

Cause to Save (An Avery Black Mystery—Book 5)
Blake Pierce · Completed · 61.7k Words
Introduction
Chapter 1
PROLOGUE
Kirsten braced herself against the Boston cold, adjusted her scarf around her neck, and readied herself for the four-block walk ahead of her, into the black night. She passed all the closed bars, realized it was too late to be walking, and had a pang of sudden fear. She glanced back to the door of the apartment complex she had just stepped out of, and thought of changing her mind. Maybe she should have stayed over at her friend’s place.
Amy had insisted that she stay—that it was too late and miserably cold outside. And while both of those things were true, Amy had said them with her face nuzzled into the neck of a guy she’d met at the bar. And while her face had been there, the guy’s hands had been elsewhere. And honestly, Kirsten did not want to sleep on Amy’s couch while listening to her best friend and some random (but cute) guy going at it in a drunken stupor all night.
Honestly, she also didn’t want be there in the morning, working with Amy to come up with a clever reason to get the guy out, either.
Besides, it was only four blocks. And compared to the blistering cold that had ravaged Boston about a month ago, tonight would seem like a brisk little jaunt in a spring breeze.
It was nearing three in the morning. She and Amy had gone out intending to get hammered, to drink the night away and do whatever their drunken primate brains suggested. After all, here, in their senior year of college, their dreams had come true. Somehow, against all odds, they had both been selected out of their photojournalism class—two of eight candidates—to go on assignment in Spain in the summer. They’d be working for an up-and-coming nature magazine that catered specifically to educational markets…and would be getting paid more for that one assignment than Kirsten’s mother had made all of last year.
And that would shut her up,
Kirsten thought. She loved her mother dearly but got
really
tired of hearing her gripe about how pursuing a career in photography was a pipe dream—a waste of time.
She came to the end of the first block, checked the crosswalk and found it dead, and then headed on. The cold was beginning to nip at her. She could feel it on her nose like an actual presence, starting to pinch.
She idly wondered if Amy and her random dude were naked yet. She wondered if the guy was any good or if he’d be hindered by the copious amounts of liquor they’d had.
Well, not that
she
had enjoyed much. She’d eaten a small dinner at the very bar they had holed up in for the night. She wasn’t sure if it had been the nachos they’d shared as a table or if it had been something in the pizza, but her stomach had
not
been happy. After four beers, she knew her night was over—that she’d be doing nothing more than keeping Amy company as she annihilated herself shot by shot.
She figured she’d get all the lurid details tomorrow. And thinking of those lurid details as well as how much they’d enjoy their summer in Spain, Kirsten at first barely even noticed the sound she heard behind her. Footsteps.
The hair stood on the back of her neck, but she dared not look back.
She increased her pace. Two blocks behind her, two blocks to go. And now the cold really was nipping at her.
Suddenly, the steps were right behind her, and a man came stumbling up right next to her. He appeared to be drunk and when Kirsten jumped back in fright, he snickered to himself, clearly amused.
“Sorry,” he said. “Didn’t mean to scare you. I was just…well, can you help me? Drinking with some friends and…supposed to meet them somewhere after the bar but I don’t remember where. I’m from New York…never been to Boston before. No idea where I am.”
Kirsten couldn’t bring herself to look at him as she shook her head. It was more than being uncomfortable around a strange drunk man this late at night. It was knowing that she was
this
close to being home and just wanted the night to be over.
“No, I’m sorry,” she said.
“Seriously?!” the man said.
All of a sudden, he didn’t seem so drunk. Funny enough, he sounded amused that someone would be so defensive over something as innocent as helping a lost guy in a city he wasn’t familiar with. That struck her as odd as she started to turn away, intending to quicken her pace.
But then the slightest motion caught her eye and made her hesitate.
The man was holding his stomach, as if he might puke. It had been there the whole time but Kirsten was fairly certain this was not the case. He reached into his jacket and that’s when she saw that he was suddenly holding something.
A gun,
her panicked mind thought. And while it
did
look like a gun, that wasn’t quite right.
Her muscles demanded that she run. She looked to his face for the first time and saw that something was off. He
had
been pretending. This wasn’t a lost drunk man at all. He looked too sober in the eyes—sober and, now that she was starting to panic, a little demented, too.
The thing that looked sort of like a gun came up quickly. She opened her mouth to yell for help as she also turned away to run.
