Bite of the Moon: Paranormal Shapeshifter Romance Boxed Set (7 page)

Chapter Eleven

Charlotte rubbed her arms, trying to quell the goose bumps. Feeling vulnerable, she went over to where Kane stood. "Are we safe out here?"

"Apparently not," Kane said, his voice flat. "You ready to go back to town and get your car?"

She nodded. "Yeah."

"Then let’s go." He waved her toward the passenger seat of his cruiser.

As Kane drove, Charlotte’s mind processed a jumble of thoughts. Hunters? Seriously? Weren’t wolves supposed to be apex predators? As in, top of the food chain? Now she had to worry about even more people shooting at her pack?

What kind of weirdo hunts werewolves anyway?

Maybe she should leave town, go somewhere no one knew her. If the word was out about Glen Vine, how many more hunters would come for them? And what if there were things worse than hunters? What other weird, twisted magic was out there waiting for her?

She shivered. As a kid, she’d never been able to handle scary movies. Edgar Allen Poe had given her nightmares when she’d been required to read
The Telltale Heart
for school. Hell, she still slept with the light on in her closet. And now she was being stalked by her own, personal horror movie villain. Great. Just great.

And then there was Kane. He still smelled amazing to her, and she could tell her wolf liked him, too because she had strong urges to yip and show him her belly. So dumb, and not what she was looking for.

I was dumped like garbage, remember? Not looking for a repeat.
She crossed her arms and turned her head until she couldn’t see Kane. No, she needed to get her life back on track, which meant controlling her wolf and going back to school. That was it. No dating. No love. No fun extras.

"We’re here," Kane said as he pulled his cruiser into a parking spot. A couple patrol officers were outside having a smoke and did a double-take as they caught sight of the broken windows on his cruiser.

"So I’ll see you later tonight, right? And then tomorrow for dinner at your parents' house?" Charlotte grabbed her purse and opened her door. The patrol officers were coming toward them, curiosity shining in their eyes, and she talked fast so they wouldn’t overhear anything.

"Yeah, I guess."

Charlotte looked back at him, taking in his guarded expression. This confused her a bit. He should be happy; she was fixing his problem. "You don’t sound too excited. I thought you’d be thrilled to get your mom off your back."

Kane shrugged. "It depends on how you define 'girlfriend from Hell.' Are my parents going to need therapy by the time you're done with them? I don't want to make things worse."

"Don’t worry. I won’t take it too far. Promise." She walked off just as one of the patrol officers started to talk to the sheriff. She wasn’t sure how Kane was going to handle things with his job, and she didn’t want anyone asking her questions.

Charlotte hustled out of sight, her purse slung over her shoulder, and headed toward Java Jump to retrieve her car, but Kane’s presence stayed with her. She could smell him, as if part of his essence had transferred to her, and she couldn’t stop thinking about how tall and strapping he looked in his sheriff’s uniform. An image flashed in her mind of sliding her hands up his shirt and feeling those hard pecs for herself.

She slapped a hand to her cheek. "Get a grip," she growled to herself. But damned if it wasn’t difficult to keep Kane out of her mind
and
nose.

***

Close to dinnertime, Charlotte pulled into the driveway of Audrey’s house. Like her, Audrey had been bitten , but somehow it had worked out better for her than anyone else. She'd become Tao's mate and radiated a palpable happiness.  Since Tao now lived there, too, the ranch house served as the meeting center for all the people Nick had bitten. They'd been gathering almost weekly since being bitten. Sometimes to run and other times to discuss pack business.

Charlotte stepped out of her car, her stomach uneasy. She'd spent the day reading romance novels and trying not to panic or jump at every little sound she heard outside the house. Driving alone made her realize how vulnerable she was. Anyone could take a shot at her at any time. She’d ended up slouching down in her seat and then feeling silly about doing it. Except she wasn’t being paranoid.

Shaking her head, she shut her car door and clicked the button on her remote that would lock the vehicle. She would feel better once she got inside. Four walls offered more safety than a car, and she wouldn’t be alone.

