DARKSIDE OF THE MOON (2 page)

Zane slid onto his red Breakout and tried to think of anything other than kicking Jayden’s smug ass.

“When are you coming home?” Granny asked.

“I don’t know. Hopefully in a couple of days. Check on Haley for me, will ya?” Jayden said.

“Of course. We’ve got a lot to do to get ready for this wedding.” Granny waggled her gray eyebrows. “I know just what kind of present to give you for the honeymoon. I got a new shipment of edible...”

“Enough,” Zane called out. He didn’t need whatever was about to pass through the old lady’s mouth to stick in his head for the duration of the trip. “Let’s ride.”

He started his engine and the bike rumbled to life. The street came alive with the roar of Harleys.

Zane looked at Lucien before pulling out and down the street. He glanced in his rearview mirror as the other two Harleys peeled out and followed behind him in formation.

He loved his Harley like he loved his brothers. Except for one. He narrowed his eyes on the newest member to their group.

Jayden.

He’d never had a problem with another Guardian before.

Not until Jayden.

It was causing him to seriously rethink the qualifications for being a Guardian. Something he would have to take up with Barrett.

***

Zane lowered his speed as they entered the city limits of Jonesboro, Arkansas. His headlight cast a streak of white against the black asphalt. The sun had long since dropped behind the horizon, cooling things off to a manageable temperature, despite it being July in the South.

The city had grown since the last time he’d been here, and he was surprised at how spread out it was quickly becoming. They would definitely need to place Guardians in this area soon.

He turned onto Main Street and drove to the end of the street before making a left. He ignored the people on the sidewalk who stopped to gawk at the group of bikers entering their town.

They probably thought they were up to no good.

Too bad they didn’t know the truth. Guardians were the only thing keeping the human population safe from rogue werewolves who wouldn’t think twice about killing for shits and giggles.

Zane slowed his speed as the Moon Goddess Tattoo Shop came into view. He pulled into the parking space in front of the shop. The rest followed suit and parked behind him. He put the kickstand down and dismounted his Harley.

Lucien peeled off his fingerless motorcycle gloves and shoved them in the pocket of his leather jacket. The Were rolled his leather- and steel-stud-clad shoulders as he cast his gaze across his surroundings. His jet-black hair was windblown, and he didn’t bother smoothing it out. His piercing green gaze was hidden behind sunglasses that he really didn’t need but that didn’t impede his keen eyesight. Lucien had taken to wearing his Oakleys all the time after he’d met Damon Trahan, who never took his off.

“Afraid you’re gonna get a callus?” Zane snorted. He and Jaxon constantly rode their fellow Guardian about wearing gloves. Lucien had no qualms about dressing the part of a biker. And judging from the looks the humans on the sidewalk were shooting their way, the humans believed the whole gang to be dangerous.

They weren’t wrong.

The owner of the Moon Goddess Tattoo Shop, Matt Townsend, ambled out of the shop. He had sleeve tattoos on both arms and tattoos circling his neck. Zane bet the guy had his entire body tattooed, but he couldn’t confirm what hid underneath the jeans and T-shirt.

“Zane, good to see you, bro.” Matt was the official tattoo artist for the Guardians in Arkansas. The job of marking the specialized soldiers had been handed down to him from his father, who had inherited it from his own father. The artist was always a civilian werewolf, and they were well compensated.

Every state had its own tattoo artist. Before they had started tattooing the backs of Guardians, they had used other ways to mark their soldiers. Less pleasant ways, like branding the flesh.

Nowadays, it was all about the ink.

“Hello, Matt.” Zane gripped Matt’s shoulder in a half hug as he slapped the civilian Were on the back. “I see you were waiting for us.”

“Actually, I was about to take a smoke break.” Matt grinned sheepishly.

“Disgusting habit. You need to give it up.” Lucien smirked as he greeted the tattoo artist with a hug.

“You’re right, Lucien. But I need a little excitement in my life. I don’t get to go around shooting shit up and ripping out throats like you guys do.” Matt chuckled as he lit up.

A thin wisp of gray smoke trailed up to the inky sky and was quickly eaten up by the darkness. Matt inhaled again before he blew out a stream of gray and nodded at Jayden and Braxton. “They the new brothers?”

