Kiss of Moonlight (9 page)

“No, I’ll do it.” Kyle sighed and shoved his hand through his own hair, pushing back the dark mass. Tam’s fingers itched to do the same. “She’ll worry if I don’t and, according to Cat, she’s already worried.”

“And a worried
Margorie
is a force to be reckoned with, I know.” Ty sighed, sounding much older than he looked. “I’ll cruise the forest tonight, make sure no one else shows up.”

“Thank you, Lo—” Kyle broke off again, as if he were going to call Ty another name. “Thanks.”

Then Kyle turned to her again. “I’m
gonna
make that call and then I’ll go get your stuff. I won’t be gone long. Why don’t you and Cat watch a movie or something?”

“Sure.” Tam smiled at Cat, who still looked heartsick. “I’m sure we’ll be able to amuse ourselves for a little while.”

Kyle hesitated, his hand tightening on hers for a few brief seconds before releasing. “I’ll be back as soon as I can.”

Then he turned and disappeared into his bedroom, shutting the door behind him. To make the call to Cat’s mom, she assumed.

“Tam, do you want to sit down?”

With a guilty start, Tam realized she was staring at Kyle’s door. Turning, she walked over to the couch and dropped onto the cushion next to Cat’s, letting her head fall back.
Trying to think of something to say.

She felt the couch shift as Ty rose. Turning her head, Tam watched Cat track the boy through the house to the front door and out of the house.

“Is he your boyfriend?”

Cat’s short laugh accompanied the shaking of her head. “No, he’s not.”

“But you like him?”

Cat turned to stare back at Tam. “It’s complicated.”

“Complicated by you being a werewolf?”

Cat’s gaze narrowed. “We call ourselves
lucani
versipelli
.”

Tam thought for a second.
“Wolf skin-shifters.”

Cat smiled, her expression easing just a bit. “That’s right. Not many people would know that.”

“Six semesters of Latin turned out to be good for something.”

“Are you…afraid of me?”

Tam shook her head. “I’m amazed. I never imagined seeing anything like that in my life. But I’m not scared. I’m actually a little more worried about what I told you the past few nights. Cat…”

What could she say? She’d given the girl such graphic details because she’d thought talking about it would help purge the ordeal. She’d probably given Cat nightmares.

Tears popped into the girl’s eyes. “I’m so sorry that happened to you.”

The very real sorrow in the girl’s voice made tears threaten Tam’s eyes as well. But she’d shed enough of them and she blinked them back.
“Me too.
But I don’t want you to feel sorry for me.
Just like you don’t want me to be afraid of you.
Okay? I’m still here. I lived through it and I’m still here so that’s a win for me. Do you understand?”

Cat nodded. “Yes. Okay.” She took a deep breath. “So you’re going to let Dad help you?”

“Yeah, I am.”

“He’s good.” Her voice dropped until it was almost inaudible. “He doesn’t think I know what he does. What he is. But I’ve known for years.”

Tam frowned, confused. “What do you mean? I know he’s a…a werewolf. Like you.” What could be weirder than that?

Cat’s teeth lodged in her bottom lip before she sighed.
And was saved from answering by Kyle’s bedroom door opening.

“Cat, Dan and your
mom’ll
be here in about half an hour.” Kyle walked out, those topaz eyes glowing. “I should be back before they get here but if I’m not…” He switched his attention to Tam. “Hell, if I’m not, I’m
gonna
apologize for Margie now. And don’t feel like you have to answer any questions you don’t want to, Tam.”

Cat snorted. “Yeah, when did that ever stop Mom? Don’t
worry,
I’ll make sure she behaves. But you know Mom.” Cat slid an apologetic smile at Tam. “She doesn’t know the meaning of the word boundaries.”

Tam suddenly realized she was about to meet the woman who’d been involved with Kyle, was still involved with him because of Cat. She was obviously in a relationship with someone else, this Dan whom Cat also referred to as her father.

Shit.

Did Kyle still have feelings for Cat’s mom? Well, that was stupid. Of course he did. They had to get along. Cat was too well-adjusted for them to be at each other’s throats.

