Luna Junction 2 Forbidden Mate (W) (9 page)

Gideon glanced down uneasily. “I don’t
see what that has to do with us.”

“
Everything,” Max said
softly. The look he gave me was almost pitying. “You understand I
cannot have a werewolf living under my roof.”

I exhaled thickly. “I thought as much.”
I turned and stepped just inside the front door to retrieve my
backpack. “I’m ready,” I said to Gideon.

“
Here,” Max tossed Gideon
the keys to his truck and then spread his hands wide. “It’s all
I’ve got to give you.”

I kissed his rough cheek. “I’m sorry
Daddy.”

His voice shook with emotion as he held
me by the shoulders. “No, Artemis. Never be sorry for
love.”

Max watched us as we climbed into the
truck, Gideon on the driver’s side. His expression was dark. “I
have one piece of advice. Don’t leave Luna Junction. And kids, I’ll
be seeing you soon.”

As Gideon drove away, I stared out the
window, watching the rural landscape pass by. Gideon let me sit in
silence. Finally I asked, “Do you think that was a threat or a
promise?”

Gideon frowned at the narrow two lane
road. “I’m not sure.”

“
Gideon, what did he mean?
What danger does he think you know about?”

Gideon glanced at me, his face
darkening. “The bitten.”

“
The bitten? You mean those
who are sort of werewolf converts?”

“
You could call them that.
They’re not like us, Acie.”

“
Yeah, Max told me. Loose
cannons, right?”

He nodded. “That’s putting it mildly. I
had some trouble. In Los Angeles. Ran into a pack of them at a
party. They disappeared and Michael had to drive out to smooth
things over with the law.”

“
And that’s why you came
back,” I finished.

He shook his head. “No. Well, that was
just the catalyst. I’d never been on my own. It’s tough for
everyone I guess, but carrying the secret burden of who I really am
meant being unable to have even one true friend. I was on guard,
always.” He looked at me earnestly, wanting me to understand. “It
was exhausting.”

I leaned over and wearily let my head
rest against his strong shoulder. He kissed my hair and squeezed my
knee. “I know where we can go, for now. Just until we figure things
out.” He pulled the truck over suddenly and held my face in his
strong hands. “But no matter what, Acie, I’m not letting you go
again. Ever.” He kissed me hard and then returned to the driver’s
seat. His mouth was set in a grim line as he piloted the car back
to the road.

When we drove up to the Landon house,
Tatum was sprawled out front in a vintage lounge chair with her
feet dangling into a bucket of water. Before she could even sit up,
Cade and Matthew bolted tensely out of the house. Their faces
relaxed when they saw it was only us. Then Gideon took my hand and
Matthew’s eyebrows shot skyward as his mouth gaped open. Tatum
gasped and spilled her bucket of water.

Only Cade looked unsurprised. He
beckoned to us. “Come on, then.”

We followed the Landon men into the
house. Tatum hung back and squeezed my hand. “Nice!” she hissed,
winking at Gideon’s backside.

In spite of myself I giggled. Matthew
turned to look at me sternly. He coughed and spoke quietly to his
father. “I’ll need to tell Claire.”

“
It’s all right Matt.”
Claire walked down the hall, holding a sleepy Peyton. She gave us a
probing look and handed the squirming baby to Matthew. Then she
reached up and hugged her brother tightly.

Gideon hugged her back and she touched
his face affectionately before turning her attention to me. “You’re
my brother’s mate,” she said. “That makes us sisters.” And she
planted a kiss on my cheek before seizing me in a surprisingly
strong embrace.

Cade cleared his throat. “And what do
the hunters say?”

“
Well, my father wasn’t
pleased, but wasn’t exactly irate either.” I paused. “He did tell
us not to leave Luna Junction.”

Cade Landon glanced at Matthew and
arched an eyebrow. “Did he say why?”

I shook my head.

“
And Michael?” Claire asked
quietly.

“
Not yet,” said
Gideon.

“
I’ll deal with the
sheriff,” said Cade. He grinned at me. “Welcome to the family,
Artemis Casteel.”

