Beneath a Blood Moon (29 page)

If I ate another bite, I would surely explode, but the scraps of meat left in the pan tempted me into reaching for the serving fork. Laughing, my mate shook his head and watched me.

“You’re incredible,” he said.

Determined not to let a single bit of the pork go to waste, I emptied the pan, wondering how I’d make it all fit in my stomach. As always, my wolf was up for the challenge, and taking a deep breath, I went to work.

If the existence of my wolf hadn’t already dealt a lethal blow to my vegetarianism, the pork’s savory sweetness would have finished it off. “No, this is incredible,” I replied between bites.

“I can’t believe we ate it all,” Marcy muttered, drumming her fingers against the table. “I was certain I’d defeat you all. How is this even possible? There were
six
huge pans of roast, almost as much pasta, and I lost count of the number of loafs of bread you gluttons devoured.”

Desmond grinned. “I warned you Sara has quite the appetite, Marcy. It’s not her fault; she’ll settle down in a few months. Until then, I do not envy Sanders’s job of feeding her.”

Leaning forward so she could smile at my mate, Marcy replied, “It’ll be good for him, having to present himself like a proper man for a change.”

Spluttering, Sanders turned his head.

My wolf was amused at how Marcy cowed him. Determined to hold my own and establish the fact he was
mine
, I said, “I can assure you from personal experience he is most definitely a proper man.”

Marcy laughed. “Is that a statement on his hunting abilities, his general conduct, or his prowess in bed?”

“All of it. All of him,” I replied in as dignified a tone as I could. Laughing wouldn’t win me any favors with Sanders despite my urge to giggle.

“Try not to blush too much, Matthew. You’ll lose your place as supreme Alpha male,” Marcy said.

Snorting, Rob stood and grabbed the empty pans and stacked them together. “What about me, Marcy? You’re so cruel.”

“Until you wash the dishes, dear, you are not invited to contribute to this conversation.”

“You’re a terrible woman,” Rob complained on his way to the kitchen.

I giggled. “It’s obvious who the true Alpha at this table is. You’ve been outclassed, Sanders.”

“Oh, aren’t you just a little charmer?” Marcy patted my hand. “For that, you shall have as much dessert as you desire. I’m undecided if Matthew gets any.”

“What did I do?” My mate sulked, and the way he pouted intrigued my wolf.

She wanted him for dessert.

“You didn’t bring her to me the instant you found her,” Marcy scolded, picking up her spoon and reaching over to smack the back of Sanders’s hand. “Inexcusable.”

“Now, now, Marcy,” Desmond murmured, and while there was a chiding edge to his tone, it was softened by his smile. “I’m sure he was intending to. Sara wasn’t feeling well with all that’s been going on.”

“What
has
been going on? Rob has been pacing and muttering to himself for these past three weeks, and all he’ll tell me is that you have been causing trouble again, Matthew.”

I blushed, well aware I was the true cause of the trouble. Too ashamed to confess, I stared at my mate.

He smiled at me, lifting his hand to brush his fingertips across my cheek. Leaning in my direction, he whispered in my ear, “You’re worth every bit of the trouble.”

My mate kissed my cheek before straightening.

“Sara has had a rather bumpy introduction to being a Fenerec,” Desmond said. “Most of the trouble hasn’t been Sanders’s fault, I assure you. That said, he did punch my car today.”

“Your car? You mean that ancient Mercedes he likes so much?” Marcy sighed. “I don’t see what is so appealing about that car, Matthew. It’s a nice Mercedes, but it’s not
that
nice. Why did you punch Charles’s car?”

“He likes his little lady there more than he likes my car. When she got herself into trouble this morning, he decided to take out his stress on the door. I forgave him. She has absolutely terrible luck, and I likely would have done the same if she were mine.” Desmond sighed, smiling at me. “She’s his little hellcat. You’ll like this, Marcy. She’s the one who brought down Mary’s killer.”

Marcy sucked in a breath. “Truly?”

