Beneath the Broken Moon: Part Two: Shifter/Vampire Romance (2 page)

Brendan placed his hand on mine. “Is everything okay?” He glanced down at my plate to see the meat almost gone, and smiled again. “If you’d like another steak, we can get more.”

My eyebrows rose. Another steak would be divine. But thinking of Father and the fact that I’d be returning home soon made me nauseated. I couldn’t handle more food even if I wanted to. “Everything’s great. The food is wonderful, but I’ll have to pass on another steak. Thank you, though.”

“I know what you’re holding out for. Dessert, right?” He held up a hand for the leggy blonde waitress, who hurried over to us. “A dessert menu, please.” Brendan kept his gaze on me instead of on the waitress, showing that his interest was in me, the woman he’d be mated with.

A sigh of uncertainty escaped my lungs. He seemed almost too good to be true. Why was he doing this? My father had arranged our mating, so pretense wasn’t required.
Except on my part.

The waitress returned with the dessert menu and placed it in front of us. She looked to Brendan, as if desperate for his attention. “Would you like a little time to look over the menu? Or do you know what you’d like?”

“I’ll defer to the lady,” he said, smiling at me. “Do you know what you’d like, Carmela?”

I glanced at the menu, feeling the pressure of his gaze on me. The thought of having more food didn’t sit well with my stomach, but I didn’t want to ruin the evening by telling him what really bothered me. “Hmm... How about the molten hot fudge brownie?”

Brendan nodded. “That’s my favorite too.”

“I’ll have that right out.” The waitress took the menu and retreated from the table, her shoulders slumped.

“Are you sure everything’s okay?” he asked once the waitress was out of earshot. “I want you to enjoy yourself. If there’s anything I can do to make this better, tell me.” Concern crinkled the corners of his eyes, and his lips tightened into a slim pink line.

Acting so downtrodden wasn’t fair to him. He’d gone through the effort to plan this evening for me. I shouldn’t be giving off negative energy when he obviously wanted our first date to be special. “I’m sorry.” I let out a breath I hadn’t realized I’d been holding. “I guess I don’t want our evening to end.”
Truth.
Going back home would mean dealing with my father.

“Do you mind if I ask a personal question?” His piercing gaze made me feel naked.

“That would depend on the question.” I lowered my gaze, not wanting the conversation to descend into anything uncomfortable; but then again, maybe I owed him for such a wonderful evening.

“Does your father hurt you? Be truthful with me. This is important.”

My mouth dropped open. I should’ve expected he would ask something like that, considering how standoffish I’d been with him, but I couldn’t help the keyed-up nervousness that betrayed my baggage. Father had acted rather confrontational at the house, too. Maybe he’d noticed that. I moved my mouth, but no words came out. I just stared at him, speechless.

“Please, answer the question. I don’t want to force the issue.” He pointed at my shoulder splint. “Did he do that to you?”

I shook my head. “No.” If only he knew... My chest clenched, and I wondered what he’d do if he found out my father did hurt me sometimes.
Calm down. Don’t panic. It’ll all be okay.

Brendan’s brows drew together and he leaned in. “Fine. If you want to tell me, I can make sure he doesn’t hurt you anymore. You don’t have to protect him. He’s not worthy of a wonderful daughter like you.”

I blinked at him, relieved that he seemed concerned about my safety, but also scared. Maybe he thought he could protect me, but I doubted that was possible, given my father’s prestige. How could he beat a man like that? He’d only get himself hurt.

The scent of hot fudge filled my nose as the waitress headed toward our table.
Saved by a brownie.
I wrung the napkin in my lap as she placed a hot fudge brownie delight on the table with two spoons sticking out of it.

“Would you like anything else this evening?” she asked, looking between the two of us.

“No,” Brendan said.

“I’ll leave the check here. Feel free to pay when you’re ready.”

“Thank you.” Brendan grabbed a spoon from the dessert and ate a couple of small bites with whipped cream and hot fudge. He didn’t look at me or say another word.

