Bad Moon: Bad Duology Book Two

by Colt, Shyla

  “I saw who he once was and could be all at once. It was like the years rolled back further than we’ve existed in this current life. I saw all of the good and bad he’d done and was capable of doing.” Her heart raced. She saw into his soul.

  “People often think only a soulmate can be connected at a soul level. That’s not true. Souls reincarnate together for many reasons,” Nakeeta explained.

  “No!” Joss shook he head. “How can that be true after everything he’s done?”

  “Perhaps this life was about testing one another. Do you challenge him? Maybe you’re meant to be a catalyst for his growth.”

  “No. I don’t do anything to him,” Joss snapped.

  “Yes. At every turn she does,” Brook said.

  “Brook.”

  “It’s true. You’re the only one he’s ever let openly challenge him without retaliation or instant correction and humiliation for shirking his authority,” Brook chimed in.

  “Because I’m his step-sister and Moon Maiden.”

  “You’ve always been connected. Why do you think he’s so drawn to you?”

  “Do psychos really need logical reasons for why they do things?”

  “His behavior isn’t a reflection on you or your link. The darkness needs the light. One can’t exist without the other.” Keeta’s words made sense, but accepting it felt too much like losing. All she wanted to do was escape White Creek, and yet there was another tie.

  “We get what we get in this life, not what we want. You were tough enough to handle this situation. Look at how long you’ve already survived and held on to who you are. Don’t quit on us now when the end is in sight,” Keeta pleaded.

  I have no choice but to see it through. “So, we’re what? Old friends?”

  “Think of it as a familial bond, like Remus and Romulus. Born to rule together, bring balance and change, yet too much one way or the other and the connection sours.”

  “Is he a danger to her?” Kazimir asked, wrapping an arm around her shoulders.

  “Currently he’s a danger to everyone including himself.” Joss shrugged his arm off and walked the length of the room.

  “You bring him away from the madness. What he senses is the fact that you’re his saving grace. He doesn’t know how else to process or put it into words.”

  “So, he assumes it’s some sick version of love?” Brook whispered.

  “I believe so. In the end, you both must pick a side,” Rainer replied.

  “What do I need to do?” Joss asked.

  “Try and work on cracking this book and organizing,” Keeta said.

  “Well, we’ve figured out the celestial event now,” Crewe said dryly.

  “The comet? I thought that too when he announced it,” Joss said.

  “We have much to do and little time to accomplish it in.”

  Raising her hand, Brook wiggled her fingers. “Sign me up. Whatever threatens my best friend has to go.”

  “This could ruin your standing at White Creek,” Joss said.

  “The sacrifice already did that. We’re a pack. We hunt, we worship, and we stay prepared for the possibility of discovery. We don’t kill in cold blood and force our will on others who look to us for protection and acceptance. It’s the Alpha’s right to discipline disobedient pips. What he did crossed the line.”

  “It sounds like you left a few things out,” Kazimir rumbled.

  “There was no use upsetting us both.”

  Kazimir wrapped his cool fingers around her wrist. “If you’ll excuse us.”

  Joss wouldn’t meet his gaze as he led her through the cabin out into the night. No words were exchanged as they moved to the river bank.

  “I can’t protect you when you hide things from me.”

  “You can’t be there with me every waking moment. I handled it.”

  “No. Isiah did.”

  “Is that what this is about? A pissing contest?”

  “There is no competition. Do you think this is easy for me? Staying in the shadows while you deal with your pack? This goes against everything I am. You are mine, and everyone should know it.”

  “I’m not a possession. I’m a woman with feelings and the right to choose how I want to deal with things.”

  “Don’t mistake my love for weakness. I won’t be scolded for being concerned. Times are perilous. One secret could topple us.”