Tatum squealed and grabbed
my hands, dancing me around in a circle. I peeked over at Gideon.
He looked relieved that at least there were a few people who
weren’t completely put out by our news.
Artemis Casteel.
I let my new name
roll around in my head for a moment, feeling a fierce surge of
love. Gideon stumbled back with surprise when I leapt into his
arms, wrapping my legs around his waist and kissing him deeply. For
a moment I forgot there was anyone else in the room until I heard
Tatum’s awed whisper of, “Wow!” Reluctantly I climbed down from my
beloved, though I welcomed the feel of his arms around
me.

Cade looked at us thoughtfully. “I
suppose you’ll be needing a place to stay.”

“
Just temporarily,” assured
Gideon.

“
You’ll be safer here
anyway,” said Claire. She turned to her father-in-law. “Guest room
okay?”

Cade grinned and ran a hand along his
chin. “They can have the guest room if they like. Or, the barn is
pretty comfortable if they prefer more ah…privacy.”

“
Barn,” Gideon and I said
together, to the sound of unanimous laughter. He gave my hip a
little squeeze and I leaned backwards, purposefully straining to
stimulate his arousal. He responded by pressing himself firmly
against me.

Cade cleared his throat sternly as if
he knew what we were up to. “Very well. Full moon tomorrow. Also
happens to be midsummer.”

“
Midsummer?” I asked. “You
mean the solstice?”

Cade winked at me and pulled Tatum
close. “Seasons are in the blood of us wolves.”

Benji and Zane suddenly burst through
the front door. Zane gave a loud whoop when he saw me in Gideon’s
arms. Benji stared at us. “So it’s true,” he said.

“
Is there talk already?”
Cade asked.

Zane shrugged. “You know how it is
here. Strange news travels fast.” He punched Gideon lightly on the
arm. “Congrats, buddy. Ben and I should take you down for stealing
our lifelong crush but I’m feeling gracious today.”

“
Lucky me,” said Gideon in
a wry tone.

Although I was grateful for the happy
company of the Landon family, I hungered to be alone with Gideon
again. Cade put him to work alongside his sons, packaging up boxes
of those cooking spices he shipped across the country. Claire and
Tatum fussed over me incessantly, which was nice though a bit
suffocating. When Claire briefly left the front porch to put the
baby down for a nap, Tatum plopped down beside me and grabbed my
arm.

“
So, can you believe it?
Their stamina, I mean? Oh, don’t look so shocked. Girls can talk.
Anyway, Gideon was really your first love, huh? So freaking
romantic!” At that she burst into tears. I was alarmed but she
waved me off. “Hormones, sweetie. It’s nothing.” She smiled and
slyly reached over to touch my belly. “Won’t be too long before you
join the club I bet. Boy looks like he can produce.”

I looked across the yard to see Gideon
carrying a towering load of boxes as easily as if they were filled
with tissues. My heart began to pound as I remembered the feel of
his hard naked body. He seemed to sense me watching and turned his
head. His sly grin told me he was having similar immodest
thoughts.

It seemed like an eternity before the
day came to its conclusion. When everyone finally began to bid
their good nights I used the Landons’ bathroom and padded barefoot
across the yard towards the barn, wishing I had something sexier to
wear than an old oversized t-shirt.

Tatum had offered us a pile of blankets
which Gideon had laid them carefully on top of a pile of hay. The
look he gave me when I quietly entered the barn told me he didn’t
mind the old t-shirt.

I stepped into his arms and his hands
quickly moved underneath the shirt into my panties. “You don’t need
these,” he said, rolling them to the ground in one fluid movement.
“Or this,” he said, pulling my shirt over my head. I reached out
and touched the clearly visible bulge between his legs.

Gideon hastily removed his pants,
raking my body impatiently with his eyes. I stood in front of him
and ran my hands down his chest, across his taut belly and finally
took that desperate length of him in my palm. “Don’t hold back,
Gideon. Everything you’ve ever wanted to do with a girl, do it with
me.”

