Ice Moon (5 page)

Chapter Seven

Taryn

I
closed the door and set the deadbolt. My hands were still shaking. I forced myself to breathe, long and slow. I’d lost control. Jared. What was I thinking? I never should have touched him. After Noah walked out of my life, I hadn’t laid my hands on another man.

And since the fire, I hadn’t wanted to.

When I arrived at boarding school as a terrified almost-six-year-old who’d just given her father a third degree burn on his hand, they’d trained me to control the power, the heat. But after I turned thirteen, my education shifted. The administration at Brightwood had reason to believe that after puberty, our powers could grow. Enhance.

They wanted me to ignite the fire with my mind.

I’d been so grateful to finally be able to fit in, be normal, I fought them on the new training. Almost daily, I ended up in detention, labeled a troublemaker. By the time I hit fifteen, I was sneaking out at night. And the night I met Noah, I saw an escape and I took it. Even though he was only eighteen, at the time, he seemed much older to me, more mature.

The more I loved him, the less I cared about Brightwood and their pressure to use my “gift.” When I dropped out, they didn’t fight me. Maybe they were relieved.

Apparently normal girls were useless to them.

But I stopped practicing like I should. And after I found Trevor lifeless in his cradle, something inside of me broke and the fire poured out. I nearly lost Charlie, too.

The fear overwhelmed me. With nowhere to turn, I built walls. If I never touched anyone, and didn’t allow them close enough to hurt me, I couldn’t burn them.

Until tonight. Shit. What a mess.

My legs wobbled as I went to my chair at the dining room table. I sat down and plucked the pins from my hair, letting it fall loose around me. Staring at my hands, my barriers tumbled down. Tears rolled freely down my cheeks.

After a few minutes wallowing in self-pity, I groaned and got up. This wasn’t helping me solve anything. No amount of crying was going to change my fate. There was no one to blame but myself. Inviting Jared to dinner, getting to know him…kissing him. My body warmed at the thought.

It had been years since I kissed Noah, but I didn’t remember a passionate fire like I experienced tonight. I’d been able to control my powers with Charlie’s father.

Just one kiss with Jared, and I almost burned his shirt right off his body.

But he didn’t run away screaming. Why not? I shoved the curiosity aside and got up. It didn’t matter. I’d never see him again, and if he told anyone about the “heated” kiss, I’d deny it.

Besides who would believe the Ice Queen locked lips with her contractor?

Wiping my face, I took a slow breath and jogged upstairs. Charlie’s door was ajar. I peered inside and smiled in spite of my crappy evening. My son was sound asleep with a book on his chest. I crept closer and carefully slid it free from his loose grasp. His heavy eyelids fluttered open.

“Is Jared still here?”

I sighed, shaking my head. “No. He went home.”

His dreamy voice melted my heart. “I think he likes you Mom.”

“He likes
you
. I hired him. He has to be nice to me.” I placed his bookmark between the pages and closed the book. “Go back to sleep. School tomorrow.”

He rolled over toward me. “I really like Jared. I hope he stays after the deck is finished.”

It hurt to breathe. I stared out the window at the moonlight on the lake. Cool. Calm. “You can’t count on that. He’s got a life. We’re only in it while he’s working.”

Charlie’s eyelashes lay quiet against his cheeks as he surrendered and slept again. I pulled his comforter up a little more and walked over to his desk. He deserved so much better than I could ever give him.

I picked up his pencil and opened his journal to write my nightly I love you and froze. In his scratchy print he wrote:

Thank you for tonight, Mom. Having Tank and Jared over for dinner was fun. Maybe next time they could stay over and have pancakes. Yum! Night. I love you. – Charlie

A tear dropped from my eyelashes onto the journal page. I rolled my eyes, drying my cheeks before picking up the pencil again.

I love you too, Charlie. I wish I could give you nights like this all the time. Someday you’ll understand. You did a great job on your clubhouse sign. I’m so proud of you. Love, Mom.

My son had no memories of all the kisses I used to shower on his and his brother’s pudgy cheeks. He didn’t even know he had a brother. How could I tell him his twin had died and my grief caused such an inferno, he was nearly killed, too? I couldn’t bear seeing him afraid of me.

