Riley's Torment, A Moon's Glow Novel #2 (30 page)

“Well, call him
then.” Now that she agreed with me and thought it was a good idea,
I suddenly felt nervous. “I’m going to shower first. Can I borrow
some clothes?”

She lay back on
the pillow, looking up again. “Sure, knock yourself out. I owe you
anyway.”

I sat up
quickly and then braced myself with my hands on the edge of the
bed.
Head
rush
. When my head
stopped spinning, I stood up and opened her closet. “You have some
of my clothes in here.”

“Yeah, I know.
I always forget to return them.” There was laughter in her
voice.

I smirked at
her as I grabbed my gray jeans and my pink and orange striped
hooded top. Tucking the clothes over my arm, I headed to her
bathroom.

The hot water
felt relaxing and soothed my mind of all my worries. Every whirling
thought in my head disappeared as the water poured over me. I hated
to turn the water off once I had rinsed out her guava conditioner.
But I couldn’t stand in here all day, as much as I wanted to
postpone my life, and what I planned to do next. I had decided
during my shower to go see if Nate was okay, and then I was going
to call Adrian. I wasn’t looking forward to either one, but knew it
was something I had to do.

Twenty minutes
later, I emerged from the bathroom, fully dressed with my hair dry
and flowing down my back. I even added some makeup I had borrowed
from Lauren. I felt refreshed and ready to face the day.

Lauren was
sitting up in her bed, hunched over her cell, texting. From the
grin on her face, I was guessing it was Joe.

“I’ll be right
back.” I called out as I opened her door and headed into the hall.
I heard her yelling, asking where I was going, but I didn’t want to
tell her. It was complicated enough without her input. I needed to
see him. He was on my mind, and I was worried about him. I followed
his scent to the west wing, where all the guest rooms were
located.

The Riley house
was very different than my own family home. My mother kept ours up
to date and modern, while the Rileys didn’t seem to focus on
changing the interior at every whim. It always had a classic,
timeless feel. The walls, tapestry, and even the artwork would be
suitable for any time period. The furnishings never seemed to go
out of style.

I knocked once
before entering. He was in a large bed, buried under a navy blue
blanket. All I could see was his messy pale blond hair, sticking up
against the stark white pillow. His slow, deep breathing told me he
was sleeping.

He looked so
peaceful. I hoped he could stay like that because when he woke,
life would return, and he’d go back to the tormented Nate he’d been
the last few weeks. He had lived his life that way before he met
me, but when we fell in love, I finally convinced him to let the
past go and stop hating who he was. But after the night of our six
month anniversary, he became that guy again who hated himself and
everything he’d done. The weight of the world was heavy on his
shoulders, and I yearned to relieve some of the burden, but I
didn’t know how.

I sank down
into a royal blue, velvet antique chair situated in the corner of
the room. I listened to his soft even breathing. It calmed me. It
was a sound I had gotten used to over the last six months, and I
missed it. When my eyelids threatened to close, a voice brought me
back.

“Why are you
watching me sleep?” His voice was deep and groggy, muffled from the
pillow.

“I wanted to
see how you were.”

“Do you still
care?” His question stung, mostly because it was something I would
say to him. He never made me feel guilty for anything I had done or
said. His constant patience was who he was, and what his family and
I loved about him. But I guess after Will’s reaction, he had a
right to act like everybody else. Before I opened my mouth to
respond, he spoke again. “I’m sorry. That wasn’t fair of me.”

That was the
Nate I was used to. “You don’t have to be sorry. You don’t always
have to be so understanding. Be selfish and mean for once in your
life like the rest of us. You’re not perfect, Nate, and you’re
entitled to your feelings.”

He sighed as he
sat up, turning to face me, leaning against the headboard. His
smooth sculpted chest was bare, and I fought the urge to stare at
it. “You always know how to make me feel better.”

“I just haven’t
done it in a while.”

He pressed his
lips together. “No, you haven’t.” His gaze shifted to mine. “But I
understand why.”