  “Do you want to hear how he swelled my throat to silence me? How I struggled to breathe as he forced me to the ground and tried to make me cower and submit? How fighting against his hold on me did next to nothing?” He stepped forward, and she pushed him away. “No. This is what you wanted, and I’m going to finish.” Her voice cracked. “I was at his mercy. And the only thing that kept me from complete humiliation was my few fries short of a Happy Meal creeper of a step-brother who I’m currently promised to marry. I owe him now, and I fucking hate it.” Her voice was shrill, and her chest grew tight. She hiccupped. Her vision blurred as she battled against tears.

  “I should have been there, little sun. I’m sorry.”

  “All of this time I told myself I was choosing to stay. That I could leave any time I was ready. It was a lie. I’m just as trapped as everyone else.” Anger, sadness, and shame clashed. “I’ve been so damn stupid.”

  “Naïve perhaps. You have to realize you were stunted by proxy. Yes, you resisted, but you’ve been hidden in the middle of nowhere, surrounded by believers, rules, and impossible expectations. All of these things have affected you. Hold on just a little longer for me, and I will show you the world.” He framed her face with his hands.

  She closed her eyes, allowing herself to envision a future away from White Creek. One that was no longer a dream, but a reality. All I have to do it survive. The time for sorrow would come. Packing her emotions away, she inhaled. “I’m sorry. I’m normally made of sterner stuff.”

  “Never apologize to me for being human. Holding on to the pain will slowly kill you from he inside.” His eyes bled from brown to red. “Do not ask me to have mercy for those people should we meet.”

  She squeezed his forearms, allowing herself the small intimacy. The feeling of helplessness she’d experienced still woke her from her sleep in the early hours. Control was an illusion she’d bought into like everyone else. No more.

  “Take that indignation and channel it. Remember this moment when you hesitate, or second guess yourself. Do whatever it takes to be ruthless, Joss, because these people will stop at nothing to see the empire they’ve worked so hard to build come to pass. You have to play things their way.”

  She nodded, taking his words to heart. She’d underestimate the Alpha once. It wouldn’t happen again.

  “I always thought of myself as separate from everyone else in White Creek. I’m a member of a cult. The hows and whys don’t matter. I obey the same rules, live in the same compound, and I keep the same secrets.” Raw and exposed, she wrapped her arms around his waist.

  Winding his fingers in her hair, he pulled her close, sheltering her from the wind. “You are more than your title and circumstances. They’ve tried to strip you down, steal your individuality, and tell you who you’re going to be. It’s a familiar method launched over and over again to control. You’re no longer alone.”

  Her life was breaking apart and reforming at an alarming rate. Inhaling his scent, she cleared her mind, using the breathing techniques an intense focus she’d been learning. Settling her nerves, she gathered her thoughts. I’ve never been weak. This won’t break me.

  Chapter Eleven

  She swam to awareness covered in sweat and tangled in her sheets. Fighting with the sticky cloth prison, she managed to kick herself free. Heat burned her from the inside out. Fatigue made her limbs heavy. Her tongue was swollen and clumsy. She struggled to swallow. Forcing her eyelids open took most of the energy left after her battle with the bedding. Salivating, she moved out of the bed and stumbled to the bathroom just in time to empty her stomach in the toilet. Her gut explod
ed in pain. Cramps hit her like a sledgehammer. This was unlike any sickness she’d ever encountered before. Trembling she collapsed onto the cool tile, grateful for the reprieve from the raging inferno occurring inside of her.

  Her temples throbbed. She shut her eyes against the light, which intensified the threatening migraine. Curled into a ball, she weathered the illness hammering against her immune sickness. Wolves weren’t ill often. Even colds tended to be cured in a day or so, which made this sudden onslaught of symptoms suspicious. What did I eat? Fighting to get her mind off the pain wracking her body, and the fog of sickness clouding her mind, she attempted to retrace her steps the night before. She’d had dinner with the others in the cabin after an afternoon spent trying to coax the book into spilling its secrets to them.

  The simple fare of fresh bread and spaghetti couldn’t be responsible for this violent reaction. She hadn’t tried anything new or come into contact with something that could come from a questionable source. Struggling to her knees, she grabbed the cup on the sink and filled it with water. Her hand shook as she brought the rim of the plastic cylinder to her lips. The cool water coated her bone-dry mouth and slid down her throat. Closing her eyes, she savored the temporary bliss.