Walking up the driveway to the front door, she scanned all around her, looking for danger. Audrey’s modest ranch was quiet and far from its neighbors. An array of bird feeders and water baths dotted the lawn. In the summer, there’d been wildflowers for the birds, bees, and butterflies, but with winter coming, nothing bloomed save a few lonely marigolds.

She hadn’t known Audrey until she became a werewolf. Charlotte had gone off to college right around the time Audrey moved into town. However, they had quickly become confidantes. Despite the grim circumstances pulling them together, Charlotte was excited to see her friend. She always understood what Charlotte was going through.

Audrey opened the door with a wide smile. "Hey, Char!"

The two women hugged. "You look great," Charlotte said, taking in her friend’s dark indigo jeans topped with a soft grey sweater shot through with something silver and sparkly. Charlotte felt underdressed, having opted to wear her most comfortable jeans, the original blue faded with age, and a cozy fleece hoodie from her college. The only thing she’d bothered with was her hair. She’d plaited it away from her face and then into a single braid down her back. Her ex-boyfriend had called it the 'Elsa braid' and would yank on it until she got annoyed enough to smack his hand away. At that memory, she spared a dark thought for her ex, hoping he was miserable without her.

"Oh, thanks." Audrey smoothed her dark hair away from her face self-consciously. "I never know what to wear to these pack pow-wows, but since I did some early Christmas shopping today, I decided to get into the holiday spirit. Besides, Tao is announcing our engagement tonight." She raised her hand, flashing the diamond ring on her finger. "I figured I should dress up."

"Yay! Congrats again." Charlotte hugged Audrey. She'd been one of the first to know about the engagement, but nothing had been said to the rest of the pack yet. It had been killing her to keep the news mum and not give it away before Audrey and Tao could tell people.

"Thanks," Audrey said with a laugh. "I was hoping you would be one of my bridesmaids?"

"Of course," Charlotte said as a pang went through her. Save for the fact her ex had been an asshole in disguise, she would've been making wedding plans now, too. She was happy for Audrey and Tao, genuinely happy, but it was the kind of happiness that stabbed her in the heart.

Audrey gave Charlotte a squeeze, happiness bubbling through her scent. "Great. We'll go dress shopping in Traverse City. I want to get a hotel and make a weekend of it." Stepping back, she assessed her friend. "You look pretty good, considering the day you’ve had." If she noticed Charlotte's mixed emotions, she was tactful enough not to say anything.

Charlotte shrugged and followed Audrey into the eat-in kitchen, where something yummy simmered on the stove, scenting the air with a homey spiciness that made her mouth water. "I’m just glad to be in one piece. It’s been a hell of a day." She settled on a bar stool at the kitchen island. "All I want is a job and to get to a point where I can go back to school." She gestured to the Great Lakes College logo on her hoodie. "Instead I get shot at like I’m a rabid dog."

Audrey gave her a sympathetic look. "Being a werewolf isn't all fun and fur, is it?"

"At least you're not alone. You have a mate." Charlotte glanced at Audrey's engagement ring, feeling especially sorry for herself. Sure, she wasn’t looking for a relationship, but doing all this werewolf stuff on her own wasn’t easy. She didn’t know the rest of the pack well enough to feel like she could rely on them. Audrey was the only one she really trusted, but they didn’t get much one-on-one time. Audrey worked crazy hours, so Charlotte’s only chance to see her alone was to come to the pow-wows early.

"Yeah, well that’s not exactly easy street. Half the time, I feel like I’m trying to teach a wild animal manners." Audrey laughed and took some bowls out of a cupboard. "Are you hungry? I’ve got chili and cornbread."

"Tofu chili?" Charlotte asked, wary. While she knew from firsthand experience that Audrey was a fantastic cook, the idea of tofu as a food group always gave her pause.

"I’m still a vegetarian, so yep, tofu
and
bean chili. It’s delish, I promise." Audrey spooned some into a bowl and, topping it with some hot cornbread that she pulled from the oven, she set it all down in front of Charlotte.

"It smells great." Charlotte blew on her spoon, her stomach clamoring for her to hurry up.

