Blood Moon (Entangled Select Otherworld) (15 page)

I growled her name and stared down at her lips on my skin. Working my hips into her slowly, the pressure built as the pleasure intensified. It would be so easy to lose myself, but I wasn’t ready for it to be over. Not yet.

Chapter Twenty-Three

Nadya

“No more.” He tightened his fingers in my hair. “I’m on the edge.”

Hearing the raw desire in his voice was a heady aphrodisiac. I hummed around him, sending vibrations along his length as I pulled back. He stepped out of his pants and laid over me. My pulse pounded, feeling his bare skin against mine. I wanted to be one with him, to forget where I ended and he began.

I parted my legs and he sank even closer. The tip of his erection teased me but he made no move to plunge forward. I writhed under him, aching for more. Gareth took my hands in his, our fingers lacing together, and brought them up over my head, opening me to him completely.

“You are so beautiful, Nadya.”

My heart flipped. I’d never been so turned on physically and emotionally all at once. “I feel beautiful.”

He bent to kiss me, moaning as he finally drove my hips forward and sank into me. He fit my body perfectly, made for me, every inch of him mine. I pulled my hands free and clung to him. I couldn’t hold him tight enough. My nails dug into his back as his thrusts drove the passion even higher. Claiming each other over and over.

Without any warning, emotion swamped me, like a floodgate had opened all at once. I stared up into Gareth’s eyes but he didn’t say a word. His feelings jumbled together, fear, joy, lust, happiness, pride, all blending until I recognized one strong, pure emotion. He’d opened his emotions fully to me. Shared himself completely, laying his battered heart bare before me.

Tears swam in my eyes. I cupped his face in my hands. “I love you, too.”

He kissed me again, hard and urgent. I wished he could feel emotions like I did. I wanted to give him that, for him to experience them and know without question, how I felt. I broke the kiss gasping against his lips, “I love you.”

He moaned, kissing me again and again as our bodies collided, consumed by pleasure and passion. My orgasm rocked through my entire body, taking Gareth with me. He broke the kiss, calling out my name as he erupted deep inside of me.

We kissed, breathless, desperate kisses, as a tear spilled down my cheek. My fingers slid back into his hair as he parted my lips with his tongue. I could still taste myself in his mouth, and my wolf stirred inside of me. Possessive. Gareth was ours.

Finally he pulled back and whispered, “You felt it.”

“I did.” I nodded. “All of it.”

“And you feel the same.”

“I do.” I smiled, my eyes brimming with tears. “I wish you could sense it the way I do so I could give you more than just words.”

He shrugged. The corner of his lips curved into a crooked smile, I’d never seen on him before. “The words were pretty fucking awesome.”

I laughed, wrapping my legs around his waist so he couldn’t get away.

He kissed me. “I love hearing you laugh.” He sobered, staring directly into my soul. “I love you, Nadya. It doesn’t fix anything, but it’s honest.”

“It doesn’t have to fix anything.”

Another tear slid down my cheek and he kissed it away. “In our haste to get a room, we left all our clothes and toothbrushes in the saddlebag.”

We both knew he was changing the subject, but I’d never been more grateful. I didn’t want to think about our problems right now. This day had been a miraculous gift. Why ruin everything with reality?

“I guess we’d better get dressed and go get them.”

He kissed my forehead and rolled over beside me, separating our bodies. “I’ll go grab our stuff. You can stay here and rest.”

I laid my head on his chest, listening to the sound of his heart beating. “What about the jaguar following us?”

“I think he’s gone.” He caressed my back, his fingers sliding up my spine. “I haven’t caught his scent in a few hours.”

I propped my chin on his chest. “Why would he leave?”

“I don’t know.” Gareth sighed, tipping his head to look down at me. “But I’d rather have you here, safe in the room. I’ll come right back.”

I didn’t like it. If the jaguar shifter was still in Virginia City, he could attack Gareth and I’d never know. He’d be safer with someone else on the lookout. Maybe we could wait on our stuff until morning. I laid my head on his chest again and noticed another tattoo right over his heart. I’d seen it briefly the night before, but in the dim light, I’d thought it was a full moon. Now I realized inside the small circle was the silhouette of a howling wolf. When I took a closer look, there were actually three wolves, overlapped. His family.

Unlike the barbed wire around his bicep, this tattoo seemed more personal. More Gareth. I brushed my lips over it, kissing tenderly. “I like this one.”

He smoothed the back of my hair with his large hand. “I got that one a few years ago on the anniversary of the accident that took our folks.” His voice softened. “I added Gabe’s wolf a few weeks ago.”

Would I end up as another wolf over his heart? I didn’t want to think about it. I rested my head on his chest. “Why don’t we go get the stuff in the morning?”

