Moonlight Kin 4: Tristan (4 page)

Tristan stopped in front of a gray two-story
mansion that had been converted into apartments. He put his nose to
the ground and followed the sweet aroma wafting on the air until it
ended at a closed door on the second floor.

Heat swept through him as Tristan allowed the
change to take him. When it was over, he stood naked outside
Isabel’s home. He listened but couldn’t hear a heartbeat
inside.

Cold swept through him. Had the Darkling
killed her?

Tristan’s chest throbbed. He rubbed the spot,
unnerved by the sudden wash of pain. He took a deep breath. Relief
struck when he didn’t encounter death’s pungent odor.

He glanced up and down the street to make
sure that no one was around. Then Tristan turned the knob, breaking
the lock. He pushed the door open. It squeaked, before settling
against the wall.

Tristan stepped inside and glanced around the
small space. Compared to the vibrant woman who lived there, the
place was lifeless. He walked deeper into the room and closed the
door behind him.

There were no personal items that he saw,
nothing to indicate that Isabel had ever lived here other than her
scent. Two steps brought him to the daybed. Without thought,
Tristan pulled the blanket off the bed and brought it to his
nose.

He inhaled and smelled Isabel. He took her
honeysuckle scent into his lungs and once again felt his beast
rise. Tristan dropped the blanket and searched the rest of the
studio apartment. The cabinets in the bathroom had been left open,
indicating that Isabel had departed in haste.

Anger surged to the surface. The little fool
was running from him. Didn’t she know what would happen if she ran
from his beast?

Tristan strode for the front door. As he
yanked it open, he caught a scent of the Darkling. Fading now, but
there was no mistaking the stench. A sense of urgency rose. He
couldn’t let the Darkling find Isabel before he did.

Thanks to her blanket, he’d be able to track
her scent. Unfortunately, so would the Darkling. Tristan threw his
head back as the change swept through him. Bones snapped, and his
body reshaped into the perfect predator.

Isabel thought she could run from him, hide
until he went away, but she was about to find out there was nowhere
for her to go that he wouldn’t find her.

* * * * *

No matter how fast he ran or how many false
trails he laid, the white beast continued its relentless pursuit.
Almost as if he were able to track his magic, which was
impossible.

The Darkling had no choice but to open a
portal into his realm. It was either that or fight to the death. He
called out to the other side. Darkness thickened, then a tear in
the fabric of this world shimmered a hundred yards in front of
him.

He cursed as he ran for the entrance. The
Darkling hadn’t planned on returning without the female. He’d been
so close. He had almost had the Sighted-One in his grasp, only to
have her taken away.

The Darkling glanced back and saw a flash of
white barreling toward him. He picked up speed. The houses in the
French Quarter became a blur.

He passed a couple of humans stumbling down
the sidewalk. His wake swept them off their feet. They tumbled into
the street, their limbs tangling.

He hoped that would delay the Moonlight Kin
pursuing him, but he should’ve known better. The wolf leapt over
the downed humans and kept coming. He didn’t even give them a
second glance.

The Darkling frowned. This wolf wasn’t like
the others he’d encountered. They all cared about the humans, as if
they were more than mere prey. This wolf was different.
Single-minded. Dangerous.

The entrance to his perpetually dark world
swirled before him. The Darkling saw the full moon glowing on the
other side, illuminating the thick forest. Magic crackled in the
air. Not much farther.

The white beast couldn’t follow him, unless
he wanted to die. The magic would take away his ability to shift
into his wolf form and eventually kill him.

Only one wolf that he knew of had ever made
it out alive, and he’d needed a portal rune stone to do it. His
thievery had earned him a bounty on his head. Unfortunately, no
Darkling had been able to locate him and claim the prize. Rumor had
it he was dead.

The Darkling raced across the blackened ash
that fell beneath the opening and jumped. He landed in his realm,
his heart pounding in his chest, then turned to face the menace
behind him.

The white wolf skidded to a halt, its nose
nearly touching the entrance, and glared at him.

The Darkling laughed, but the sound came out
as a shrill bark. He stood at the entrance taunting the beast,
knowing full well he could do nothing about it.

Next time
, he vowed, then trotted
away.