I squirmed and fidgeted under so much scrutiny from everyone at the table. Returning from the kitchen, Rob set down a towering pyramid of round, chocolate-covered pastries hidden beneath a web of caramelized sugar. “That’s what our pup told me,” he said, and with a grin, he liberated one of the puffs from the pyramid and set it in front of me. “For a job well done, Miss Sara. Please refrain from being kidnapped in the future. It’s bad for my digestion.”

“Kidnapped?” Marcy’s voice rose an octave. “Robert, you did not tell me she had been kidnapped.”

“Yes, by Mary’s killer. All we know is that he was working with a witch and they had captured a few unmated, rogue Fenerec. The flood last week was part of the mess.”

Grabbing a pastry, Marcy nibbled on it, her gaze fixed on her mate. Following the woman’s example, I picked up mine. At a loss of what to say, I once again turned to Sanders.

“And by her boss this morning,” my mate added. Taking two of the pastries, he left one on my plate and kept the other for himself. “My next move is to find out who wants my mate and why. Once I find them…”

The promise of violence in my mate’s tone sent shivers down my spine. The predator within him stared at me through his amber eyes. I held my breath.

“I heard there was an issue this morning, but Rob neglected to mention it was a kidnapping.” Marcy frowned. “You told me she had been poisoned with wolfsbane during the scuffle, not that someone had tried to steal her!”

“An oversight on my part,” Rob muttered. The way Vegas’s Alpha refused to meet his mate’s gaze roused my suspicion.

“An oversight, is it? Much like the one where no one thought I might be interested in knowing my brother had finally found a worthy woman?” Rising to her feet, she snatched another puff, taking a bite of it. The way she glared at her mate promised hell to pay. While she lacked a Fenerec’s edge, her growling unsettled my wolf, who wanted nothing more than to make a retreat.

Then what she had said hit me, and my mouth hung open. “
Brother
?”

Marcy turned on Sanders. “Yes, this scruffy scoundrel is my brother, and he will pay for his crimes.” Snatching a serving spoon from one of the pasta bowls, she hefted it up and took one step forward.

My mate ran for the living room with his sister in pursuit.

“That explains a lot. She isn’t going to kill him, is she?” I contemplated getting up and saving my mate.

Rob laughed. “I think he’ll live. Welcome to the family.”

I learned two important things while Marcy chased Sanders so she could beat him with her spoon. First, the woman was absolutely vicious and easily the match of a Fenerec.

Second, my mate was a cunning beast, offering his sister the illusion of prowess and victory by purposefully gifting her with chances to catch him. My wolf enjoyed every moment of the hunt.

“Marcy’s younger than him by ten years,” Rob informed me from where he was stretched out on the couch. I sat on one of the two armchairs, watching Marcy pursue my mate in circles around the living room. “I made the mistake of going to Seattle to ask a favor when she was visiting him.”

“Mistake?” Marcy demanded, turning to her mate. Lifting her spoon up, she narrowed her eyes. “You want a turn with the spoon, don’t you?”

“Yes, please,” Rob replied, smiling at her.

“Jerk,” the woman muttered, and with a sigh and shake of her head, she resumed stalking my mate.

“What happened?” I demanded.

“She took one look at me, turned to her brother, and demanded he give me to her. Sanders thought it was hilarious and informed her if she could catch me, she could have me. I considered blaming him for the outcome, but she was armed with a knife and wasn’t afraid to use it. I had to take her to save Sanders’s life. You should be grateful, Sara. Because of me, he’s still alive today.”

Marcy threw the spoon at her mate’s head. With a faint smile, Rob snatched it out of the air to set it on the coffee table. “I count myself fortunate I have survived my mate’s tender mercies thus far.”

“I admit taking Sanders to see his sister did factor into why we came to Vegas,” Desmond said, grinning at me. “I figured if we couldn’t find a pretty lady to turn his head on the strip, Marcy could straighten him out and play matchmaker.”

“I so wanted to play matchmaker,” Marcy complained, stomping her foot. “I demand an entire accounting, Matthew. From the beginning.”

I stifled a yawn, and Sanders changed directions, grabbed the blanket draped over the couch, and spread it over me. “This might take a while. Why don’t you go get some sleep, Sara?”

