Creature of the Deep

CREATURE OF THE DEEP HER CREATURES - BOOK FOUR MAYA NICOLE Copyright 2023 © Maya Nicole All rights reserved. All rights reserved. No portion of this book may be reproduced in any form without permission from the author, except as permitted by U.S. copyright law. For permissions contact: [email protected] This book is currently available exclusively through Amazon. The characters and events portrayed in this book are fictitious. Any similarity to real people, living or dead, businesses, or locales are coincidental. Cover Design by Covers by Combs Edited by Karen Sanders Editing Created with Vellum CONTENTS Author’s Note Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4 Chapter 5 Chapter 6 Chapter 7 Chapter 8 Chapter 9 Chapter 10 Chapter 11 Chapter 12 Chapter 13 Chapter 14 Chapter 15 Chapter 16 Chapter 17 Epilogue Crossover Characters Social Media Also by Maya Nicole AUTHOR’S NOTE Her Creatures is a why choose romance series. That means the main character will have a happily ever after with three or more men. Recommended for readers 18+ for adult content and language. CHAPTER ONE OLIVIA Coldness penetrated every cell of my body as I held on to Trace’s neck. He’d found me on my knees on the wet forest floor, staring at the dark forest where Jonah had disappeared. I’d failed. I could have chased him or shifted and wrapped him in my tentacles. Instead, I’d let the seven-foot-tall werewolf run away from me. If I couldn’t stop him, who else could? Trace had arrived a minute too late and refused to go after him. Jonah was his alpha and even if he did catch up to him, he couldn’t capture a feral wolf on his own. And neither could you. Trace’s griffin was faster on foot than I had expected. I buried my face in the feathers of his neck, wishing this whole thing was over. I was tired of almost every moment with my mates being overshadowed by the dagger and its whims. I just wanted to enjoy my life for once, not feel like my entire world was being ruled by something other than what was in my heart. In the end, I hoped it would all be worth it. That was the only thing that was keeping me from throwing my hands up and running back to California with my tentacles tucked between my legs. When Trace and I got back to where we’d been by the mud-covered road, Lucas and Sebastian were nowhere to be seen. Trace looked up the road and headed back toward where we’d left the SUV. “Just keep following the road. I don’t think his house is that much farther.” It was dark as hell, but we were on the side that had the turn-off to the garage, so it wouldn’t be too hard to find. If I remembered correctly, the keypad to get into the garage was right after a sharp right turn. How was Jonah holding up with the darkness? Was it not an issue anymore with his wolf vision? There were so many questions I wanted to ask him, and I just hoped like hell I got to. I was just starting to wonder if we’d missed the turn when Lucas stepped into our path up ahead. As we drew closer, the tiredness written across his face made my heart hurt even more. I wasn’t the only one upset about the events of the evening. “I was just coming to look for you two. I have Sebastian settled next to the fire and left the dagger in him. He woke up briefly and tried to bite me but passed back out.” Lucas shuddered and helped me off Trace’s back when we stopped. “Where’s Jonah?” “He ran.” I took Trace’s sopping wet clothes and the feather from his beak. “I don’t know what to do.” The backs of my eyes burned, and I bit my inner cheek. Trace reared up on his hind legs and shifted. “We should go after him, or at least follow him, so we know where he’s at.” “I agree. I’ll go since I can follow his scent better.” Lucas started to walk past us, and Trace stepped in his path. “We can’t both go after him, cowboy. Someone needs to stay here with Sebastian and Olivia.” “You can’t shift in the forest, dragon.” Trace took his clothes and feather from me but didn’t bother putting them on. “I wasn’t planning on shifting, but if I need to, I’ll just knock down some trees.” Lucas’s eyes changed to his dragon’s. It was both fascinating and a little creepy to see a man with reptilian eyes staring back at me. “Stay here and heal Sebastian. He might need more than one feather. I left a medical kit next to the nest. There’s a staple gun in there.” Lucas walked to where I was standing feeling helpless and kissed my forehead. Heat was radiating from his body, and I wanted nothing more than to pull him close and soak in his warmth. “Be careful,” Trace grumbled as Lucas kissed his forehead too. “Wait, how do we get in?” I couldn’t remember the code and there was some kind of biometric scanner to get into the house from the garage. “The system is off now. Just press the enter button and the lift will lower you. The house has both of your fingerprints programmed in.” Lucas sniffed the air. “Which direction did he go?” “South. He can run pretty fast…” Trace closed his mouth as Lucas darted in the direction we’d just come. “Okay, I guess he’s been keeping that a secret. Remind me never to race him on foot.” I tried to smile, but instead of a smile, a weird sob-laugh came out. Trace pulled me into his arms, his wet clothes sending a chill through me as they touched my back. “Let’s get you inside. We’ll heal Sebastian and then get warm.” He led me to the garage entrance platform and pressed the