Moon Kissed (7 page)

Different strokes for different folks.

He returned and shoved something into her hand. “Take them. They’re not what you usually wear, but they’ll do. Ray Bans never go out of style.”

Arden happily accepted the glasses, sliding the thick plastic over her nose and ears. She forced her eyes open, blinking rapidly in order to clear tears from her lashes. In an instant, Trevor’s unnaturally beautiful face came into focus, his long mahogany hair mussed as if he’d just woken, his dark goatee lined with shadow at his jaw. Although he was fuzzy, she could see him clearly.

“Thank you,” she murmured and met his livid indigo-hued eyes through the thin, darkened barrier of the glasses. “You bespelled the lenses, didn’t you? So I could see?”

“Aye. The magic I put on them isn’t strong, but it’s enough to protect your eyes until I get my hands on some shade leaf.”

“Anything is better than direct sunlight.”

He retrieved the duffel at his feet and snatched a casting wand from the coffee table. Clutching the lethal object in his left hand, he manipulated his fingers around the base. She didn’t speak as he looked at her, giving him time to gather his thoughts. After a moment, he rose and walked to a vintage coat rack, retrieved his trench coat and slipped it over his arm. When he returned to her, he paused. His face changed and a small, humored smile tugged at the corners of his mouth.

“What am I going to do with you, Cricket?” he asked softly, bending down to smooth a strand of hair from her forehead. “You’re more trouble than you’re worth, you know.”

“I know.” She lowered her face in humiliation. He only called her Cricket when he was being nostalgic, had too much to drink or felt sorry for her. “I’m sorry, Trev. I didn’t know where else to go. Greyson knows where I live. I couldn’t go home.”

“Come on.” Like a gentleman, he helped her to her feet. “We’ll talk in the car.”

She stood on shaky legs, trying to stand. Trevor slipped a hand around her waist to keep her balanced and pulled her close. Thankful for the support, she allowed him to bear her weight. He wasn’t built like the average magic castor. No lack of muscles or brawn. He was as tall as he was large—well over six feet. It came from his father’s side.

McAvoy men were stout Scots, so Trevor said.

They were walking toward the door when Arden’s senses went on alert. She recognized a scent but didn’t have time to place it. The floor trembled and shook, as if the world beneath them was crumbling to ash. Trevor’s hand tightened on her hip, and he swiveled their bodies in time to see the apartment door burst free of the hinges. Wood from the frame split and splintered with loud and horrific snaps. The door crashed to the side, sending amber thistles skittering across the floor.

Arden watched, wide-eyed, as a thoroughly enraged lycae appeared in the entranceway.

Trevor hadn’t worked fast enough. Nothing could keep her safe.

Oh shit
.

Her time was up.

Chapter Five

“
Get away from my mate
,” Wolfe snarled and stepped over the remnants of the door.

He stomped into the room, angry enough to destroy everything in his path. The beast was nearly unhinged, crazed by the sight of Arden in the arms of another male. He felt the tremors in his muscles and bones, the desire to shift and destroy taking over. After he’d demolished the bathroom door and found her missing, he’d nearly lost control. It had taken all of his willpower to track her down without going into a maddened state, driven by the possibility she could be lost to him.

His instincts were primordial. Something he couldn’t contain.

The male released Arden but didn’t step away from her, his face showing his shock. “Your
mate
?” he yelled and peered down at the female beside him. “What in the bloody hell?”

“Don’t look at me like that! It’s not my fault he’s delusional!” Arden tried to take a step back, staring at Wolfe. “I tried to tell him he was wrong, but he won’t listen to reason.”

“And you’re surprised?” The male ripped his gaze from Arden and sized Wolfe up. “Lycae are not known for their reasoning when they mate.”

“To hell with this.” Arden held Wolfe’s stare for a second before she looked away. “I’m leaving.”

Reckless little vampire!

He didn’t come this far to leave empty handed. She was coming with him whether she liked it or not. He started to close the distance between them when the male beside her lifted his arm and revealed a casting wand. The rounded end contained a clear orb that glowed white, the crystal structure coming to life as it shifted into prismatic colors.

