Moonlight Kin: A Wolf's Tale (21 page)

“No problem. Well, I’d better scoot,” he said.

Madie walked over to shut the door behind him. At the last second, Jack turned and pulled her into his arms. Stunned by the sudden move, she froze. His lips came down upon hers, firm and unforgiving. Jack’s tongue forced its way past her sealed lips, attempting to coax a response from her.

When none came, he released her.

Madie gasped, trying to slow her racing heart. “Why did you do that?”

“I’ve wanted to do that since I first saw you at graduation,” Jack said. “And,” he smiled, “I thought you’d like to see what you’ll be missing.”

Madie tried to laugh, but the sound came out strained and patently fake. “Goodbye Jack.”

“See you soon,” he said, then strolled off down the sidewalk.

***

Jack’s smile slipped the second he turned away from Madie. How dare the bitch dump him for a mongrel! He’d planned on seducing her after lunch, but Madie had kept him at arm’s length the whole time. At first, he’d thought she was playing coy.

It wasn’t until they’d reached her apartment that he’d smelled the changes in her body. Fury had engulfed him as the truth hit his nose and was later confirmed by her damning admission.

Madeleine Lucine Valois was pregnant. And Damon Laroche was the father.

Paternity was never in doubt, since Damon’s stench coated her skin. It shouldn’t have been possible given that she was human, but there was no denying her rise in hormones. It was one thing to sleep with the wolf, it was quite another to get knocked up by him.

The stupid bitch had screwed up everything.

Jack pulled out his phone and stared at Gaston Valois’ number. His finger hovered over the talk button. No telling how the old man would react to the news of his only daughter, only heir being impregnated by the Alpha of the Moonlight Kin pack.

Gaston might do something insane like shoot her on sight and ruin all their well-laid plans. Jack couldn’t take that chance, not when he was so close to achieving his goals. He shoved the phone back into his pocket. There was only one way to fix this mess.

He had to get rid of Madie. If that didn’t work, there was always the backup plan.

Chapter Twenty-Three

It had taken Madie an hour to get to her family home and an hour to get back. Somehow she’d managed to sneak into the house and retrieve the Book of Lycan without being caught. She only hoped that Gaston wouldn’t notice the book was missing, before she could return it. Madie had shoved the old tome onto a shelf in her kitchen, then left for work.

Her mind was so distracted by what she had done that Madie didn’t see the black Mercedes coming down the street as she crossed the road by Johnson’s Bookstore.

Mr. Johnson’s bellow interrupted her thoughts.

Madie glanced up in time to see the car coming straight for her. The windows had been blacked out, making it impossible to see inside. The engine roared as the driver gunned the vehicle.

For a split second, Madie didn’t move. She was too surprised. Then her thoughts leapt to her unborn child and she dove for the sidewalk.

The Mercedes clipped her ankle, sending shards of pain streaming up her leg. Madie turned expecting to see brake lights. Instead, the driver punched the gas and sped away. Mr. Johnson came running across the road with his phone in his hand.

“Did you catch the license plate number?” he asked.

“It didn’t have one.” Madie bent to examine her leg.

Mr. Johnson helped her up. “Are you alright? That was a close one.”

Madie could stand, but her ankle was already turning blue.

“I think you should have that looked at,” he said. “Come into the store and I’ll call an ambulance.” Mr. Johnson put one arm around Madie’s waist, supporting her weight while she limped back across the street to the bookstore. He plopped her onto a seat and moved a stack of books aside so she could put her leg up.

Madie winced as she lowered her leg onto the small table. “Did you see the driver?”

“No, but I have no doubt it’s one of those crazy drivers from the city.” He sniffed and his moustache twitched from side to side. “They don’t pay a mind to the speed limit and they always drive like they’re in a hurry. Wish the Mayor could fine them for coming into town.”

Madie feigned a yawn to hide her smile behind her hands. Mr. Johnson believed all of New Salford’s woes were caused by the city drivers that regularly came to their little town to get away from the crowds. He blamed everything from the price of milk to the cost of printing on out-of-towners, so it was no surprise that he thought the Mercedes was an evil city-dweller, too.

