The Twin Moon (The Moon Series)

by Christopher, Buffy

  “At least let me see you home.” Ian’s hand dropped from her shoulder.

  Andy took a deep breath in slowly let it out through her nose. “It’s okay, I need the fresh air. I’ll…I’ll see you later.” With that Andy walked out of the Haven as fast as her fetish shoes would take her.

  Chapter Twelve

  Andy unlocked her door and went inside turning off the security alarm. She slumped back against the door taking off her shoes. It was a good thing she had decided to call a cab. Andy made it to the couch and collapsed. She hung her head in her hands as the pain of Ian’s betrayal rolled across her heart like a wild fire. Her eyes burned then burst over tears tearing down her face in small rivers of wetness. It had only been a week and she had trusted him so completely. She had believed in him to protect her and keep her safe. He had just lied to her. Hidden himself from her. Andy sobbed as she turned into her throw pillow, her shoulders shaking. Why did it hurt so badly? Her cell phone rang in her purse and Andy just let it go. She couldn’t have talked right now even if she had wanted to.

  Andy turned her head and let it rest on the pillow as her tears subsided a little. She pushed her hair back from her face and wished this whole thing hadn’t happened. They could have been perfect together. The phone started ringing again. Andy finally moved and pulled it out of her purse. It was Rosie.

  “Hello?” Andy’s voice was rough from her tears.

  “What’s wrong? What did he do?” Rosie was immediately on the protective front.

  “Nothing, really.” Andy wiped her eyes with the back of her hand as she stared at her blank television.

  “Then why are you crying if he didn’t do anything?” Rosie’s voice was softer now as she spoke to her.

  “We went to the barbeque and something happened. There’s something about him really important that he never told me. And now I don’t know what to think. I feel like he betrayed me.” Andy sniffed.

  “What something important? What exactly did he do?”

  “It’s not my secret to tell, Rosie.” Andy hesitated. She didn’t want to tell the world what she knew about Ian and his people. It wasn’t her place.

  “Is it something that could hurt you?”

  Andy thought about that for a minute and rolled the idea around in her mind. “Not really. It’s just about him. It’s just something unexpected.”

  “Then why do you feel betrayed?”

  “Because he told me he loves me. How can he love me and hide things about himself?” Andy sucked in a deep breath, the whole thought made her want to cry again.

  “Maybe he was scared. He doesn’t know everything about you. It’s a new relationship. Do you love him?”

  Andy hesitated. Did she? Is that why it hurt so badly? “Oh, God Rosie. What have I done? I fell in love with him!” A fresh burst of tears ran down her face as she sobbed into her cell phone. “I’m such an idiot.”

  “No you’re not. I did try to warn you.” Rosie spoke and soothed in her softest voice. “It’ll be okay, mi amiga.”

  “No, not this time. I’m his soul mate. He told me so. I don’t think he’s going to give up without a fight.” Andy used her fingertips to wipe away the tears.

  “Do you want him to give up?” Rosie always saw more than she should.

  “I don’t know yet. I just need sometime. There so much to sort out.” Andy cuddled into the pillow.

  “Just rest, Andy, and follow your heart.”

  ***

  Ian stormed down the hallway really ready to break something. Andy had just walked out on him. Just like that. Well, what had he expected? Shit, but he was pissed as all hell. He didn’t want to go back into the barbeque like this, but pacing up and down the hall only seemed to be making him angrier. He would go over there tonight. That’s all there was to it. To hell with her being mad at him. He had made the right decision by not telling her. Look what had happened, he was right, she hadn’t understood. He had hoped for more. But she’d walked away from him, right here in front of all his family. What would they think? Who cares what they thought. Andy was his mate and she would be his for all time whether they liked it or not. Whether she liked it or not. She would learn to love him.

  “Whoa, slow down there, Hoss.” Ivy appeared out of thin air in the middle of the hallway. Ian almost ran her over.

  “What are you doing out here?” Ian growled at her as he went to step around her, but she grabbed his arm and held on.

  “Stop, Ian. I can sense when something’s wrong with you. Now talk to me, tell me what happened.” Ivy ran a hand over his arm as she held him with her other hand.

  “I don’t want to talk about it.” Ian made to snatch his arm away, but she shook him in her hold.

  “Talk to me.”

  “Andy left.”

  “Why?”

  “She said it was too much to handle. That she needed some time to think.”

  “So. Go after her.” Ivy stared up into his face from her shorter height with all the determination he wished he had.

  “What?” Ian shook he’s head as if what she said made absolutely no sense.

  “Do you love her?” Ivy placed her hands on her hips and cocked her head at him.

  “Of course I love her. She’s my mate.” Ian stared at Ivy. Was she crazy? Did he love her.

  “Then go get her. You’re a Were-tiger. You’re my brother, a member of my pack and we don’t take no for an answer. Go claim your mate.” Ivy pointed a finger down the hallway.

  Ian considered her a minute, but she stomped her foot and thrust her finger toward the door again. Ian grabbed Ivy by both sides of the face and planted a kiss on her lips. “I love you, sis!” He called over his shoulder as he raced out of the Haven.

  “I love you too!” She called after him.

