Dark Moon (3 page)

Kaden nodded and stood up as Ian approached him.  The old man held out his hand and Kaden shook it firmly.  “It’s been good getting to know you, Kaden.  If you do leave, I’ll miss your help around the barn.  You’re a good worker.”

“Thanks, Ian.”

Kaden waited until Ian had descended the ladder before stripping off his clothes and blowing out the lantern.  He climbed into the bed and stretched out on his back under the cold sheets.  He stared sightlessly into the dark.  Until this morning he had been sure of his decision to leave.  Now, with Leta’s admission that Bree was upset he was leaving and Ian’s belief that he should stay, he was second-guessing his decision.

Is that the only reason?

He turned on his side and pulled the covers up to his chin.  The memory of Sophia sucking on his thumb had his dick hardening.  He reached down and stroked it back and forth.  He closed his eyes as he remembered the way Sophia’s lips had looked around his thumb.  Her mouth had been warm and wet, and her tongue soft against his skin. 

He stroked harder, picturing her mouth not around his thumb, but his throbbing cock.  Gods, it would feel good to have that soft tongue of hers licking his cock.  He wondered if she had thought about it.  If she had imagined herself on her knees before him, his hands threading through her hair, as he pushed his cock deep into her mouth. 

His dick was hot and heavy in his hand, and he squeezed and rubbed it as he panted harshly.  Her mouth would be so warm, and she would use her lips and her tongue to –

He snorted and abruptly stopped touching himself.  He was an idiot.  Sophia was a Lycan and if he did find her on her knees in front of him, he’d be lucky if she didn’t use her sharp teeth to bite his cock off.  He winced, his cock deflating at the thought, and twisted on to his back.  He was tired but he had a feeling he would get very little sleep tonight.

* * *

“Good morning.”

Kaden glanced up from the large, brown horse he was petting.  Tristan was standing in front of him, and he gave the Lycan an uneasy look.

“Hello.”

“You’ve really made a difference for Ian the last couple of weeks.”  Tristan said.

“Aye.”  Kaden grunted.  “If you’re looking for Ian, I don’t believe he’s awake yet.  You’ll probably find him at the house.”

“He’s eating breakfast with the others.  Bree was wondering if you were going to eat breakfast before you left.  I told her I would find you and ask.”

“I’m not hungry.”  It was true.  He had lost his appetite at the thought of saying goodbye to his sister.

Tristan nodded.  He leaned against the stall next to Kaden and pointed to the horse.  “I’ve told Ian that you’ll be taking Bandit with you.”

Kaden blinked in surprise.  “What do you mean?”

“You’ll need a horse.  Bandit is young and healthy, and Ian says you’re fond of him.”

“I don’t have money to buy a horse from you.”  Kaden said gruffly.

“Consider him a gift.”

“That’s generous of you.”

Tristan shrugged.  “With Bree marrying my son, you’re part of our family now.”  He gave Kaden a small grin.  “Whether you like it or not.”

He straightened and pulled an envelope from his back pocket.  He held it out to Kaden who frowned but took it.

“What’s this for?”  Kaden stared in confusion at the wad of bills in the envelope.  Before Tristan could reply, he shoved the envelope at him.  “I don’t need your charity.”

“It isn’t charity.”  Tristan said patiently, refusing to take the envelope back.  “It’s your wages.”

“Wages?”

Tristan nodded.  “Did Bree not tell you that we pay wages to the people who work for us?”

Kaden nodded.  “Aye, but – “

“Ian says you’ve been invaluable to him the last two weeks.  He has nothing but good things to say about you.  Even though you’re not staying, you still deserve to be paid for the work you’ve done for us.”  Tristan said.

He held his hand out and after a moment’s hesitation, Kaden shook it firmly.

“It was good to meet you, Kaden.  I’m sorry you’re leaving.  We could use someone like you to work in the barns.  If you change your mind, we’d be glad to hire you on permanently.”

Kaden didn’t reply and Tristan nodded briefly to him before leaving the barn.  Kaden stared down at the envelope of cash before tucking it into the pocket of his pants.  He reached out and stroked the side of Bandit’s neck.  The horse snorted softly and Kaden leaned against his warm neck. 

* * *

“I packed you some food.”  Bree, lugging a large leather bag behind her, climbed the ladder to the loft in the barn.

“Thank you.”  Kaden was sitting in one of the armchairs and, leaving the bag on the floor, Bree crossed the room.  She dragged the other armchair closer to his and sat down across from him, her knees touching his lightly.

