A Werewolf's Moon (The Council) (13 page)

The water was flat, barley knee deep by the river. Rain hammered against it, making the surface resemble static snow on a TV. Thunder boomed, shaking the grou
nd beneath my feet as I slowed.

I dropped to my knees, physically and emotionally exhausted, past the point where my mom made me want to cry. She had her views. I had mine. If we met in the middle someday it would be great. If not I’d still love her, from a respectful distance until she learned to keep her opinions to herself.

“
Pepper
?”

I glanced over my shoulder to see Quinn jogging toward me. His eyes shimmered gold. He was just as soaked from the rain. “Hey, sorry you had to hear that.”

He sat next to me. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah, better than I thought I’d be.” I smiled up at him, trying to get that worried expression out of his eyes. “My mom is one of those old dogs you can’t teach new tricks.”

Quinn slid close and I gasped in surprise as he wrapped his arms around me. I’d always felt a distance between us. He kept himself at arm’s length sometimes. Right now it was just us. The space gone completely, and I suspected, h
oped, it would never came back.

I rested my head on his shoulder and closed my eyes, listening to the rumble of his voice. “
Pepper
, I could have someone alter your mom’s memories and make her think you stayed here for the four days. We could leave.”

I sighed. “But won’t we be taking the easy way out?”

“Yeah.”
He made a gruff sound, “I won't blame you. Besides, you’ve got enough to deal with. The full moon is tomorrow night. You’re going to be different after that, you’ll have to get used to it.”

“Will my eyes glow?”

I felt him nod, “I have to teach you to control your energy. We could probably make it work, but I don’t want to take the risk of you getting upset with her and forgetting to control it. Honestly, I never thought it would be like this.”

“Too much could go wrong.” I agreed and I didn’t feel so bad about leaving. If anything, we’d be protecting my mom. “And I did warn you.”

“Some people over exaggerate. This excludes you, obviously.”

I opened my eyes when I felt the rain let up. It was just a light sprinkle. I grabbed a smooth stone and skipped it acros
s the water.

Quinn released his hold on me and leaned back on his elbows. I could feel his gaze. My heart skipped wildly. I ached to have his arms back around me. I’d never craved someone’s touch
before,
even something as innocent as holding his hand would satisfy me.

I reached for another stone. His hand shot out to snatch it just before my fingers curled around it. He skipped it perfectly across t
he glassy surface of the river.

“Hey, that wasn’t very n
ice.” I turned back and glared.

“I’m not the nicest guy in the world.” He grinned wolfishly, leaning close and inhaled deeply. The tip of his nose brushed mine. “I want to kiss you.”

I gulped, but managed to nod as excitement skittered though me.

His lips touched the corner of my mouth. “Is this okay?”

“No,” I grumbled. “You missed.”

“I’m just warming up.”

He knocked the air out of me as his lips pressed against mine fully. I threw my arms around his neck and let myself go. It felt like fireworks. I kissed him more passionately than any other boy I’d kis
sed before.

His hands tangled in my hair at the nape of my neck. “Wow.”

I grinned. “Yeah, wow.”

Never I’m my life, not out of the two other boys I’d kissed, had I ever felt
this before. It was pure magic.

I tightened my hold on him as his lips trialed down my throat to my c
ollarbone, then to my shoulder.

My right shoulder.

He tensed, breathing in, smelling me. He really liked the way I smelled, and I really liked the way he smelled. Bliss surged though me, fogged my senses as he pressed his lips to my shoulder. The sensation overwhelmed me. My eyes drifted shut. I kissed him again, but his lips went right back to my shoulder.

“
Pepper
?” he sounded agonized.

“Huh?”

“Stop me.”

I thought about pushing him away, tried to think about moving, but I couldn’t. It felt so good, and even though there was a voice screaming inside of me to obey him, to stop
him, another part wanted this.

The wolf.

I couldn’t differentiate between m
y old feelings and my new ones.

Would I have lain here and let him bite me a
week ago?

No, but I didn’t know him like I knew him now. I hadn’t felt this way.

There wasn’t just an animalistic need or craving, and it wasn’t only the coming moon. This was something else. I was just me. And out of curiosity, out of human want, I turned my head to the side.

“Are you sure about me?”

He groaned. “This isn’t a hunch, its instinct.”

“Okay.”

“Okay?” he sounded shocked.

“I trust your sniffer.” I flinched as his teeth scraped my skin.

“Only if you’re positive...”

“Maybe I’ll bite you.” I nipped at his chin, his ear. Then I kissed him slow and sweet.

“That won't do anything.” His teeth scraped my shoulder again and I knew this was it. He hesitated, and then his hands slid slowly from my face the tops of my arms, clasping them tightly as he bent his head. The heat of his breath tickled. “No going back.

My last chance to stop him.
I braced my hands against his chest, gripping handfuls of his soft cotton shirt.

Push away or pull him closer?

“Take a deep breath.” He said. “Don’t scream.”

I drew a breath, pulled him closer, and his teeth sank into my skin.

Chapter 15

“
Pepper
, wake up.” I heard Quinn’s voice, felt his fingers brush my cheek. I blinked open my eyes to find him on his side, curled around me in the grass.

“Hi.”

“How do you
feel?”

“Not bad, I don’t think I’ll be arm wrestling anytime soon.” I glanced down to look at the bite mark. How could I have been so stupid? I should have waited until I had a first aid
kit,
or Venna around to heal me. God, what if I had to get stitches? I hated doctors’ offices, they
creeped
me out. No telling how many sick people touc
h those waiting room magazines.

