Blue Moon: Blood Moon Trilogy #3 (14 page)

“Hey,” I greeted her with a big smile. “Didn’t sleep well?”

Colby yawned, pulling out a stool and sitting down, resting her chin in her hands. “Not really. Mom put Cordy in my room, hoping that being with someone might help her feel safe.” Another yawn. “But she hardly slept.”

Concern filled me, and I stayed at the island while Nick checked on the eggs. “Did she have nightmares?” Considering I’d had one, it only made sense that Cordelia would after being held captive for far longer.

Shrugging, Colby looked at me. “I don’t think so. I didn’t notice anything, anyway. She just…didn’t sleep. She sat on her bed and stared out the window. Paced the room. Talked under her breath to herself.”

“Well that…doesn’t sound good,” I replied. “Maybe I should talk to her.”

Nick set the eggs down between Colby and me. “Give her time, you two. She’s been gone for years. This has to be an adjustment to her. She could be struggling with PTSD.”

Of course Nick was right. We needed to give Cordelia time to readjust to Pack life. But we also had to help her acclimate to her life here again. This was her home, and we needed to address her problems in a sensitive way.

Before I could suggest this to Nick and Colby, Miranda and Marcus came in, Cordelia following behind them. She had a huge smile on her face, and there was nothing that screamed she was exhausted from not sleeping. She looked perfectly well-rested. Was she just used to not sleeping?

“Good morning!” Miranda greeted, looking around at all the food as she approached Colby and kissed her on the cheek. “You guys didn’t have to do all this.”

I smiled brightly. “Nonsense. You take care of us all, let us treat you to a morning off,” I told her.

Marcus rounded the island and grabbed a couple of coffee mugs, filling them up.

“Dad, can I get a cup?” Colby asked through another yawn.

Marcus’s brow furrowed with worry as he poured Colby a cup of coffee. “Rough sleep, honey?”

Colby forced a smile, sitting up straight and trying to look alert. “It was fine. I think I was still just…I don’t know, tired from so many days of shifting in a row. It took a lot out of me.” Colby looked at me, silently pleading with me to keep her secret. She could see how happy her parents were to have her sister back, and she didn’t want them to think she felt burdened.

Vince and Layla entered the kitchen next, giving Colby the out she needed, and the conversation quickly shifted to Cordelia. The poor girl tried to act okay with so many people, but I could see the stress in her eyes. She was overwhelmed. She’d been kept in a cage by herself for so many years, that this many people at once was a shock to her system. She handled it all in stride, but I watched her to make sure she didn’t have a breakdown. I knew all too well what that was like from my early days here.

The front door closed, and soon Corbin and Zach joined us, grabbing a couple slices of bacon as they sat on either side of Colby. “Perimeter is still clear, Dad,” Corbin announced.

“They’re probably still regrouping,” Marcus said. “We’ll discuss a plan after breakfast.” He cast a glance at Cordelia and ran a hand over her head. “Privately.”

“It’s okay, Daddy,” she said. “You can talk about it in front of me. Maybe I could help.”

Marcus shook his head. “Absolutely not, peanut. Maybe when you’re older.”

I knew what it was like to be shut out of the big boys’ plans, but I sided with Marcus on his decision. She was still too fragile; possibly unpredictable.

“Brooke?” My eyes snapped to Marcus. “You’ll join us in the library after breakfast?”

I tried to keep the smile off my face for Cordelia’s sake; I could see the hurt in her eyes. “Sure. If you think that’s best,” I replied, hoping Cordelia might see it as submission to my Alpha instead of wanting to be included in the investigation.

When Roxanne entered the kitchen, Marcus gave the order to eat, making me pause. Questioning him wasn’t something anyone did, but I felt the need to in this one instance.

“We’re not waiting for Jax?” I asked, watching Corbin and Zach grab plates to fill.

Marcus looked at me, then to Nick. “He’s not back yet.”

