Blood Oath (#3, Mystic Wolves)

Praise for Without Mercy

“The cover and name alone are simply
AMAZING!! But what lies beneath the cover well, what else can I say
but O.M.G.” ~ Stacey,
Sassy Book Lovers.

“Without Mercy drew me in from the beginning,
and kept me entranced to the very end. This book, though short,
delivers a massive punch.” ~ Donna,
Book Lover’s
Hideaway.

“I literally devoured this in one evening. It
was sooo good. Plenty of action, emotion, and over all a great
shifter story.” ~ Mandie,
Time 4 Mommy.

“Without Mercy was an action packed, fast
paced read that was like a drink of water on a parched throat.
Refreshing.” ~ Nikki,
Ramblings of a Chaotic Mind.

“What a fantastic short story with some
terrific "bite!" This non-stop action werewolf tale was full of
emotion, danger, and heartbreak.” ~ Lacey Weatherford,
Bestselling Author of the Of Witches and Warlocks
series.

Praise for Cherished

“Heartwarming characters and a sexy hero come
together to make a wonderful read in Belinda Boring's CHERISHED.” ~
The Romance Reviews.

“This is the ultimate love story!” ~ Beverly
Sharp, The Wormhole.

“Full of gripping emotion and unconditional
love!” ~ Lori,
Romancing the Darkside.

“Cherished is full of raw emotion and
passion…. Lots of passion. Those who wanted to read more about
Mason and Darcy will not be disappointed.” ~ Bonnie,
Hands and
Home Blog.

“Call the folks over at Merriam Webster and
let them know of an immediate change: the word "romance" should now
include a cover picture of Cherished. Seriously, I haven't read
such a truly romantic story in a long time.” ~ Laurie,
Reader
Girls.

A Mystic Wolves novella

Belinda Boring

Copyright 2011 Belinda Boring

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

Published by Moonstruck Media

Smashwords Edition

This ebook is licensed for your personal
enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to
other people. If you would like to share this book with another
person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If
you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not
purchased for your use only, then please return to Smashwords.com
and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work
of this author.

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To my beloved E,

You were the perfect taskmaster. You helped
me keep my word count, told me how much you believed in me, and
were always there for me to bounce ideas off. But most of all, you
made me giggle when I was tired from some of the most random stuff
EVER. Thank you for your love and support. Oh, and just so you
know—doggen are NOT hatched … I think!

To my TK girls,

There are no words to adequately express just
how much you all mean to me. This is one way I can show my
gratitude for your unfailingly loyalty to me and the Mystic Wolves.
You all know what you did, and for that, I love you and will always
cherish our friendships. You are all amazing!

Acknowledgement

When I think about the process of writing
Blood Oath, I realize there were so many people who joined me for
this journey, whose influence can be found anywhere from helping to
develop it, to the story itself.

As always, I am forever grateful to my best
friend, Lacey. She has been a guiding force these last few months,
and I honestly don’t know what I’d do without her. She’s one of my
greatest cheerleaders and defenders, someone who has always
believed in me and the stories I want to share. Whether it was
going for drives to discuss the storyline or giggling over editing,
I’m just so grateful for all she’s done.

There is a group of people, friends who
quickly became family, that I know have played an amazing role in
not just my life, but also my writing. They are all incredible
writers, sharing their talents freely and always there with a smile
and heart whenever I needed it. I’m not quite sure they realize
just how much they’ve inspired me, helping me find the confidence I
was lacking. They are an important part of my day, and I’m honored
to know them.

I would really love to thank those I chat
with on Facebook. Don’t let anybody fool you or try to say that
social media is a waste of time. I have met so many incredible
people, shared laughter and tears with them, and without a doubt,
have been blessed by the way each of you have touched my life.
Thank you for your acceptance and support. Thank you for putting up
with my random status comments. But most of all, thank you for
letting me swoon with you!

And finally, my deepest love to my husband,
Mark. Whether it was listening to me work through the plot, making
sure I had everything I needed to stay up all night, sending
lunchtime texts just to see how I was doing, or running me a bath
when I was exhausted and needed to think—he was there when I needed
him most. You truly do remind me of Mason!

The power in the room had me thrumming the
very second I entered, sliding over my skin and a shiver coursed
through me. It was the same reaction I had each time I was
surrounded by some of the most dominant males in the pack.
Separately, each of them was a pussy cat. Together, they were
lethal.

I looked around and my chest
tightened—Daniel, Eric, Jonas, and Wade. I loved each of my
brothers and the look of concern covering their faces shared just
how much the events of last night had shaken them. It was one thing
to go up against a pack male, another completely when threatening
one of the females.

I walked past each one of them, letting my
hand touch them briefly, giving them a chance to see I was in fact
safe and in one piece. I couldn’t give them Jasmine, and it hurt,
but now wasn’t the time for that.

As I took my seat next to Mason, who was all
Alpha authority now, I looked around and took note of the other
faces in the meeting. Devlin was sitting a few seats down, and I
was pretty confident he hadn’t taken his gaze off me the entire
time I’d been in the room. His stare was intense, as though he was
trying to penetrate the wall of protection I’d erected and see into
the heart of the matter.

For a vampire enforcer, someone who lived a
life of justice and violence, I had a special kind of relationship
with him. I smiled as my eyes met his. He nodded in return and I
knew I hadn’t fooled him. It always impressed me how much he could
communicate without ever saying a word. Sometime in the next few
days Devlin would want to talk with me, and I bowed my head in
return, letting him know to come find me.

