Forget Me Not (Phased Moonlight Series Book 2) (5 page)

              “Thank God!” Faith exclaimed.

              “Are you all right?”

              “What happened?” Richard questioned, giving her a quick hug.

              “Probably an electrical blowout or a gas leak. Who knows?” she said with a shrug.

Koda climbed in next and quickly pulled Sera back against his chest.

Sera took in the tree house, her childhood getaway, and smiled. Everything was dusty, and cobwebs lined the corners. The small couch her mother had picked out sat in the corner, with the soft handmade quilt still draped over the back of it. She walked over and looked at the collage of pictures on the wall. When she clapped her hands twice, a string of paper lanterns illuminated the room.

The pictures were stapled to the wall in a systematic mess that made sense only to her. She tenderly touched a photograph of her family, taken only two days before her parents were murdered. In the picture, small Sera was hanging on her father’s shoulders, kissing his cheek as he laughed. Her mother was standing close, with her hand on her father’s chest. A young John was cradled in her other arm, staring at the camera in wonder.

              Koda laid his hand on her shoulder, offering comfort.

              “This was taken just two days before they died.”

              “You were such a cute little girl.”

              “Thank you.”

              Koda chuckled, but his body stiffened suddenly.

Sera looked up at him and realized he was staring at the wall and cringing. When she followed his gaze, she realized he was looking at the photographs of her and Emmett, and she quickly removed them. In every one, they were close, kissing, holding hands, or just staring into one another’s eyes. She turned to face her new lover, her fiancé, and ripped the pictures to shreds. “That’s over, ancient history. You’re my now and my future, Koda.”

              Koda closed his eyes and nodded, hoping she was telling the truth. 

             
“My love, please do not fault me for my past, for I have forgiven yours,”
she said gently into his mind, happy that their bond was back in place. When he opened his eyes, she sighed, glad to know they were back to normal.

              “I love you,” Koda said, wrapping his arms around her waist.

              “Not that I don’t love a good love scene,” Damion interrupted, “but what do we do now?”

              “We wait,” Sera said. “We can’t get to all the trucks till the fire dies down.”

              “I called the twins,” Trisha said. “They called the squad, and they’re on the way. They estimated three hours. Can you believe that?” 

              “Three hours!? Emergency services my ass,” Ally growled, flopping down on the couch, “and I’m hungry, damn it.” 

              “I got that covered too. The twins are bringing pizza.” Trisha winked. “We couldn’t let y’all starve.”

              Thirty minutes later, Faolan and Lowell climbed up the ladder, carrying six extra-large pizzas with them. Trisha had ordered all the right toppings: pepperoni and mushroom with extra cheese for Sera; cheese with bell peppers for Jackson; meat-lover’s with the works for Koda; regular pepperoni for herself; and a half-and-half for the humans to split.

              The humans stared at them with wide eyes as they each opened their own box of pizza.

              “What?” Sera asked, taking a bite.

              “A whole pie each? Really?” 

              “What can I say? We eat a lot. High metabolism.”

              “I wish I could do that,” Ally said with a moan.

              Trisha and Sera laughed.

              “No you don’t,” Trisha said between bites. “We have to eat all the time. It’s like we’re eating for two.”  

              “Hmm. Is there anything else you haven’t told us, Sera?” Richard asked with a chuckle.

              Jackson looked at Trisha with wide eyes.

Sera rolled her eyes at him. “You kinda need to have sex to get pregnant, Jackson.”

              Trisha blushed like a ripe tomato.

Sera gave her a surprised look, with hooded eyes and a flirtatious smile. “So tell us, Trisha King, soon to be Jacobs, have you done the dirty with your man or what?”

              Trisha turned her eyes to look at Jackson; by the smirk he was giving her, Sera could tell they were communicating.

              “Well, uh…” Trisha began, still blushing. “What happened was—”

              “Enough!” Jackson said, the growl in his voice making them chuckle.

              “That’s rather surprising,” Cameron said.

              “What?” Ally asked.

              “That Trisha had sex before Sera.”

              “Excuse me?” Sera said.

              “Calm down,” Damion said. “It’s just weird for us, because when you were with Emmett, you two were all over each other. I don’t remember a time when you weren’t lip-locked.”

              Koda stood up abruptly, causing them all to jump. He stormed over to the back door of the tree house and walked out onto a platform with a ladder that led higher up into the tree. He slammed the door shut, rattling the wooden walls.

              “Damn it, Damion,” Sera spat, running after her mate.               She climbed the second ladder quickly and found him sulking on the lookout platform, with his hands tightly gripping the wooden railing and his body trembling from head to toe. “Koda…” she said evenly.

              “You shouldn’t have followed me, Sera,” he strained to say. “I am dangerous right now.”

              “Not to me.”

              “
Especially
to you.”

              “Koda, please let me help you,” she said, laying her hand on his shoulder.

              He moved away, and hurt stung her heart. “My wolf is fighting me to claim you by any means necessary, even seduction or force. I can’t do that to you, but you just standing near me is testing my resolve.”

              Sera understood and nodded. “Koda…” she said again, bravely stepping closer.

              Koda looked at her, wearing a pained expression on his face. When she cupped his chin, placing her hands on both sides of his face, he tried to pull away.

“Don’t, Koda,” she said, stopping him. “If your wolf needs to claim me, then claim me.”

