Blood Moon (43 page)

I felt his finger beneath my chin, coaxing
my eyes back to his. They were brighter around the pupils now, the
amber rings growing and taking over the blue, and his voice was
comforting as his thumb stroked my cheek. “You’re fighting this—and
that’s only natural. Your mind doesn’t want to leave. It thinks
something dangerous is trying to take over.” My arms and legs
trembled beneath my weight, and I tried to retreat back into the
darkness—to escape the pain and confusion. But Nick wouldn’t let
me. His intense stare held me captive. It grounded me.

“If you allow yourself to believe you’re in
danger—even for a second—you’ll lose control. You’ll black out like
the first time.”

Everything calmed down around me, but my
heart continued to race. Darkness crept in around the outer edges
of my eyes, slowly overtaking my entire line of vision. There was a
ringing in my ears before I heard nothing at all, and I quickly
succumbed to the anesthetized state I found myself in, sinking
deeper and deeper into the abyss. When I finally allowed myself to
rest, something clicked, and Nick’s voice broke through the
darkness like a beacon guiding me home.

“But if you just acknowledge the wolf—accept
everything she has to offer—you’ll realize you
are
the wolf,
and that’s the most powerful lesson.”

My eyes fluttered open slowly, the smell of
soil and grass filling my head. Nothing was clear at first, that
weird tunnel vision taking over before clearing up, and I pushed
myself to my feet. My legs were unsteady, barely holding me up, but
I finally found my bearings...on all fours.

I’ve done it.

While it wasn’t the first time I’d
shifted—nor was it the first time I’d remembered parts of it—it was
the first time I did it of my own volition. I made this happen, and
I remembered every excruciating detail.

“Brooke?” Nick inquired, searching my eyes
for some kind of sign that it was me in control and not the
wolf.

Because I wasn’t used to being like this, I
tried to tell him. Obviously my human vocal chords didn’t quite
work the same, and all I could manage was a bark. The sound
startled me at first until I realized it came from me, and my skin
warmed beneath my fur with a blush.

Chuckling, Nick pulled his shirt off, and I
turned away out of respect. “You want to go for a run?” he asked.
Beside me, the bush rustled, and I looked over to find his shirt
and jeans hit the ground, then his socks and shoes. Forgetting my
manners for a brief moment, I glanced back to find him on all
fours, going through the beginning stages of the change. Curious, I
turned around fully and sat down to watch, hoping to maybe catch a
few pointers.

His change was much swifter than mine was,
but this likely had something to do with his seven years of
experience. He didn’t appear to be in pain as his bones cracked and
hair replaced his slightly tanned skin, and soon, there was a light
sandy-brown wolf before me. He approached me warily, his eyes
bright and tail wagging behind him. My own tail swished back and
forth as his nose touched the hair at my neck, pressing deeper and
inhaling. I did the same, standing up and running my head and neck
along his affectionately, memorizing his scent as I brushed against
him.

This is weird,
I thought to myself as
he licked my left shoulder, his wolfy brow furrowing sadly. Before
I could overanalyze everything, Nick turned his head and nipped my
flank before running off, his tongue hanging out of the side of his
mouth and a playful glimmer in his eyes. With a yelp of surprise
and then a bark of challenge, I bolted after him. I raced through
the desert, kicking up dirt and dead grass with my feet as I darted
around and beneath the bushes in hopes of closing the gap between
Nick and me.

Feeling the wind through my fur was
exhilarating, and my adrenaline surged. I picked up speed until I
was neck and neck with Nick, playfully nudging him. All my worries
were temporarily forgotten, and I reveled in the reprieve…until my
attention was suddenly diverted when the wind picked up, bringing
with it a strong odor that pulled me inexplicably from my carefree
jaunt through the woods.

It didn’t take me very long to recognize the
foul smell, stopping me dead in my tracks so abruptly that I left
grooves in the dry trail. Nick stopped almost as suddenly when he
realized I was no longer beside him, and when his eyes met mine, he
made the same connection that I did: there was a vampires somewhere
nearby. Another sniff. It was distinctly female. And confident.

