Howling Moon Read online

  Dear Readers,

  Welcome (or welcome back) to the world of the Sazi. Howling Moon is not the first book of the series to reach publication. It is, however, the book that started the world. Here, in the Boulder pack, is the original world of the Sazi.

  The love story between Cat Turner and Raphael Ramirez began the world, many years ago. It’s been so much a part of our consciousness that every book has hinted at this terrific story—there have been clues about the politics, the rage, and the anguish that the attack on Catherine Turner brought to many people. The reasons why it wasn’t the first to publish are varied and many, but now it’s time for this book to take center stage. The story is ready to be told.

  But it wasn’t easy! The Sazi world originally envisioned has changed quite a bit in the decade since the first idea formed. The time line, too, was difficult to manage. For regular readers, please note that the events in Howling Moon begin before Hunter’s Moon (book one) and end after the events in Moon’s Web (book two). It’s our longest book to date, timewise—but we had to be certain the events (including the moon cycles) fit seamlessly.

  We think our effort has paid off, and we know you’ll enjoy Howling Moon as much as all of the other Sazi novels. Welcome (again) to the beginning of our world!

  —Cathy Clamp & C. T. Adams

  www.ciecatrunpubs.com

  PRAISE FOR THE WORLD OF THE SAZI

  HUNTER’S MOON

  “I read the book in one sitting. A world this enjoyable deserves more than one visit. This book has some new twists in the werewolf’s tail that are very cool.”

  —Laurell K. Hamilton

  “This unusual, artfully constructed, and enticing blend of horror and romance will have wide appeal with its male point of view, intensely sexy love story, and caperlike action.”

  —Booklist

  “This incredible novel is inventive, totally riveting, as well as surprisingly tender in spots. Adams and Clamp are a powerhouse team that has opened the door to an amazing new world.”

  —Romantic Times BookReviews

  (Top Pick, 4½ stars)

  “Filled with an abrasive charm, intriguing characters, and a dry wit, Hunter’s Moon is a must read for the fall season.”

  —Romance Reviews Today

  MOON’s WEB

  Romantic Times BookReviews

  Magazine’s Best Werewolf Romance

  “Adams and Clamp are adept at writing intensely sensuous, hot lovemaking scenes, but where they really shine is in the creation of an unforgettable world where secret shapeshifters live, love, and scheme. Laurell K. Hamilton readers will enjoy this edgy world.”

  —Booklist

  “It’s only taken two books for the dynamic duo of Adams and Clamp to cement their position as premier authors of paranormal fiction. Gritty and unique, with amazingly Byzantine character development, this inside look at the unconventional world of shapeshifters is a page-turner in the truest sense.”

  —Romantic Times BookReviews

  (4½ stars, Gold Medal Top Pick)

  “It’s rare when a second book surpasses the first, but Moon’s Web explodes onto the scene, earning a Perfect 10. If you’re a fan of Laurell K. Hamilton or Kelley Armstrong, Moon’s Web is definitely a book for you!”

  —Romance Reviews Today

  “C. T. Adams and Cathy Clamp have outdone the wonderful job they did with Hunter’s Moon! The action begins on the very first page and doesn’t let up throughout the story.”

  —Paranormal Romance Reviews

  PRAISE FOR THE WORLD OF THE THRALL

  TOUCH OF EVIL

  “Unveiling a new paranormal series, the brilliant team of Adams and Clamp crafts an exceedingly intriguing heroine trying to survive a dangerous and complex world. This is an unbeatably good paranormal!”

  —Romantic Times BookReviews

  (4½ stars, Top Pick)

  “Adams and Clamp are adept at incorporating riveting plot twists into this fully imagined world, and they don’t stint on the romance.”

  —Booklist (starred review)

  “Touch of Evil receives The Road to Romance Reviewers’ Choice Award for the great writing of the author duo, C. T. Adams and Cathy Clamp. This book has it all and more.”

  —The Road to Romance

  “If readers are looking for a completely different kind of vampire story, then Touch of Evil by C. T. Adams and Cathy Clamp will more than satisfy the craving. What’s even better? There are obviously many stories yet to be told about Katie and company.”

  —Loves Romances

  Howling Moon

  Also by Cathy Clamp and C. T. Adams from Tor Romance

  THE SAZI

  Hunter’s Moon

  Moon’s Web

  Captive Moon

  Howling Moon

  THE THRALL

  Touch of Evil

  Touch of Madness

  Howling Moon

  CATHY CLAMP and C. T. ADAMS

  A TOM DOHERTY ASSOCIATES BOOK

  NEW YORK

  The author and publisher have provided this e-book to you without Digital Rights Management software (DRM) applied so that you can enjoy reading it on your personal devices. This e-book is for your personal use only. You may not print or post this e-book, or make this e-book publicly available in any way. You may not copy, reproduce or upload this e-book, other than to read it on one of your personal devices.

  Copyright infringement is against the law. If you believe the copy of this e-book you are reading infringes on the author’s copyright, please notify the publisher at: us.macmillanusa.com/piracy.

