An Unlucky Moon (11 page)

At least in her dream.

She didn’t have anyone, not yet, to do this for real after all.

She moved so he could enter her, and a sharp pain rocked her chest.

Her eyes popped open, and she gasped.

Images from the day before flooded her mind, and she swallowed hard. The darkness of the basement, the sound of broken glass and deep voices all hit her system, and she bit her lip. The fear slid through her body, and then she remembered who had come for her, carrying her as though she was precious. He’d also stripped her naked and washed the night off her skin.

Hunter.

Velvet lips brushed against her neck, and she shuddered.

Okay, so it hadn’t been a dream.

She could feel the heat of her skin as a blush covered her whole body.

Her whole naked body.

Pressed against Hunter’s naked body.

“You’ve gone through the full array of emotions this morning, Becca darling,” Hunter purred her in ear.

Well, maybe purred wasn’t the best word for a wolf, but it was the best she could come up considering his low growl had done some very interesting things to her lady parts. She refused to come just by his voice alone. No way. 

“What…what do you mean?” she asked, her voice entirely too breathy. She was already naked in bed with him. She didn’t need to give him any more incentive to take her like she wanted. Yes, she knew that made no sense, but her head still hurt, and she didn’t want to mate until they talked.

Damn, though, having him slide right into her dampening pussy sounded like the best possible way to wake up.

No, she would remain strong. She’d do the adult thing and talk about what exactly was happening.

Then she’d ride him like a cowgirl.

Apparently it had been too long since she’d had sex.

Way too long.

Hunter ran his lips down her neck and to her shoulder, where he bit down gently. Her body shuddered, and she arched into him. He let out a raspy chuckle then licked where he’d bitten.

“That’s what I wanted from you, my mate.”

“What?” Oh good, she’d been reduced to saying one word over and over.

Maybe she’d be reduced to saying yes or Hunter over and over soon.

No, down, girl. 

“That sweet and spicy scent of your arousal,” Hunter answered, and she blushed again. “When you woke up, or at least when you had your eyes closed, you smelled sweet enough to sink my teeth into. I wanted to bite, nibble, and lick, getting to know your taste. I wanted to lift your leg and slide into you from behind, stretching that tight pussy of yours around my cock as I rocked into you. We’d both come, and then I’d lick every inch of your skin until you were panting with need—then I’d suck your clit, your pussy, and make you come again.”

Her pussy throbbed, her clit filling. 

Dear. Lord.

His hand slid along her side, soothing. “Then you must have remembered where you were or how you’d come to be here because you’d stiffened, and fear seeped from your pores. I’m so sorry, Becca,” he rasped out. “They shouldn’t have come after you because of who I am. I’d say that I’d let you walk away from all of this, but I’d be lying.”

He pulled her underneath him so his forearms were on either side of her head, his long hair brushing her face as he hovered over her. He’d made sure that their bodies didn’t touch though, as if he knew that as soon as that happened, there’d be no going back.

“I’m not letting you go, Becca. We might be in the early stages of mating, but I refuse to let you go. Not until you know who I am. Not until I know who you are. I don’t want to let you go.”

She gulped. “Even if I begged for you to let me go?”

Pain flashed across his face before he schooled his features. “If you desired to go…I’d follow your wishes because I cannot bear to hurt you, but I’d do all in my power to convince you to stay.”

She reached up and cupped his face, the bristles on his cheeks rubbing along her palm. “I don’t want to go.”

A shudder racked his body, and he turned to kiss her palm.

“We need to talk first.”

He nodded then leaned to kiss her lips softly. Before she could savor the velvet of his lips, he pulled back. “I want you to heal first as well, my Becca.”

His words brought back her pain, but not as much as she’d thought she’d have. “Why aren’t I hurting more?”

Hunter brushed a lock of hair behind her ear then moved off of her, leaving her feeling oddly bereft at the loss. “I think it’s because you’re healing faster than a normal human,” he answered as he strode naked to his dresser, where he pulled out a pair of jeans.

She couldn’t keep her gaze off his fully erect cock—oh Lord—or his ass.

He looked edible.

Absolutely fucking edible.