"Good chili relies on spices, not meat." Audrey smiled at her. "So Tao told me what went down today. Are you okay?"

Charlotte gave a grim nod. "Yeah. I got shot, but it’s healed already." She set her spoon down. "Did you ever figure that you’d be something hunted and feared when you grew up?"

Audrey shook her head. "Nope. This whole werewolf thing is crazy. Never in a million years did I think this would be my life." She rubbed her hand, the one missing a pinkie. "I’m sorry Nick bit so many people, but I’m also glad I’m not alone, you know?"

"Word."

"I mean, I know I have Tao, but he didn’t come to this like I did. He was never human, and sometimes I think it makes it hard for him to understand what I’m going through. You and I can talk, at least."

"I wish I had a Tao," Charlotte said. Then she blushed. "Sorry, I didn’t mean your Tao, just someone like Tao for me."

"Well, I heard the sheriff came to your rescue today. He just happens to be a single werewolf, right?" Audrey busied herself with cleaning off the kitchen counters and setting up a buffet with the chili and cornbread.

"Single, but not for me," Charlotte said, squashing down the feelings that rose up to the contrary. "But we are going on a date."

Audrey raised an eyebrow. "So how does that work?"

Charlotte explained the whole girlfriend-from-hell scenario she’d cooked up with Kane, feeling somewhat silly about the whole thing. It made so much sense in the moment, but now she wondered if maybe it had been a bad idea.

"Huh," Audrey said, noncommittal as she sliced up apples and laid out caramel dip. "Well, that’s one way to date. Can’t say I recommend it, though."

"You locked me in a cage when we first met," Tao’s bass voice reminded them as the big alpha strode into the kitchen from the connected garage. A black t-shirt stretched over his broad chest and jeans hugged his powerful legs.

"I didn’t know what you were then," Audrey said, slapping his hands away from the apples. "We’re not eating yet."

He managed to filch a handful of apples out from under her. "But she’s eating." He pointed to Charlotte, who ducked her head, not wanting to meet the alpha’s eyes. His power radiated like a hard wind, and if she looked into it too long, she felt like her eyeballs were getting slapped by a hurricane.

"That’s because I know she won’t eat all of it. You could eat a grocery store." Audrey stabbed the air in Tao’s direction with one finger. "And your brothers are the same way, which is why," she paused to grab some index cards from a drawer and wave them at him, "I’m rationing all of you."

"Rationing?" Disbelief rumbled in the big man’s chest. "Like a
diet
?"             

"If I don’t, I’ll be bankrupt from the food bill alone." She wrote something on the index cards. "In fact, I was going to ask you if we could start taking a collection for these meetings." She propped a card that read ‘Two scoops per person’ by the chili, and then moved on to the cornbread.

Charlotte read them as they popped up. Two pieces of cornbread each and five slices of apple with two spoonfuls of caramel. Pretty generous for her appetite, but she knew the men wouldn’t be satisfied. Not if they were hungry, and one thing she’d learned since becoming a wolf was that shifters were always looking for something to eat.

"The alpha feeds his pack, Audrey," Tao said, his voice somber. "If you need money, I’ll get you money, but we don’t ask the pack to pay for it."

"You don’t have a job," Audrey said, irritation pitching her voice high.

He retrieved a beer bottle from the fridge and popped it open with a flick of his thumb. The metal cap sailed up into the, air and he caught it with his other hand and dropped it in the trash. "But I’m not penniless." His gaze flickered over to Charlotte before settling back on his mate. "We’ll talk about this later, okay?"

Audrey nodded. She’d finished the portion size cards and had moved onto setting out a veggie platter. "Yeah, sure."

"I love you, babe." He whispered it against the back of her neck, but Charlotte still heard. "Don't worry. Everything's going to be all right, okay?"

Audrey closed her eyes and leaned into her mate for a second. Then, nodding, she pulled away. "Love you, too, you big wolf."

"That's big, bad wolf to you, babe." He gave a wicked chuckle that caused Audrey to grab a dishtowel and snap it at him.