Blood Moon (15 page)

“But you’re not a Shifter.”

“Be careful, that’s profiling.” Cern lifted a finger, wagging it at Aaron. When the Beta didn’t even blink, Cern shrugged one shoulder. “No, I’m not. But I have some very useful skills.”

Aaron studied him closely, shaking his head. Lukas had done the same, and Aria knew Cern was using glamour to play with their vision. She glared, and he winked at her.

“Why are you here this evening?” Lukas demanded.

“To make sure you did right by her, of course. You didn’t think I would keep track of what happened to her?”

Lukas’ mouth opened then closed, and he ran a hand through his hair.

“Now that I’ve seen she’s married to the man of her dreams, I’d like to go on my way. I’ve got places to go and people to see.”

“Err….” Aaron started to protest.

“Lovely. I’ll see you later on, then.” Cern sprang to his feet, gave them all a thumbs-up and then winked out of sight, leaving only the faint scent of autumn leaves behind.

“Aria?”

She turned to Lukas, who stared at the spot Cern had previously occupied. “Was that who I think it was?”

Rubbing the back of her neck, she gave him a weak smile. “Don’t think about it right now.”

His stare became unreadable. “Someday you’ll have to explain to me how you became friends with a man who appears to be a Celtic God of the Hunt, and why he’s living in West Virginia.”

She opened her mouth to explain, but didn’t get the chance.

“Excuse me, but I’m not used to being ignored.”

The familiar voice made her skin crawl, and her attention zeroed in on the second prisoner. His swarthy features were schooled into an indifferent mask, but his eyes blazed with irritation. Panic rose in her chest, but she quickly squelched it. If Otis found her, then Haemon was already informed of the mating. Lukas’ voice cut into her fear, drawing her back to the situation.

“Forgive me,” Lukas drawled. “I’d hoped to save the less pleasant bits for later, but we can move along with you. Who are you and what do you want?”

The man bristled at the condescension. “My name is Otis. I was sent to bring Aria home.”

“She is home.”

Snorting, Otis shrugged and spread his hands. “Look man, I don’t know why Haemon wants the bitch back. No one’s that good a fuck. Personally, I’d rather let you have her and get out of here.”

Low growling rumbled in Lukas’ chest. “Watch your language.”

Aria leaned against the edge of the table. “Haemon didn’t send you with a message, Otis. Tell the truth.”

“I was sent for
you
!” Otis’ lips curled in a snarl, and he launched himself towards Aria. Everything appeared to happen in slow motion. His hands shifted into paws, and as he reached for her, he took a swipe at Lukas. His wicked, black claws raked Lukas’ cheek.

Rage roared through Aria’s body at the sight of blood on her Mate’s face. Razor sharp claws sprang from her fingertips. Before the others had a chance to reach for Otis and restrain him, Aria slammed her hand into his chest, throwing his body back into the chair and sinking those wicked curves deep into his flesh. She panted, fighting the urge to rend and bite. She crouched on the tabletop, poised to spring again and take his body to the ground. Some part of her recoiled at the intense, sudden need to feel his blood running through her. Another part reveled in it.

For the first time she could recall, fear glittered in Otis’ eyes. A guttural snarl echoed around the cement room, rage and revenge transforming the sound. She almost didn’t recognize her own voice. “Give me one good reason why I shouldn’t tear you open.”

He opened his mouth, but no words came out. Her claws flexed, and he whimpered with pain. Fingers wrapped around her hand gently. “Release him, Aria. I still need him to deliver a message.”

It took more effort than she wanted to admit to retract the claws and draw her hand away. Her body thrummed with the need to make him bleed. She took a deep breath and then began to shake. She allowed Lukas to draw her against his chest. Her hand brushed lightly over his cheek, where the shallow cuts were already healing. She’d never felt such an urge before. The need to taste blood, to rip flesh to pieces had been overwhelming.

Otis’ words held a tinge of fear, but he spoke anyway. “Jesus. He was right. You really are psycho. I always thought you were a loss, but I didn’t realize how right I was. You are one hot mess.”

The insults rolled off her skin like water off a duck’s back. Lukas’ body tensed under her cheek. Surprise registered inside her as his eye, the one devoid of color, glowed. She opened her mouth to say something, but he shook his head. “Go upstairs, Aria.”

