Rogue Hunt Read online

  Alpha Sylvan Mir‘s efforts to achieve sovereignty for the Weres, Vampires, and other non-humans is made even more difficult when a neighboring wolf Were Pack petitions Sylvan for aid. Someone, or some thing, is raiding the territory of the Snow Crest wolf Weres along the Canadian border. While newly ascended Snow Crest Alpha Zora Constantine, along with the Ash, the captain of her guard, await the decision of Sylvan's war council, inter-Pack tensions rise. Especially when Ash and Sylvan's centuri Jace develop an unexpected and unwanted primal attraction.

  Are the raids just an attempt to secure more territory by rogue Weres? Or is it all a ruse to bring Sylvan and her mate Drake out into the open where they are vulnerable to enemy attacks? When Sylvan and Drake's war party heads north to hunt the rogue raiders, Ash and Jace must decide between duty and the call of their deepest desires.

  A Midnight Hunters Novella

  Applause for L.L. Raand’s Midnight Hunters Series

  The Midnight Hunt

  RWA 2012 VCRW Laurel Wreath winner Blood Hunt

  Night Hunt

  The Lone Hunt

  “Raand has built a complex world inhabited by werewolves, vampires, and other paranormal beings…Raand has given her readers a complex plot filled with wonderful characters as well as insight into the hierarchy of Sylvan’s pack and vampire clans. There are many plot twists and turns, as well as erotic sex scenes in this riveting novel that keep the pages flying until its satisfying conclusion.”—Just About Write

  “Once again, I am amazed at the storytelling ability of L.L. Raand aka Radclyffe. In Blood Hunt, she mixes high levels of sheer eroticism that will leave you squirming in your seat with an impeccable multi-character storyline all streaming together to form one great read.”—Queer Magazine Online

  “The Midnight Hunt has a gripping story to tell, and while there are also some truly erotic sex scenes, the story always takes precedence. This is a great read which is not easily put down nor easily forgotten.”—Just About Write

  “Are you sick of the same old hetero vampire/werewolf story plastered in every bookstore and at every movie theater? Well, I’ve got the cure to your werewolf fever. The Midnight Hunt is first in, what I hope is, a long-running series of fantasy erotica for L.L. Raand (aka Radclyffe).”—Queer Magazine Online

  “Any reader familiar with Radclyffe’s writing will recognize the author’s style within The Midnight Hunt, yet at the same time it is most definitely a new direction. The author delivers an excellent story here, one that is engrossing from the very beginning. Raand has pieced together an intricate world, and provided just enough details for the reader to become enmeshed in the new world. The action moves quickly throughout the book and it’s hard to put down.”—Three Dollar Bill Reviews

  Acclaim for Radclyffe’s Fiction

  “Dangerous Waters is a bumpy ride through a devastating time with powerful events and resolute characters. Radclyffe gives us the strong, dedicated women we love to read in a story that keeps us turning pages until the end.”—Lambda Literary Review

  “Radclyffe’s Dangerous Waters has the feel of a tense television drama, as the narrative interchanges between hurricane trackers and first responders. Sawyer and Dara butt heads in the beginning as each moves for some level of control during the storm’s approach, and the interference of a lovely television reporter adds an engaging love triangle threat to the sexual tension brewing between them.”—RT Book Reviews

  “Love After Hours, the fourth in Radclyffe’s Rivers Community series, evokes the sense of a continuing drama as Gina and Carrie’s slow-burning romance intertwines with details of other Rivers residents. They become part of a greater picture where friends and family support each other in personal and recreational endeavors. Vivid settings and characters draw in the reader…”—RT Book Reviews

  Secret Hearts “delivers exactly what it says on the tin: poignant story, sweet romance, great characters, chemistry and hot sex scenes. Radclyffe knows how to pen a good lesbian romance.”—LezReviewBooks Blog

  Wild Shores “will hook you early. Radclyffe weaves a chance encounter into all-out steamy romance. These strong, dynamic women have great conversations, and fantastic chemistry.”—The Romantic Reader Blog

  In 2016 RWA/OCC Book Buyers Best award winner for suspense and mystery with romantic elements Price of Honor “Radclyffe is master of the action-thriller series…The old familiar characters are there, but enough new blood is introduced to give it a fresh feel and open new avenues for intrigue.”—Curve Magazine

  In Prescription for Love “Radclyffe populates her small town with colorful characters, among the most memorable being Flann’s little sister, Margie, and Abby’s 15-year-old trans son, Blake…This romantic drama has plenty of heart and soul.”—Publishers Weekly

  2013 RWA/New England Bean Pot award winner for contemporary romance Crossroads “will draw the reader in and make her heart ache, willing the two main characters to find love and a life together. It’s a story that lingers long after coming to ‘the end.’”—Lambda Literary

  In 2012 RWA / FTHRW Lories and RWA HODRW Aspen Gold award winner Firestorm “Radclyffe brings another hot lesbian romance for her readers.”—The Lesbrary