He grimaced, “I should never have…”

“I wanted you to.” I gasped when I looked at my shoulder. No mark. There wasn’t any proof that he b
it me.

“Pass tense?” His eyes were cautious.

“Actually, no, I’m still glad you did.” I shrugged.
Wincing from a tenderness that hadn’t been there before.
“We’ll just have to wait and see.”

“I was worried you’d regret it. The soreness won’t last for long.”

“I don’t regret anything, at least, not yet…why did I fall asleep?” I touched the skin on my shoulder, feeling it tingle. “And why isn’t there a mark?”

“The magic can be a little intense for humans. You were only out for a few minutes, and it heals immediately.”

My cheeks heated again, remembering my reaction. “Sorry I screamed in your ear.”

“No harm done. You weren’t that loud. I just didn’t want anyone to hear.” Sending me a lopsided grin, he took my hand and helped me to my feet. I glanced down at my legs and skirt, caked with mud and chunks of grass. He was just as bad off. I pulled a hunk of weeds out of his hair. “We can’t go into your mom’s house like this.”

“No, not with the mud.”
I decided we’d have to clean up before going back to brainwash my mom. “Would it be possible to phase into a shower?”

He laughed. “Sure,”

I beamed, “Great, let’s go back to your place. I’d say mine, but you’ve never been in my shower.”

“True,” he held my hand and my skin tingled from the cool air as we phased into his large blue tiled shower. He was gone after giving me a quick kiss. I washed the mud away quickly, lobbing my clothes and shoes into the trashcan, so Quinn didn’t have to stand out in the bedroom and crust over. I wrapped up in a towel and scampered out of the bathroom to find my suitcase on the bed. He’d gone back to retrieve our things from the trunk of the rental car. I dressed in jeans and a red shirt and was ready to go when my decision to let Qu
inn bite me started to sink in.

I went out into the living room and sat on the floor in front of the large windows. Had I made a mistake by not waiting? A few days ago Quinn was one of the last people I looked forward to spending time with, and now I was bound to him for eternity. All because kissing him sent me soaring with feelings I’d never had before. Because I was curious I let him take me for his mate. God, I needed my head examined. I really did like
him; he was growing on me. We complemented each other, but one kiss was all it took and now I was more than married to the future king of the werewolves. It was endless, our time together. Who knows how long we’d be around? That was a long time to be with someone. I couldn’t back out either. I asked him, begged him to sink his fangs in me.

My thoughts were interrupted when my phone rang. I fished it out of my pocket and looked at the caller ID.
Great.

“Hey, dad.”
I answered.

“
Pepper
where
are you
?” his voice burst into my ear and I had to hold the phone arm’s length away.

“Uh, down by the river behind mom’s house.” I crossed my fingers, hoping mom hadn’t sent her husband, Paul, looking for me.

“Oh really?” he sounded angry.

“Yep.”

“Your mom said she couldn’t find you.” He cut me off before I could explain, “I know I told you to give your mother a hard time, but running off into the woods with a boy
you just met is irresponsible.”

I could not believe my mother sank that low.
To track down my dad, and tell him to call me?
The woman needed her head checked. “I did not just meet Quinn. We’ve known each other for a while. He’s
Henry
Langley’s best friend.”

His tone was kinder, less irrational and somewhat apologetic. “Your mother made the relationship sound new.
Hours old.”

“Dad, it’s anything but new. She doesn’t like him because he’s not going to be a doctor or a lawyer, and made it very clear he was not a welcome guest in her house.”

“How come you never told me about him before?” now he sounded left out. And I hated making him feel that way. I always included him as much as I could because he was away a lot. I’d even told him about my first kiss, in minor detail. But still, I couldn’t imagine how he felt.

“We weren’t sure if things would work out between us because he lives in New York.” I added, to ease his worry, “I want you to meet him dad. It’s your blessing I care about, more than moms.”

He was silent, and I realized what I’d said.
“Blessing?”

I took a second to plan what I’d say next. “Yeah,”

“Okay,”

“The school I got accepted to is in Manhattan.” Talk about a major coincidence.

“You want to live with him.” The dread in his voice was something I wasn’t expecting.

“I don’t have much of a choice.” Really, I didn’t. The werewolf prince was my mate. Quinn would flip if I told him I wanted to live in a dorm or share an apartment with other college kids. And actually, I kind of liked knowing I’d be coming home to Quinn. Living with strangers in a big city wasn’t something I had been looking forward to. It scared the crap out of me. I was really good at faking not being scared.

“
Pepper
, what’s going on?”

I groaned. “A lot, but I can’t tell you over the phone. It’s too much.”

The hesitation coming from his end was nerve wracking. “You’re safe?”

“Yes,”

“Not, uh…you haven’t done anything with Quinn that would result in…”

“No!” I shrieked, knowing he was trying to ask if I was pregnant.
“No, way.”

“That’s okay, good.” He sighed heavily. “Tell me what’s really going on tomorrow.”

“Tomorrow?” panic shot through me.

“Yeah, I get an early leave. I’ll fly to Georgia instead of Virginia.”

I tried to calm down, “I’m coming home! Mom and I had a huge fight. She’s not going to ruin the rest of my summer.”

“Honey, are you sure she’s going to be okay with that?”

I smiled. “Yes, positive.”

“Hey,
Pepper
?” Quinn called from behind me.
“Ready to go?”

I nodded.

“Is that him?” dad asked, sounding anxious.