Riley's Torment, A Moon's Glow Novel #2 (31 page)

As we pulled
away from the house, I could see Lauren in the window watching us.
She was smiling. I hated to break it to her, but this was not a
date. Far from it. He was taking me to see another guy.

The drive to
the diner was awkward, Nate drove with his hands gripped on the
steering wheel and his lips pursed in a thin line. It was as if our
time this morning had never happened. When I could no longer stand
the silence, I asked, “What is your problem?”

He turned his
head a fraction in my direction. “What do you mean?”

“This morning
we had a good conversation, and now you’re quiet and surly.”

His jaw locked
as his eyes cooled considerably. “I don’t want you to do this. When
I said you could talk to him, I meant on the phone.”

I gritted my
teeth and turned in my seat to face him, my elbow dug into the
leather seat. “I already told you that he won’t hurt me.”

“That’s not
what I’m worried about,” he mumbled.

I stared at him
wondering what he meant. His face stayed hard, giving away no
emotion. Then it hit me.

“Are you
jealous?” I gasped, completely shocked by the idea.

His mouth went
back into a firm line as he turned to me. “Maybe,” he finally
answered after staring at me for a few seconds.

“You know I’m a
werewolf, and you’re my mate right?” I explained, thinking how
ridiculous he sounded. “I couldn’t be with anyone else as much as
you couldn’t.”

I actually
liked that about who I was now. It would cut down on jealousy. I
knew he would never look at someone else, just like he should know
that I wouldn’t.

His expression
softened as his face relaxed. “I know, but I’m not used to you
being one of my kind. I forget sometimes. And he’s not mated, so he
wouldn’t care if we are.”

I hesitated
before speaking my next words, not sure if I was breaking a
confidence. “Actually, I think he is. He hinted at it once. But I
don’t think they’re together.”

His face
relaxed. “Oh, okay then.” And just like that, his jealousy was
gone. Werewolves were different from humans. A normal guy wouldn’t
give up that easy, but since he knew what it felt like to be mated,
the issue was over. Adrian couldn’t possibly have those kinds of
feelings for me.

We were quiet
for a few more minutes. He was focused on the road, while I looked
out my window watching the city pass by. I tapped my finger on the
door handle to the beat of the song that was playing on the
radio.

“Can we spend
some time together?” His voice surprised me. I had been so absorbed
in the scenery and lost in the music.

“What do you
mean?” I asked, turning to face him again as we passed a city park.
Little kids were out skating on a boarded rink.

“I just don’t
see how you will forgive me if we never see each other.” He paused
as he stopped at a stop sign. “I noticed a change in you this
morning, after our talk.”

It was true.
When we were apart, all I dwelled on was what he did to me. But
seeing him stirred something inside me. And I had to admit I
enjoyed our conversation.

“Sure.” My
voice came out softer than I had intended. “We can spend time
together.”

He smiled, the
dimple popping out on his right cheek. “Great. How about we order
take out, just the two of us, in the west library. Maybe we can
watch a movie.”

That was as
much privacy we would get since he had to guard Will. It did like
sound fun. We hadn’t really been alone in some time. Part of me was
thrilled, and the other part was terrified.

I only nodded
my consent, suddenly feeling my heart leap in my throat. I
swallowed, reassuring myself that it would be fine. I needed to do
this if I was ever going to get past my anger.

Nate pulled
into the lot, where there were only a few other vehicles and parked
right up front. “Wave at me if there is any trouble. I’ll be
watching.”

“Okay, but I’m
sure I’ll be fine.” I opened my door and slid out. The smell in the
air made my mouth water. Thankfully, the only werewolf scent I
could smell was Adrian’s.

I saw Adrian
already sitting at a table visible from where we were now parked. I
waved at Nate before heading inside, moving straight for Adrian.
The familiar smells of bacon and beef filled the air, except today
there was an added smell of onions.

He glanced up
at me when I moved the chair out. It squeaked against the linoleum
floor. “Thank you for seeing me.” His voice held an edge of
apprehension.