              His eyes widened, and he shook his head. “No! When I take you, it will be special, not an act of animalistic desperation. You deserve better than that.”

              Sera shook her head. “I’m not talking about mating. We have to wait until the alpha ceremony anyway. I’m talking about blood bonding.”

              “But it will leave my  mark, and your friends—”

              “It won’t because it doesn’t have the bonding words of our sires. It’s fine, Koda, and I need this as much as you do.”

              He groaned and kissed her fiercely.

Sera wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him tighter against her soft body. Heat coursed through her veins, and she felt her wolf preen at the attention.

              Koda trailed hot kisses across her jawline, making her moan. He nipped down her neck, stopping at the tender skin between her shoulder and neck. With a tremendous roar, he bit into her skin, drawing her sweet blood into his mouth. She gasped, feeling immense pleasure boiling in her belly. She gripped his shoulders tightly; when her claws began to draw blood, it seemed to please him. She tasted like sweet nectar, with a slight cinnamon spice that drove him crazy. He pulled away, licking the bite wound to seal it. The bite healed before his eyes, and he couldn’t help feeling disappointed as he watched her skin close.

              “One day…” Sera said with a growl before turning his head to expose his neck. She placed a tender kiss on the skin before she bit down hard, drawing blood. She moaned as his spicy blood flowed down her throat. He gripped her hips tightly as she drank down what he so eagerly offered. She felt their bond grow stronger as their blood mingled, both of them laying claim on one another. When she had taken enough, Sera gently pulled away, then licked the would to begin the healing process.

              They stood together, wrapped in each other’s arms, relishing the feeling of their strengthening bond.               

              “I love you,” Koda whispered into her ear. “Thank you for that. Now I know no one will challenge me for you. My scent runs through your veins, just as yours courses through mine. You’ve tamed my wolf like no other can. Thank you for saving me from darkness.”

              Sera pulled back and placed her hands on his neck, then looked into his slightly glowing eyes. “It is both my honor and pleasure to care for you and your wolf. You belong to me, and I won’t let my own suffer. The devil himself won’t keep me from you. If you call, I will come. We were made for each other.” She then placed a tender kiss on his lips, sealing a vow neither was aware they’d made. 

              “Come,” he said, taking her hand. “Your friends may be worried for your life.” 

* * *

              Trisha stifled a whimper as Koda’s anger thickened in the air. She leaned her body into Jackson’s, baring her neck. He slammed out of the room, quickly followed by his mate.

              As he walked farther from the room, the anger dissipated, and she was able to breathe again.

              “Damn,” Damion said, running his fingers through his hair. “What’s up his ass?”

              “Hey,” Trisha said, angered by the rude remark about her alpha. “Lay off, Damion. You knew what you were doing when you said that. I saw that smirk on your face. Why’d you say it?” 

              Damion shrugged. “Maybe I don’t agree with the guy she chose. Maybe I think she belongs with Emmett.”

              Jackson snarled in her mind but managed to wear an impassive expression on his face. Trisha quickly laid a hand on his leg to calm him.

              “You don’t know the whole story. Trust me. They don’t belong together. She was made for Koda.”

              “Oh, c’mon! She loves Emmett! She wouldn’t have slept with him if she didn’t.”

              “We’ve all made mistakes,” Jackson said lowly.

              “Maybe she did love him at one point,” Trisha interjected before a fight broke out, “but she’s with Koda now, and they’re both in it for the long haul. Sooner or later, you have to accept it.” 

              “I don’t have to accept anything. She belongs with Emmett.”

              “Well, we respect your opinion, and I guess you have a right to express it, however,” Jackson said, his voice even and calm, “should you continue to try and sabotage their relationship, you will be sorry.”

              “Is that a threat?” Damion asked, his jaw tense.

              Jackson leaned forward, and a frightening smile crossed his face as he rested his elbows on his knees. “No. I don’t make threats. I make promises, and if you ever challenge me, you will lose.”

              Damion’s face paled, and Trisha saw a flash of ear in his eyes. “All right, guys, that’s enough. Quit thinking with the heads between your legs and try using the ones between your ears instead,” she scolded, rolling her eyes at them. 

              Every male in the room gaped at her in shock while Ally and Faith gripped their sides in laughter.

             
“Admit it, mate,”
Jackson growled in her mind.
“You prefer the one between my legs.”

             
Trisha snarled at him.
“That’s besides the point.”

* * *

             
C
eolus snarled as he watched Koda drag Sera from the burning building. His wolves stood around him, cowering as he shook with rage. “Who set off the explosives?” he demanded.

              When no one answered, he spun on his heels, whipping his long black hair around his face. The right side of his neck was scarred from his encounter with the Stephano family, and his dull gray eyes glowed as he addressed his pack.

              “Did I mumble? Who set off those damn explosives?”

              Again, no one answered.

He lunged at the nearest wolf, gripping his throat.

             
“Calm yourself, Alpha,”
a voice purred in his mind.

              He dropped the whimpering wolf to the ground, and the other four collapsed as well. He knew they were not dead, for he could see their chests moving, but he was still concerned. He was not worried about their lives, of course, for they were expendable, and he had many wolves in the pack who could easily replace them. Rather, he was concerned that someone held so much power that they could render him unconscious in a matter of seconds.

              When he felt a presence behind him, he turned to face the hooded figure. “So, you’ve finally decided to grace me with your presence, have you?