  Dedication and Acknowledgments

  As with all of our books we would like to dedicate this work first to James Adams and Don Clamp, along with the rest of our family and friends who have offered patience, kindness, and unswerving support throughout the years.

  Any book is a group effort, and we want to take the time to specifically thank our wonderful agents, Merrilee Heifetz and Claire Reilly-Shapiro, who have helped us so much and so often. Thanks to our terrific editor, Anna Genoese, at Tor.

  We would also like to take this opportunity to thank Yolanda Sfetsos for her help with all things Aussie, Jim and all the others, too many to name, who’ve answered questions or shown their support in so many ways.

  Howling Moon

  Contents

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  Chapter Nineteen

  Chapter Twenty

  Chapter Twenty-one

  Chapter Twenty-two

  Chapter Twenty-three

  Chapter Twenty-four

  Chapter Twenty-five

  Chapter Twenty-six

  Chapter Twenty-seven

  Chapter Twenty-eight

  Chapter Twenty-nine

  Chapter Thirty

  Chapter Thirty-one

  Chapter Thirty-two

  Chapter Thirty-three

  Chapter Thirty-four

  Chapter Thirty-five

  Chapter Thirty-six

  Chapter Thirty-seven

  Chapter Thirty-eight

  Chapter Thirty-nine

  Chapter Forty

  Chapter Forty-one

  Chapter Forty-two

  Chapter Forty-three

  Chapter Forty-four

 
Chapter One

  RAPHAEL’S HAND SLAPPED against his clock radio several times before he realized it was the phone ringing and not the alarm.

  “Hullo?” The word into the receiver was muffled by warm pillow. He turned his face a bit and cracked open his eyes.

  “Raphael, it’s Charles.”

  Throwing off the sheets, he sat bolt upright in bed, trying desperately to jump-start his sleep-fogged brain into coherence. “Mr. Chief Justice!” Morning was so not his time of day and it was only, he glanced at the red numbers of the digital clock, 5:00 A.M.

  Shit. The sun’s not even up yet.

  “I need a favor.”

  The head of all shapeshifters was asking him for a favor? Granted, they were shirttail relatives of a sort, but it wasn’t a relationship either of them had ever presumed upon. Charles Wingate was not a casual man. If he said he needed a favor, he needed it.

  Heart beating frantically, Raphael fought to keep his voice steady. “Of course, sir. What can I do for you?”

  Running his left hand through his bed-mussed tangle of curls, Raphael swung his legs off of the bed and onto the carpeted floor so that he was at least technically up.

  There was a long, awkward silence. “I’m not sure where to start.”

  That did not sound like the Chief Justice. There were so many nuances to his voice—anger, sadness, and the one emotion Raphael would never have expected: fear.

  “Sir?”

  The old man sighed deeply. “Someone has been trying to block my gift.”

  “Is that possible?” There was shock in his voice. Charles was the Sazi’s best foresight seer. Nobody should be able to block his ability to see the future.

  “Oh, it’s possible. It isn’t easy, but it is definitely possible.” There was a heat to the words. Raphael almost felt sorry for whoever had done it, because sure as hell they were gonna pay, and pay dearly.

  “Jack Simpson has done it again,” continued Charles. “He attacked a woman and killed her parents.” There was a pregnant pause. “The woman’s name is Catherine Turner. She’s my goddaughter.”

  Oh, fuck!

  “The full moon is tonight.” Raphael tried to keep his voice neutral. He failed. It was a little higher and breathier than usual. On the plus side, he wasn’t groggy anymore.

  “Yes, it is. And Catherine will be facing her first change.”

  “What do you need from me, sir?” Raphael was wary. He could guess where the conversation was leading, and it was nowhere he wanted to go.

  “I just learned that Catherine is staying with her aunt, Violet Wildethorne, in Boulder.”

  “Right on our doorstep. I’ll contact Lucas.” Raphael began weighing options on the proper procedures to deal with the situation.

  “No!” Charles said firmly, then he backpedaled a bit. “Please don’t.”

  Blinking with shock and the sudden derailing of his thought process, the obvious question popped from his mouth. “Why not…sir?” The last word was an afterthought.

  There was a long silence on the other end of the line. “Lucas would simply murder the woman.” The Chief Justice’s voice softened. “I’d rather avoid that if I can. She—” There was a catch in his voice when he continued. “She means a great deal to me.”

  “Sir.” Raphael chose his words very carefully. “There’s a good chance she won’t survive. But if she does—”

  A slight rustling over the phone said Charles was nodding. “She may go feral. And if she is feral, she will need to be put down. I understand that. But I don’t believe she will be. Catherine has always been an exceptional woman.” He sighed. “And there’s something else you should know. Things could get complicated. I don’t think the press have traced her to Boulder, but there is always the possibility they might have. You’ll need to be careful how this is handled.”

