Beneath the Neon Moon (8 page)

Mal rose over Zach on his knees, shoulders wide and bare, mouth red as wind burn and hunger written all over his face, desperate with it, so beautiful. Zach couldn’t stop looking at him.

"C'mere," Zach said. His voice shook. He didn't try to hide it. He pulled up his pants and sat up. Mal lay down beside him, unfastening his jeans from over his flat belly. Zach took over, working them down over his thighs, and then bent to follow the line of hair from Mal's navel downward with his tongue, unable to resist.

Mal's cock was rock hard, flushed red and straining. Zach braced himself on one arm beside Mal, leaning down and swirling his tongue over the crown, tasting him, lapping all over, slow, reveling in it. Mal writhed in protest, getting his hands in Zach's short hair, trying to push him down. Zach mouthed the jut of his hip bone, then bit down and held it, looking up to meet Mal's gaze. Mal's eyes widened, pupils going dark, something so intense, some animal response leaping into them that for a second Zach wondered if he'd pushed him too far. He kept watching him, licking slowly where he'd bitten, and Mal closed his eyes tightly. A tremor went through his body.

"Spread your legs," Zach whispered, voice like gravel, then moved to the crease at Mal's hip, licked there and then down, avoiding his cock, licking slowly over Mal's balls. Mal made breathy, wordless begging noises, hips rising off the dirt, straining into Zach's touch.

Zach pushed Mal's jeans down as far as he dared over the chains. He sat up and slicked his fingers with spit, then brushed a finger over Mal's hole. He felt Mal's body grow still before he shuddered, trying to open wider for him, sounding frustrated, but it was enough for Zach to get where he wanted. He pushed in a little at a time, then deeper, working his way into him with another finger, opening him up. Mal made a wavering sound, Zach's name in it somewhere. His pupils were blown wide, stomach muscles straining as he pushed down onto Zach's fingers, taking them in further.

"More," he whispered, his voice hoarse. He licked his lips.

"Motherfuck," Zach swore. His cock twitched and started to fill again as if he hadn't just come. He bent and sucked Mal's cock into his mouth, his tongue sliding in long swipes over the head, tasting precome. He pushed a third finger inside, hard and sudden. Mal's hips jerked, then froze. A long, drawn out groan fell from his open mouth as he came, hips jerking, pulsing into Zach's mouth.

Zach closed his eyes, tasting him, feeling the shift and twitch of skin against his tongue. He breathed in the musky, sharp tang of what they'd done together, wishing with everything in him for a tomorrow he probably wasn't going to see.

Mal pulled him up over his body and rolled Zach beneath him, kissing him, trailing kisses down his throat, then settled down, nudging Zach's neck with his nose. Zach lay back and stretched his neck for easier access.

He glanced once at Mal's arm. There was only deep pink scar tissue there.

"Maybe we'll get out of here, Zach. Maybe we'll be okay," Mal said into his throat, burrowing closer.

"Yeah, maybe." Zach turned away from the sight of the scarred arm. He bent to kiss Mal's head.

Chapter 9

"L
AST
TIME," AARON murmured into Zach's ear.

Kane and Aaron had tied Mal's hands and taken him upstairs, then brought him back in quick order. They'd brought fresh water. Mal's face was dark with anger by the time they'd brought him back down, and his expression moved right on to unqualified fury when they unchained Zach and took him away. He'd stood and watched them climb up the stairs, his whole body stiff with rage.

"Last time what?" Zach asked, trying to sound indifferent.

"Last time we're bringing you up here. Tonight he turns." Aaron was behind Zach in the hall, leaning forward to speak quietly. Kane led the way back toward the stairs.

"How? What's going to happen?"

"You really want me to spell it out?"

"Why not?" The question sat like lead in his chest. He really didn't want to hear the answer. 

"You're going down there with him. When the moon rises he'll presto, change-o, same as us. He'll tear you apart. A first timer's ritual, like I told you, courtesy of the pack bringing a new member in. In the morning we'll come back and let him out. We'll teach him some control and how to hunt without putting all of us in danger. But then, you're not gonna be around for that part."

Zach's legs went weak. He fought to keep from showing it. "Well, you might have a problem there."