I inhaled deeply. It wasn’t that I didn’t believe him, but I wanted to prove him wrong. I wanted to prove to him that Jackson had returned in the middle of the night while we were all sleeping. He wasn’t still out there. He’d had plenty of time to return home.

All I caught were days-old traces of him in the air. Excusing myself, I raced up the stairs and down the hall to the right. I threw his door open, realizing this was actually the first time I’d seen his room. It was a mirror image to Nick’s room, though the décor was more modern and sleek. His bed was made with crisp black blankets, not a wrinkle in the comforter, and his scent was fading because he hadn’t been here in days.

Even though Nick had tried to tell me that Jackson was fine, something in the pit of my stomach told me otherwise.

M
arcus tried to assure me that all was fine. Like Nick, he explained that this wasn’t unlike Jackson, but nothing he could say would help me feel better. Until he told me we’d head out and look for him that afternoon—as soon as we came up with a plan of attack. This helped a little.

Still, I picked at my breakfast. Even though I was famished, I pushed my food around my plate, taking a bite here or a bite there, but my thoughts were never very far from Jackson and the trouble he might be in. Why wasn’t anyone else worried? Was I just overreacting because of what I’d been through? Maybe what I’d been through made me more attuned to the possibilities that no one else could see.

Regardless, Marcus was right; even if Jackson was in trouble, we couldn’t rush the compound without a plan. We would have to be prepared to deal with Bobby and his army or we wouldn’t walk away from it.

“You’re not eating,” Miranda pointed out, resting a hand on my forearm.

Smiling, I set my fork down and shrugged. “There’s still a lot going through my mind, I guess. Hard to focus on any one thing.”

“Yes, of course,” she acknowledged. “You should try to eat a little more, though. You’ll need to keep your strength up.”

Naturally, she was right, so I picked my fork up and forced myself to eat. I’d only gotten three bites of my eggs down before the queasy feeling from last night returned, and I excused myself.

A fever warmed my skin as I left the kitchen, and my saliva thinned in my mouth while bile churned in my stomach. Picking up speed, I raced around the corner to the half-bath on the main floor, dropping to my knees on the tile floor and hugging the porcelain bowl of the toilet as I heaved what little I ate into it.

There was a light knock on the door before the hinges creaked. I glanced up to see Nick poke his head through the opening, worry etched into the deep lines of his forehead. “Babe, you okay?”

I wiped my mouth with the back of my hand and let my eyes fall closed as I nodded. “Yeah. I think I’m still feeling the effects of my late-night binge,” I assumed. “I’ll be okay.” Pushing myself to my feet, I walked to the sink and turned the cold water on. I splashed my face, shocking my system slightly, and then I used the mouthwash under the sink to rinse the foul taste from my tongue.

Feeling a little light-headed, I walked toward Nick and laid a hand on his chest. “I’m fine, Nick. Just a little worn down.”

This didn’t seem to assuage his fears as he pushed my hair from my sweaty brow. “You don’t look fine, baby.”

I smiled and patted his cheek. “Always a charmer,” I teased. “Come on. We should go and finish breakfast as a family and then have our sit-down with Marcus.”

Reluctant at first, Nick followed. All eyes were on us as we returned to the kitchen, and Miranda’s worried expression wasn’t missed. I offered her a smile, hoping to ease her mind, but she continued to watch me with interest.

Because I was no longer very hungry, I decided to start tidying before Miranda interrupted me.

“Why don’t you sit down? You worked hard to make this meal for us all. Take a breather.” Her smile was wide, eyes bright, and while it wasn’t unusual for her to offer to help, something in her eyes felt…off. I couldn’t place it, but I accepted her offer, knowing she wouldn’t take no for an answer. She so seldom did.

I sat with Nick at the table while Miranda enlisted Layla, Roxanne, and Colby to help her clean up. Eager to fit in, Cordelia hopped up from her place at the table and ran to her mother’s side. Happy to include her long-lost child, Miranda gave Cordelia a list of things to do. I watched on, smiling before a hand fell to my shoulder.