Instead, I kept him at arm’s length and wrote him notes to be sure he knew I loved him. I didn’t know what else to do. His safety had to come first.

“Night Charlie,” I whispered as I clicked off his desk lamp and closed his door.

I walked down the hall to my room and collapsed onto my cold empty bed. But when I shut my eyes, my mind tormented me. Replaying the raw edge in Jared’s voice when he told me he wanted to kiss me.

That moment made me forget I was a monster.

T
he morning passed in a blur, but Charlie got to school on time, I took a shower, grabbed a bagel, and still made it in time to open the office. I spent all morning reading and signing documents, taking phone calls, and wolfing down a ham sandwich for lunch. My next appointment would be here in ten minutes. Usually my agents showed properties, but this account had the potential to be long term and highly profitable, so when he requested a meeting with me personally, I carved out some time.

Madison poked her head in my door. “Hi, Ms. Goldstone. Any luck on—”

“No. And I don’t have time to get into it right now.”

Her smile faded. “Sorry. I didn’t know you were busy.”

She wandered off before I could soften my response, but if I had to discuss the damned Masquerade today, I’d fall apart. Jared had said yes, but there was
no
way I could risk being near him again. What if my self-control slipped again? What if it happened in public?

They’d take Charlie away.

I straightened my blazer, pushing the dark thoughts away. I’d leave Jared a message and let him know I wouldn’t need him for the Masquerade after all. Simple.

Ray knocked on my door frame. “Your one o’clock is here.”

“Thanks.” I got up, smoothing down my skirt, and checked myself in the small mirror on the back of my office door. Satisfied everything was as it should be, I grabbed my leather portfolio and headed out to our welcome area.

Grasping the folder in both hands protected me from having to shake hands. “Hello. You must be Mr. Severino…” I glanced at my notes. “Damian Severino?”

He nodded and picked up his briefcase as he stood. “And you’re Ms. Goldstone?”

“I am.” I turned before he could offer his hand. “We can chat in my office. I found a few properties that just came on the market and might be perfect for what you’re looking for.”

He followed me and took the chair across from my desk. I settled in and turned my computer screen so we could both see the PowerPoint I’d prepared.

Mr. Severino had contacted me via email so I had no idea what he’d look or sound like in person. For some reason, I pictured him much older. In reality, he could’ve walked off the runway at fashion week. His tailored suit fit his broad shoulders perfectly, and his tan skin made his teeth and the whites of his eyes even brighter. The only imperfection was a black splint on his right hand and a limp in his gait.

“From our emails, I understand you need a large custom home that can be used for your business entertaining, right?”

He nodded. “Exactly. We’re based on the east coast, but our interests seem to keep drawing us into the area. I’d like to find something to serve as a satellite business hub as well as a temporary residence.”

I skimmed my notes again. “The Nero Organization, right? I’m sorry, I tried to do my homework and research your company, but not much came up.”

“Good.” He shifted in his chair. “The majority of our work is with the federal government. Many of our contracts are top secret. We maintain a very low profile. The less people know the better.”

“Wow.” I clicked the mouse to bring up the PowerPoint. “And the government is sending you to Lake Tahoe?”

He chuckled, but it was practiced and tight. His eyes remained distant, cold. “Government contracts are not our
only
interest.”

“Fair enough.” As long as his checks were good, that was all that mattered to me.

After showing him my top five properties, he agreed to take a look. Three were available to show anytime. The other two I’d have to set appointments.

“How long will you be in town?”

He pulled out his cell phone, dividing his attention. “I will stay long enough to procure the right property.”

“Great. If you’ve got time, I can take you over to tour three of them now. The others we’ll need to schedule.”

We left the office, crossing to my SUV. The Escalade was the perfect real estate vehicle. Not only could I cart around up to seven more people, but even if I only had one passenger, there was enough distance between us to keep things from getting awkwardly intimate.

I clicked the locks and opened the driver’s side door. He yanked his wide open and frowned, turning to look farther back inside my car. He had the same perplexed look on his face as Jared did when he stared down my hallway. Like they were looking for someone.

“Is there a problem?”

His dark eyes flicked over to meet my gaze. “I’m not sure yet.”

He cleared his throat and reached up with his left hand for the handle inside, pulling himself up onto the seat. I buckled my seatbelt, refraining from asking him about his injuries. I’d learned early in my career that questions like that could lead to answers such as: “I was born this way.” Tough to come back from that kind of gaff.