For once, she didn’t argue. Thaddeus followed her into the kitchen after a curt word from Lukas. Her stomach twisted as she thought about what had transpired. While her own anger had scared her, Lukas’ made hers seem like a toddler’s tantrum.

Without really thinking about it, she let Thaddeus lead her to the kitchen sink, where she washed her hands. She scrubbed three times before the heavy, thick feel of the blood faded. After drying her hands, she wrapped her arms around herself and stood by the bay window. Outside, some of the Pack Guards walked the perimeter of the yard and then disappeared out of sight.

“I didn’t know he could get so angry.” Her hushed whisper carried farther than she realized in the quiet house. To herself, she added, “I didn’t know I could either.”

Backing away from the window, she leaned against the kitchen counter. The Pack had disbursed, many of them heading to their homes. The rest were outside, talking quietly.

Thaddeus leaned against the counter next to her. “I haven’t seen him that way in a long time. But they had it coming. They snuck onto our grounds to kill you, tried to do so in front of the five of us, and they insulted you.”

“If he gets upset every time someone insults me or tries to kill me, there’s going to be a lot of blood.”

Thaddeus chuckled. “I’ll invest in some mops.”

Aria tried to respond in kind, but failed miserably. “I should have kept running when I had the chance.”

“Don’t say something so foolish.” Sean surprised her. Aria hadn’t even noticed when he entered the kitchen. She looked away from the intensity of his gaze.

“You saved my son.”

Guilt left a bitter taste in her mouth and a knot in her stomach. “I’m not sure anymore it wasn’t done just to draw me here.” The idea made her flinch.

Sean’s hand sliced through the air. “No. Haemon has been harassing us for months. That had nothing to do with you. Lukas is your Mate. You belong here.”

Aria sniffed, smiling at him. “Thank you.”

“I couldn’t have said it better myself.” 

Her body jerked around, only to see Lukas in the doorway behind her. “How long have you been standing there?”

“Long enough to know I may need to give Thaddeus cleaning duty, and you are too foolish for words.”

Aria sighed. “I was afraid of that.”

He leaned heavily against the doorframe. His attention turned to Sean and Thaddeus. “Let everyone know that anyone who wants can stay here tonight. There’s plenty of blankets. I know a lot of them have gone home, but send a Pack Guard to check on everyone, and whoever hasn’t left yet, needs to take a Pack Guard with them if they do leave. At least, to walk back and forth. The Guards are paired for patrol until further notice. Have a good night.”

Thaddeus nodded, and Sean headed outside to spread the news. Lukas moved, catching Aria’s hand. “If you’ll excuse us, Thaddeus….”

Thaddeus gave Aria a sympathetic shrug as she allowed Lukas to pull her past him. He led her up the stairs and into their room, where he shut the door and then leaned against it, pulling her tightly to his chest. Beneath her ear, she could feel his words rumbling through his body.

“I know tonight was difficult for you. I’d really like to lecture you about breaking your promise, but I’m pretty sure you didn’t do it on purpose.”

She winced at the censure in his tone.

“I’ve never seen anyone move like you did.”

Was that pride? She looked up at him, desire and a glint of something else stared down at her. Hurt?

She lifted a hand and caressed his cheek. “What is the matter?”

“In the back of your mind, you still think running is an option.”

Aria kept silent. She couldn’t deny that she’d thought about it. And seeing Otis had renewed her fear. Maybe it would be best if she left.

“You still don’t understand, do you? You and I are bound now, beyond a mere mortal marriage. We’re bound soul to soul. There is nowhere you can go where I cannot find you.” Lukas tightened his arms around her, eyes boring into hers. “I want to make it clear, Aria, if you run, I
will
find you. You’re mine, and what’s mine I keep.”

“I’m not your toy.” She bristled at the condescension in his tone. “You aren’t going to fight with Haemon over me like two boys in a sandbox.”

“You’re right, I’m not. If we fight over you, it won’t be like two cubs, Aria. You’re my Mate; he’s going to have to kill me to have you.”

Ice wrapped around her heart at the thought of him dead. “We’ll make sure it doesn’t come to that.”

Lukas didn’t say anything for a moment. He loosened his hold and relaxed, some of the tension draining out of him. “Let’s hope not. I might be good at killing, but I don’t really like it much.”

Aria kissed his chin. “I wouldn’t be able to love you so much if you did.”

