Moon's Law (New Moon Wolves 2 ~ Bite of the Moon ~ BBW Romance) (16 page)

Kane pushed her toward the side of the garage. "Stay here. I’m going to help."

"What about your gun?" she called after him.

He held up his empty hands. "Didn’t bring it." And then he was diving into the action, while she and Kai watched on the sidelines.

It freaked her out how similar the fight was to the last one. "This shouldn’t be happening." She looked around the garage, thinking maybe there would be a gun somewhere, but there was nothing but empty animal cages and Tao’s work bench. The tools looked like they could do serious damage, though. Charlotte fingered a wrench that was as long as her forearm. A mallet sat next to it, and farther down lay a row of screwdrivers.

No guns, but lots of possibilities. A sudden silence behind her caused her to turn around to see what had happened.

It wasn’t good. Both Tao and Leo were on the floor, not knocked out, but close to it. They moved slowly, their eyes glossy, as if about to pass out. The hunter advanced on Kane, cracking the knuckles of his enormous hands as he did so.

"Here, wolfie, come to your master," the hunter said in a low rumble.

Kane edged back, glancing from one side to the next as he took in the situation. Tao and Leo were coming, but not fast enough. Kai was upright, but only because he was leaning against the wall. Charlotte noticed his face was white as if he’d been drained of blood.

"Kane," she hissed, grabbing a screwdriver.

He turned to look at her, and she threw the tool to him. He caught it and brandished it at the hunter.

"What are you going to do with that toothpick?" the hunter snarled. "Clean my teeth?"

"We don’t want to kill you," Kane said. "You can still walk away. Just stop, and no harm, no foul. We each go our separate ways."

"That’s the plan. You go to hell, and I keep on living." The large man flashed a predatory smile. And then he lunged, picking Kane up by the front of his shirt and throwing him across the garage.

Charlotte screamed as Kane came crashing down on top of the tool bench. The wood snapped at the force of his landing and tipped over, dumping him on the floor. The tools fell, making a loud metallic clanging noise as they bounced on the concrete floor. She caught the wrench before it fell, not knowing what she would do with it, but finding its weight comforting.

The hunter launched himself into the air with a powerful jump and landed on top of Kane. The two men rolled across the floor, punching and kicking. Blood streamed from several cuts on Kane’s face, one hitting him directly in the eye.

"Do something!" Charlotte screamed, her hands flailing in the general direction of the brothers.

Tao and Leo were on their feet now, but unsteady, their faces grey and bloody. They headed for the hunter, but he sensed them coming and reared up with two back fists, which hit them directly in their throats.

Clutching their necks, Leo and Tao made horrible noises as they fought to breathe. Despite the injury, Tao had the presence of mind to grab the hunter by the back of his shirt and yank him off Kane. The men scuffled after that, piling on top of the hunter, who eventually threw them all off, emerging from the bottom with the screwdriver in his hand. Murder shining in his eyes, he turned toward Kane, who was face down and had no idea he was in danger.

"No!" Charlotte threw herself toward the hunter. She had no clue what she was going to do, but damned if she would let this asshole werewolf hater hurt anyone she knew.

The hunter saw her, but somehow she was faster, fueled by adrenaline and desperation. They’d fought this human garbage how many times now? She was over it. Time for this to be done.

The wrench cocked behind her ear, she slammed it down on the hunter, aiming for his face, but only hitting his shoulder because he moved. The moment the metal connected with his body, a jarring recoil travelled up her arm, threatening to shake it out of socket. Pushing through the pain, she immediately brought the wrench back up for another hit. This time she got the bridge of his nose. He’d ducked the wrong way, which worked in her favor.

There was a crunch, and then the hunter bent over, hands over his face, howling.  Charlotte slammed the wrench down on the back of his neck. That dropped him to the floor, but he was still moving, so she rained blows down on the same spot on his neck. A dull thunking noise sounded, timing itself with her heart-beat, which roared in her ears.

