On Jason's Watch [Paladin Protection Agency 2] (Siren Publishing Classic)

Paladin Protection Agency 2

On Jason’s Watch

Jazz Masters wants to be normal. It’s just that normal isn’t easy to achieve when you’re a werewolf. Living in fear of the monster that lurks inside her, Jazz has created a safe, isolated world for herself where she can maintain control of her darker half. That carefully constructed world comes crashing down the night she crosses paths with a pack of vicious werewolves. With the pack on her scent and her life threatened, Jazz turns to the Paladin Protection Agency for help.

It only takes one look at Jazz for Jason Waters to know he wants her, and not even the revelation she’s a werewolf can make him change his mind. Now that she’s found Jason, Jazz finally has everything she’s dreamed of. She just needs to survive long enough to enjoy it. With her world threatened and her very soul at stake, Jazz must find the courage to come to terms with her wolf before she loses everything.

Genre:
Contemporary, Paranormal, Vampires/Werewolves

Length:
42,602 words 

ON JASON’S WATCH

Paladin Protection Agency 2

Susan Hayes

EROTIC ROMANCE

Siren Publishing, Inc.

www.SirenPublishing.com

ABOUT THE E-BOOK YOU HAVE PURCHASED:
Your non-refundable purchase of this e-book allows you to only ONE LEGAL copy for your own personal reading on your own personal computer or device.
You do not have resell or distribution rights without the prior written permission of both the publisher and the copyright owner of this book.
This book cannot be copied in any format, sold, or otherwise transferred from your computer to another through upload to a file sharing peer to peer program, for free or for a fee, or as a prize in any contest. Such action is illegal and in violation of the U.S. Copyright Law. Distribution of this e-book, in whole or in part, online, offline, in print or in any way or any other method currently known or yet to be invented, is forbidden. If you do not want this book anymore, you must delete it from your computer.

WARNING: The unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is illegal. Criminal copyright infringement, including infringement without monetary gain, is investigated by the FBI and is punishable by up to 5 years in federal prison and a fine of $250,000.

If you find a Siren-BookStrand e-book being sold or shared illegally, please let us know at

[email protected]

A SIREN PUBLISHING BOOK

IMPRINT: Erotic Romance

ON JASON’S WATCH

Copyright © 2013 by Susan Hayes

E-book ISBN: 978-1-62242-244-9

First E-book Publication: February 2013

Cover design by Christine Kirchoff

All cover art and logo copyright © 2013 by Siren Publishing, Inc.

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED:
This literary work may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, including electronic or photographic reproduction, in whole or in part, without express written permission.

All characters and events in this book are fictitious. Any resemblance to actual persons living or dead is strictly coincidental.

PUBLISHER

Siren Publishing, Inc.

www.SirenPublishing.com

Letter to Readers

Dear Readers,

If you have purchased this copy of 
On Jason’s Watch
 by Susan Hayes from BookStrand.com or its official distributors, thank you. Also, thank you for not sharing your copy of this book.

Regarding E-book Piracy

This book is copyrighted intellectual property. No other individual or group has resale rights, auction rights, membership rights, sharing rights, or any kind of rights to sell or to give away a copy of this book.

The author and the publisher work very hard to bring our paying readers high-quality reading entertainment.

This is Susan Hayes’s livelihood. It’s fair and simple. Please respect Ms. Hayes’s right to earn a living from her work.

Amanda Hilton, Publisher

www.SirenPublishing.com

www.BookStrand.com

DEDICATION

For my parents, for more reasons than I can ever count.

And for Karen, for being my best friend, my sounding board, and an eternally patient listener.

ON JASON’S WATCH

Paladin Protection Agency 2

SUSAN HAYES

Copyright © 2013

Prologue

“You’re here late again,” Tim noted. He glanced down at her from his vantage point halfway up the stepladder, a burned-out lightbulb in his hand. “You do realize you own this joint, right? You don’t need to stay after hours to impress the boss.”

