Harvest Moon (27 page)

I
dreamed of home. The full moon shined on Lake Tahoe. The Pack howled in the distance. I stepped into the cool, still water, staring at the silver moon in the sky, wishing for my mate. Something splashed to my right.

Kilani. Naked.

She approached me with a warm smile. Kneeling in the shallow water, she slid her soft hands up my calves.
So real
. Her fingertips glided farther up my legs. I growled as her feather-light touch teased even higher, barely tracing along the length of my erection until I ached for more contact. Her lips caressed my abs, her warm breath on my skin. I buried my fingers in her thick, silky hair.

Her teeth brushed my neck, her scent filling my lungs, and I tightened my grip, growling against her ear. “Dream come true.”

She lifted her head, moonlight shining on her face. “Shh. Grandma Nani just fell asleep in the front room.”

Although her body covered mine, I wanted to be even closer. Sliding my hands down her back, I gripped her ass, pressing her hips even tighter. But when I tried to roll her underneath me, she held her own, pinning me to the mattress.

She nipped at my bottom lip with her teeth, a sparkle in her dark eyes. “I’m already changing. My sight, hearing, and strength. So,
mate
…” That word had never sounded so damned sexy. She placed her finger over my lips. “I’ve wanted you all night, but I’m in charge, and you have to be quiet.”

I kissed her chin, her soft mouth, and smiled. “I can be quiet if you can.”

I slid one hand between her legs. She was wet and ready. I growled without meaning to. She hummed against my chest, nibbling at my nipple.

“You’re playing dirty,” she whispered.

“Did you want me any other way?”

She lifted her head, wearing a sultry smile that almost made me lose it before we began. “I love you dirty.”

Aw fuck
. My mate was the sexiest woman I’d ever met. I needed to distract myself or things were going to be over way too soon. She started kissing lower, about to scoot out of reach, but I didn’t let her go. I shifted her hips up closer, toward me, my fingers working to make her scream.

At the moment, I didn’t give a shit who was sleeping in the other room.

Suddenly her lips slid over me, hot and wet down the length of my erection. I ground my teeth, struggling to keep the growl in my chest as her tongue teased the tip.

She sucked slowly as she glided up my shaft and whispered, “Shhhh…”

I grinned. Two could play this game. I gripped her thighs and lifted one leg, placing it on the other side of my head, opening her to me.

“Shhhh…” I kissed her mound, exploring her folds with my tongue. She moaned and laughed at the same time as she took me back into her mouth.

The more I pushed her toward her climax, the more she tempted me. We were both going to win…very soon.

She worked her mouth down my shaft a few more times and then sat up. Before I realized she was moving, she’d already shifted herself around, straddling my hips. I ran my hands up her legs, memorizing the perfection of her body in the moonlight. My mate.

I never had a clue I could love someone so much.

She lowered herself slowly, closing her eyes, her jaw dropping slightly in a silent moan as I slid deep inside of her warm body. I’d never be able to get close enough to her. She leaned down, kissing my lips as she ground her hips into mine. Against my mouth she groaned. “I hate being quiet.”

A breathless chuckle escaped me. “Me too. Once we’re home…”

“Lots of noise.”

I caught her lip in my teeth. “Definitely.”

Neither of us mentioned the danger or the chance we might not make it home. Tonight we were invincible. Her body contracted in my arms, her inner muscles clenching, taking me right over the peak with her. I held her tight, kissing her again and again as the aftershocks rocked us and the warm tropical breeze washed over our sweaty bodies.

“I love you, Kilani.”

“I love you, too.”

And for tonight, that was enough.

Chapter Twenty-Six

K
ILANI

W
e hiked out just after sunrise. I should’ve been exhausted, but between the afterglow of the amazing night in bed with Jason and the adrenaline of knowing trained guys with guns were waiting for me in Honolulu, I was plenty alert.

Jason led the way, I followed behind him, and Grandma Nani brought up the rear. He didn’t let either of us carry our bags. Apparently his concussion was healed, and he wasn’t going to let me help. I might’ve protested the alpha streak, but for now, I let him be.

My vision of him lying on the ground bleeding from a gunshot wound tormented me every time I closed my eyes. Having my hands free might make the difference. If I could hear the click of the trigger or see the sight on the rifle, I could shove him clear of the line of fire.