Without another thought or any indication as
to what I was going to do, I took off in the direction the smell
came from, not once stopping or slowing down. My desire for
vengeance drove me again, and nothing was going to stop me from
destroying this bitch.

T
he world around me
ceased to exist as I raced toward the edge of the desert and
straight toward civilization. I knew I should have been more aware,
but the only thing I could think about was how amazing it would
feel to rip Gianna limb from limb. The violent thoughts were
unbridled, and I should have been more concerned, but I actually
took comfort in them. I imagined what it might feel like to wrap my
powerful jaws around her throat, biting down until I felt her neck
snap.

The second I was clear of the trails,
something slammed into my side, distracting me from the hunt as I
rolled over a few times before finding my footing again. My skin
trembled, releasing the dirt and grass from my coat as I looked in
the direction the hit came from, and I saw a large sand-colored
wolf standing in my path.

Nick.

My ears flattened against my head, and my
lips curled back in an angry snarl. Nick took on a defensive
stance, readying himself for whatever attack might be coming his
way, but he didn’t match my aggression. Instead, he looked at me
calmly, almost pleadingly. I couldn’t read the expression on his
face, but I desperately wished there was a way to communicate with
him. Did he not smell it? Why was he stopping me? He should be
helping
me.

Slowly, he stalked toward me, and when I
defied him with a growl, he flattened his ears and challenged right
back, nipping at me until I stepped backward. Every time I tried to
dart around him, he jumped in my way, snapping at my feet like
he…like he was shepherding me.

Yes! That was exactly what he was doing! He
was pushing me back, and it only served to infuriate me further. I
continued to try and dodge him, but he was quicker than me,
anticipating my every move, and soon we were back on the trails.
Angry at being driven away from what I so desperately
craved—Gianna’s life and retribution for David’s death—I lunged for
Nick, and we tumbled to the ground. My teeth snapped wildly,
finally sinking deep into the scruff of his neck, but he twisted
beneath me, gaining the upper hand until he had me pinned to the
ground, his mouth around my throat. His teeth didn’t puncture my
skin, but I felt them pressed against my jugular menacingly, and I
submitted, much to my chagrin.

Hesitant, Nick released me, taking a step
back but never taking his eyes off me. I was still upset about
being interrupted, but I slowly came to my senses, rolling onto my
stomach. Breathing heavily, I watched as Nick’s body quivered
before he reverted to his human form.

Completely naked, he stood up, and my eyes
remained locked on his, waves of defiance still coursing through my
veins. He held his hands up in front of him and stepped toward me.
“Brooke,” he said softly, his deep voice having an odd calming
effect on me. “I need you to shift back. Concentrate—just like you
did when you changed before.”

With an unintentional whimper, I stood and
looked away, trying to visualize my body changing back. I tried to
will my fur to shed—or whatever the hell it was supposed to do—and
I focused on my bones, hoping it didn’t hurt as much this time
around.

But nothing happened after a few minutes,
and I collapsed onto the dirt floor of the desert, exhausted and
defeated, closing my eyes tightly. Soon, Nick’s warm hand rested on
my back, and I jolted upright, frightened and a little irritated
that he thought it okay to
pet
me…

Then I realized I was standing. On two legs.
Completely naked.

Averting his gaze, Nick held out his hand.
In it were my clothes. That was when I noticed he was already fully
dressed. Clearly I’d blocked out a bit of time, because in the
seconds that I thought I was down, there was no way he’d have found
the time to run back to where we left our clothes and return.

I accepted his offering and quickly dressed,
my anger at being denied my hunt still festering and slowly
rebuilding. He must have sensed this, because he approached me and
grabbed my upper arms.

“You know I had to stop you,” he said
tentatively. “Right?”

Silent, I raised my eyebrows, waiting for
him to elaborate.

With an exasperated sigh, he thrust his
right hand through his hair, tugging harshly at the ends. “I
couldn’t just let you run in there blind,” he continued. “You are
absolutely in no way ready to take her on right now.”