* * * * *

Izzy sat back on Everly’s lumpy burgundy
couch to watch the sun rise. She’d only managed to get a couple
hours of sleep, which was two more than her friend. Everly had been
up all night doing God only knows what in her back room.

Black candles flickered from various
candelabras, highlighting the empty eye sockets of a half dozen
skulls scattered throughout the living room.

One of the skulls next to a hastily erected
altar in the corner looked suspiciously real. Izzy didn’t say
anything, since this was New Orleans and nearly fifteen percent of
the population practiced voodoo. She didn’t think Everly fell into
that category, but she couldn’t say for certain.

The scent of frankincense choked the air.
Everly said it helped her think. The scent gave Izzy a headache,
but she didn’t complain. She was too grateful to Everly for taking
her in.

Her friend came out of the bedroom and sat
across from her on a beanbag. Her dark brow furrowed in thought as
she picked at her chipped black nail polish. The sun peeked through
the dark purple curtains. Everly scowled when a ray hit her and got
up to slam them shut. Darkness once more enveloped the room.

Izzy sighed and closed her eyes.

“Tell me again how you met him,” Everly
said.

“Which one?” Izzy asked without opening her
eyes. She felt as if she could sleep for days.

“The snowy one,” she said.

“I sensed him while I was reading cards in
Jackson Square last night,” she said, then paused. “At least I’m
pretty sure it was him.”

“I remember feeling him nearby,” Everly said.
“It made my skin crawl.”

“Yeah, mine, too,” Izzy said. So why hadn’t
her skin crawled when she ran into Tristan later?

“He wanted you to come with him?” Everly
said.

Izzy sighed. “Yeah, they both did. The
strange part was they said they wanted to help me for the exact
same reason.”

“Weird,” she said.

“I know,” Izzy said. “What are the
chances?”

“Too high to be a coincidence,” Everly
said.

“That’s what I thought,” she said.

“One of them has to be lying.”

Izzy glanced at her. “Well, one of them
is
a monster.”

Everly bit her lip. “Good point,” she said.
“What are you going to do now?”

Izzy thought about it, but her tired,
sluggish mind wouldn’t cooperate. “I don’t know.”

If she were smart, she’d call her sister,
Mindy, but Izzy didn’t want to drag her into her drama. Besides,
she’d left her baby sister to keep her safe. Phoning Mindy for help
would defeat the purpose.

“Do you think he was telling the truth?”
Everly asked.

“Which one?” Izzy asked, giving up on getting
any sleep.

Everly shrugged. “Either one.”

Izzy shook her head. “I don’t know.” She
pursed her lips. “I suppose there could be a third player in the
mix that I haven’t met yet. Tristan had enough opportunities to
kill me if he wanted,” she said. “And Stone, he looked genuinely
freaked out. I’ve seen that look before. It can’t be faked. Not
that I can blame him with Frosty on his trail. To be honest, I
don’t trust either one of them.”

Everly giggled.

“What?” Izzy asked.

She smiled. “I think it’s funny that you’re
calling Tristan silly names. I’ve never heard you do that when
referring to one of them,” Everly said. “Normally, you just call
them all monsters. Hmm...”

Izzy sat up straighter. Hard to do on a lumpy
couch that sagged in the middle. “He’s still a monster,” she said.
“If you saw him, there’d be no doubt in your mind.” She pictured
Tristan’s handsome face and godlike body. “Okay, he might fool you
for a minute, but not for any longer.”

Everly arched a dark, pierced brow. “I
believe you,” she said. “Just thought I’d point it out. In case you
weren’t aware that you were doing it.” She crawled off the beanbag
and walked over to an unlit candle. Everly pulled a lighter out of
her pocket. The candle flared to life. “If you had to trust one of
them, who would it be?”

Izzy considered the question. Her mind
replayed the searing kiss she’d shared with Tristan. It had stirred
her more than she’d cared to admit.

“Stone, definitely Stone,” Izzy said. The
kiss alone had proven how dangerous Tristan could be. “His fear was
real, and I didn’t see a beast lurking beneath the surface when I
used my gift to look at him.”

“Did your skin crawl?” Everly asked.

