Moonstone, p.1
Moonstone, page 1
Moonstone
Gems of Wolfe Island One
Helen Hardt
Contents
Moonstone
Dedication
Also By Helen Hardt
Praise For Helen Hardt
Warning
Prologue
1. Katelyn
2. Luke
3. Katelyn
4. Luke
5. Katelyn
6. Luke
7. Katelyn
8. Luke
9. Katelyn
10. Luke
11. Katelyn
12. Luke
13. Katelyn
14. Luke
15. Katelyn
16. Luke
17. Katelyn
18. Luke
19. Katelyn
20. Luke
21. Katelyn
22. Luke
23. Katelyn
24. Luke
25. Katelyn
26. Luke
27. Katelyn
28. Luke
29. Katelyn
30. Luke
31. Katelyn
32. Luke
33. Katelyn
34. Luke
35. Katelyn
36. Luke
37. Katelyn
38. Luke
39. Katelyn
40. Luke
41. Katelyn
42. Luke
43. Katelyn
44. Luke
45. Katelyn
46. Luke
A Note From Helen
Acknowledgments
About the Author
Moonstone
Gems of Wolfe Island One
Helen Hardt
* * *
This book is an original publication of Helen Hardt
* * *
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental. The publisher does not assume any responsibility for third-party websites or their content.
* * *
Copyright © 2021 Helen Hardt, LLC dba Hardt & Sons
Cover Design: The Killion Group, Inc.
* * *
All Rights Reserved
No part of this book may be reproduced, scanned, or distributed in any printed or electronic format without permission. Please do not participate in or encourage piracy of copyrighted materials in violation of the author’s rights. Purchase only authorized editions.
* * *
Paperback ISBN: 978-1-952841-06-4
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PRINTED IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
Created with Vellum
For all the Wolfes of Manhattan Fans!
Also By Helen Hardt
Follow Me Series:
Follow Me Darkly
Follow Me Under
Follow Me Always
Darkly
* * *
Wolfes of Manhattan
Rebel
Recluse
Runaway
Rake
Reckoning
* * *
Gems of Wolfe Island
Moonstone
* * *
Steel Brothers Saga:
Trilogy One—Talon and Jade
Craving
Obsession
Possession
Trilogy Two—Jonah and Melanie
Melt
Burn
Surrender
Trilogy Three—Ryan and Ruby
Shattered
Twisted
Unraveled
Trilogy Four—Bryce and Marjorie
Breathless
Ravenous
Insatiable
Trilogy Five—Brad and Daphne
Fate
Legacy
Descent
Trilogy Six—Dale and Ashley
Awakened
Cherished
Freed
Trilogy Seven—Donny and Callie
Spark
Flame
Blaze
* * *
Blood Bond Saga:
Unchained
Unhinged
Undaunted
Unmasked
Undefeated
* * *
Sex and the Season:
Lily and the Duke
Rose in Bloom
Lady Alexandra’s Lover
Sophie’s Voice
* * *
Temptation Saga:
Tempting Dusty
Teasing Annie
Taking Catie
Taming Angelina
Treasuring Amber
Trusting Sydney
Tantalizing Maria
* * *
Standalone Novels and Novellas
Reunited
* * *
Misadventures:
Misadventures of a Good Wife (with Meredith Wild)
Misadventures with a Rockstar
* * *
The Cougar Chronicles:
The Cowboy and the Cougar
Calendar Boy
* * *
Daughters of the Prairie:
The Outlaw’s Angel
Lessons of the Heart
Song of the Raven
* * *
Collections:
Destination Desire
Her Two Lovers
* * *
Non-Fiction:
got style?
Praise For Helen Hardt
WOLFES OF MANHATTAN
* * *
“It's hot, it's intense, and the plot starts off thick and had me completely spellbound from page one.”
~The Sassy Nerd Blog
* * *
“Helen Hardt…is a master at her craft.”
~K. Ogburn, Amazon
* * *
“Move over Steel brothers… Rock is everything!”
~Barbara Conklin-Jaros, Amazon
* * *
“Helen has done it again. She winds you up and weaves a web of intrigue.”
