Blood Moon (5 page)

Aria deliberately ignored the Beta, letting her gaze wander through the room. It reflected Lukas’ taste, with its heavy dark woods, jewel-tone colors and two walls of bookcases. Aria could imagine eighteenth-century men coming in after dinner to smoke cigars, sip brandy, and discuss the state of world affairs in a room like this.

A huge L-shaped desk dominated the wall near the door, one side cutting into the center of the room. The longest arm of the desk had been modified into a kind of conference table. Five chairs, including Lukas’ worn brown leather desk chair were pushed under the edge. He’d had the same one when he lived with his father years ago, and she used to love curling up on it. Obviously, Lukas conducted Pack-business here. The other side of the room had a fireplace flanked by two more computers and a small television, muted and tuned to the local news.

“Thaddeus, Aaron; Aria will be joining us this evening.” Lukas motioned for them to approach, his expression remained serious.

Thaddeus turned and smiled brightly. Aaron’s face was blank, but suspicion blazed in his eyes. Lukas nudged her forward, and Aria held out her hand. If Aaron tried to knock her over again, she’d take him out. Instead, Aaron took the offered hand, studying her. She wasn’t sure what he searched for, but he must have found it. Without breaking eye contact, he dropped to one knee and put her hand on his nape.

“I swear to serve you as I serve your Mate, with my life, as long as I live.”

The oath surprised her, but she squeezed the back of his neck in acceptance. Her cynical mind broke in and reminded her that their oaths were likely to be short-lived. With Haemon after her, her life was in constant danger. If he succeeded in catching her and keeping her as he planned, then she had no choice. Death.

As Aaron rose, he amended the pledge, with a hard glint in his dark brown eyes. “I also reserve the right to extract payment if you cause him injury again.”

Chapter Five

Aaron’s declaration left her gaping.

Lukas had not expected it either, judging by his scowl. He stepped forward, anger flushing his face. Aaron squared his shoulders and planted his feet, daring them to argue.

Guilt struck her again. Aria laid a hand on Lukas’ arm to stop him from moving any closer, but kept her attention on Aaron. “For what its worth, Aaron, I didn’t mean for it to happen the first time. But should it happen again—if there’s anything left of me, you’re welcome to try.”

Lukas sputtered some sort of obscenity, his body vibrated beneath her hand with anger and surprise. Aaron and Aria ignored him, staring at one another—sizing each other up. She wanted to make sure he understood how serious she was. She couldn’t blame him for his distrust. Aaron had been the one left to pick up the pieces when she disappeared from Lukas’ life. Would she act any differently if their positions were reversed? Of course, that didn’t mean she would let him tear her limb from limb, but still....

Aaron’s body relaxed slightly, and he offered a curt nod. “As long as we understand one another.”

The tension in the room eased at his response.

Thaddeus dropped into a leather chair, propped his feet on the desk, and laced fingers behind his head. “And to think I was bored a few days ago.”

Aria stepped around Aaron and headed for a chair. When she moved closer to Thaddeus, his grin brightened and his gaze moved from her neck to Lukas’ face. “Nice, man.”

Suspicion bloomed in Aria’s mind, and she slapped a hand to her throat. She ran to the large mirror hanging on the wall over the mantle, jerking the collar of her shirt aside. Sure enough, a small, dark bruise had begun to form at the base of her neck. Lukas had marked her. She whirled to face him, hand on hips, scowling. “You don’t waste any time, do you?”

He smiled, unapologetically, smug male satisfaction written all over his face. “Can you blame me?”

“Yes, but I’ll save it. Although at this rate, I’ll just beat the crap out of you.” Even as she scolded him, something hot and bright lit her heart. Somehow, knowing she bore his mark was arousing and comforting at the same time. But neither could she stop the annoyance. 

She had been trying to maintain emotional distance from him, and failing miserably. Every time she thought she’d gotten a handle on things, something like this happened. It didn’t improve her frame of mind.

Lukas sat down at the desk, followed by Aaron. The Beta never fully stopped watching Aria. She ignored him and curled into the plush red sofa chair next to the fireplace. As she moved across the cushions, Lukas’ scent became more pronounced. She wondered if he slept in his office more than his bed. The mixture of soap, trees, and musk wrapped around her like a warm embrace. She surreptitiously rubbed her face against the cushions, inhaling his unique scent. That smell had clung to her flannel shirt and kept her sane the first few weeks when she had been held captive, and then, again, when she had been running for her life.

