Riley's Redemption (A Moon's Glow Novel) (11 page)

“He is a good guy.” I
assured her.

“We’ll see.” She
muttered and her chocolate, colored eyes met mine in the mirror again. “How did
you find us anyway?”

“Marisa.”

Her brows raised in
confusion. “What do you mean?”

I leaned forward
tapping my finger on the back of Nate’s leather seat. “She left me a note in
the washroom at a rest stop.”

“She what?” Sadie
gasped, nearly running into the Jeep in front of us as they slowed to take a
turn. If Nate hadn’t of pointed it out, we would have hit them.

Sadie flushed with
embarrassment and Nate eyed her apprehensively.

“I’m fine, Nate.” She
glanced at me through the rear-view mirror. “Go on.”

I looked between them
and then deciding it was safe to continue I answered her. “She said she missed
her brother and didn’t know you were keeping her from him until she saw us at
the motel.”

Remorse settled in
Sadie’s eyes as she glanced back at the road. She went silent as Nate asked me
what happened the night at the hotel.

After I explained, I
looked back at her. A tear was sliding down her cheek.

The Way Home

We drove the rest of
the day, stopping only for meals and bathroom breaks. Nate and I took over the
driving after dinner; Nate for Sadie, me for Adrian. The bright day had turned
gray when dusk fell upon us. Marisa rode with Sadie for a while and with her
out of hearing distance I filled Adrian in on what he had missed when he was
packing the car with Marisa. I also told him how Sadie reacted when I spilled
the beans to Nate that our two friends were mated. “Doesn’t it bother you at
all that she turned into a wolf and attacked you?” I couldn’t get the image of
her snapping her teeth at his throat out of my mind.

He shook his head. “No.
We were both affected and in shock when we realized we were mated. Besides, she
thought I was a killer. I understand why she did that. The wolf was taking
over.”

“So, what are you going
to do?” I asked, referring to the fact that they obviously didn’t like each
other, but had been paired up by fate.

“I don’t know.”

“Don’t you want to be
with her?”

He made a small sound
in his throat, like a rumbling groan. “My wolf does. But my human brain can’t
forgive her for keeping my sister away from me all this time.”

I dropped my right hand
from the wheel and placed it on the edge of my seat. “You know it was mostly
Charlotte’s fault.”

He sighed, a heaviness
I was used to hearing from my husband. The weight of it settled on his face and
made his shoulders slump. “I know, but it doesn’t make it easier knowing I’m
supposed to be with someone who purposefully kept me from my sister.”

I didn’t know what to
say to that. She
was
the reason he had been searching for six months
without finding Marisa. And it had taken a toll on him. When he picked me up at
the airport, he looked tired. The usual playful smile wasn’t on his face as
much as it was when I had first met him. He lived with Charlotte for ten years
and it took the last six months of frustration to break him. I understood why,
when Charlotte died, he was hopeful for the first time in years. With the
address he found in Charlotte’s belongings he was sure he’d finally be reunited
with his only living family member. And with each near-miss, his frustration level
spiked.

“Are there really vampires?”
he asked as Nate made a turn onto the freeway. I followed him, glad he was the
one leading. I would have been lost hours ago.

“I guess so. You’ve
never run into any with Charlotte?”

Adrian laughed darkly.
“No, she liked to be the scariest one around. She wouldn’t keep company with
someone that could hurt her. It would have made her feel weak. And that’s not
an emotion she was comfortable with.”

I sat quietly for a
minute, concentrating on the busy traffic around us. I wasn’t used to driving
on the freeway and I was a little nervous.

“Do you think the real
ones are dead like in the movies?” I asked a while later.

He shook his head and
shrugged. “How would I know? I didn’t know they existed until you just told
me?”

Speaking of the undead,
I suddenly remembered something. “How long do you think it will take to get
home?”

“Five days maybe?”

“
Ahh
, good.
We’ll make it just in time for the reception my mother is putting together for
us.” I grinned, prying my eyes from the busy road to peek at him.

He grimaced. “
Oh,
Yay.
I can’t wait to meet Mommy Dearest.”

Despite my mother’s
slight turn around, I couldn’t help but laugh. I had regaled many tales of my
childhood to him when we were getting to know one another, so he knew my
history. I waited to feel the usual guilt associated with making fun of her,
but it didn’t come. Instead of dwelling on what I didn’t have, I decided to
focus on what I had. And that was a pretty good life. Yes, my parents wouldn’t
win any parents-of-the-year awards, but I had a loving husband and great
friends. And I couldn’t forget the honorary mother, who raised me. It was more
than a lot of people had in their life.