I sat down and
crossed my ankles under the table, leaning my elbows on the wooden
surface. “Go ahead, I’m listening.”

He opened his
mouth and then closed it when Nicole headed our way.

“What will it
be? The usual?” she asked, glancing between us. I looked at my
watch and saw that it was almost noon. Since we were here, why
not?

“Please.
Actually, can I get two orders?” I thought of Nate sitting in the
car waiting. “One to go.”

She nodded and
looked at Adrian. “I’ll have the same,” he said and then smiled
sheepishly, his dark eyes flashing with warmth. “Just one for me,
though.”

She grinned
before heading off to the kitchen.

Once she was
gone, I silently glared at him.

He seemed to
sink into the chair in a guilty position. “Okay, I admit it. I am
part of Charlotte’s group. And I was on the island.”

Fury exploded
inside me, and I opened my mouth to yell. But I calmed myself when
I remembered where we were.

“How could you
do that? We were terrified,” I whispered loudly, my fury shifting
to a low, simmering rage.

He held up a
hand. “Calm down and close your eyes.”

I understood
his words. I had felt a slight vibration as my eyes changed color.
I did as he said and took a few breaths, trying to soothe myself. I
barely restrained my arms from shaking. The wolf inside wanted out
to rip him apart for what he did to me. When I felt my eyes shift
again, I opened them, waiting for him to continue. I glanced at
Nate and saw him watching calmly. He must not have noticed my
outburst.

“I’m so sorry.
I hate Charlotte, but if I don’t do what she says, she’ll kill my
sister.” I could see genuine fear in his eyes.

His answer was
unexpected and left me dumbstruck—questions swirling around in my
head. “What?” was all I could manage to say.

He took a deep
breath and slowly let it out, his eyes shifting all around as if he
was making sure we were not being watched. “Charlotte and James
killed my parents. They broke into our home and stole all our
valuables. She bit me and then knocked me out. I thought she had
killed me too. But I woke up hours later with my hands tied. She
explained that I was now a werewolf. She said she would take care
of me and show me how great this life was. She said I would now
live forever. I didn’t even really hear anything she said to me. I
flipped out and tried to get out of my binds.” He stopped talking
and gazed into my eyes, real fear shone from his dark brown depths.
“My five year old sister had been asleep in her room, and I needed
to get back to the house to see if she was okay. I managed to get
my hands free, but James held me down. That’s when she told me that
they had taken Marisa somewhere safe, and she would only stay that
way if I joined her and James.”

My eyes widened
with fear for his innocent sister that had been brought into such a
crazy, terrifying world. “Why did she want you to stay with her so
badly?” I whispered, no longer angry. The genuine anguish on his
face dulled my anger.

He smiled
grimly. It was a look of defeat. “Money. My parents were wealthy,
and as their oldest child, I would inherit everything. She agreed
to keep Marisa safe as long as I stayed with them and kept signing
checks over to her.”

“Do you know
where she’s keeping her?”

He shook his
head. “No. I lived in Philadelphia, so she must be there, but every
time I try to leave to go search for her, Charlotte threatens to
give the order to kill her.” His voice broke on the last words as
he squeezed his eyes shut, as if the image of his sister’s death
had flashed in his mind. “And now it’s been ten years. She lives in
a good home, and by what Charlotte tells me, she’s being taken good
care of and is happy. She wouldn’t even know me now.” The pain on
his face was heartbreaking, and the rest of my anger fizzled by his
explanation. He was just as much a victim of Charlotte’s as the
rest of us.

Nicole returned
with our food and a paper bag. Silence fell between us after his
emotionally charged confession. I didn’t know what to say, and by
the look on his face, I thought he might need some time alone.

I held the bag
up. “Do you mind?” I asked, nodding to Nate outside.

Adrian
shrugged. “Go ahead. Although, I don’t mind if he comes in.”

“That’s okay; I
think he’s better where he is.”

When I handed
the container to Nate, he smiled with a look of surprise on his
face. It made me sad that my kindness had shocked him.

Back inside, I
took a bite of my meal and waved my hand for Adrian to
continue.

