The Ranger: A Dark and Steamy Werewolf Fantasy (The Broken Immortals Book 6)

She’s hoping for the vacation of a lifetime.

He lives a life of peace and quiet in the woods.

When their secrets are revealed, they’ll have their hands full...of each other.

Soon after moving in next door to the Forest Ranger, Hazel Parker discovers that her neighbor is unbelievably handsome and mysterious. But as a woman of mystery herself, she’s not one to judge.

Unfortunately, he’s not interested in her. Now, that is something she could blame him for until a not-so-chance encounter changes everything she thought she knew about him.

As it turns out, he is very interested. So interested that she wakes up in his bed as his captive, and he has no intention of letting her go. Ever.

Believe it or not, she's alright with that. Because Hazel’s not your typical damsel in distress, and she has a very dark secret waiting to reveal itself.

But then again, so does the Ranger.

Like a wave on the ocean she still hadn’t seen yet, fingers decorated with pale pink nail polish bent up and down in the choppy wind outside the passenger window.

The blinker lever fell under Haldir’s palm, and he pulled off his brown driving glasses as he veered off the side of the road. Freckled fingertips came together to turn down the oldies station, and he twisted against the seatback to stretch. “I reckon we better stop for fuel here. Not too many places to rest along this piece of country.”

A pair of white sunglasses slid back into her honey blonde hair as she turned to face him on the tan leather seat. “Sounds good to me. I would love a break from all this sitting.” The pearl-colored coupe came to a halt beside the single gas pump he was sure must have been the original.

After Haldir gave the worn-out machine a second glance, he jerked the keys from the ignition. “This thing is as old as I am, so we’ll have to go inside to pay.”

An elbow draped in her favorite pink sweater dug into the door as Hazel pulled at the wooden latch. “Lovely. I’m just about starving, anyway.”

Old-fashioned, yes, but being escorted everywhere was customary for young unmarried women in the lands she hailed from. All her fingers slid under his arm for him to lead her over the dusty parking lot with stray gray pebbles thrown about. “How much longer until we arrive?”

The metal handle disappeared in his palm, and the scent of freshly brewed coffee and spent motor oil covered them as he pulled the door aside for her to pass through. “About an hour and a half still.”

A reddish-blonde beard in need of trimming lifted in the cashier’s direction while Haldir tucked his shades into the pocket of his blue t-shirt. “Excuse me, sir. Do you mind if I use the head?”

Over his thick, black-framed glasses, a tuft of long, gray hair spilled over as the man at the cash register flipped his head to the side and popped his chewing gum. “Right behind the refrigerator case.”

A hand came to Hazel’s back as she studied the ice cream display by the counter, and Haldir leaned into her ear. “Have a gander. I’ll be right back.”

More than a tad annoyed at how closely he monitored her since she arrived, two fingers came to her shoulder to wave him off. “Go on, I’m fine.”

The sound of his leather loafers scuffing the dirty tile floor got lighter until they disappeared while Earth’s newest visitor moved sideways along the store’s offerings.

Once she found the ball of glass on a red pedestal, she gave the globe a shake and giggled at the sparkles spinning around the miniature black bear inside. “Adorable.” Whispers, as soft as butterfly wings flapping against the breeze, tickled the little bony lump behind her ear. The tips of her fingers rubbed at the spot as she answered them under her breath so the cashier wouldn’t think she was crazy. “Alright. I’m listening.”

Pale green eyes flicked to the familiar voices of home in her head who called out to her, and she set the trinket on the white metal shelf as a jitter overcame her fingers. The tip of her tongue moved over her lip as she slid her foot across the floor, and with every step closer she got, the beat of her heart quickened.

On the wall at the end of the aisle sat a corkboard, full of listings of junk people wanted to rid themselves of and community dinners at the local church. When a blue flyer flipped over at the bottom to wave her over, the sorceress understood it was no coincidence at all and she was being summoned toward her destiny. “What do we have here?”

The toes of her brown leather sandals pressed into the tile as she came to her tiptoes to read the tiny typing. “House for sale, as is. Scenic lakefront property. Perfect for the buyer looking for privacy. Bring your best offer.”

A black pin shimmied free from the paper, and she motioned to Haldir when his footsteps sneaked up behind her. “I want to buy this house.”

Hardly more than a shack, the little cabin from the photo made Haldir curl his lips. Each day of Hazel’s life so far had been spent having her every ridiculous wish brought to reality. Still, he gave her a squinty eye as he scratched at his forehead. “Place seems like a dump, if you ask me, kiddo.”

An elbow swatted at his arm while her eyes narrowed at him. “No, as a matter of fact, I was not asking you.” Always a bit of a spoiled brat, she stomped her foot a little when she turned up her nose at him. “This is love at first sight, and I simply must go find out why.”

To have her way as she did every other day of her life, she rolled out her bottom lip and swayed back and forth while she tugged at his hand. “Please, Uncle Haldir. You said we would do whatever my heart desired on this trip, and this place wants me to live there. It speaks to me.”

A gentle shake of his head was followed by a defeated sigh as he flipped his wrist to check the time. “The problem is, this is a Sunday afternoon.” While his thumb beat against his phone, he squinted at the numbers on the listing. “Most humans like to have the day off from work on Sundays.”

A quick nod and wrinkle of his nose came as he clicked end call and shoved the phone in his pocket. “This time of day, we’ll not likely find anyone to show us around.” The palm of his hand spread out on her back to lead her to the front of the shop. “If you have your heart set on this rattrap, let’s find a place to stay tonight, and I’ll make some phone calls to pull something together for the morning.”

The edges of the paper bent under her fingers as Hazel folded them, and when she tucked the blue bundle into her jeans pocket, she gave him a smile and a nod. “I just know I’m going to love this house.”

Prone to premonitions for centuries now, Haldir’s shoulders twitched when the man in black boots and camouflage stepped up into the store. A cold rush passed through his nerves, and he tugged at Hazel’s arm to draw her closer to him when the local’s gaze lingered on his young ward a little too long. “That’s what I’m afraid of.”