And hers if she wanted.

Oh how she wanted. That wasn’t the issue, not anymore. She wanted him, but she wanted to make sure they talked first. She didn’t just want to jump into bed with him—more than she already had—without knowing what he was thinking.

His words pulled her away from his now covered cock and to his face. She sat up, wincing slightly, pulling the sheet up to cover her breasts. “I’m not human?”

She looked down at the fading bruises on her arms and gasped. She didn’t look like anything but herself, but she was definitely not healing like a human. “What does this mean?”

Hunter ran a hand through his hair then shrugged, the muscles in his arms and chest moving in such a way that had Becca closing her legs.

Damn, the man was hot.

He gave her a knowing smile, and she rolled her eyes. The dude had to know he was hot. “I think you’re healing faster because whatever happened to you in that bar the night the storm changed you. Yes, it takes completing the mating bond with your true half for that part of your DNA to become prominent so you can actually change, but things might be different now.”

“Then why didn’t Lily and Jamie heal quickly when they were attacked? Why didn’t I heal when the djinn attacked us?”

Hunter growled at the reminder of her being skewered to a wall, and she didn’t blame him. It wasn’t something she liked to remember either. “Those weren’t superficial things. I think that given enough time, the cuts and scrapes would have healed on their own. You don’t have any broken bones, and I think your rib is only bruised, not broken. The others, though, they had life-threatening injuries. As did you that night.”

She nodded, trying to absorb the information. So much had changed that night. They still didn’t know
why
they’d been chosen. Nor did they know if they’d all change into something once they found their mates, though it seemed likely. They also didn’t know if they’d be long-lived or, now, heal. It was all up in the air, but they were learning more every day.

“Plus, Becca, you all react to your true halves differently. It would make sense that you’d all have different changes as well. It could be due to the fact you all might be separate paranormals, or it could be that you’re all just different people in general.”

She blew the hair from her face. “I just hate not knowing.”

He walked toward her and sat at the edge of the bed then tucked that piece of hair behind her ear again. “I know. I hate not knowing too. We’ll take it one step at a time, okay?”

She nodded, knowing they didn’t have another choice.

“Wait. I need to call my friends to let them know I’m okay.”

Hunter nodded. “I’ve already had Liam and Alec, my friends, call Dante.” He growled the dragon’s name, and Becca barely resisted the urge to roll her eyes. It wasn’t as if Hunter had anything to be jealous about, but she’d let him have that growly voice since it was hot as hell.

“So they know I’m safe?”

“Yes, they wanted to come here and get you out considering who’d taken you in the first place, but Dante persuaded them to let you stay here.” His eyes glowed, and she blinked. That was new.

“Why are your eyes glowing, and why did Dante tell them to let me stay?”

Hunter pulled out a pair of sweats and a shirt from his dresser and placed them on the bed. “I don’t have anything else for you to wear right now. I’m sorry. These will have to do.”

“That’s fine, now answer my questions.” She got dressed under the covers, and Hunter smirked. He might have already seen—and touched—the goods, but she needed to retain her modesty every once in a while.

“Dante told them to let you stay because, if you were to leave right now, my wolf would go crazy. I need you here, Becca. I can protect you better if you’re by my side. Plus, I just want to be with you.”

Her heart melted at that thought, and she wanted to wrap her arms around him. She held back.

Barely.

“My eyes glow when I’m angry or feel another heightened emotion like arousal. So when I’m coming, my wolf will rise to the surface, and my eyes will glow. When I’m talking about the soon-to-be-dead men who took you, I get fucking pissed, and I can’t control my wolf as well, hence the glow.”

She let the coming part slide since she wanted to talk about other important things first, and if she talked about sex, she wasn’t sure if she could stop herself from rubbing all over him like a cat in heat. 

Again with the cat references, she needed to think of better dog—or wolf—ones.

“You can’t kill people if you don’t know who did it.”

“I know who did it,” Hunter said, the certainty in his voice like a solid presence.

“You do? For sure?” That sickly sense of fear wrapped around her spine, and she hated herself for it. Though she’d felt something like it before, it had been for her friends, not her. She didn’t like feeling weak. She
wasn’t
weak. She didn’t want to have to wait and have the handsome hero sweep her up in his arms and save her.

