Ice Moon (3 page)

Chapter Three

Taryn

T
he weekend passed by in a blur of meetings and open houses. The business of buying, selling, and managing properties was a seven day a week job. I appreciated the constant rush of activity. It kept me from sitting still, from thinking…from wishing.

Shit. I don’t have time for this.

I picked up the phone on my desk, but the chime on my cell interrupted me before I could dial. The calendar reminder made me sigh. My meeting with the carpenter was in a half hour. I placed the phone back on the receiver. There was something about him that got under my skin, and with me, that could be a dangerous place to be.

It was just stain samples. No biggie. I could have him out of the house before Charlie came home from soccer. I pulled in a deep breath and grabbed my bag, setting the office alarm as I headed out.

Jared was sitting on his tailgate in my driveway with a big chestnut-colored bulldog licking his cheek. He laughed, wiping his face, and butterflies went off in my stomach. Damn, he had a great smile. It vanished the second he noticed me rolling up.

Definitely for the best.

He hopped down and closed the tailgate, corralling the dog in the bed of his truck. I got out and hooked my leather attaché bag over my shoulder, trying to bolster my defenses.

“Am I late?”

“Nope.” He pulled out a chain with wooden chips on it. “Hope you don’t mind that I brought Tank. It’s cooling off enough for him to come with me on jobs again.”

Tank the bulldog. I almost smiled.

“As long as he’s not inside my house.”

“Not a problem.” Jared nodded following me. “Where’s Charlie?”

He already knew my son’s name. What else had Lorna and Sherri told him? “He has soccer practice until seven.”

“You don’t watch him play?”

I bristled and spun around, finding him closer than I intended. “Spare me your judgment. Evenings and weekends are the busiest times for real estate. Charlie understands.”

He put his hands up, the corner of his mouth curving, hinting at the playful smile I’d seen in my driveway.

“Just making small talk. Didn’t mean to touch a nerve.”

Nerves were all I had.

I set my bag on one of the dining room chairs. “Show me what you’ve got.” He raised a brow and I almost gasped. Flirtation was
not
my intention. “The sample chips.”

He laid the chain of little wood squares on the table and fanned them out. “All of these are guaranteed for ten years on decks. With the extreme weather and the reflection from the lake you might need to stain it again in about eight, but it’s the best I’ve ever worked with.”

I flipped through the different shades of brown and started to point to one when I realized Jared was staring down my hallway with a frown.

“Is everything okay?”

He flinched, his brow still perplexed as he shook his head. “Yeah. Sorry.” His gaze flicked to the hall one last time and then back to me. “It’s nothing.”

Odd. But seriously, who was I to judge?

“How about this one?”

He jotted down the numbers from the back. “Sounds good. I’ll get it on order for you.”

“Thanks.” I peered out the window at the concrete anchors and framing outside. “How much longer?”

“As long as the weather holds out, I should have it done in about three weeks.”

“By Halloween?”

He shrugged. “In a perfect world maybe, but realistically, probably the first week or so of November.”

My cell rang. Madison’s name lit up my screen. “Shoot, I need to take this. Give me a second.”

“I’ve got to finish cleaning up outside anyway.”

He turned for the front door. His broad shoulders pulled at the worn tee-shirt, exposing his taut upper body. And his faded Levis fit him just right. I bit my lower lip. What was my problem? I couldn’t remember the last time I’d appreciated a man’s body. Why now, and why him? The door closed and I pressed the accept button. “Madison?”

“Hey, Taryn. Sorry to call so late, but you were so busy this afternoon, I didn’t get to update you on the Masquerade.”

I rolled my eyes and tried to keep the indifference out of my voice
.
“Yes, it’s shaping up to be a productive fall. What do you need?”

“Well…” She paused. “It’s great you’re going to attend the event this year. Being seen as a part of the community is really going to help your image.”

As if I gave a crap about whether or not people liked me. They knew the Ice Queen would get them the best deal. That was all that mattered.

“Is that all?”

“Not exactly.” She cleared her throat. “The Masquerade ball tickets are being sold per couple so you have to bring a date or you’ll be the only single person there.”

Madison spat out her words so fast, it took me a second to process. “No.” I shook my head even though she’d never see me. “No. Cross me off the list. One of our agents can go.”

