Taken by Moonlight (2 page)

“Was she
followed?” he demanded.

Eli
flinched, but shook his blond head and blinked quickly. Although he looked the
part of a high school athlete, fresh-faced with some muscle tone, Eli was
almost three decades old. Their breed was not the immortal of vampires, who
could not die of “natural” causes, but of age. Werewolves lived for thousands
of years before growing older and succumbing to death.

“I didn’t
mean—I didn’t know she’d run this way and I only wanted to play with her and
she was so fast but…”

Conall
turned with the woman in his arms and set a brisk pace for the boy to match.
Eli was silent as they made their way back to the pack. They were a ways down
the mountain, next to the lake on the other side of the park, sheltered from
the prying eyes of nosy humans, until now. They would have to change location
after this night.

When they
reached the lake, the site that greeted them would have made the woman faint once
more. Over ten large wolves, all of different hues and builds, were frolicking
by the water’s edge. Some were sleeping further up, closer to the cave, while
others leapt about, romping and flirting, eager for this night to mate. In all,
over twenty wolves were present, and every wolf was part of his pack.

As Conall
passed with the woman in his arms, the wolves growled softly, not a challenge,
but a question. He ignored them, making his way to the cave. As alpha, Conall
answered to no one, but he would tell them later, after leading the pack run.

“Conall,
I’ve been waiting for you.”

Samia stood
as she heard the commotion at the cave’s mouth, and allowed the quilt covering
the voluptuousness of her naked body to slide to the floor. She was among the
most beautiful in his pack, and she craved the title of alpha bitch. She was
also strong, a good fighter, and from what he’d seen in the past years, loyal.
He’d taken her numerous times. In fact, she was his most consistent female, but
there was something about Samia that gave his wolf pause, and Conall always
listened to the animal.

“Who is
she?” Her brown eyes flashed yellow and she bared sharp, white teeth.

“Are you
questioning me?” Conall’s voice was soft steel. Samia immediately shook her
head before lowering her eyes. Their pack operated by hierarchy and while she
was top bitch for the females, he was alpha. “Eli, spread the quilt properly.”
Eli, who’d been walking silently beside him, leapt into action, going about his
task with gusto. Samia glared at Eli, and the quilt, before demurely lifting
her eyes to Conall.

“Will you
take me after the run tonight?” Her voice was low, suggestive.

Kneeling
beside the quilt, Conall carefully lowered the human female onto it. Turning to
Eli, he noticed that the boy had a look of fascination about him. So, that was
how she’d gotten into his territory. His nephew had been distracted and as a
result, had failed to drive her in the other direction. By Luna, if not for the
fact that he had loved his brother, loved his nephew, he would have Eli’s hide.

“Samia,
leave us.” With that dismissal, he returned his attention to the unconscious
woman on his quilt. He didn’t need to look at Samia to know she was displeased.
She always was when he sent her away, and Conall was growing to dislike it.

“Tell me
what happened and start at the beginning.”

Eli’s eyes
bulged and a fierce blush stained his cheeks. Conall suppressed the urge to
groan, knowing Eli had been somewhere he shouldn’t have been, doing something
he shouldn’t have done.

“Tell me
everything, Eli. If I’m to figure this out, you must leave nothing out.”

Conall
learned that the woman had been with four friends, who would miss her, and Eli
had sneaked up on her after watching her in the bushes. Conall hadn’t needed
his nephew to explain that he’d been spying on a urinating woman to know that
he had. It was written all over Eli’s now splotchy-red face, beet-red ears, and
downcast eyes.

“Where is
their camp?”

“About four
miles northeast. I can take her back—”

At Conall’s
glare, Eli snapped his teeth together.

“You’ll
stay here with her.” He paused and shook his head when Eli made to interrupt.
“Find something to cover her eyes and make sure that if she wakes up, she
doesn’t make too much noise. When I return, I’ll take her back. I’m sure her
friends are searching for her by now.”

