Bad Moon Rising (3 page)

“It is an excellent idea,” he said roughly, bending to nip her nape sharply. “Tonight.” Nip. “And every night.” Nip. “For a very, very long time, Tara.”

She was panting by the time he captured her lips in a searing kiss that curled her toes, making the foggy lust return. With a gentle nudge he pinned her on her belly, trailing kisses down her spinal cord, his hands working the sore muscles in her thighs. His mouth and hands met together over her ass. Spreading the cheeks, his tongue made one long sweep from the small of her back to her aching clit. The feeling was so exquisite she arched, whether trying to move from his grasp or into it, she couldn’t say. He moved between her legs, spreading her thighs to accommodate his broad shoulders and lapped at her, everywhere but the swollen nub of her clitoris. Lost in the moment, she whimpered when he pulled away. Consumed by lust, by the need to come, she tried rolling over, but he easily held her in place.

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Bad Moon Rising: Lunar Mates Book 2

“Please, Trey. You’re killing me here.”.

Fingers dancing over her pussy, his breath fanned hotly over her ass cheeks.

“You want this?” he asked, pushing one finger slowly in her clenching channel.

“Yes!”.

Adding a swirl of his tongue over her clit, he asked, “Tonight?”

“Yesss,” she hissed, arching her hips up.

“Every night,” he said, moving his thumb to slowly circle over her clitoris.

“More,” she begged, reaching for climax, holding tight to the twisted sheets. Pushing another finger into her pussy and pressing harder and faster against her, he finally let her come. Still racked by shudders, he hauled her up and bent her over the dresser standing next to the bed. She didn’t get the chance to brace herself before he pushed his cock into her.

He clasped her hands, arms wrapped under her belly, and waited until she met his gaze in the mirror. She pushed back against him, the heat still racing through her blood, but he easily held her still. She gasped as he withdrew and plunged deep.

“Mine,” he growled, holding her dazed gaze in the mirror.

She nodded, refusing to give voice to the part of her that agreed.

Her body was hot for him, but her brain screamed caution. When she moved back against him, he pinned her down, teeth clamped on her shoulder. Instead of finding the show of dominance a turn off, she started to pulse around his cock. He began a slow steady rhythm, building to pound into her with sure, long strokes. She felt the tightening in his body, heralding his orgasm as her own rolled through her.

Panting, They collapsed across the dresser, and she tried to grapple with what had just happened. Though it was incredible—she felt incredible at least—it almost felt like a punishment. As if he planned to use mind‐blowing sex to get his way or deal with perceived defiance.

Without speaking, he withdrew and carried her to the shower, gently cleaning her body and then his, while she stood under the lukewarm water and watched. He toweled them off in silence and before 18

Loribelle Hunt

she knew it, they were entering the back door of the darkened bakery. He left her studying the gleaming surfaces to make coffee, and she quickly lost herself in the morning routine.

Trey inhaled the scent of rich coffee and counted to ten. The aroma calmed him more than the counting, but at the same time reminded him of his differences. Most weres hated coffee, the smell overwhelming their senses. So he liked coffee. So what? He was a loner in a wolf pack. Not so unusual. And a mate not in control of his urges. Also not so unusual.

He groaned, the sound soft and carrying only his ears as he faced the root of what bothered him this morning. The problem, as he saw it, was that Tara didn’t know who he was, or what he was. Would she be able to accept him when she found out? Or would she be one of the rare mates who tried to go her own way, unable to deal with the predator in her life?

When she’d questioned their future, he had felt his wolf rise up and take control. After a taste of her, he knew he couldn’t let her go. The Hunter in him would never give her up. A part of him was ashamed that he would treat his mate so roughly, but the other side sat back supremely satisfied. If he was a cat, he’d still be purring.

Pouring two cups, he listened to pots banging behind the kitchen door, wondering if she was still knotted with tension from the drive over.

He smirked.

I could take care of that for her
.

Pushing quietly through the swing door, he took a moment to look her over. In low‐slung jeans and a T‐shirt, she was lovely, but the dark circles under her eyes gave him pause. He’d done that, he thought, with a pang of remorse. Tonight he’d have to be more in control, make sure she got enough sleep. He sighed, wishing things were already settled between them. He knew he was in for a fight.

