Blue Moon (17 page)

“Just a bruise. I’ll be okay.”

He crossed his arms. “You sure?”

Logan nodded. “I’m sore, but I’ve had worse.” Jason picked up his bag, and Logan walked him to the door. “Any news on General Sloan?”

“Adam made contact. Sloan is eager to come out. He’s never seen the kids…” He sighed and shook his head. “But Adam’s not keen on it. He wants to find Chandler first. The general is our fallback plan if we can’t get the news guy to keep quiet about shifters.”

I wandered over, stopping beside Logan. “I know Chandler. This is a huge story. If Adam knows a government official who can threaten him with national security, then he should be here at the ready.”

“Thanks for the tip.” He almost smiled. “No promises Adam will take your advice, but I’ll do my best.”

Jason was older than Logan and I, but he had the type of rugged features that made men even sexier as they got older. He definitely seemed more like a werewolf than a doctor, but looks aside, my ankle didn’t ache as much, and Logan trusted him, so on some level, I did, too.

“Adam should listen to all of you more.”

Logan and Jason shared an amused look before the Pack doctor met my eyes. “Our Alpha is a good guy, and in spite of butting heads with him more than once, our Pack has never been more unified or stronger than we are now. He never wanted to be our leader, but he’s damn good at it.”

Logan’s hand caressed the small of my back. “Being the Alpha means you were the previous Alpha’s oldest son. You don’t get to choose. Fate does it for you.” His hand dropped to his side. “It also means he lost his dad, so the danger is real for Adam.”

Jason nodded and reached for the door. “Don’t judge him too harshly, Vivi. He’s a good guy.” He stopped and glanced over his shoulder. “And he thinks Logan got lucky the day destiny chose you for his mate.”

He winked and walked out the door, leaving me feeling like a chump for my earlier comment about Adam.

“Sorry. I shouldn’t have said that about your Alpha. I don’t know him well enough to make judgments. Jason won’t tell him what I said, will he?”

“Nah.” Logan chuckled. “Jason understands. He’s gotten in fistfights with Adam before.”

He pulled me into his arms and kissed my hair. “Being Pack doesn’t mean we always agree and get along.” He stepped back, meeting my eyes. “But even when we argue and fight, we’re there for each other. Even if you hated Adam, he’d love you and protect you because I do. No questions asked.”

I stared up at him, the corner of my mouth tugging up into a bittersweet smile. “Like my dad’s fire crew.”

He nodded. “Yeah. Except once a month we run as wolves up at Lake Tahoe.”

I ran my finger along his jaw. “I bet you’re a beautiful wolf.”

“I like to think I’m fierce.” He chuckled. “Either way…” He scooped me into arms, wincing and laughing at the same time. “I’m all yours, slugger.”

Lacing my fingers around his neck, I kissed his chin. “I like the sound of that.”

Chapter Twenty-Three

Logan

I left Anna at Madison’s on my way to rehearse with the band. We had a concert this weekend, and the new song I’d been working on still wasn’t right yet. Tough to get into the creative mode while the possible exposure of my Pack consumed my thoughts. It was easier to ignore the threat with Anna at my side. Without her, worry clouded me.

The cars in the storage lot were all familiar. Good. Gordon owned the place. He was a fan, and let us use one of the units to store our instruments and amps, as well as for band practice. It worked out great for us. It was private, with no neighbors to piss off.

I grabbed my guitar from the backseat and headed in. Stryker was already on his throne behind his drums, warming up. He nodded to me without interrupting his rhythm. Zane plugged into the amp and started turning the tuning head on his bass guitar. I opened my case and lifted mine out.

Zane flipped his hair out of his face. “Hey, man, Levi said we’ve got a publicist now.”

“When do we get to meet her?” Levi got up from behind the keyboard.

“And how are we going to pay her? I assume she’s not free.” Zane finished tuning and straightened up.

Stryker snapped his sticks into one hand. “Does this mean we’re finally going to tour?”

“Woah.” I put the guitar strap over my shoulder. “She’s my girlfriend, and she’s doing us a favor. Nothing to pay for now.”

