Moon Tortured (Sky Brooks Series Book 1) (50 page)

“Are you okay?” Josh asked, splitting his attention between me and the spell as he destroyed the Gem of Levage. I held onto the table with all I had because I knew if didn’t I would have tried to grab the gem. It didn’t affect me the way it had in the basement, but still, I hated seeing it destroyed.

Josh waved his hand over it and it burst into flames. I felt like I had been set aflame as well, holding firmly onto the dense wood I thought I would crush my fingers. When it was finished, all that was left was a vapor that cast itself over the book, covering it. It hovered there for minutes before settling on it and then vanished.

The room returned to a normal temperature. The pain disappeared and so did the nausea. The only thing that remained was the odd emptiness that settled in me.

Josh full attention was on me as he stood in front of me. Pushing away the hair that had fallen over my face, he studied me without saying anything. His hands rested on either side of the table, enclosing me. “That was intense,” I stated casually.

“Yeah, it was.” But he wasn’t casual; he looked concerned.

“Can I see the book?” I tried to turn my head toward the book but he took hold of my face, his hand cupped my chin returning my focus to him. “What happened to you?” he asked, closing whatever distance there was between us.

I backed up to the table, taking up any remaining space between me and it. “It was just intense. I seem more sensitive to magic. That’s all. ” I didn’t know any other way to explain it.

“Okay.” He looked unconvinced. Briefly directing his attention to Ethan who was watching us from the other side of the room, “Will you put the book away?” he asked him. Ethan hesitated, his gaze bouncing between me and his brother as his lips tightened. I twisted, watching him as he took the book off the table. Instead of putting it away, he brought it over to me.

“Put it away.” Josh urged.

“You wanted her here. Don’t cheat her out of this. She should be allowed to see it all—from beginning to end.”

“I don’t think—”

Before he could finish, Ethan had handed me the book. I nearly snatching it from him; I pulled it close to me and held it. I wanted to keep it close to me and cradle it in my arms. Strangely, I felt a protective urge rise in me, but instead of keeping it linked to me, I flipped through the pages and found where the Gem of Levage had bled into it. Aware that they were watching me, waiting for a response and scrutinizing my reaction, I glanced at it quickly and handed it back to him. They looked surprised.

As Ethan grabbed the book, Josh’s hands slid behind my back and under the edge of my jeans. His fingers pressed into my skin. “What are you doing?” I snapped, pulling away.

He smiled. “It’s gone. The mark—it’s gone.”

They both looked relieved, as if at some point through all of this they expected it not to happen. If it hadn’t, what would that have meant?

Josh left before I had the chance to ask. Ethan lingered, waiting for me to exit the library. As soon as I did, he locked it.

“Sky.”

“-lar” I added. “Sky-lar,” I repeated when he gave me a strange, confused look.

I think that was a smile he gave me, but it was rigid, barely curved. He moved closer to me. Ethan’s intensity was hard to get used to. It jabbed at you, then resiled so fast it left you awe-struck, shaken and even perplexed.

“You intrigue him,” he admitted, the intensity of his gaze bore into me.

“He likes magic; it’s what he is.”

Ethan stepped closer to me, and the odd way he made me feel after he kissed me forced its way to the surface. A long intense gaze swept over me, roving over my face, to my hands that were clasped in front of me, and then to every place in between.

His tongue slid slowly across his lips, moistening them. My thoughts went to the animal channel right after the poor prey met its unsuspecting demise. The predator always stands over its mutilated carcass, licking the remains of its spoils from his lips with an ominous pleasure on its face. “But it’s not what you are. My brother can be very persuasive. He’s quite talented that way. You don’t have to do everything he asks. If you don’t want to explore
magic
, or anything else with him—then don’t.”

I smiled. “I know how to say ‘no,’ Ethan. I got that little education when my mother taught me the difference between boys and girls.” I started backing away from him. Grinning, I slowly turned around and headed for the stairs. “Riley Fisher kissed me on the playground when I was twelve. He asked. I said no. But he did it anyway. I punched him in the kisser. That day, he learned that ‘no means no.’ Warn your brother— if I say no, and he doesn’t listen to me, he’s going to end up like Riley Fisher.” I heard Ethan laugh as I headed up the stairs.

I had started packing my things the moment I walked through the door after my conversation with Ethan. I hoped to be home before nightfall. I looked up to find Sebastian leaning against the door. “Stay until tomorrow,” he stated. Like everything that came out of Sebastian’s mouth, it sounded like a command.

“Is that a request or a command?” I asked politely.

His face relaxed, then he forced a smile. “It’s a request. Ethan and Steven can stay with you tonight. I’ll have someone performing another sweep of your home to ensure that Demetrius is taking the loss well. I doubt there will be any problems,” he informed me, walking further into the room.

Sebastian, even in his seemingly relaxed state, still managed to intimidate me. He languidly paced the floor. “It’s not good to live as a lone were-animal,” he advised in his rich deep voice.

“I know,” I acknowledged, my face contemplative.

“Lone wolves don’t live long nor fare well in this world, and one with your abilities may be at greater risk,” he continued. “We’ve saved your life, and it is my understanding that you incurred a debt because of that.” I nodded cautiously. Turning to face me, his soft brown eyes lifted to meet mine. “The debt is forgiven,” he informed me in a firm voice.

“Sebastian, I … ”

“You saved one of ours, and you were invaluable in finding the gem. As far as I am concerned, we are even.”