When he
swallowed what was in his mouth, he began again. “Even though I
stayed with them hoping to find my sister, I also needed to learn
about what it was I had become. In my mind, werewolves only existed
in books and movies, and now I was one. It turned out that my new
pack wasn’t the best example to learn from. But I didn’t know any
differently.”

I held my fork
out silently counting the prongs, thinking his words through. “That
was ten years ago?”

“Yes.”

“Have you
killed anyone?” I asked with trepidation. Although I had asked, I
wasn’t sure I wanted to know the answer. Only a few minutes into
our talk, and he had won me over again.

He nodded
sharply. “As I told you, once. That was the truth. She made me do
it. And I have been haunted with guilt ever since. So, as long as I
do everything else she says, she won’t make me kill. Besides, it
leaves more for the rest of them.” His face was filled with disgust
at his last words.

I took a bite
of the beef and Yorkshire pudding, without really tasting it. “Are
you telling me the truth?” I asked after swallowing.

He stared at
me, his face earnest; the sadness that had shone in his eyes
remained. “I swear that I am.”

Satisfied with
his answer, I reached out and wrapped my hand around his and
squeezed gently. I was really glad I had decided to come today. I
didn’t want Adrian to be the evil person Nate and Joe had said he
was. “Okay, I believe you. What happened on the island?”

He wiped his
hand over his face. It was a nervous gesture, but the grief that
had appeared was replaced with regret. “All she intended to do was
scare you. The other guys might have tried to kill you if they
actually got in, but that was her fault for creating murderers that
couldn’t control themselves. She told us before we changed to make
it look like we wanted to attack you. But if any of us harmed a
hair on your heads, we’d have to deal with her.” He paused with a
glance at Nate through the window. Nate was watching us, and his
gaze never once faltered as he chewed. “I think she was afraid that
Nate and Joe would retaliate if we killed their mates.”

They would have
and still intended to. “Were you there when we changed into
wolves?”

“No, I didn’t
even know she turned you. She didn’t tell us until we were off the
island.” He took a few more bites of his meal, while I thought
about all he had said.

I didn’t
correct him about who made me a werewolf. He didn’t need to know.
“Why did you help me adjust to this and teach us how to fight?”

He shrugged.
“Because I felt guilty, and I didn’t want you to go through what I
had. I would have loved if someone like Nate was there to teach me.
Charlotte had us watching all of you. And I noticed that you moved
away, separating yourself from the people who should be showing
you.” He paused as he took a drink of his soda. “I thought it was
because you were fighting what you had become. But since I’ve been
through it all myself, I knew that your resistance would only
backfire.”

I rubbed my
glass with my finger, making designs in the condensation as I
listened to his explanation. “She doesn’t know that you helped
me?”

His eyes
widened. “God, no. She’d kill my sister if she found out.”

I squeezed
ketchup onto my fries, creating a swirling design. “Yes, she
probably would.” Cramming a couple of fries into my mouth, I
thought about his situation. I remembered him telling me that he
didn’t need a job because his family left him money when they
died.

“She took your
inheritance?”

He nodded,
swallowing the last of his french fries “She said we all had to
contribute. Which was true, I’m sure, but it was also another way
to keep me there. Not that it matters—money doesn’t mean anything
to me. I just want my sister safe.”

His words
reminded me of something. “What’s the plan for Will?”

He grimaced as
he tapped the tabletop anxiously. “I don’t know much. I’m supposed
to be watching you guys most of the time, but I’ve heard a few
things. Charlotte stole a bunch of documents from Nate’s safe when
she took you and Lauren, and I guess one of them is a will stating
that if Will dies, James takes over the company. They must be
running out of my inheritance, and now they need another one.”

Dread sunk to
the pit of my stomach. “So they are going to kill Will.” My voice
was a whisper. Will had become the father I had always wanted, and
I couldn’t let anyone kill him. It would devastate all of us.

“I think so.”
His eyes were filled with apology.

I leaned
forward, pushing my now empty plate to the side so I could lean my
elbows on the table. The table creaked with my extra weight. “But,
you don’t know if they have a plan, or anything?”