“Girlfriend?” Stryker raised a brow, leaning forward on his stool. “Since when did the lone wolf start dating?”

I swallowed a chuckle. My bandmates had no idea how true that statement was.

“Get on Facebook, dude.” Levi turned on his keyboard. “Someone posted a pic of Logan sucking face with a hottie outside Rojo’s.”

Zane nudged me. “’Bout time, man. When do we get to meet her?”

I plugged my guitar into the amp and grinned. “She’s coming to the show this weekend.” I kept my voice even, like it didn’t matter, but I hadn’t been this hyped about a concert in years. Having Anna there had been a long forgotten dream. “Her name’s Vivianna.”

“Is that the name of the secret song you’ve been workin’ on?” Stryker gave himself a little cymbal crash.

I rolled my eyes. “Did you come to shoot the shit or to play?”

Zane started into the bass line, and we all joined in. For the next couple hours, I shoved my worries about Nero, Damian Severino, and Anna’s newscaster ex out of my head. The music exorcised my demons until I was drenched in sweat and grinning like a fool.

Stryker flipped his sticks and caught them. “Rockin’ practice. What time are we meeting at the venue?”

“Sound check’s at six, show’s at eight.” I grabbed a towel and wiped my face. “See you guys there.”

We packed up and went our separate ways. Stryker would stay behind and lock up after he got his drum set taken apart and put away. Once I was in my truck, my phone lit up with a call from Adam.

“Hey.”

Adam’s deep voice reverberated with Alpha power, instantly demanding all my attention. “Jason told me Vivi thinks we should bring Miller out to Reno.”

“Yeah.” I nodded even though he couldn’t see me. “She said this is too big a story for Chandler to drop. Unless someone can make him believe it’s a matter of national security, she said he’ll never give up.”

“General Sloan could still be working with Nero for all we know.”

“And he could be trying to stop them just like we are.” I waited, giving him time to chew on my words. “I need to tell you something else.”

“Can’t take much more bad news, Logan.”

I chuckled. “I’m with you.” I sobered. “It’s all over Facebook that I came into the coffee shop with a rifle and chased off the jaguar. Anna’s going to write up a statement and get my story out there.”

He didn’t blow his stack. Good sign.

“What’s the ‘story’ going to be, exactly?”

“She already leaked the idea that the jaguar escaped from someone illegally breeding exotic animals. And since I’m licensed to carry, her press release will say I heard screams and grabbed my rifle to help out.”

Adam chuckled. If I hadn’t been sitting, I might’ve fallen over. “That’s a good spin. She’s smart.”

She was damned smart. I smiled. “I wanted to ignore it.”

“It won’t go away on its own. I think she’s right about that, and this way we can stop it before it gets too exaggerated.” He paused. “Still nothing on the newscaster?”

“No.” I stared at my steering wheel. “She’s over at Madison’s right now, so we’ll know as soon as anyone hears from him. She tried his cell phone, but it goes straight to voicemail.”

“I don’t like it. We need to find him.”

“Sasha said the phone that had the picture on it was destroyed in the coffee shop. He’s got no proof.”

Adam was quiet for a minute. “If I were a news guy, I’d be looking for the eye witnesses. I’m going to see if Sasha can hit up her friends in the sheriff’s office. Maybe if the departments cooperate a little, she could get a list to check out.”

“We could split up the list and see if we catch his scent anywhere near the witnesses.”

“Exactly.”

I ran my thumb along the top of the wheel. “At Damian’s place, I caught the scent of Chandler’s blood. He’s definitely a jaguar now. No sign of wolf.”

“So just because Damian is a hybrid, his bite only passed on the animal form he was in at the time. Good to know.”

I nodded. “Yeah. So when we shift, we’ll only need to watch out for Damian.”

Adam huffed out a breath. “We’re all feeling it, Logan, but we have to avoid killing Antonio Severino’s son if we can. His life could be the only thing keeping Nero from showing up at our doorstep. They have more money and more manpower. For now, we have to be careful.”

