Praise for the Artemis Lupine Series
“I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a howling good werewolf tale.”
~Written Word Review
* * *
“Weaving a mysterious tale that’s filled with werewolves, vampires and fae, Banks has written a great foundation within the Young Adult genre.”
~A Life Bound by Books
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“A truly spectacular read for any young adult paranormal romance fan!”
~Fantasy Book Chick
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“How can you not love Catherine Banks' Artemis Lupine series? The answer is you can't! It's fascinating and too hard to put down. I have no idea how she does it, and honestly it doesn't matter. Her unique writing, the way she wraps her readers up in all the intense situations and outcomes is mind blowing and at the end of the day I don't need to know how she makes that happen. I just need to know that she won't stop any time soon.”
~The Bookshelf Sophisticate
Artemis Lupine, The Complete Series by Catherine Banks.
Copyright © 2010 Catherine Banks
All rights reserved.
Cover design by Covers by Combs.
Logo by Avery Banks.
Published by Turbo Kitten Industries.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
Without limiting the rights under the copyright reserved above, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means (electronic, mechanical, by photocopying, recording or otherwise) without the prior written permission of the copyright owner and the publisher of the book.
The scanning, uploading, and distribution of this book via the Internet or by any other means without the permission of the author is illegal and punishable by law. Please purchase only authorized printed or electronic editions and do not participate in or encourage electronic piracy of copyrighted materials. Your support of the author’s rights is appreciated.
www.CatherineBanks.com
Turbo Kitten Industries
PO Box 5012, Galt, CA 95632
Contents
Song of the Moon
Acknowledgments
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Kiss of a Star
Acknowledgments
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Healed by the Fire
Acknowledgments
1. Chandra
2. Chandra
3. Chandra
4. Chandra
5. Achilles
6. Chandra
7. Koda
8. Ares
9. Chandra
10. Ares
11. Chandra
12. Artemis
13. Artemis
14. Victor
15. Artemis
16. Artemis
17. Artemis
18. Artemis
19. Achilles
20. Artemis
21. Artemis
22. Ares
Battles of the Night
Acknowledgments
1. Victor
2. Koda
3. Zeus
4. Victor
5. Ares
6. Artemis
Day Two
Day Three
Day Four
Day Five
Day Six
7. Artemis
8. Artemis
9. Artemis
10. Ares
11. Artemis
12. Artemis
13. Victor
14. Selene
15. Artemis
16. Victor
17. Ares
18. Artemis
Epilogue
Thank You
Bonus Scenes
Bonus - Halloween
Bonus - Koda
About the Author
More From Catherine Banks
Song of the Moon
Artemis Lupine Series, Book One
Song of the Moon by Catherine Banks.
Copyright © 2010 Catherine Banks
All rights reserved.
Cover design by Covers by Combs.
Logo by Avery Banks.
Published by Turbo Kitten Industries.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
Without limiting the rights under the copyright reserved above, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means (electronic, mechanical, by photocopying, recording or otherwise) without the prior written permission of the copyright owner and the publisher of the book.
The scanning, uploading, and distribution of this book via the Internet or by any other means without the permission of the author is illegal and punishable by law. Please purchase only authorized printed or electronic editions and do not participate in or encourage electronic piracy of copyrighted materials. Your support of the author’s rights is appreciated.
www.CatherineBanks.com
Turbo Kitten Industries
PO Box 5012, Galt, CA 95632
Contents
Acknowledgments
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Acknowledgments
Avery, my best friend and soulmate, thank you for being you and allowing me to be myself. Without you, these books would not have been written or published. You are more than I could have ever wished for in a partner. You are my ever constant moon, bringing light to my life in even my darkest times. I love you.
* * *
Ms. Challis(Donovan), thank you for encouraging me in high school and assisting me with the originally released books. Teachers like you are indispensable.
Chapter One
It was our third day away from home. Darren, my father, decided that we needed a vacation away from the drama of our small-town life. I didn’t know what drama he was talking about, but it was nice to get away. Darren sang along quietly to the song on the radio as we drove towards our third destination: South Lake Tahoe.
