Kiss of Moonlight (20 page)

He stepped back, out of her arms. The tears running down her cheeks as she stared wide-eyed at him made him rush the process from wolf to man, tearing open the shoulder wound that had already begun to heal as his body shifted. Small price to pay, he figured.

The last shivers of magic coursed through him until finally he knelt on the floor. He tried to stand but couldn’t get off his knees.

Maybe he’d lost a little more blood than he’d thought.

And if the pounding in his head was any indication—

No, the pounding wasn’t in his head. It was in the stairwell.

With a burst of strength, he flew to his feet, shoving Tam between him and the wall.

He nearly didn’t recognize Nic and Duke, who skidded to a stop at the sight of him.

“Whoa! Kyle, it’s us. Don’t pounce, man.” Nic held up his hands in surrender, realizing how close Kyle was to mauling him.

“Well shit.” Duke’s mouth curled in disappointment as he caught sight of the men on the floor. “Looks like you didn’t leave any fun for us.”

Kyle shook his head, trying to get rid of the fuzziness. “What the hell are you two doing here?”

“Cole sent us.” They spoke in perfect unison then flipped an identical finger at each other.

Kyle’s gaze narrowed. “And why did Cole send you?”

“Backup,” Nic said. “In case
Kaine’s
search triggered the bad guys.” Nic nodded at the unconscious men. “Guess that’s why he’s king, huh?”

Gods damn Cole
.
“Fine.
Be useful. Take these two back to the den. Tam and I will follow in a few minutes.”

While Nic and Duke figured out how they were going to get the two unconscious men down the stairs and into their car without arousing suspicion, Kyle took Tam’s arm and led her into the small bedroom at the back. Closing the door, he turned to face Tam, who stared back at him with her arms crossed over her chest.

“You’re shot.” Her voice trembled and tears ran down her cheeks but he could smell her anger. And it confused the hell out of him.

“I’m fine.”

“No, you’re not. You’re shot. You’re bleeding.”

“And I’m still breathing and in no danger of dying. You could have been killed.”

She shook her head. “They wouldn’t have found me if you hadn’t had someone looking for me. I
was trusting
you to find them first then come for me. Not the other way around.”

He stepped closer, shaking his head. He wanted to reach for her but didn’t know if she’d brush him off.

Then he decided he didn’t care. He wouldn’t let her.

He put his hands on her shoulders and drew her closer, grateful that she didn’t resist.
Much.

“I love that you trust me enough to keep you safe,” he spoke straight into her ear. “But from now on, I want you by my side. I want you bound to me. I don’t give a shit what anyone else says. This is the way it’s supposed to be.”

She blinked and the stubborn set of her mouth started to soften. “What about your magic, Kyle? Will I be able control your magic?”

His hands lifted to cup her face, to draw her closer. “I will gladly give control of my life and my heart and my pelt to you if you’ll have them.”

Her eyes widened in shock and he thought he’d pushed her too far, too soon before she started to laugh and cry at the same time. He had a brief second to think, “Shit, you’re an idiot,” before she threw her arms around his neck and kissed him so hard he thought she might’ve split his lip.

“I love you too,” she said between kisses. “But I want your word that you’ll take a partner from now on.”

“I won’t need a partner, sweetheart. I’ll have a team. No more solo missions.”

Her bright smile was his reward.

“Come home with me, Tam. Everything else will work itself out.”

* * * * *

“So you want Nic, Duke and
Kaine
?”

“Yeah.
I think they’re the best suited for what I want to create.”

“A surgical strike team,” Cole said.

Kyle nodded. “I’ve worked on my own too long.”

Cole’s editorial snort let Kyle know exactly what he thought about that. “And you want to keep your
eteri
?”

Kyle didn’t let the sneer in Cole’s tone get to him. He knew the king was only trying to get under his skin.

“Actually, I want her to keep me.”

Still in bed at the den lodge, Cole grinned and held out his arm for Kyle to grasp at the forearm.
“Never thought I’d see the day, old man.
Happy to know I was wrong.”

“Never thought I would either.”

