DARKSIDE OF THE MOON (4 page)

And even though he couldn’t smell her scent, he was inexplicably drawn to her.

He took a step closer, expecting her to step back.

She held her ground and his gaze.

“How about you go see if you can fetch me up some clothes.” He stared down into her face. Fuck if he couldn’t get lost in those eyes of hers.

She smiled and placed her palm in the middle of his naked chest. His dick ached and swelled from the innocent touch.

“How about you fetch them up yourself. I’m nobody’s bitch.” She turned on her heel and marched out into the yard.

Zane watched her disappear into the house and scratched his chest. Usually women would do anything he asked.

Not her. No, this female was different.

He glanced down at his erection and groaned.

Not only was he fucked, things looked like he wasn’t going to get fucked either.

***

“Where the hell is Zane?” Barrett growled.

Lucien grimaced and held the phone away from his ear. He hated lying, and he avoided it at all costs, especially when it came to Barrett. He knew his Pack Master could make his life a living hell if he so chose. He also knew Zane, and what had happened last night wasn’t like his fellow Guardian.

“He’s still at the tattoo shop.” Lucien flinched at the lie. Well, Zane’s Harley was still at the tattoo shop. That much was true. As far as where the fuck Zane had gone after Lucien had gone inside last night, he didn’t have a fucking clue.

“How did the tatts go? Anyone cry like a bitch?” Barrett asked.

“Not that they would ever admit. But I think Jayden got glassy-eyed once or twice when they were working across his spine.”

“Yeah, that always smarts a little,” Barrett said.

Lucien relaxed a little. As long as Barrett didn’t ask about Zane again...

“Tell Zane to answer his fucking phone. I need to talk to him.”

“Will do, boss.” Lucien ended the call and shoved the cell phone back into the pocket of his leather jacket. He glanced around the street before entering the alley by the shop.

Why would Zane leave without telling him where he was going? And why the hell would he leave when he had no clothes to change into?

He frowned as the faint coppery scent of blood drew his attention to the ground. He crouched and ran his hand across the dark spot on the concrete.

“Zane’s blood.” He’d noticed the blood around Zane’s mouth after Jayden had punched him. He stared at the smear of red on his fingers before swiping them across a patch of green grass that had stubbornly pushed through a crack in the concrete.

The question was what was going on in Zane’s head. He’d never seen the Were get so heated so quick before.

He knew there was some history between Zane and Jayden when it came to Zane’s sister, Katy, but from what he could tell, that shit had happened years ago. Jayden was mated and was even getting married to Haley.

There had to be something else going on with his partner.

He pulled out his phone and glanced around, making sure he was alone. He’d left Jayden and Braxton inside to get their tatts. When they’d asked about Zane, he’d covered and said that Zane had been called away for some mission from Barrett.

He punched in some numbers on his cell and waited for the call to connect.

“Jaxon, we’ve got a problem.”

***

Skylar stormed into the house, putting some much-needed distance between herself and that gorgeous werewolf who had her body overheating like an air conditioner in the middle of an Arkansas summer.

He hadn’t recognized her. After all these years, he hadn’t recognized her, yet she hadn’t forgotten him. Story of her life.

The arrogant asshole had another thing coming if he thought she was going to do his bidding. Her father had tried to control her, and she wasn’t going to let another man or wolf try to do the same.

She stomped through the house and set the gun down on the board that was lying across what would soon be the kitchen island. The smell of wood shavings and paint had always calmed her down before. Maybe it was the possibility of creating something new and starting over.

Right now, the scent wasn’t working.

What the hell was Zane doing here anyway? It unnerved her that a Guardian was poking around her construction site. She didn’t need him around bringing up her past. She was in a different place in her life now. She was productive and happy and meeting her goals. Bringing up stuff from the past was only going to hinder her future.

She fished her cell out of her back pocket and pulled up the phone option. Her finger hovered over the number pad as she contemplated her choices.

If she called the cops, then he would probably make trouble for her, since he was one of the well-connected Guardians of Arkansas.

