Blood Moon (6 page)

Jared?

It couldn’t be
! He was out of the Blood Moon Corporation’s system when he was supposed to be on assignment. There was only one way that happened–when a rogue member had to be terminated…literally. Here he stood and…

I was dead.

That had to be it. The dragon killed me and now I was dead. I felt my wolf form melt away and I lay on the cold ground, looking up at Jared with the morning sun blazing behind him.

He was an angel.

“Sarah, look out!”

At Jared’s warning cry I instinctively rolled as the dragon’s tail came down where I laid just seconds before. Jared pulled me to my feet, and his hand felt warm against mine. Taking off his leather duster, he threw it over my shoulders. As I shoved my arms through the sleeves and buttoned it, Jared pulled a gun out of the holster on his thigh and handed it to me.

“It’s not what you’re used to, love, but it’ll do the damage.”

I glanced at the gun in my hands – a Heckler and Koch P30–and shuddered. This type of gun made my heart race in fear.

I’m not going to lie. I am a girly girl when it comes to guns. The only one I ever felt comfortable using was my Walther P22, which probably still sat on the passenger seat of my Stang
. I almost told Jared to forget it, when the ginger dragon took to the air, arching its head back to rain fire down on us.

I aimed and fired. My shot hit the dragon’s throat, and from the sounds it made, I ruined any chances of it breathing fire down on us. Gun fire roared around us as Jared and I littered the dragon with bullets until its scales looked more crimson than ginger. When it fell to the ground with an earth rumbling thump, I smiled at Jared.
We did it! We slew a dragon
,
a fucking dragon
!

The dragon lay there for several moments breathing heavily until its entire body shimmered with blindingly white light. Seconds later a ginger-haired man stood where the dragon once laid, pulling two Scorpion submachine guns out of the holsters on his hips. If we lived through this, I wanted to ask him how he changed forms and kept his clothes pristine. The ones I had been wearing when I changed into my wolf form lay in tatters on the ground.

“Give me the child, dog, and I’ll let you have your life,” the ginger-haired man said as he stalked across the clearing to us. Jared and I exchanged a glance that said the same thing; he wasn’t after me. He didn’t even know who I was.

“She’s having twins,” I said. “A witch and a Were. There is no abomination being born from her womb.”

“You lie,” he snarled as he raised a gun and pointed it at me. “Our seers have seen the truth.”

“Then maybe you need to fire those seers,” said Jared, “because those babies are pure.”

I looked around, and my mind connected with Damian’s for a brief moment to confirm my suspicions. “Dez was a little off.”

The man and Jared looked at me. “What?” Jared asked.

“The babies are in our world now,” I said with a smile, “and a Clan of Weres and two born vampires protect them. You’re alone, dragon-man. Are you ready to wage a battle with them on your own?”

“Then they are beyond me.” The man sighed. He steadied his aim on me. “You’re not.”

So much for him not knowing who I am.
I already tried to jump out of the way when the man’s gun rang out. The bullet grazed my arm. I cursed as I felt the wound sizzle.
Silver
. He shot, using silver bullets.

I rolled across the ground, dropping my gun and coming to my feet just inches from him. I lashed out, punching the man in the jaw, before I wrenched one of the guns from his grip. It fell to the ground and I kicked it away. I used my enhanced speed to dance out of the way of another shot, once again happy for Damian’s blood. My side twinged as I dodged the man’s fist, reminding me of the hit I had taken earlier. It must have been bad if it hadn’t finished healing by now, but the twinge told me that the worst was over. Shoving me to the ground, the man spun his gun forward to shoot at me.

Jared knocked that gun out of the man’s hands and grappled with him. Jared blocked every hit and even delivered some of his own as I climbed back to my feet. Pulling off Jared’s duster, I dropped it to the ground as I strode forward. We needed to finish this and get back to Donavan’s house.

I changed back into my wolf form, whining in pain from my injuries. I shook my large head and turned my amber eyes to the fighting men.

