BLOOD, a vampire story

loose inside with a submachine gun the day before. She’d sauntered into his house with two of her goons and taunted him about Kate’s death. Enraged, Ryan had attacke

If Ryan told her who the Alpha was, Avery coul

down the house. His house and he were the last of the Harleys—except for his uncle Park Harley, a scarred vegetable wasting away at Des Pontonniers Crossing Home, a long-

re aching. He ignored the pain and did another set of reps. He was driven. He needed endurance and str

dn’t been so much a dream as a nightmare, and it had awakened him at 3 a.m.—the hour of t

him. And the only way out was blocked by the Alpha Vampire, whose gravelly voice c

outh bristling with fangs. He floated, his hiss victorious as he displayed domin

yan’s head, but Ryan flattened himself on the ground, rolling over. Assuming Ryan was displaying submission, the Alpha lowered his massive c

of Ryan’s reach. Then he brought down his front leg again, this time slashing Ryan in the flank. “I can’t win this,” h

kill will bring another. There will be blood on your

Blood Moon.

l try to d

, an Alpha w

ale? Female? Maybe if he could remember, he would have a clue as to the Alpha's identity. The Alpha had bitten Max Blake and was urging Max to kill w

e didn't even know. And besides, what he'd told Max was true: as a vampire, he, Ryan, might be a predator, but he wasn

he, Ryan, didn't teach him how to deal with it, Max wou

d threatened to tell Buck Evelyn everything. That was when Ryan had taken Max to see Uncle Park, to make him see that the Evelyns were ruthless killer

f the hideous, fiery death d

as bait to bring Ryan back to Des Pontonniers. Ryan had assumed the Evelyns had killed her, but Avery had sworn they hadn't—just bef

two-armed push-ups to single-hand. He had to stay strong and

o deal with Max on top of that. Ryan needed a clan, others to make him stronger. And the only way that could happen was if he either joined the Alpha's clan as a Beta or became

y? It's not a crime to kill an Alpha. I'm a vampire. The way we progress in status is through challenge.

ndergrowth, the piney scent of trees. He felt the blood pumping through his veins, the strength of his body, his endurance. As difficult as his life might have become, he

nniers. Then he caught the scent of a wolf - a full, natural wolf, not a vampire. He sniffed again to make

. Doing what? Spying on me? Ryan let loose a low hiss. He wanted to shift, but he controlled