Shaking my head, I tucked my feet under me and smiled up at him. “I’m okay.”

Sanders perched on the arm of my chair, sighed, and told them everything that had happened, leaving nothing out. When Rob and Marcy learned the circumstances of my becoming a Fenerec, both frowned. When Sanders worked his way to explaining the situation with the sorcerer, I growled at what Kent had wanted to do to my mate.

Sanders bumped his fist against the top of my head. “She’s got a bit of a temper,” he explained, softening his rebuke with a smile. “Settle down, my vicious little hellcat. This is a prey-free household. When you get too growly, you start sinking your teeth into me.”

“You’re entertaining prey. I don’t see how this is a problem,” I replied.

Marcy laughed. “When Charles told me I’d probably like your new mate, Matthew, I never anticipated how lovely she could possibly be. Well done. It’s about time.”

Sighing, my mate stared at his sister. “Mary was not as bad as you thought,” he replied, his body tense beside me. I freed my hand from the blanket and captured his wrist. I meant to tug gently, but my wolf had other plans. Before I was even aware of her interference, Sanders was sprawled on top of me, and my teeth were pressed to his throat.

My wolf growled.

“Sara, please don’t bite him too hard this time,” Desmond said.

“Hellcat,” my mate muttered, though he remained still. Satisfied he wasn’t going to fight back, my wolf relinquished control. The feel of him on top of me tempted me; I brushed my lips against his throat.

“Newly mated,” Desmond muttered. “I’m impressed they restrained themselves so long. Sara, Sanders, behave.”

I pouted. “But he’s so nice, Desmond. Don’t be mean. I just wanted a nibble.”

“You’d have a nibble, he’d completely lose his ability to concentrate on anything other than you, and then we’d never finish this discussion. We need to make plans. You two can play after we’ve decided what we’re doing and have reported to the Shadow Pope. Priorities.”

“I was merely expressing my relief you have found a good woman,” Marcy said, and for the first time since meeting her, she kept her gaze lowered to the floor. “Mary hated us.”

“Mary hated you?” I blurted, unable to imagine how anyone could hate Marcy or Rob. Rob had the same edge my mate and Desmond did, although there was something gentle and tame about him.

“My sister is a fire witch.” Careful to avoid my teeth, Sanders freed himself from my hold to retake his seat on the arm of my chair. “She has a really good feel for people. Her dislike for Mary was fairly instantaneous.”

“She cheated on you,” Marcy snarled, and the woman shook from her rage. “So many nights I tossed and turned, wishing I wasn’t a police commissioner’s wife and mate, just so I could go to Seattle and teach her a thing or two with my fists. You have no idea how many times I picked up the phone, called my son, and had to come up with some stupid story to hide the fact I wanted to send him out there to rearrange her guts.”

Shock froze me from the inside, and I gaped at my mate and his sister.

His Mary, the woman he had loved so much, had cheated on him? My wolf was so repulsed by the thought my stomach churned. I covered my mouth, swallowing convulsively. “No way.”

Marcy sighed. “If only. I would have forgiven her anything other than that. I can’t even blame my stupid brother for falling for her, either. When she decided to be, she was very nice—except utterly incapable of respecting her husband. I’m sorry. I should have kept my mouth shut.”

Sanders inhaled slow and deep, held his breath, and let it out in a long sigh. “It’s not like she was able to hide it from me, Marcy. I knew.”

“I know you knew; I told you,” Marcy snapped.

“I knew long before you told me.” Tapping the side of his nose, he stood, crossed the room, and bent down to kiss his sister on the forehead. “There’s no such thing as divorce among Fenerec, you know that. She wasn’t exactly smart or discreet about it. She didn’t even try to use perfumes to cover the scent of another man on her. I knew from the start.”

“And yet you loved her,” was his sister’s bitter reply.

“And yet I loved her.”

I sucked in a breath, staring at Desmond. Rage anyone so lucky to have Sanders would dare even think of cheating on him burned me from the inside. The heat of my fury rose, fanned by my wolf. “That’s why you weren’t going to let him mate with a Normal again. Not because Mary was a Normal, but because she had cheated on him? Is that it?”