Each day Melinda Jenson goes to work at Formally Yours, a high-end formal wear store, unaware the customers and owner are members of the local supernatural community. On Halloween night, Melinda's boss asks her to make a simple delivery. Unwilling to disappoint her niece and nephew, she arrives late and has an unexpected encounter with a wolf. Now she's chasing cute, furry forest creatures, and mated to a man she barely knows. "May you live in interesting times," just took on a whole new meaning.

Chapter Three



Walking the third floor hallway, Melinda heard the grandfather clock chime downstairs. Standing before a door with a soft yellow glow around the doorframe, she knocked several times but no one answered. As the last strikes echoed through the house, the door swung open. In the silence that followed, Melinda entered the brightly lit room. Here she found signs of life: clothes lying on a chair next to the antique four-poster bed, books piled on a nightstand, and a tower of CDs beside a stereo across the room. Examining the bathroom, she found it empty but cluttered as well.

Back in the hallway, she closed the door behind her and said, “Well, that was anticlimactic.” Laughing to herself, she decided to take the clothes downstairs and go home. She could honestly claim no one was home when she came to deliver the clothes. No reason the owner should know she strolled around his house.

From behind her, growling shattered the quiet night. Turning toward the noise, she gasped at the sight of a large gray wolf standing at the end of the hallway. He stalked towards her, his large teeth bared in a snarl. She inched toward the stairs hoping to beat him there. Just before she would have reached them, the wolf leapt at her. Swinging the clothes bag with all her might, she slammed the animal into the wall but lost her grip on the bag as the plastic became entangled in its feet.

The hairs on the back of her neck prickled as she dashed down the stairs. Her only thought—to find a chair to beat the thing off. Reaching the bottom floor she turned the corner toward the back of the house where the kitchen and dining room were located. Then remembered there were no stools at the bar so she quickly moved to the dining room.

“Crap!”

Stopping in the center of the room, she looked around in disbelief. Earlier on her tour, there had been a dark walnut table large enough to seat eight people. Now the room stood empty. Even the matching china cabinet and buffet table were gone. She had to escape.

Moving toward the opposite entrance, she stopped when growling once again came from behind her. Turning slowly, beautiful, glowing milk chocolate eyes captured her gaze. Those luminous eyes terrified, and restrained her. At its mercy, Melinda had nothing but her hands to defend herself and no hope of out running the wild animal. She screamed as the wolf leapt on her sinking its teeth into her shoulder and clawing her belly. Thankfully when they hit the hardwood floor, she hit her head and blacked out.

Rating:

Reviewer: Stevi B.

Melinda Jenson works at a fancy formal wear store that caters to an unusual clientele. On Halloween her boss asks her to deliver a tux to a customer before twilight but Melinda promised her niece and nephew she’d come by their house which made her late for the delivery. The next thing Melinda knows she is a werewolf and mated to a man she had never met before Halloween night. How will Melinda adjust to the change and can she come to appreciate and possibly even love Conner? 

 

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