Blue Moon (12 page)

Chapter Fifteen

Logan

Luke parked at the edge of the Lakeshore strip mall and called Gareth to let him know we were in place. My arm hurt like hell. Between the blood loss and the throbbing, I’d be useless if it weren’t for adrenaline. I wouldn’t leave my brother unprotected. We’d lost our Pack brother Gabe to a jaguar attack a couple of years ago. Luke was not going to be next.

With our heightened hearing, there was no way to have a private phone call. Both sides of Luke and Gareth’s conversation were tough to miss.

“We’re at the north end. Nothing yet.” Luke squinted into the dimly lit parking lot.

Gareth’s deep voice rumbled. “Coming up from the south. His scent is strong. He’s close by.”

Screams erupted from the coffee shop at the other end of the strip mall. Luke and I started toward it while Gareth cautioned on the phone, “I hear it. You guys back us up.”

That was a fine plan until I caught the scent of blood…and Anna.

The wolf inside me came to life, and the instinct to protect her overwhelmed all rational thought. I raced for the coffee shop.

Behind me Luke yelled into the phone. “Shit! Logan’s going in.”

I slid a shell into the chamber on my shotgun as I burst through the door. Damian was way too close to my mate, and another man was touching her, too. A growl rumbled in my chest. “Get the
fuck
away from her.”

I wasn’t sure who I was actually talking to—the jaguar, or the blond
GQ
wannabe. What was Anna doing here? I’d warned her to stay inside. Rage and adrenaline combined and my finger teased the trigger.

“I won’t warn you again.”

Gareth and Nadya came in, and sirens echoed not far behind. Damian flattened his ears and roared. Like a slow motion nature film gone wrong, he lunged forward and snapped his jaws through GQ’s shoulder. He smashed through the side window, his prey still in his mouth, screaming.

“Are you hurt?” I rushed to Anna, searching her for injuries. “I told you to stay inside tonight. Why are you here?”

“Don’t worry about me.” She pulled away scrambling through the broken glass toward the window. “Chandler! Oh God, we have to save him!”

Before I could respond, Gareth’s hand was tight on my shoulder. “Take her and get out of here. The police are pulling in.”

I scooped her into my arms in spite of her fighting to break free. I growled in pain. “Fuck.”

Anna stopped struggling and frowned. “Jesus, you’re bleeding.”

“Later.” Digging deep into the well of wolf strength and instinct, I ran her out to Luke’s Mustang, moving faster than an Olympic sprinter, in spite of my injuries. Luke was already behind the wheel, revving the engine. We got in the backseat, and he drove away just as the emergency crews were rolling in with lights blazing.

“What the hell were you doing there?” My voice filled the interior of the Mustang, but I couldn’t quiet myself. My hands trembled with the adrenaline still coursing through my veins. “I warned you about the new moon. If I had gotten there a second later…”

Fuck, I didn’t even want to think about it.

“I thought we’d be safe in public.” A sob choked her as tears ran down her cheeks. “Chandler could be…dead. It’s all my fault.”

He could be worse than dead, changed, but I kept it to myself. Seeing her in pain was unbearable. I drew her into my arms and held her way too tight, kissing her hair and breathing her in. She was alive. She was safe.

“Can’t believe he shifted and jumped into a busy strip mall.” Luke glanced over his shoulder. “We can drop Vivi off at her place and then help Gareth track Damian.”

“Severino?” Anna pulled free of my embrace. “I was supposed to meet Damian Severino at the coffee shop. Was that jaguar him?”

I nodded. “Yeah. I didn’t get a chance to tell you yet. That’s why I wanted you to stay inside.”

She ran her hand through her dark hair, shaking her head. “He emailed me tonight about a big story. I had to meet him at the coffee shop at eight p.m.”

Every muscle in my body tensed. “He wanted to show you. He thinks you’ll expose shifters.”

She wiped her eyes. “And apparently he’s making sure the world knows they’re dangerous killers.” Her gaze met mine, and for the first time ever, there was a hint of fear. “Is that what it’s like when you change, too?”

My gut twisted. “No.” I swallowed my rage and did my best to mellow out. “Anna, I would never hurt you.” I rested my hand on her thigh. She didn’t flinch or pull away. “When my Pack shifts, we do it in the forest, far from humans. We don’t attack people. That shit you saw tonight is why Luke and I learned to hunt those bastards.”

She nodded, but it was tentative. “Someone in the coffee shop took a cell phone picture.”

Luke lifted his head, his gaze locking with mine in the rearview mirror. “Text Aren. When Sasha shifts back, she needs to find that phone.”