The ambulance arrived and took Madie to the hospital. While she waited, she phoned Berta to let her know that she wouldn’t be in. After Madie was treated with the world’s most expensive gauge wrap, she called a taxi to come pick her up and take her home.

Madie stumbled in the door and landed on the couch. She decided to sleep there for the night, instead of wrestling with the stairs. In the morning, she’d call her father to come pick her up. She could’ve dismissed the break-in at the diner as a random act, but when it was coupled with nearly being rundown in the street.

Someone was trying to hurt her, though she didn’t understand why. She’d never consciously hurt anyone in her life. Her mind jumped to Damon. Had he been behind the hit and run? It wasn’t the model of car that he drove, but given his level of deception, Madie knew he was more than capable. Yet somehow she couldn’t bring herself to believe it.

Now you’re just being stupid and naïve,
the little voice in her head said. This time Madie didn’t argue with it because she knew it was right.

Damon flooded her mind as soon as her head hit the decorative pillow. He smiled. His face radiated glowing warmth that felt so real in the darkness that her skin tingled. Just as the dream was getting good, the doorbell rang. Figures.

Madie grabbed her crutch and struggled off the couch to peek through peephole. Damon stood on the other side of the door, looking none too happy.

“Open the door, Madie. I know you’re in there,” he grumbled impatiently.

Madie closed her eyes and counted to five, then unlocked the door. “What are you doing here, Damon?”

“I’m here to make sure that you’re alright. That our baby is alright,” he said in strained voice. “Can I please come in?”

She stepped aside. “How’d you hear about the accident?”

“I didn’t.” His gaze darted over her, looking for any sign of injury. He locked onto the scratches on her hands, then traveled to the bandage on her ankle. “I just knew.”

Her suspicions rose again. Had he been the one behind the wheel? The thought sent ice through her veins. Before she dared voice the question, Damon lifted her hands to his mouth and kissed every scrape, every bruise. His tongue darted out over the deeper wounds.

When his eyes met hers again, they were filled with unshed tears. “I’m sorry I wasn’t there to protect you and our child from danger.”

A lump formed in her throat and the muscles in her chest tightened, threatening to cut off her air. “That’s alright.” Madie carefully pulled her hands away. She could think with him touching her. His tenderness was hurting her heart.

She couldn’t allow that to happen again. She couldn’t survive any more pain. Madie had to stay strong for herself and her child. The only way to do that was to keep Damon away.

His mere presence brought danger to her, to her way of life, to her sanity. They came from two different worlds. Heck, they were two different species. They had no chance at a future.

“What happened?” His face was pale and drawn with worry.

“I almost got run down. Guess the driver didn’t see me, because he kept going afterwards.”

“You don’t really believe that do you?” he asked.

“I don’t know what to believe,” she said truthfully. “I’m tired. I am confused. And I really need to be left alone.”

“Are you sure you’re all right?” he asked.

“I’ll be fine.” Madie wobbled, not used to the foreign feel of a crutch under her arm. “The doctor said I was lucky, no broken bones, just lots of bruising. I’ll have to keep it wrapped for a couple of days and put lots of ice on it.” Madie’s foot was almost black, but she could put weight on her ankle.

Damon stared at her bandaged foot.

If he continued to look at her like that, she was going to cave. She could feel the walls inside her beginning to crumble. She had to get him out of her house, out of her life before that happened.

“You need to go.” Madie ignored the pain welling inside.

Damon flinched, but didn’t say a word. His eyes sought hers, their amber depths fathomless.

“Before you leave, I have something for you.” Madie limped into the kitchen to retrieve what he’d wanted all along. When she returned, she dropped the battered tome onto the coffee table. “Here, this is what you really came for. Isn’t it?”

“Madie.” Damon reached for her.

“Don’t!” She jerked back. “Take it! Take it and leave. It’s what you wanted. What you’ve always wanted.” Madie laughed bitterly. “You never wanted me.”