The ginger-haired man shoved Jared to the ground, pulling a knife from his boot sheath to deliver the final blow. Emotions raged through me as I remembered Jared in this same clearing, lying on the ground bleeding to death from a mortal wound I had caused. I wasn’t going to let that happen again. I sped across the clearing, not even slowing down as I plowed into the dragon-man.

The surprise in his eyes looked sincere as he gazed into my snarling, snapping face. I guess he couldn’t turn back into a dragon as quickly as I could turn into a wolf. I shredded his arm as he tried to use the knife against me, turning my attention to his throat as my teeth hit bone. The knife had fallen from his grasp and laid forgotten on the ground as we rolled. He fought, trying to get me off, but my rage made me stronger than him. My teeth sunk into his neck and I felt the warm rush of blood fill my mouth. I felt my teeth scrape against bone, but he still fought against me. Finally, after what felt like an eternity, the man stopped struggling and lay still. With one final bone crushing snap of my jaws, I released the man and padded over to Jared. We sat there, watching the bleeding man on the ground, making sure he really died.

My wolf form melted away as I lied on the ground. The adrenaline leaving my body made me realize just how bad I hurt. The graze on my arm still bled, and my side ached as my body healed the bone and muscle damage. Every muscle in my body ached from changing twice so close together. I looked up at Jared, and my emotions came crashing forward. His British accent sounded like a rush of cold water through my veins as he comforted me, gathering me up in his arms and holding me to him as I cried.

Chapter Eight

Jared slid his black leather trench coat over my shoulders, covering me as I started to shiver from the shock.

“I don’t understand,” I muttered, looking up into Jared’s navy eyes. “Rose killed you.”

“Killed me?” He shook his head and shifted so I sat beside him. “Let’s go back to Donavan’s house and I’ll explain everything.”

I concentrated on the bonds that connected me to Damian. Monique rested as Dez tried to find a way to call Rose to blast her for sending a dragon out after us.

“A dragon. They sent a dragon out in broad daylight. What in the hell were they thinking?”
Damian muttered in my mind, followed by some angry words in a language I didn’t understand.

I snorted. “No. We need to talk first. I think we’re safe for now.”

“Come on, Sarah,” Jared argued, taking my hand and trying to get me to my feet. “Let’s make sure you’re not internally bleeding from that hit and get you something to drink.”

I wouldn’t budge. I had Damian’s blood in me, and it would take more than a werewolf to get me to move when I didn’t want to. “How?” I demanded.

Jared sighed, running a hand through his shoulder length brown hair. “I’ll explain, I promise, love. I will; but first, how did you do that?”

I blinked. My mind whirled. “Do what?”

“Change. We’re not even close to a full moon.”

“Oh that. Side effects from Damian’s blood.”

A look passed through Jared’s eyes too fast for me to recognize it. “Of course.” Jared stood, holding out a hand to me. “Walk with me?” he asked softly. Jared’s arms around me felt reassuringly firm as I stumbled to my feet.

He was alive
.

My mind could barely believe it as we walked parallel to Donavan’s home and away from the dead dragon. Everything I knew about the BMC told me Jared died, yet here he stood in front of me. I didn’t know why or how, but I needed to know.

“How?” I asked again as I felt tears start to well.
Is he on the run like I am, having broken his contract? Or is this his new mission, and the BMC removed him from the system as a precaution?

The thought of him as the bad guy made my blood run cold as we walked.
He’d easily be able to get near me, gaining my trust just to turn around and kill me
. I shook my head, trying to clear those vile thoughts from my head.
He loves me. No way he’d betray me.

Holding up a finger, Jared said, “In a minute,” as Damian appeared five feet in front of us. I wondered how Jared knew that Damian approached, then I remembered the first time I met him. Damian spoke in my mind, even though I never had a drop of his blood. He had probably contacted Jared himself and I never even knew.

“How is she?” he asked Jared.