  Her heart raced, and her head spun like a merry-go-round. Slumping over, she rested her back against the bathroom cupboard. She wiped a hand over her brow, took a deep breath, and pulled herself into a standing position. Bracing her hand against the wall, she inched her way to the showers stall. Fumbling with the tap, she turned the knobs and pushed off the wall. After she stripped down, she climbed under the lukewarm spray and tilted her head back. The beads of water cooled her hot head and washed away the grime the sweat left behind. Grabbing her turquoise body scrubber, she created a lather, and slowly soaped her body.

  Every action took concentration and effort. Satisfied with her cleanliness, she cut the water and stepped out onto the light blue, fluffy rug. Grabbing her oversized towel, she dried off, ignoring the ache, and made her way to the bedroom. She slipped on flannel pants and a white T-shirt, then tussled with the sheets on the bed. Grunting, she tugged them free, dragging them to her hamper. Tossing a flat sheet onto the cushioned mattress, she collapsed face first, devoid of energy.

  Sharp pain in her side doubled her over. Curling into a fetal position, her muscles locked, as her body twitched like a live wire. Visions slammed into her brain, overloading her circuit. Isiah stood, supported by chains that led down to heavy silver manacles clamped onto his wrists.

  “This is what happens when you get in over your head,” a gravelly voice barked. Male laughter rose around him, taking pleasure in his torture. The liquid burned his flesh, and he screamed. Their connection burst wide open, and she shared his pain. Wolfsbane. She opened her mouth to scream, and choked on the sound. Flesh bubbled, sizzled, and peeled back. The stink of burning charcoal and sulfur made her gag. Panting, she tried to distance herself from his reality.

  Locked on like a heat-seeking missile, Isiah clung to her. Hyperventilating, she suffocated from lack of air. She arched off her bed. Skin split on his back, a deep burn encased her in a crisscrossing pattern. The whip whistled as it flew through the air. Flinching in anticipation, her scream melded with Isiah’s in her head. A mental cloak fell over her, bringing calm and the numbness of nothing. Latching on to Kazimir like a drowning victim, she said a silent prayer for the vampire’s methodical stillness.

  “What’s happening? I’m outside of your compound,” Kazimir said.

  “They’re torturing Isiah,” she replied shakily.

  “Who?”

  “I don’t know.” Her chest heaved. Opening her eyes, she re-acclimated herself with the powder blue walls of her own room to combat the cold dampness of the stone prison.

  “And you feel it so strongly?”

  “Yes.” Even now she felt him, muffled, and just beyond her range. “He’s reaching out to me.”

  “Block him.”

  The truth rolled in like the scent of garbage on the wind. “I don’t think I can.” Muscles in her stomach clenched. Isiah burst through once more, blowing her mind wide open.

  The metallic scent of blood and rice pudding engulfed her. Kneeling, Isiah gritted his teeth.

  “How much can you take? The little prince isn’t so tough away from White Creek.” The vision of a square-faced giant with wheat-colored hair cut close to his scalp, and yellowed-eyes bright with blood lust danced in front of her eyes. His thin lips were curved up into a cruel jack-o-lanterns smile. He’s another wolf. Isiah hadn’t been kidnapped; his contacts betrayed him.

  “When the life leaves your body, your failings will guarantee our victory. Is the knowledge more painful than this?” A red-hot poker slid through the skin on his belly like it was melted butter. His mouth opened in a silent scream as he strained against his chains.

  “Where’s your pack now? Who’s coming to save you?” a male baritone mocked cruelly. He lost consciousness and she knew peace.

  “I will not allow you to continue this way.”

  “What choice is there?” she asked tiredly.

  “Whatever it takes. You have two choices. You come to us, or we come to you.”

  “I’m not in any shape—”

  “Those are the terms, Joss.”

  Clenching her teeth, she balled her hands into a fist as the lingering tremors rocked her.

  “I won’t trade one jailer or another.”