Sasha was one of our two jaguar Pack members. She was also a well-respected police detective in Reno. This would probably be out of her jurisdiction, but hopefully she had some connections. Maybe the phone had been ruined in all the bloodshed.

I sent the message to Aren, our Alpha’s twin brother. My mind spun in a blur. I’d thought I had the situation under control. Anna would stay inside tonight, and tomorrow I could give her more information about my Pack and my world. But fucking Damian pushed my hand, leading my mate right into the crosshairs.

And now he had a hostage.

“Who was the guy he took?”

Anna wiped her cheeks. “Chandler is Madison’s older brother. He’s a journalist, too.”

“Of course he is.” My hands balled into tight fists. Damian took a damn reporter. That psychotic asshole was going to expose all of us. “Shit.”

“We have to save him. It’s my fault he was there.”

I believed Anna when she said she’d never expose us. This other guy may not realize the animal was a man yet, but he would soon. And how in the hell would we ever shut him up?

Luke parked at Anna’s place and turned off the car. She shook her head. “I’m not getting out. You need stitches, and we need to find Chandler.”

“And we’ll do both things faster without me worrying that you are in danger.”

She frowned. “If that sicko wanted to kill me, I’d already be gone. He wants me to write his story. I can’t do it dead.”

“Now that he has GQ, he doesn’t need you.”

“His name is Chandler, and Damian doesn’t know he’s a reporter. As long as he doesn’t tell him, Chandler’s just bait to get me to come back and talk.” She glanced at the condo. “Besides, what am I supposed to tell Madison? I left with her brother. I can’t come back home without him.”

“She’s got a point,” Luke muttered from the front seat.

I stared out the window weighing our options. Damn. “Fine. Let’s get back to the ranch and talk to Adam. We need a solid plan.” My gaze fell on Anna. “And it’s not going to be sending you to meet with Damian.”

“It might be the only way we get Chandler back alive.”

I ground my teeth together to keep my voice even. “We’ll find another way.”

…

Introducing Anna to my Alpha as my mate hadn’t been even remotely on my agenda, but here we were waiting for Adam and Lana to get back from her new moon run as a jaguar. Jared and his mate Taryn were on babysitting duty tonight. Adam’s twins, Malcolm and Madeleine, were passed out in front of the television while
Lion King
played on the screen. Taryn’s boy, Charlie, dozed in the love seat.

“You’re Madison’s friend, right?” Taryn leaned forward on the couch with a tentative smile. “The reporter?”

Anna nodded. “Yeah. We met at the Masquerade briefly.” She fidgeted beside me. I wasn’t used to seeing her so…nervous. “Madison told me you’re engaged.”

Taryn held up her left hand. The light sparkled on a bright blue diamond solitaire. “Yes, we are.” She gave Jared a half smile. “We’re knee deep in wedding planning.”

God, if they started talking colors and bridesmaids’ dresses I might scream. I took Anna’s hand and dove in. “You don’t need to pussyfoot around. Anna knows we’re werewolves.”

The sudden silence was palpable, but it beat the hell out of the awkwardness of the “safe” conversation.

I stared at Jared. He’d tried to tell Taryn about us on Thanksgiving. It blew up in his face. There probably wasn’t a smooth way to broach the I’m-a-werewolf-and-yes-they’re-real subject.

Jared shifted his attention to Anna. “You haven’t run out screaming, or did I miss that part?”

Taryn nudged him, trying not to smile. “I didn’t scream.”

Seeing them together gave me hope. After all they’d been through, here they were…happy.

I squeezed Anna’s hand. “Anna is my mate.”

Jared straightened up a little. “Does Adam know?”

“Not yet.”

He shook his head. “Between damage control from Damian breaking into a public place and attacking humans, you’ve found your mate and brought her to his house without warning him first.” A humorless chuckle escaped him. “This is not going to be pleasant.”

Anna stiffened beside me, squeezing my hand. “Maybe we should go look for Chandler.”

“We will.” I lifted our joined hands and pressed my lips to her knuckles. “But Adam needs to know what’s up. We work as a Pack, and he’s my Alpha.” I tried to coax a smile from her. “He’ll love you once he gets to know you, he’s just…”

“…a little hot-headed?” Jared finished.

Right on cue, the door opened and Adam and Lana came in. Usually we stayed in our animal form until just before sunrise, but if we had to, we could force a shift. It hurt like hell, but sometimes there was no other choice. When jaguars were killing humans in public places, we needed our Alpha, so Lana had to cut her run as a jaguar short.

Adam stood in front of Lana, tense and ready for a fight. Anna’s scent had doubtlessly alerted him to her presence before he came inside.