But then she felt something strike her from behind. It hit her in the side of the head, just below the ear—sharp and immediate. She stumbled and then fell. She tasted blood in her mouth and then felt hands on her. There was another of those sharp sensations in her head, small but somehow thunderous at the same time.
The pain was immense but she was not able to experience the full extent of it before the night seemed to swell around her. The street faded, as did the man’s face, and then everything went black.
Her final thought was that this life of hers had turned out to be quite short—and that the trip that was set to change it all was never going to happen.
Last Chapters
#35 Chapter 35
Last Updated: 3/3/2025#34 Chapter 34
Last Updated: 3/3/2025#33 Chapter 33
Last Updated: 3/3/2025#32 Chapter 32
Last Updated: 3/3/2025#31 Chapter 31
Last Updated: 3/3/2025#30 Chapter 30
Last Updated: 3/3/2025#29 Chapter 29
Last Updated: 3/3/2025#28 Chapter 28
Last Updated: 3/3/2025#27 Chapter 27
Last Updated: 3/3/2025#26 Chapter 26
Last Updated: 3/3/2025
You Might Like 😍
The Moon Court
Mated To My Obsessive Stepbrother
Intended for mature readers who enjoy morally complex, slow-burn, possessive, forbidden, dark romance that pushes boundaries.
EXCERPT
Blood everywhere. Trembling hands.
"No!" My eyes blurred.
His lifeless eyes stared back at me, his blood pooling at my feet. The man I loved—dead.
Killed by the one person I could never escape - my stepbrother.
Kasmine's life was never hers to begin with. Kester, her stepbrother, controlled and monitored her every move.
At first, it was all sweet and brotherly until it began to turn into an obsession.
Kester was the Alpha, and his word was law. No close friends. No boyfriends. No freedom.
The only consolation Kasmine had was her twenty-first birthday, which was supposed to change everything. She dreamt of finding her mate, escaping the sickening control of Kester, and finally claiming her own life. But fate had other plans for her.
On the night of her birthday, not only was she disappointed that she wasn't mated to the love of her life, but she found out that her mate was none other than him - Her tormentor. Her stepbrother.
She'd rather die than be mated to a man whom she had known as her big brother all her life. A man who would do just anything to make sure she was his.
But when love turns to obsession, and obsession turns to blood, how far can one girl run before she realizes there is nowhere else to run to?
The Wolf Prophies
The Four Mafia Men and Their Prize
“Kiss back” he mumbles, and I feel rough hands all over my body giving me tight squeezes as a warning not to piss them off further. So I give in. I begin to move my mouth and open my lips slightly. Jason wastes no time devouring every inch of my mouth with his tongue. Our lips doing the tango, his dominance winning the race.
We break away, breathing hard. Next, Ben turns my head to face him and does the same thing. His kiss is definitely softer but just as controlling. I moan into his mouth as we continue to exchange saliva. He tugs my bottom lip slightly in his teeth as he pulls away. Kai pulls my hair, so I am looking up, his large frame towering over me. He bends down and claims my lips. He was rough and forceful. Charlie followed and was a mix. My lips feel swollen, my face feels all hot and flushed, and my legs feel like rubber. For some murdering psychotic assholes, damn can they kiss.
Aurora has always worked hard. She just wants to live her life. By chance, she met four mafia men Jason, Charlie, Ben and Kai. They are the ultimate dominants in the office, on the streets, and definitely in the bedroom. They always get what they want and THEY SHARE EVERYTHING.
How will Aurora adjust to having not 1 but 4 powerful men showing her the pleasure she only ever dreamed of? What will happen when a mysterious someone shows interest in Aurora and shakes things up for the notorious mafia men? Will Aurora finally submit and acknowledge her deepest desires or will her innocence be forever ruined?
Fake Dating Alpha Hockey Captain
When you're being pestered by your ex to get back together, he shows up and tells your ex to fuck off.
Your ex says, I know this is just a deal and you can't possibly like her.
Him (kisses you in front of everyone): A deal, Like this?
Up North
My hands move from his jaw to his hair, tagging at its ends. His hands travel down my body and pull the material from my shirt up my body, he places a wet kiss right beside my belly button. I tense as I let out a gasp. He makes his way up, showering my stomach with slow kisses, studying my body as he goes until the shirt is completely off and his mouth is on my neck.
Aelin has been mistreated by her pack for as long as she can remember, but as the threats of the Vampire Kingdom becomes more and more palpable, her pack has to call the Northerners to help them train and prepare for the Vampire Kingdom. What happens when the Northern Alpha takes a liking to Aelin?