The first day, well, technically night, had been Las Vegas with its bright lights and non-stop gambling. I wasn’t actually twenty-one, but somehow Darren got fake ID’s that allowed both Bret and me to gamble and drink. Vegas had been fun, but the men were very abrasive, throwing offers at me like I was a street walker. Darren had, of course, protected me, but Bret was the one to make them back off. Bret was my best friend of thirteen years and the star quarterback of our high school football team. He just accepted a full ride scholarship to Notre Dame for the upcoming semester. It was the main reason he had come with us, so that we could have one last trip to
gether before he left California for Indiana.
Our second day was spent in Reno, which was a smaller version of Vegas minus the brightly lit streets. We went to a rodeo, much to Darren’s dismay, and then gambled more of Darren’s savings away.
That was yesterday though. Tonight, we would get to enjoy Tahoe. Bret silently stared out the back passenger window of Darren’s nimbus grey metallic, VTEC Honda Ridgeline. The townspeople made fun of Darren for buying an import truck, but I loved it. What’s more reliable than a Honda? I drove a small blue Honda Del Sol. Bret hates my car, often telling me, “It’s a death trap waiting to happen.” I ignore his domestic car-loving mentality and enjoy driving the small car with my targa top off every summer.
Just as I felt my eyes starting to droop, Darren cleared his throat. “Welcome to South Lake Tahoe.”
I turned to the left and stared out at the perfect blue water. The mountains which lined the lake still held on to a thin layer of snow, making the scene twice as lovely. “Wow! It’s beautiful.”
Bret sat up straight and asked, “Do we get to go swimming?”
Darren laughed. “Of course! I would never bring you to Tahoe and not let you enjoy the lake. That’s like taking you to San Diego and making you stay away from the beach.”
I started bouncing up and down on the seat. “I can’t wait to jump into that lake!”
“You won’t be jumping in. You’ll be flying in,” Bret said as he laughed.
I scoffed. “Like you could catch me!” I knew he could catch me easily, but it was fun to roughhouse with him. We spent a lot of time wrestling and goofing around. He easily outmuscled me, but that’s to be expected since I’m a small girl and he’s a football player. It just makes me feel better to play tough sometimes.
Darren laughed quietly. “Now, children, remember we are supposed to be acting like adults.”
Bret shrugged. “You said we only had to act in our early twenties, and I guarantee any guy in his early twenties would try to throw Artemis in the lake.”
I rolled my eyes. Boys are so weird.
Darren sighed. “I don’t think you two will ever grow up.”
Bret and I shrugged in unison and then laughed together.
Darren finally stopped in front of a large hotel. “This is my favorite hotel, so no screwing things up. You can use an underground tunnel to go from this hotel to the one across the street.”
“Awesome!” I said
“That means there are twice as many restaurants for us to eat at,” Bret said with a smile on his face.
Darren and I groaned at Bret.
“You always think about food,” I complained.
“Come on! It’s been like four hours since lunch. I know you’re hungry, too,” Bret said.
I started to deny his statement, but my stomach growled loudly, giving me away. I sighed. “Guess I can’t deny it now.” I looked down at my stomach and whispered, “Traitor.”
Darren shook his head smiling. “Come on. Let’s get checked in and put our bags away and then we’ll get some food.”
Darren pulled into the valet parking line and handed the valet the truck keys. I stepped out of the truck, jogged to the back, and opened the compartment in the bed to get out my duffel bag of clothes. I hated those girls who packed five bags of crap for only being gone three days, so I made sure to pack as light as possible.
I started to sling my bag over my shoulder when Bret took it from me. He slung it over his shoulder with his. I smiled at him as I followed them into the hotel.
Darren checked us in, getting our room keys before guiding us towards the elevators. No one was waiting, so we got the elevator to ourselves. I breathed slowly, trying to fight my paranoia. I kept imagining the elevator reaching the highest floor then plummeting back to the first level, killing us. Bret hugged my shoulders and rubbed my arm to calm me. Darren rolled his eyes at me and pushed the button for the tenth floor.
I groaned. “Tenth floor?”