"We haven't yet. We've turned three in this house."

"Not what I mean. He doesn't want to be one of you."

Aaron nodded. "Not yet, but he will. He's alpha. He's strong."

"An alpha who hates your guts. Sounds dangerous."

Kane stared at him. "He hates us now, but that'll change. It always does. There's nothing like wanting to chow down on the people around you for a bonding experience with other wolves. And even if he doesn't want to be with us, where else would he go? In the end there's no choice at all." He leaned closer so that his mouth brushed Zach's ear. His voice was a low growl. "Now how about you tell me something. Was it good when he fucked you?"

Zach jerked away. "How did you—"

"His scent's all over you, just like how I know he smelled us on you. You have no idea, do you? No wolf could mistake it."

Zach ducked his head. "Not like he gave me a choice." He felt like shit for saying it, but he had to throw them off. The bastards already knew he and Mal had a connection. He didn't want their guard up even more because of it.

"No?" Aaron said, and Zach heard the humor in his voice. "Well, I know how hard you are to resist. As a matter of fact, so is he. I'm surprised you didn't go for it willingly."

"He's hard to resist all right. Especially when the son of a bitch has twenty pounds and a couple of inches on me and suddenly decides he wants a fuck buddy," Zach swore, doing his best to sound bitter.

"Good looks don't always get you what you want after all, huh?"

"Fuck you, you wouldn't know. And speaking of, why don't you all just get each other off and leave me the hell alone? I'm a little tired of getting passed around."

Aaron smirked. "Above all, wolves are opportunists."

"Why me? Just tell me. Hell, why him? Why'd you pick us?"

"Nothing mysterious. We need more pack members. New pack needs food, but out of the public eye." He shrugged. "It's almost that simple. The pack picked him, and then there you were. A little early, but it was just too convenient not to take advantage." He paused. "Too bad. You're not a bad guy."

Zach doubted very much that all the people Aaron had killed had been bad guys, but saying so was pretty senseless, he supposed. "So let me go."

Aaron gave him a slow, knowing smile. "It's too late. See, I've got a brother to feed."

Zach gritted his teeth and returned his look. Aaron might be able to read the signs and know how afraid he really was, but damned if he'd show it.

The fear had built steadily over the last few hours in the cellar with Mal, who'd twitched and paced and ran restless hands over his hair, once growling and slinging the damn chain aside when it got in the way, purposely careless of how it tightened over his ankle.

He'd stopped, towering in front of Zach, chest heaving in frustration. His breathing slowed and he'd raised his head. Sniffed the air like a dog, short sips of breath through the nose, focused and intent, an animal on the hunt. He'd smiled, hearing Zach's heart beat faster. Hunkering down, Mal had pulled up the bottom of his jean leg. He'd grabbed the chain between him and Zach and wrapped a hand around it, pulling slow and deliberate. Blood welled around the ankle chain and down his ankle.

"Dammit, Mal, just stop!"

Mal ignored him, a mixture of pain and lust and terrible need growing in his face, taking it over and leaving nothing behind that Zach could recognize, nothing of the man who'd touched him and whispered beautiful in his ear.

"You smell that? It smells like coins you've carried in your hand in the summer, warm and sticky and metallic. There's an edge to it. It's so sharp it sings. And it's heavy, almost too heavy. Rich." Mal closed his eyes and breathed in, smiling. He rubbed his fingers in the blood at his ankle. "Ummm. Fuck, that's good," he said, his voice rumbling low and smooth in his chest. He held his hand up to Zach. "Taste it."

"Hell, no." Zach slapped his hand away. Mal grinned and jabbed his hand insistently at Zach, and Zach grabbed his arm and thrust it away. "
No
."

God, he didn't want to go back down in that cellar again.

Kane unlocked the door. They walked through it. Zach heard the snick of the door behind him, loud as a gunshot. It was a bad dream, a nightmare. They walked single file, steps creaking dryly beneath their feet. Kane hooked them together again while Aaron stood back and watched. When he finished, Kane stood.

"Tonight's the night," Aaron sing-songed, his voice melodic.

Kane inclined his head at Mal. "You're going wolf."