I smiled.
“You’re doing it again.” I glanced away quickly as a blue jay
shrieked past the window. With my new heightened sight, I could see
the individual feathers on the wings as they fluttered by.

His
sleep-filled eyes rounded. “What?”

“Being polite
and understanding.”

He shrugged.
“What am I supposed to say?”

“Tell me what
you really think.”

His eyebrow
lifted. “About what?”

“About what
happened that night.” I didn’t need to clarify; we both knew the
night I was referring to. It was supposed to be a night we wouldn’t
forget, and it was, but not for the reason we had wanted. “And
about how you felt when I left you. Tell me your selfish thoughts.
I know you have them—you are part human.”

He eyed me
curiously. “Why?”

“Because what
you said earlier was real. You said what you were feeling, without
thinking first. And I’m not sure you’ve ever done that before.” I
lifted my right shoulder dismissively. “At least, not since I met
you.”

He leaned
forward; his hands resting on his knees. With his arms bent his
muscles appeared more defined. “I don’t want to hurt you. I’ve done
enough of that.”

“You’re allowed
to be selfish once in a while without thinking about the other
person’s feelings.”

“I miss you,”
he said softly, with hesitation.

“That’s being
unselfish and real?”

“Yes, because
by saying that, I put pressure on you, and I don’t want to do that.
I want to give you the time you need to accept how things are now
and forgive me. But I’m tired of that. I want you back. I miss your
scent and the feel of your hair when it falls in my face in the
night. I miss the sound of your breathing.” I smiled, hearing my
own thoughts come back to me. “I miss everything about you. And I
want you to finally forgive me so that we can go back to the way
things were.” He paused taking a breath. “How’s that for being
real?”

It was a lot to
take in, and I would be lying if it didn’t make me feel guilty for
dragging my heels. My stomach felt sick with my indecisiveness. But
it also felt good to hear him express how he truly felt.

I couldn’t help
but smile. “How did that feel to finally get it out?”

He scowled at
me, a familiar look I hadn’t seen on him since we met. “It felt
great not to have to dance around your feelings and be honest.” He
glanced up at the ceiling. “Did it change anything? Are you ready
to come back to me?” Thank God, he wasn’t looking at me, I couldn’t
handle that.

I swallowed the
lump that suddenly formed. “No, not yet. I’m sorry.”

His gaze
lowered, levelling those intense blue eyes my way. He sighed.
“That’s okay, but thanks for letting me be honest.”

“I wish you’d
be that way all the time.”

He scrunched up
his face in distaste. “It’s not how I was raised.”

I nodded
remembering he grew up in the 1900’s. Things were different back
then. We were quiet for a few minutes, and then I remembered what I
was planning to do next. “I’m going to call Adrian.” My voice
sounded loud in the silence.

He frowned. “I
told you his scent was on the island. He’s with Charlotte.”

I folded a leg
over my knee and jiggled my foot. “Then explain to me why he taught
us to fight and gave me the same advice you would.” I paused,
searching his face. “Why would he do that if he was working for
Charlotte? I saved Will last night because of Adrian. He gave me
the tools to protect myself and others. That doesn’t sound like the
kind of guy who wants to hurt us.”

His face was
thoughtful while he pondered my words. Finally, he nodded. “Fine,
call him and see what he has to say.”

I stood up, and
glanced down at him. “Can I be honest and real with you too?”

“Of course.” He
braced himself for what he thought was a rant like his.

I smirked at
him. “We both know I wasn’t asking permission to call him. I was
going to do it anyway.”

He grinned.
“Yes, I know. But let me have the fantasy that you were checking
with me first for your safety.”

All I did
was return his grin, and then I left the room feeling lighter. I
hadn’t forgiven him yet, but I knew I was one step
closer.

I went to
an empty guest room so I could have privacy. Lauren wanted me to
call from her room but having her listening to every word would
make me more nervous than I already was. Once I was comfortably
seated in a chair next to the window overlooking the back patio, I
texted him. If he were with Charlotte, I thought it would be safer
than a phone call.

