Blood Moon (29 page)

His lips brushed against mine, but before I
could give in to this temptation completely, a twig snapped to my
left. Thrust back into reality, I shoved Nick away and scanned the
perimeter, inhaling deeply and picking up the scent of…a wolf? Was
that what it was? The second the deep amber eyes appeared in the
darkness, and its canines gleamed in the light cast off by one of
the streetlamps, my suspicion was confirmed.

Nick noticed our visitor and didn’t even try
to hide his annoyance. I was still on high alert, not recognizing
the scent. When the wolf stepped out of the darkness, I took in its
appearance and ice-cold fear raced down my spine. His brown coat,
amber eyes, and size were unsettlingly familiar, and I stepped
back, ready to run.

“Jackson, what the hell are you doing here?”
The wolf regarded Nick with a tilt of its head, and I momentarily
wondered if they were able to communicate telepathically.

Nick turned to me, his annoyance quickly
shifting to concern when he saw me staring wide-eyed at the wolf
that joined us. “Brooke?” His gaze moved between me and this
wolf—this
Jackson
—and he tried to comfort me. “This is
Jackson. He’s one of my Packmates.”

It didn’t matter to me what he was to Nick.
To me, he looked an awful lot like the wolf that bit me and
condemned me to this…this nightmare. I continued to back away,
never taking my eyes off the wolf, afraid that if I did, he’d
attack me. Again.

“Jackson, you’ve gotta go. Tell the others
to keep looking for what we came here for. We’re close—I can feel
it.”

Jackson released a low snarl, communicating
in some way, before eyeing me. I swore he winked at me before
darting back into what remained of the darkness as the sun
continued to creep higher in the sky. The second he was gone, his
scent fading on the breeze, my entire body relaxed and I fell to my
knees, breathing heavily.

Concerned, Nick knelt next to me, his hand
running over the length of my back in an attempt to soothe me. “I’m
sorry,” he said. “I didn’t think he’d show up here. He was supposed
to be out with the others…searching.”

My fear ebbed and I started to register what
Nick had said. “Searching?” My detective instincts kicked into
overdrive, and I turned to face him. “There are more of you?” Nick
nodded, waiting for this tidbit of knowledge to freak me out. It
didn’t. Instead, I decided to focus on something else. “What
exactly are you looking for?”

When Nick laughed, I detected a nervous lilt
to it. “That’s a very long story.” He looked to the east and
noticed daylight was fast approaching. “And I don’t think we have
time for that today.”

As the sunlight stretched over the ground, I
realized he was right, and I pushed myself to my feet. Nick
followed suit, walking with me to the edge of the park. “I’ll walk
part of the way with you.”

I agreed, partly because I was still a
little rattled about the wolf and partly because I didn’t think I
was ready to be apart from Nick just yet. I hated feeling this way,
especially while David slept soundly back at the house. It wasn’t
like I planned to leave David for Nick. That would never happen.
Nick had his chance, and he blew it. Besides, it sounded like he
was only here temporarily anyway, and my life was here. My family,
career, David… Nick was just passing through.

“I promise to tell you more about what
brought me back here,” Nick said as we wandered down the sidewalk.
“But I want to make sure you’re ready and able to control your
urges.”

Despite the warmth of the morning sun, a
chill moved through me, and I wrapped my arms around myself. “How
am I supposed to do that?” I asked, glancing at him through my
periphery.

“One day at a time,” was his reply as he
shoved his hands into his jean pockets. “Can you meet me later
tonight?”

I didn’t hesitate, even though I probably
should have. My need to know what was coming next heavily
outweighed any common sense I might have had left. “Yes.
Where?”

“Come by my place.”

This sounded like a recipe for disaster, but
I couldn’t seem to resist, because, the truth of it was, I believed
him now.

And, even though he broke my heart so many
years ago, I felt like I could trust him with my life.

D
id I feel bad
about deceiving David to go and see Nick? Of course. I wasn’t
heartless. But I needed to know how to control this if I was going
to have any kind of life. After learning what I did, acknowledging
that what Nick said was the truth, I could feel that part of me
fighting for dominance. Perhaps I was just more aware of everything
I was feeling, or maybe I just wasn’t strong enough to maintain
control.