“So,” Cole’s expression hardened, “what have you learned from the men you captured yesterday? They give you any leads?”

“Only one.
A phone number they were using to contact whoever hired them. We might’ve caught a break there. It’s actually registered to a real person. We’re tracking it down now. And we’re going to bring Tira in to read them before we dispose of them.”

Cole’s eyes narrowed. “I don’t want them killed. Just wipe their memories. Have the
streghe
spell them then put a couple of men on them. Maybe they’ll lead us back to their employer.”

Kyle had considered that but hadn’t wanted to release the men to possibly threaten Tam or Cat again. He thought about arguing with Cole but knew it was the right decision.

“Fine.
I’ll have Margie arrange the wipe.”

Cole’s smile was all teeth as Kyle turned to head for the door.

“Good luck, old man. You’re
gonna
need it to keep up with
Tamra
, I think. And Kyle…” Cole waited until he turned back to look at him, his expression deadly serious. “Congratulations. I think new blood is a good thing.”

* * * * *

“So this isn’t really a marriage ceremony?”

Cat chewed on her bottom lip as she contemplated Tam’s dress and her question two days later. “Well, since I’ve never been to a church wedding, I can’t really say. I think it’s more like Dad’s laying claim to you and you’re agreeing to let him.”

Margie choked out a laugh as she watched from a chair in the corner. “Ah, yeah, that’s not
exactly
how I’d describe it. What my daughter is trying to say is that the ceremony is more like an exchange of vows. You’re pledging yourself to Kyle as much as to the
lucani
today. It’s actually been a while since they’ve had one of these ceremonies. The last was mine and Dan’s.”

Tam caught Margie’s warm gaze in the mirror. “Thanks again for the dress.” She brushed a hand down the bright blue silk of the slip dress Margie had brought with her today. “I didn’t exactly come prepared for a…a ceremony.”

“Tam, honey,” Margie said. “Kyle wouldn’t notice if you were wearing a burlap bag and fuzzy slippers. The man is head over heels for you. He loves you.”

Tam smiled. She knew that, but it was nice to hear someone else say it.
Even if it was the mother of his only child.
Still, Margie had become a good friend in the past few days as they prepared for the ceremony. She’d introduced Tam to the women of the pack and to Kyle’s family in a way Kyle couldn’t have. Apparently Margie’s seal of approval went a long way toward getting the
lucani
to accept her.

And she wanted to be accepted.
For Kyle’s sake.
He was a well-respected, well-liked member of the small
lucani
community. And apparently he’d been a highly prized bachelor among the women. She’d caught a few jealous glances tossed her way even though everyone had been nice to her face.

“You look beautiful.”

She smiled at the sound of his voice and turned to see Kyle standing in the doorway, staring at her with those beautiful topaz eyes. He didn’t smile but she knew exactly what he was thinking when his gaze slid down her body then back to her eyes, caressing every inch of her along the way.

Her smile widened. “Thank you. You look pretty amazing yourself.”

Actually he looked edible but she couldn’t say that with Cat right here. Honestly though, the man couldn’t look any more gorgeous unless he was naked.

Barefoot and dressed in black slacks and a white silk shirt, Kyle looked devastating. Her heart began to pound and her mouth dried. If he wasn’t hers so completely, she’d go to battle for him.

No wonder all those women had been giving her the evil eye behind her back. She’d have to fight them off with sticks. And she’d win. It didn’t matter to her that they had claws. He was hers.

She walked toward him, taking the hand he held out to her. Everything else fell away when he wrapped his fingers around hers and pulled her close. He bent and kissed her, his lips warm and firm against her.

When his arm wrapped around her shoulders, she pressed against him, her breasts crushed against the hard planes of his chest. Her nipples tightened and peaked, and her stomach took that freefall that always happened when he kissed her.

After long seconds, he pulled back and stared into her eyes. “Are you ready?”

“Absolutely.”

He waved her out the door and waited until Margie and Cat exited.

Dan met them on the path, newly covered in leaves that cushioned her bare feet, and took Margie’s hand while Cat practically skipped ahead to the sanctuary.