His hands made small circles on her back, and he stared down at her. He cocked his head to the side. He searched her face for something, but she couldn’t tell what. The warmth of his hands became very distracting.

“What is it, Lukas?”

He pulled her tight against him again. “Haemon wasn’t the only one who sent a message today. The Council also sent a messenger with official written notice forbidding the ceremony. I didn’t want to tell you, but I thought you should know.”

Of course, they’d send orders. Tilting her head back to tell him exactly where the Council could put their directive, she stopped. His eyes were fixed on her mouth. Slowly, his lips eased over hers, his hands gathered her tight. Whatever she’d planned on saying promptly disappeared in a puff of steam. Heat flooded her body, and she couldn’t help wriggling against him.

His hands moved from holding her to sliding under her shirt, brushing the sides of her breasts and then he drew her shirt over her head. He broke their kiss long enough to dump the material to the floor. He hooked his thumbs under the band of her underwear and slid them down her legs. She kicked off the restricting garments while his mouth captured hers again. His tongue pushed past her lips, but she took a step back.

Giving him what she hoped was a come-hither smile, she shook a finger at him. “You’re overdressed for what I had in mind.”

 Attempting to be bold, her fingers traced the hard planes of his chest, giving special attention to his nipples. Beneath her touch, his muscles jumped. When her hands tickled his bellybutton, he sucked in a great breath of air.

“I thought you said you were a virgin.”

Quirking an eyebrow, she pushed his sweatpants over the ridge of his hips, stopping as the material caught his erection, standing at rigid attention. She swallowed hard, desperately hoping her nerves weren’t showing.

“I told you I had an excellent imagination.”

He stopped her movements, holding her hands away from him. She glared.

“While this whole dominant female thing is pretty sexy, I can only take so much.”

In one swift motion, he stripped off the pants. Her mouth hung open, she knew it, but didn’t care. Suddenly, she was very aware of the cool air on her naked flesh. She’d never been more intensely aware of another person in her life.

He should have been carved out of marble. All the slopes and planes of his body were emphasized in the light from the windows, and she couldn’t see anything that wasn’t perfect. Her eyes skipped over his body, breath struggling to pass her lips and cheeks burned, as her gaze lingered over his erection.

He pulled her to him, closing the distance. She gasped at the feeling of his hair-roughened skin against her own, and her nipples pebbled. His body blazed with heat and his fingers slid down her back to cup her bottom, drawing his hard length against her belly.

Lukas’ lips traveled down her neck, sucking gently on the nearly, faded mark at her neck. By morning, the spot would be a deep purple again. Somehow, she knew the mark would be there as long as she lived. And she wanted him to mark her for life.

He bent his head to her breast, kissing along the tops of her breasts and finally drew a tight bud into his mouth. He suckled gently, and her hands gripped him tighter, even as she rolled her hips against him. Her desire rose at his amazing ministrations. 

“Oh my God,” she gasped. Need whipped through her as he nipped her skin.

He smiled, releasing her long enough to murmur, “No, baby. Lukas.”

One moment his hands and mouth were sending shards of pleasure through her, and the next, he was lifting her against his body, gently biting her shoulders as he laid her on the cool sheets, and joined her, skin-to-skin, from head to toe.

She couldn’t help a small strangled sound.

“Am I too heavy?”

He started to pull away, but she caught his shoulders with her hands, unable to bear any distance between them.

“No. I just…wasn’t expecting it to feel so good.”

His weight should have felt stifling, but instead tightened the coil of desire in her core.

Settling back against her, he smirked. “It does, doesn’t it?”

Without waiting for a response, his mouth teased hers, again. Her whimper was caught between their dueling tongues. Her hips moved against him as his tongue stroked hers. His hand caressed her stomach, moving lower in slow circles designed to drive her mad. Finally, one blunt finger moved through her slick folds. She arched off the bed, and Lukas’ sexy chuckle vibrated through her whole body as he did it again. “Like that, do you?”

“Please, Lukas….”

There wasn’t enough air in the room. Running her hands over his shoulders, the heavy muscles of his chest and back, she waited for something. She wasn’t quite sure what, but he apparently knew. His finger stroked her sex, and Aria moved against his hand. Nothing she had read or seen had prepared her for the sensations he created with just his mouth and hands. She panted and sobbed his name.