Eli nodded,
and from the look on his face, Conall knew his nephew was slightly disappointed
he wasn’t going to be able to take part in the run. As Conall removed his
clothing, he studied her features. The dim light of the moon barely spilled
into the cave but his sight was powerful. Long, coal black lashes fanned a pale
brown cheek that, despite a few red scratches, looked soft to touch. He
couldn’t tell the length of her hair, because it was pulled away from her face
in an untidy and puffy bun, and although she was dressed in overly large
clothing, he could see that she was very slender.

He frowned.
Was she one of those anorexic human females? He returned his gaze to her face
and he dismissed that thought. While thin, she wasn’t the skeletal,
unappetizing thin he’d seen on some women. The fact that human men found skin
and bones attractive only reaffirmed his belief in their stupidity. After his
thorough appraisal, Conall decided that the woman was pretty. Pretty enough to
make a puberty-stricken pup lead her right into their lair.

Turning to
Eli, Conall scowled. His nephew was staring at her with a silly smile on his
face. Conall briefly contemplated leaving one of his betas, Sloan or Raoul, to
ensure that nothing went wrong. Shaking his head, he dismissed the idea. Eli
would have to prove himself soon, and the pup needed to feel the weight of
responsibility. As Gregory, his blood brother, lay dying, Conall had given his
word to raise his only surviving pup to be strong and fair. It was a promise he
intended to keep.

“Eli, I’m
leaving you to watch her. She will be your responsibility. Do you understand?”

Eli nodded
immediately. “Yes.”

While he
was unsure the young werewolf understood the extent of the question, Conall was
pleased with his answer. “Good.” Even if something happened, and the human
managed to escape Eli, she would be unable to go very far.

He made his
way from the cave, into the midst of the wolves and humans alike, swarming
together near the water’s edge. As soon as he joined them, howls went up, and
they began to nip playfully at each other. He released his beast, called it to
the forefront and felt the pleasure-mixed-pain as his limbs both stretched and
contorted, until he was no longer man but a large, black wolf in the midst of
smaller wolves. His size and brute strength had allowed him to take and retain
the title of alpha when Gregory had died. As was their way, many had challenged
him. All had lost.

Lifting his
head, Conall sent a call to the moon. As his howl permeated the air, his pack
grew silent, allowing his plea for a safe and fruitful run to travel to Luna.
Pushing through the throng surrounding him, he began to run, feeling the wind
as it ruffled his fur and scenting the smaller creatures that would soon become
meals for him and his pack.

He heard
the resounding howls and knew they were following him. Tonight would be their
last pack run before they returned to their seemingly human lives.

Vivienne
couldn’t suppress the groan of pain even if she wanted to. Her head was on
fire, her legs throbbed, and it felt as if someone had taken a strap to her
backside, decided that wasn’t enough, and proceeded to use a cane. She shifted
and opened her eyes. Pitch black. Why was it so dark? Where was she?

It came
back to her quickly. She’d been chased by a wild animal, and then she’d run
into a serial killer—and oh God, she was probably in his house somewhere,
chained to a wall in his basement as he went to Rite Aid to buy something seemingly
inconspicuous to torture her with. Dental Floss or toothpicks….

She began
to struggle, and was surprised to find that her arms were not restrained.
Something covered her eyes, though, and she went to remove it.

“I wouldn’t
do that if I were you,” said a chipper voice from somewhere to her right.

Vivienne
started, then froze. Oh hell, the serial killer was next to her. Her hands
played around the edges of the blindfold and she licked at her dry lips.

“Are you
thirsty?”

Had she not
been so terrified, Vivienne might have marveled at the fact that he sounded so
nice. She was, but she wasn’t stupid. What if he got off from killing women
after drugging them? The water could easily be roofied or poisoned.

Vivienne
nodded, testing her legs to see if they were bound. They weren’t. She could
take her chances and run.