Darren shrugged. “At least it’s not the top floor. There are fourteen.”
I snarled. “Four more isn’t that big of a difference.”
Darren smiled sideways. “It is when you are falling to the ground. Four less floors may be the difference between death and being permanently paralyzed.”
I started breathing faster and turned my face into Bret’s side. Bret shook his head. “Darren, was that necessary?”
Darren scoffed. “She’s such a baby about heights. One day she’ll have to get over her fears.”
I shook my head. “It’s not the heights, Dad. It’s the elevator. I would more than gladly take the stairs up. I just hate the thought of plummeting to my death in this tin can.”
Bret rolled his eyes. “But you drive the Del Sol and feel safe. Isn’t that kind of backwards?”
I shook my head. “Nope. Nikkou is very safe.” Nikkou was the Japanese word for “sunshine” and my little car always makes me think of the sun.
Darren rolled his eyes as the elevator door opened.
I ran out from under Bret’s arm and sat on the tile of the tenth floor. “Oh, thank God. We made it.”
Bret picked me up under the arms and set me on my feet. “Come on scared-y cat. Let’s go.”
Bret and I followed Darren as he wound the way down the hallways towards our rooms. Darren stopped next to two doors. “That one is your room and this one is mine.” He handed Bret a keycard and then walked into his room without another word to us.
Bret turned to our door and opened it with the keycard. I walked in before he could and looked around. It was a large room with two queen sized beds and a gorgeous view of the mountains. I walked into the bathroom and giggled happily. A large jetted tub sat to the side waiting for me to get in. I turned on the bath and then walked out to the bedroom.
Bret flipped through the channels on the television and then groaned. “All that is on is some breaking news story.”
I shrugged. “I have a few minutes before my tub is full. Let’s watch it.”
Darren burst in through the side door that connected our rooms and took the remote from Bret, turning off the television. “No TV! I told you that before we left!” His voice was raised, he was breathing heavily, and his face was flushed.
“Why are you so angry?” I asked.
Bret shrugged. “It’s alright. Whatever you want, Darren. I was just curious what the breaking news story was.”
Darren shook his head. “You aren’t allowed to watch TV. I told you we were getting you both away from the drama and watching TV won’t do that. Now dammit, enjoy yourselves without the TV!”
I stared at my dad as he tried to play off his anger and become playful. I wasn’t buying it.
“I’m taking a bath.” I grabbed my bag and walked into the bathroom. I could hear Darren and Bret talking quietly, but I focused on relaxing. I set my bag down in the area with mirrors, grabbed a towel and set it next to the tub as I turned on the jets, and climbed in. I loved hot baths and any free time I had was spent in the tub. I let my body relax with the gentle humming of the jets. In a matter of minutes, my mind began to wander, and my subconscious took over.
My breath steamed out in front of me as I ran through the thick forest. The other five people around me panted and sucked in air as we fled from our pursuers. The three wolves hunting us yipped in delight, and fear made me trip on a tree root. I dodged around the trees as fast as I could. I knew I only had to run faster than the last three people. I knew I couldn’t run my fastest or I would increase my chances of hitting one of the trees and ending up in the claws of those pursuing us. The sounds of the others grew faint as I darted around more trees. Sweat plastered my shirt against my chest. I heard movement beside me, but dodged too late. A large animal slammed into my side, sending me flying sideways. I wrapped my arms around my head to protect it as I slammed into a tree and slid to the ground.
The animal stood over me, snarling and snapping its teeth, but made no move to hurt me. I moved one arm to
my stomach and one to my throat to try to protect my most vital parts. I opened my eyes and gasped. A wolf the size of a horse stood over me, snarling. I had never seen such a beautiful animal before. The wolf’s jet black fur reflected the moonlight as its muscles flexed. The wolf sat, staring at me with its deep amber eyes. It seemed strange to me for so much hate to be emanating from such a beautiful creature. I reached out and stroked the soft furred neck, and the wolf quieted. I slowed my breathing as I stroked the wolf. I looked down the wolf’s body and saw the male sheath and smiled. “Hello, boy. Why don’t you change and let me see how beautiful you are in human form?”