Chapter One
For the residents of Grand Falls, Colorado, their town was a haven, a safe place to be themselves. A mixture of the supernatural world that can be found in one place. The sheriff was a werewolf, the town mayor was a vampire, and the fire chief a witch. All the creatures who call this place home had the protection of not only the town but of all of its residents.
Madison Montgomery watched as the first snowflakes of the year fell outside the door of her bookstore. She loved this time of year-when the end of fall came and the first days of winter were upon them.
The town sheriff drove by in his SUV, and Madison stepped away from the window. She’d been avoiding Sheriff Tom since last winter, when on New Year’s they’d shared a deep sensual kiss. It had heated her blood and body and left her aching for more. By the look on his face, he’d also been surprised by the kiss.
Normally this wouldn’t have a problem, but Madison had also shared a kiss with another man-Dante-and that had thrown her through a loop.
Dante was the Master Vampire to the others in the area. He was like a father to them, connected by the sharing of blood.
Madison ’s best friend and business partner, Angie, was a shifter who was dating a vampire Chad. Madison had come to love Chad as a brother. It wasn’t the vampire thing throwing her off with Dante, or not all of it anyway. Madison couldn’t figure out how she could have such a strong reaction to two very different men.
The bell above the door sang out as Angie rushed inside. “Oh wow! It’s cold out there!” she exclaimed.
Madison laughed, stepping back behind the counter. “Well, it does have to be pretty cold for it to snow.”
“Ha! Ha! Comedian,” Angie said as she unwrapped the scarf from her neck. The small bite marks that covered her neck stood out as if screaming ‘taken’. Her red hair shone against her white sweater as she brushed snowflakes from it.
She and Angie had been best friends for years. After losing the last of her relatives in a tragic fire, Madison had come to think of Angie as family.
Madison ’s power as a witch was pretty minor compared to others in the town, but she’d never had proper training. Her mother had married a mortal and moved away. After her mother’s death, when Madison was nine, her father had refused to let any magic take place in the house. She and her brother Matt had learned at an early age to hide their magic from him. Two years later, when they’d moved in with their grandparents back in Grand Falls, Madison hadn't been ready to go against her father’s wishes so soon after his death. Her brother, however, had jumped right in practicing spells with their grandmother.
Thinking about Matt brought back a sharp pain in her heart, and she quickly shook her head and thought about something else. “How’s the party planning going?”
Angie grinned and clapped her hands together. “It’s going to be great! Everyone in town is coming.”
Madison knew that. It was the reason she was dreading the party. Turning to the coffeepot, she poured them each a cup. “Sounds pretty big,” she commented.
“Well it’s not every day you turn a hundred.”
Madison smiled into her coffee. That was true. Chad would be turning one hundred, and Angie was throwing him a big party at the town centre. She’d been working on the preparations for months now.
“Dante’s going to stay with Chad until it’s time to bring him into town.”
At the mention of Dante’s name, Madison made sure not to have a reaction. Six months after the kisses, Madison had confided in Angie. Now, her best friend was convinced Madison needed to spend the night with Dante or Tom or both. Madison kept telling her friend she needed time to figure it out, but Angie was relentless in her pursuit to get Madison laid.
The door opened, setting the bell ringing, and both women looked up as the six-foot-two man walked in. Perfection was the only way to describe him. From his long, shaggy brown hair and his deep crystal blue eyes to the body that even under the clothing couldn’t hide the muscles-perfection.
Madison swallowed the coffee in her mouth, hoping she wasn’t drooling.
“Hey, Sheriff,” Angie greeted just a little too happily.
Tom smiled at her and shared a greeting before turning his eyes to Madison. Madison could feel the heated look all the way to her chilled bones.
“ Madison,” he said her name in a whisper, his deep voice sending vibrations through her body. He smiled smugly and Madison knew he could smell her arousal. So could Angie for that matter.
“Sheriff,” Madison said calmly. “What brings you in today?”
“You,” he said, reaching the counter and leaning his hip against it.
Angie made a cheerful statement about getting something from the back, but as Madison stared into those alluring eyes she didn’t respond.
“And just what can I do for you?” Madison asked sweetly.
It wasn’t until he lifted an eyebrow and ran a heated look over her body that Madison thought about her words. Blushing, she fidgeted where she stood.