She could call the Pack Master of Arkansas and lodge a complaint about finding one of his Guardians naked. She seriously doubted he would even listen to her, and she certainly didn’t want to make trouble with the Pack. She didn’t need that. She just wanted to be left alone to build her business and make the town a good place to live.

She sighed and shook her head.

“I guess it’s up to me to handle him.” The thought made her stomach churn. She pulled out her phone and dialed Hector. She quickly told him to call her workers and tell them they were getting a late start on the day again due to materials not being delivered.

Maybe if she was lucky, she could find Zane some clothes and he’d leave.

Skylar had never been lucky in her life, so maybe it was time for her luck to change.

***

Zane found a drop cloth with paint stains crumpled up under some buckets in the corner of the shed. After shaking it out, he wrapped the material around his waist and headed after her. He didn’t need that woman calling the cops—or worse, his Pack Master.

He needed to find that drug dealer who had been in the meth house that night. He needed to know what exactly he’d been infected with so he could find a cure.

He hurried across the yard as the early morning sun peeked over the horizon. It wasn’t even full daylight and the air was already stifling. It was going to be another hot July day.

He walked around to the back door and noticed the door was ajar. He made it up the steps and into the kitchen and froze.

“What are you doing?” He kept his voice low as he studied the cell phone in her hand.

“Well, I was going to call the cops to get you off my property. But I figured if I could find you some clothes, then maybe you would leave on your own.” She lifted her chin.

“Clothes would get you one step closer to getting rid of me.”

“Promise?” Her sapphire-blue eyes narrowed. It was clear she didn’t believe a word he was saying.

“I swear it.”

“Fine. Stay here while I run to the consignment shop.”

“Consignment shop?” He hadn’t intended for her to buy him clothes. He’d figured she could borrow them from a friend or relative.

“Yeah. Consignment shop.” She propped her hands on her hips and scowled. “Look, I know you Guardians are used to wearing high-end jeans with all that money you make, but I can’t afford designer jeans.” She turned on her heel and headed for the door. She stopped at the door and shot him a glare over her shoulder, holding up her finger in warning. “And don’t touch anything while I’m gone.”

He stood in stony silence after she slammed the door behind her.

Never in his life had anyone talked to him that way. Especially a female.

Well, there was this one female, but that had been a very long time ago, and she had been just a child and full of spunk. That child had the same flaming red hair and startling sapphire blue eyes as this woman—

His breathing hitched as déjà vu settled over him.

He might have lost his sense of smell, but his sixth sense was screaming at him that this was the same person.

After all these years, he’d found that little girl, and now she was all grown up.

***

Skylar plunked down some bills as the old man at the cash register bagged up her purchase. She’d managed to find some jeans and a T-shirt that would fit the werewolf. She’d even found some secondhand boots that she hoped would fit. She’d not really looked too hard at his feet when he had been standing in front of her naked. But if the size of his boot correlated to the size of his package, then the large boots would fit.

“Thanks.” She snagged the bag off the counter and headed out the door. She walked past the tattoo shop and glanced down at her phone to check the time. She’d wasted enough hours today taking care of some Guardian werewolf who probably wouldn’t even lift a finger to help her if she needed it.

Distracted by her cell phone, she slammed into a wall of muscle. She stumbled back and caught her balance before she fell.

“Sorry.” She glanced up and gave the stranger an apologetic smile. She froze, her blood turning to ice in her veins.

“Skylar Wade. Long time no see.” The large Were grinned as his vulgar gaze roamed up and down the length of her body.

“Hershel.” She clutched her phone in her hand like a weapon and forced herself not to look away. Hershel Baker had been one of her father’s loser friends. He was always hanging around when she was growing up. Every time she saw him, he was either drunk or high. He’d always given her the creeps, and she’d learned to keep her distance from the Were.

“I didn’t know you were back in Arkansas. I thought you were still living in Louisiana.” His grin stretched wider, revealing yellowed teeth in a pockmarked face.

