Blood by Moonlight

by Jocelynn Drake

  I looked quickly away, holding up one hand at him to shield my view. "Ah, come on, man! Find a fig leaf or something."

  "They grabbed Trixie," he said in a rough voice.

  "What?" My head jerked back toward him.

  "One of the wolves got excited and started to chase a rider into the woods. Trixie jumped down and stopped the wolf, but she got grabbed in the process. The elf rode off with her."

  My heart stopped in my chest as I stared at the woods that surrounded us. The moon dipped behind a bank of thick clouds, closing the shadows in around me. The Winter Court had Trixie and there was no doubt that they would quickly discover she was a Summer Court elf. Considering that the two courts were far from friendly, this didn't bode well for my girlfriend. This Halloween outing was turning into a nightmare.

  Chapter Three

  PANIC CLOGGED MY veins and swirled in my brain, shutting down all thought processes for several seconds. I wanted to skin the wolf that had put Trixie's life in jeopardy. I wanted to string up the entire Winter Court.

  Clenching my fists at my sides, I drew in a deep breath and centered my mind. I needed to think clearly if I was going to find Trixie and get her safely back in my arms. I focused on the tracking spell I had used on the spoon, praying that maybe I had been mistaken and it was moving, but I wasn't. Trixie must have dropped the spoon when she had gone after the wolf or when fighting her captor. I wouldn't be able to track her that way.

  My mind screamed to use a more aggressive tracking spell, but it required a lot of strong magic. Or what I referred to as loud magic. The tracking spell would undoubtedly find Trixie, but I was going to be up to my armpits in warlocks and witches before I could go after her. Saving Trixie was going to be impossible if the Towers nuked my ass before I could find her.

  I needed a way to track her subtly. My eyes scanned the region as my brain struggled to come up with another solution. The wolves paced several yards away, watching me with their large, reflective eyes. An idea slashed across my brain.

  "Can you smell the fey? Strong enough to track them?" I demanded, pinning Jack with a hard look.

  The werewolf took a step backward. "Sure. I can send some of my people--"

  "No," I snarled, already walking toward the nearest wolf. It was smaller than many of the others, making me think that it might be a female. "I just need a tuft of fur," I said as I reached for the cringing wolf, hoping that the information would keep her from twisting around to bite me. She snarled as I yanked out a small tuft, but she didn't lunge for my hand--most people who had lycanthropy were born with it, but you could catch it from a bite. Not every bite guaranteed you'd shift at the next full moon, but the way my luck was running tonight, I knew I'd end up furry once a month if she'd gotten me.

  I walked back toward Jack, twisting the hair between my forefinger and thumb while I whispered a quick spell. As soon as it was a tiny ball of fur, I swallowed it. Jack was looking at me like I was crazy, but I didn't care.

  "How much longer do you have to be out tonight?" I asked as I yanked off my tie and shed my cloak and blazer.

  "At least a few more hours."

  I undid the first few buttons on the shirt and then just pulled it over my head before dropping it on the ground beside my other clothes. "Fine. Stay close to the clearing or head northwest. I think the hunting party is going to be busy with Trixie and me for a little while, but I wouldn't push your luck."

  "Are--are you going to shift?"

  "Yeah," I grumbled, balancing on one foot while pulling off one of the dress shoes.

  "Have you ever shifted before?"

  I paused, dropping the second shoe on the thick grass. "Once, but that was a hawk. I'm assuming that it's going to be about the same." I was down to just pants and boxers, and I was hoping to wait until the shifting spell kicked in full force. As it was, I could feel a growing tingling from head to toe while muscles started to twitch and jerk involuntarily.

  Jack frowned, crossing his arms over his broad chest. "Let me go with you. Shifting the first few times leaves you disoriented and it takes time for you to adjust to your heightened senses."

  I shook my head as the first wave of pain shot through my body. "I'm going alone."

  "You need help. Otherwise you're of no use to Trixie."

  A low growl rumbled through my chest and I balled my hands into fists. "Just help me identify her scent or at least the scent of the bastard that took her. I've got it after that."

  Jack said something, but I couldn't make it out past the rush of blood in my ears. I think he was agreeing to my terms, but I didn't care. The rush of pain from shifting was already on me. I managed to uncurl my fingers so that I could strip off the last of my clothes and then I was on my hands and knees in the tall grass.

  The pain was all consuming, searing away thought. The last time I had done this, I had been smart enough to use an additional spell to dull some of the pain. It was too late now. I had always heard that the first time a lycan shifted was extremely painful, but that description didn't begin to cover it.

  Bones snapped, lengthened, and reattached while muscles, tendons, and tissues ripped and re-formed to the demands of my new body. Everything hurt, blinding me, making it impossible to draw a breath when all I wanted to do was scream. I was vaguely aware of writhing on the ground, my limbs contorting in pain, until even my skin became ultra-sensitive.

  The process lasted only a few seconds, but I would have said I had spent days thrashing on the ground. As the pain gradually ebbed, thought returned to my brain in a scattered mess. The world around me was coming in differently. The air felt different, sounds were sharper, and the night didn't seem as dark as it had been.

  Don't move. Just lie there for a moment to let your body finish healing.

  I jerked at the sudden intrusion of Jack's voice, but the movement sent a fresh shaft of pain through my head. I opened my mouth to groan but it came out as a high-pitched yelp. Jumping upright, I instantly fell over as my brain didn't understand how to work this new body.

  Relax. Breathe. You're a wolf now. Four paws, bushy tail, sharp teeth. Takes some getting used to.