Jazz adjusted the gym bag that hung over her shoulder and grinned up at the head of her maintenance staff. “Someone’s got to keep the paperwork flowing, Tim. If I don’t sign on the dotted lines, you don’t get paid.”

“Fair point.” Tim chuckled as he fished a fresh bulb out of the box and screwed it into the socket. “I do like getting paid.”

“Don’t we all.” Jazz held the ladder for him as he descended. “I’m heading home now, though, so you’re on your own. Have a good weekend, Tim. I’ll see you next week.” She started heading back down the hall toward the main doors, then stopped and glanced back at him. “And remember, no wild parties!”

They both laughed at her joke, even though it was the same one she made every night they saw each other.
Which is damned near every night. I really need to get a social life.

She unlocked the doors and stepped into the middle of one of Seattle’s infamous winter storms. “Somehow snow seems preferable to this misery,” she muttered as a gust of wind blew the rain sideways, drenching her from head to foot. “Ugh.”

Jazz pulled her hood further down over her face and headed for her car, head bowed to avoid getting another face full of ice-cold water. She picked her way around the largest of the puddles, which meant the path to her car was more of a meandering track than a straight line. Anything to avoid having to drive home with soaking-wet socks and cold feet.

She had just about made it to her car when she heard the noise for the first time. It sounded like a low, rumbling growl that came out of the darkness beyond the border of the parking lot. Jazz froze in place and cocked her head, praying she had imagined that sound. This was Seattle, for god’s sake, not the middle of a forest. There was no way an animal big enough to growl like that was wandering around the city. The threatening noise came again, and her heart started to race as a bucket-load of adrenalin was dumped into her system. Jazz lifted her head slowly, straining her senses to the limit as she tried to pierce the rain-soaked darkness.

Somewhere out there
something
was growling, and she needed to know where it was, and what it was. A flicker of movement caught her attention, and she tried to make out the details. But the night was full of movement, and it was impossible to pick out a single shape amongst the shadows of the storm. Something snarled behind her, and she spun around, her eyes widening as she recognized the creature standing only ten feet away. There was a wolf in her parking lot.

What the hell?
She stood her ground, knowing that if she ran now, it would easily catch her before she got anywhere near her car. The animal’s dark gray coat was slicked down with the rain, and drops of water dripped from its sides as it stood, watching her with yellow eyes that gleamed with a terrible intelligence.

“Oh please, god, no. Not again,” she whispered into the wind as fear welled up and threatened to overwhelm her. The wolf’s ears pricked forward at her words, and its lips curled up into a vicious sneer, revealing its fangs.

Searing heat coursed through her, and she bit back a hiss of pain as she tried to control the fiery agony and channel the change she could feel coming. The bones in her face shifted slightly, and she felt her canines extend.
Shit, I’m losing control!
The heat grew more intense, flaring bright behind her eyes and scorching her vision. When her sight returned, the world was different and she knew her eyes had transformed.
Stop now.
She fought hard to control the beast trying to wake from within her.

She looked around her with her new set of eyes and could easily pick out the second wolf lurking in the darkness. A rough growl rose from her throat, and she drew in a mouthful of air. An inventory of smells flowed through her brain from her heightened senses. Rain, earth, and the dead scent of concrete blended with the murky, muddled
odor
of stagnant puddles. Strongest of all was the scent of wolves and blood. The presence of blood sent the creature inside her into a howling frenzy as it fought to be freed. Pain lanced through her hands, and she knew without looking that her fingers had shifted into claws. A sharp yelp tore her attention from her inner battle, and she glanced back over at the wolf. There were two of them now. Dark gray and light gray, standing side by side, and both of them were watching her intently. Her beast snarled at them, and she bared her fangs as she prepared to fight.

The lighter wolf yelped again and took a step back, turning to snap at the darker wolf when it stood its ground. She fought the beast for control, unwilling to abandon her humanity. The wolf inside her howled, and the two other wolves cried out in answer, their voices carried away on the wind.