Harvest Moon (20 page)

“How did she turn into a shifter?”

“Why all the questions?”

I wasn’t sure I wanted to acknowledge the answer just yet. “I’m curious, and discussing werewolves isn’t something we can do in public.”

He ran the back of his fingers down my cheek. “When a werewolf finds his mate, if they ever want to have children, he has to bite her. There’s a compound in our saliva when we’re in wolf form that mutates human DNA to match ours. A month later, she shifts during the full moon just like we do. She becomes a werewolf.”

“Does it take that long for them to get the heightened senses, like superhuman hearing and smell?”

“We’re also stronger than the average human.” He kissed my forehead. “We need to get on the road so I can grab some clothes and get us to the airport.”

“Okay, but you didn’t answer my question. How long before you get the werewolf perks?”

One corner of his mouth curved up into a crooked smile. “I’ve never heard them called perks before, but everyone is different. For some it’s gradual, and for others their senses are instantly enhanced. But it takes a full month for the final transformation and her first shift into a wolf.”

My pulse raced as I pieced all the information together and the realization dawned on me. I couldn’t seriously be considering letting him bite me. Could I? We were on our way to Hawaii, chasing after men with guns. If I had his heightened senses and strength, I could be an equal partner, an asset instead of a liability. It made sense. It could also change the outcome of the vision I had. Maybe.

Never in a million years did I dream I’d be weighing pros and cons of becoming a werewolf.

“Are you going to tell me what that was all about?’

“I already told you—curiosity.” I wasn’t ready to say the words out loud yet. In truth, was I actually
ready
for any of this? I slung my bag over my shoulder. “Guess we’d better go.”

Jason surprised me with a slow, lingering, hungry kiss. My heart pounded in answer. When he straightened, my eyes fluttered open and I wished we were going to Hawaii for a honeymoon, not a rescue mission.

I stared up at him, trying to decipher the emotions brewing inside of me. No one had ever looked at me the way he did, like I was all that mattered, and no man had
ever
put his life on the line for me. The only experiences I’d ever had with “love” left me abandoned and broken.

What would I be if he walked away?

Jason took my hand. “Wait a sec, I need to tell you something.”

Butterflies filled my stomach. “Okay.”

“Before I discovered you were my mate, I couldn’t stop thinking about you. I watched you from my office window that day because I couldn’t make myself look away. I wanted to learn all your secrets, to hear you laugh and make you smile.”

He cleared his throat and ran one hand through his hair. “My interest in you had nothing to do with instincts. I didn’t believe the Pack stories about mates were even real. But when you touched my hand and I recognized you for who you were—”

I rose up on my toes and pulled him down, my lips brushing his. Yes, I was interrupting, but in my defense, he was good with words. I wasn’t. I wanted to tell him how much I enjoyed seeing him grin and knowing it was because of me. I wanted to open my heart. He was risking his life to protect me. He deserved to know what that meant to me.

But fear tied my tongue in knots. Admitting I needed him, that I cared about him, it opened me up for wounds I couldn’t bear to feel again. For now, this was enough.

My feet left the ground as he cradled me in his arms without breaking the kiss. I savored his lips, happy to lose myself in the fire he stoked inside of me. He walked forward. I didn’t open my eyes to see where he was taking me. I didn’t care. My heart raced, my blood heated, and I yearned to forget Nero. Sex until we were too exhausted to move seemed like a great idea.

“Kilani,” he whispered against my lips.

“What?” I sucked gently at his lower lip until he growled.

“I can’t get enough of you… But…right now…we need to…” He groaned, surrendering to one more heated kiss. His tongue demanded mine, hungry, as his fingers tightened into a fist in my hair. Seeing the effect I had over him gave me a delicious taste of power, passion, and I wanted more. His other hand slid up my thigh, cupping my ass, squeezing it until heat pooled low in my belly.

He broke the kiss, fighting to catch his breath. “We can’t miss that plane.”

The plane. My grandmother. Nero. I nodded, keeping my gaze locked on his. “You are one hell of a kisser.”

A sexy, crooked smile curved on his lips. “You inspire me.”

He lowered me to the ground, holding me tight against him. His erection pressed against me, making his jeans taut. If lives weren’t on the line, I might’ve dragged him into the tack room for more inspiration.

