Crimson Moon (19 page)

"
God..."
My voice was not my own, different, husky.

Heat pulsed through my body, liquid jolts of electricity zinging through my muscles and veins. Liquid warmth spread between my legs, breasts aching in a way I'd never experienced. His hands rose and cupped, as if hearing the inner demands of my body, feather light thumbs brushing over nipples that went hard and pert.

"You have no idea,” he growled against my mouth, kissing me again.

I didn't, but I wanted to. I wanted to know where this would eventually take us. Everywhere he touched left the skin sensitive and hot. Pine, forest, and cedar assailed me, absorbing into my head until I couldn't see clearly. Something took hold, preventing me from thinking straight, urging me to go further. I dug my fingernails into his back, feeling the skin give way as I pressed into his gentle hands.

"Emma.” He lifted himself on his elbows and released my breasts, leaving behind emptiness. “I'm going to stand up before this goes too far."

I watched his face, wanting him to go too far. I was torn, thinking we should stop, but not wanting to stop at all. It was hard to sort my thoughts. Everything was confusing, physical feelings overwriting rational ones.

"Tease.” I rasped, forcing myself to pull it together.

"Emma, if you knew what I was thinking right now, you'd realize it's quite the opposite."

"As long as I'm not the only one suffering,” I complained, groaning against his chest.

"You are
not
the only one suffering,” he assured me.

He stood, helping me to my feet before he vanished into the closet, reappearing with fresh clothes of his own.

"I'm going to take a shower."

"Oh,” I said guiltily, smiling up at him ruefully. “I used all the hot water."

"Good,” he replied, stomping from the room.

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Sam didn't arrive until later in the evening. We passed the time by watching television or playing pool. The latter of which Sarah and I observed while Caleb and Derek ran the table.

I was told all three of them attended the same high school. Caleb and Derek graduated in the same year; Sarah followed suit a few years later. Derek came into his change early on—his Cassie Dean phase ruined by a most unexpected development in life. He tried to keep it a secret from Caleb, straining the friendship until years later when Caleb entered the fold.

The entire area was a hotbed of werewolf activity, many families settling on private farms nearby. It was a perfect location. There were plenty of wooded areas to roam in, and it was secluded.

Haven alone owned several hundred acres, loaning and renting out properties when the need arose. They even had an annual get together every summer, just like any other social function. Only these people could sprout fur and bark at the moon. I wondered how in the world something of that magnitude would transpire in the first place.

"You converge together in one place and do what exactly?” I asked, praying it wasn't like the Pit. I didn't classify fighting as wholesome family fun.

"Oh, you know, we shift and gorge on livestock. Sometimes, we throw a bull into the mix, just to keep it interesting.” Derek sounded so believable I nearly bought it.

"Derek,” Sarah scolded him before smiling reassuringly. “It's actually nothing at all like that. People rotate where it will be each year, and we set up a stage. There is plenty of live music and food. Just like a family reunion. Everyone relaxes and spends time with one another."

"What about the people who—” I lifted my fingers, creating bunny ears “—are not in the know?"

"They don't have to be. We don't use that time to shift, Emma. We use it to visit one another—as a show of solidarity. It also helps pack leaders keep abreast of what is going on."

"Wait.” Just when I thought I'd heard it all. “You have packs?"

She nodded. “Haven is the Alpha of the pack in this area, but Sam is the Alpha of one located in Alabama."

"It's so much more complex than I imagined,” I mumbled.

"It's really no more complicated than a huge business. You have your boss, and you follow his instructions. If you're not happy, you can look around for another line of work. So long as you have a good reference. And if you screw up, you're fired. Of course, it's hard to get into a pack after that."

"And what pack do you belong to?” I envisioned Sarah speaking with people; her sweet nature an asset used to broker deals.

"Sam's, of course.” She smiled.

I prepared pizza for dinner, and it was a good thing I heeded Caleb's warning to take at least three from the freezer. They devoured four in all—Caleb, Derek, and Sarah eating each one while the other thawed in the oven. I finished loading the dishwasher when Derek informed us Sam had arrived. I shoved the remaining glasses on the top and slammed the door shut, hurrying into the living room.