He set her coffee down, picked up his laptop and sat at the desk in the back corner. Might as well get some work done. The rogue wolf was still at large and still a mystery. He went through his mental file on the Society while he waited for the computer to boot up. This one didn’t fit any known profiles that he was aware of, but there were too many who 19

Bad Moon Rising: Lunar Mates Book 2

were unknown to the Hunters. They had long suspected that the Society’s numbers were much larger than previous estimates. Running across an unknown rogue seemed to confirm that belief.
Of course, this one could be a
lone wolf
. He’d left no calling card after all.

He signed online, trying to ignore the temptation a few feet away.

The tension was beginning to ebb from her body, and he watched, fascinated, as she moved in graceful, economical strides about the compact kitchen. A sign that she was starting to relax around him, or that she could tune him out while she worked?

He turned to the computer, typing the name of the Hunter database in the browser. After going through its security, he went back to his search of known members, checking MOs against the current killings. He’d read them so many times, he had them memorized, and nothing new jumped out at him. He turned to the message boards, but there was no new information there, either.

He had one lead, a message on his voice mail from the real estate agent who’d sold him his house, that she’d rented a house on the lake yesterday. The need to check it out warred with his need to stay and guard Tara. He had no reason to suspect the outlaw was still around, or that she was in danger, and blamed it on his newfound possessive streak.

He clenched his jaw. As long as she kept the doors locked it should be safe, but would she do as he asked?

“I need to go check something out for a case I’m working on.” She jumped at his softly spoken words and turned from a large mixing bowl to face him, a strained smile on her face.

“Sure,” she said, arching an eyebrow. “I don’t know why you’re here, anyway. I don’t need a babysitter.”

He packed away the computer, and slung the strap over his shoulder.

“I want you to lock the door behind me,” he said, waiting beside it.

“Don’t let anyone in.”

“I always lock it when I’m closed. That’s just good sense.”

“Good,” he whispered, running the back of his knuckles along her cheek. He was rewarded by a gasp and flash of awareness in her eyes. “I’ll 20

Loribelle Hunt

be back in a little while.”

“And I’m supposed to let you in?” she asked with a slow smile.

“Oh yeah,” he said on a laugh. “You’re always supposed to let me in.”

He caught her lips in a lingering kiss, one that promised a long night of passion, then forced himself to step away before tonight became right now.

Dawn was creeping up as he turned down the long dirt road leading to the house the agent had directed him to. He didn’t bother with concealment. The name on the lease was a fake, but there was no doubting the woman’s description. The question was, why was he here?

Trey parked the car and getting out, he looked around. It was a rundown bungalow with a sagging front porch stretching along its front.

The yard, though recently cut, was weedy, the flower beds nothing more than dirt.

The front door opened and a tall lean man stepped out. A predator.

He casually leaned against the rail with his arms crossed over his chest.

“Wondered when you’d show up,” he said.

“What are you doing here, Jackson?”

He laughed. “Right to the point. Retiring hasn’t mellowed you any, huh?”

Trey arched an eyebrow and walked up the steps to the porch. Did he need to mellow? No one had ever dared suggest such a thing. He was always the picture of tranquility, always centered. Until Tara had upset his equilibrium.

“No point in beating around the bush, is there?” he asked.

Jackson laughed again.

“Come in and have some tea. I’ll explain everything.”

“Tea?” he said with a wince, following Jackson into a tiny, sparse kitchen.

“Sorry,” Jackson snorted. “You’re the only werewolf I know who drinks coffee.”

“Why are you here?” Trey grimaced at the cup, taking a drink of the tea.

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Bad Moon Rising: Lunar Mates Book 2

Jackson ignored the question. “So you’re the Beta? The enforcer?”

“Eric is Beta,” Trey answered, raising an eyebrow. What was going on here? This was common knowledge ten minutes after the last High Council meeting.

“But you’re the enforcer.”

“I’m whatever Darius needs me to be, for the good of the pack,” he said coolly. “Surely you’re not challenging his authority in his own territory.”