“He told Anna he needs an heir.” My deepest fear bubbled up. I’d come so close to losing her…twice. “That sick bastard wanted her to have his children, heirs for his twisted father.”

For a second, I thought the call dropped. Finally, Adam spoke again. “An heir?”

My voice rumbled in my chest. “With
my
mate.”

“Logan.” That command was back in his voice. “We’ll keep her safe. My order still stands.”

“I’ll let you know when we find Chandler.” I clicked end.

The peace I’d found in my music was gone.

Chapter Twenty-Four

Vivianna

“So you’ll come with me to the concert?”

Madison nodded. “Sure, I’ll be your third wheel.”

“You won’t be a third wheel. Logan’s going to be busy on stage with the band.”

“So you say.” She glanced at the clock. “I better get to bed. I work tomorrow.”

“Okay. Thanks for being my wingman this weekend.”

She waved her hand and headed down the hall. “That’s what best friends are for.”

Her door closed, and I opened my laptop. I scanned my Google search and sighed. Not only did TMZ have an article about Logan and his rifle, but it ended with “developing story” which meant they’d be paying for pictures and any details of the event. Thank God Logan hadn’t actually fired.

Farther down the page was a post from Perez Hilton featuring the cell phone picture of Logan and I kissing after karaoke, and the byline
Who is Logan Reynolds’s mystery woman?

He’d warned me that dating him would put me in the spotlight. For now, no one knew me, but that anonymity wasn’t going to last.

One problem at a time.

I set up a new Word document and started crafting the press release about the attack in the coffee shop. Writing could be cathartic at times.

This was
not
one of those times.

Every word I wrote brought the memories back front and center. The bloodstained teeth, the way the jaguar’s large head scanned the room for me, and the vacant eyes of the man he’d killed. Anxiety prickled the back of my neck. My cell phone buzzed. I almost had to peel myself off the ceiling.

Chandler’s name lit up the screen. My pulse thrummed.

“Chandler?” I kept my voice down. With any luck, Madison wouldn’t need to know he’d called.

“You’re in danger.” He sounded breathless, agitated. “We all are.”

My gaze stayed on the hallway, centered on Madison’s bedroom door. “I’m so glad you’re all right.”

“Hardly.” He groaned. “I have so much to tell you.”

A car pulled into the driveway, and the air was sucked from my lungs. “Chandler?”

“I’m outside, Vivi. Let me in.”

This was Madison’s brother, my friend, but my instincts weren’t convinced of that. I stayed away from the kitchen window and lowered my voice. “I’m down in Reno. Where are you?”

“I don’t have time for bullshit. I can smell you.”

“Ouch.” I kept my voice hushed, backing down the hallway toward my room. “I showered today.”

“You can drop the act.” His tone dropped lower. “You know what I am.”

I tried to force a smile into my voice. “You’re Chandler Williams, future news anchor.”

“Dammit, Vivi.” The knob snapped in the kitchen, and the door creaked open.

The call went dead. I lowered my phone, my hands trembling.

His voice was closer. “Please. I don’t want my sister to see me like this.”

I started to pull up Logan’s number to send a text, but Chandler stepped into the shadowed hallway. “Put it away.” He rubbed a hand down his face. “I just need to talk.”

I slid my cell back into my pocket. Although my heart was palpitating in my ears, I forced myself to follow him back into the kitchen. This was my fault. I needed to face it.

Chandler stood tall in the dark room. The yellowed streetlight outside came through the window, leaving his face in shadows.

This wasn’t helping my frazzled nerves. “You turned the light out.”

“I’m a mess right now.”

I stayed at the far end of the room. “I’m so sorry.”

“I assume you had no idea we’d be attacked at that coffee shop.”

“No.” I crossed my arms, straining to see his face. “I never would have asked you to come with me.”

“You were right about one thing. This is a huge story.” His head tilted slightly. “Your heart is racing.”