Everyone took seats on the couch. I sat at the far end, next to Caleb. The time passed peculiarly, seeming too fast and too slow. Sounds in the room magnified, booming in my ears. Objects became sharp and crystal clear. I noted the smear on the television, the dust mites in the crevices along the floor. My stomach was somersaulting inside, making me queasy.

A car door slammed and the sound was soon followed by feet pounding up the stairs and heavy footsteps striding across the porch. The latch clicked as the knob turned. The door swung open before closing quietly. He didn't ask where we were, walking around the corner and striding confidently into the room, stopping in front of the couch.

Sam was smaller than Caleb and Derek, deceptively compact. Grey hair covered his head and face, his thick mustache and beard perfectly trimmed. His face was long, nose bent slightly to left. His blue shirt was tucked into his tan slacks, the color enhancing his light blue eyes.

"Caleb, Derek, Sarah.” His deep voice seemed to resonate from his chest. He nodded at them, eyes finding me. “Emma."

"Sam,” they echoed one another as I said hello.

He crossed his arms, settling his weight on his heels.

"Good news first. I'm here because we got him. Tristan's been handed over to the DeViard family as of this morning."

"Shit, yeah!” Derek shouted, grinning at us. Caleb relaxed visibly as did Sarah. That
was
good news.

"Which means.” He glanced down at me. “You have some travel arrangements to make."

"About that.” Caleb sat up, removing his arm from my shoulders. “We need to talk."

"You do and we will leave you to it.” Sarah agreed softly, smiling at me before standing and walking to Sam. She lowered her voice and touched his shoulder. “Come see us before you go."

Sam frowned but nodded as they walked around him. He remained standing, openly impatient. Caleb wrung his hands, betraying his intention to remain calm.

"She can't just leave,” Caleb told him. “The situation's changed."

"Her Father hired us to make sure she arrived home safely, and she'll do just that. You know how this works, Caleb.” Sam's voice was firm as was his face, completely uncompromising.

"We've bonded, Sam."

The words were spoken quietly but Sam heard them just the same. His eyes widened, darting back and forth between us. He was obviously stunned and at a loss for words. He brought his hand to his mouth, struggling to make the decision to sit or remain standing. He chose to sit, sinking into the cushions, sitting with elbows braced on his knees. He digested the information, taking several agonizing minutes.

Finally, he asked, “When?"

"I thought I felt something the first time I touched her, but I knew for certain shortly after. It didn't take long."

"That does change the situation.” Sam studied both of us, thinking everything over. “But she has to meet with Luca. He'll only send someone here after her. You know that."

"What does he want exactly?” Caleb remained surprisingly calm.

"Technically, I'm not supposed to tell her anything. That was the deal. But this falls out of normal lines, into pack business.” Sam didn't sound or look angry, just contemplative. His hand came around to his beard, thoughtful fingers brushing along the bristles. “I think it's safe to assume if I only told you, you'd wait until I left and tell her anyway. Quite the predicament you've put me in."

He craned his neck, regarding us carefully, stretching his back and shoulders. He studied me, considering how to approach the subject. His hands came back down, stopping on his legs as he started talking.

"Emma, there are two types of vampires—truebloods and commons. Commons are just as they sound—common. They have the strength, speed, senses and longevity, but otherwise, they have no distinguishing powers or characteristics. Truebloods, on the other hand, have all the normal attributes, as well as exceptional ones on top of them."

"Exceptional ones,” I questioned.

"Mind control, telekinesis, and telepathy, for instance,” he explained, “And this only happens when someone is turned that has a direct blood lineage to the family. A direct descendant if you will. Like you."

"Hold on a minute.” I swallowed the rising panic that threatened to take over. “I didn't sign on to go meet my Father and become a trueblood or whatever."