That had been what happened though.

She’d been weak because she’d been human.

That would change soon though.

She wouldn’t be weak anymore.

She
couldn’t
be weak anymore.

“I know who took you, though, right now, we can’t prove it. They covered their scents, and though Leslie, the sister of one of the captors, would defend us, I don’t want to risk her safety.”

Something like jealousy swept through her, and she hated herself for it.

Hunter raised a brow. “I think of Leslie like a sister. Her brother, Dorian, is a sadistic bastard, and I don’t want her to be punished for speaking out.”

Becca nodded, relived and a little ashamed for even thinking that Hunter would want another, and even though he was old enough to have a past, it didn’t make it any better for her.

Great, now she was a jealous girlfriend.

Or mate.

Whatever.

“Liam and Alec are working on finding evidence so we can retaliate. Because I’m the beta, I can’t take on the council members without proof. If I were to do so, it would be detrimental to the Pack right now.”

Becca shook her head, confused.

“Okay, you need to explain all of that. The only thing I know about how wolves work comes from TV and romance novels.”

Hunter quirked a smile, though she could still see the stress lines in the corners of his eyes. “Get out of bed while I make us something for breakfast. We can talk while we eat.”

Becca looked down at the baggy shirt and sweats. Yeah, she really wasn’t oozing sex appeal at the moment, and she really had to use the restroom. Plus, there was the whole morning-breath issue.

“Uh, do you have a spare toothbrush?” He’d already kissed her that morning, and with his heightened senses, she was a little surprised he hadn’t passed out already.

Hunter smiled full-out, his white teeth stark against his honey-dipped skin.

Oh, he was pretty.

“No, Liam and Alec are bringing things from your apartment a bit later though. You can use my toothbrush. It’s not like we haven’t been kissing.”

“That’s kind of gross. Wait, they’re going to my place? Without me there? I don’t want them touching my underwear.”

Hunter growled. “They won’t be touching your underwear. Faith is meeting them there to pack your belongings. I wasn’t sure you’d approve of two men you didn’t know in your place, plus I don’t want them touching anything of yours they don’t have to. If any man is going to touch your underwear, it’s going to be me.”

Becca relaxed at the thought of Faith being there; at least her friend would make sure she got everything she needed. She held back a laugh at the thought of tough-as-nails Faith with anyone though. “Uh, do the guys know Faith’s…uh, personality?”

Hunter grinned. “Since Liam and Alec are my best friends, yes, I warned them. And, no, Faith isn’t coming here. I don’t want to introduce her, or anyone else, to the Pack when we’re still in flux. I want to make sure you’re safe first. Why is sharing a toothbrush with me gross?”

Becca rolled her eyes. “Never mind. I’ll meet you in the kitchen.”

She scurried off to the bathroom and closed the door behind her. When she looked at her reflection in the mirror, she couldn’t hold back the groan. 

Sexy, she was not.

Her red curls stood on end—that damned lock that Hunter kept playing with in her face again. The bruises from her attack were fading at least, but since she’d gone to bed with wet hair, she looked like a zombie freak.

Okay, maybe that wasn’t the best description, but it was the closest.

The dark circles under her eyes and paleness of her skin had more to do with the weakness from not mating with Hunter than her ordeal, she thought, but they didn’t really make her look her best.

Not that she was vain or anything, but at least not looking like crap would have been nice.

She quickly took care of the necessities, brushed her teeth with this toothbrush anyway, and tried to manage her curls. Hopefully Liam and Alec—whom she’d only met vaguely—would be back with her things soon.

Though she’d have preferred to wear her own things, she kind of liked wearing Hunter’s clothes. It made things that much more…intimate. Plus, she had a feeling he liked having his scent all over her. At least that’s what she thought considering how he’d reacted with Jason and the whole scent-marking thing.

She walked through Hunter’s place, taking in the warm tones and lived-in feeling of his home. It wasn’t a bachelor pad, but a place where she could tell Hunter felt comfortable. Plus, there was room to grow a family.