Whatever it was, I needed to figure out what
to do.

David and I had been at work all day, still
trying to track down this club that mysteriously vanished on us. We
were no closer to figuring out what the hell went down there, and
the entire team was starting to feel the pressure. By eleven that
night—after having worked fifteen straight hours—Dad sent David and
me home. David wanted to stay, and a part of me did as well,
because I wanted to nail the son of a bitch responsible for these
murders, but I also wanted to see Nick again. There was still so
much he needed to tell me.

When I sided with Dad, David agreed, and we
headed for home. Once there, I feigned a yawn and suggested we head
to bed in order to rest up and start fresh on the case in the
morning. Truthfully, I wasn’t tired in the slightest, but I needed
to be able to sneak out without being detected. It was low and
deceitful, and if David did it to me, I’d be crushed.

But I had my reasons, and right now, I
believed they were pretty sound. Nick suggested that I was
dangerous as long as I couldn’t control my urges. What if he was
right?

In bed, David curled up behind me, draping
his arm over my waist and pulling me against his body. He kissed my
neck and shoulder, sending a shiver of contentment down my spine
that made my toes curl. I momentarily reconsidered my plan, but
when that telltale sign of anxiety and agitation settled in like
clockwork, seeping into my bones and causing me to become restless,
I knew I couldn’t.

Behind me, David’s breathing evened out,
becoming deeper, and I felt his steady heartbeat against my back.
It was soothing and kept me from bolting out of the bed, grounding
me in some way. It wasn’t enough to settle me completely, but it
helped a little.

“David?” I whispered, turning my head
slightly. His brow furrowed as his subconscious registered the
sound of my voice, but he didn’t respond. Slowly, I wiggled out
from beneath his hold, waiting and watching as he rolled over onto
his stomach and buried his hands beneath his pillow. I remained
still for a few more minutes to be sure he stayed asleep, and then
I crept around the room silently, pulling on a pair of yoga pants
and a blue long-sleeved T-shirt. After putting my hair up into a
ponytail, I exited my room, pulled my shoes on at the front door,
and silently slipped outside. I thought about taking the car, but
my increased energy screamed for release.

So I walked. And then I ran.

Feeling the wind on my face before it
slipped through my hair was exhilarating, and it revitalized me. I
inhaled deeply, taking in the combination of smells. I tried to
bypass any of the more unpleasant smells—exhaust, oil, sewage,
day-old trash—in favor of the leaves on the trees, the freshly
clipped grass from earlier in the day, and an impending rain that
hung heavy in the air. It would be the first, and one of few, this
season.

There weren’t very many people out, given it
was near one in the morning now, but the few that were, looked my
way only briefly before going about their business. Cars passed me
on the street, one of them honking their horn before someone hung
out the window and started whistling and catcalling.

I supposed this was normal for one in the
morning; people would be heading home after a night out drinking
with their friends.

“Hey, baby,” the man called out, his words
slurred. I picked up traces of beer and whiskey on his breath as it
left his mouth and traveled on the breeze. Normally, this would be
impossible, but given what I now knew about myself…

When I ignored him, he tried again, the
driver slowing the beat-up old Chevy down to a crawl. “Where you
off to? Little late to be out runnin’, don’t ya think?”

Again, I ignored him and continued on my
way, focusing on my breathing.

“Aw, don’t be like that.”

Up ahead, I spotted Nick’s house. Only four
houses away. The front light was on, as were a couple of the
upstairs lights. I never did call ahead to let him know I was
coming, but he would be home…at least, I hoped he was, because I’d
hate to have to deal with these guys any longer than necessary.

The guy kept trying to get my attention and
finally asked the driver to stop the car. I wasn’t too concerned
with my own well-being; I was a cop and had taken more than my fair
share of self-defense training courses. Not to mention, I was much
stronger than I’d ever been in my entire life.