She curled against the arm of the chair, propping one hand up, and watched the group of men. A rare opportunity to listen in with what was going on in the supernatural world, even if she had no intention of staying or to be involved with any of the Pack politics and needs. It couldn’t hurt to be aware of current events.

Lukas leaned one elbow on the table, turning his chair sideways so he could see all of them. “I spoke with Alec, and he says that Steven will be fine. I also spoke with Steven.”

“Did he start it?”

Thaddeus’ seriousness surprised Aria. Lukas had automatically assumed Steven had nothing to do with it. At least, she thought he had.

“No. But he did mention something interesting. He mentioned that he tried to shift, but couldn’t. The boys taunted him about it. And judging by the questions she asked, I think”—Lukas swiveled his chair in her direction—“Aria knows why.”

“Imagine that.” Mistrust dripped from Aaron’s words.

“I didn’t beat that boy up, so just get the thought out of your pea-sized brain,” she hissed. The implication sent her temper skyrocketing.

Thaddeus interjected, rolling his eyes, “Children, don’t make me stop this meeting!” When she and Aaron remained silent, he continued, “Steven is a little old, but he is still a teenager. It might’ve just been a lack of control.”

Aria shook her head. “I don’t think so. Haemon has this obsession—”

Aaron cut in. “You mean you don’t have the monopoly on Haemon’s thoughts?”

Irritation gritted her teeth. Lukas growled, staring down his Beta. “Drop it, Aaron. There are more important things to do than listen to you two bait each other.”

Aria curled her fingers into the couch. How did she get dragged into this? She hadn’t started it. Determined to ignore the rage building inside, she focused on the problem at hand.

“Anyway, Haemon likes mythology and legend. He’s made it his hobby to track down old legends about supernatural relics and then find them.”

“But if they’re legends, how does he know they’re real?” Thaddeus appeared genuinely confused.

“I don’t actually know. But he picks the legends that turn out to have truth in them. And there’s always a relic.”

“What do they do?”

She shrugged. “Depends on the item, and what he wants to tell you about it. But I do remember him mentioning a talisman created to protect the wearer by keeping a Shifter in human form, and diminishing their abilities.”

Lukas’ brows furrowed. “If Ethan and his gang had that, it would explain the severity of his injuries, as well as why he hadn’t been able to fight back or shift. But only one of them could have been wearing it.”

Aria thought back to the scene in the alley, before she helped Steven. “It was risky to have any of them wearing it. Steven said it was silver. Who would give a hunk of silver, let alone one with magical properties, to a teenager?”

“That’s a stupid question. It’s Haemon.”

Ignoring Aaron again, Lukas rubbed the bridge of his nose, a crease forming between his brows. “That doesn’t explain why you weren’t affected, or the others with Ethan. If what you say is true, only the wearer should have been unaffected.”

She spread her hands on the table. “I didn’t hear the whole story, so there are probably details we are missing. As for myself, I don’t know why it didn’t work. I felt a little strange at first, but then I got angry and…well, feeling weird really isn’t unusual.”

Chances were good it had something to do with her necklace, but that wasn’t something she would share. Not yet, anyway.

“You mean to tell me you fought them off alone?”

Her arm shot out, pointing a finger at Aaron. “You are really starting to piss me off. If you want, I’ll give a demonstration. Hope you don’t mind getting blood on that shirt.”

“Enough!” Lukas’ roar mingled with the sound of his fist slamming on the desk. “You will both stop antagonizing each other, especially you, Aaron. If you can’t be trusted to watch your words, you can leave.”

The Beta bowed his head in submission. Lukas’ entire body vibrated with impatience and anger. She nodded, taking a deep breath. She hadn’t even been here a full day, and she was causing problems.

Lukas waited a few more seconds, his hands clenching and unclenching as he calmed himself. “Now, Aria, do you remember if the talisman had a name?”

Thinking back, she tried to recall the conversation. It was something Haemon had been inordinately pleased about, which usually made her worry. He hadn’t tested that one on her, thank God, but he had tried it out on a few of his Pack Guards. “I think it’s called the Alistar Talisman.”