So, he was strong enough to break the lock on the doorknob and had heightened senses like Logan, too. Already. I didn’t know how it all worked yet, but I forced in a slow breath. I needed him to be a friend, not an adversary.

“I’ve been worried about you.”

He ignored my concern. “That was Logan, from high school, who came in the coffee shop with a gun that night. Your ex, right?”

“Yeah. He heard the screams.”

“Because he’s a monster like me.”

“You’re not a monster.”

A cold laugh sent a chill down my back. “In less than a month, I’ll be just like that madman who bit me.”

“It doesn’t have to be like that.”

He crossed the room so fast I gasped, his breath on my cheek. “Did Logan tell you that? He’s a werewolf, Vivi. A killer. You’re not safe. No one is as long as they’re hiding. They’re predators. Hunters.”

“You’re scaring me.”

“You should be scared.” He grabbed my upper arm. “He’s dangerous. All these shifters are. But once the world knows they’re among us, they’ll cage them up like the animals they are. You’ll be out of danger. For good.”

This close, the whites of his eyes grew. He looked crazed. I swallowed the lump in my throat. “No one will believe you.”

“They will soon. It’ll be the full moon, Vivi. The wolves will run.” His teeth glowed in the dim light. “And I’ll catch them on film.”

“If you do this, the world will come after you, too.”

He let go of my arm. “I’m counting on it.”

Without a sound, he was gone. Like a cat. Outside, the car engine fired up. I ran to the door and closed it again. The lock on the knob was broken. Shit.

I pulled out my phone, willing my hands to stop trembling. I pressed Logan’s name and waited.

His voice was husky with sleep. “Anna? Is everything okay?”

“Chandler was here.”

His tone sharpened. “Are you all right?”

“Yeah, just shaken up.”

“I’ll be right there.”

I ended the call and stared out the window. This helpless feeling, the fear, I hated it. Never again. I got up and gulped down a glass of water, watching the stars. By the time Logan drove up, my hands were steady, and the panic had settled into smoldering determination.

He came in the door and pulled me into his arms, but I didn’t respond, my body tense. He stepped back, frowning. “Talk to me.”

“Chandler was here telling me how dangerous shifters are. He’s planning on taking pictures of you guys shifting during the full moon. He’s trying to get proof to back up his story.” I met his eyes, my voice distant but even. “I need to learn to shoot a gun.”

“Whoa. There are other ways to stop him besides shooting him.”

“I’m not going to shoot him. But I am going to have a gun and know how to fire it.”

He rubbed his jaw. “Okay.”

“I’m serious.” He could see better than I could in the dark, and I had no doubt he noticed the resolve on my face. “Never again will I be a sitting duck like I was tonight.”

“Did he threaten you?”

“No. But he wasn’t friendly, and if he’d wanted to hurt me, he could have. He’s too strong for me to defend myself now. Damian’s out there, too. I won’t live like this, in fear.” I shook my head. “I’m not going to sit back and wait for someone to rescue me. I’m going to protect myself, with or without you.”

“Okay. I can teach you.” He held out a hand. “We’ll start tomorrow.”

I stared at him. “You say that, but you don’t sound like you mean it.”

He sighed, his hand dropping to his side. “Madison’s sleeping?”

I nodded.

He kept his voice low and took a seat at the table. “I grew up in the Pack. I understood the danger. When Luke and I stopped playing team sports in high school, we started training to patrol our territory. We learned to fight, shoot, and defend ourselves and our Pack.”

I sat beside him. “That’s what I want.”

He met my eyes, and this close it was impossible to miss the regret on his face. “Nothing prepares you for the first time you have to take a life. And once you do, there’s no going back.” He took my hand. “And as much as it messes you up inside, in my world, you know it won’t be the last.” He squeezed my hand. “I wanted to spare you this life.”

Seeing the pain in his gaze made something click. I whispered, “There was more than just you shifting that night before you walked away from me.”

He clenched his jaw and finally gave a slow nod. “That full moon night, after we shifted back, I caught a scent in the woods. A jaguar.”

“I thought they shift during the new moon?”