“No,” she said, then added, “but I didn’t
feel comfortable around him. It might’ve been because I’d just
gotten away from Tristan. When I’m stressed, my readings aren’t as
reliable.”

“Maybe you’re right about a third player
being in town,” Everly said.

“Maybe.”

Everly tilted her dark head, sending black
hair over one eye. “You said you didn’t see a beast, when you
looked at Stone, but you obviously saw something that freaked you
out.”

“Smoke,” Izzy said. “Or maybe it was shadows.
Whatever it was, it obscured his features for a moment. All I know
for sure is that I didn’t see a monster.”

Everly stared at her for a long time.

“What?” Izzy asked.

“Not sure yet,” Everly said.

“Listen, I appreciate you letting me stay
here last night, but more than anything I came to warn you to get
out of town,” Izzy said.

Everly glanced at her nails. “I’m not going
anywhere,” she said.

“It’s not safe,” Izzy said. “It is only a
matter of time before they find me—and you.”

Everly leveled her gaze on her. “I’m tired of
running from them,” she said. “Aren’t you?”

Yes, she was, but what other choice did she
have?

“Not sure if you noticed, but they’re
everywhere,” Everly said, sounding as tired as Izzy felt. “If they
wanted me dead, we wouldn’t be having this conversation. Lately,
I’m beginning to think that they aren’t all bad. I ran into one at
the Dungeon the other night.”

Izzy gasped. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

Everly shrugged. “I wasn’t sure how you’d
handle the news.”

Izzy touched her hand. “What happened?”

Everly pulled back. “That’s just it. Nothing
happened,” she said. “He introduced himself then bought me a drink.
We chatted for a while, then he left without asking for my
number.”

Was it her imagination, or did Everly sound
disappointed
? “Oh God, not you, too,” Izzy said. “First
Mindy, now you.”

“What do you mean?” Everly crossed her arms
over her chest.

“You liked him.” She didn’t bother to hide
the accusation in her voice.

Everly’s mouth dropped open. “I did not. He
was just some guy.”

“Liar,” Izzy said. “Mindy said the same
thing, then I had a vision about her and one of them. They
were...let’s just say I never want to see my sister doing that
again.” She stuck her tongue out and gagged.

Everly scowled at her. “Well you don’t have
to worry about that.” She sounded a little sad. “They don’t seem to
be into Goth girls.” She grinned, flashing a set of vampire fangs,
but the smile didn’t reach her brown eyes.

Izzy scooted to the edge of the couch. “I’m
sorry, Ev.”

“Don’t be. I’m not,” she said.

“If we were dealing with the usual kind of
monsters, I wouldn’t be concerned,” Izzy said. “But this is
something different. I can feel it.”

“Me, too, but—” Everly clutched her head and
her eyes widened in alarm. She opened her mouth, but nothing came
out.

Izzy jumped to her feet and rushed across the
small room. “What’s wrong?” She shook Everly’s shoulder, but she
didn’t respond. “Everly!” she shouted. “Help!”

* * * * *

Tristan followed Isabel’s scent through the
French Quarter, ignoring the steady stream of incense and spicy
foods wafting on the air. He continued east, leaving the Quarter
behind him.

He’d found her easily enough last night. He
just hoped that she was still in the same spot.

Tristan glanced at the sun peeking through
the space between houses.

It was already warm, and the sun wasn’t even
high in the sky yet. He should’ve grabbed Isabel last night, but
he’d been exhausted. She had been, too.

Her scent grew stronger as he approached a
run-down mansion squatting on the corner of
seen better
days
.

White paint peeled from the side of the
house, exposing the yellowed layers beneath. The walkway leading to
the front door had cracked and split, thanks to gnarled tree roots,
and threatened to swallow anyone foolish enough to traverse it. The
building looked even worse in the daylight than it had the previous
evening.

Tristan inhaled. Isabel was in there
somewhere. Her delicious scent perfumed the air. He trotted around
to the back of the house and saw a clothesline sagging under the
weight of too many items. The line had been stretched across the
yard.

He scanned the line. No way would he get into
those jeans. No man should. But the sweats might fit. Tristan
shifted, taking human form once more. He had just grabbed the
sweats off the line when a plump woman carrying a laundry basket
rounded the corner.