This didn’t mean I wanted to have to use any
of this knowledge. I’d honestly prefer he just left me alone.

His clumsy footsteps were loud and unsteady
as he tried to catch up. I was only one house away now, and just as
I was about to use the neighbor’s front yard as a short cut, the
guy grabbed for my wrist as he caught up. He missed—probably
because his depth perception was a little skewed given his current
intoxication—and I stopped in my tracks, suddenly angry that he’d
even
think
about laying a hand on me.

I whipped around to face him, and his
drunken smile disappeared from his face, his unfocused eyes
widening as he realized his error. I clenched my hands at my sides,
my heart still racing from my run. My blood boiled beneath my skin,
which started itching and crawling. My breath came hot and heavy,
turning to fog in the cool night air between us. His mouth opened
and closed a few times, likely trying to find a way to explain his
brazen attempt to physically stop me, but I refused to hear what he
had to say. Several violent outcomes flickered through my mind,
ranging from tearing his throat out with my bare hands to ripping
his arm from his body and beating him with it. These thoughts
should have concerned me, but I apparently shot right past rational
thought and directly into extreme measures.

Before I could act on any of these
scenarios, I inhaled deeply, stopping the minute I picked up the
unique woodsy musk I’d come to recognize. As usual, it calmed me in
a way that nothing else had been able to since this all began. It
was then that I realized the drunk boy’s eyes seemed unfocused not
because of how much he’d had to drink, but because he wasn’t
looking at
me.
He was looking
past
me…

…at Nick.

Slowly, I turned around to find Nick
sauntering down the sidewalk toward us. He didn’t have a shirt on,
and I admit to staring just a little too long and hard at his broad
shoulders, chiseled chest, and well-defined abs. I swallowed
thickly when I noticed that V-shaped muscle as it dipped below his
low-slung jeans, and I had to remind myself to take a breath before
I passed out. I didn’t remember him being this in shape when the
two of us were together. Sure, he’d always been fit, but never like
this.

“You lost, boy?” Nick demanded, his voice
deep and gruff. I even picked up a hint of a growl, but forgot all
about it when I felt the heat of his body so close to mine. He
rested his hand on the small of my back, assuring me of my
safety—not that I ever questioned it, remember—and I turned my
focus back to the guy who tried to stop me.

While I doubted this guy had any idea what
he’d gotten himself into, it was obvious he wasn’t stupid enough to
challenge it further. Instead, he stammered, his eyes never leaving
Nick. He looked so terrified, and I worried he might lose bladder
control. But then that worry turned to hope.

It would serve him right.

When he still failed to say anything—which
was weird considering just how chatty he’d seemed before Nick
showed up—Nick took my hand. What surprised me was I let him
without pause. “Come on, babe,” he said, pulling me toward the
house. “Let’s go inside.”

I let him tug me along, but I kept my
narrowed eyes on the stunned boy. I was still pretty angry, and
while I knew I couldn’t hurt him, something deep inside me still
wanted
to. This alarmed me more than anything. This must
have been what Nick was talking about. My urges needed to be
harnessed, and I needed to learn how to do it.

Before I turned my eyes toward the house, I
watched as the guy ran, stumbling a few times before reaching his
friend’s vehicle. The tires squealed against the pavement as they
took off, and I felt the need to go after them—no, not because I
was a werewolf and chasing cars was something dogs enjoyed doing,
but because I was a cop and they were speeding.

At least, I was pretty sure it was the
latter…

Finally, I shifted my focus to the house,
noticing the three motorcycles and one car—a newer red Camaro—in
the driveway for the first time. This meant that Nick wasn’t the
only one staying here. Did these vehicles belong to his—what did he
call them?—his
Packmates
?

Once inside, Nick closed the door. He didn’t
lock it, but I supposed he probably felt he and his buddies were a
good enough security system, being supernatural creatures and
all.

Yes, it was still weird to even consider
what he’d said to be true, but it also felt oddly natural. Like I’d
been repressing the knowledge, but deep down knew it to be true all
along. It only took Nick explaining it to me to stimulate the
information.