“Yes. Can I
have something to drink?” Her voice was hoarse. She felt him shift next to her
and tugged off the blindfold the same instant she bolted upright and sprung to
her feet. It was dark but there was light coming from an opening directly ahead
of her. She was heading for it when he was suddenly before her. He was fast!
From what she could make out of him, he was young, too young to be killing
women.

“Just
release me. I won’t tell anyone where you are. I swear,” she began, sizing him
up even as she said those words. She’d taken a few karate courses in college.
Could she take him? She’d been able to take Max, and Max was bigger. If she
jabbed him in the throat, she’d have time to run and find help. If help was
nearby….

“I won’t
hurt you,” he told her softly, and she drew back when she felt him nuzzle her
cheek, like an animal. More specifically, almost like a dog.

“Sorry. You
smell different.”

He grabbed
her arms and in that moment, Vivienne realized that despite his appearance, the
teenager was strong. She reluctantly sat down after being led back to the
quilt. A flask of water was placed into her hands and at his insistence,
Vivienne lifted it to her lips and sniffed.

“It’s from
the spring.”

The
annoyingly sweet voice, and her parched throat, made Vivienne take a sip.
Heaven rushed down her throat, but she waited. When she didn’t feel hazy or
drugged, she began long swallows that made her feel lethargic afterward.

“Who are
you?” she asked after long minutes of silence.

“Eli,” was
his vague reply. When he made no move to follow up his answer, Vivienne
continued with her questions. “Are you going to release me, Eli?”
“Oh yes. We’re not going to hurt you. I promise. Conall will take you back to
your friends soon.”

Conall?
As he spoke, she began to relax. He
didn’t sound like a killer, just an excited teenager.

“I can go
back by myself. I—”

“It’s not
safe for you at this time of the night. Conall will take you back.” His voice
was firm. “Do you like chocolate?”

If not for
the fact she was in some deserted area with a potential pubescent killer, he
would have been her new best friend. She loved chocolate. All kinds. She had a
big sweet tooth that had grown even larger through absolute overindulgence.

“Here, it’s
Swiss chocolate. Conall always carries some with him.” He handed her a bar of
something and after sniffing that, too, because just because he looked all of
fourteen
didn’t mean he couldn’t feed her poison, she nibbled at it.

Heaven
. She sighed and relaxed even more.
The sugar forced the lethargy away, and after consuming the bar, she felt more
awake.

“Who is
Conall?” She remembered a man with a deep voice, black hair, dark eyes, harsh,
distinct features.

“Conall’s
the leader—
erm
—he’s in charge,” he finished lamely and Vivienne lifted
her brows in confusion. Remembering he couldn’t see her expression, she was
about to ask what that meant when Eli spoke. “He’s in charge of me. He’s my
uncle.”

She nodded.
Eli was slowly putting her at ease. First, the water then the chocolate, and
now he was telling her that he was camping with his uncle. Nothing
serial-killer like, if not for the blindfold.

“Why did
you blindfold me?”

He didn’t
answer. She turned to look at him in the dark. Of course, she could not make
out his expression. Just a shadow.

“Do you
have a lamp or something?” she finally asked.

“Yes.” He
moved about and then the cave was illuminated by a burst of golden light. She
squinted and then looked at him. She was right. He was a teenager—an attractive
teenager, but a teenager still.

He smiled
at her, and she found herself returning it.

“The
blindfold?” she repeated, and his smile fell. He didn’t want to answer the
question and she could read it in the startling green of his eyes.

“You’ll
have to put it back on soon,” he hedged, looking very uncomfortable, and she
narrowed her eyes. “It’s just that we’re private people. I’m sorry. I promise
we won’t hurt you.” With that, the light suddenly went out and she felt hands
on both sides of her head as the blindfold was reapplied. A trace of fear leapt
through her but the boy’s whisper—“You’re safe with us”—settled her.