“Ready?” Nick inquired when I looked up to find him standing over me.

I glanced around the table to find Marcus, Vince, Zach, and Corbin standing up and clearing their plates. “Yup. Let’s do this.”

“Join us when you’re done,” Marcus said, stopping at the kitchen island where Miranda was cleaning up.

Miranda nodded. “All of us?” She glanced carefully over her shoulder to Cordelia, whose back was to us as she dried the dishes Colby was washing.

Marcus contemplated this for a moment, seeming hesitant. “Send the others. I’ll fill you in privately after.” Miranda gave him a curt nod as he leaned in and kissed her cheek.

Nick and I followed Marcus and the others toward the library. Vince leaned against the window frame while Marcus sat at the head of the long table. Feeling a little nervous that I was about to take the floor and tell everyone of my experience, I paced the room. Nick sat on the stairs, resting his forearms on his knees, while Zach and Corbin sat at the table as well.

The room remained silent, my anticipation building. I felt the nausea return as my heart raced and my palms sweat. It was upon my third pass that Nick reached up with his right hand and grabbed mine, giving it a gentle squeeze. He nodded, silently offering me a seat, but I couldn’t sit; I was far too anxious about having to relay every detail of my time in the compound.

Layla, Colby, and Roxanne joined us moments later, each of them taking a seat at the table. Before any more time could be wasted, Marcus cleared his throat, commanding our attention. When he got it, he began.

“I’m going to hand the floor over to Brooke in a minute, but I wanted to thank each of you for everything you’ve done to help bring her home.” His eyes met mine at the same time Nick pulled my hand to his lips. “Brooke, I can’t tell you how deeply sorry I am that this even happened to you. We should have protected you.”

“Please,” I interjected. “None of what happened was your fault.” Shrugging, I looked around the room. “Besides, had I not gone off all hot-headed, Cordelia wouldn’t be home. So, yeah, while being caged and collared isn’t exactly my idea of a five-star mountain holiday, in the end, it was all worth it to complete your family again.”

“And for that,” Marcus said, pressing his palms together, “I will be eternally grateful to you.”

With that out of the way, Marcus explained that I would recount everything that happened to me, right down to my escape. I started with my capture, even though the details were still a little hazy, and went into the events of the days that followed. Nobody seemed too particularly surprised by the fact that I was caged or that they’d gotten smart and laced the bars with silver to keep our kind contained. The collars came as a bit of a surprise, but the torture didn’t; that was apparently right up their alley. When I got to the part where they were drawing blood samples from me, that was when the room fell eerily silent, their unspoken questions hanging heavily in the air.

Roxanne was the first to speak, pushing herself away from the bookshelf she was leaning against. “Why would they need our blood?”

“No,” I corrected her. “Just mine.”

Her perfectly arched eyebrows narrowed. “This is going to sound awful given our history with one another, so I’m going to apologize in advance, but what the hell makes your blood so special?” She paused. “Again, no offense.”

“None taken,” I assured her before looking down at Nick. Having not spoken with any of them about my capture since I’d returned home, I suspected they didn’t know everything yet. Marcus and Miranda likely did, but the news hadn’t travelled to the rest of the Pack yet. Taking a deep breath, I steeled myself for my reveal. “My blood is the same as Bobby’s. He plans to mix the races, giving his kind the added benefit of being able to go out during the day.”

Nobody blinked. Nobody breathed.

“I’m sorry,” Layla spoke up, leaning forward from her seat and rubbing her protruding stomach. “Bobby’s
alive
?” She looked at Nick and then at Vince. “I thought you killed that miserable son of a bitch.”

Nick ran a hand over his face. “We thought we had. Apparently he’s a little more resourceful than we thought.”

A chair creaked, and my focus shifted to Zach as he leaned back in his chair. “I’m having trouble understanding this. Why can’t he use any of our blood?” Everybody stared at him, and he must have felt like he was being judged, so he quickly tacked on, “Not that I want this to happen to anyone else, I’m just trying to wrap my head around this.”