Jesus, there was just so much she didn’t know about this man. A man she’d taken one look at and decided she wanted. And who seemed to return her feelings.

“
Tamra
.”
Kyle bent at the knees until his eyes were on a level with hers. “Do you want me to wait?”

She looked into his
eyes,
saw his uncertainty at leaving her, his uncertainty in
her
. And wondered if he’d always think of her as damaged?

No. She’d make sure he didn’t. She shook her head. “I’ve been living out of my bags so they’re pretty much packed. The duffel bag has my dirty laundry. I’ll need my toiletries from the bathroom. The bag for those is on the vanity. I need that bag, please.” It held her sleeping pills. And if she couldn’t sleep, she’d take one tonight.

But she hoped, after everyone left, that she wouldn’t be sleeping alone.

Yeah, like you’re in any shape for that.

Damn that little voice in her head. The doubt demon she couldn’t seem to vanquish.

“All right.”
Standing, Kyle reached out and ran one finger along her jaw before tilting her head up. “I’ll be back as soon as I can.” Then he sighed and rubbed his thumb over her lips in a brief caress before he tugged a strand of Cat’s hair and headed out the front door.

Her lips tingled where he’d touched her and she pressed her own fingers against them before she realized Cat was probably watching her.

But when she turned, Cat was staring at the door.

“He likes you, but I guess you already figured that out, huh?”

Cat’s voice was barely above a whisper but Tam heard her clearly enough to question the inflection. Did that bother her?

“Cat, we just met—”

“But you like him too, right?” The girl turned back to her, her gaze intense.

Yeah, she did. More than she should based on the time they’d known each other.

If she allowed herself to really think about it, she’d actually believe he was the kind of man she’d been searching for all her life.
Strong, passionate, caring.
Gorgeous.

But how much did she say to his teenage daughter? She couldn’t exactly tell Cat she’d lusted after the man from the first time she’d seen him. That she wanted him like she’d never wanted another man in her entire life. That she wasn’t sure she’d be able to have sex with him because of her attack. That she wanted to throw herself at him and let him protect her from whatever dangers the world threw at her.

What the hell did she say?

As if Cat had read her mind, the girl smiled and grabbed her hand. “All right then. Here’s what you need to know about my family before my mom and dad get here. My dads have been best friends forever, and when they met my mom, well, let’s just say they all, uh, played well together.”

Tam’s mouth dropped open but Cat didn’t even blush. “The place I grew up is really liberal, so this has never been an issue. The
streghe
don’t—”

“Wait,
streghe
? What’s a
streghe
?”

Cat shook her head. “Jeez, I keep forgetting you don’t have a clue about all this. My mom’s a
strega
, a witch. I am too, at least half. The
streghe
have our own village, which is where my mom and Daddy Dan live.

“So when my mom got pregnant, she decided I’d have two dads even after Daddy Dan and my mom decided they were getting mated. You’d call it married but anyway I’ve always had two dads and I wouldn’t have it any other way. I love them both and would never choose between them.

“But Dad doesn’t love my mom the way Daddy Dan does. I mean, I know he cares about her and I know he loves me, but Dad doesn’t…trust easily. You’re actually the first woman I’ve ever seen him
touch
like that.”

Tam didn’t have a clue how to respond to anything Cat had said. Now in addition to werewolves, there were witches too, and probably so much more she didn’t know about. And even though the family dynamics were interesting, that last bit about Kyle not touching a woman made her heart beat a little faster.

“My mom and Daddy Dan are really in love, so much so it’s a little overwhelming at times, but they both love my dad. And my mom’s going to take one look at you and want to know if you’re good enough for Dad. I apologize for that now because she doesn’t mean any harm.”

Cat finally paused for a breath, looking at Tam as if she expected questions.

And Tam had only one. “So Kyle and your mom, they aren’t a couple anymore?”

Cat’s smile nearly split her face.
“Haven’t been since before I was born.
And Dad’s never had a woman here that I know about. I mean, I’m sure—”

“Uh, Cat,” Tam held up one hand. “Let’s not go there.”