~Vicki Smith, Amazon
* * *
FOLLOW ME SERIES
* * *
“Hardt spins erotic gold...”
~Publishers Weekly
* * *
“22 Best Erotic Novels to Read”
~Marie Claire Magazine
* * *
“Intensely erotic and wildly emotional...”
~New York Times bestselling author Lisa Renee Jones
* * *
“With an edgy, enigmatic hero and loads of sexual tension, Helen Hardt's fast-paced Follow Me Darkly had me turning pages late into the night!”
~New York Times bestselling author J. Kenner
* * *
“Christian, Gideon, and now...Braden Black.”
~Books, Wine, and Besties
* * *
“A tour de force where the reader will be pulled in as if they're being seduced by Braden Black, taken for a wild ride, and left wanting more.”
~USA Today Bestselling Author Julie Morgan
* * *
“Hot. Sexy. Intriguing. Page-Turner. Helen Hardt checks all the boxes with Follow Me Darkly!”
~International Bestselling Author Victoria Blue
* * *
STEEL BROTHERS SAGA
* * *
“Craving is the jaw-dropping book you need to read!”
~New York Times bestselling author Lisa Renee Jones
* * *
"Completely raw and addictive."
~#1 New York Times bestselling author Meredith Wild
* * *
“Talon has hit my top five list…up there next to Jamie Fraser and Gideon Cross.”
~USA Today bestselling author Angel Payne
* * *
“Talon and Jade’s instant chemistry heats up the pages...”
~RT Book Reviews
* * *
“Sorry Christian and Gideon, there’s a new heartthrob for you to contend with. Meet Talon. Talon Steel.”
~Booktopia
* * *
“Such a beautiful torment—the waiting, the anticipation, the relief that only comes briefly before more questions arise, and the wait begins again… Check. Mate. Ms. Hardt…”
~Bare Naked Words
* * *
“Made my heart stop in my chest. Helen has given us such a heartbreakingly beautiful series.”
~Tina, Bookalicious Babes
* * *
BLOOD BOND SAGA
* * *
“An enthralling and rousing vampire tale that will leave readers waiting for the sequel.”
~Kirkus Reviews
* * *
"Dangerous and sexy. A new favorite!"
~New York Times bestselling author Alyssa Day
* * *
“A dark, intoxicating tale.”
~Library Journal
* * *
“Helen dives into the paranormal world of vampires and makes it her own.”
~Tina, Bookalicious Babes
* * *
“Throw out everything you know about vampires—except for that blood thirst we all love and lust after in these stunning heroes—and expect to be swept up in a sensual story that twists and turns in so many wonderfully jaw-dropping ways.”
~Angel Payne, USA Today bestselling author
Warning
The Gems of Wolfe Island series contains adult language and scenes, including flashbacks of physical and sexual abuse. Please take not e.
Prologue
Katelyn
Pain. Like sharp daggers digging into my shoulders.
One of them twisted both my arms so hard that both joints popped out of place.
Not enough that they’ve starved me, shaved my head, taken everything.
Now I’m in pain, and I’m going to die.
Die in this place. I don’t know where I am. I don’t care anymore.
Until I hear something. A shuffling. I curl into a fetal position, trying to ease the pain.
It doesn’t help.
Still…someone is near, and whoever it is, the person is trying to be quiet, which means…
“Help me.” My voice is soft, nearly inaudible.
More shuffling. Yes, someone’s here. Someone who may be able to help me.
“Help me.”
“Stop it,” a voice—a female voice, thank goodness, says. “You’re imagining things.”
“I hear you,” I say. “Help me. Please.”
Perhaps I should feel relief, but I don’t. What I feel is more like thankfulness that I’m not alone. For I will die here, and at least I’ll have a companion. Maybe she’ll hold my hand. Maybe she’ll tell me it’s okay.
Maybe she can get me out of here.
“Help me.”
I see her then, her hand clasped to her mouth. She’s blond, and she still has her hair. She’s naked, as I am, and she has two slashes above her breasts that are oozing blood.