Sighing, I picked up the other spoon and kept to my side of the brownie. Heaven forbid he think I didn’t want any; that might upset him even more.

We shared the blame for evening falling to ruin. If he hadn’t insisted on bringing up my father, then I wouldn’t have refused to give him a proper answer, let alone the truth. But what could I do? Say my father was a cruel bastard who seemed closer to diving off the deep end than ever, and then deal with the consequences of my actions? Brendan couldn’t do anything about my father. Only the Alpha of Alphas’ opinion would carry any weight, and a werewolf like that wouldn’t care for a random girl like me.

I needed to leave the restaurant and get away for a while; just take a walk and be on my own. I set my spoon down on the edge of the plate, not willing to eat anymore. If I left Brendan, I could be throwing away my future. He’d been kind, if a little pushy. Besides, Father would be furious if I arrived home by myself, and if the
Cazador
showed up...I’d be
screwed
.

The idea only having one arm to defend myself—and of risking further injury if I shifted—made me that much more desperate to shed my human skin and run free. Life had become far too stressful. Maybe the Outskirts
would
be better than this.

The people around us all seemed happy, regardless of the apocalypse the world had faced. Their smiles and lingering touches hurt my heart. I wanted those things most. A true, loving relationship...could that ever happen for me?

The harsh bang of a gun firing sounded somewhere outside, and I nearly jumped out of my seat. Panic thrummed in my chest. Another bang followed the first, and loud scrambling noises ensued. The
Cazador
were after more nocturnes. I glanced at Brendan, and our eyes met.

He appeared stoic, but the energy around him spiked, giving me a sensation like ants marching across my skin. His gaze shifted to the door, as if willing someone to come through so he could kill them.

The shouts and gunshots grew louder. But we should be safe here. The hunters wouldn’t dare rampage through such a fancy restaurant, not when the people who frequented places like this funded them. Though that might not stop them if they were in pursuit.

My shoulders tensed, and I placed my hand on his. “Don’t. You can’t risk yourself.”

Brendan looked at me for a moment, then pulled away. He dug through his wallet, leaving more money on the table than I typically saw in a year. “You’re right. Let’s get out of here. I don’t want you to be this close to danger, especially while defenseless.” He stood and held out his hand for me.

“I’m not defenseless.” Frowning, I stared up at him. “I could protect myself if I had to.” I’d handled myself with Derek, after all. Getting one up on a vampire wasn’t an easy task.

Narrowing his eyes, he extended his hand farther. “Right now, you’re
my
responsibility. I’m in charge of your safety. Don’t make me cause a scene, because I will.” Anger darkened his eyes.

I drew in a shaky breath, not comfortable with this side of him, but I accepted his offered hand. The last thing we needed was attention drawn to us.

The large windows at the front of the restaurant shattered, and glass rained inward. Several guests screamed and ducked under tables. Having the
Cazador
interrupt an evening wasn’t uncommon, but they usually kept to the streets unless they were in pursuit of nocturnes.

Brendan crouched beside me, his hand squeezing mine a little tighter.

Fear pumped through my veins as three
Cazador
filed through the front door.

Near the shattered glass crouched a man. No, it was a nocturne, with blood trickling over the pale skin of his face and arms. He watched the
Cazador,
wrinkling his nose with utter disgust. The nocturne flashed long fangs and darted toward the back of the restaurant, past our table. He sucked in a deep breath and paused to hiss at us before continuing.

At the restaurant’s entrance, the hostess held her hand over her mouth, swaying on her feet as if she was moments from fainting. One of the hunters poked her in the chest, causing her to collapse to the floor, while the others darted after the vampire. Satisfied by intimidating the woman, the third man barreled through the restaurant to catch up with his pals. My heart skipped a beat. He was the younger hunter from the
Teatro
the other night.

