Hyena Moon (33 page)

Authors: Jeanette Battista

BOOK: Hyena Moon

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There was a part of her that wondered if some of their respective busy-ness came from the space that had grown between them. As much as she didn't want to let it affect her, as much as she didn’t want to hold onto them, his words from their fight after Lenore was taken still came back to her. He'd hurt her, deliberately striking at her most vulnerable spot, and she was guarded with him now, as much as she loved him. It didn't matter that he'd come to help when she was fighting Samara; or rather, it did matter, but it didn't help her walls. They stood half-built inside her, where before they'd been razed to nothing.

She recognized his gait as he tromped down the wooden steps that led from the house to the dock. Kess didn't take her eyes off of the water, content to wait until he was closer to look at him. He dropped down next to her, close enough to touch, but not actually touching. Kess side-eyed him and saw that he was looking out over the water too.

"Thought I would find you out here." His voice was rich and cool, like heavy cream.

She didn't say anything. There wasn't anything that needed to be said. She looked at him, assessing the changes in him since they'd first come down here for the death of her brother. He was lean and tan and his dark hair had lightened a little in spots to the almost honey-blonde of his sister. He wore a red t-shirt and khaki cargo shorts and went barefoot. He looked much the same as he always looked, maybe a little browner.

But his eyes had changed. They were shadowed and worried now. His grey eyes were calm, but it was not a true calm, more like the strangely charged hush you got before a hurricane. Kess looked back out to the water, watching the speedboats turn and weave between wakes farther out.

"You're staying." He said it like a statement, not an accusation, which Kess was grateful for.

"Yes." She brushed a hair from her face. "I was trying to figure out how to tell you."

"How about 'Hey Cormac, I'm not going back with you because I've decided to stay in Miami.' You ever think of that one?" He was joking, but there was a bitterness behind it.

She looked at him fully, letting a little of what she was feeling show on her face. "No, I never even thought of that. What a novel approach." She tried to stand up, but he took her hand in his, keeping it at his side so she couldn't get up unless she wanted to rip her hand from his.

"Why?" His fingers tightened around hers and her throat tightened in response.

She narrowed her eyes to keep the tears from starting. "The clan. The council. I have to stay to get it set up and working."

"Someone else could do it."

She shook her head angrily. No, nobody else could. She'd already thought of that. "Bomani and Nyla are dead. Masud is untested. That doesn't leave me with great options. It has to be me, at least for right now." Kess saw him open his mouth to argue and she finished before he could start. "You'd do it for your pack."

Cormac's mouth closed. His brows drew down in a scowl. He couldn't argue with her about that, they both knew it. He was the Alpha's son. He was going to be the Alpha one day. Good of the pack would come before the wants of the individual one day.

"Is that the only reason you're staying?" He lifted his face and the fear in his eyes was there for her to see. It made him seem naked, and it made her uncomfortable to think of his vulnerability. She didn’t want to see it right now.

She forced herself to meet his eyes though. "Yes." His eyes slipped closed in what she thought was relief. "And no." They flicked back open again and she caught he telltale glimmer of hurt in them now.

"What I said…" he began, but she shushed him with a finger over his lips.

"I love you. I want to be with you. But I'd be lying if I said that you didn't hurt me and that it didn't make me…cautious." All of this was true. "I need some time."
Away from you. On my own
.

He pressed his forehead to hers. "I love you, Kess." Her throat closed completely at his words so that all she could do was nod.

She pulled away after a few moments and looked at him. He was still everything she had ever wanted, but it was tempered now by the hurtful words he'd uttered. She needed the space to reconcile the two. Kess leaned forward and brushed her lips across his lightly, the barest of kisses. Then she stood. "Goodbye, Cormac."

Kess hurried up the steps which were blurred by the tears that ran down her face. She didn't look back at the lonely figure that sat on the dock, eyes turned toward the sea.