Her voice slowed. I could almost hear her shoulders drooping. “Ms. Goldstone, this is a really important event and bringing a date doesn’t mean it has to be an actual date. Don’t you have a friend or a relative or—”

“I’m not taking Charlie if that’s where you’re going with this. He’s my son, he’s not a sales tool to enhance my image.”

“No, of course not, but give it some thought. There must be someone…”

Outside the window, Jared hammered a support into one of the beams for my future deck. The muscles in his arm flexed beneath his sun kissed skin. He glanced up and I spun on my heel, praying he didn’t catch me staring.

“There’s no one, Madison. This is a bad idea.”

She sighed. “Is anyone at Goldstone Properties single? Maybe one of them would come as your plus-one.”

“I can’t. Nothing ruins an office faster than the boss dating her employees. No.”

“This is important.”

“It’s a Halloween party for grown-ups.”

“It’s a marketing opportunity.”

I had to give her credit for sticking to her guns, even if I had no intention of going. “I’ll see if I can find someone.”

“You won’t be sorry.” Youthful excitement bubbled in her voice. Had I ever been so passionate about anything?

“I’m already sorry. See you tomorrow.”

She hung up and I set my phone on the counter. The last thing in the world that I needed was a “plus-one.” There was no way.

The front door opened, jarring me from my thoughts. Sherri came in, but no sign of Charlie.

“Hi Sherri. Where’s—”

She pointed to the driveway before I could finish. “Jared’s got a dog.”

“Tank.”

“Is that his name?” She smiled. “He seems really friendly and you know how Charlie is with dogs.”

My son was an animal magnet. They loved him, and he seemed to be able to communicate and win their trust with inhuman speed. But pets were another burden I couldn’t take on.

“I guess I’d better collect him so Jared can get out of here.”

Sherri scooted past me into the kitchen. “I’ll get dinner in the oven.”

“Thanks.”

I stepped out the front door and my heart clenched, a painful surge of emotion choking my throat. Charlie was laughing, hugging Tank, while the big bulldog snorted and licked his ear. The joy on his face took my breath away. I looked away, blinking hard.

Jared stood behind Charlie, staring at me. I rubbed my forehead, forcing the unwelcome and unwanted tears back. “Sorry to keep you from your project. Charlie loves dogs.”

He crossed his arms over his chest. “Dogs love Charlie.”

His words were benign enough, but I’d been in sales long enough to recognize that body language. He didn’t trust me. What the hell did
I
do?

“Charlie. You better get inside and get cleaned up before dinner.”

He loosened his hold on Tank. Meeting my gaze, hope lit his bright green eyes. “Can Jared and Tank stay for dinner?”

“What?” I shook my head. “No. No honey, Jared and Tank have to get home. He worked here all day.”

“But we have plenty of food.”

I raised a brow. “What did I say?”

He sighed and stood up. “No.” Charlie turned toward Jared as Tank trotted back over to his master. “Will you bring Tank back tomorrow?”

Jared rubbed Tank behind the ears and nodded. “Sure thing, buddy.”

Charlie grinned. “Great. Bye!” He ran past me, a florescent orange blur in his soccer uniform.

After the door closed, I faced my carpenter. “Is everything all right?”

Only one shoulder moved. “I’m not sure yet.”

I slid my hand in my pocket, refusing to allow him to make me uncomfortable in my own driveway. “Well if you figure it out, let me know. Otherwise, I’m going in to help my son get ready for dinner.”

He took a couple of steps closer. My pulse skyrocketed. He didn’t try to touch me, just took a long slow breath and finally shook his head. “I don’t get this.”

I frowned. “Get what?”

He raised a brow and waited. So did I. Was I supposed to have a clue what in the hell he was talking about?

His hands gradually dropped to his sides, his expression softening. “You don’t know do you?”

He wasn’t giving me anything to clear up the confusion. “Know what? Is something wrong with the deck?”

“Never mind.” His gaze slid over to my front door. “Charlie’s a great kid.”

I nodded. “Thank you. I think so, too.” I cleared my throat. “Thanks for letting him visit with Tank.”

“Anytime.” He met my eyes. “I’ll be back tomorrow and if I need you to come by again, I’ll let you know.”

“Sounds good.” He turned to go, and suddenly I realized I wished he could stay for dinner. I pressed my lips together to keep from inviting him. For all I knew he was married. Lots of guys who worked in construction didn’t wear wedding bands. Besides, I had no business getting involved. I was the
last
thing any man needed in their life.