Kaden stared at his sister.  Even he could see that she had been crying.

“You look tired.”  She said softly.

“So do you.”

She sighed deeply.  “I had trouble sleeping last night.”  She didn’t tell him that she had spent most of the night sobbing quietly while James had rubbed her back helplessly.

“Where will you go?”  She asked suddenly.

He shrugged.  “I haven’t decided yet.  Maybe the city.”

“You told me once that you could never live in the city.  Too many people you said.”

“I could find work in the city.”

“You could have work here.”  She replied softly.  “The Lycans would pay you to work in the barns.”

He didn’t reply and she sighed softly.  “What if Draken goes hunting for you?”

“It’s more likely he’ll return here.”

“I know.”

“But does your boyfriend?”  He asked quietly.

“Yes.”  She said immediately.  “They’re not stupid, Kaden.  They know Draken will be back.”

“They don’t know what he’s capable of, Bree.”

“All the more reason for you to stay.”  She echoed Sophia’s words to him.

“Bree – “

She reached out and captured his hands in hers.  “Please don’t leave, Kaden.  I’m sorry.  I told myself I wouldn’t beg, that I would respect your decision, but I don’t want you to leave.  I can’t imagine getting married without you there.  If you’re gone, who will give me away?”

“I’m sure your boyfriend’s father would.”  He grunted.

“I don’t want it to be him.  I want it to be you.”  She started to cry and he squeezed her hands tightly.

“Don’t cry, Bree.  Please.”

“I can’t help it.”  She sobbed.  “After everything we’ve gone through together, you would just leave me?  I know you hate the Lycans, but these ones are different.  I swear to you, Kaden.”

He sighed.  “I know.”

He stared at the floor for a moment and then looked into her eyes.  “I will stay until after the wedding.”

She gasped.  “Truly?”

“Aye.”  He smiled at her.  “It’s not every day my baby sister gets married.”

“Oh Kaden!”  She jumped on him and hugged him enthusiastically.  “Thank you so much!”

She kissed his cheek and then rested her forehead against his.  “You’ve made the right choice, Kaden.  You can earn some money and get to know our new family.  Who knows, you might even start to like them.”

He snorted.  “When is this wedding day anyway?”

She returned to her seat.  “I told James I didn’t want anything fancy.  I thought maybe just a small party with his family and some of their friends, and that the sooner we did it, the better.  He agreed but we were overruled by the rest of the family.  Dani is especially adamant that we have a proper wedding.”

He rolled his eyes and she poked him affectionately.  “She said we need at least two months to properly plan the wedding.”

“Two months?”  He frowned.  “That long?”

She gave him a hesitant smile.  “You could make a decent amount of money in two months.”

“I’m not staying for the money, Bree.  I’m staying because of the wedding, and because I want to be here to protect you when Draken returns.”

“Do you believe he’ll return that quickly?”  She asked.

He shrugged.  “Honestly, I do not know.  He was surprised that the Lycans were able to defeat him so easily.  I could see it in his eyes.  He’s surrounded himself with Lycans he can control and humans he can rule, for many years.  It shook him badly to be around his own kind that did not blindly follow him and instead, went after him.  That may buy us some time.”

“Perhaps.”  She said softly.  She was quiet for a moment and then she gave him a soft smile.  “Can I ask one more favour of you, Kaden?”

“What?”

“Will you try with the Lycans?  Will you give them a chance over the next couple of months?”

“I have been.”  He protested.  “I’ve spent two weeks with them, and I’ve been pleasant and – “

She squeezed his hands.  “You’ve avoided the Lycans for the last two weeks and you know it.”

“I haven’t.”  He frowned.  “I’ve spent time with Dani and Leta and – “

“Leta doesn’t count.  She’s the one Lycan here, who isn’t trying to be your friend.  And Dani is human, you know that.”

He gave her an innocent look.  “Is she?”

She laughed.  “Don’t even, Kaden.  You know she’s human.”  She hesitated.  “She has a crush on you.”

“Aye, I know.”

She stared curiously at him.  “What do you think of her?”

“I think she’s a sweet girl who is much too young for me.”

“She’s not that young.  She’s over twenty.”

“Aye, and I am nearing thirty.  Besides, she is not my type.”  It was Sophia he was thinking of.  Those dark eyes and curvy body of hers that begged for his touch.

Bree jerked.  “It is almost your birthday!”

“Is it?”