Hi,
was the only
thing I could think of to start with.

He returned
with the same greeting a few seconds later.

I waited,
hoping he’d take the bait, and explain without prodding.

He did,
about a minute later.
Will you let me explain now?

Go ahead
, I
typed.

Can we meet so
we can talk in person?

I wasn’t sure
about that. For all I knew, it was a trap for Charlotte to grab me
again.

Can I trust
you?

He
instantly replied,
YES!!!

I took a
few minutes to think it through before I answered.
Fine, we’ll meet at
Tom’s, but if I so much as smell another werewolf around, I will
sic Nate on you. He’s just itching for a reason to kill
you.

I promise, I
won’t hurt you.

Be there in a half an hour.
I instructed.

See you
then.

I didn’t
respond to that, just got up and headed downstairs.

I could hear
Joe in the office, so I went in there. Joe was leaning back in a
leather chair with his legs up on the coffee table. He was wearing
a black denim button down and dark blue jeans. Nate was sitting
next to him, freshly showered. His hair was still damp, and a long
sleeved tan shirt was covering the bare chest I had seen earlier.
The chest, that I could still visualize when I closed my eyes. Will
was working away at his desk, trying hard to ignore his uncle. He
glanced up when I entered and smiled so brightly that it lit up his
face.

“Good morning,
Meg. How did you sleep?” His voice, which was a lot better after a
night’s sleep, was dripping with cheer. I didn’t miss the flick of
his eyes in Nate’s direction, as if Will’s being nice to me was a
dig at his uncle.

Nate didn’t
seem to notice. His focus was on me. His eyes were imploring.

“Good morning.
I slept great, thank you. Could I borrow a car from someone?” I was
going to ask Joe, but the Rileys had many cars at their
disposal.

“Where are you
going?” Nate asked. His jaw was clenched and his voice tense. He
already knew the answer.

I contemplated
lying, saying that I needed to head home to get some things, but I
just couldn’t do that. “I’m going to meet Adrian so he can explain
in person.”

I knew what
Nate would say to this before he opened his mouth, and he didn’t
disappoint me.

“No.”

The word felt
so final, like he was the judge and I was on trial. Of course, that
only made me more determined to go. Did he not know me at all?

“You can’t stop
me, and you know it.” I looked at Will. “Can I borrow a car?”

He glanced from
me to Nate hesitantly. “I hate to say it, but I agree with Nate.
Joe filled me in on this Adrian person. If he’s with Charlotte,
then he can’t be trusted.”

Damn it.
I
nodded sharply, not in the mood to beg. “Okay then, thanks anyway.”
The tone in my voice was indifferent as I spun on my heels and
headed to the front door. The black heeled boots I had borrowed
from Lauren clicked against the marble flooring in the
foyer.

Thankfully, my
coat was where I left it, lying over the bench next to the door. I
put it on and reached for the door knob. A blast of cold air rushed
in, and I felt a hand on my shoulder.

Nate.

“Where are you
going?” He asked, the same hard expression on his face.

“I told you,
I’m going to meet Adrian.”

“How are you
going to get there?”

Folding my arms
in front of me, I narrowed my eyes. “I’m going to walk or run. Now
that I’m a werewolf, that would be faster, I suppose.”

He sighed
heavily, dropping his hand from my shoulder, and gazed at me with a
pensive expression—one that I knew well. “Fine. I’ll drive you.
Where are you meeting him?”

“The diner, and
no, you’re not coming. I don’t want you fighting with him. He’d
probably win. He’s stronger than you, and he works out a lot.”

He quirked a
brow and smirked condescendingly. “I can handle myself. But it
doesn’t matter, I won’t go in. I’ll wait in the car, as long as I
can see you.”

There was no
harm in that. We could sit at a table near the parking lot. “Fine,”
I snapped as I stormed out of the house, heading to his car. I was
tired of arguing about it. I just wanted to get this over with. I
waited at the passenger door while he threw on his leather jacket
and yelled to Joe to explain what we were doing.