Or at least that was my plan.

Hopefully it wouldn’t come to that.

We reached my cousin’s Jeep and Grandma Nani raised a brow. “Your cousin loves that Jeep. He must’ve missed you.”

“I promised him we’d be careful with it.”

We climbed inside. My grandmother insisted on sitting in back, so I took the passenger seat beside Jason. He made the harrowing drive back down the road to Hana in pretty good time. My cousin had already arranged our flight back to Honolulu.

In an effort to stay below Nero’s radar, he bought the tickets to fly us into the smaller Kalaeloa airport on Oahu. It only recently started accepting commercial flights, and Nero would probably only be scanning the airline manifests from Maui to Honolulu International. We’d land a few miles away, undetected. A twenty-minute shuttle ride would get us to the main airport, and with the help of Grandma Nani’s downpour, hopefully we’d reach our plane to the mainland without incident.

Or at least that was the plan.

We pulled into the Kahului airport on Maui and texted my cousin. He met us in front of the terminal and I handed him the keys to his Jeep.

“You’re going to come back soon and buy me dinner, right, cousin?” He hugged me tight. I forgot how great family could be.

I nodded. “I definitely owe you.”

He turned and shook Jason’s hand. They were almost the same height—Jason had him by a couple of inches, but my cousin had some Samoan blood on his mother’s side, so even though he might’ve been a little shorter, he was solid and seemed larger than life.

“You take good care of my cousin and Grandma Nani.”

Jason smiled. “I’ll do my best.”

Grandma Nani embraced him, closing her eyes and murmuring to him in Hawaiian. She pulled away and held him out at arms’ length. “Aloha au iaoe.”

“I love you, too, Grandma.” He kissed her forehead.

She took our hands, stacking them before placing hers on top, holding them together. “Ohana. Nothing stronger than family.” Her gaze lingered on each of our faces. “Time to go.”

She dropped her hands and walked toward the small terminal. We all straightened, freeing our hands.

Once we were settled on the small plane, Grandma Nani on the aisle, Jason at the window, and me in the middle as a buffer, she took my hand, her expression all business. “We must prepare.”

“You told me all I had to do was be open so you could tap into my energy, my spirit.”

“Yes, but I need you to start now. Clear your head of guns and dark visions and think of a tropical storm. Close your eyes and breathe it in. Smell it, feel the rain on your skin. Find your spirit within. You are Kanaka Maoli; let it bloom inside of you.”

I followed her instructions. Jason twined his fingers with mine, sensing my need for him, for our wolves to be joined. How all of this wove together with my Hawaiian spirit was a mystery to me, but his touch strengthened my concentration.

My
honu
came forward, his shell sparkling in many colors. He swam closer, and when I stared into the water, watching for him, my reflection startled me.

I was a black wolf.

The sea turtle poked his head up, tilting it each way, examining me from all directions. I leaned in, sniffing at the
honu
, recognizing the familiar scent of my childhood on Maui. The wolf and the turtle tested boundaries, the turtle snapping at the wolf’s paws and the wolf swatting at the turtle’s shell. Playing.

I fought the urge to open my eyes and break the spell. Grandma Nani had worked with me most of the night on my concentration. Today, I would be a conduit for her power, a source for her Kahuna magic to tap into to help her focus the clouds.

While I centered myself, she sat beside me calling on the ancestors, calling the Great Mother, asking for the sky to be dark, the storm clouds heavy with rain. Protection. By the time we landed in Honolulu, an otherworldly peace settled over me. I embraced it, praying this would keep me open for Grandma Nani’s plan to work.

I tried to be conscious of the scents around us, but I had no clue how I’d recognize Damian or any other jaguar shifter, since I’d never technically smelled them before, but I hoped if I got used to human scents, maybe our Nero friends would be “different.”

Jason was a man of few words today, his attention focused on the crowds and our surroundings. The way he stalked through the jungle and the airport, I never would have guessed he was a doctor. He moved like a warrior, ready for a fight. Every muscle tight, jaw set, eyes scanning. I did my best to keep up and stay out of his way, while struggling to maintain the peace and power of an open channel for my grandmother. A wobbly tightrope walk for sure.