  “The press?” Horror fought with anger in Raphael’s mind. What in the hell was Charles trying to do, kill them all? Secrecy was the single greatest rule in the Sazi culture. Humans weren’t aware of their existence only because they didn’t allow the press to get wind of the reality of shapeshifters.

  “Unfortunately so. Catherine was somewhat of a local celebrity in California in her twenties because her father was a leading computer hardware designer in Silicon Valley and she was a bit, well…wild. Things settled down while she was away at university. But when she became engaged after graduate school, there was a scandal involving her mother that got them interested in her again. Of course, when her parents were killed and she was mauled…well, I’m sure you can guess the rest. But Violet has always kept a low profile, so we might get lucky. She’s a romance author who writes under a pen name, and nobody in California ever connected the two families. I realize this complicates things, but if at all possible, we need for Catherine to come through this alive.”

  Raphael took a deep breath. Wow. “Of course, sir. But I can’t make any guarantees. Um…not to question your authority or your absolute right to send me on any mission you choose, sir, but are you certain that I’m the best person for this job? It’s been a lot of years since I’ve taken on a case like this.”

  “I know, I know. Yes, you’re the person best suited to this task. Trust me.” Charles sounded tired, defeated. But beneath it all simmered rage. Raphael was very glad that he was in Boulder and the Chief Justice was wherever the hell he was. “Get a pen. I’ll give you the information.”

  It took a minute of rummaging in the drawer of the nightstand and tossing dried up pens and broken-tipped pencils against the wall to find one that still worked. It wasn’t often he needed to take notes while still in bed. He started writing, pen flying across the notepad as the older man dictated details. The reality of the situation sunk in with the weight of lead in his stomach as the Chief Justice spoke. An attack victim—a jaguar, one of the large cats—in Boulder. Possibly feral, definitely turned by a homicidal madman. She might inherit Jack’s insanity, or his infamous temper, or both. It was a recipe for disaster. At least the address was on the outskirts of town, near one of the big parks. But a cat that size could cover ground very quickly, and jaguars tended to roam. He would need his weapons—and plenty of silver ammo. He hoped there’d be enough in the safe. He’d have to check. He hadn’t needed any in years, not since he was in Wolven, the Sazi police force. At least he went to the range often, as much for entertainment as to keep up his skill. But this was the kind of thing Wolven sent teams of two or three agents to handle. There was nothing more dangerous than a feral were-animal.

  Charles had finished speaking and was waiting for his reply. He needed to say something, but what? A woman the old bear loved like a daughter was facing death tonight—and there was a good chance that Raphael would be the one to dispense it.

  “I’m going to need help, sir.”

  The reply was a warning rumble. “I told you—”

  Raphael shook his head, even though it couldn’t be seen. Charles had to know what he was asking with the request. He was being asked to risk his life and his pack status. He would be violating pack law by not informing Lucas or Tatya about an attack victim that could endanger the pack and breaking at least a dozen Wolven regulations as well. Yes, to an extent, Charles’s word was law, beyond the reach of the council, but this whole situation went beyond foolhardy, straight into suicidal.

  Putting aside any fear of reprisal, he summoned all his courage and spoke to the head of the shifters as though he were still on the Wolven force. He made sure to keep any annoyance and condescension from his voice—but it remained firm, commanding. “I need information. I’m not in the loop anymore. At the very least, I need photos, vehicle descriptions, license plate numbers. Is there anyone I can call? If I have to step outside our law, then I want to have a marginal chance at succeeding. My son, maybe?”

  There was a long pause and Raphael was afraid he was going to turn down the request. But his son, Raven Ramirez, was second in command of Wolven. He could get the information without anyone askin
g questions—even if he was on mandatory health leave. And, he held confidences like no other man Raphael had ever known. If Charles could trust anyone, it would be Raven.

  Finally, the old man sighed. “Call Raven. Find out what you can. I could tell you myself, but I’m afraid that I…” He took another deep breath. “I trust your judgment. It’s why I called.”

  In the end, too many lives were at stake. Raphael knew it and so did Charles. Neither of them would—could—risk all of the Sazi for one woman.

  “I’ll do my best, sir. I swear it.”

  “Thank you.” There was undisguised gratitude in his voice. “I appreciate that more than you know. Call me tomorrow on my private line. I’ll be waiting for your report.” Charles dictated the number where he could be reached, and when he finished, he hung up without bothering to say good-bye.

  Raphael leaned back against the headboard once more and stared into space, desperately trying to think how to convince his son to ignore all protocol, disobey every rule that he lived by, to give him classified information. If Jack Simpson had attacked someone in Lucas’s territory, it was a sure bet that Wolven knew all about it already. Would he have to find a way to the woman around the agents who would be arriving tonight?

  The coffee was finished brewing by the time he decided how to approach the situation. If he called in a Beta Six alert, then perhaps Raven would get to a secure phone line to return a call without telling the higher-ups in the agency. But Beta Six was not only a seldom-used code, it might well be so old that Raven wouldn’t even recognize it.