  “I will always do what’s necessary to protect you.”

  “Even I end up hating you or it?” she challenged.

  “Yes, even then.”

  Angry, she pulled away from their connection. Unanswered questions filtered in. When he woke would she experience the same symptoms again? How could she hide this from the others? Should she? Isiah was in trouble. What would that information do to the pack? The Alpha had been on his best behavior so far. Could she handle him solo if he decided to go rogue? It’d be the perfect time to resume his leadership and remain a hero in the community’s eyes. I can’t let that happen.

  Moving gingerly, she found herself free of the pain that had first woken her. Peering out of the window at the skyline just bleeding from deep blue to purple, she rose, hefting the weight of uncertainty on her shoulders. She’d spent the majority of her lifetime ignoring the situation that existed before her. The time of avoidance had passed. She needed answers and strategies in place. Lifting her chin, she retraced her steps to the shower, determined to be on the road before the sun rose. A true soldier didn’t admit defeat before the battle.

  * * *

  Slipping the moon necklace that had once belonged to her father over her neck, she slipped the good luck talisman into her black sweater. He felt closer today. Winding the old, black scarf he’d given her years earlier around her neck for comfort, she slipped her feet into combat boots and tucked the dark jeans into her shoes. She laced them tight and wrapped the belief of her father and herself around her like armor. The blood of powerful wolves pumped through her veins and the mark of the fates declared her chosen.

  It did no good to cower. Biting her tongue until it bled, remaining still and soft so she blended into the crowd had never stopped anything from happening. Destiny had declared her a moving cog in the wheel of change. It demanded her participation by any means necessary. Today she took up her sword and shield, bared her teeth and claws, and faced the war head-on. Slipping on her waist-length leather jacket, she grabbed her purse, and left the house, ignoring the eyes she could feel fixed on her.

  She climbed into her car, and turned the key. If you want me, you’ll have to catch me first. Slamming the car into reverse, she gunned the engine, letting her superior senses take over as she shot out of the driveway. As she wove along the dirt road, she opened up her engine. The scenery sped by, blurring as she barreled toward the front gate. She laughed as the guard on duty scrambled to start the opening mechanism on the gates when she didn’t so much as slow down. The team assigned to trail
her gave up on stealth. Their eyes glowed in the reflection of her taillights.

  Clearing the half-open gate, she made a sharp right, taking the backroads that cut close to the human dwellings. They wouldn’t risk discovery with daybreak so close. Laughing, she rolled down the windows and let the air flood in and remind her she was a child of the wild never meant to be tamed. They’d clipped her wings, placed her in a cage, bullied and pushed her to the breaking point, and yet still, she remained. Blurred vision alerted her to the tears slowly rolling down her face.

  Allowing the saline to flow, she mourned for all of the things she’d lost and the person she’d never had a chance to be.

  When she reached the cabin, her tears were dry, and the sun was high in the sky. Kazimir waited on the porch, leaned against a beam in a deceptively casual pose. The anger simmered inside of him like a boiled pot ready to spill over. Throwing her car into park, she unbuckled her seat belt and took a deep breath. She wouldn’t be a pushover. There was far too much at stake. Bending to the will of another would be jumping from the frying pan and into the fire.

  Squaring her shoulders, she held her head high as she slipped from the car and walked toward him with purpose. His eyebrows arched. He straightened to his full height and glided to the edge of the wooden deck.

  They stopped inches from one another. Unsure how to begin the conversation, she froze.

  “You have things you wish to say to me?”

  Nodding her head, she cleared her throat. “We may be mated, but we do not own one another. There are no absolutes. Love should not be about control. I’ve seen what that does to people. I won’t have any part of it.”

  His eyes bled red, and he growled in his throat. “You think you can escape me? You choose to deliver your Dear John in person?”

  “I’m laying down my terms, vampire.” She remained firm against the hurt battering against their bond. “It may go against your nature to temper emotions, but you’re on new territory now. I’m a wolf. I’m wild and never to be tamed. If you try, you’ll only push me further away.”