“Oh. Okay, but I do have a point. Part of the reason I don’t think Dad’s ever really dated has been his job.”

“He told me he works for a private security company.”

Cat’s nose scrunched.
“Yeah, not really.
The
lucani
,
we have our own army. Dad’s a soldier, but he’s a special kind.” Cat’s expression turned serious, her bright eyes intense. “You have to ask him about that, Tam. Make him tell you. Mom and Dad have been worried about him. They don’t really talk to me about it, I guess because they don’t want me to worry. But I’ve noticed he’s been…different lately.
Like he doesn’t really know what to do with himself anymore.

“But he’s different with you. And that’s a good thing.” Cat smiled.
“A really good thing.”

Chapter Four

Kyle wanted to be back before Dan and Margie got to the house but as soon as he saw the mess at Tam’s, he knew he wasn’t going to make it.

Most of it he could leave until tomorrow but he didn’t want to leave the blood trail from the living room to the front door. It would draw animals and bugs.
And possibly human predators.

After he’d gotten rid of that, he packed her stuff. The two bags combined didn’t weigh as much as his gear bag. And that just fucking pissed him off.

Almost as much as the half-empty bottle of sleeping pills in her toiletry bag made him want to hit something. By the time he’d gotten within visual distance of his house, he knew he had to calm down before he stormed inside and wrapped himself around her like a blanket. Or a bullet-proof vest.

So he headed for the back porch and a little bit of sanity before he went to her.

“She’s
eteri
.”

Dan’s voice came from the dark shadows of the garden and the double swing under the weeping birch. He’d built the swing for Cat years ago. Dan sat there now, still and almost invisible, which was a pretty good trick because in the light, the guy drew attention like magnets drew steel. Movie stars had nothing on him, with his curly brown hair, dark eyes and perpetual smile.

But anyone who knew him learned fast that he was just as much a hard-ass as Kyle. Dan just hid it better.

Kyle set Tam’s too-light bags on the patio and headed for the swing. “Don’t you think I fucking know that?”

“She’s a beauty.”

Kyle bit back a string of obscenities that had nothing to do with Tam’s looks. Sinking onto the swing, he reached out for the bottle of Jim Beam in Dan’s hand.

He took a swig before answering. “I know that too.”

“She’s been hurt.”

Another swig.
“Uh huh.”

“Recently.”

And another.
“Yeah.”

“Bad.”

“Yeah.”

Dan sighed. “If we’re going to play this game, we’re
gonna
need another bottle.”

“It’s not a game.”

“Not the end of the world either.”

Kyle snorted.
And drank.

“
Wanna
tell me what happened to her?”

He took another healthy swig. “Six months ago, she was raped, beaten and imprisoned before she got free and kicked the shit out of the guy. He’s in a coma, never expected to regain consciousness.”

Dan fell silent for a few seconds. “Shit. Give me the bottle.”

Kyle took another swallow before passing it over. “The men
Tivr
and I caught tonight were paid to retrieve
Tamra
. They didn’t know why or by whom.”

“
Vaffanculo
.
That’s scary.”

Yeah, it was. He held out his hand for the bottle. Too bad
versipelli
metabolism worked alcohol out of the system so fast. The buzz was good but didn’t last nearly long enough. “Cat knows everything. She’s pretty attached to the girl.”

“I don’t think calling her a girl’s
gonna
work, buddy.”

“Yeah,
ya
think?”

Dan didn’t rise to his sarcasm. He knew Kyle was itching to hit something and Dan wasn’t in the mood to play punching bag. Which meant at least one of them was thinking clearly.

“You want me to stay?” Dan asked. “I know
Tivr’s
out in the forest but I can send Margie and Cat home, patrol with Ty.
That help
any?”

Kyle finally turned to look at the man who’d been his best friend his entire life. They were closer than brothers, didn’t need to speak to know what the other was thinking and, before he’d taken a training position, Dan had been the only partner Kyle had ever trusted with his back.

They’d shared a woman many years ago and now they shared a daughter they both loved. Kyle would give his life for Margie, not because he loved her like Dan did but because she was Dan’s mate.

Dan was offering the same.