  ***

  Andy set the phone down on the coffee table. Her eyes closed she was so tired from the mental toll the events had taken on her. She needed to just nap for a few minutes, even though the things Rosie had said on the phone swam in her mind. She did love Ian. That was obvious to her now. How she hadn’t seen that all along was so beyond her. A soft click had her opening her eyes and turning her head.

  “Rich!” Andy jerked up right and edged back against the arm of the sofa.

  “My, my, my, what do we have here? Andy, all alone.” Rich’s hand slid from the door knob to the dead bolt and locked it in place. “Now it’s just you and me. That’s all I ever wanted. A little alone time with you.”

  Terror swam up through her stomach and into her chest burning her body. Andy jumped off the couch so that it was between them.

  “Rich, you have to get out of here. You can’t be here. My boyfriend’s coming over. He’ll be here any minute.” Andy grasped at anything she could think of to get this man out of her house.

  “You think I care about him? You’re my girlfriend, just because you’re a whore doesn’t mean you’re not still mine.” Rich strode toward her quickly and Andy compensated by moving the opposite direction. The word whore on his lips made her want to vomit. She hated that word, the use of it made her sick to her stomach.

  “I’m not your girlfriend. We broke up.” Andy raced away from him keeping the couch between them.

  “No, we didn’t. You kicked me out…we never broke up. I came here to apologize. I’m so sorry about what happened, Andy. I never meant to hurt you.” Rich shook his head as he stopped on the opposite side of the couch; his gaze roamed over her. “You look so pretty today. Do you have a kiss for me?”

  He was crazy. That’s it, he was bat shit crazy. How had she missed that? And better yet how was she going to get him out of the house? She inched closer toward the door backing up slowly.

  “No kissing, Rich.” She shook her head and reached for the door knob.

  “What are you doing?” His eyes went big as dinner plates as he watched her.

  “I’m just going to open the door and let in a little fresh air.” Andy touched the dead bolt her fingers twisting the lo
ck out of place. The bottom knob was still locked. Her heart beat hard in her chest with dread if she couldn’t get the door open and get out of here there was no telling what might happen.

  “No, don’t touch that lock.” Rich vaulted over the couch and raced toward her. Andy fumbled with the bottom lock as he got in her face. Panic became a weight around her chest that pulled her down until she could barely breathe. He pinned her against the door, his arms and body a tight cage around her. “You’re not running from me… not again. Now, I want my kiss.”

  The entire idea of his lips on her made bile rise up the back of her throat until she gagged and had to swallow hard to force it back. This close she could smell his rotten egg smelling breath, what she had first thought to be halitosis she found out was just bad hygiene. He smiled and his yellow teeth winked back at her. She shivered and turned her head away.

  He put his lips to her ear and whispered.

  “Just one kiss, Andy. That’s all I want.” Then he kissed the tender spot beneath her ear like a lover would and she gagged again.

  “N-No.” Andy closed her eyes trying to shut out the touch of his body against hers the way his clothes brushed her breasts. She was snatched by the hair, his long fingers digging in deep. Andy cried out as her scalp pulsed with pain.

  “No is not an option.” He growled at her and smashed his mouth over hers.

  Andy held her lips firm and her teeth clenched tight as she tried to keep his tongue out of her mouth. Rich grabbed her chin and forced open her jaw, cramming his tongue inside her. His wet tongue tasted about like it smelled, rancid and of rotted egg. Andy pulled her tongue back and she gagged over and over into his mouth, somehow not vomiting as he delved deep with his tongue.

  Tears burned her eyes and his hand groped her through her dress. He broke the kiss and trailed kisses over her jaw. Andy remembered she had hands. They were already fisted and she used them to fight. She punched Rich in the head and face as hard as she could. Her determination returned to her. She was not a victim. She would not allow this to happen.

  Rich jerked away as the blows rained down. Andy kept hitting driving him back until she had room to turn back to the door. She unlocked the bottom knob, but just as she twisted it he grabbed a handful of hair again.

  “Bitch! You gave me a bloody nose.” Rich pulled Andy back until she was flush against him. Andy fought kicking and screaming as he tried to grab hold of her. She wasn’t going down without a damn good fight. He turned her around and slapped her hard across the face. Unfazed, anger and hate now pounding in her veins Andy clawed her fingers and went for his eyes, scratching his face. Somehow in the chaos they had made it to the other side of the room and this time as she broke free she ran for the front door. Rich tackled her taking her quickly to the floor and climbing on top of her.

  “That’s it fight me. I’ll still get what I want.” Rich had her pinned to the floor with his larger body weight and he shifted in between her legs. Andy clawed at the floor trying to get away as panic spasamed in her chest again. He thrust up against her buttocks his cock a hard scary promise that he ground against her. Andy was suddenly aware of what he was about to do. He tore at her sundress. Andy tried to move her legs to kick him or hit him, but he held to her waist tight.

  Andy screamed for all she was worth. As long and as loud as she could this was it he would rape her.

  “And when I’m done, I’m going to kill you.” He pushed himself against her and she screamed again.