“Logan, you brought…company.”

My wolf instincts kicked in, and I got up, blocking his view of her. Even though Adam was my Alpha and I’d lay down my life to protect him, my loyalties were suddenly split. Anna’s safety came first.

“This is my mate.” I rolled my shoulders back, hoping to release a little tension.

Adam took a step closer, and my hands clenched into fists at my sides. His eyes narrowed, his will as Alpha pushing my wolf to submit. “We’ve already met.”

I struggled to keep my gaze on his. “Anna was at the coffee shop tonight.”

“Is that why she’s here?”

Lana sighed and walked past both of us to Anna, offering her hand. “Hi, I’m Lana.”

“Nice to meet you. I’m Vivi.”

I turned around as Anna released Lana’s hand. Lana glanced at us and then back to Anna. “Don’t mind my husband. It’s been a stressful night for the Pack.” Lana looked at me and frowned. “Logan, you’re bleeding.”

The shirt Luke had tied around my arm was crimson. I nodded. “Yeah, there were two jaguars at Damian’s place. I was locking them in, but one caught me.”

Jared pulled out his phone. “I’ll text my brother.”

Lana smiled at her snoozing kids then crooked her finger at me. “Come in the kitchen. I can at least get you cleaned up before Jason gets here.”

I took Anna’s hand, but Adam cleared his throat. “I’d like to talk to your mate about the coffee shop.”

Shit. I met her eyes. “I can stay.”

She shook her head. “I’ll feel better when we know your arm is going to be okay.”

I lifted her hand to my lips and released her, my gaze landing squarely on my Alpha. “She’s not a threat to us. My folks and my brother can vouch for her.”

Adam raised a brow. “Did I say she was?”

As I walked away, I couldn’t help but wonder if Anna regretted me telling her everything. Danger came hand-in-hand with entering our world, and she had just barely dipped her toe in the water.

Chapter Sixteen

Vivianna

Adam waited for Logan to leave the room before glancing at the others. “Luke, can you and Jared patrol around the ranch? We should be in the clear for now, but if we’ve got two more Nero jaguars in our territory, I don’t want to take any chances.”

Taryn got up, too. All the men looked her way, and she groaned. “Okay, I get that I’m a woman, and you all want to protect me, but if you find someone out there, I’m the one who can light them up with a thought.”

I had no clue what she was talking about, but the guys were struggling to keep from smiling. Her mate took her hand. “We’d love your help, beautiful.”

Once the room emptied, Adam met my eyes. “When you came by the ranch the other day, I thought you were there for Luke.”

“He’s been my friend almost as long as Logan, but when Logan started talking werewolves, I wanted Luke to back up the insanity.” A muscle in his cheek tensed. “Oh shit, I didn’t mean you’re insane. I just—”

“I get it. We think finding our mate is tough, but you guys are the ones who step into an alternate universe and have to catch up fast.” He glanced at the kitchen and lowered his voice. “Why were you in the coffee shop tonight? Didn’t Logan warn you to stay inside?”

I nodded, suddenly feeling like my dad had caught me coming in after curfew. “He mentioned jaguar shifters and staying home tonight, but I had a lead on a story, and I thought I’d be fine in a crowded public place.”

“A story?” He raised a brow.

“Yeah. I’m a journalist.”

Logan stormed back in with Lana trailing behind him. “She’s not going to tell anyone about us.”

Adam narrowed his eyes. “You need to take it down a notch, Logan. I’m trying to figure out where we stand after a giant black jaguar burst into a busy coffee shop in Lake Tahoe. Were you trying to hide that your mate is a reporter?”

Logan clenched his hands into fists, and suddenly Lana walked right in between them, either oblivious to or totally ignoring the rush of testosterone flooding the room.

“I’m a writer, too, Vivi. Mostly puff pieces for magazines and online news sites, but it pays the bills.”

I straightened. “What’s your last name? Maybe I’ve read your work?”

“Sloan. Lana Sloan.”

A lightbulb burst to life over my head. “I
have
read you. You wrote a great in-depth series for the
Washington Post
about problems in the foster care system, right?”

“That was me.” She smiled at the two hulking men on either side of her. “I write pieces for the local paper, too, and not once have I outed our Pack family.”

Adam sighed, shaking his head. “You know, I never said Vivi was going to expose us. It’s Logan who is on the defensive here.”

Logan didn’t say anything. Maybe it was the pecking order in a Pack? But whatever it was, seeing him standing alone and stoic, reminded me of the boy I used to know, the loner who always had my back.

And I had his.

