Haven of Nightmares (Littlemoon Investigations Book 5) (2 page)

Stripping and tying them to the benches, he felt horrible. If anyone found out about this, he was in so much trouble. The only one who knew, other than himself, was his woman.

She liked his power.

She wanted him strong.

That was what kept her with him.

If he lost her, he didn’t know what he would do. So he needed to carry on with his spell. Then, now, and even in the future, he was stuck on this track.

As they stared up at him with wide, scared eyes, he knew it was time.

“I’m so sorry,” he muttered.

Then, he drew the knife across each of their jugulars. The quick gasp of pain, followed by the gurgle of life leaving them filled the silence of the night.

Their end was there.

In it, he would find life, happiness, and peace. He would never forget their sacrifice.

How could he?

They had saved him, giving him love that he wouldn’t have without their offering.

With the blood dripping onto the plastic lined ground, he drew the symbols in the book on his victims, and then on his own torso.

With each kiss of his finger to his flesh, he felt more and more powerful. As the copper scented blood left a trail across his skin, in his mind, he was already casting the spell.

For love.

For power.

For strength.

He wanted it so damn bad. In his life, he never wanted anything more.

When the three girls had bled dry, he slowly dumped the blood over him, letting it coat his body. The symbols disappeared, and he felt the spell being cast.

She was right.

It was working.

When he opened his eyes, he saw the carnage.

He was a killer, but he was trapped between what he had and what he could lose.

“It’s done,” he whispered. “I’m good for another five years.”

As he heard his own words, he wept.

       
         
* * *
  L   i   t   t   l  e  m  o  o  n  * * *

Five Years Later

Present Time

He had to hide them.

If it was the last thing he did, the bodies couldn’t be found. That was his new priority.

His heart was pounding in his chest as he thought back to what he’d done. Now, more than ever, there was so much to lose. A part of him wanted to turn himself in, but he knew they’d call him crazy.

He knew the price he would pay for his honesty. It weighed heavily on his shoulders, and he wasn’t sure he could even go through with it.

Plus, there was the ultimate cost.

Worse of all, the people he called friends would think he was sick.

Maybe he was.

That could be a very real possibility.

Here he was, standing naked in the woods, wearing the blood of three teenagers. There had to be something he could do to stop this, but for the last five years, he couldn’t find a way out of it. He loved her too much. He didn’t want her to leave.

He was scared.

And he should be.

So much had happened the last ten years, and he was responsible.

The school had shut down after the last killings, the owner had committed suicide from the stress, and the family had been further shattered apart.

He was to blame.

Then add in the nine girls he stole in the night—to do horrible things to them—for his happiness.

This had to come to an end.

He couldn’t let it go on.

“I have to stop.”

He heard her voice begging him to continue, as she stood there, watching him do the ritual.

“But…”

She reassured him.

“You’re right. I deserve this joy.”

It was too late. He had tasted happiness—that alone made him want to protect it—and protect it he would.

“I don’t know if I can keep this up.”

“Yes, you can.”

“I can’t.”

“You will because you love me. If you don’t, it’s gone. It’s all gone.”

That scared him.

As he stood there, coated in the blood of the innocent, her calm voice terrified him. He was right.

She would leave.

“Get to work.”

He wept as he hid their bodies. It was ten years to the day, and this was the one anniversary, which would forever make him sick. No matter how hard he tried to forget what he’d done, it lived in him.

It lived in her.

There wouldn’t be cake.

Wine.

Celebration.

Happiness.

There would only be a reminder that he was a monster.

He was the thing nightmares were made of, and that would never change.

Chapter One

Littlemoon Inc.

Tuesday Morning

He really wanted to knock on wood. Everything was practically running itself, and Julian was so damn happy about that. With the amount of jobs coming in, he needed to hold tight to the reins, but that was the only thing he had to control freak. So far, his team had surprised him.

They were running it as if they owned it, and it was a beautiful thing.

Everything was falling into place.

There was peace.

Happiness.

Harmony.

Justin and Vivian were back, and they were better than ever. Talk about finding their footing after a bumpy slide down a rough road.

They had it under control.

After losing their pregnancy, and nearly losing Justin to a sick booze bender, they were fighting for their marriage. In all honesty, Julian was more than proud of them.

His family was unbreakable.

They were badass.

Once more, the daily laughter was back, echoing down the halls of their business. Littlemoon Investigations was doing what he’d always hoped it could do.

It was flourishing.

They were a family.

They were helping people.

