’d gone into heat earlier this summer. Grimacing, I firmly locked away the memory. Tonight would be different. I was finally going to have sex with my boyfriend after eight long months of abstinence. Reid was a saint for being patient this long, but I knew he wanted to take that next step in our relationship as much as I did.

With the high from his win and the freshly waning moon, he was no doubt filled with testosterone and more than ready to seal the deal. Although we had a long distance relationship, I’d spent the past week with him at his upscale apartment in downtown Boston. He’d wanted some quality time with me before the official start of the football season, and I’d enjoyed several evenings of sightseeing the city with him. But as each evening had come to a close, Sable had asserted her presence between us like a frickin’ cement wall.

Not tonight, though. My familiar and I had finally come to an agreement after hours of arguing, and there would be no celestial cock-blocking this evening. One uninterrupted night with my boyfriend in exchange for returning home tomorrow. Knowing that she’d only have to endure this city for one more day had done the trick.

For one night only, I was free to tackle the quarterback with no interference. Her words, not mine.

I could work with that. It was a step in the right direction, at least. Besides, Reid would win her over eventually. He had to. I couldn’t stand much more of this tug-of-war.

With thoughts of hot, dirty sex on my mind, I started up the steps already crowded with fans. Although I wore a baseball cap over my dark brown hair, my straight bangs further acting as a shield, I heard my name whispered several times while ascending the stairs.

“Look! That’s Violet Rivers, Reid Zimmerman’s girlfriend.”

“Oh, wow. Isn’t she, like, a billionaire?”

“Yeah. Some people have all the luck in the world.”

“Man, I would kill to be her.”

I decided against reminding the gossipers that comparison was the thief of joy. I loved my life, but it wasn’t all sunshine and rainbows. The world I lived in was dangerous, and I’d almost lost everything more times than I cared to remember. The humans in this stadium wouldn’t survive a day in my shoes.

Distracted by the gossiping, I almost bumped into a huge guy standing like a road block a few stairs up. As I skirted around him, I could have sworn he leaned over to inhale my scent.

Sable pushed to the surface in sudden interest. Werewolf , she said, even before I could finish confirming with a sniff of my own.

Curious, I peeked over my shoulder at the male, only to find his dark eyes already on me. At the way he openly stared, the hairs on my body slowly stood on end. Probably in his late twenties, he looked for all the world like a Russian mafia hitman.

I don’t recognize him , Sable said, her interest turning wary.

Neither do I , I replied before breaking the stare and facing forward again.

Normally, I’d stare him down to ascertain his dominance level, but the crowd was restless around me, their fight or flight instincts kicking in from being so close to two predators. I allowed the sea of bodies to sweep me up the stairs and shook off the encounter. Although this territory wasn’t mine, all werewolves were allowed to attend certain public events no matter their location. Professional sports was one of them, so I was technically standing on neutral ground.

If the black-haired werewolf didn’t like me in his territory, then he could take it up with his alpha. I personally knew Alpha DeRosa, and he was a decent guy as far as alphas went. Even though Reid belonged to a pack in Maine, allowing him in his territory was profitable for business. He didn’t even mind that the quarterback owned a Boston apartment.

Soon, my thoughts were back to anticipating the evening ahead, an evening spent having hot sex with my boyfriend. The sun was already low in the sky, so I wouldn’t have to wait much longer. When I reached the top of the stairs, I used my supernatural agility to slip through the crowd with ease. Reid and I had planned ahead of time to meet up at his apartment after the game, but I needed to pick something up first.

In no time, I was exiting the stadium and hurrying toward my purple Jeep. Reid had said I could use his town car while I was here, but I much preferred the independence my Jeep offered.

The second I hopped in and started her up, I rolled down the windows and cranked up the music. A popular country song blared through the speakers as I slowly navigated the busy parking lot and took the exit toward Boston. Once on the highway, I took off the Rebels hat to let my hair fly free in the wind, enjoying the smells of late summer.

“Any man of mine . . .” I loudly started to sing, knowing the song lyrics by heart. “Better walk the line . . .”

Finally caving to the carefree moment, Sable howled to the music. With a laugh, I threw back my head and let the howl belt from my lungs. The passenger in the car next to me gave me an odd look, but I just kept singing. Life was too short to care what other people thought of my car karaoke.

Twenty minutes later, I was hustling into a lingerie shop before they closed for the night. As I placed several lacy little nothings on the checkout counter, the female clerk asked, “Hoping to surprise your man?”

I slid her a sly grin. “Yeah. Hoping he’ll take one look at me in these babies and beg me to take them off.”

She winked and handed me the bag with my receipt. “Best of luck to you.”

“Thanks!” I sang and hurried from the store.

I was nearly to my Jeep when the hairs on my nape suddenly lifted. Slowing, I took stock of my surroundings with my heightened senses. It was a Sunday night, and the sidewalks weren’t nearly as busy as they’d been half an hour ago. This particular stretch was especially quiet, but traversing city streets after nightfall didn’t usually trigger my instincts. Humans mostly kept to themselves, and they rarely recognized me outside of the stadium.