HIS REJECTED SECOND CHANCE MATE
"What the f*ck, Zara!" Levi bumped into me and growled behind me.
"Sorry," I mumbled, wide-eyed.
"Is that?" Levi mind-linked, and I nodded my head.
"Zara," my father uttered. "I understand that you are familiar with Alpha Noah."
I slowly nodded my head.
"Great," my father said. "Alpha Noah has also informed me that you are his fated mate."
I gave a nod in response.
"Superb, Alpha Noah has requested your hand."
"Is that so?" I found my voice.
Both my father and Alpha Noah nodded.
"Interesting," I said. "Were you told by Alpha Noah that he rejected me more than a year ago?"
My father's smile wavered as Alpha Noah's face turned to ash.
Did Alpha Noah really believe I would just blindly obey an order from my father without a fight?
Zara is a silver wolf descended from one of the most powerful packs on the continent.
A year after he rejects her, her fated mate comes knocking on her door to tell her he is back to claim her.
Zara turns down his proposal, and he goes behind her back and asks her father for her hand. The old Alpha agrees to the arrangement.
Zara is unhappy and decides to handle things on her own. She informs her father that she has taken a chosen mate, her Beta, and her best friend, Levi—only he has a secret.
What will happen when Zara's second chance mate attends her and Levi's mating ceremony?
Will he stop the proceedings and claim her as his mate?
A story about two broken hearts finding each other and getting sucked into a web of lies and prophecies.
Will Zara find the happiness she so deserves?
A pack of their own
Bonded to My Ex's Alpha Brother
The problem is, he's the brother of my ex-boyfriend Bradley.
As a lowly Omega werewolf, I have no right to desire a union with a superior wolf, especially this Alpha leader. Derek Stone isn't just the leader of the Darkwood Pack; he's also a formidable business tycoon. His reputation for ruthlessness makes other packs tremble.
But the ancient werewolf law is clear: if a Pack Alpha rejects his Soul Bond, a curse will descend upon us both.
When Derek suddenly hires me as his assistant secretary, I find myself in a dangerous game. Daily close contact makes the wolf inside me excited, while his cold attitude breaks my heart. Is he deliberately torturing me, or is there something more complex hidden beneath his icy exterior?
As the attraction between us grows stronger, I must make a choice: continue to endure this painful connection, find a way to break the Soul Bond, or make the Pack Alpha fall in love with me and accept me as his Soul Bond.
Game of Destiny
When Finlay finds her, she is living among humans. He is smitten by the stubborn wolf that refuse to acknowledge his existence. She may not be his mate, but he wants her to be a part of his pack, latent wolf or not.
Amie cant resist the Alpha that comes into her life and drags her back into pack life. Not only does she find herself happier than she has been in a long time, her wolf finally comes to her. Finlay isn't her mate, but he becomes her best friend. Together with the other top wolves in the pack, they work to create the best and strongest pack.
When it's time for the pack games, the event that decides the packs rank for the coming ten year, Amie needs to face her old pack. When she sees the man that rejected her for the first time in ten years, everything she thought she knew is turned around. Amie and Finlay need to adapt to the new reality and find a way forward for their pack. But will the curve ball split them apart?
The Last Spirit Wolf
“LYCANS?! Did you just say LYCANS?!
“Yes Vera!They are coming! Get your people ready.”
I couldn’t believe we actually have Lycans tonight.
I was told growing up that lycans and wolves were mortal enemies.
Rumors also said in order to protect their pureblood, Lycans were not allowed to marry wolves in generations.
I was still surprised but I couldn’t let my mind wander anymore. I’m a doctor.
A badly injured werewolf comes barging in through the E.R door, holding an unconscious wolf. I rush to them and the nurses that were already in their dresses and heels come to their aid.
What the hell happened?
I turn my full attention to the severely injured lycan and for a moment, it’s as if I can feel his slowing heart beat in my own chest. I check his vitals as a nurse reluctantly hooks him to all the machines. As I put my hand on his head to lift his eyelid and check for pupil response, I feel electricity run below my fingertips. What the…?
Without warning, his eyes shoot open startling me and sending both our heart rates through the roof. He looks at me intently; I would never think those eyes are of a man who is barely alive.
He whispers something too low for me to hear. I get closer and as he whispers again; he flat lines and my head is reeling.
Did he just whisper… mate?