He glanced back over his shoulder. “See you soon, Taryn
.
”

Chapter Four

Jared

I
lifted Tank into the cab of my truck, still a little dazed. Had she adopted Charlie? Sherri said Taryn had him before she turned eighteen. No one would let a seventeen-year-old adopt a baby. He had to be hers, but…

I slipped my Bluetooth onto my ear and dialed my brother, Jason, as I drove away.

“Hey, Jared. What’s up?”

I focused my eyes on the road, my grip tight on the wheel. “You’re not going to believe this. I wouldn’t if I hadn’t discovered it myself.”

“What’s wrong?”

I shook my head turning right. “This week I kept catching the scent of a werewolf, but not from our Pack.”

Jason’s voice tightened. “A rogue wolf?”

“That’s what I thought, but then I smelled it in her house.”

He chuckled. “You’re kidding me. The Ice Queen is dating a werewolf?”

“Don’t call her that, okay?” Tank lay down beside me, resting his big head on my lap. Just having him close eased the tension in my body. “No, she’s not dating a wolf.” I blew out a breath. “Her son Charlie is a werewolf.”

“What? Did someone bite her?”

“I double-checked tonight. Her scent is human.”

“Maybe she adopted her boy.”

“His tutor told me Taryn had him when she was seventeen. She was a teen mom. No adoption.” I brought one hand to rest on Tank’s back, his steady breathing, calming me. “You’re the doctor, tell me how this is possible. To make it even more insane, she has no idea he’s a werewolf.”

“How do you know, did you ask her?”

“No, I didn’t ask her.” I groaned. “But I could tell from her reaction. She said animals love her son. I told her he was special, and she thought I meant smart.” I pulled onto the Mt. Rose highway, my pulse kicking up a notch. I hated this winding two lane road. At least there wasn’t any goddamn snow. “How could she give birth to a werewolf, Jason? And where’s his twin brother? What if she gave one up for adoption?”

“Slow down.” He paused. “One impossible problem at a time. I still have Nero’s breeding experiment research from Sebastian. There might be some clues in there.” He sighed, lowering his voice. “And you’d better loop Adam in on this. If that boy is a werewolf, he’s going to need some guidance or he’ll hit puberty and his first shift and…”

“And think he’s dying.”

“Or go crazy and hurt people.”

“I can’t do this now.” I shook my head. “Call me when you have answers.”

Pulling off my Bluetooth, I settled into the drive as best as I could, counting the mile markers all the way down. I still wasn’t sure why I took this job. These days, I never came up here except during the full moon to shift with my Pack.

But something about Taryn’s cool demeanor challenged me. It didn’t hurt she had connections and potential referrals that could impact my business down the road.

Either way, I was already sick of this drive and the deck project was barely starting to take shape.

“Thanks for coming with me, Tank. You keep me sane.”

He snored, and I smiled in spite of the anxiety licking at my subconscious. Ever since the car wreck that killed my college girlfriend, Bailey. I’d been trapped in the car as she took her final breath, claustrophobia, shame, and guilt lurked around every corner.

Jason and I had been pre-med. He wanted to be a surgeon and I planned to be the general practitioner, but like everything else in my life after the accident, that dream faded, too. Being in the large classes at UN Reno became too oppressive, and between the gut wrenching remorse and my pride, I carried my burden alone.

Instead of talking to my brother, or my Pack, I dropped out and took out my demons on wood. Working in construction allowed me to be outside, plenty of air. And Tank was my emotional rock in the tempest.

I headed over to Adam’s ranch, my mind whirling with impossibilities. When I pulled in the driveway, he was already waiting out front. After parking my truck, Tank and I got out.

“Hey Adam, did Jason call you?”

He nodded. “Something about the Ice Queen having a werewolf son?”

Her nickname was starting to bug the shit out of me. I ground my teeth together. “Her name is Taryn. She’s far from warm and cuddly, but she’s not icy. She’s…complicated.”

He raised his eyebrows. “Sounds like it.” He turned to open the door. “Come on in. The twins are going to go ape when they hear Tank came with you.”

Tank lumbered across the threshold and Adam’s twins squealed down the hall. They were both born shifters, Malcolm a werewolf like his dad, and Madeleine a jaguar like her mom. It meant these little toddlers had heightened senses, and although they were only a few weeks past their first birthday, developmentally they were miles ahead of human children.