She kneels down next to me. “Hey. Who are you?”
“Please help me.”
“Get up. Come on. Get up.”
“I can’t.”
“You can. You have to.” She shakes me gently.
I sob quietly as the pain rushes through me with her slightest touch. “That hurts.”
“You can. Now get the hell up!” She grabs my shoulders.
“Aauuuggghhh!” I shriek as the pain surges my nerves into the very marrow of my bones. I’ll die here. Alone. Unloved. Broken.
She lets go of me quickly. “What did they do to you?”
I swallow. “My shoulders. They’re both dislocated.”
“Damn. I’m so sorry.”
“Can you pop them back in?” I eke out. Please. Please. Pop them back in. Help me. At least let me die without any more pain.
“I can’t. I’m not a doctor. I might do more damage.”
I close my eyes. She won’t help. She won’t even try. “Then please. Kill me.”
She says nothing. Just stares at me.
“Please.” I close my eyes. I can’t look at her strong body. She may have wounds, but she’s still moving. She still has a chance. “I’d rather die here than have them torture me anymore. Please.”
“I…”
I open my eyes, then. I’ll make her look at me as she leaves me to die. “What’s your name?”
“Zinnia. Like the flower.”
“I’m Katelyn.”
“Katelyn. I’m so sorry.”
“Please, Zinnia.”
“My friends call me Zee.”
“Please, Zee.”
“You can’t ask this of me. How will I live with myself?”
I scoff softly. “Live with yourself? You won’t live through this, Zee. You won’t have to live with yourself for long.” She may be strong now, but they’ll break her. They’ll break her as they broke me. Maybe they’ll dislocate her shoulders. Maybe they’ll do something worse.
“I’m so sorry,” she says. “I’m not a killer.”
I close my eyes once more, groaning. “Then run. I hear them coming.”
She turns her head. “Maybe it’s not them.”
“It’s always them. Now do as I tell you. Get the hell out of here.” I can’t save myself, but I can at least try to give her a little more time.
“I can’t leave you.”
“If you can’t pop my shoulders back, and you’re not willing to kill me, there’s nothing more you can do.”
“I can carry you.”
“Then we’ll both die.”
She glances at me again and then over her shoulder.
Without another word, she flees.
And I wait for them to come kill me.
1
Katelyn
“We hope you’ll be happy here,” Zee Wolfe says to me. She looks radiant with rosy cheeks and a pregnant belly, her honey blond hair pulled up into a messy bun.
Zee—Zinnia—whom I begged to end my life all those years ago, turned out to be my savior after all.
Now, finally, I’m thankful she refused to kill me that day. I want life—a life I have control over once more.
“I hope I will be also.” I smile. It’s a forced smile, but it’s still a smile—something I once thought I’d never do again. “And Zee?”
“Yes?”
“Thank you.”
“No need to thank me.” She smiles, and hers isn’t at all forced. “The Wolfes are happy to do whatever they can for you and the other women who were brutalized by their father.”
Their father and countless others, I add in my mind.
But that’s not what I’m thanking her for.
I pause a moment, as the images of the first time I met Zee emerge in my mind. I can’t forget them. In a warped way, I don’t want to.
“You okay?” Zee asks.
A loaded question. I’m not sure I’ll ever be okay again. But I can live. Indeed, I will live. I’ll adapt. I want to. I’m grateful to be alive. I’m grateful to have this new apartment in a building owned by the Wolfes. It’s fully furnished with one bedroom and updated appliances throughout. Hardwood floors, too, which are shiny and gorgeous. I nearly slipped when we first got here.
“Do you have any questions?”
“No. Thank you.”
“Don’t forget”—she points to the emergency button by the door—“to use this at any time. For any reason.”
I nod. She was very direct when she showed me the button by the front door and in the bedroom.
“We can always move you to a double,” she says.
I shake my head. “I want to live alone. I need to.”
“I understand. After six months at the retreat center, I’m sure you need some space.”
Though the retreat center has nothing to do with my decision to request a single room in the Manhattan safehouse.