Oh no.
I dropped my purse and ducked my head, hoping he wouldn’t notice me. Brendan pulled me closer to his hard torso and kept my panic at bay.

Thankfully, the hunter ran by without even a glance in our direction. Once the commotion died down, I strode toward the door, with Brendan close behind in the small crowd anxious to leave their ruined dinners behind. Once we were outside, he grabbed my arm, pulling me aside.

“What happened in there?” He tilted my chin up, forcing my gaze to meet his. “You hid from the last guy.”

“He was...” My voice broke a little and I cleared my throat. “He was at the
Teatro
...” I scanned the street around us, making sure no one was nearby, then glanced back. “He shot me.” I pointed at the shoulder splint, grimacing at the constant throb of pain.

Brendan’s spine stiffened. “He hurt you.” The muscles in his jaw tightened, and he clenched his hands into fists. “He could’ve killed you. I can’t stand by and let him get away with that.”

I grabbed him by the arm as he turned away. “Stop. Please.” I tried to pull him in the direction of my home; we needed to get out of there before the hunters came back. But he stayed rooted in place like a large tree. I tugged harder, using my supernatural strength, but he still didn’t move. “Brendan, we should go home.”

Footsteps and more gunshots sounded nearby. Probably the
Cazador
continuing their vampire hunt. With how rowdy they were, it was curious that they actually found nocturnes in the first place. People ran on the sidewalk behind us, and before I could turn, the vampire from the restaurant barreled past, shoving me into Brendan, who stumbled against the wall.

The three
Cazador
rushed past as I tried to regain my composure. One of them rammed his elbow into my shoulder as he went. I bit my lower lip, holding in a scream. Tears slid over my cheeks, and I buried my face in the hard planes of Brendan’s chest.

He carefully wrapped his arms around me and rubbed my back in soothing circles. His touch comforted me, but we couldn’t do this here. It was too dangerous. I pulled away as the hurried footfalls faded into the distance.

“We need to get out of here. We’re lucky the hunters didn’t spot me.” I glanced up at him. “Besides, I do need your protection, and I don’t want you to die trying to get revenge.”

Warmth glowed in his eyes, and he nodded. “You’re right. Let’s get you safe.”

I brushed my fingers along his jaw line and smiled. Maybe not all men were like my father.

CHAPTER THREE

Derek

“A vampire killed Tom. It’s disgusting to see our kind turn on each other. We aren’t humans. We should be above trivial civil wars.” Prescott glanced between us. “Reports from a surviving member of his entourage, a wizard, said there were three unfamiliar vampires. Tom’s people killed one. By the time the wizard escaped, his master was dead, and he had no clue who’d murdered Tom.

“I suspected the wizard had a part in it. After all, how best to escape one’s master than by one’s own hand? However, you had a similar experience. Now I fear something more menacing is going on. I’d appreciate you telling me if you notice anything else out of the ordinary. We can’t afford to lose another member of the High Council.” The concern wasn’t lost on me, even though he pretended it was for my role in the council. Prescott leveled his gaze at Elliot. “You need to be careful as well. You’d be no good to us dead. I don’t want your promotion to be in vain. Now go.”

I lowered my head, glad the meeting was over, even if it hadn’t given me any clarity. Perhaps Tom’s entourage had killed him; there were rumors that he hadn’t been the nicest master. But I didn’t keep pets—life was simpler on my own—so that wouldn’t explain why the necromancer and his friend came after me.

Elliot swept into an elaborate bow. “I will do my best, my lord.”

Prescott waved his hand at my friend. “I told you to do away with formalities.”

Once Elliot and I were outside the High Council’s building, I released a premature breath of relief.

Gunshots and the thundering of boots revealed the
Cazador
were already roaming the streets. I needed to return home; I didn’t want to risk dealing with the annoying hunters.

I clapped Elliot on the back, urging him along. After one attempt on my life, I didn’t want to stay still. Fate need not be tempted again, and I had limits to how much drama I could handle in one evening.