  Foreword Review Book of the Year finalist and IPPY silver medalist Trauma Alert “is hard to put down and it will sizzle in the reader’s hands. The characters are hot, the sex scenes explicit and explosive, and the book is moved along by an interesting plot with well drawn secondary characters. The real star of this show is the attraction between the two characters, both of whom resist and then fall head over heels.”—Lambda Literary Reviews

  Lambda Literary Award Finalist Best Lesbian Romance 2010 features “stories [that] are diverse in tone, style, and subject, making for more variety than in many, similar anthologies…well written, each containing a satisfying, surprising twist. Best Lesbian Romance series editor Radclyffe has assembled a respectable crop of 17 authors for this year’s offering.”—Curve Magazine

  2010 Prism award winner and ForeWord Review Book of the Year Award finalist Secrets in the Stone is “so powerfully [written] that the worlds of these three women shimmer between reality and dreams…A strong, must read novel that will linger in the minds of readers long after the last page is turned.”—Just About Write

  In Benjamin Franklin Award finalist Desire by Starlight “Radclyffe writes romance with such heart and her down-to-earth characters not only come to life but leap off the page until you feel like you know them. What Jenna and Gard feel for each other is not only a spark but an inferno and, as a reader, you will be washed away in this tumultuous romance until you can do nothing but succumb to it.”—Queer Magazine Online

  Lambda Literary Award winner Stolen Moments “is a collection of steamy stories about women who just couldn’t wait. It’s sex when desire overrides reason, and it’s incredibly hot!”—On Our Backs

  Lambda Literary Award winner Distant Shores, Silent Thunder “weaves an intricate tapestry about passion and commitment between lovers. The story explores the fragile nature of trust and the sanctuary provided by loving relationships.”—Sapphic Reader

  Lambda Literary Award Finalist Justice Served delivers a “crisply written, fast-paced story with twists and turns and keeps us guessing until the final explosive ending.”—Independent Gay Writer

  Lambda Literary Award finalist Turn Back Time “is filled with wonderful love scenes, which are both tender and hot.”—MegaScene

  Rogue Hunt

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  eBooks from Bold Strokes Books, Inc.

  http://www.boldstrokesbooks.com

  eBooks are not transferable. They cannot be sold, shared or given away as it is an infringement on the copyright of this work.

  Please respect the rights of
the author and do not file share.

  Rogue Hunt

  © 2019 By L.L. Raand. All Rights Reserved.

  ISBN 13: 978-1-63555-600-1

  This Electronic Book is published by

  Bold Strokes Books, Inc.

  P.O. Box 249

  Valley Falls, New York 12185

  First Edition: May 2019

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

  This book, or parts thereof, may not be reproduced in any form without permission.

  Credits

  Editor: Ruth Sternglantz

  Production Design: Bold Strokes Graphics

  Cover Design By Sheri ([email protected])

  By L.L. Raand

  Midnight Hunters

  The Midnight Hunt

  Blood Hunt

  Night Hunt

  The Lone Hunt

  The Magic Hunt

  Shadow Hunt

  By Radclyffe

  The Provincetown Tales

  Safe Harbor

  Beyond the Breakwater

  Distant Shores, Silent Thunder

  Storms of Change

  Winds of Fortune

  Returning Tides

  Sheltering Dunes

  PMC Hospital Romances

  Passion’s Bright Fury (prequel)

  Fated Love

  Night Call

  Crossroads

  Passionate Rivals

  River Community Romances

  Against Doctor’s Orders

  Prescription for Love

  Love on Call

  Love After Hours

  Love to the Rescue

  Honor Series

  Above All, Honor

  Honor Bound

  Love & Honor

  Honor Guards

  Honor Reclaimed

  Honor Under Siege

  Word of Honor

  Oath of Honor (First Responders)

  Code of Honor

  Price of Honor

  Justice Series

  A Matter of Trust (prequel)

  Shield of Justice

  In Pursuit of Justice

  Justice in the Shadows

  Justice Served

  Justice For All

  First Responders Novels

  Trauma Alert

  Firestorm

  Taking Fire

  Wild Shores

  Heart Stop

  Dangerous Waters

  Romances

  Innocent Hearts

  Promising Hearts

  Love’s Melody Lost

  Love’s Tender Warriors

  Tomorrow’s Promise

  Love’s Masquerade

  shadowland

  Turn Back Time

  When Dreams Tremble

  The Lonely Hearts Club

  Secrets in the Stone

  Desire by Starlight

  Homestead

  The Color of Love

  Secret Hearts

  Short Fiction

  Collected Stories by Radclyffe

  Erotic Interludes: Change of Pace

  Radical Encounters

  Edited by Radclyffe

  Best Lesbian Romance 2009—2014

  Stacia Seaman and Radclyffe, eds.

  Erotic Interludes Vol 2—5

  Romantic Interludes 1—2

  Breathless: Tales of Celebration

  Women of the Dark Streets

  Amor and More: Love Everafter

  Myth & Magic: Queer Fairy Tales

  Chapter One

  The silver shadows of predawn gave way to glimmers of gold breaking through the canopy of evergreens, slashing across the forest path. Drake’s chest burned with the rush of cold morning air scouring her lungs with every breath. Her heart thundered, shoulders and forelegs pistoning with every stride, paws barely disturbing the soft pine needles and damp soil underfoot as she raced along the narrow trail. Her prey, a small herd of deer that had strayed close to the Compound, bounded out just ahead, an occasional patch of white betraying their location as they tried to outrun her. One trailed behind the others, slowing even more as the chase drew on.