“Because my saddlebags don’t lock. Our stuff could be gone by morning.”

Good point. I sighed. “Okay, I’ll put my clothes on and come with you.”

He rolled over so I was underneath him, his dark eyes pinning me. “The jaguar is gone. This will take me five or ten minutes, tops. Let me do this.”

I stared up at his chiseled face, his sober features. His broad shoulders made me feel small in comparison. This was my mate. Strong and bull-headed.

“I don’t want anything to happen to you.” I reached up to caress his cheek. “I’m a werewolf, too. If there’s a jaguar outside, I could help.”

He turned and kissed my palm, his gaze never leaving mine. “If I thought he was still in Virginia City I might take you up on that, but he’s gone.” He kissed me and murmured, “Please, sweetheart. Rest for me.”

He said “please,” and hearing my big tough mate call me sweetheart left me defenseless. “Fine.” I pulled him in for one more kiss. “You’ll come right back?”

“I will.” He nodded. “You’ll keep the bed warm?”

“I can do that.” I grinned.

He pushed up and got out of bed. I watched him get dressed, warming up all over again. Every muscle in his body tempted me.

Gareth came over to give me a kiss. “I’ll be right back.”

I caught his lower lip in my teeth, enjoying the deep growl in his throat. “You better.”

He crossed to the door and turned back. “I’ve got a key. Keep this door locked and don’t open it for anyone. Just in case.”

He didn’t wait for an answer. The door closed behind him and I glanced at the clock. Ten minutes and counting.

Chapter Twenty-Four

Gareth

Out in the hallway, I had to stop and shift myself in my jeans. I already wanted her again. No woman had ever affected me like this. Made it tough to think straight.

I slid the room key into my pocket and went down the stairs leading to the bar below. As soon as I pushed through the door, his scent slammed into me. The jaguar was back. I didn’t know where he’d gone to earlier to cover his scent, but now he was here. In the saloon. Right under our room.

Fuck.
Adrenaline shot into my bloodstream, heightening my senses. I had to keep a cool head. He wouldn’t blow his cover in a public place. Which one was he? Two older guys sat at the bar chatting while I scanned the room. My eyes stopped on a slender guy sitting alone in the shadows at the other end.

I headed in that direction, wishing I had my Buck Knife on me. It was stowed in the leather sheath, resting at the bottom of my saddlebag on the Harley. No way in hell was I going out to get it now. Not with Nadya right upstairs.

I approached him cautiously, half expecting him to bolt from the bar. He knocked back his drink and met my eyes. This was the same guy I’d seen briefly after Nadya was bitten. He blew up the lumberyard, destroying any chance of police discovering evidence of Fonthill and his condition.

I stopped a few feet from him. “Why are you following me?”

He glanced my way. “Not you. Her.” He set the empty glass on the bar and nodded to the woman behind the counter. “Another.”

She brought a whisky bottle over, but she didn’t pour. “I think you’ve had enough.”

His nostrils flared slightly. “Pour another.”

The bartender shifted her attention toward me. “You a friend of his?”

“No.”

He kicked the stool next to him out. “Sit, wolf.”

“Screw you, asshole. I’m not your damned dog.”

The bartender backed away without refilling his glass. He rolled his eyes and turned to face me. “Perhaps we should take this outside.”

“Fine.” Outside would get him farther away from Nadya. Worked for me.

I waited for him to go first. I wasn’t going to give the slick bastard a chance to race upstairs. Once we were out on the wooden sidewalk, he turned and walked toward the corner. I followed, scanning the area for any other unwelcome guests. He was the only shifter scent I picked up, but that didn’t mean there weren’t Nero agents around. Besides having trained jaguar shifter assassins at their disposal, they also employed well-trained mercenary units of humans.

He stopped in a dimly lit parking lot and faced me. His posture wobbled. Being shifters, our bodies metabolized liquor faster than humans, but even so, this guy was impaired. In his condition, I might be able to break his neck and end this without my knife. He had to know that. So why risk it?

I crossed my arms over my chest. “Who are you? Why are you here?”

“Age old questions I have no answers for.”

Maybe I’d just kill him. Did it really matter why this drunk jaguar was following Nadya? “I’m not here to play games.”

“Neither am I, wolf.” His eyes narrowed. “You don’t know who I am, do you?”

“Should I?”

He shrugged. “I’m impressed. Your precious Pack has secrets.”

My patience was wearing thin. “Who are you?”

“Sebastian.” He straightened up, suddenly not as inebriated as I suspected. “Sebastian Severino.”

I chewed on the information for a second. This guy wasn’t old enough to be the psychopath heading up the Nero Organization. “You want me to believe Severino sent his own blood out here for my mate?”