“Excuse me?” I replied, more than a little
offended. “She created that thing that killed David…that tried to
kill me! Why does it feel like you’re protecting her?” My voice
carried through the vast desert, but I didn’t care. I wanted Gianna
dead for everything she’d done, and Nick was keeping me from making
that a reality.

“I’m not
protecting
her.” He said
this like it was physically painful for him to even contemplate—a
werewolf protecting a vampire—and as soon as I made that
connection, I, too, was repulsed by it…and also a little repentant
for having suggested such a thing.

“Then give me one good reason why I
shouldn’t track her down and make her pay for what she’s done?” I
demanded, a growl teetering on the edge of my voice.

“Because she could destroy you. I can’t lose
you… I just…” He hesitated, seeming unsure, but then finished his
thought. “I just got you back.” His voice dropped to a low whisper
at the end, almost sounding ashamed for saying it. The confession
reawakened those warring emotions I had between him and David
lately, and this upset me. It upset me because David was barely
laid to rest and Nick was saying shit like this…and worse, part of
me liked hearing it. Needed to hear it.

I ignored the feeling, resolving to deal
with it later—if at all—and stared up at Nick. “She needs to pay,”
I snarled. “If we don’t go after her now, she could get away.”

“You think I don’t know that?” Nick
demanded. “I hate the idea that Gianna sent some psycho disciple
after you, and all because of what I…” He cut himself off, piquing
my curiosity, but before I could ask him to continue, he changed
course. “It was a trap.”

I stared blankly, unsure how to respond to
this.

“She must have followed us.” Frustrated, he
paced back and forth, wearing a groove in the unbeaten desert
ground. “I don’t know how I didn’t realize it, but she came out
here to entice you, hoping you’d take the bait and run off after
her. And you almost did.”

“You can’t know that.”

“Gianna’s not stupid,” he challenged. “This
is
exactly
the kind of thing she would do to get to you.
She’s taunting you. Dangling your chance for vengeance in front of
you like a worm on a hook.”

This fascination she had with me was
confusing. I’d never even met this woman before, and she had this
personal vendetta against me. Even though Nick wouldn’t talk about
why she might be interested in me for who I am and not what, I knew
it to be true.

Call it woman’s intuition with a heaping
side of werewolf instincts.

“Okay… Let’s say this was a trap,” I began
to say, “now that we know that, maybe we stand a better chance
against her.”

Nick still seemed unsure. “Brooke—”

“It doesn’t make sense to just sit around.
What if this is our only opportunity?”

“It won’t be.”

“You don’t know that.” Before I could argue
my case further, Nick shut me down.

“We can’t just rush this, going in
half-cocked and ill-prepared. Why don’t we wait just a few days?
I’ll talk to the guys and we can formulate a plan of attack. She
won’t go anywhere until she’s accomplished what she came here to
do.”

If I thought about it rationally—like a
cop
—what Nick suggested really was the best plan. I still
wasn’t happy about it as we headed back to my car, but I promised
to wait for his instructions. Her scent was so potent...so close I
could taste the foulness of it on my tongue, and I fought to pull
myself away from it.

I dropped Nick off at his place before
heading back to my parents’. He invited me to stay for dinner, but
I politely declined, half-joking when I told him I should give my
parents proof of life. By the time I arrived, Mom was just putting
dinner on the table. They both seemed surprised to see me, but I
kissed them on the cheek before taking my seat at the table. Having
had a big brunch at Nick’s place earlier, my appetite had returned,
and I dished up heaps of the roasted chicken and vegetables they
prepared.

“So,” Dad said, taking the bowl of
vegetables from me, “where did you stay last night?”

I almost choked on the chicken in my mouth,
not expecting the question. It was a fair one; it just caught me
off guard. “I stayed with a friend. I just couldn’t bring myself to
face anyone else.” And just like that, my grief came crashing back
down around me, suffocating me.

My mom reached over and placed her hand on
mine. “That’s understandable, sweetheart.” She went back to cutting
a piece of chicken while segueing the conversation. “The service
really was beautiful.”