“Once the shock wears off, she’ll be better.”

“She thought you died. You should have called.”

“If I had known, I would have. How long do we have until Rose realizes that the dragon is dead?”

“Hopefully, Samson,” Damian said, indicating the dead dragon, “won’t be missed for a while. Aminka is trying to see what Rose will throw at us next, but the future is murky. We’ve already had a run in with the BMC operative in charge of killing Sarah. If we find what she’s looking for, we might be able to sway her to our side. Dez is working on it.”

“Who was it?” Jared asked.

Damian turned to me, unsure of how to answer.

“Amythist Dyier,” I said. “I’m pretty sure she’s on our side. She would have attacked me already if she wasn’t. She’d kill puppies if it meant she’d finally get her revenge on that demon. I don’t blame her.” I smiled slightly as I looked at Jared. “I’d feel the same way.”

Damian mulled this over. “That is good. I’ll have Dez try to contact her. In the mean time, no one leaves this property. When the sun sets, we’ll transfer over to Malevolent Dead.”

“Why?” Jared and I asked in unison.

“The BMC will be less likely to throw another dragon at us if we’re in the city. They will keep their attempts low key to avoid exposure.”

“And Rose?” Jared asked.

“Probably at Haven,” I answered. “She’s not going to show herself until there’s nothing else she can throw at us.”

Damian sighed as he sensed my thoughts. “It’s not your fault, Sarah. The BMC hasn’t liked the DeLocket Clan or me for quite some time. Otherwise, they would have ceased their attempts on Monique when Dez told them she carried twins.”

“Why?” I asked.

“A witch married to a werewolf isn’t what they consider a natural union. I fall into the same category, being a born vampire. They are using you as a reason behind their attacks.” Damian glanced at Jared before looking back at me, and I saw the sadness in his plum-colored eyes. I peeked into his mind and saw that he had hoped that Jared really was dead. Damian’s eyes narrowed and he suddenly shut me out of his thoughts. He didn’t want me to see the pain in his heart, but it was too late. I couldn’t do or say anything that would make it better. “Rest,” Damian said, “and worry about our impending doom later.”

Damian turned and vanished, and I blinked at the sudden emptiness in front of me. No matter how long Damian and I worked together, I’d never get used to that.

“How are you feeling?” Jared asked as he brushed his fingertips down my arm.

“Now that my mind is processing everything properly–better. Are you going to tell me what happened or am I going to have to beat it out of you?”

Jared sat down and leaned against a pine tree, and I settled down next to him so I could see his face.

“When I returned to Blood Moon’s headquarters, they gave me the option of renewing my contract. I didn’t realize that my six years were up. I declined, and they thanked me for my service and paid me for the Skyner job. By the way, they paid me your portion too, so as soon as this is over, we’ll go to the bank and transfer it over.”

“They just let you go?”

Jared laughed. “My contract was up, Sarah. They had no choice. The second I left, my only concern was getting back to you. I never wanted to leave in the first place, and I had hoped that you and Damian didn’t get too close while I had been away.” I heard the regret in his tone.
What does he think…

“You think Damian and I are dating?” I asked as my eyes widened in surprise. At Jared’s uncomfortable look, I laughed. “God, no. Jared, I love you. Yeah, I drank Damian’s blood, but that was so we all wouldn’t get murdered in our beds, not because I love him.”

“And now?”

“Now I am faster, stronger, and able to change into a wolf whenever I want. I can accurately guess a vampire’s age, and I can feel Damian’s emotions and hear his thoughts. Which is only fair because he could always do all that with me.”

Jared smiled, looking me in the eyes for the first time, since we entered the clearing. “I missed you.”

“Even my twitchy PTSD issues?”

Bending down, Jared lightly kissed my lips. “Especially those. They remind me that I have a lot to make up for with you.”

I felt tears in my eyes at his words. “I thought…because I didn’t try hard enough…” I couldn’t finish before the first tear fell and I mentally broke.