Thaddeus scribbled the name on a piece of paper from the desk. “I’ll get what I can about it off the Internet later.”

Aaron leaned back in his chair. “Tonight had nothing to do with Aria, but it was still Haemon trying to make a point. He’s making this a vendetta, and Aria’s arrival will only give him more fuel for the fire.” He nodded at her. “No offense.”

Lukas nodded, glaring at his friend. Apparently, he’d caught the sarcasm as well as she had. “Tell everyone they need an escort to school and work.”

“Don’t you want to—?” She stopped, clenching her fingers around the cushion in her hand. They weren’t her Pack, nor did she belong here. Her opinions should not be voiced. But his suggestion wasn’t enough.

“I thought you didn’t plan on staying?” His words dared her to contradict them.

Lukas wasn’t quite as collected as he seemed. Irritation had gotten the better of him after all. She was sorry for that.

“I can’t stay. It doesn’t mean I don’t want to see them safe, Lukas. Part of this is my fault, after all.”

“You can’t have it both ways, love. You can’t become involved and then leave at the drop of a hat. If you want to make suggestions, you’ll have to promise me some time. Quality time.”

She punched at the cushion. “You are infuriating.” The need to help, to try and right some of the wrongs her father and Haemon had been responsible for, burned deeply.

“It’s one of my better traits, actually.” The amusement hovering in his eyes teased her. He knew exactly what she was thinking. She didn’t know how, but he did.

Ignoring the fact that he was manipulating her, she jerked her chin up, meeting his gaze. “How much time?”

“Three months.”

Aria glared. “That’s not time, that’s assisted suicide.” She waited for Aaron to interject a comment. He remained silent.

“No, those are my terms.”

Dropping her head to the cushion, she sighed. “Agreed.” Her voice may have sounded annoyed, but a small part of her heart, the piece she thought she’d managed to drown out, sent up a cheer.

“Now, what was it that you were saying?”

She hugged a pillow to her chest. “Keep the children here. Set up a temporary school. They’ll hate it after awhile, but they’ll be safer than at school.”

Lukas winked. “Just what I was thinking. Steven’s incident proves Haemon’s capable of anything. We can rotate tutoring, and the adults will start carpooling to work. Anyone who can work from home should. No one goes anywhere outside of Pack grounds alone.”

Well, she’d walked right into that one. He’d known she would protest his first recommendation. She’d been royally played.

“I’d better start calling everyone with kids so they don’t put them on the bus tomorrow. Once the school office opens tomorrow, I’ll call and make arrangements for their work to be sent here.” Aaron waited for Lukas to consent and then left the room. She assumed he went to see whom he could catch in the house. And probably get away from her.

After a few moments of silence, Thaddeus cleared his throat. “There’s been word.”

Aria stiffened. She tried to keep her body from betraying what she thought, but her heart pounded in her ears and the metallic tang of fear spread over her tongue. Afraid of consequences that had affected only her before, she now had more to worry about. Things had changed, and now the emotion was more than an annoying surge of adrenaline. Her heart felt as if it would jump from her chest, even though she tried to appear confident and relaxed.

Lukas rose, moving around the table to sit on the ottoman next to her. A stronger woman might have turned him away. Instead, she allowed him to put an arm around her shoulders.
So much for maintaining her distance.

“Go ahead, Thaddeus. She might as well hear it.”

“Haemon sent a messenger demanding Aria be returned to him. He says he’s already claimed her before the Council.”

Chapter Six

“He did what?” Aria’s power, triggered by a surge of overwhelming fury, spilled into the room. The flames roared in the fireplace, surprising everyone. Lukas smoothed a hand over her cheek.

“I guess when you said feeling weird when angry was normal, you weren’t kidding.” Thaddeus’ gaze moved between her face and the fading inferno in the hearth.

She couldn’t suppress the bitter laughter. “You have no idea.”

“Calm down, Aria. It changes nothing. I’ll appeal to the Council.”

The slow heat of anger joined the fear already settling in her stomach. She tried to ignore the churning mixture, taking deep breaths and forcing herself to calm down. She would not allow Haemon and the Council to take her life from her again. “I’d rather skip the Council, kill Haemon and get on with things.”