The hunter tried to get away, tried to hide, and when that failed, he tried to fight, but Charlotte had the upper hand. Wherever he went, she followed, and when he struck out at her—slow and clumsy now because of her blows—she easily sidestepped him, continuing to rain precise blows down on the man.

She hit the back of his neck again and again. Harder and harder, fueled by a desperate need to be safe. Blood began to spatter, then run in rivulets to pool under the hunter’s body, but still she didn’t stop. Raw fury howled in her blood and her vision tunneled, seeing the strike zone and nothing else. Her wolf was angry and wanted the threat annihilated. Nothing less would do.

Hands pulled at her then, and a voice murmured in her ear. Charlotte shook them off, but they wouldn’t leave her alone. In fact, they became more insistent, finally catching her wrist and refusing to let her hit the hunter anymore.  

She blinked as someone peeled her fingers off the wrench and took it away.

Her vision went dark for a brief moment and her body began to fall apart as her wolf tried to emerge.

"No, Charlotte," came a deep voice ringing with authority that her wolf could not ignore.

She blinked. Her vision cleared and her body's borders snapped back into place. "Wh-what happened?" she asked, her voice trembling.

"Shh. It’s okay. Everything’s okay." This was Kane. He gave her wrist a tug, trying to pull her close, but she balked and twisted free of his grip.

She looked down. The hunter lay in a pool of blood at her feet. The back of his neck looked like chopped steak with bits of white bone shining through the red.

"Oh no, no, no." She backed away, her stomach clenched and her heart stuttering. Collapsing to her knees, she clutched her head. "Who am I?" she whispered. A college student? A werewolf? A killer? She didn’t know.

"You’re Charlotte. My amazing friend," Kane said, kneeling next to her. "That’s all that matters."

"I-I-I k-k-killed him. D-d-d-didn’t I?" She was shaking now, barely able to get words past the shivering.

Kane rubbed her back. "You saved me, Char. That’s what you did."

"You saved all of us," said Tao, coming to stand on her other side.

"M-m-me? You guys are the s-s-strong ones." Her teeth tried to chatter and she clamped her jaw tight.

"You’re strong, too, Charlotte, and I’m proud to have you in my pack." Tao stooped down and took both her hands in his to pull her to her feet.

"W-w-we w-w-weren’t g-going to k-kill him." She couldn’t stop shivering.

"He had different ideas, apparently." Tao nodded to Leo, Kai, and Kane. "Let’s go into the house. We all need some distance from this."

He started to lead her toward the door that opened into the kitchen, but Kane stepped forward. "Let me."

Tao backed off. "Sure thing." The three brothers filed into the house, followed by Kane and Charlotte.

"You’re in shock, so don’t try to go it alone. Just lean on me," he said.

She nodded and did as he suggested, finding comfort not just in his physical presence but also his scent. His warmth seeped into her and she inhaled his musk, needing that just as much as oxygen. Kane's closeness made things better, easing her fear and horror until she could finally take a deep breath again.

Chapter Twenty

Kane helped Charlotte into the house, worried she would pass out. She looked whiter than snow and slumped against him as if she lacked the strength to stand. Her jaw chattered, too, as if she were cold and couldn’t get warm. She was in shock, and it was his fault.
If I’d been stronger or faster, she wouldn’t have had to do what she did.

"We’re almost there," he said as they entered the dining room. "Just a little farther."

She collapsed into a chair around the dining room table. Kane took the seat next to her. Kai, he noted, looked pale as well, and dark hollows shadowed his eyes.

"What the hell happened, Kai?" he asked, his voice gruff.

The slender man shrugged, but said nothing.

Kane wasn't about to let it go. "You were supposed to make it so what just happened didn't happen. Your magic didn't work."

Kai stiffened and slowly turned his head to meet Kane's gaze. "My magic always works, wolf."

"Then why did he wake up?" Kane growled. He nodded to Charlotte. "Do you even know what you've put her through?"