I pulled out of the parking lot, my phone directing me toward our first stop. “Have you been in Lake Tahoe long?”

“This is my first visit here. I’ve heard there are wolves.”

I raised a brow. “Wolves?” I made another right turn. “There’s a wolf-dog rescue up here, but we don’t often hear about wild wolves much.”

His closed lips curved into a smirk. “The full moon is coming in a few days. Listen for the howls.” He stared out the passenger window.

I tightened my grip on the wheel. Something about Mr. Severino had me on edge. Not good. I glanced at the water. My cell reminded me our destination would be on the left. I rolled into the wide circular drive in front of the two story custom home and turned off the engine. “Ready to take a look?”

We got out, and I kept my cell phone in one hand, keys in the other. “This one’s got a beautiful deck out back overlooking the lake.”

Just mentioning the deck made me think of Jared, of his slow passionate kiss. I blinked hard, forcing the memory back as I opened the door. He entered first and I followed, grateful he didn’t seem to notice my distraction.

“Go ahead and look around. Let me know if you have any questions.”

He nodded and wandered the lower level first. Usually, I’d walk the space with my clients, but there was something about this man that had my inner alarms going off, and if I learned nothing else at Brightwood, it was to trust my intuition.

I went to the sliding glass door and rolled it open to step out on the deck. The air was crisp and cool outside, calming my frayed nerves.

Until my phone rang.

After nearly dropping the damned thing, I checked the screen. Jared. I swiped ignore. The number vanished, and something inside of me ached. Talking to him, hearing his voice, would only add to the torment. Now that I’d kissed him, my long dormant body wanted more, but if one kiss singed his shirt, I could only imagine what would happen if we were skin to skin.

Best to cut this off now.

“Ms. Goldstone?”

I spun around to find Damian at the door. “Can you tell me the size of the lot? Whatever we decide to purchase, it will need to be fenced with a security gate.”

“I can look it up for you when we get back to the office.”

“Perfect.” He tipped his head slightly, but his dark eyes remained on mine. His sharp features were stunning, but I couldn’t shake the feeling his charm was a mask.

“Ready for the next property?”

I turned the deadbolt and returned the key to the lock box. The shadows lengthened as the sun sank in the sky. Jared was planning to work late tonight, but I’d work later.

If I played my cards right, I’d never have to see him again.

Chapter Eight

Jared

M
y breath huffed past my lips as I hammered the living shit out of the support beam. Overhead, the stars sparkled, and the nearly full moon reflected on the tranquil water.

Taryn had ignored my phone call, twice, and she didn’t show up to talk. I wasn’t really surprised. But it still hurt like hell. My mate. All night that kiss tormented me, haunting my dreams. She kissed me back, I hadn’t imagined the passion.

Her cold front was in full bloom now. She’d locked herself back in the fucking tower like I never existed.

“Jared? Are you stayin’ for dinner?”

Then there was Charlie. As soon as he’d finished his homework, he ran down, tool belt tight around his waist, ready to help. He’d gathered wood, sorted screws and nails, and I even let him use my power drill a couple of times.

“Afraid not, Buddy. Tank and I need to get home.” I wiped my brow and slid my hammer into my belt. “Thanks for your hard work today.”

“You’re welcome.” He stared up at the moon.

Did he sense his connection, the changes that would pull his wolf forward when the moon reached its full potential? He couldn’t, but his instincts, his inner wolf, would burst to life at some point soon. Everyone in our Pack matured at a different rate. Gareth had been the first of our generation to shift at fourteen. Adam and Aren hadn’t run with the Pack until they were sixteen. The rest of us started shifting between sixteen and eighteen.

Charlie probably had at least four years before his life would turn upside down unless I could figure out some way to reach his mother, to make her believe.

I had no clue how to broach the subject. But I couldn’t just give up. She’d never admit it, but she needed me. God knew I needed her. And Charlie needed a Pack.

After I tidied up my workspace, I put my arm around Charlie’s shoulders. “Everything okay?”

He gave me a half-hearted shrug. “I guess so.”

“You guess?”

He looked up at me. “I wish every night could be like last night. I wish Mom could…” He sighed. “I get lonely sometimes.”

