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Category: Romance
Description: After the sudden death of her father, Hunter Hartley visits an old Victorian manor nestled in the hills of the Sunshine Coast Hinterland, the last place anyone saw her father alive. There, she meets Caleb Scott, the enigmatic owner of the house. Passionate and desirable, he is like a magnet, drawing her in until she can't deny her attraction. However, Caleb harbors a dark secret, one she may never forgive. Living a life shrouded in darkness, Hunter enters a world where curses are real, and fear runs deep. Will her love for Caleb save them both from his inner demon, or will her father's killer remain out of reach forever?
eBook Publisher: Solstice Publishing/Solstice Publishing, 2011
eBookwise Release Date: March 2011

1 Reader Ratings:

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Available eBook Formats: OEBFF Format (IMP) [188 KB]
Words: 39613
Reading time: 113-158 min.

CHAPTER ONE

Hunter Hartley had listened to her father's stories of the werewolf colony on the Sunshine Coast for 25 years. She'd scrutinized his photos until her vision blurred. Not once had she seen what he claimed to be a werewolf. Her brother David, however, had believed every single word.

Thoughts of her father brought unexpected tears. The suddenness of James Hartley's death, two years earlier, still disturbed her. A heart attack, the death certificate read. Although, she wasn't entirely sure. Only hours before the heart-numbing phone call, he'd sounded excited as he babbled on about the full moon that night and the pictures he planned to take.

Hunter studied the DSLR camera in her hands. A light breeze carrying the scent of gardenias stirred her hair. With a heavy sigh, she flicked auburn strands from her eyes and picked her way through the overgrown vegetation to the tree line.

Caleb's Rest, a majestic two-storey Victorian mansion, dominated the valley below. Ornate columns bordered the wraparound veranda. Filigree barriers decorated the smaller upper balconies.

Resting her shoulder on a tree for balance, Hunter snapped photos, intrigued by the house's ageless grandeur. Through the lens, every detail became clear. A decaying fountain sat in the middle of the curved driveway and the garden consisted of little more than tangled, overgrown weeds.

The editor of Cock and Bull Magazine, where her father had worked for over twenty years, had said James obsessed over the house. Obsessed. Now, Hunter wanted to know why.

A man stepped from the house and walked the length of the wooden veranda, his movements fluid and relaxed. Hunter focused on the man as he strode back and forth, a cell phone plastered to his ear. Dark hair curled at the collar of his light blue t-shirt. Jeans hugged his well-toned thighs and backside. Unable to resist, Hunter clicked a photo. He may not be a werewolf, but he deserved immortality within the confines of a photograph!

When he turned, the lens blurred, and then slowly focused on his groin. Hunter almost dropped the camera. Quickly, she swung to the furthermost hills and snapped a few shots of the neglected vineyard. Unable to stay distracted for long, she turned the lens back to the house, and the man. Just one more look.

Gaze downcast, he spoke on the phone. The shadow of a beard covered his square jaw and he smiled as he talked, deep lines creasing the edges of his mouth. He brushed hair from his forehead to reveal high cheekbones and a long, handsome face.

"Goodness," she whispered.

As though he heard her, he stared straight down the lens. Iceberg blue eyes narrowed. Dark brows lowered slightly. The phone rested in his hand by his side as he stepped from the veranda.

Stumbling back through the shrubbery, Hunter hurried across the narrow road to her white 4X4. How had he seen her? She must be half a mile away from the house and partially hidden by trees. Her cell phone rang shrilly from her back pocket. Running around the back of her car, she flicked the phone open.

"Hello?"