Beneath a Darkening Moon (35 page)

He turned her around to face him. Her expression was one of amused anticipation. “One of the rules we agreed to,” she said mildly, “was no kissing during the day. And certainly not in my office.”

“I had my fingers crossed behind my back when I agreed to that,” he said, voice bland. “But I don’t actually intend to kiss you.”

“And why the hell not?” she asked, her voice filled with a fierceness that was belied by the twinkle in her eyes.

He grinned. “Because I have something more important to do.”

She raised an eyebrow, amusement giving way to speculation in her eyes. “More important than tracking down a killer?”

“Very much so.”

He caught her hand and pressed it against his chest.
The heat of her fingers, combined with the heady richness of her scent, stirred him in ways he’d never thought possible. Not just his body, but where it really mattered—his heart, his soul. If this wasn’t love, then he sure as hell didn’t know what was. But whatever it was, he wanted it—now and forever.

“Does my lady acknowledge the power of the moon?”

She took a sharp breath, her gaze widening in surprise. But deep in the green of her eyes a joyousness bloomed, and the power of it shimmered right through him. And he knew, right at that moment, that if there was ever one thing in his life he’d done right, then it was this. And he would never regret it, no matter what happened between them.

She took another deep breath and released it slowly. Then she said the words that were the beginning of the end for his moon-spun hold on her. “It is the power of the moon that binds us as one.”

The air seemed to stir around them, and energy crackled. Desire and something else—something more ethereal—shimmered between them, warming the night. Warming him.

“Does my lady acknowledge my moon-gifted claim on her?”

She moved a little closer, so that every inch of her supple body seemed pressed against his. “I acknowledge the claim of the moon. I acknowledge the rights it has given you.”

He raised her fingers to his lips and kissed each one slowly. Energy zapped between them each time his lips met her skin, making his mouth tingle and his body ache. Or maybe the ache, the magic, had nothing
to do with the moon and the power they were raising, but was simply the result of having her so close.

“Then by the right of the moon, and the power she has given me, I hereby renounce my claim on you. For this night, and for the remaining nights the moon has ceded me rights to.”

The air seemed to thrum, to burn, at his words. A vortex of power whirled around them, snatching at their clothes, their hair. Then it was gone and all that was left was the two of them.

She rose on her toes and kissed him slowly, softly, and it was unlike any kiss he’d ever shared with her. It was so filled with glorious promise that it shook him to the core.

“Thank you,” she said eventually, “for giving me the choice. For taking that risk.”

He raised a hand to her cheek and ran a finger across her lips. “Now we have the chance to uncover whether what lies between is real, or simply the moon madness.”

“It may be mad, but I doubt the moon has anything to do with it.” She hesitated, raising an eyebrow. “Do you think it’s real?”

Though her expression was serious, amusement played with the corners of her lips, as if she already knew the answer to her question. And maybe she did. Women were always more intuitive than men when it came to the emotional stuff.

He let his hand slide around to the back of her neck, holding her still as his mouth brushed hers. “Yes,” he said against the teasing, luscious warmth of her lips. “I do believe this is real.”

And he kissed her, trying to impart all his feelings, all his wants and desires, in that one simple action. He knew it was never going to be enough. Knew that the words themselves would have to be said—that after all these years, she deserved to hear them, even if she knew in her heart and could feel his emotions in his kiss.

And they had to be said now, while he had the time, just in case something happened to one of them. Fate had snatched her from him once. He couldn’t risk it happening again without at least telling her the truth.

He pulled back from the kiss and gently cupped her cheeks between his hands. “There’s something you need to know. Two things, actually.”

She raised an eyebrow again. Her eyes were shining with happiness, and the glow shimmered right through him. “And what might those things be?”

“The first is the fact that I think I love you.”

“Well, good, because I think the feeling might be returned.”

Relief, tension, and happiness unlike anything he’d ever experienced filled him. Just for an instant, he felt like a kid who’d been given every Christmas present he’d ever asked for. He grinned. “And the second is an apology.”

“For what?”

“For being such a coward at Rosehall. For never telling you what I was feeling, especially that night when you said you loved me.”

