Forged by Greed

FORGED
BY GREED

Book
One in
The Forged Series

Angela Orlowski-Peart

Three Graces Publishing

Copyright © 2012 Angela Orlowski-Peart

All Rights Reserved.

Visit the author at www.angelapeart.com

This is a work of fiction. All of the characters, locations,
organizations, and events portrayed in this novel are either products of the
author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual
events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental

FORGED BY GREED

No part of this book may be used, reproduced, scanned, distributed,
stored, or transmitted in whole or in part, in any form, by any means, including
graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying or recording without
the express written permission from the author except in the case of brief
quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

For further information or permission please contact the author at
[email protected]

Cover design and artwork by Jeannie Ruesch © 2012 by Angela
Orlowski-Peart

First Edition, 2012 published in the United States of America

Three Graces Publishing.

ISBN: 978-0-9883695-0-4 (Kindle)

.

To Mom, Dad, and my sister for always believing
in me.

To Alex and Amanda for providing an amazing
inspiration for my writing.

To Matt for standing by my side and letting
me dream big.

Special thanks to the Writers in The Rain:
Brenda, Eileen, Fabio, Martina, and Suma. To my friends and beta readers, Diana
and Angela. To my wonderful editor, Alyssa and the copyeditor, Aemelia. To my
very talented graphic designer, Jeannie. To my family and friends for cheering
for me all the way to the end.

I’m forever in your debt.

CHAPTER 1

Human World, July 29.

The huge black wolf gained on her with every passing moment. Her
muscles burned with pain, sweat covered her skin, her breathing heavy. Could
she still outrun him?

Dodging between the trees, she tried and failed to put the distance
between them. Was she so predictable that he knew which way she’d turn, even
before she did?

She took another sharp turn around a thick tree on her left, its cracked
bark brushing her side. Stealing a glance over her shoulder, she saw a gleam of
white teeth and a set of watchful eyes—round enlarged irises encircled by a
sliver of blue. Those eyes did not belong to an animal. These were human
eyes—in a wolf’s body.

The light bounced off the wolf’s thick coat in a blue-black
sheen.
 
He was enormous, much bigger than
a normal wolf. A low growl escaped him as he almost missed the turn, his claws
scraping the ground. She cackled and surged forward, but he was right behind
her, too close, too fast, concentrating on her every move. With another growl,
the wolf advanced, his lean body elongating into a long stretch as he tackled
her. She collapsed with a yelp under his weight, and they rolled in a tight
embrace, kicking and nipping at each other, the momentum forcing them down a
slope.

Her coat was as black as the wolf’s, only shorter and slicker, and
her sharp teeth as lethal. She matched his growling with hers, deep and
throaty. Her long leopard tail swished wildly each time the force of their fall
put her on top. The air around them shook in a shimmering undulation as if
lifting from a scorched asphalt road in summer. Two wild animals shape-shifted
into two teenagers, as the slope ended in a small flat clearing between the
trees.

She lay on top of him, their lips close, her long curly hair falling
like a black curtain, shading their faces from the bright morning sun. His arms
encircled her slim torso, their legs tangled. For a moment, she saw a wolf’s
features flicker under his human face. Or was this a trick of the light? The
girl brushed a strand of hair from his forehead and pushed another one behind
his ear.

When she brought her lips back closer to his face, his eyelids
flickered shut for a moment. In a swift motion he rolled on top of her, and his
mouth was on hers before she could make a sound. His hand pressed on her lower
back, tracing the curve of her waist. She felt the heat building inside her and
the goosebumps rising on her arm. His other hand slowly moved upward, until his
fingers flexed back and forth in her hair.

It was an hour past sunrise. Beads of morning dew reflected the
light like tiny mirrors. Long beams of bright sunlight cut between the trees as
if connecting the blue sky to the dark forest floor.

He withdrew from the kiss and looked at her, his eyelids
half-opened. “
Jasmira.”
She heard his
whisper in her head. They communicated with their minds. With a soft whimper,
she pulled his face back to hers. His heart pounded against his ribcage, and he
was sure she could feel it through their clothes. Her kiss deepened, and he
heard her voice in his mind, “I outran you. Again.”

He pulled back and, with a smile, looked down at Jasmira. His eyes
twinkled with admiration. “Only because I let you.”

She laughed and lightly punched his side. “You’re so full of it,
Jatred.”

“Ouch, what was that for?” he asked in mock exasperation.

“To bring you back to reality.” She giggled and tried to get up, but
he pinned her arms to the ground and leaned closer.

“You hit the Winter Prince, woman. Now you have to pay.”

Her lips parted when he kissed her again, long and slow. “I like the
price,” she whispered, her voice echoing in his mind.

“This is just a down payment,” Jatred murmured. “I will work out a
payment plan for you.”

“Sounds promising.” She felt a warm delicious feeling that spread
through her body. Jatred’s face was still close to hers, his blue eyes framed
by long lashes. His straight nose and dense dark brows were reminiscent of his
ancestors. His black hair fell past his ears in an unruly mop of thick
strands.
 
His chest rose and fell, gently
pressing against her.

The birds chirped their morning songs and the buzzing sounds of
insects filled the air. The sun was moving higher in the sky, its rays like a
heating pad on Jatred’s back.

“It’s gonna get hot soon,” he observed, getting up and pulling
Jasmira up by her arms.

“You should stay in the shade, J.”

“No, it’s not bad. I would be in trouble in Africa, but this kind of
summer,” he gestured around, “doesn’t bother the Winter Race too much.”

He held her tight and kissed her again, taking backward steps toward
the trees. He tripped over a gnarled tree root protruding from the ground and
almost fell with Jasmira still in his arms. She squealed and he laughed, both
gaining back their balance.

They stood in the shadow of a huge tree, holding each other, his
back against the rough bark. Her hair cascaded in long black ringlets down her
back. She closed her eyes and aligned her cheek with Jatred’s chest. She was an
average looking sixteen-year-old, a girl-next-door type, with dark smooth skin
and a lean body.