“If you knew anything about Logan, you’d understand he has some hang ups about protecting the Pack’s secret existence after he lost his Uncle Niko.” I went to his side and took his hand. “So how about cutting him a little slack.”

Adam stared at me, and I had to admit there was definitely power there, but I lifted my chin a notch. He wasn’t
my
Alpha.

His features softened, and the warm smile he’d worn the day we met returned. He clapped Logan on the shoulder. “I like her. She’s a fighter.” He sobered and turned toward me. “You’re going to need to be. You’re coming into our family when our biggest threat is closing in.”

“I think I met him tonight.” I did my best to keep the memory of the coffee shop guy getting his throat ripped out from replaying in my head.

Adam draped his arm around his wife’s shoulders. “You met an insane loose cannon tonight, but I can assure you his father is cool-headed and much more dangerous.”

“His father?”

“Antonio Severino owns the Nero Organization.” A silent glance passed between Adam and Lana before he went on. “He breeds and trains jaguar shapeshifters until they’re deadly assassins, then he hires them out to the highest bidder.”

“Oh shit.” I glanced up at Logan. “I was digging into Nero. Damian was my contact.” I turned to Adam. “We need to find him. He took my friend, Chandler.”

Adam frowned. “Took him?”

“While he was in his cat form.” Logan kept his voice even, but his grip on my hand tightened. “He bit the guy’s shoulder and escaped with him.”

“Holy shit.” Adam raked his hand back through his hair. “Fuck. Do you think he’s dead?”

“No. He was screaming.” My eyes welled with tears. “God, we have to save him.”

Adam’s gaze held mine. “If he’s still alive, he’ll be changed forever, Vivi.”

“Changed?” I couldn’t get my brain to engage. He was speaking English, but I wasn’t following.

Adam glanced at Logan then back to me. “He’s been bitten. By next new moon, your friend Chandler will be just like that cat that busted up the coffee shop.”

…

Conversations continued around me, but I couldn’t focus. If Chandler was still alive, his life was ruined. This was all my fault. I’d stumbled into this mess without a clear picture of what I was getting into, and I pulled my best friend’s brother in with me.

While they argued over their next move, I struggled to get my head together. Damian must’ve taken Chandler to lure me back to talk to him. Otherwise, he would’ve killed him like he did the other man in the coffee shop.

But he had to know by biting Chandler, he would be a jaguar now, too. Did that make Chandler an asset or a liability? That’s what I needed to find out.

Gradually my head cleared a little. My phone buzzed in my pocket. New email. I clicked the notification and buried in the new messages was one from Damian. “He emailed me.”

Silence flooded the room as I read the message.

Vivianna –

You must have questions. I have answers.

Your friend’s life depends on you coming for them.

My cabin at 4 p.m. tomorrow.

Leave the fucking Wolf Pack at home.

D

I read the note and lifted my gaze to meet Logan’s. My thoughts rolled around like rough stones in a tumbler. “He grabbed Chandler as leverage to force me to expose shifters.” My pulse raced. “Damian doesn’t realize he doesn’t need me anymore.”

All eyes were on me.

“Chandler is a news anchorman.”

“Are you shitting me?” Adam paced the room. “How are we going to contain this? There could be cell phone videos on YouTube already, for all we know, and now he’s bitten a news anchor and is holding him hostage. That jaguar lunatic is going to get all of us killed.”

I couldn’t take my eyes off the message. “How did he guess I knew about your Pack?”

Logan shook his head, staring at the ceiling. “Jaguars have a pretty good sense of smell, too. Unless you took a shower before you went to the meeting, he might’ve caught my scent on you.”

Luke chimed in. “Your big Rambo entrance to save her probably sealed the deal.”

“Finger-pointing isn’t helping.” I turned toward Adam. “We need to rescue Chandler before Damian realizes who he’s got.”

Logan tensed beside me. “You are
not
going inside Damian’s cabin. No way.”

“I’m our only way in.” I stared at the table. “This is my fault. Please help me make it right.”

Adam groaned and came over to sit beside Lana. “This is too dangerous. He won’t release your friend, and then he’ll have you, too. Now that he knows you’re important to someone in the Pack, you’re a bargaining chip.”

“We can’t ignore him. He’ll kill Chandler.”

Logan held my hand. “Anna, he may already be gone.”

I lost myself in Logan’s blue eyes, wishing I could wake up from this nightmare. Adam cleared his throat, drawing my attention.

“We’re not going to do
nothing
, but we’re also not sending you in there alone.” He pulled out his cell phone. “Email him back that you’ll be there. We have until four p.m. tomorrow to come up with a workable plan.”