“Then I have to give you an apology—for going to Jontee. For never having the courage to follow my heart—”

He stopped her with another kiss. “Enough of the
past. Let’s just agree to the fact that we both made mistakes, and concentrate on the future from now on.”

“Agreed.”

“Then let’s go get these murdering bitches so we can start exploring that future.”

She grinned. “So it’s off to your motel room? With its nice double bed?”

“Please remember the fact that your snotty assistant booked our rooms,” he said dryly. “There is nothing nice about the bed.”

“There would be with you and me in it.”

She had a point, but it was one he had to ignore for now. “Bitches first. Sex later.”

“Then let’s go get them so we can get down to the serious stuff.” She broke away from him and headed for the door.

He pulled his shirt from the waistband of his jeans to cover the erection that just wouldn’t subside and followed her. A disheveled, red-haired figure was walking down the hall toward them.

“Ike! Thank God!” Savannah caught Ike’s arm, steadying him as he stumbled. “Are you okay? What happened?”

The kid winced and rubbed the back of his head. “Some bastard hit me from behind.”

They’d done more than that, from the look of him, Cade thought, as Vannah eased the kid into a chair and squatted beside him. Ike’s face was pale, bruised, and cut, with blood drying in streaks down the side of his face. His body seemed to have fared little better. His clothes were torn, revealing smudges of blood and bruising. Someone had given the kid a beating
once they’d knocked him unconscious. If it had been Candy, she must have been in a benevolent mood. She’d let him live rather than eat him. Thank God they had her behind bars now.

“Tell us what happened,” he said.

Ike grimaced. “I followed Denny to a burger joint on Galena Street. He didn’t order anything, just came out of the place looking really angry. Then he went over to this house on Summit Street—”

“Was there a blue pickup parked in the driveway?” Savannah asked quickly.

Ike shook his head. “But I woke up in one.”

Cade squatted beside Savannah. “So how did you get from the house to the truck?”

“A blonde invited Denny inside the house. I checked the windows, and it was obvious they were making out, so I retreated to the shadows to wait. Next thing I know, I’m tied up and lying in the back of some damn truck.”

“Then what happened?” Savannah asked.

He shrugged. “I was in and out of it for a while. When I awoke for real, I was in Ashcroft hut.”

Cade glanced at Savannah. “Which is?”

“An old hut hikers use if they get caught by the weather or at night.” She glanced at Denny. “How did you escape?”

“There was no one there. I was hog-tied, but whoever tied the knots didn’t know crap. I got out of there and came straight here.”

“Any signs that the hut had been used?”

“Yeah, but I wasn’t really concentrating on anything more than getting out of there.”

Cade rose. “We should check it out.”

“We need to check out those file notes, too. I’ve got a feeling you’ve missed something.”

He knew those notes by heart, and it was doubtful
he’d
see anything new in them. But she might. “Where’s Ashcroft hut?”

“About three-quarters of the way along the trail. The end comes out near the entrance of the Sinclair mansion, so that’s probably the quickest access point.”

None of which made any sense to Cade. “How about I check out the hut, and you check the notes?”

“You shouldn’t go alone. That’s just tempting fate.”

“Everyone else is dealing with the hiker mess. If we go together, it’s just doubling the temptation. And as you said, you need to look at those notes.”

Surprisingly, she didn’t argue. “Then we bring in outside help.” She squeezed Ike’s knee and rose. “You’ll need it to find the trail and the hut anyway, so I’ll call the Sinclairs and get one of them to act as a guide.”

“Which is only putting them in the line of danger,” Cade said.

She grinned. “The Sinclairs scoff at danger.”

He raised an eyebrow. “So they have the crazy gene that seems to haunt Sinclairs everywhere?”

“Some would say that,” Ike muttered, then glanced at Savannah quickly. “Except for Duncan, of course.”

“Duncan is your brother-in-law?” Cade guessed.

She nodded. “But given the attempt on my father’s life, I won’t be asking him. I’ll see if René’s available. He likes the rough stuff.” She glanced at Ike. “You’d better get over to the hospital and get checked out.”

“I’m okay. I want—”

“Ike,” she warned, in a voice that brooked no argument.