The dark-haired rug rats dove onto the floor in front of Tank, hugging his neck and scratching behind his ears.

I chuckled. “They’re going to spoil him.”

“We are not.” Madeleine narrowed her green eyes in my direction. “Tank is already spoiled. Mommy said so!”

Lana, Adam’s mate, came around the corner, her cheeks flushed with color. I crossed my arms over my chest, fighting to keep from smiling. “He’s
already
spoiled, huh?”

She shrugged with a sheepish grin. “Well…sorta?”

Lana was like the little sister I’d never had, but I couldn’t leave her wriggling on the hook. I grinned. “Only because he’s a great guy.” I bent to pat his rear. “Right Tank?”

He grunted and the twins coaxed him toward the kitchen with promises of treats.

Lana took Adam’s hand, her fingers lacing with his. I clenched my fist. Empty. Four of my Pack brothers, including my twin, had found their mates, leaving the rest of us acutely aware of our single status.

“So what’s up?” Lana glanced between us. “Is everything okay?”

I ran my tongue along the inside of my teeth, gathering my thoughts. Where should I start?

“Taryn’s son is a werewolf. I know it’s impossible, but it doesn’t make it less true. His scent is definitely wolf.” Adam started to open his mouth, but I went on before he could speak. “Jason’s going over the breeding experiment notes on the flash drive from Sebastian.”

Lana’s expression sobered. She was the result of Nero’s breeding experiment. The first female born into her shifter ability, not bitten. And very recently my brother discovered Sebastian was not only the heir to the Nero empire, but he was also Lana’s older half-brother. Tangled web for sure.

“Who is Taryn?” Lana stared up at Adam. “What does this have to do with Nero?”

Adam squeezed her hand. “Jared is building her deck up in Tahoe. She owns Goldstone Properties up there.”

A crease formed on her brow. “From the stories about her, I didn’t picture her as a mother to a little boy.”

I sighed. “She’s not very hands on in the mothering department, but she loves him. According to his tutor, she wasn’t even eighteen yet when she had him.”

“If he’s a werewolf, he’d have a twin brother, right?” Lana peeked toward the kitchen, toward her twins. “What if she gave one up for adoption?”

Adam shook his head, thinking out loud. “How can any of this be possible? You said she’s single right, and no bite? Our shifter gene is only carried on the Y chromosome, and females can’t get pregnant by us unless they’re bitten and converted first. How could she possibly give birth to a werewolf?”

There was no logical reason for the bitterness simmering in my gut, but I did
not
like thinking about the werewolf who must’ve left her and his son behind. The werewolf who obviously hadn’t recognized her as his mate.

What kind of asshole walked away like that? Mates were precious.

I shook off the thoughts I had no business having. “Jason is checking into it. There must be a way. Her son is living proof.”

Lana put her hand on her hip, eyeing us. “You have to tell her. Her little boy is going to shift into a big wolf when he goes through puberty. She needs to be ready and talk him through it.” She pressed her lips together. “I know it won’t be easy, but you guys don’t understand how horrible it is to grow up not knowing what’s happening to you. It was Hell.”

Lana spent her childhood in foster care, and when she turned eighteen, she started shifting. As a jaguar, her change came during the new moon when the sky was dark, opposite of us. She’d wake up afterward in strange places, naked, with no idea what happened. She and Adam met while she was on the run from Bellevue Psychiatric Hospital and a team of Nero mercenaries.

“Well…” I crossed my arms. “I’m not sure how to bring up the subject without her getting a restraining order.”

Lana’s gaze held mine. “Find a way.”

Adam put a hand on my shoulder. “For now, just watch over the boy. You’ll be working there for a while, right?”

I nodded. “A few more weeks.”

“Good.” He stepped back. “While Jason tries to figure this out, you keep tabs on her son, and dig up all you can about his mother and father. We need to know where his twin brother is.”

I rolled my eyes. “I’m not a spy, Adam. I can’t pepper her with leading questions. I’m building her deck, not interrogating her.”

“We can’t help her and her boy until they both understand what he is, and if she gave up his brother, we’ve got to find him.” The Alpha command pushed into Adam’s voice, encouraging the wolf inside of me to comply.