"Of course not, nor would you be forced to. Luca spoke with me years ago about you, Emma. He wanted to have a plan in place as a precaution only. He had no intention of following through with it unless something transpired that forced his hand. As we all are aware, something did."

"So what does he want now that the danger is past?” Caleb asked. “The threat is gone, she doesn't have to leave."

"He wants to meet with her and tell her about himself. I'm sure he wants to explain the circumstances surrounding his absence in her life, and no doubt he will offer her a permanent home.” Sam's voice never changed. He was being completely up front about everything, even the difficult aspects.

"So I can meet with him and return to my normal life? I can go back home after all?” I asked, wanting a definitive answer.

"Certainly.” Sam nodded agreeably. “I don't see any reason why you shouldn't."

I could go home. If I were alone I would have cried.

I didn't have to say goodbye to all those memories, allowing someone else to pack up my belongings. I could walk up and down my staircase or sit in the kitchen and stare at the walls if I wanted to. My future was up to me again. I relished in that certainty, grateful for the power of choice.

I relaxed and sighed. “Then its fine. We can go and meet with him, and I can come home.” Everything so much easier than I'd imagined. Of course I'd go. I still wanted to know the truth. I would come home directly after.

With Caleb alongside me, it would be cake.

"I'm afraid it's not so simple.” Sam shook his head earnestly. “Your Father, as well as the majority of his kind, resides on other continents all together. It's safest there. You'll have to travel to a hidden location that even I'm not aware of."

"Okay, and?” I shrugged. I had never flown, but I could overcome my fear of planes. No problem.

"They'll have one of their people accompany you on the flight over, but we can't go. No one other than truebloods or their blood relatives are allowed to see where they live. No one, Emma. No exceptions. That includes Caleb."

I felt Caleb beside me, body trembling, fighting for calm. The one thing that would tear him apart was being thrust in his face. He'd said his protective instinct had never been so strong, and now it was being crushed back, forced into submission.

"How long would I be gone?” I whispered, knowing they would hear.

"I don't know,” Sam answered truthfully. “I spoke to Trent this morning. He's the one who handles all of Luca's affairs. We agreed I would meet with you tonight to explain the situation and he would call tomorrow, giving us time to speak."

"And if I don't go? What then?"

"They would come for you. The entire family knows that you are aware of them. They anticipate an opportunity to meet and speak with you, wishing to offer you a place among them. And your Father has been waiting for this as well."

A place among them.

It was amazing how the course of a couple of days can change the outlook on a person's life. I'd been in pity party hell, worrying about the quiet kitchen, wanting to be surrounded by people and voices. Now, I was being offered just that—a family, never to be alone.

But it came with a cost I didn't think I could bear.

Caleb remained astoundingly composed. The timeframe our relationship evolved in was short—too short if I was being honest with myself—but I couldn't deny how I felt about him. And the complexity of my feelings only increased with each passing minute we shared together. It was what it was. And the way I felt about Caleb, no matter how irrational, was not something I was willing to sacrifice.

"If I go, I'm coming back.” I somehow managed to keep afloat, frail emotions hanging on a thin string, like Caleb's. His hand squeezed mine reassuringly.

"I give you my word. I will speak to Trent and tell him exactly that. I will also explain what has transpired and how it changes things."

"Will I meet with Trent, before we go?” I wasn't prepared to go with a total stranger. I had to know what Sam said was true.

"Yes. He didn't want to overwhelm you by coming with me. Their kind can be a shock to the senses initially."

"Caleb?” He hadn't spoken except at the start, and I needed his input.

His voice was heavy, conceding all the harder because his other half also wanted me to stay. I could see his emotions, not in his face, but in his eyes—he was torn.

"As long as you promise me she will come back. That they will allow her the choice...I will let her go."

Let her go.

Hearing it, even though it was meant in the most selfless way imaginable, was painful. I tried to keep things in perspective. This was equally as hard, perhaps even harder, for Caleb. But I had to go. I had to get the answers. After I had them I would return, all of this becoming a distant memory. I had no desire to reminisce with my Father about the past. I didn't owe him that.