Instead, I took his hand. “I’m still scared.”

“I’d be worried if you weren’t, but we’ll get through this.”

Being a part of a “we” was something I’d yearned for and dreamed about since my mom abandoned me while I was at school. Now this handsome, intelligent, brave man stood beside me, claiming me as his own with every touch, every kiss. I should’ve been happy, but as we walked to his car, fear ran her icy finger down my spine.

Jason might not walk out on me, but what if he died standing at my side?

Chapter Nineteen

J
ASON

J
ared opened the door to our parents’ house. “Hey, Jason.” We clasped forearms and he turned to Kilani. “You haven’t run away screaming?”

She smiled, and my pulse pounded with relief. Since we’d left Adam’s place, she’d been somber and quiet. “Not yet, although you’d probably all be safer if I did.”

Jared stepped back so we could come inside. “Nah, we’d just find trouble elsewhere. You can’t protect us from ourselves, believe me.”

“We brought over more supplies for Dad. Where’s Mom?”

“Back here,” she answered, hearing me perfectly.

We headed for the bedroom and found my dad sitting up with pillows propped behind him. For a second, words escaped me. I’d been praying for this for weeks, dreaming he’d look me in the eye one more time, and here he was.

“You just going to stand there? Come in and give your old man a hug.”

He didn’t have to ask me twice. I crossed the distance in two strides and bent over to embrace my father. He wrapped one arm around me and mumbled about his other arm not working right yet.

I straightened and cleared my throat, struggling to find my voice. “It’ll come, Dad. Your body just needs a little more time to heal.”

“You try laying in this bed for weeks and then talk to me about time and patience.”

My mom chuckled. “He must be feeling better, because his mulish tendencies are back in full force.”

Hope and happiness radiated from my mom’s smile. I wasn’t sure I’d ever been more grateful. I took the bag of supplies from Kilani and handed them to my brother, then I caught her hand, lacing my fingers with hers. If she hadn’t come into my life and used her gift to see my father’s future…what if we hadn’t given him enough time? What if we pulled the plug on his care too soon?

There was nothing I could offer to repay her. All I had was myself.

“How long will you be gone?”

Jared’s voice jarred me from my thoughts. “Not sure yet. I brought enough to keep Dad taken care of for ten days just in case.”

He frowned. “Ten days? There’s a full moon in there.”

“Yeah, there’s a good chance I’ll be on my own for this one.”

“Bad idea, bro.” He crossed his arms. “Adam signed off on this?”

“Not happily. But we’ve got to get Kilani’s grandmother to Reno so the Pack can protect her from Nero. She’s their only leverage to get Kilani to turn herself over.”

He ground his teeth, contracting a muscle in his cheek. “I’ll go with you.”

“Mom needs you here. With Nero in town, we can’t risk leaving her and Dad vulnerable.” I clasped his shoulder. “Keep our folks safe for me.”

Mom stood and embraced me, her voice buzzing against my ear. “Promise me you’ll be careful.”

I held her tight and kissed her hair. “I love you, Mom. I’ll be home as soon as I can.”

Kilani stiffened when my mom released me and focused on her. My mom had no clue about my mate’s previous bad experiences with prejudice. While my parents didn’t hold any of those judgments in their hearts, I still sent up a silent prayer that my mom wouldn’t say anything that could be misinterpreted.

“I heard through the grapevine that your grandmother is a big Neil Diamond fan.”

Kilani nodded slowly, her dark eyes flitting toward me and then back on my mom. “She claims she’s his biggest fan on the islands.”

My mom smiled, although it didn’t reach her worried eyes. “If it helps get her to come back here with you, please let her know he’s coming through Las Vegas soon and I have a spare ticket with her name on it if she’d like to go with me.”

Kilani’s eyes widened, shock plain on her face, before she grinned. “If that doesn’t get her to come back with us, then nothing will.”

My mom winked. “Good. I can’t wait to meet her.”

“And she’ll save me from having to sing another chorus of ‘Sweet Caroline.’” My dad met my gaze and smiled. “You take care of that little lady. I’ll keep working so I can open the door when you get home.”