Nausea crept up again, and a feeling of light-headedness came over me quickly. My knees felt unsteady, so I slowly lowered myself to the step beside Nick before anyone caught onto my sudden fatigue.

After shaking the foggy-brain feeling away, I looked at Zach. “He’s tried using other’s blood. The way he tells it, Gianna has been up to this since the beginning. She’d capture our kind and try every way imaginable to create this hybrid creature. Injecting blood, biting…every test subject she used—wolf and parasite, alike—died a slow and painful death.”

“So what makes them think it would be any different with you?” Zach continued.

“They figured it has something to do with the genetic breakdown of the blood not being compatible.” Nick ran his hand up and down my back when I inhaled a shaky breath. “Since Bobby is my twin, she must have figured she’d have the perfect test subject. That’s why they came to Arizona.” I looked to Nick, hoping to alleviate any guilt he still harbored for why Gianna had come after me. “It wasn’t because you killed Bobby, obviously. They just wanted to use me as a guinea pig. They knew you’d try to protect me, and they manipulated the situation.”

The color drained from Nick’s face. “So, by biting you that night, I got them halfway there.”

I slipped my hand into his and shook my head. “You couldn’t have known,” I whispered.

Turning my attention back to the rest of the Pack, I continued. “Bobby never got the chance to test his theory—obviously, since I’m still alive and also not some freakish vampire-werewolf
thing
. Something deterred him. Made him postpone it for a few months.”

I noticed Layla eyeing me curiously, her brow furrowed. The way she stared was almost unnerving, like she was appraising me in some way. When she caught me staring back, she shook her head quickly and smiled before averting her gaze, her hands continuously rubbing her belly.

First Miranda, now Layla. I couldn’t help but wonder what was making them act so peculiar.

Marcus steered the conversation back to the compound, and I explained the layout and the location based on the memory of my escape. When Marcus asked if I thought I might be able to draw a rough layout of the compound, I told him I would try. I knew it would help when we made our way back.

I drew what I could remember, being sure to explain that I hadn’t seen every room. “I imagine it’s even bigger than what I saw,” I told them. “We can’t possibly know what to expect.”

“This is good,” Vince assured me, leaning on the table and looking over the sketch.

“It’s definitely helpful,” Marcus agreed. “We can use this, and with so many of us going, we might actually stand a chance.”

It was the “might” that worried me.

Marcus started coming up with a plan for when we would go back to the mountains. The idea definitely gave me a twinge of anxiety, but I forced it aside so I could focus on the plan.

Just as he was explaining the plan to search for Jackson, his cell phone vibrated in his pocket. The moment he looked at the screen, relief flashed in his eyes. “It’s Jackson,” he announced, and I felt this immense pressure lift. I knew him still being gone had stressed me out, but I hadn’t realized just how much until I saw the look on Marcus’ face as he looked at the screen of his cell phone.

“He apologized for not returning any of my messages, but said he’d been away from his phone while he hunted.”

Without thinking about it, I rounded the table to where Marcus was standing and read over his shoulder. Marcus didn’t seem to mind.

“He’s not coming back yet,” I relayed when I got to the end of the message. I looked at Nick, then to my left at Marcus. “Should we go and meet him? I mean, there’s strength in numbers, right?”

“It probably wouldn’t be a bad idea,” he replied before tapping out a quick message back. “We can head out tonight before the sun se—” His phone vibrating in his hands cut him off.

I read the message, confusion and disappointment swirling inside me. “He says for us to stay put until he calls for us,” I announced to the room, likely out of place. “He thinks that too many of us lurking around will alert them before he’s able to gather more information.”

“He’s not wrong,” Nick spoke up, pushing himself to his feet. “Let’s give him the space to do what he needs to do. He’s careful. He’ll call for us when he’s got what he needs.”