Mal stood beside Zach, watching Kane and Aaron. He didn't react.

"You were bitten. It's the third night of the full moon. You've been feeling it and now you're going to complete the transformation. You'll be one of us." Aaron waited, looked impatient. "Full moon fur fest, get it?"

Mal looked down at his arm where the dog—no, wolf—had bitten him, then at the two men. His voice was drawling, his face impassive. "You know, I kinda feel like the slow kid in class, but I finally noticed how fast I've been healing. Acknowledged it. It's just, there was no rational explanation for it, so I didn't have to believe it. Nobody heals like this. Nobody human, anyway. I couldn't quite make the leap, you know? Didn't want to, to be honest. But yeah, I got it now." He looked at Zach. "You've known for awhile what they want me to do to you. I bet they thought it was fun to tell you what you had to look forward to. Why didn't you tell me?"

Zach stared at Mal. He couldn't begin to figure out how to answer.

"I won't hurt you," Mal said, his voice firm.

Kane threw back his head and laughed. "You will. You'll love it."

"It'll be me first." Mal yanked the chain deliberately, the spikes digging into his skin. "You hear me. Believe me. I won't." His teeth were bared and white, every line of his face taut. He bent and touched his ankle. He raised his hand to Zach, offering the blood.

"I promise. This is a promise," Mal said. Zach flinched back. "I won't hurt you. They think I will. You think I will but I won't."

Kane laughed again. "A covenant offered in blood. Just like a pup. The blood means more than this piece of meat knows, but you can't keep your word this time, Mal." He looked at Aaron, grinning, but Aaron's face was thoughtful, studying Zach and Mal.

"Stop, Mal." Zach grabbed the bloody hand, his face wrenching, and pushed it away. "You keep hurting yourself as if it'll keep anything from happening, and it won't."

"Just—tell me you believe me? Zach?"

Zach ignored the plea in Mal's voice. His stomach hurt. His eyes felt dry and swollen. He let the terror and the grief show naked on his face, but he couldn't look at Mal. "You think I don't want to? It's my
life
we're talking about here. You can't change what's happening to you, Mal, no matter how hard you try. I'm going to die, and God, I don't want it, but it's going to happen. You're the one who's going to do it." He could barely finish saying it.

He stared at the ground, found a blood-soaked patch of dirt and fixed on it. He waited for the sounds that told him Aaron and Kane were gone, counting every beat of his pulse until the door closed at the top of the stairs.

Chapter 10

M
AL
SLOUCHED WITH his back against the wall, looking down at his hands folded in his lap.

"You were being overprotective. You showed them too much of what you were thinking," Zach whispered into the silence Aaron and Kane had left behind. They'd gone upstairs, but he knew their hearing was extraordinary, and he couldn't have them knowing what he had to say. Zach put a hand on Mal's shoulder. "Aaron noticed." His fingers dug in harder. "
Mal.
They told me upstairs that they were leaving and they won't be back until tomorrow morning. They said it's what they do for the first transformation. The pack leaves you alone, safe and with your—your—"

"Victim? Prey? You think that's how I see you?" Mal flared, then closed his eyes.

"No." Zach paused, rubbing his forehead and looking away to break the intensity between them. "I don't. I've been in this cellar with you and I knew what they were doing and I still believed in you, Mal. They've turned others in the pack here. They consider leaving you alone with me as a rite of passage. I couldn't have them seeing something between us and risk them siccing a guard on us. I'm sorry."

"I know you are. I also know you don't believe me." Mal turned and finally looked at him, regarding him steadily.

The fear and dull weariness there made Zach's heart contract painfully. He couldn't keep his own fear hidden, not any more. "It's not that I don't want to believe you. But you've been changing. It won't do either of us any good to deny it."

Mal looked at him levelly. "Then remember this, okay? I'll do anything to keep this thing inside of me away from you."

"How?" Zach asked softly. The question hung in the air between them.

"You're right here beside me, reminding me of who I am and what happens to you if I let go. You're the one that told me I can do this, Zach, okay, so you have to believe it now. I'm not gonna kiss you, put my mouth on you and make you feel something for me—God, make you come for me and then
hurt
you. Not as long as there's any of me still left in here."