I almost felt at peace
as this realization washed over me.

“What?” Adrian asked,
his finger tapping his knee to the beat of the song that was playing on the
radio.

I scrunched my face in
confusion. “What do you mean…what?”

His lips turned up
slightly, his eyes brighter than they were a few moments ago. “Why are you
smiling?”

“I didn’t know I was.
But it’s nothing. I’m just happy.” I nodded to the car ahead of us. “I have an
awesome man, great friends and a job I love. My life has changed so drastically
since I met Nate. I’ve never been truly happy before and excited for the future
and now I am.” I felt my smile widening.

He raised a brow.
“Okay, I’m sorry I asked. Now I feel depressed.”

I laughed, reaching out
to touch his knee. “Hey, you found your sister and your mate all in one day;
you should be ecstatic.”

He frowned, the
brightness in his eyes fading. “You know how I feel about Sadie. And Marisa has
changed. She’s not the little girl I remember. I’ve missed ten years of her
life, she’s a teenager now. I don’t know how to relate to her.”

I rolled my eyes and
laughed at him. “You had one car ride with her. It will take time, but you’ll
get there.”

“You promise?” he asked
expectantly.

“Yes. I promise.” I
reached out with my free hand and patted his leg once more. He was wearing
shorts now. We all had changed when we stopped for food. It was too hot in the
car for jeans. I was wearing my jean shorts and a blue ribbed tank top. “You
and I get along and I’m a teenage girl.’

He scoffed at my words.
“That’s different, you’re not related. But you’re right. I just have to give it
time.”

My phone beeped just as
I was about to tease him about his impatience. “Can you hand me my phone?”

He lifted it from the
console, his knuckle smacking against the emergency brake and held it up. He
held it steady in front of me so it was easier to read.
Let’s stop for the
night.

“Tell him okay.” I
instructed.

He did what I asked and
typed in my message. I watched as Nate pulled off the freeway. I followed a
little too quickly, cutting off a minivan and I cringed when they honked the
horn at me. “Sorry,” I called out, even though they wouldn’t be able to hear
me.

Adrian grinned and
stifled a laugh, but lucky for him he didn’t say anything. I was nervous
enough, I didn’t need his laughter. I hoped the next time I drove it wasn’t on
a freeway.

Ten minutes later, we
pulled into a hotel parking lot. It wasn’t the kind Adrian and I had stopped
at. It was a little classier with no paint peeling.

“She’s not sharing a
room with her.” Adrian murmured as he opened his door.

Nate, Sadie and Marisa
all emerged from the station wagon simultaneously.

“Marisa will be sharing
a room with me,” Adrian informed the group as we approached them.

Sadie glared at him,
her hair that was now loose, fluttered in the breeze. “Is that appropriate?
She’s a young girl.”

Anger flashed over
Adrian’s features. “I don’t know what you’re implying, but I’m not going to let
you be alone with her for even a second.”

She stepped closer to
him, her eyes flashing yellow, but she was smiling. The combination was a bit
eerie. “She is mine.” Her voice was a feral growl. He had awakened mama wolf
and the tension coming off her was palpable.

If she thought he would
back down, then she had underestimated my friend. “No. She is my family. You
have no right to her.” He towered over her, bending down to keep eye contact.
“I thought we established that.”

As they glared at each
other, Nate stepped forward. “Adrian, I promise she won’t run again, if that’s
what you’re worried about.”

Adrian’s eyes shifted
to Nate. “Why wouldn’t she? She’s been running from me for the last six
months.”

Marisa squeezed between
Adrian and Sadie. “It’s alright, I’ll stay with him. Eva, I mean Sadie, why
don’t you stay next door?”

Sadie kept her gaze
locked on Adrian, the creepy smirk still edged on her face, until Marisa placed
her hand on her shoulder. “I’ll be fine.”

Sadie’s expression
softened as she finally looked away, pulling Marisa into a hug. “It’s just hard
to let you go.” She murmured into Marisa’s hair.

Marisa pulled back and
touched Sadie’s cheek with her hand. “You don’t have to. Just let us get to
know each other again.”

Sadie nodded as another
tear slid down her cheek.

I took Adrian’s hand
and led him into the office with the rest of our group following. We booked
three rooms. Sadie and Adrian’s rooms were across the hall from Nate and mine.

My phone rang as soon
as the door clicked closed behind us as we entered our room. It was Lauren. I
felt a sting of guilt at the sight of her number. I hadn’t even thought to call
her and give her an update. “Hello?”