“
Subnecto
,” he barked, and the orb pulsed, turning almost orange.

Wolfe stopped immediately, as though his feet were glued to the floor. He drew back his lips, revealed his fangs and scented the air. The stench of amber, wick and salt permeated the space. But beneath it all there was a hum of energy he hadn’t noticed.

Damn it to hell.

He narrowed his eyes at the warlock, aware of whom he faced. Only one warlock judge had survived the curse of the crux demon that wiped out a majority of the magically inclined population twenty-five years before. They were a rare breed with magic so powerful supernatural things avoided them like the plague.

“Sheriff Trevor McAvoy.” Wolfe’s voice was no longer entirely man—throaty, garbled and animalistic.

“I don’t go by that title anymore,” the warlock replied.

Arden skirted behind Trevor, and the beast inside Wolfe went mad. It wanted to tear the warlock apart, to see the magic wielder bleed for coming anywhere near its mate. Wolfe shifted his feet despite the binding of the spell, and Trevor McAvoy lost a bit of his cool composure.

The warlock thrust the wand forward. “Don’t come any closer!”

“Damn it, Arden!” Wolfe roared, his body pulsating, skin burning. “Stop running from me.”

So close now.

The wolf’s howl in his head was so loud he couldn’t hear anything else. If she ran, he’d hurt her even if he didn’t mean to. The animal would be in charge. It would mark her without hesitation, fucking her so everyone knew it had staked its claim. It wouldn’t be kind and it wouldn’t be romantic.

“I’m going to shift,” he panted, holding back the change while he still could. “When that happens, only a silver bullet to the heart will stop me from taking you. Do you understand? The wolf will take over, and I won’t be able to do anything about it. Nothing will prevent me from making you mine. I’ll do it right here, in this very room. I’ll care who sees, but the animal inside me won’t.”

He scented her fear, heard the turmoil inside her stunned mind. The need to reassure and comfort her came second only to his efforts not to lose control. If she took off, he’d lose his hold over the beast. Then she’d learn just how eager his wolf was to claim her. He’d take her with or without the warlock watching, in such a way she’d never dare think of another.

“Stop moving.” Trevor addressed Arden quietly, his voice eerily calm. He kept his staff upright, eyes locked on Wolfe. “He’s not lying. He’ll shift, rip out my throat and take you on the floor where we’re standing. It’s in his nature. He can’t control it. Set him off and there’s nothing I can do. I’ll have to kill him to stop him.”

Wolfe studied her, absorbed the emotions that ran through her thoughts. She was afraid of what he was—of what he represented—and of what he offered. He was the future she didn’t want to believe in. Happiness was something she’d never allowed herself. She didn’t feel worthy of such a thing. Somehow she’d managed to convince herself that it didn’t matter if she never found love. His heart ached at what he discovered in the deepest recesses of her mind.

Everything she’d ever loved, she’d lost.

“Lycae don’t hurt their mates,” she said quietly, refusing to look at him. “I’ll go while he’s bound. Now that I can see, travel won’t be an issue—”

Trevor cut her short. “If you run, he
will
find you. There won’t be any talking until after the deed is done. You’ll hate him, even if you brought the harm on yourself because you refused to listen to me.”

“Damn it!” A simmering spark of temper shone through her fear. “This isn’t logical. I’m a vampire, not a lycae.”

“A
dhampir
,” Trevor amended. “Not a vampire. There is a distinction.”

“Release me before I break free of the goddamned spell and demolish this entire fucking room,” Wolfe snarled, his eyes locked on the female who captivated him beyond reason. He was a ticking time bomb. Without her nearness, he’d explode.

“I willna allow you tae harm her.” Trevor’s accent was full on now. “If you give your word no’ tae, I’ll set you free.”

Arden’s attention drifted from Wolfe to the warlock. Her outrage was obvious. “Don’t discuss me as though I’m not here!”