“They do, but even as men, their scent doesn’t change.” He cleared his throat, his voice barely a whisper. “Luke was still shifting back. He couldn’t protect himself. I grabbed my pistol and tracked the jaguar. I found him prone on a rock with a rifle, pointed toward my brother.” He hesitated, his expression distant. “I lifted my arm, lined up the sight with his head, and pulled the trigger, just like I’d practiced hundreds of times.”

“You saved Luke.”

He nodded, his gaze meeting mine. “And I took a life.” He swallowed. “When the Pack heard the gunshot, everyone came as soon as they could. My parents hugged me, but all I could think was this guy’s parents would never hug him again. Did he have a brother? Kids?”

I wrapped my arms around him, kissing his temple.

He accepted my comfort for a moment before pulling away and getting to his feet. “You’ve been my best friend for most of my life, and the only woman I’ve ever loved.” His eyes met mine. “You shouldn’t have to do any of this. I never wanted you to be put in a position to have to make the choice to pull a trigger. You deserve so much better than this world I’m dragging you into.”

I got up and stood in front of him. “I know you’ve got this mate instinct to protect me, but I’ve got news for you. You can’t always be there. And here’s another newsflash—I want to be able to protect you, too. You live a dangerous life. I get that—”

“But you shouldn’t have to live in it, too.”

“And I don’t have to. I’m human. I don’t have that instinct like you do. I could just walk away, right?”

He nodded.

“Well, I choose to love you. I choose to be your mate, and if that means being in danger sometimes, then I choose to protect myself and to protect you.”

He reached up to caress my cheek, stepping even closer. “What did I ever do to deserve you?”

I smiled and pressed a kiss to his palm before meeting his eyes. “You were the only kid brave enough to walk over to that sandbox and play with the outsider.”

The corner of his mouth curved up in a crooked smile that still made my knees weak. “I love you, Anna.”

He kissed me slowly, his lips caressing mine until they parted. Our tongues tangled as his arms slid around me, pulling me close. Gradually I broke the kiss, resting my forehead against his. “Thanks for coming up here tonight.”

“Is that my cue to go?”

I shook my head and pointed at the door. “Chandler snapped the lock.”

“Shit.”

“Exactly.” I went to our tool drawer and held up a screwdriver. “Can you fix it?”

He inspected the kitchen door and shook his head. “No, it probably needs a new knob.”

“What am I going to tell Madison?”

“Putting a spin on these shifter things is more your specialty.”

I chuckled and closed the drawer. “Maybe I tried to let you in, and the lock kept sticking. I pulled and jerked, and it finally opened, but it also broke the lock.”

Logan grinned. “Guess that means I’m staying with you.”

I raised a brow. “Oh really?”

“Definitely. I can be your witness, your security guard,
and
your excuse.”

I took his hand and led him to my room.

…

Madison took the news about the doorknob as I expected—with annoyance—but she believed me. One problem solved. Over breakfast, I finished the press release about Logan Reynolds chasing off the illegal exotic jaguar and posted it online.

“Okay, kids, please don’t break anything else while I’m gone.” Madison grabbed her keys. “The locksmith will be here soon.”

“See you tonight.” I waited for the door to close before nudging Logan. “You promised to teach me to shoot today.”

He still didn’t look thrilled, but he didn’t try to back out, either. “Once the locksmith is done, we can run down and grab some of my handguns and ammunition. The gun range isn’t far from my place.”

The locksmith got the lock fixed, and Logan drove me down Mount Rose to Reno. After a quick stop at his house, we headed for the gun range. He brought a Glock for me to try, and in my head, I thought I’d be firing it right away.

Wrong.

He started teaching me gun safety. The slide on a Glock would move on its own, to shuttle the next bullet into the chamber. That moving part meant I needed the correct grip on the gun so it didn’t pinch me. Then he showed me the safeties on the weapon and talked about the recoil.

Logan sent the target out ten feet, and we stuffed plugs in our ears. “Okay, we’ll try at a short distance, and I’ll fire first so you get the idea of how to handle the kickback.”