“Of course it is!  I can’t believe I nearly forgot.”  She thought quickly.  “It’s in less than two weeks.  We should have a party!”

“No.”  He said immediately.  “I don’t want a party.”

“We have to celebrate.”  She argued.

“No, Bree.  I’m serious.”

“Fine.”  She pouted a little.  “No party.  But I’m telling Avery and asking if we can do something special for dinner that day.”

He rolled his eyes.  “You drive me crazy, you know that right?”

“I do.”  She grinned at him.  “And I’m so glad you’re staying, Kaden.  I love you.”

“I love you too.”  He said gruffly.  “Now go on, tell your new family they’ll have to put up with me for a while longer.  I’m sure they’ll be thrilled.”

“They will be.  They want to get to know you better, Kaden.”  She said earnestly.  “Especially James.”

He laughed.  “I doubt that.”

She stood and kissed his forehead.  “Thank you, Kaden.  You won’t regret staying, I promise you.”

Chapter 3

“I’ll be right back.”  Bree patted his arm and left the common room.  Kaden stared into the fire.  It was later that afternoon and although he didn’t regret his decision to stay, he wasn’t sure he could do what Bree asked of him.  Just the thought of trying to get to know the Lycans made him anxious and uncomfortable.  They might be different but it didn’t mean he wanted to be their friends.  The idea of ever fully trusting them was completely foreign to him. 

“Hello, Kaden.”

He looked up to see Avery entering the room.  She sat down gracefully in the chair next to him and he nodded to her.  “Hello, Mrs. Williams.”

She laughed.  “Please, call me Avery.”

They sat in silence for a few moments and then Avery smiled at him.  “We’re so happy you decided to stay until the wedding, Kaden.  We’re all anxious to get to know you better.”

He shifted uncomfortably in his chair and didn’t reply.

“Sophia told me that you’re injured.  You have a bruise on your side.”

“It’s fine.”

“Would you show it to me?”

“Why?”  He gave her a suspicious look.

“You know why.”  She smiled at him.

“It’s nearly healed.”

“I know that Nicky gave you the bruise.  I would feel much better about what he did, if you would allow me to finish healing it.”

He stared into the flames and then stood abruptly and pulled his shirt off.  Avery stood and examined his side.  “I’m sorry that Nicholas did this to you.”  She said softly.

“He thought I was hurting his sister.”

“Aye, he told me.  I’ve asked him to apologize to you.”

He shrugged.  “It doesn’t matter.  I would have done the same if I thought that someone was hurting Bree.”

She smiled.  “There are many similarities between humans and Lycans when it comes to their loved ones.”

She reached out to touch him and he stepped back a little, his hand automatically covering the fading bruise.

“I won’t hurt you, Kaden.”  Avery said encouragingly.

He dropped his hand.  Avery reached out and placed both of her hands on the bruise, covering it completely.  He gave her a questioning look as warmth tingled through his side.

“How do you do this, Avery?”  He asked.

“I do not know.  I have had this ability since I was a teenager.  My father’s grandmother had the same gift.”

Avery studied the scars on his chest.  “Would you allow me to try something, Kaden?”

He felt like he should say no but there was something about the Red that was very comforting, and he was finding it pleasant to stand next to her while she touched him.  

“Aye.”

She smiled and moved her right hand to his chest.  She rested it against one of the smaller scars that ran just above his right nipple, and pressed hard against it.

“Mama, you have to speak to Dani.”  Sophia stormed into the common room.  “She’s completely taken over the wedding.  Poor Bree isn’t making any of the decisions and it’s her wedding!  Dani told me this morning that the colours are pink and cream. Pink!  I do not wear pink, mama.  The gods help them if they try and make me – “

She stopped abruptly and stared wide-eyed at her mother and the half-naked Kaden.  “What – what are you doing?”

“Healing Kaden’s bruise.”  Avery replied. 

“I’ll leave you alone.”  Sophia muttered.

“No, my sweet, stay for a bit.  Kaden won’t mind if we talk wedding while I heal him.”  She smiled up at the big man.  “Will you?”

“No.”  He grunted. 

Sophia stood next to her mother and examined Kaden’s naked chest.  She was fascinated by the random tufts of hair that grew between the scars.  She stared for a long moment at the thin line of hair that grew below his navel and disappeared beneath the waistband of his pants.  She had seen him completely naked once before, and a soft blush reddened her cheeks as she remembered the thickness of his cock.  Her mother was staring at her, a small smile on her face, and Sophia cleared her throat.