“But you’ve got friends at school, right?”

“Yeah. And at soccer, too, but they never get to come over or spend the night. My Mom can’t have them around.” He kicked at a rock. “But last night she seemed fine. I thought things might be different.”

I squeezed his shoulder, my chest tight. “Give her some time.” I cleared my throat, glancing at the moon. “I’m not giving up on her, and you shouldn’t either.”

“I knew it!” Charlie laughed and nudged me. “You
do
like my Mom.”

I rolled my eyes and mussed his hair. “She’s okay.”

“You think she’s pretty.”

“She
is
pretty. Beautiful in fact.”

Charlie’s laughter faded, his eyes shining with hope. “You should tell her that.”

“I’d have to get her to talk to me again first.”

He sighed. “But you said you won’t give up.”

“Yep.” I nodded and started up for my truck. “She’s about to find out how stubborn I can be.”

Charlie jogged beside me, with Tank close behind. “Jared, can I tell you a secret?”

I stopped at the truck and faced him. “What is it?”

He checked around and lowered his voice. “It’s gonna sound crazy.”

“Your secrets are safe with me.”

“You won’t laugh?”

I crossed my heart. “Not a chance.”

“I hear you talking to Tank when you’re outside and I’m inside doing homework. Mom says I exaggerate, but I don’t.”

I ground my teeth together, biting back what I really wanted to tell him. “Why are you telling me this?”

“Because…” His big green eyes searched mine. “…You’re the first grown up I’ve ever met that smells like me.”

The vulnerability in Charlie’s eyes tore a hole in me. This boy needed to know what he was, what
I
was, but I couldn’t tell him. Not yet. Instead, I hugged him. He clung to me like a lifeline while I stared at the darkening sky above, trying to figure out what in the hell to do.

He sniffled a little and stepped back. “You don’t think I’m nuts?”

“Nope.” I chucked his chin. “I think you’re one amazing boy.”

“Why do we smell different?”

Because we’re werewolves, kid.
“There’s not a simple answer, and for now, it’s really important that we keep it between us. Your mom is already upset with me. I don’t want to give her any more ammunition.”

Charlie nodded, his expression serious beyond his years. “I won’t say anything.” He lifted his left arm and slid his sleeve up to expose a severely scarred forearm. “I keep my scar to myself, too. It upsets my mom when she sees it, and she told me other people would ask questions.”

A burn. My throat went tight. “How’d you get that?”

He shrugged and pulled his shirt back down. “I don’t remember, but Mom does, and she doesn’t like to look at it.”

I raked my fingers back through my hair, staring at the sky again while I struggled to gather my emotions. This burn was why she kept her distance from everyone, even her own son. Maybe she couldn’t control it.

And how could
I
help her?

I grabbed Charlie around the waist and boosted him onto the tailgate of my truck so we were almost at eye level. “I’ve got to get Tank home, but I need to know you can stay quiet about this until I get your mom to talk to me again.”

“She’s not talking to you?”

I shook my head. “Hasn’t returned my calls either. But I won’t give up.”

He nodded. “Will you be back tomorrow?”

“Yeah. We’ve got a deck to finish right?”

His face brightened.

The door opened and Sherri poked her head out. “Dinner’s ready, Charlie.”

He hopped off the tailgate and grinned. “See you, Jared.”

“Night, Charlie.”

He raced inside, and I helped Tank into the cab of the truck. Once we were on the road, I glanced at my passenger. “If you’ve got any ideas about how I can get this shit storm cleared up, I’m all ears.”

Tank snorted, sneezed, and lay down on the bench seat, plopping his head on my leg. I rested my hand on his back, eyes glued to the winding two-lane highway. “Yeah, I don’t have a goddamn clue either.”

J
ason was on his way over, Tank was munching his dinner, and I sat at the computer rereading the information I printed out about Pyrokinesis. The psychic ability to speed up the natural vibrations of atoms until they combusted. Back in medical school, I might’ve laughed off the notion, but I had the t-shirt to prove my mate had a dangerous gift.

I found plenty of websites with tips for building your abilities, but nothing concrete about ways to control it. In fact, I didn’t find many mentions where someone actually burned a person by touching them.

That would be too easy.