“Your mate?” He raised a brow. “Interesting.” Clearing his throat, he went on. “If you care about her, you will find her a new doctor. I can assure you Dr. Granger has one mission alone, and it’s ours.”

A growl rumbled deep in my chest. “Why should I believe anything that comes out of your mouth?”

“Because today is your lucky day, wolf.” For a moment, the streetlight shone in his eyes. He squeezed them shut, opening himself to attack, and I had to wonder if he had a death wish. I’d be happy to grant it, but first I wanted to find out what he knew about Dr. Granger and the serum he’d been pumping into Nadya.

He finally met my gaze again. “Today my father eliminated someone I cared about.”

“What does that have to do with Nadya?”

“Nothing directly.” He tipped his head, cracking his neck. “Dr. Granger is reporting her progress to us. He believes this last dosage of his serum will allow her to complete at least a partial shift without the moon. I was sent to collect her and bring her back to our headquarters for further study.”

“You expect me to believe you’re Severino’s son, and instead of following his orders and abducting my mate, you’re out here in a ghost town…helping us?” I clenched my fists, readying for a fight as I pulled in a slow breath, checking for any scents surrounding us. “And no backup either…”

“I also drank most of the bottle of whiskey.”

I shook my head. “Are you suicidal?”

“No. Not really.” He tipped his head to the other side, the joints in his neck popping again. “I was just leveling the playing field.”

I laughed, circling him. “You think you’re that much better than me? Fatal mistake, asshole.”

“I arrived here with a mission, but…” His jaw clenched. “He’s gone too far this time.”

“Stop talking in god damn riddles and tell me what the hell is going on before I kick your ass all the way back to Nero.”

“You would already be dead if I wished it.” He shook his head. “I’ve decided not to complete this mission.”

I rushed him, slamming him in the chest and sending him flying backward. He hit the brick wall hard and slumped to the ground. I pinned him against the pavement, my forearm pressed against his windpipe. “You’d be dead if
I
wished it, asshole.”

He smiled, his bright white teeth smeared with blood. “You have the same technique.”

Would this guy ever make any sense? “What the hell are you talking about?”

His smile faded. “I already killed you once.”

Gabe.

I picked him up by the neck and held him up, his back to the brick wall, then buried my other fist into his gut over and over. Hot blood dripped from his mouth onto my arm before he finally sprang to life, landing an upper cut into my jaw. Stunned, I stumbled back, freeing him.

Sebastian gasped for air, spitting up blood between wheezes. I advanced on him again, punching his temple. “You ambushed my brother, but you’re not so tough without your jaguar claws.”

He glared at me, keeping my attention on his eyes. Suddenly he kicked my leg like a fucking truck hit it. I fell to the pavement, knocking the air from my lungs.

He stumbled backward. “I didn’t come here to kill you, or to be killed, wolf.”

“You murdered my brother.” I scrambled to my feet, favoring the leg he attacked. My calf muscle cramped. I ground my teeth, biting back the pain. “You’ll never be safe again unless you kill me.”

He spat blood on the cracked pavement without taking his eyes off of me. “Your brother crossed my path during a new moon while I was in jaguar form. Even so, he cracked my ribs. If I hadn’t ended him, I have no doubt he would have ended me. I defended myself.”

I started toward him, hoping I was masking my injured leg. “You never should have been in our territory.”

“I had a job to do.”

“Not good enough.” I lumbered forward, but he spun out of the way. My momentum almost sent me to the pavement again. I turned around to face him, hungry for vengeance. “Why did you even admit it? You had to know I’d make things right.”

“Will killing me bring him back?”

I didn’t want to think, I wanted to fight. I wanted to kill.

I wanted my brother back.

But that was never going to happen. Even if I killed this jaguar. Even if I killed a hundred jaguars.

Footsteps plunked up the hollow wooden sidewalk. Running. I smelled her before she turned the corner.
Shit.

Nadya skidded to a stop. The streetlight glinted off the silver blade of my big hunting knife. She clenched the handle tight in both hands, moving between me and Sebastian. “Get away.”

Sebastian frowned and took a step in Nadya’s direction. I lunged in front, shoving her behind me. Pain screamed up my wounded leg. I didn’t fucking care.

“Leave her alone.”

He didn’t even look at me. His full attention was on Nadya standing behind me. “You look just like her, like Sasha.”

“How do you know my sister?”

He shook his head. “She can explain everything. There’s no time for that now.” He finally noticed I was close enough to wring his neck and put his hands up. “Wolf, your mate is in grave danger. The doctor has been lacing his serum with sedatives so it would appear that she is resting and getting better.”

“Why would we believe you?” Nadya asked.