Once we were on the shuttle, Grandma Nani patted my thigh. “This will work, mynah bird. Faith is power. No doubts, no worries. Stay focused.”

I nodded and wished I’d get a vision with a brighter outcome. But for now, my gift was silent, just like my mate.

I looked over at Jason. “How are you holding up?”

He shrugged without taking his eyes off the traffic ahead. “I’ll be better when we land in Reno.”

“Is Adam meeting us at the airport?”

He nodded. “Yeah, he’ll be there, and Gareth is coming, too.”

“As in Nadya’s boyfriend, Gareth? Why?”

He finally turned his attention on me, keeping his voice low. “His mother was part of the Paiute tribe. His godmother still lives on the reservation, sort of off the grid, like Nani’s cabin. I’m hoping she’ll be there too so we can introduce her to Nani. I think it’ll be safest for your grandmother if she can stay with Chloe and not anyone in the Pack, since Nero seems to know so much about us.”

“Shouldn’t we ask Grandma Nani first? She probably thinks she’s staying with us.”

“Since they know where I live, that’s not a good idea.”

I glanced at Grandma Nani. She stared out the side window. “Have you been listening to all this?”

She didn’t move, but her lips curved into a peaceful smile. “The Paiute are old ones like our people. I would like to meet her.”

That was good enough for me.

As we neared the airport, the sky darkened, and angry clouds moved in to cover the sun.

“Looks like a storm coming in,” the driver called back to us. “Hope your flight isn’t delayed.”

“Hope not.” Jason pulled out my grandmother’s bag and unzipped the duffel. He handed each of us an umbrella. “Maybe it’ll blow over quickly.”

“Never can tell.” The driver shook his head.

Grandma Nani winked at me, completely confident in the coming rain and the subsequent dissipation of the foul weather. I wished her unshakable faith would rub off on me. I had no clue if anything was happening. She muttered at the sky in Hawaiian under her breath, but if she was using my energy, it didn’t seem to affect me. Although I’d never asked if I would feel her magic, I assumed I’d at least notice something.

Stay calm. At peace. Welcome the
honu
.

I kept my mantra going in my head. It couldn’t hurt. By the time the shuttle pulled in to the terminal, his wipers were working overtime and visibility was still hindered.

Jason gathered our bags and took my hand. “Ready?”

“As I’ll ever be.”

We popped our umbrellas open and stepped out into the mad rush of travelers.

Chapter Twenty-Seven

J
ASON

I
gripped Kilani’s hand tighter than I should have, but I couldn’t help it. I’d never been this tense in my entire life. Every breath through my nostrils brought in information to process. Perfume, hairspray, halitosis, babies who needed changing, cologne barely covering the need for a shower, they all assaulted me as we pushed through the rain and the people toward the glass doors.

Every time I was bumped, a growl rumbled in my chest. My wolf was clawing to the surface of my consciousness, understanding the concern for our mate and unsure of where the threat might be lurking. This was dangerous, and it had nothing to do with Nero.

“Can I help you with your bags?”

“No.” I pushed past the skycap to the doors and ushered Kilani and her grandmother inside. We were about to lose the cover of our umbrellas. I nudged Kilani. “Be sure Nani puts her hood up before she closes that umbrella.”

We all wore hooded sweatshirts from Kilani’s cousin, hopefully masking our identities from behind. I collected the umbrellas, shaking out the water before stuffing them back into the larger duffel.

“I’m not picking up any strange scents.”

It was going to take a little while for me to get used to dating a werewolf. I hadn’t realized that the entire time I’d been scanning the airport, Kilani had been doing the same.

“Me neither. Let’s hope that means they were outside and we’re in the clear.” We headed for the security line.

“Excuse me, ma’am. I’m going to need to see some ID.”

A male TSA officer had Nani’s elbow. By his scent, he was human, but his heart was pounding.

My eyes narrowed. “Is there a problem?”

He lifted his head. Dark sunglasses covered his eyes. I couldn’t read him. “We have an alert out on an abducted female. Just checking IDs.”

He wore a black wristband. Nero. Had to be. “Bullshit.”

The officer reached for his sidearm, but my punch was faster. The uppercut to his jaw landed solid. He collapsed on the ground, unconscious, and someone screamed, “Terrorist!”