“Thank you,” I fumbled out, shocked that he would be capable of such benevolence.

He nodded once. “Skylar, I don’t necessarily like you, but I respect your tenacity and values. I am extending an offer to join the Midwest Pack.” I started to speak, but he raised his hand to stop me. “I don’t expect an answer now. You feel obligated to us; I don’t want you to accept under that pretense. Take the time you need to make an educated decision because it is quite a commitment. If I don’t hear from you, I’ll assume it is a declination, and I won’t hold any ill feelings toward your decision. But understand that if you don’t, and trouble finds you again, my pack will never help, because you have chosen the life of a lone wolf.”

I smiled, watching him as he left the room. I chose to be a lone wolf. Essentially, Sebastian just informed me that if I declined pack membership and ever found myself in trouble, they would turn a blind eye to it. And if I were ever a risk to them, I would be handled as most risks are.

“Want to go for a run?” Ethan asked from behind me as I stood on the back porch of the house. It was the same spot I had been for the past fifteen minutes as I contemplated going for a jog. It was hard letting go of the constant expectation of vampire attacks.

Ethan wasn’t speaking of running in human form. He wanted to run in the way he loved. I was prepared to decline, but when I turned to face him, I ended up nodding in agreement. The way he looked out toward the woods with an inexplicable yearning, I couldn’t resist.

I followed him off the porch and when he started to take off his shirt, I took that as my cue to go to the other side of the house to change. I crouched, naked, and wished for my wolf to emerge. Cool fall air whisked against my skin, making me regret that I didn’t decline the offer. Becoming increasingly frustrated when the change didn’t come easily, I tried to force it. Still, nothing happened.

After several minutes, Ethan padded around the corner in animal form. He looked at me, tilted his head and pulled back his lips. I think he was grinning. He sauntered over and rested his face against the crease of my neck. As I stroked the scruff of his neck, I could feel the pricks running up my arm, the surge of energy through me as my change started. Ethan had run into the woods by the time I had fully changed. He submersed himself so deep into the forest that I had to track him by his scent.

When I found him, he howled playfully then licked my face. Ugh. I turned away quickly, letting him know I didn’t like that. He nudged me and did it again. This time, I growled at him. When he pulled back his lips to smile, it was as warm and inviting as if he were in human form. He gently ran his nose along my face and then darted further into the woods. I chased behind him, staying close.

We ran through the woods for almost two hours until we were exhausted. When we neared the house, Ethan changed while walking toward it. I waited near my clothes for him to help me change back. Coming around the corner, he looked surprised that I was still in wolf form. He knelt down. “You need to do this on your own. I won’t always be around to help,” he stated speaking slowly, making it easier for me to discern his words. Once he stood and headed for the door, I snapped at him, barely missing nipping his hand. I couldn’t believe he was going to leave me like this. He responded with a wry smile.

I flopped down on my paws. I can do this. I closed my eyes coercing myself to relax into my natural form. But it couldn’t. I tried for nearly a half hour as Ethan stood inside watching me from the door. When he started toward me, I growled, baring my teeth. A warning that if he didn’t help me, I wasn’t going to miss this time. His lips flattened into a thin line, suppressing a grin. He knelt in front of me. “It shouldn’t be hard, not for you. Human form, you want it. Just relax into it, Skylar,” he stated softly.

I spent a good five minutes glaring at Ethan until he finally left. A long time later, I was finally in human form. I dressed and scurried quickly to the house. The alluring smell of food met me at the entrance.

“Hungry?” Ethan asked when I walked into the kitchen.

I nodded; starving was more like it.

We ate mostly in silence. Periodically he would ask me questions about my plans. That didn’t lead to very good dialogue because I had no idea what I would do. I planned to sell the house. Even if I could learn to walk past my mother’s room without having an emotional breakdown, the house was too large for one person.

“Sebastian asked you to join our pack,” he acknowledged as he took our empty plates to the sink and cleaned them. He kept his back to me for a while, his breathing slow and rhythmic as though he were considering something.

I remained quiet. I knew there had to be some ulterior motive to Ethan being here with me at this moment. Their actions were rarely selfless.

“Is that what the run and dinner was all about? Are you here to influence my decision to join the pack?” I asked, slightly annoyed. I realized it was being petty and irrational, but I couldn’t help my aggravation. No matter how I tried to push the feelings aside, they wouldn’t budge.

He looked stunned by my accusation, which he soon traded for a look of pure offense. “No. I was going for a run anyway. I thought you could use the a little escape from the house; perhaps it was a poor decision on my part.”

He stared past me, engrossed by his thoughts. He quickly redirected his attention to me. Speaking slowly, his words seemed weighted by his thoughts. “Pack life is all that I know. It’s the way I was raised, and if it weren’t, I doubt I would chose otherwise. But, it’s not for everyone. Not all people who join the pack are assets. Some become complications and others … acceptable liabilities. Sebastian seems to think you would be an asset to the pack and your unique qualities an acceptable liability.” He looked at me perceptively. “I disagree.”

“You don’t want me to join this pack?” I asked, failing miserably at hiding my hurt and disappointment.

“I think the life of a lone wolf would be best suited for you,” he responded hastily, without giving the question a second thought.

I had a hard time finding the words to respond. The immature brat in me wanted to call Sebastian right then and accept his invitation, just to annoy Ethan. The rejection stung.

“Why don’t you want me … ” The words came too quickly to be censored. “ … in your pack?” I added awkwardly.