His eyes were wild as he reached out to
massage my tender breasts. Suddenly he grinned devilishly. “Yes,
ma’am.”

And with that he flipped me roughly
over onto my stomach and crashed into my body from behind. I winced
for a moment until the undeniable waves of pleasure began to assert
themselves. Again and again.

My dreams were filled with the scent of
pine and the glint of silver-tipped arrows. I was running through
the woods but not fast enough. They would catch me and there were
far too many. I stopped and laced a bow but it wouldn’t matter.
Savage howls closed in from every direction. They were
here.

I awoke with a gasp and realized Gideon
wasn’t beside me. I opened my mouth to shout with alarm but he
reached me before I could get a sound out. “Shhh,” he said. “I’m
here.” I could hear the tension in his voice and felt a thin
prickle of fear.

“
What is it?”

He glanced back at the small
picturesque window which let the night air sift freely into the
barn. “I don’t know.”

I scrambled to my feet. “Gideon, should
we wake the others?”

He was thoughtful. “No, it’s
gone.”

“
Are you sure?”

He pulled me back down beside him. “I’m
sure. Believe me, I wouldn’t take any chances with you here.” He
still seemed troubled. “Daylight in an hour or so. Whatever it is,
it doesn’t want to be caught.”

A shiver ran through me and Gideon
covered my shoulders with a blanket. I leaned into his broad chest
and sighed, waiting for my heart to return to a normal beat. He
stroked my hair and held me. Suddenly I smiled. “An hour, huh? What
can we do in an hour?”

His hand was instantly between my legs.
“I can think of a few things.”

I pushed him backwards and straddled
him abruptly. “So can I.”

Gideon’s strong hands seized my hips.
“Show me,” he demanded.

He didn’t need any more time to achieve
his fully engorged length. I guided him into my body, spreading
myself as wide as possible to fit him inside. He let me choose the
rhythm. I began slowly, then bucked wildly as the crown of pleasure
lifted me. I didn’t stop, propelled on by the fierce whispers in my
mind that nothing anywhere matched this empowerment of riding my
werewolf mate. Gideon shuddered and finally achieved his hot
release. I let him linger inside of me as long as possible, feeling
the spurt of his essence swim deeper, looking for something to
cling to.

Chapter Nine

When I awoke again the first rays of
sunlight were streaming through the boxy barn window and Abe
Casteel was smiling at me. I gasped and quickly covered my naked
body as he laughed. Gideon sprang to alertness, his face cracking
into a huge grin when he glimpsed his brother.

Abe winked at him. “Heard you’d found
yourself a situation.”

Gideon glanced at me, then back toward
the window. “Artemis, you remember Abe.”

Abe jumped neatly through the window
and landed in a pile of hay. “And I remember her,” he said standing
and sweeping his arms theatrically. “The savage young huntress,
maiden of fleshly temptation, and the ruin of us all!”

Gideon pulled on his pants, scowling.
“Cut it out.”

Abe raised an eyebrow in mock
innocence. “What, no love? That was my best Michael
imitation!”

I felt more at ease once my breasts
were no longer exposed. “Hey, Abe.” Abe was the second child in the
Casteel family, between Michael and Claire. I remembered him as the
cool foil to his older brother’s grim ferocity. It appeared little
had changed.

Abe looked from Gideon to me and then
back again. “So,” he finally said. “What should we talk
about?”

Gideon’s brother was easy
company, keeping us regaled with tales of his frequent travels. I
wasn’t exactly clear as to
why
he traveled but his activities seemed to
incorporate a never ending parade of comical people. People whose
hands became inexplicably stuck in the airport urinal drain or who
arrived at a business dinner in a dress made of real bird
feathers.

I laughed until my cheeks hurt. “So,
you have no, ah…”

“
Mate?” he finished with a
wink. “No, many a buxom Bellini lass has tried but as of yet I am
still a menace to society.” He clucked his tongue regretfully. “So
my little brother finally got one over on me.” He boxed
affectionately with Gideon.