“So it would seem,” Zane muttered. If he had any say in the matter, he would have voted Jayden’s ass out the minute the fucker walked across the Arkansas state line. But it wasn’t up to him. It was up to Barrett who became a Guardian and who got cut. That was the one thing Zane couldn’t stand—not having a voice when it came to choosing his brothers. If he was going to lay down his life for someone, it better fucking well be someone he gave two shits about.

And Zane didn’t give a shit about Jayden.

Matt stuck out his hand and Braxton shook it. “I’m Braxton Devereaux. Nice to meet you.”

“Matt Townsend. I hear you are up in the Eureka Springs area. I’d love to take my old lady up there for a weekend.”

“You should. My mate, Kate, runs a kickass bed and breakfast called the Bella Luna. You want to get your woman all hot and bothered, then that’s the place to be.” Braxton grinned.

“Sounds perfect.” Matt smiled back. “I’ll check it out online tonight. Thanks for the info.”

Matt turned his attention to Jayden.

“Jayden. Nice to meet you, Matt.” Jayden shook Matt’s hand. “I appreciate you getting us in this late. I know you’d rather be spending tonight with your mate.”

Irritation flared in Zane’s stomach like a stick of dynamite. Why the fuck was Jayden rolling in and acting like he was the one in charge?

“What he would rather be doing is working instead of listening to you wasting his time,” Zane snarled.

Jayden straightened and turned to face Zane. “Just saying hello. Didn’t know I was wasting his time.”

“You know, that’s the thing about you, Jayden. It’s always about you and what you want.” Zane curled his fingers into fists as anger boiled into every recess of his cells. His heartrate jumped into overdrive as his breathing quickly turned into a heated pant. Everything in his body screamed for him to shift.

“Look, man, I suggest you turn down your arrogance a notch or two. I do not like what you’re giving me.” Jayden bowed up and took a step toward him.

Rage filtered through every cell of his body as bloodlust sucked him under like an ocean wave. The only thing he wanted was to rip Jayden’s throat out.

“Dude, your eyes,” Lucien warned.

Zane didn’t need the warning. He already knew his eyes were turning yellow, signaling his impending shift into wolf.

“Dial it back, Zane.” Lucien placed his hand on Zane’s shoulder.

Zane stiffened for a brief second before knocking Lucien’s hand off.

“Don’t fucking touch me,” he growled. He sucked in shallow breaths as his heart drummed in his chest, ready to explode.

“Look, man, what’s your fucking problem? You’ve had an issue with me ever since I joined the Guardians.” Jayden narrowed his eyes and took another step closer. “You’re all about the Guardians being brothers, but you sure as shit aren’t living it.”

Rage exploded within Zane as he lunged for Jayden. He caught the Were around the neck with one hand and knocked him to the ground. Jayden swung and hit him in the face. The taste of blood filled his mouth, feeding his anger. The sound of ripping clothes turned to white noise in his ears, but Zane couldn’t stop what was coming next. He knew he was shifting, right there in front of God and everyone. He couldn’t stop it.

“Fuck.” Lucien put all his massive body weight behind the shove that sent him and Zane tumbling into the dark alley between the tattoo shop and a consignment shop. They landed with a thud on the concrete. The jolt rattled Zane’s teeth.

“What the fuck is going on?” Lucien demanded near Zane’s ear. Zane had shifted and was now in wolf form while Lucien sat on top of him. “You can’t fucking shift in public, bro. If Barrett finds out, he can have you kicked out of the Guardians. Or worse.”

Zane struggled to get his urge to maim and kill under control. He caught a glimpse of Jayden walking into the alley, and he let out a warning growl.

“What’s going on?” Jayden asked.

“Just stay back,” Lucien warned. “Go inside with Matt and get started on the tattoo. We’ll be in a minute.”

Jayden nodded before disappearing inside with Matt.

When Zane heard the door close, he twisted his body in one fluid movement and bucked Lucien off. He leapt to his feet and snarled at the Guardian.

Lucien glanced down at his leather jacket. “Fuck. You made me scuff up my jacket, dick.” He glared at Zane. “What the fuck is wrong with you? You know you can’t be shifting in public like that. And why the fuck aren’t you shifting back?”

Zane lifted his head to Lucien. Rage filled his veins, and the urge to rip Lucien’s throat out swamped him like an ocean wave.