And that was the name of the game, and they were winning. Julian never thought it could be like this, and he was ecstatic that they were making a name for themselves.

Above the success, there was solidarity.

Justin and Vivian weren’t the only happy ones on the team, and that was showing in the work ethic.

They were killing it when it came to business.

Claire, his sister, and Beckett, his brother-in-law to be, were also in their glory. In a little over two weeks, the blushing bride was marrying her true love in a gorgeous ceremony on the Rez. It was going to be one to talk about—if he had anything to say about it.

His baby sister deserved it.

She’d overcome her heart being broken, lived through war, and found her hero.

It was a thing of beauty.

What was even more amazing was that Beckett was wandering the halls, gloves on, but smiling like a fool. That tension was gone, and he’d been caught a few times whistling
‘Here Comes the Bride’
.

It was sweet.

If there was ever any doubt if the couple was made for each other, the last few weeks were proof.

Now, there was only one issue.

His sister.

Claire, while as happy as a clam, was a nervous wreck. She’d picked and re-picked the cake, flowers, and colors for the wedding about ten times, and still wasn’t happy.

She was stressed big time.

Julian knew that in hindsight, she’d realize it didn't matter once the wedding was over, but right now, she was a bride being a bride.

It made Julian smile.

He loved that his baby sister was finally happy. It had patched up their family in a way. When Claire had been betrayed by her own twin, Liana, it broke all of them. There was always this awkwardness for the family when they came together.

Now, it was gone.

Having a twin was a responsibility. You always had to have your sibling’s back, and for a while, that had been broken in them. Now…it was better.

Claire, for the most part—minus the bridal jitters—was coming into her own, and she was about to bag herself a good, decent, and loyal man.

Julian was proud of both of them.

Justin had overcome, and so had Claire. They were on the way to their happily ever after.

The only person who wasn’t happy was Kane. It had nothing to do with matters of the heart, but this time, it was all about the little bundle of baby love that he and Christina had made. Kane was dying to meet his son, and it was killing him that the baby was being stubborn as hell.

That was an understatement.

They were trying everything to get the momma-to-be to have her little Kane-ykins.

The due date was yesterday, and any time the phone rang in his office, he practically jumped out of his skin.

It was amusing to watch the giant man look so scared shitless. A tiny outsider and his unborn child had taken him to his knees in a matter of nine months. While he’d been a deputy and had faced down countless criminals, he was rock steady. They didn’t call him the
‘enforcer’
for nothing. Who would have thought fatherhood would be close to breaking him?

Hell!

It was frying his nerves.

It didn't help that Christina was at home in bed and Kane couldn’t hover over her. When she was around, he was far calmer. The unknown was making him a hot mess, and the team was amused.

The doctor told Christina to rest, and Kane had forbidden her to come to work. Everyone knew how hard that was going to be for him, but he was holding onto control by the skin of his teeth.

When Christina had protested, saying she was fine, he finally grew a set and stood up to the five-foot dynamo.

That day was priceless.

In the end, Christina stared at him, gave Kane the look, and then waited until he said please. Then, she headed out.

It was a day to remember.

Kane thought he’d won, but really, this was all her victory. She’d randomly call and hang up, just to mess with him for being bossy.

Julian was pretty sure that she got that play from Elizabeth Blackhawk.

It was right up her sick and sadistic alley.

Their team was growing.

It was getting stronger and better as it picked up some of the smartest investigators out there.

One of the gems had been a reporter.

Roman Remington had been one hell of a wild card, but he was fitting in just fine. At first, the team had given him a really rough couple of weeks. After all, he was a reporter, and no one wanted to let that sneaky fox into the hen house.

Only, he’d won them over.

Most of them, with the exception of Julian, had been very wrong.

It was hard not to love the man. He rather reminded you of some college professor, spouting random information, and always smiling. Behind the glasses was a wealth of intelligence and genuine kindness.

He was a decent guy, and they were lucky to have him on the team. Roman was an asset.

As for handling his own, he could. The first time Kane had stared down at him, telling him he didn't like reporters, Roman didn't back down. Instead, he shrugged and told him,
‘then it’s a good thing I retired and am now a PI.’

Kane didn't know what to say, especially since he was expecting the man to cower.

Most people just did that around him—but not this man. He wasn’t having it.

Roman even brought Christina some soup when he went out for lunch, and that helped him wiggle his way into the big guy’s heart. Natives had an unspoken rule—you protected your brother’s woman, and Roman got that. He was gentle, sweet, and protective of the women at the office.

It spoke volumes as to how he was raised.