The kid scowled and Cade was hard pressed not to grin. He had a feeling the kid had heard that tone more than once. He dragged his room key from his pocket and handed it to Savannah. “The computer is on the luggage bench. The password is Vannah Harvey.”

Amusement touched her lush lips. “Interesting. Someone you knew?”

“Someone I thought I’d lost.” He touched a hand to her face, knowing the kid was watching and not caring. “Thankfully, I found her again.”

She briefly pressed her cheek into his touch. “And this time she won’t run.”

“Good.” He let his hand drop and stepped away from her, even though all he wanted to do was take her in his arms and never let go. Not just because he loved her, but because he had a bad feeling that something was about to happen. This case was about to reach a climax. “Be careful.”

“You, too.” She glanced at Ike. “And you stop scowling and get to the doctor.”

“Yes, ma’am,” the kid said, and scooted past them.

“I’ll call Duncan now,” she continued. “To get to the mansion, just head down Main until you see Park Street. That’ll take you to Mansion Road.”

“Okay.” He half-turned to go, then hesitated. “Watch your back. And don’t park in front of the motel.”

“Well, gee, and here I was all set to advertise my presence.”

He grinned at her sarcasm. “I know, I know. You’re
a ranger and you know a thing or two about policing. But I deal with crazy people on a regular basis. You don’t.”

“Stop worrying and just get going, or we’re never going to catch these people and get on with our life.”

He raised his hands. “I’m going, I’m going.”

And he did. But not without kissing her goodbye first.

S
AVANNAH PARKED IN
the street behind the motel and climbed out of the truck. The chill of the storm was still in the air, and if the clouds hanging like lead were anything to go by, Mother Nature hadn’t finished with them yet. Though storms often dumped snow on the peaks at this time of year, it didn’t always stick through the warm autumn days. But she had a feeling this storm was heralding a long, cold winter, which would make the cross-country skiing crowd happy—if they dared come back to the reservation after word of Candy’s attack got out.

She glanced up and down the street to see who was near or watching, feeling a little foolish even as she did so. But Cade was right—they were dealing with nutcases, and precautions needed to be taken.

The thought of him sent a twinge of worry through her. René had readily agreed to guide Cade, but that didn’t stop her from feeling that they were being played for fools. Ike was a clever kid, but she couldn’t help thinking his escape was too easy. Everything Anni and her disciples had done so far was meticulously planned, so tying sloppy knots and allowing Ike to escape just didn’t compute.

Unless, of course, that’s precisely what they’d wanted.

Which meant that Cade and René could be walking right into a trap. Of course, if there were ever two men she’d go out of her way to avoid a fight with, it was those two. She’d never seen Cade truly angry, but she’d felt the power in his body, and seen the battle scars. And René—well, she’d never met a wolf more willing to throw himself into the middle of a knife fight and consider it clean, harmless fun. He might not be insane per se, but that gene was definitely in his system.

She climbed the fence and jumped down into the small gap between the fence and the motel’s back wall. In several of the rooms to her right, she could hear conversation and running water, but Cade’s room was at the other end, out of the direct line of sight of the office but close to the main road. Undoubtedly, Kel had booked the noisiest rooms deliberately, but right now, with a killer intent on revenge, it was damnably inconvenient. She couldn’t get in without being seen.

A chill ran across her skin. She rubbed her arms and tried not to think about her earlier certainty that something bad would happen today. Something bad
had
happened—Candy. Surely fate wouldn’t dump anything else on them …

Another chill ran up her spine. Fate might not, but maybe Anni would.

She grimaced. She’d driven past her apartment on the way here, and the flower shop was still closed. Very unusual, to say the least. Had Anni somehow gotten wind of the fact that she was a suspect? Or
was it merely a coincidence she’d gone missing on the same day they’d discovered who she really was?

There was too damn much they just didn’t know, and people were dying because of it. It had to stop. And, somehow,
she
had to stop it. Frowning, she made her way down to the end of the building. After a quick look around the corner to ensure there was no one close by, she got the room key from her pocket and walked around to the front. Still no one, either nearby or passing along the road. She opened the door and stepped inside.