“What’s going on I
haven’t heard from you in days.” Her voice was shrill and loud.

“I know, I’m sorry. But
there’s been a lot going on.”

“Did you find her?”

“Yes.”

“Thank goodness.” She
blew out a sigh of relief. “I bet Adrian is happy.”

“Very, but there’s been
a few complications.” I leaned back on the bed, gazing up at the light fixture.
The bright light glowed through little black spots that I suspected to be dead
bugs. “The person that was keeping—”

“Megan.” Nate’s abrupt
voice stopped my next words. My gaze moved from the light to his handsome face.
His features were hard, his eyes cold. Instead of speaking he shook his head.

“Meg? What were you
going to say?” Lauren asked from the other end. I could hear something that
sounded like springs squeaking, as though she was settling onto a bed or couch.

“Oh…Uh…nothing. Just
that it was a werewolf that was keeping her.”

“It’s not surprising is
it?”

I gazed at Nate as I
spoke. His face softened, his eyes washed with apology for snapping at me. “No,
I guess not. So what’s going on with you?”

“Not much, just
cramming for my chemistry final.”

I smiled at the man in
front of me when he winked. “Ohhh, sounds fun. Where’s Joe?”

“He’s lying on the
floor watching The Bachelorette.”

“Like bloody hell, I
am.” Joe’s voice called from her end of the line.

Lauren and I shared a
laugh. “When are you guys coming back?” she asked with laughter still in her
voice.

“We’re on our way, just
stopping for the night?”

“Why didn’t you fly?
Isn’t your reception soon?”

I rolled my eyes.
“Thanks for the reminder. But we’ll be back in time. Adrian has his jeep and I
wanted to keep him company.”

“Well, now that I know
you guys found her and you’re on your way, I should get back to studying.”

“Okay, I’ll see you
when we get back.” I pressed the end button and tossed my cell onto the bed. It
bounced onto the pillow next to me.

“Why didn’t you want me
to tell her about Sadie?” I asked Nate, folding my arms in front of me as I sat
up.

“Because,
I
want
to do it.”

I narrowed my eyes,
studying him. “What’s going on?” I asked suspiciously.

His face held the mask
of blankness he used to use on me when we first met as he shrugged off my
question. “I’m just not exactly sure of Joe right now.”

“What’s that supposed
to mean?”

He sighed heavily, as
he perched on the edge of the small couch. “He lied to me about Sadie and kept
her existence secret all of this time. How do I go back and act like that’s
okay.”

I could see the hurt in
his eyes. Besides Will, Joe was the best friend Nate had and since he outlived
everyone else he cared about, his friendship with Joe meant a lot to him.

I got up and stood in
front of him, hating to see him so emotional. “He was protecting you. Sadie
told him you were in danger if you knew her.”

“I understand him not
telling me right away, but it’s been fifty
freaking
years.” Anger spiked
in his voice as he formed the last few words.

Needing to soothe him,
I laced my fingers in the soft strands of his hair. He leaned into me and
instead of discussing it further; we lapsed into a comfortable silence. He fell
onto the couch and I sat on his lap as he snuggled into my chest with my arms
wrapped around him.

Later, as we were lying
in bed, I thought over the day’s events. I was worried how Nate would react
when he finally saw Joe again. But as I thought of everything that had
happened, there was one thing that overshadowed that worry.

“Nate?” I whispered
into the darkness of the room.

“Hmm?”

“I’m a little disturbed
with what you and Sadie said earlier.”

“About what?”

“Are you sure there are
such things as vampires?”

“Yes.”

“Like
living-dead-sucks-blood kind of Vampires?”

After a silent pause
with the only sound being the hum of the air-conditioner, he answered, “Yes.”

I leaned up on his
smooth chest so I could look him in the eyes that were almost black in the dark
room. “But how do you know? Adrian said he has never heard of any.”

He sighed, rubbing his
hand gently up and down my arm. “Because I know one.”

I sat up, holding the
sheet against me. “Seriously?”

He nodded, his lips
turning up into a ghost of a smile.

“Why am I only hearing
this now?”

He shook his head
slightly. “Vampires are secretive, even more so than werewolves. I didn’t want
to endanger you anymore than I have. Besides, it never came up.”

My eyes widened. “It
never came up? That is something you bring up. Not wait for the subject to
happen.” I slapped his bare shoulder, the smacking sound echoed in the quiet
room. “Do they kill or just snack on people? Are there a lot of them? Are we in
danger?”