When they arrived, Tam smiled to see so many people crammed into the small space. She recognized several.
Kyle’s parents and sisters,
Kaine
with her multicolored hair, and Nic and Duke.
Nic was staring across the crowd, where Tam saw Tira, smiling at her with tears in her eyes. Duke stared at the ground, hands in the pockets of his tan linen pants.

Everyone was dressed with casual elegance. No jeans or t-shirts. But they were all barefoot. Kyle had told her it connected them to the earth, which is where
lucani
drew the power for their magic.

At the center of the small clearing in front of the small waterfall stood
Tivr
.

The Moon God.

Tam automatically shook her head, still not quite able to wrap her head around the fact that this teenager was actually several millennia old and the son of the Moon Goddess
Lusna
.

Tivr’s
intense dark gaze fastened on her as she and Kyle walked forward to stand before him. He didn’t smile but his expression softened the slightest bit when his gaze shifted to Cat for a split second.

When he looked back at her, his lips kept that faint smile. “So,
Tamra
, you want to pledge your life to Kyle. To live as his mate, to keep his secrets and forgive his faults, of which there are many.” The soft laughter from the crowd made her smile up at Kyle, who gazed back at her with breathtaking emotion in his eyes.

“And Kyle, you vow to pledge your life to a woman who may actually be too good for you. Since I can’t see any reason to fault either of you for your choices, I’ll just ask the Great Mother Goddess
Uni
to give her blessing to you both and welcome
Tamra
into the family.”

Tivr
closed his eyes and muttered in a language she’d never heard, that sounded nothing like any language she’d ever heard. The tone reverberated deep in her body, as if it connected to her soul. Kyle’s hand tightened on hers, an electricity racing between them, better even than the buzz after sex.

She drew in a sharp breath, just as Kyle did. And when
Tivr
uttered the last words and reopened his eyes, he finally smiled at them.

“Congrats and let’s party, people.”

* * * * *

Kyle’s mouth slid from her neck to her shoulder as his hands dragged the tiny strap of her dress down her arm.

Sensation fizzed along her nerve endings like the champagne she’d consumed throughout the night.

But it wasn’t the alcohol making her drunk.

It was Kyle.

His touch, his scent, his love.

His lips stopped at the edge of her shoulder then he switched sides as he coaxed the other strap to fall as well. The dress gave up the battle and she stood naked but for her lacy thong underwear in Kyle’s bedroom in his home.

They’d left the party a half hour ago. Kyle had carried her over the threshold but she was pretty sure that had more to do with his hurry to get to the bedroom than with any human tradition.

But once he’d gotten them there, he’d slowed down to the speed of molasses in winter.

He kissed her with unhurried
ease,
let his mouth and tongue push her over the edge into blissful arousal.

His hand cupped her breasts from behind as he nestled his erection against her ass.

“Kyle?”

He licked a path from shoulder blade to shoulder blade, making her shiver and her sheath clench.

“What is it, sweetheart?”

“I love you.”

He nuzzled his nose into her neck and tweaked her nipples between his thumbs and forefingers before sliding his hands down her sides to push her thong down her legs.

“I know.”

Behind her, she felt him unbutton his pants, felt the silky material brush the backs of her thighs as they fell to the ground.

His bare cock felt like a branding iron on her ass cheek and she gave a little wiggle that made him grab her hips and hold her still.

“Turn around, sweetheart.”

She did as he asked, automatically circling her arms around his shoulders as their gazes met and held.

His burned with passion as he stared down at her, his hands on her hips, lifting her off the floor with those powerful arms.

Wrapping her legs around his waist, she arched as she felt his cock nudge the lips of her sex then plunge into her wet depths and hold there. Walking forward two steps, he had her back against the wall.

She clenched around him, watching his expression tighten with lust. His cock throbbed inside her as she leaned forward to kiss him.

Love fueled her desire, made it hard for her to breathe as she slid her tongue into his mouth, teasingly slow.

She felt the tension in his body, the leashed power. Felt everything so much more powerfully now.