There was someone new sitting by him, and
judging by the way he drummed his fingers against the table, he
wasn’t used to being in a room with this many werewolves. I leaned
forward, trying to discern what kind of supernatural being he was
because surely a vampire wouldn’t give away such an obvious tell of
nervousness. Smelling the air, I reclined back shocked.

Vampire. Taking in his appearance and the way
he held himself, I would say newly turned because there was no way
an older one would throw off such a strong scent of uncertainty. I
caught Devlin’s eye, gesturing towards his companion, and I was
rewarded with a slight fanged grin. He rolled his eyes and shook
his head.

Reaching out, he placed his hand over the
nervous vampire’s and brought the agitation to a standstill. I’m
not sure what was whispered between the two, but the look on the
young man’s face was priceless as he blanched and visibly
straightened in his chair. I tried not to giggle when Devlin turned
to me and winked. There was a story there, one I couldn’t wait to
uncover.

“Is everyone here?”

All eyes focused on Mason as he stood by his
chair, waiting to bring the meeting to a start. If I thought the
intensity of power in the room was overwhelming before, now it was
stifling. Yes, these were men, but I was also surrounded by
predators¬—hunters desperate for retribution and answers.

The air crackled and each body instantly
tensed. Placing my hand gently on Mason’s leg, he looked down at me
and smiled.

“By now, you would’ve all heard about the
attack last night,” he paused, his voice cracking slightly.
“Jasmine was taken from us, but thankfully, Darcy was able to take
care of the situation and return to us safely.”

All heads turned my way and I struggled not
to flinch or sink deep into my chair. Stiffening my spine, I met
everyone’s gaze before returning to Mason.

“Not all of us are familiar with the events.”
The voice belonged to the vampire newbie, and he wasn’t able to
hide his cringe when the full focus swung to him. I think he even
squeaked the next part of his sentence before remembering where,
and what, he was. “I’d appreciate hearing the account from Darcy
herself.”

“Who the hell are you to ask anything?” The
question came from Wade, one of the younger pack members, and a
gentle hand on the shoulder from Eric reminded him that outbursts
wouldn’t go down well.

“I’m Vlad, and I come on behalf of my king to
see how we may assist.” There was a hint of indignation in his
voice as he sat up taller, seemingly developing his courage. “I
accompany Devlin today to determine whether last night was an
isolated event or something more.” Having finished his speech he
leaned back, looking proud he’d been able to spit out the
mouthful.

There was a brief second of confusion as each
pack member glanced up toward Mason for direction, but before he
could respond Wade burst into laughter, his throaty chuckle
mocking.

“Vlad? Are you kidding me? Who the hell names
you damn vampires? Don’t tell me, your last name is “the Impaler?”
He shook his head, and seemed confused when Eric’s hand returned to
his shoulder, this time with a more visible squeeze. The message
was clear—shut up or he would do it for him.

“What? Seriously, you don’t think this is
even remotely funny? We’re here to discuss what happened, and Mr.
Dracula wannabe over there is speaking like he has a say in
anything that goes on here. It’s a joke.” Wade slammed his body
back against his chair, blowing out a breath of disgust. “Why are
they even here?” He glared hard towards Devlin and Vlad.

“Wade, you’ll learn to curb your tongue, or
find your ass tossed out of this meeting. I saw potential in you,
an opportunity to bring you into pack business, but if you can’t
control yourself, there’s the door.” Even I was surprised by the
edge in Mason’s voice. He didn’t show his temper, but everyone knew
he wouldn’t be pushed.

“Sorry.” The apology came out as a quiet
murmur. Slouching down in his seat, Wade looked embarrassed to be
called out in front of everyone. After a few moments, attention
shifted from the chastised wolf back to the Alpha.

The room was silent, waiting to see what
happened next, and a quick cough interrupted the pause.

“Maybe I should step in now?” Devlin said,
and you never would’ve thought anything was wrong judging from the
relaxed way he held himself. We could’ve been discussing the
weather for all he revealed. Only those who knew him, who knew what
to look for, could sense any kind of agitation from him. He was the
master of concealment.

I watched him stand, pushing back the chair
and give a slight bow to those around the table. Always one to
offer small tokens of respect, Devlin showed his age as he placed
his hand over his heart and extended his condolences.

“First, may I speak on behalf of Zane, my
King and share how deeply disturbed we were to hear about last
night and the profound affected it’s had on your pack. It pained
him to learn vampire blood was involved and he has sent me to
provide whatever assistance you may need to uncover the truth. I’m
therefore at your disposal and carry the authority of my
liege.”

Devlin turned his focus to me and I couldn’t
help but flush at what I found in his eyes. To everyone else, they
were bottomless pools of black, but I saw fury, compassion and
concern.

“Darcy, please accept the relief felt by our
people to know you are safe and unharmed. We too hold our females
in high esteem, and the way you dealt with the threat shows the
incredible woman you are. You bring great honor to your pack as a
warrior of worth.”

I was stunned by his declaration and almost
missed the slight wink he offered.

Lastly, facing Mason, Devlin bowed again, and
his voice took on a hint of sorrow. “Mason, Alpha of the Mystic
Wolves, please accept the deepest of regrets for the loss of your
sister, Jasmine. She truly was a beautiful creature, and the world
is a darker place for having lost her. My liege understands there’s
nothing that can replace her, but asks for you to notify him should
he be able to help in any way. He has two beloved sisters himself,
and the news has stirred him greatly.”