Chapter Forty-Seven

Cormac stood next to the hired car that would take his family to the airport. They were all packed and loaded, but the goodbyes still needed to be said. He cast around, looking for Kess' familiar face, hoping that she had changed her mind about seeing him off at least, but she was nowhere to be found. She'd said her farewells to everyone last night, using a clan meeting as an excuse for not being able to see them off herself.

He kept telling himself that it was only a break, that they could weather this test of their relationship. But his words to Kess in the heat of anger kept replaying in his head, filling him with doubt. In truth, he had no idea if he would see Kess again and that thought left him hollow.

His parents came out, followed by Finn, then Rafe and Lenore. The two teens held hands and spoke quietly, their heads close together, probably exchanging whispered affections. Finn rolled his eyes as he passed them.

"Take care, Mac," he said, gripping his cousin's hand.

"You too, Finn." He waited until his parents were safely loaded in the car, then said, "And keep an eye on Kess for me?" Finn knew what had happened between him and Kess.

Finn grinned. "I'll make sure nothing happens to her."

Cormac smiled sadly. It was something. "Thanks, man." He looked around, hoping to catch a glimpse of her in a window or something. No luck. He turned his attention to his sister. "Come on, Lenore. We need to get moving."

Rafe leaned down and kissed Lenore briefly, then walked her over to the car. Cormac extended his hand to the young werehyena. "Take it easy, Rafe."

"You too, Cormac." The young man met his eyes with a steady gaze. Cormac had to admit Rafe had come a long way from the diffident kid they'd been saddled with. The change looked good on him.

He watched as Lenore hugged Finn and gave Rafe one last kiss. No one said anything about Kess' absence, acting like it was the most normal thing in the world. Cormac appreciated the silence. Finally, Lenore lowered herself into the car, waving all the time. He closed the door gently, then went around to the front of the car. Finn followed.

"Give my brother hell for me," he said, clapping Cormac on the shoulder.

"Will do." Cormac opened the passenger door and tried to step in, but Finn gripped his shoulder tightly. Cormac looked at him, surprised at how serious he looked.

"She'll come around," Finn said, his voice low. "You two are made for each other."

"Yeah, okay. Thanks." Cormac climbed in, eyes fixed on a point only he could see. He used to believe what Finn said, but now he wasn't so sure of Finn's words anymore. He'd made a mistake and it had cost him. But just how much remained to be seen.

He looked back at the white house on the water one last time as the car pulled out of the circular drive. Kess. Then he turned his gaze forward, letting the house dwindle and disappear from the rearview mirrors.

The Moon series continues with Hunter Moon (Volume 4 of the Moon series). Coming in December 2012.

###

Acknowledgements

As always, a huge thank you to my critique partners: Melissa Marr and Tracey Peake. And thank you to my Beta reader, Nancy Potanovic. You are all so awesome to take time from your busy lives to do nice things for me.

To Ian--thank you for all of the Vizcaya information and pictures. It’s been years since I’ve seen it in person, so your knowledge was a huge help.

To my family, friends, and readers who have bought these books and supported my work: words cannot begin to express how deeply in your debt I am. Thank you all.

AUTHOR’S NOTE: I took liberties with some of the logistics of Vizcaya and its surroundings. This is a fantasy novel, so I created a bit of a fantasy Vizcaya.

About the Author

Jeanette Battista graduated with an English degree with a concentration in medieval literature which explains her possibly unhealthy fixation on edged weapons and cathedral architecture. She spent a summer in England and Scotland studying the historical King Arthur, which did nothing to curb her obsession. To satisfy her adrenaline cravings--since sword fighting is not widely accepted in these modern times--she rode a motorcycle at ridiculously high speeds, got some tattoos, and took kickboxing and boxing classes. She gave up the bike when her daughter came along, although she still gets pummeled at the gym on a regular basis.

When she’s not writing or working, Jeanette spends time with family, hikes, reads, makes decadent brownies, buys killer boots, and plays Pocket Frogs. She wishes there were more hours in the day so she could actually do more of these things. She lives with her daughter and their ancient, ill-tempered cat in North Carolina.

You can read more about her and her books at
http://www.jeanettebattista.com
.

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