High on the life of victims, I tried to coherently think about what was going to happen tonight. I hated relying on a human, but they were so easy to manipulate. One of my informants filled me in about a man named Taylor Caplin who had been stalking Sloane King. That made him the best choice for the job I needed done. I’d driven to Nashville last night in search of him. Once I’d found him, I’d had no trouble compelling the idiot to do my dirty work. Now I was just waiting on his call to confirm the deed was done.
That had been my second trip to Nashville in less than three days. I’d gone on Friday and spotted a very drunk woman outside of CBP. That was the company my brother was using to complete the manufacturing of the newest version of his drug. Before the Kings bullied their way into a takeover. She was the easiest target I’d ever compelled. I asked her to come back in the early morning hours on Saturday to let some of my guys in. They’d been canvassing the property long enough to catch on to the accountant’s strange schedule. He took Mondays and Tuesdays off. He went in at four in the morning and didn’t return after lunch. He was running errands for my brother when he wasn’t at work, but he was expendable.
My team waited in his office with strict orders to tear him apart. From the video they sent back, I could tell they took those orders very seriously. They broke into his safe and removed all the incriminating evidence he had against my brother. Check stubs, original ledgers, the days he came into the building. All of it. It was too much information for Sloane to get a hold of. We could not risk it, so we tied up the last loose end. My brother gave me a letter for her, which I thought was incredibly stupid, but I did as he instructed. One of the males I sent placed the letter in the busted safe for her to find. After that, I brushed my hands clean of the mess and started getting my own agenda under way.
I wouldn’t be waiting around for Nathaniel to come back from his misadventures. The tips he was sent were false. I’d sent them. His actions would lead to angry Summer Fae threatening the covens. That’s when I’ld swoop in and save the day. I just had to bide my time for a little longer. I needed to have Dominic taken out of the picture soon too. Then I could win over the apprentices, and no one with a title would challenge my ascension.
“Your High Coven Queen, Kadence Moore,” I whispered quietly to myself before mimicking the sounds of distant cheering. I stared with unfocused eyes at my cell phone, excitement coursing through my veins as I waited for it to ring.
“The bitch is dead. Long live the new Coven Queen.”
Character Information
Sloane
Hybrid - Druid Princess - High Coven Mistress
York
Druid - Druid Prince
Novak
Vampire
Stone
Demon
Briggs
Shifter
Palmer
Mage
Vaughn
Winter fae - Winter Prince
Jack
Hellsteed - Sloane’s best friend
Grim
Grim Reaper - Jack’s boyfriend
Franklin
Vampire - Sloane’s assistant - Weapons master
Samuel/Sam
Demon - Second Devil of Hell - Sloane’s papi
Charles/Charlie
Shifter - Supreme Alpha - Sloane’s dad
Nathaniel/Nate
Vampire - High Coven Master - Sloane’s father
Lucifer/Lucy
Fallen Angel - First Devil of Hell - Sloane’s grandfather
Lilith/Lil
Demon - First Devil’s Equal - Sloane’s grandmother
John
Factory floor worker at CBP
Susan
Factory floor worker at CBP
Sarge
Head of Club Security
Simon
Vampire - Club Manager
Levi
York’s Friend
Kelvin
Vampire-mage hybrid - Kadence’s brother - Boss at campground
Kadence
Vampire-mage hybrid - Kelvin’s sister - Vampyre council member
Dominic
Vampire - Second in Command of Vampyre
Author’s Note
I’d like to start this note off by thanking you for reading Druid Dreams. You are the bees knees! You’re the fierce, badass main character of your own story, and I hope you never forget that shit. If you ever need a reminder, come find me in the M.F. Adele’s Hellacious Hybrids group. I got you, Boo.
I’ve been lucky enough to have a whole group of baddies in my life. These ladies have been the whole jam.
To my wonderfully patient PAs at Affinity Author Services. Thank you for helping me swim in turbulent waters. Without you, Bibi and Ash, I’d still barely be keeping my head above the surface.
Aubrey at AT Cover Designs, your talent blows my mind. Thank you for turning my blurry dream into a vision of beauty. I can’t wait to see the next cover!
To the best Hellacious beta readers: Angie, Jorden, Summer, Ashleigh, Christine, Caoimhe, and Melinda. You lovely monsters are the cream of the crop! I appreciate every little detail y’all helped me tweak and perfect. Thank you for all the time and effort you put into this project, both with and for me.
Also, huge thanks to the Hellacious ARC team for reading and reviewing my book. You guys fucking rock my socks off. Seriously.
Finally, the biggest thanks to my family for being my number one fans, and my kids for letting me write in peace (mostly)... My mom and my best friend, Jenny, for being ridiculously supportive from the first draft to the final.
And last, but certainly not least, my loving husband. He spent countless hours helping me research everything from cars and houses to models and inspiration. He made sure I stayed on task while also keeping me from getting lost in my own head. He is the balance master. (No, he did not make me say that. Maybe)
Thank you, Katie, for editing Druid Dreams well past the release date. You are my grammatical superhero.
About the Author
M.F. Adele resides in the outskirts of the Rocket City in Alabama. She lives in her overactive imagination, often fueled by caffeine and no sleep. When she isn’t writing, M.F. is outdoors with her family, obsessing over spicy margaritas and cigars, or reading books by her favorite authors.
If you’re looking for M.F. Adele, you can find her on social media in her group:
M.F. Adele’s Hellacious Hybrids.
M.F. loves to interact with her readers, hear character theories, and share embarrassing stories.
https://www.facebook.com/groups/HellaciousHybrids
https://instagram.com/mfadele.author?r=nametag
https://www.amazon.com/M-F-Adele/e/B085X2R41B
Continue Sloane’s story in
Vampire Visions - The Chronicles of Sloane King.