Then again, there was only one opinion that mattered when it came to Kane.

Christina liked Roman a lot, and honestly, she wore the testicles in that relationship.

No one doubted that.

She had silently drawn the line in the sand. Geeks had united, and she was standing firmly on Roman’s side. In the end, Kane didn’t have a chance.

His woman ruled his roost.

Lena, one more member of their team, was her normal self. This week, she decided to switch it up, playing for both sides of the team. Normally, she batted her big eyes at the ladies, but this week, she was hitting on the men.

They didn’t know if she was messing with them, or if she truly went both ways. Honestly, they were too afraid to ask the Goth admin about it.

Lena could be scary.

Besides, it was amusing to see. It didn't faze any of them, except for Justin.

Lena was his favorite plaything—not in a sexual way. The two had a very strong connection. It was forged in pranks, teasing, and general mayhem. Justin liked to torment the woman until she fired back.

What fun was a war if you were the only one on the field? Justin made sure to engage her every chance he could get. Unlike Kane, he wasn’t some babe’s bitch. Vivian lost control of that train a long time ago.

Today was no different.

Justin and Lena had been at each other since they strolled in, and it was par for the course. She was sitting there with her big rocker hair, ready for anything. Lena had already threatened revenge after Justin had glued all her office supplies to the desk.

It was going to be a bloody war, and they weren’t getting involved. Natives who took sides got hurt in the crossfire.

Secretly, they were all betting on Lena.

Justin was out of his league.

She could eat him alive.

Finally, there was Beau, Tori’s brother. He, along with Roman, was busily working on getting his license. Beau was pretty much laid back until Nyx Nightingale was around. The second she walked into a room, the switch was flipped, and he was nothing more than a horny mess.

It was fun to watch.

She’d stroll in, and he’d go stupid with love. The way he watched her, tracking her every move, spoke to him. Julian knew how that felt. After all, he’d been that way when he’d first seen Tori across a parking lot.

It still happened today.

Being a soldier in love with a psychic who was channeling your dead brother had good and bad days.

Beau was muddling through it the best he could.

It was a lot to handle, but so far, he was doing it the only way he knew how—with all he had.

It turned out that Beau was intuitive on his own. The second he and Nyx had met, he knew she was the one. The psychic woman, with her beautiful eyes, seemed to twist the Army guy up to no end.

It was perfect.

Yin balanced Yang.

They were already talking marriage, and that made him happy. After Claire and Beckett tied the knot, they were going to be next.

There was no doubt about it in Julian’s mind.

Tori’s baby brother was happy, and that’s all they wanted. If that gave his wife peace, it did the same for Julian. He had brothers and sisters, so he got it.

Family mattered.

It was the core of who they were as people and a business. As far as they were concerned, the twosome was a welcome addition at the office.

Their employees were special.

And he meant that in the nicest of ways. For Julian, the idea of owning a family business had taken a turn in the road, and he’d never seen this coming.

Special didn’t quite cover it.

They were gifted.

Vivian had her psychic dreams, Beckett touched things and was sucked into the past, Nyx could hear the dead, and then there was Tori.

She was a medium.

Hell!

She was a powerful one at that.

It took Julian a while to be able to say that without cringing. His wife spoke to the dead, and they spoke to her. There was a connection there. His wife, a tough soldier at heart, was learning to embrace her gift and use what the universe had handed her.

She hung out on both planes of consciousness, working her wicked investigative skills with the living, and handling the dearly departed.

It was scary as hell, but Julian knew that he didn’t have any other choice but to support her. She was his wife, and they had started a business together and that meant something.

They were a team.

Julian let Tori lead the way.

In fact, they’d begun taking cases that had more spooky undertones. If she wanted to play with the things that went bump in the night, so be it. He would walk that path with her through life.

What choice did he have?

She came with a partner, and Julian had to accept that the dead were tied to his wife.

Bethany had decided to hitch a permanent ride with Tori. She was her backup, and that wasn’t going to change. He could fight it, he could argue, or he could let it break them.

It wasn’t going to alter the outcome, and he knew that now. Fate had put them on this path.

Together.

Don’t get Julian wrong…

He hated it.

It freaked him out.

Of all the things to have to deal with, this was the last thing he ever saw coming. With that mess, also came a benefit.

There was now an added layer of security. It was pretty difficult to sneak up on Tori when Bethany was around. God knew he tried.

Bethany was turning into one hell of an asset, and honestly, Julian was glad. She was an early alarm system, and that was a damn good thing. A safe wife meant there was also a very safe baby.