What the fuck was wrong with him?

Why couldn’t he shift?

And why the fuck did he want to hurt Lucien?

Zane sprang to his feet and stared at Lucien through wolf eyes. He nodded in the direction of the shop, hoping his friend would get the hint and leave.

“Something’s been going on with you for a while.” Lucien cocked his head. “You know, you’ve not been yourself since we went on that last mission. Did something happen?”

Holy fuck.

The drug takedown.

Getting stabbed in the thigh.

The wound not healing.

Lucien was right. Ever since that night, Zane had been on edge, ready to fight. He’d tried to cover it the best he could by pushing his body to the limit during workouts and training exercises, but even after that, he felt like he craved the taste of blood.

Barrett would kill him if it turned out that it was impossible for him to shift back. Or worse, kick him out of the Guardians.

He’d rather face death than lose his job. His job was his purpose, his life.

He gritted his teeth and nodded toward the door.

“Fine, man. I get it. You don’t want to talk about it.” Lucien held out his hands. “I’ll go keep an eye on those two while you pull it together. I’ll bring you some clothes when I come back.” Lucien stormed down the alley back to the entrance of the tattoo shop. Zane kept his gaze trained on him until Lucien disappeared from view.

***

Skylar had managed to play off the late start to the workday as the sheetrock not being dropped off on time. Thank god the guys believed her. Her guys were hard workers, and she didn’t want to lose them to another contractor.

They’d managed to put in a half day’s worth of work under the grueling Arkansas sun before they began to lose daylight.

She looked around at her ragtag construction crew, and a smile grew on her lips. They might not look like much, but they were the closest thing she had to a family.

“Miss Skylar, what are your plans for tonight?” Tony gave her a shy smile. The sweat on his olive skin gave off an iridescent sheen. The young man had just moved to Jonesboro from Mexico to live with extended family. His goal was to earn enough money to one day go to college.

“I think I have date.” She arched her brow as she dusted off her jeans.

His smile slipped and he glanced down at the ground.

She inhaled a sharp breath, realizing he’d mistaken her words.

“I have a date with a bubble bath and a beer,” she assured him.

Tony brightened and he quickened his pace as he began loading the tools back into the shed.

“He’s got a crush, Skylar.” Hector elbowed her in the ribs.

“Hector, he’s just a kid.”

“He’s only a few years younger than you. Plus, he’s legal.” Hector’s bushy brows shot up. “In age and immigration.”

It didn’t matter what his age was, she wasn’t interested in dating. She had too much stuff on her plate as it was. A guy would just add to her to-do list.

She’d been lucky to land this contracting job. She’d not met the owner of the house in person—she’d put her bid in online, and follow-up communication had been via phone or email, since the owner lived out of town. She wondered if the reason she was picked for the job was because the owner was a female and had been willing to give her a shot. It didn’t matter—she needed this job. She was going to get a nice profit once it was finished, and unlike past jobs, the owner didn’t bother her much.

Apparently, the owner lived in Little Rock with her husband and wanted to fix up her house so she could sell it. With the new hospital that had just been built, housing prices in Jonesboro were skyrocketing.

She remembered first looking at the old farmhouse set on the outskirts of town. There had been some kind of explosion that had destroyed part of the building. The kitchen and the back had suffered the most damage. Fixing it up was an undertaking for sure. The house was probably fifty years old, and the electrical and plumbing had to be redone to be up to current house code before remodeling could begin. Now two months into her project and on schedule, it was starting to take shape.

Her heart leapt in her chest as she thought about her next project.

The apartment building. Once this job was finished and she had her tidy profit, she was going to move on to what she really wanted to do. Make a difference for girls in trouble.

She’d often wondered if her life would have turned out any different if she’d had a safe place to stay instead of being forced to survive in the hell her father had raised her in. As a child, she’d suffered enough from neglect, dirty clothes, not enough food, and no heat in the trailer in winter. But once she’d entered puberty, things had gotten worse. Her father had turned a blind eye when his perverted friends had taken an interest in her. Her only moments of escape were the times she spent at her friend Katy’s house. But even then, she couldn’t completely escape hell. Those dark nights in Katy’s parents’ home, she’d lain awake worrying about dawn. She knew once the sun came up, she was going to have to leave her safe haven and go back to the hell known as her father’s trailer.