  Drake sensed her guards running in the forest, close on either side of her, ready to join in the hunt or protect her from unexpected danger. No matter they were still well within range of the Compound and far from Pack land borders and the risk to her was small—they would not leave her even if ordered. The Alpha had commanded them to guard her, and they would, unto death.

  Drake’s senses—scent, sight, hearing—her instincts, everything that made her a dominant wolf and a deadly predator focused on her prey, but the nagging uneasiness coiled in her belly never relented. The persistent drumbeat of wrongness pulsed in her blood. With a low growl and a swift shake of her head, she crested a rocky shoulder overlooking a rock-strewn creek with frothing water overflowing its banks. Spring rains had turned the rivers and streams into seething waterfalls. The herd, a small one with several adult does, one herding two fawns ahead of her, was set to cross the stream. The deep water and swirling currents signaled a dangerous creek crossing. The oldest, and the obvious prey, lagged well behind.

  Drake raced along the precipice, her footing sure and swift despite the mossy ground and loose shale, and deliberately turned upwind. The deer had known they were hunted, had sensed her chase just as she had sensed their flight, and now they would catch her scent.

  Go, flee. And remember to forage at a safe distance next time.

  She hunted, but she did not hunger, and she passed up the kill with just a warning to be wary on trails that crossed Pack land. The mother doe hesitated at the water’s edge and searched the ridge, her ears flicking. Her gaze met Drake’s and held a moment before she nudged her young away from the creek and into the adjacent forest. The rest of the herd followed her and, in an instant, were gone.

  Drake settled on her haunches, raised her muzzle to the sky, and howled her joy in the hunt and the fierce, primal claim to all that was hers—this land and the Pack that roamed it. Turning, she trotted back the way she’d come, and at the bottom of the escarpment, three wolves broke from the woods and fell in beside her.

  You’re slow, she announced across their Pack link.

  Jace, the young female dominant recently appointed captain of her personal guard, rumbled unhappily but did not object.

  Drake chuckled to herself at the sleek silver and black wolf’s discomfort at being a few strides behind her on the run. Sylvan had insisted Drake not run unescorted, and as much as she would have liked to run off her agitation alone, she accepted that as Prima, she had an obligation to the Pack to be safe. That morning she’d needed to run, even though she hadn’t needed to hunt. Until Sylvan returned, she could not settle, she could not sleep. Even visiting their young in the nursery had not helped calm her. If she’d stayed in the Compound, her agitation would have spread to every wolf there, and she didn’t need half their young warriors squabbling with each other and mated pairs too anxious to carry out their duties. As it was, even with her calming influence, none of them would be completely comfortable until the Alpha returned.

  When she’d caught the deer herd’s scent, she’d let her wolf ascend and gave chase. Jace and her two lieutenants had barely managed to shift and keep pace with her.

  You were close enough. Any closer and I would have turned my teeth on you. Drake needed Jace to respect her boundaries while still feeling confident she was carrying out the Alpha’s orders. Jace would find the balance soon enough.

  Yes, Prima. The furrow between Jace’s expressive eyes relaxed some, and her tongue lolled out in a happy grin. The other guards, an unmated male and female, raced in easy circles around them, still alert but blissfully carefree at being within sight of the Compound.

  Drake’s sex clenched as a surge of pheromones pulsed through her
loins. She’d been without her mate for days. Her need would awaken every wolf within range, and no doubt these two would be tangling as soon as Jace released them from duty.

  The sky had morphed to clear blue by the time the Compound stockade came into view. Drake cut off the main trail and headed to the den she shared with Sylvan. Jace followed at a distance and settled at the edge of the cleared space around the one-story log cabin. Drake shed pelt as she reached the front porch and emerged after her shower in black pants, a sleeveless white T-shirt, and boots. As she strode down the trail toward the main Compound, she said, “You’re dismissed, Captain. I’ll be at headquarters until the Alpha returns.”

  Jace, in skin now, strode beside her. “I’ll be on duty until then, Prima. Please let me know if you have need of me.”

  “I will. Go, have something to eat.”

  Jace saluted, fist at chest. “As you command.”

  Drake had gotten used to the formality at this point and accepted it as part of the necessary discipline required to keep several hundred wolves living in close quarters as free as possible from skirmishes, displays of dominance, and just general irritation. They might appear human when in skin, but they were all wolf Weres, driven by primal instincts to sort themselves into a hierarchy ruled by tooth and claw and blood. The drives to hunt and mate ruled their bodies and their psyches. Without strong leadership and unyielding discipline, their society would deteriorate into chaos. As she strode through the Compound toward the two-story log building at its center which served as their headquarters, wolves dipped their heads, Weres young and old called a greeting, and warriors saluted. All celebrated the Pack leader’s arrival as a wave of calm swept through them.