His soft laughter had her shivering as he leaned across the counter and cupped her cheek. “I’ll leave that question alone for now.” He brushed his thumb over her lips. “I just stopped by to make sure you’ve checked your generator and have plenty of firewood.”
Madison nodded, even though she could barely think with him touching her. “ Chad checked it out this weekend, and I have plenty of wood for the entire winter,” she managed to get out.
“Good.” He smiled but didn’t move his hand. “Then I guess I’ll see you Friday.”
Madison saw him move closer, but she was unable to pull away. When his soft lips touched hers, she opened for him, and he gently invaded her mouth with his tongue.
The kiss was even better than the one they had shared before. Heat, liquid fire, and passion surrounded Madison as he took possession of her mouth. She moaned when he pulled away, and he winked.
“Save a dance for me. ” he said before leaving.
Madison held onto the counter with white knuckles as she tried to regain her balance.
Madison dressed carefully for the party. She told herself it was in honour of Chad, but she knew she was only lying to herself. She hadn’t been able to stop thinking about her kiss with Tom.
Dressed in black slacks, a soft pink sweater, and her new fur-lined boots, she was comfortable but well dressed. She’d spent an hour on her make-up and hair-putting on enough make-up to bring out the green of her eyes and curling her long brown hair so ringlets covered her back. She was quite happy with the result.
Her two black labs danced around her as she grabbed her keys. “Sorry, guys, you have at stay home tonight.”
They danced some more, but when she shook her head, they headed off to the big pillow they shared in the bedroom.
Madison laughed as she locked her door, looking forward to the night’s activities, promising to herself to see where things went.
Pulling up to the building in the middle of Town Square, Madison was surprised by all the cars already there. A quick look at her watch showed she was later than she’d thought. She hurried through the cold to the front door where she was hit by heat. Smiling, she took off her coat as people started to greet her. Angie ran up from the side and grabbed her arm.
“About time you got here. I thought you were a no show!”
It was obvious Angie was nervous so Madison hugged her. “The place looks awesome. Chad ’s going to be thrilled!”
“Really?”
“Yes, I promise.”
Angie hugged her back. “Thanks. I needed that. Hey! You look really good tonight!”
Madison blushed and picked imaginary lint from her sweeter. She was saved from further discussion when Angie’s cell phone rang twice and stopped.
“That’s Dante! Hey, everyone, they’re almost here!” Angie called across the room.
Five minutes later, Madison felt her heart skip a beat. Chad walked into the hall, all smiles, with Dante right behind him.
She watched Dante’s eyes search the room before settling on her. While Tom was ruggedly handsome, Dante was classically beautiful with pale, flawless skin and high cheekbones. He wore dress slacks with a button down shirt and tie. His black hair was arranged perfectly, and his dark eyes were full of wanting.
He walked in a straight line to her. People parted as the powerful man passed, never taking his gaze from her. Madison tried to break the eye contact but felt lost as she stared into their depths.
“ Madison, how are you this evening?” His rich voice held a hint of the Old World.
“Fine, and you?” she said politely, moving closer to him.
“Very well…now.”
Madison shivered as his hand brushed the hair from her face.
“You look lovely.”
Blushing, Madison finally broke eye contact. “Thank you.”
Chad came up and picked Madison up in a big hug. “Hey, you!”
Madison giggled at the big, stocky man. “Happy birthday, old man!”
“Isn’t this great?” he asked, spinning with her. “Angie is just wonderful!”
“Yes, now put me down before you drop me.”
Chad laughed, the big boom bouncing off the walls. “This is a great party!” he exclaimed, moving on to another group of people and picking each one up and hugging them.
With a smile on her face, Madison looked back over to Dante. “He looks happy.”
Dante nodded as he placed his hands in his pockets. “It’s good for him. Not all birthdays will be happy like this when you keep having them. He needed this.”
Madison studied the man in front of her. She had no idea how old Dante was. He had to be pretty old to be a Master. Chad was only a level-two vampire, and he was one hundred.
“You don’t want to know,” he answered her unasked question, smiling sadly.
“Dante.” Madison wasn’t sure what she would have said when his head jerked up.
“If you’ll excuse me, I need to take care of something.”
Madison watched him walk away. He moved with purpose and ease, almost floating instead of walking. Shaking her head, Madison joined the party and mingled with her friends.
A hand on the small of her back took Madison away from a debate on fixing the indoor hockey ring with the mayor. Looking behind her, she caught her breath as Tom