Jackson stiffened in reaction to the quiet demand in his voice. Trey smiled. According to their laws, he could not be Alpha, but they both knew what the outcome of fight between them would be. Jackson stood little chance. He let the Hunter in him rise to the surface, calm and ready to leap for his old friend’s throat.

Jackson backed down with reluctance, an Alpha visibly reaching for control. Clenched hands loosened their hold on his mug, breathing slowed. Trey watched the changes with mild interest, mind wandering to Tara. He blinked, snapping his attention back to the small kitchen.

“Why are you here, Jackson?”

“We were friends once, the four of us,” he said.

Trey snorted. “How far did you expect that friendship to go when Brant died and you both claimed the pack?” He added curiously, “What did you think would happen?”

“I thought Darius would accept my leadership,” he said, agitation clear in his motions..

This time Trey laughed. “No you didn’t.”

“Ok, maybe I didn’t. But I didn’t expect for you and Eric to both follow him here.” He raised his hand before Trey could respond to that.

“That’s not important. I don’t want to see Darius fail. I came to see if I could help.”

Trey stretched his legs in front of him, leaned back and cross his arms over his chest. The idea that a Hunter, even a retired Hunter, needing help was absurd. That he, the most famous Hunter in a generation needed help, was ludicrous.

“Does the Council know you’re here?” he asked, careful to 22

Loribelle Hunt

modulate the suspicion out of his voice.

“Only the Elder. And the Hunters,” he added reluctantly.

Ah, things began to fall in line. He nodded. “There’s a message?”

Jackson looked at him oddly, shook his head. “No message. Only suspicion, and a warning to watch your back.”

Trey waited for him to continue.

“There are rumors that the Society is organizing some kind of move against us. Against the Council.” He shrugged. “And you have some unknown rogue in an area that has been free of all weres for a couple of generations.”

He studied the signs few would see that betrayed Jackson’s agitation. “What else?”

“You don’t miss much, do you?” he asked with a short laugh.

Trey shrugged, the image of nonchalance. “Darius won’t be happy to find you here.”

“Surely Darius will accept the willing assistance of a fellow pack leader,” Jackson said coldly. “I’m not here to challenge him. I just assume solve this little problem and go home.”

“Maybe,” Trey said. “There’s still something you aren’t telling me, though.”

“I was…drawn here,” he finally answered. “You and I are the oldest. Old to still have no mate.”

Trey blinked, surprised at the change in the conversation, and felt a tick start in his jaw. The need to find and protect a mate trumped every other instinct of their kind. He lifted an eyebrow, silently urging Jackson to continue. Jackson walked to the window, and Trey wondered if he would continue the point.

“Eric met Mary shortly before the Council met. By all accounts, Darius has met his mate here.” He laughed. “I’d like to meet the woman who could tame Darius.”

“I doubt he wants you to meet her,” Trey said dryly.

“Probably not.” Jackson turned, grinning.

“And what about you, Trey? We’re the oldest, you and I.”

Trey went still while Jackson studied him. Finally he nodded.

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Bad Moon Rising: Lunar Mates Book 2

“What’s her name?”

“Tara.”

“I’m glad for you.”

He opened the backdoor, sniffed the air.

“There’s something about this place. I know she’s here.” He shot Trey a fierce look. “And I’m not leaving until I find her.”

Silence fell while Trey considered how to present the situation to Darius. None of them were going to test the instincts of a were hunting his mate, and he was pretty sure he now knew all the reasons for Jackson’s appearance. There was no question about letting his old friend stay.

Still… “You could be wrong. Could just be wishful thinking.”

“I’m not,” Jackson said softly.

He stood and pulled a business card out of his back pocket, leaving it on the counter. It was time to go.

“Don’t approach Darius until I have a chance to warn him you’re here. And why,” he said as he turned to leave. “I’d hate to have to explain to the Council why I let you two tear each other apart.”

24

Loribelle Hunt

Tara was gone when he woke, and he felt a moment’s panic. Shock coursed through him. He never panicked. Grunting, he made his way to her tiny shower. He’d be glad when he could relocate her to his house.