“No promises.” I ground my teeth and met his eyes. “This woman has secrets. She doesn’t exactly trust me, or anyone.”

“So earn her trust.”

And then betray it when I spill her secrets to my Pack.

Fuck.

W
hen I pulled into my cabin, Jason’s car was in my driveway. I parked beside him and helped Tank out of the cab of the truck.

“Sorry I didn’t call, but you should see this.” He held up the flash drive.

“Okay.” I went to the door, pulling out my keys. Tank sniffed around for a good place to piss.

“How’d it go with Adam?”

I smirked, turning the knob. “He wants me to be an undercover wolf.”

“Shit. That sucks.” Jason shook his head. “But this is a big deal. We need to keep him informed.”

“I know.” I called Tank and waited for him to trot inside before closing the door. “But
if
, and it’s a huge if, I ever got Taryn to open up to me, the second I spill her secrets to Adam, I become just like the assholes in her life who made her into the cold shell she is now.”

“You’re protecting her son.”

“By betraying his mother?” I shook my head. “This is fucked up.”

“It’s about to get even better.” He handed me the flash drive.

“Great.” I booted up my desktop computer and slid the USB drive in. “What am I looking for?”

“Scroll down to the hypothesis at the bottom.”

I read out loud. “‘It’s our theory that depending on the strength of a female’s psychic abilities, she may have the ability to pass on the male’s gene for shape-shifting without ever being converted herself.’”

Jason nudged me. “Know what that means?”

It had been a few years since I dropped out of med school, but I knew exactly what this meant. “Lana’s mother hadn’t been bitten.”

“And she gave birth to twin jaguar shifters, one of which was Lana.”

“So you’re thinking Taryn is psychic.” My mind whirled, sliding pieces into place. “And if her boyfriend was a werewolf, she ended up pregnant before he ever bit her…” I shook my head. “He thought the baby was someone else’s.”

“Yeah.” Jason straightened up. “He’d know he couldn’t get her pregnant without making her a werewolf first. He might not have realized she was psychic, but even if he did, he wouldn’t have known that would make it possible for her to carry his children.”

“He’d think she slept around on him.” I rubbed my chin and headed for the kitchen. “I have no clue if she’s psychic. I haven’t witnessed anything.”

“She has to be. There’s no other explanation.” He pulled the flash drive out and slid it into his pocket. “And the big question is, where is the boy’s twin brother?”

I took out a glass and set it on the counter. “How in the hell am I supposed to tell this business woman she gave birth to a werewolf and by the way, he should have a twin brother someplace? If I start asking weird questions, she’s going to shut down and I’ll never see her again.”

Jason leaned against the kitchen counter. “Just talk to her son first. You don’t need to ask a bunch of questions. Be his friend. You’ve got a few weeks. No rush.”

That took a little pressure off, but it didn’t lift my conscience. Whatever happened to Taryn in the past was none of my Pack’s business. But her son would need us. We couldn’t help him without her consent.

I’d told one huge lie in my life and it changed everything.

The last thing I needed was another one.

I barely survived last time.

“You okay?”

Jason’s voice broke me out of my thoughts. My hands were trembling. I pressed them on the counter. “Yeah, I’m good. Just not looking forward to any of this.”

He didn’t seem convinced. “Do your hands shake like that often? I should probably run some tests.”

“Don’t. I don’t need a doctor. I was in med school with you, remember? I’d call you if it was something serious.”

He frowned, but wisely dropped his inquisition. “Sorry this is falling in your lap, but you’re the only one who can get close to the boy.”

“His name is Charlie.”

“Okay.” He stared at the ceiling for a second before meeting my eyes again. “Look at it this way, you’re Charlie’s only hope to get through his teen years without hurting anyone. He needs you.”

“I’ll figure something out.”

Jason embraced me and headed for the door. “If I can help, just let me know.” He stopped. “And call Mom. She said she got used to having us around when Dad was laid up and she misses us now that Dad’s feeling better.”

I almost smiled. “I’ll call her in the morning.”

“Good. See you soon.”

He closed the door behind him and I dragged a chair over to sit beside Tank. “I am in deep shit.” Tank licked his chops. “But you still want some dinner.” His stub of a tail wagged. I chuckled, shaking my head, grateful to my furry friend for lifting some of the anxiety crashing through my head. “Eat up, boy. Tomorrow, we’re men on a mission.”