She’d been such a fool to believe that a
man
like Damon Laroche would want a sheltered, naïve woman like her. Gaston’s overprotective nature had done her no favors. She might as well have stupid tattooed on her forehead.

“That’s not true,” Damon said.

“All these years I thought Gaston was wrong,” she said. “But he was right about you.”

Damon stiffened and red bloomed in his cheeks.

“A werewolf really can rip your heart out before you realize what has happened. I’m living proof.”

He flinched and pain flashed across his face. “Don’t go,” he murmured.

It hurt to look at him, but Madie forced herself to meet Damon’s eyes. “There’s no reason for me to stay. Now if you’ll excuse me, I have an initiation to get ready for.”

Damon walked to the door, then stopped short, gripping the frame until his fingers turned white. Through gritted teeth he said, “If you need me, just call and I’ll come for you.” With that, he pushed forward and strode into the darkness.

Madie watched him until he disappeared from sight. With each step he took, her heart sank a little farther in her chest.

It was for the best
, she told herself again. They couldn’t possibly remain together. Could they?
Definitely not.
Their whole relationship had been based on lies.

She’d given Damon exactly what he wanted, what he’d really come for. Madie had made the right decision, she was sure of it.

Then how come it feels like my heart is breaking?

***

Anger boiled inside of Damon like a caldron left too long upon a fire. He knew Madie wanted him—wanted their child, but she insisted on pushing him away. Her birthday was tomorrow, which meant the ceremony was upon them and he was no closer to solving the murders. To make matters worse, the killer was now after Madie.

Why would he target Madie?

It made no sense. She’s human, not wolf.

Damon stopped. Madie may not be wolf, but she was carrying one. He could smell the babe on her skin. Taste it in her blood, when he’d cleaned her wounds. She may be human, but what was growing inside her wasn’t. Did the killer know that?

Was it possible Madie was being hunted by another Hunter?

Damon couldn’t dismiss the thought outright. Anything was possible. He was pretty sure that Gaston would not hunt his own, even though the Hunter’s behavior was getting more and more erratic. The risks he took grew bolder and bolder, as if he were no longer worried about being caught or violating the treaty. There was no telling what he’d do next.

Had he hired an outsider to kill Madie, so that her blood wouldn’t be on his hands?

In the end, it didn’t matter. Damon had to stop whoever was doing this or die along with his bondmate and heir.

Damon returned to the home that he’d rented, while his other house was being rebuilt. Thoughts of Madie flooded his mind. He was missing something, but what? He pulled out the folders the Lycanian Elders had given him about the pack members that had died. There had to be a common denominator. He just hadn’t noticed it yet.

He scanned the papers until his eyes burned. All the members that had died had been from the Fortier line, except Jacque.

Why had the killer picked Jacque? He wasn’t part of the pattern. Was it because he was heir apparent? Damon didn’t think so.

His hands shook as he picked up the Book of Lycan. The leather was soft and pliant beneath his fingertips. Damon had spent years trying to get his hands on the records written on these pages. In this book, he’d finally discover the truth about what had happened to his brother and the others.

And the information had only cost him his bondmate and unborn child.

Chapter Twenty-Four

Madie phoned Gaston the morning of her twenty-fifth birthday. She thought he’d be happy to hear from her, but his gruff tone told her otherwise.

“I’m ready to go through with the initiation, but I’m keeping my apartment. I want a place in town, so I can be near my gallery,” she said, sounding braver than she actually felt.

“We’ll discuss it when I arrive,” he said. “I’ll be there in late afternoon.” Gaston hung up before she could respond.

So much for wishing her a happy birthday.

Jack and her father arrived, when Gaston said they would. Madie had dressed in slacks and flat shoes because she wasn’t sure what she’d have to do once the initiation started. To be honest, she didn’t care as long as the whole thing went by quickly.

They piled into the front seat of her father’s pickup truck and drove to her family home. Jack sat on one side of her and Gaston on the other. Madie felt like the filling in a rancid sandwich. Broad shoulders brushed hers squeezing off any chance of movement. She reached for the radio in hopes of relieving the tension in the cab, but Gaston stopped her. Instead, they drove in silence.