“I’m sorry, Cricket,” Trevor said, his manner pacifying. “You don’t understand what this means, but I do. I’d help if I could but this is out of my hands. Denying him will only lead to suffering. You two need to talk and sort things out.” He turned from her and clarified, “No harm to her, lycae.”

Wolfe stared directly at his mate and vowed, “You have my word.”

With a heavy sigh, Trevor lowered the wand and the orb dimmed. “Very well.”

The heaviness in Wolfe’s feet evaporated. He didn’t hesitate, crossing the short distance in three long strides. He snaked his arms around Arden’s waist and lifted her from the ground. Burying his nose into her nape, he basked in her scent. She didn’t struggle, staying passive in his arms, but he knew the temptation to flee remained.

“Don’t run from me,
t’keeira
.” He attempted to voice his torment and complete devastation at the possibility of failing her. “Don’t force me to become the monstrosity you believe me to be.”

“Damn,” Trevor muttered as he moved past them, walking to the entrance to his home. “I have tae replace the door and the frame.”

“Would you put me down?” Arden’s softly spoken request sent bristles of want down his spine. “PDAs are not my thing.”

The scent of her arousal clung to the air. She could pretend that she was disinterested—that she didn’t long for him as he longed for her—but her body told a different story. She’d been afraid when he’d arrived but she’d also been excited. She hadn’t understood her strange reactions to him, but in time she would. They were meant to be together. A part of her recognized that. If he slid his hand into her pants and cupped her cunt, she’d be ready and wet.

“I’m not letting go of you again,
little mate
.” He emphasized precisely what she was to him, needing her to hear and accept it. He knew she disliked
cher
, having heard the random thought when she’d tried to run from him. Fortunately there were other—more suitable—things to call her. “You may have fooled me once, but it won’t happen again.”

“Smug fucking bastard.”

He chuckled as he plucked the thought from her mind, squeezing her waist. With her near, the beast settled. But it wouldn’t last. Not until he knew the bond between them had been created and could never be broken. That was something that would only happen after he undressed her delicate body, fucked her like mad and came deep inside her.

“Where’s home?” he whispered in the shell of her ear. He nuzzled the soft lobe with his nose and grinned when she trembled. “We have unfinished business.”

“Don’t even think about it,” she argued weakly. “I don’t pick up strays.”

“The old abandoned Smith plant off St. Peter,” Trevor yelled over his shoulder. “She lives on the top floor of the building.”

“Trevor!” she screamed, betrayal etched in her face.

Wolfe watched as the warlock approached, turning slightly so Arden could see. Her anger and hurt was brutal to absorb—a miserable twisting of his heart and gut. He hated seeing her like this. Funny, as he didn’t even know her yet. But he would. He’d learn everything there was to know about her. He’d become her refuge and home. The one person she could always depend on.

“You don’t know it yet, but mating the lycae is for the best. Now you’ll have the protection I couldn’t give you.” When Arden turned away, Trevor sighed. “You can’t keep living like this. Hell, neither can I. Worrying about you night after night is aging me prematurely. I know you’re angry, but I hope that eventually you’ll understand why I did this.” Trevor met Wolfe’s gaze. “What’s your name?”

“Wolfe Trevlian.”

The warlock didn’t react as Arden had, unfazed and unimpressed by Wolfe’s stature in the pack and his relation to the alpha of the area. “I know your face, Wolfe Trevlian. And I’ll be holding you to your vow. I don’t care if you’re related to the goddamned creator. You harm her, and I’ll hunt you down. You don’t want that. Trust me.”

“I won’t harm her.”

He didn’t have to say it, but he did anyway. The warlock obviously knew and understood the lycae way of life. If he hadn’t, the male wouldn’t be speaking. He’d be resting face up on the floor with his neck torn apart. Thank God Trevor had made the right choice for everyone in the room.

Trevor nodded and turned away. “You don’t have to convince me. You have to convince her.”

Wise words.

Too bad he had a feeling that would be easier said than done.