Still, something felt off. It almost felt like I was being . . .

Stalked. I feel it too , Sable commented as I threw a glance over my shoulder.

Paparazzi, maybe? They’ve hounded us before , I replied, trying to shrug off the unsettling feeling. Being chased by cameras was annoying, but they were harmless.

I don’t know. This feels different. I sense danger .

At Sable’s words, my guard went up. I might be a dominant hybrid werewolf, but I wasn’t invincible. I was alone in a strange city without my pack, and I was keenly feeling their absence at the moment.

I was just about to look over my shoulder again when I spotted a lone figure up ahead standing near my Jeep. Immediately recognizing him as the werewolf who’d been blocking the stairs at the stadium, I went on high alert. Without a moment’s hesitation, I encouraged Sable closer to the surface, hoping to intimidate him with my suddenly glowing purple eyes.

Regular werewolves couldn’t shift at will, but hybrids could. Even if the male ahead was more dominant than me, I could call on Sable’s strength in a heartbeat, not to mention my claws and fangs.

As the spirit familiar within me eagerly rose to my aid, I allowed my hybrid identity to poke through my human facade. My eyes flashed brightly in warning, and I curled my upper lip back to reveal a set of lengthened canines.

It was too dark for most humans to see the slight transformation, but I knew the werewolf could easily see me with his night vision. In response to my clear warning, he tipped his mouth into a faint smirk. Scowling, I opened my own mouth to tell him off. Before I could utter a single word, something rushed me from behind.

Vi! Sable barked, but it was too late.

In a flash, black fabric fell over my head, making the world go dark. I whirled around with my claws extended, but they caught nothing but air. A rough shove from behind sent me sprawling onto the sidewalk. I managed to tuck and roll, but I lost my purse and shopping bag in the process. As I yanked the black fabric off my head, hands grabbed my arms and legs and hoisted me up.

“Let go!” I snarled, fighting like a feral beast to break free. One of my legs slipped from their hold, and I struck out. This time, I made contact and was rewarded with a pained masculine grunt.

“Subdue her,” a male growled, probably the black-haired one who’d been standing near my Jeep.

Still gripping one of my legs, the other male withdrew something from his pocket. When it caught the light of a nearby street lamp, my eyes widened. A syringe. He was trying to inject me with something.

Outraged, I kicked at his head with my freed foot. When my shoe made contact with his chin, he swore colorfully, dropping the needle and my other leg. Before I could wrestle my arms free, he stepped forward and punched me square in the face. The hit caught my cheek, nearly shattering the bone. Bright stars burst in my vision, the pain immediately dulling my senses. I’d been hit in the face plenty of times by werewolves, but being punched point-blank always sucked.

As I struggled to regain my eyesight, the male still holding my arms started to drag me away. I quickly blinked the stars from my vision and spotted a black SUV with its back door open. When I realized that they planned to shove me inside, fear coursed through my veins.

Sable! I cried, and my wolf immediately answered my call with a fierce, protective growl.

Familiar heat spread throughout my body as she took control and began to force the change. Not all the way into animal form, but just enough to give us an edge. My muscles swelled and hardened, stretching my skin taut. I gladly welcomed the bite of pain, knowing that I couldn’t win this fight without Sable’s help.

With another growl that ripped from my throat this time, Sable used my body to lash out at the males. A well-aimed knee to the groin sent one of them staggering back with a groan. The other one who’d followed me from the stadium managed to avoid a head butt. But when I twisted in his grip, his fingers slipped.

Sable immediately took advantage, ripping my arms free to whirl around and punch him in the throat. We stayed long enough to watch his eyes bug out in shock, then dashed away before either of them could catch us. Pausing a split second to scoop up my purse and shopping bag, I quickly unlocked my Jeep and scrambled inside.

Each movement was swift and precise, my senses firing off on all cylinders. The second the engine rolled over, I peeled away from the curb and floored it, the tires squealing loudly against the asphalt. For several minutes, I drove like a maniac, repeatedly glancing in the rearview mirror to see if I was being followed. When I reached Reid’s apartment complex, I circled the block a few times just to be sure, then hurriedly parked and all but sprinted inside the building.

Only when I was in the relative safety of Reid’s apartment did the shaking begin. It started in my fingers, then swiftly spread to the rest of my body. No longer able to stand, I sank to the hardwood floor and rummaged in my purse for my phone. With trembling fingers, I selected a number on autopilot, my breath coming in short spurts as I waited for him to pick up.

“Please, please, please,” I whispered, feeling lightheaded as the phone rang and rang. “Please, pick up. Please, pick—”

The ringing abruptly stopped, and a familiar voice flooded the speaker. “Vi? You okay?”

A sob got stuck in my throat.

“Griff,” I replied in a trembling voice. “I need you.”