I groaned and leaned back in my chair. On a whim, I pulled out my cell phone and pressed Taryn’s name. Straight to voicemail.

The woman was as stubborn as she was beautiful.

Jason drove up outside. I met him at the door, surprised to find Kilani with him. “Thanks for coming over.”

We clasped forearms in the traditional Pack greeting before Jason yanked me into a tight hug. “We both wanted to tell you first.”

I frowned. “Tell me what?”

Kilani smiled. “You’re going to be an uncle.”

My jaw dropped and for a brief moment, a ray of light broke through the tempest of my worries for Taryn and Charlie.

I embraced Kilani. Gently. “Congratulations.”

She laughed as she stepped back. “I’m still me. No porcelain dolls here.”

I chuckled. “When are you due?”

Jason grinned as he took her hand. “I’ll know more when I can get a clear sonogram, but probably early January.”

“Have you told Mom and Dad yet?”

Jason shook his head. “We will in a couple weeks, once we’re sure there aren’t going to be any problems, but we had to tell someone.”

“I’m honored to be that someone.” I gripped his shoulder. “Those are going to be some lucky little guys to have you for parents.”

Jason looked happier than I’d ever seen him, and Kilani already had that glow from the inside out. I crossed my arms wishing I had good news to share.

“Taryn’s definitely a strong psychic.”

Jason sobered, back to business. “I was right about psychic human women being able to conceive with a shifter without being converted first.”

I nodded. “Looks like it.” They sat on the couch across from me. I leaned forward in my chair, resting my forearms on my thighs, trying to figure out where to start. “She can burn things with her mind. Pyrokinesis.”

Kilani frowned. “There was a Taryn at Brightwood who had a gift for Pyrokinesis. She was a year ahead of me in school until she dropped out.”

“It’s got to be her.” My pulse jumped. “It can’t be a coincidence. Why did she drop out?”

“We never heard officially, but it came down the grapevine that she had an older boyfriend and she got pregnant.”

Jason moved forward to the edge of the sofa. “Her werewolf son.”

“Yeah, but wait it gets even better.”

“Seriously?” My brother raised a brow.

“Yeah.” I got up, and grabbed my singed t-shirt from the back of the chair and tossed it to him.

Jason unfolded it and frowned. “Looks like…handprints?”

“She’s my mate.” I crossed my arms over my chest. “I kissed her even though she warned me she didn’t want to hurt me.”

“And she did this to your shirt?”

“Yeah.” Tank wandered over to sit at my side. “Not on purpose. That’s the thing. I think she can’t control it.”

Kilani sighed. “If it’s the same girl, she used to be able to control her powers. In fact, I think when she got older, they were trying to help her enhance it, but she wouldn’t or couldn’t. That’s when she started sneaking out at night. We figured it was because of her boyfriend.”

“Enhance it?” I gripped the back of my chair so tight that the wood creaked. “As in, Nero
wanted
her to start fires?”

Kilani nodded, glancing between Jason and I. “Yeah. They used to pull her from class. They called it ‘focused practice.’” She shuddered. “By then, I’d had the vision of Nadya’s parents being shot. When they lied to us, telling us Nadya moved away with no mention of her parents, it scared me, and I hid my powers. But for the others, like Taryn, Brightwood seemed to think that once we hit puberty, our psychic gifts could be strengthened with the right incentive.”

I ground my teeth. “Those bastards.” I shook my head. “No wonder she’s so distant from everyone.”

“Maybe.” She shrugged, empathy in her dark eyes. “She was a year ahead of me in school, but we were in the same dorm. Before she dropped out, she told me she couldn’t do it. She could manipulate a flame if it was already lit, but she couldn’t ignite the fire.”

I picked up the burnt t-shirt. “Well, something changed. My shirt and Charlie’s arm prove it.”

“Any luck finding out what happened to the twin?”

“No.” I raked a hand back through my hair. “And I may not get a chance anytime soon. She’s avoiding me now and ignoring my calls.”

Kilani got up and took my hand. “Don’t give up. She’s scared. She’ll come around.”

I stared down at my brother’s mate. When she first came to our Pack, she thought Jason was a spy for Nero.

And now she was carrying his twins.

If Jason could earn her trust and her love, surely there was hope for me.

If Taryn didn’t accidentally kill me first.