“Because a few hours ago, my father ordered the elimination of an innocent woman I cared about. He made the decision without a discussion or a business purpose. He wanted to punish me, pure and simple, and so tonight, I want him to pay.” A muscle in his cheek flinched. He cared more about the woman than he wanted to let on.

I knew the feeling.

This jaguar killed my brother, the same jaguar who helped Aren, who knew Sasha. Did Sasha and Aren know he killed Gabe? Had my Pack been keeping secrets?

“Have you been giving my Pack information about Nero?”

“I’m no one’s informant.” The corner of Sebastian’s swollen mouth curved up. “I’m also far too intelligent to be my father’s mindless guard dog.”

“Are you telling me you play both sides of the field?”

“I’m telling you the only ‘game’ I care about is my own.” He wiped his mouth. “Do not let Dr. Granger inject your mate again. I tell you this in honor of your fallen brother. When I report back to Nero that I have not located her, my father will send another team to claim his prize. Be prepared.”

He turned and walked away, leaving his back exposed for attack. Maybe he was more suicidal than he realized. I couldn’t let him vanish knowing what he did to Gabe. I got two steps in before Nadya grabbed my wrist. “Gareth, wait.”

I glanced over my shoulder. “He killed Gabe.”

“I know but…”

Her hands trembled and she lost her grip on me. I spun around, catching Nadya before her legs buckled, the jaguar all but forgotten. Tremors wracked her body, her jaw clenched to bite back a scream. I scooped her into my arms, my pulse pounding in my ears. Rushing for the safety of our room, I did my best to keep from jarring her.

Once I had her inside, I laid her down on the bed and knelt beside her head, stroking her hair back. She didn’t move or speak, but her chest rose and fell with each breath. Unconscious, not gone.

Her fingers lengthened and my dread increased. Would she live through this? I had no fucking clue, all I knew was I wasn’t about to let death take her from me.

I reached for her hand and the wolf song rumbled in my chest. I chanted, closing my eyes. Watching her in pain stifled the peace in the repeated melody, and right now I needed all the calm I could muster. With her psychic gifts, my panic probably hurt her even more than it incapacitated me.

Claws cut into my hand, but my voice remained level, my eyes closed, my focus unshaken. I called to her wolf, singing in my mother’s native language, telling the wolf’s story of love and strength, each repetition cooling the fire of desperation smoldering in my gut.

Gradually I noticed my surroundings changing. We were on the deck of Sloan Consulting’s cabin at Lake Tahoe. She was wearing the same dress she’d worn for Aren’s wedding. And her skin almost burned my hands right through the fabric.

We were dancing, but no one else was around. The corner of the deck overlooking the lake where Logan’s band had performed during the wedding was empty now. The only music came from my lips.

Nadya looked up at me with tears in her eyes. “I’m not leaving you.”

“No, you’re not.” I kissed her forehead. Way too hot. “Stay with me.”

Her hands were normal again, but I couldn’t be sure if it was because this was only a dream, or if my dream walking was helping her. As I chanted, an idea formed. It might not work, but it was all I had.

I dipped her slowly. “Let’s go upstairs.”

She nodded in spite of her puzzled gaze. “All right.”

We went inside the cabin and up the stairs. My wolf chant continued somehow, like my body might still be chanting, but we were walking in the dream realm, in our minds. In the master bedroom, I led her into the bathroom. Aren’s company built the cabin with every luxury, including a Jacuzzi tub big enough for two.

I turned on the faucet, filling the bath with cool water. Once I had the jets on, I straightened. “The cool water might help, and hopefully the jets can massage your muscles and relax them.”

And stop the change, I hoped.

She nodded and turned so I could unzip the dress for her. After kicking off her shoes, she let the dress slide off, the fabric pooling around her feet. She wore nothing underneath. I took her hand and steadied her as she stepped into the tub.

Nadya gasped. “It’s cold.”

“It’s going to feel good once you get in. You’ll see.” The chanting continued around us as I coaxed her to sit.

She moaned, a shiver wracking her body, but she didn’t claw her way out, or shriek. Resting against the Jacuzzi jets, her eyes drifted closed. I watched her, and chanted. Her features softened, relaxation smoothing away the lines of pain. She appeared to be sleeping. I leaned forward to caress her forehead with my lips, relieved to find her temperature had dropped a bit. It was working.

My throat ached, raw, pulling me away from the dream. I blinked my eyes open and we were back in the hotel room. Nadya slept on top of the bed, her hands no longer wolf paws. Maybe I imagined it.

I got up from the floor, tentatively ceasing the chant. Nadya still rested. Perfect. I went into the bathroom and closed the door, but something made me stop. Blood dripped off the door knob onto the white tiled floor. Frowning, I lifted my hand. My palm was pierced in four places, each one with a deep bloody line following up my forearm.