“Just here on business.” It was a total and complete lie. She’d moved to Louisiana to get away from her father and his nasty drug trade. It wasn’t until after he’d died in a drug deal gone wrong that she’d moved back home. She hadn’t even bothered going to the funeral. When she’d heard about his death, she’d been relieved. It was one less drug dealer in the world.

She didn’t want to be reminded of any ties to her past. She wanted to concentrate on her future. That was why she was back in Jonesboro.

She’d taken her skill of building stuff and her love of drawing and developed her own construction company. She’d built a few houses from the ground up and had done quite well. “You’re looking good, Skylar.” He leaned in close and sniffed. “Not a little girl anymore, I see.” His lips curved up over his tobacco-stained teeth.

“I see you haven’t changed one bit.” She took a step back and wrinkled her nose at his scent. Male red wolves carried a musky scent that turned her stomach. Her breathing increased as panic began to settle in her chest.

“It’s been too long. We need to get together, get reacquainted.” His grin grew to a menacing promise of evil.

“No, we don’t.” She stuck her hand in her jeans pocket and gripped her keys. She regretted leaving her gun in the truck, but she hadn’t expected trouble at the consignment store in the middle of the day.

Hershel’s grin faded as his gaze zeroed in on the large boots sticking out of her plastic bag.

“You mated?” He narrowed his eyes on her.

“Yes, I am.” The lie came easily enough, and for a brief second, she wondered what it would be like to be bound forever to a werewolf like Zane. What would life be like being cared for and protected by a Guardian?

The whole thing of being protected and loved was such a foreign concept to her. Her own mother had died giving birth to Skylar, and she knew her father had always resented her for it. Maybe that was why he’d neglected her when she was growing up. Maybe that was why he’d turned to drugs, to smother the pain of living without a mate. It really didn’t matter. In the end, she couldn’t make excuses anymore for someone else’s choice.

“Who’s the lucky guy?” Hershel looked around nervously, as if he expected her mate to appear out of nowhere and demand to know what the hell he was doing talking to her.

A smile grew on her lips as she imagined Zane smashing his fist into Hershel’s face right here in public.

“Nobody you know. I met him in Louisiana.”

Hershel held her gaze as silence stretched between them.

“I guess he must not be doing too well if you’re having to buy clothes from the secondhand store.” Hershel whipped out his wallet and tugged out several hundred-dollar bills and waved them under her nose. “I’ve got more to offer a female than he does. You should really think about that, Skylar.” He shoved the money in the wallet and put it back in his jeans pocket.

“No thanks,” she muttered to herself. She’d walk bare-ass naked down Main Street before taking one dime from him.

Clearing her throat, she straightened her shoulders. “I’ve got to go. He’s waiting to have lunch with me.” She moved past him as she clutched the bag of clothes to her chest. She didn’t have to turn around to know that he was watching her walk away. She could feel the heat of his eyes on her.

It made her stomach turn.

When she reached the safety of her truck, she slid inside and locked the doors. She looked around, searching to see if he was still there. She didn’t want him following her back to the house. Not that it would matter much. He would probably hightail it out of there once he laid eyes on Zane.

She scanned the sidewalk where they had been standing, but it was empty. He was nowhere in sight.

She noted the time as she cranked the truck. Might as well pick up something for him to eat before driving back out of town.

Maybe after she got Zane dressed and fed, he would leave. Then she could get back to her normal life.

***

Zane paced the house wearing the drop cloth like a kilt as energy continued to surge through his body.

Since Skylar had left, he’d shifted into wolf twice, and he wasn’t sure why.

He couldn’t determine what was causing him to shift or why he couldn’t control it. He was trapped inside a body he could not control.

He was fucking helpless, like a damn infant.

He slammed his fist down on the board of the kitchen island. The wood split in half and slid onto the floor.

The slam of the back door had him turning and bowing up.

“What the hell did you do?” Skylar’s expression was full-on pissed off as she pointed to the wood on the floor.