“There’s no rush, Dad. Sitting up and talking are huge improvements. It’ll come with time.” I brushed my hand against the small of Kilani’s back, guiding her to the door. Good-byes weren’t my strong suit. “See you soon.”

Jared followed us to the door and pulled me into a tight hug. “Don’t take any chances over there. Find her grandmother and get back here.”

“Will do.” I stared into his eyes for a moment. If I didn’t make it back in time for the full moon, this would be the first time we’d ever shifted apart. And if I didn’t play my cards right, we might be apart permanently. “I’ll be back. Watch out for Dad for me.”

A
fter grabbing some clothes from my place, I drove toward the airport. Kilani had been pretty quiet since we left the house. Seeing the bullet holes in my driveway and front door was a harsh reminder of the reality of the danger ahead.

Signs for the airport started showing up on the interstate. We’d be in the air soon, on our way to Hawaii, to her past. The urge to shield her swelled, but there was no way I’d ever find her grandmother without her help, let alone convince the elderly woman to follow me back to Reno.

After the car was parked, I grabbed our duffel bags before she could complain.

“You’re the one with a concussion; you shouldn’t carry the bags.” Her voice soothed tension I didn’t notice growing in my shoulders.

“First off, they don’t weigh that much, and secondly, my head feels much better. I’m fine.”

She rolled her eyes and brushed her hair back over her shoulder. “You’re not fine.” She walked ahead. Even under her breath, her words were plain to me. “But who am I to talk. I’m not fine, either.”

I followed close behind, giving her some space. When you were a werewolf, you learned pretty quickly that our super hearing could be annoying to others when they muttered under their breath. Whether or not it was intentional, it was still eavesdropping.

Waiting in the security line, I conjured up Sebastian’s brother in my mind. Damian Severino. After Kilani’s last vision, it was even more important that I stay on my guard until we were back with the Pack.

I chose to see her premonition as a warning, not a real outcome.

Something else was bothering me. Why wouldn’t Sebastian tell us about Lana’s father? He was hiding something. Why? I kept replaying last night after the fight, his brother standing under the yellow streetlight in the parking lot with a knife. Something about him seemed familiar. I’d never seen him before. But still…

“Do you want window or aisle?”

Kilani had her carry-on and her ticket ready. I didn’t even notice our flight had been called for boarding. If I couldn’t get my head together, this trip could end badly. “Why don’t you take the window so you can see the island when we get closer?”

“I’d rather not.”

“All right.” I slung my backpack over my shoulder and walked ahead of her down the Jetway. The only good thing I’d done so far was upgrading our tickets to first class. We’d have more room, better food, and no stranger sharing our row. I hoped that meant we might talk a few things out, but that would depend on my mate.

We got seated, our carry-ons stowed, and a flight attendant took our drink orders. I could only watch the luggage being loaded on the plane for so long. I shifted around and took her hand. “You’ve been awfully quiet.”

She shrugged. “Could say the same for you.”

“I’ll share if you will.” She didn’t say no. “Okay, I’ll go first. My head is still a little foggy, but something about Sebastian’s brother was familiar. I just can’t put my finger on it.”

“I couldn’t see him very well; the light kept reflecting off his knife. Did he look like Sebastian?”

“Not really. He’s shorter and more solid.” I dodged a backpack as a late-comer rushed onboard. “This wouldn’t be a big deal, but Sebastian got defensive…and it’s got to be about Damian.”

“You asked him about Lana’s father.”

I nodded. “And he wouldn’t give me a straight answer.”

“Maybe Lana’s father is Sebastian’s superior or something.”

I blinked. Clarity smacked into me like a two-by-four plank. “The only person higher up than Sebastian is Mr. Severino himself.” Good thing I’d already buckled my seat belt or I would’ve shot out of my seat. “That’s it. That’s how I recognized Damian. He reminded me of Lana.”

“Lana?” Kilani raised a brow.

“Yes. Damian smiled at me, and then later at the ranch when Lana started to smile…it was the same. And they’re the same age, too.”

“You think Damian and Lana are related?”

The thrust of the plane’s takeoff barely kept me down as the pieces fell into place. “It makes sense. Lana had a twin, but only her twin was delivered to Nero. Her mother left her behind, hoping she’d save her from spending her life as a lab rat.”