"Kane..." she protested, laying a hand on his shoulder.

He shook her off. "We need to know if Kai's magic is reliable or not."

Tao stepped in. "Kane, stop. Kai did everything he could."

He met the alpha's gaze, taking on the power that radiated from the man like wind and refusing to blink. "I won't stop, Tao. People could have died tonight, and we can't risk that again."

"I think the hunter had his own magic," Kai said slowly. "I will have to dream on it, but it's possible he had some kind of shield against what I did. One I could not detect." His shoulders slumped. "So yes, Kane, I suppose my magic did fail." Pushing his chair back, he shuffled out of the dining room, Leo hovering at his side, ready to catch him if he fell.

"Is he going to be okay?" Charlotte asked as she watched Kai disappear into the living room.

Tao spoke for him. "He’s just tired. From what he’s told me, magic is about moving energy and it can be like lifting a heavy weight. What he did today is more than he’s ever done. He’ll need to rest, but I’m sure he’ll be fine. He wouldn’t let it go too far."

Leo returned to the table and sat next to his brother. "Kai is tough. He’ll be all right."

"But will we?" Kane asked, shooting a concerned glance Charlotte's way. With Kai out of the room, his anger had calmed.

"We'll get past this," Tao said. "It was self-defense and there's no dishonor in that."

"We tried not to kill him," Leo added, returning to the dining room. "It was the hunter who demanded violence, not us."

"Well, we're out of danger but now we have three dead bodies," Kane said. He wasn't sure he agreed with Tao and Leo, but what was done was done. He was too pragmatic to argue about the past. It was better to focus forward. "What are we going to do with them?"

"Bury them in the pack clearing," called Kai from the other room, his voice ragged as a dull knife.

"That would be the traditional thing to do." Leo gave a nod of approval.

"And what about their families?" Kane asked.

Tao grimaced. "That’s the flaw in our plan."

"Not to mention we haven’t even finished buying the pack lands. The bank is still drawing up the paperwork," Leo said.

"We’ll keep them here for now," Tao said after a moment’s hesitation.

"They’ll start to smell," Kane warned.

"I know," Tao said. "The mortgage papers should be ready soon. Once we sign, we can move them."

"Audrey won’t be happy," Charlotte said, her voice steadier now. The tension in Kane’s stomach eased a bit. She was going to be okay.

"I’ll work it out with her," Tao said.

Leo stood up. "I’ll go wrap the hunter in a tarp and clean up, so at least that will be done."

"Thanks, brother." Tao held his hand up and Leo clasped it in his.

"No problem."

Charlotte turned to Kane."What are we going to do about your parents?"

"I sent Danielle to take their statements, so we'll control the paperwork from beginning to end. We’ll keep what really happened quiet," Kane said.

"And that’s it," she said, blinking. "It’s over."

"Yes. It’s over. We’re safe now. You protected all of us." Tao confirmed, laying a hand on her shoulder and giving it a light squeeze. To Kane he said, "You did good. Thanks for all your help."

"Well, it was either help or let this guy kill people," Kane said. "There wasn't much choice in the end. Like you said, it was self-defense."

"Maybe so, but you’ve got a head for leadership. Who knows, you might even lead this pack someday." Tao stood, extending his hand and Kane followed suit.

"I don’t know if I’d make a good leader or not, but thanks for the compliment." The two men shook hands.

"Now, take your girl home," Tao said, flashing a smile at Charlotte.

His girl. The words sang through Kane. If only she were his. His wolf twitched under his skin, hungry for her scent. He looked down at her and wondered what it would be like to call those luscious curves his own.

***

Kane was staring at her. Suddenly, she remembered her tiny spandex dress, which covered almost nothing. Heat flushed her cheeks. Oh jeez. Talk about making an impression. And she’d been…doing whatever she did in the garage, all while dressed like a hooker high on bad taste. Great.

"I’m not his girl," she finally said, stammering.