  ***

  As Ian got out of the car in front of Andy’s house a woman screamed. He was sure it had come from inside. He raced toward the house prepared to break the door down. The door was unlocked. He threw the door open and there on the floor face down in a pile of her yellow polka dotted sundress was Andy with that maniac Rich on top on her, his pants around his thighs. Ian’s blood boiled in his veins instantly going to liquid magma, his vision went red and his tiger’s fangs erupted from his mouth. His clothes tore as his hands and arms changed into claws.

  “Son of a bitch!” Ian ran at Rich and tackled him off of his mate. He sailed with the other man across the room landing near Andy’s bedroom door. Ian roared asjust his arms transformed with claws extended and he swiped them across the man’s face. Blood welled up from the scores and ran down his face. Ian reached his arm back again to deliver the next blow to the man’s neck, his claws extend the full five inches. It would be the death blow and Ian’s satisfaction with that idea overwhelmed him. Just as he was ready to strike a soft hand landed on his orange and black fur. The hand stroked softly back and forth for a moment before the fingers curled around the furry bicep.

  “Don’t.” Andy’s voice was soft and rough as she said the words through her tears. “I couldn’t live with myself if I knew I’d let you kill him. Even though I really want you to.”

  Ian stared at her long fingers wrapped so tightly around his arm and hope swelled in his chest. He followed the long line of her arm to look up into her face. Her cheek was red were she’d obviously been slapped and tears spilled down her face.

  “Did he…” Ian couldn’t finish the sentence, but he couldn’t let this man live if he had defiled his mate, no matter what she asked of him.

  “No, you made it in time. Just barely.” Andy shivered.

  Ian stared down at Rich and had the urge to tear the man’s heart out of his chest even though he was no longer in a killing rage. Ian stood up, his arms and hands shifting and popping back into place the fur running back into his pores. He groaned as his fingers elongated muscle and bone contorting as it grew into his human hands. The sleeves of his nice dress shirt were tore where his arms had transformed. Ian breathed through the transformation even as his teeth receded back into his skull and pain shot through his mouth. Rich scuttled back on the floor against the wall his eyebrows raised, his mouth gaped open in a perfect O. “Get the hell out of here you rat bastard. Run. And keep running, because if I ever catch you alone, I will kill you.” Ian let loose a deafening roar that came up out of his gut, rumbled through his lung and out his throat until his mouth was stretched wide in the wild sound and he shook his head.

  Rich shook all over then bolted out of the front door, the security gate banged against the frame as it shut behind him.

  Ian turned and glanced at Andy. She was barefoot and her yellow and red polka dot dress was tore at the hem, hanging awkwardly behind her. Her dark hair was rumpled and her face was streaked with the remains of her tears. She was pale and Ian worried that she would go into shock at any moment if she wasn’t there already. He approached her slowly, one step at a time. She didn’t run or turn away. Ian brushed the hair away from her face and gently cupped her face in his hands.

  “I thought I’d lost you.” Ian hunched down bending to her level so he could look in her eyes, but her gaze remained on his feet.

  Andy took a deep breath then raised her gaze to his. “You nearly did Ian. I came here running away from you.”

  “I didn’t mean that. I meant just now. I thought he’d hurt you beyond repair.” Ian chest ached at what he’d seen. He was sure he had lost his mate in that moment and it had caused him pain like he had never imagined before.

  “Oh, no.” Andy glanced away. “He’s done worse. I’m stronger than that.”

  “Are you afraid of me?” Ian had to ask. He had to know if she feared him now that she had seen him half turned. He prayed she would accept him. The pain of losing her would be more than he could bear, but he would walk away if he had to. If she hated him he would leave her. He wouldn’t subject her to his world. Fear itched at his skin just as his fur had.

  “I was at first. I thought about a lot of things since I left you at your sister’s though.” Andy looked up at him now and reached a hand up to trace a line over his jaw. “I know we haven’t known each other that long, but I love you, Ian. I know you would never hurt me and I trust you.”

  Ian’s heart was so full of joy it could have exploded in his chest at her word
s. She loved him. His mate. Loved him. He wrapped his arms around her drawing her close to him and bent his head slanting his mouth over hers and kissed her with every bit of love and tenderness that was inside of him. As his mouth moved with her, she opened up and, his tongue moved over hers in a soft but urgent caress. Ian wanted to roar to the top of his lungs and claim his mate right there on the floor. He held himself in check though and just kissed Andy. When his lips finally left her he was breathless.

  “You are the most beautiful female I have ever met. Did you know that?” Ian brushed his knuckles down her face, just to touch the silkiness if her skin. “I love you so much and I promise to be the best possible mate for you.”

  Andy nodded her head and leaned into his chest. “Ian?”

  “What is it, baby?” Ian kissed her hair as he held her close in his arms just reveling in the warmth of her body against his.

  “Take me to bed. I’m exhausted.” Andy crumpled then in Ian’s arms, her legs seemed to just go out from under her.

  Ian picked her up and carried her to the bedroom to tuck her in. As he stretched out next to her he contemplated all the ways his life had changed and suddenly realized he’d been tamed. He chuckled to himself before falling asleep with Andy’s warm body wrapped in his arms.

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