  I moved slower this time, pushing into a sitting position with my front paws braced in front of me. Blinking to adjust my new sharper sight, I saw Jack back in wolf form. I closed my eyes and focused on the path his telepathic voice had traveled. Can you hear me? I tried asking.

  Loud and clear, Jack replied. His long pink tongue hung out of the side of his mouth, making me think he was smiling. Wasn't sure this would work since you're not technically a werewolf. How do you feel?

  Like a troll beat me with a sledgehammer.

  To be expected. That spell had you shift too fast. Kind of surprised you survived.

  So was I. If I was ever stupid enough to try this stunt again, I was definitely going to take the time for a painkiller spell.

  With a strange grunt, I pushed onto all four paws and stood, proud that I didn't seem to be too wobbly. Let's get moving. I need to find Trixie.

  Wordlessly, Jack stood and took off in the direction that we had all seen Trixie head into the woods earlier in the evening. I followed behind at a slower gait as I struggled to get my feet moving. After a couple yards, I stopped trying to think about it and let instinct take over. I sped up while the rest of my senses allowed me to become more aware of the world.

  The colors of the night were crisper rather than being dulled by the lack of light. It was like I could suddenly hear everything--mice, bugs, birds, rabbits, and even things I couldn't identify. There was a growing urge in me to follow some of these noises, to hunt . . . something, but I tightened my focus.

  A thousand scents assailed me. Some good. Some bad. I could identify all of them in an instant. I could pick out the scent of every wolf that had crossed through this section of the clearing. I could smell rabbit, deer, and birds that had briefly landed during the early evening and then flown away. Halfway across the cleaning, I caught my first hint of Trixie
, and it smelled like heaven.

  My whole body jerked to a halt as if my muscles had frozen. My nose was nearly brushing the ground as I drank in her scent. Trixie!

  Caught it, huh? Jack said, circling back to stand near me.

  She smells . . . It's perfect. It's like what I'm used to when I'm human, but so much more. So . . . perfect. I wanted to roll in her scent. To wrap it around me like a blanket. It was the scent of the summer sun on a field of wildflowers. It was a thunderstorm and a perfumed wind. It was a hundred things combining into something exquisite.

  I had asked Jack along because I had been afraid that I would have trouble identifying scents, but there was no missing this.

  Is this what the fey smell like to you? I asked as I started to move forward again, following the scent toward the trees.

  Jack followed behind me, his paws nearly silent on the earth. No, Trixie's different. Smells a little of you and a little less of the earth.

  I tried to frown, but the muscles around my mouth didn't respond how I expected them to. Trixie didn't smell like the other fey because she had stopped living with them centuries ago. A part of me hated the king of the Summer Court for his constant harassment, but a part of me was glad. I would never have met Trixie otherwise.

  I continued past the edge of the clearing into the woods. The darkness became thicker, as many of the trees had yet to finish shedding their leaves for the season. The air was heavy with earthy scents, but I could still pick out Trixie. I could easily identify the tree she had hidden in, the place where the wolf had run past in pursuit of the rider, and where Trixie had jumped down to the ground.

  Muscles jerked and froze as the scent of the Winter Court elf mingled with Trixie's, and then it seemed like Trixie's scent shifted slightly.

  Something happened to Trixie's scent, I said to Jack as a low growl rumbled up my throat.

  You smell her fear.

  I think it's time for you to head back to your people.

  Gage, I can--

  Go. Back. Now.

  I looked over my shoulder at Jack, my ears flattened against my head and my teeth bared at him. Instincts were rising up, clouding my thoughts until I could no longer reason things out beyond emotion. The Winter Court had Trixie. I had to get her back. Jack was trying to keep me from what was mine.

  The alpha growled back at me, widening his stance slightly as he prepared for the attack. Back down, Gage! Get ahold of yourself. Don't threaten me. I'll protect myself for the sake of my pack.

  Jack's words snapped through my brain, jerking me away from my urge to go for his throat. I shook my head hard and took a step away from him as reason started to trickle in again.

  Sorry. Just stay here. I need to take care of this alone.

  The large gray wolf nodded and sat down where he had been standing.

  With an inner sigh, I returned to the task of locating and following Trixie's scent. I let the wolf's instinct sink back into command of my body, but I kept a tighter hold on my more human thought processes, preferring not to get swept away again.

  This brief trip through the woods as a wolf had given me a new respect for lycanthropes. It wasn't just about the hassle of having to shift every full moon and being aware of exactly how dangerous your blood was. It was about battling an entirely different set of instincts for control of a dangerously strong body. My brief stint as a hawk had been a bit of fun, but none of its predatory instincts had been triggered during the shift. How do you cling to your humanity when you've got a cold, vicious predator constantly whispering in your ear?

  I followed the mingled scent of the Winter Court elf and Trixie through the woods, climbing over fallen trees and across nearly dry creek beds. There were few sounds as I moved deeper into the woods. Most creatures were now sleeping in their private lairs, while others quickly scurried away from me rather than risk becoming dinner.

  About five miles from the clearing, the elf's scent was joined by the scent of several horses and more elves until I could hear the pounding of hooves on the ground. I slowed my pace a little and became more cautious, careful not to make a sound.

  "Well now, aren't you far away from your pack?" called a melodic voice from above me.

  I tried to dart away, but I was too slow. A rope swept over my head and tightened around my throat before I could escape. The elf jumped down from the tree, looping a second rope around my muzzle to keep me from biting a hand off. I struggled, but there was no getting away without risking strangulation. Been there. Done that. Got the T-shirt.

  Backing as far from the elf as I could and still manage to breathe, I growled at the dark-haired bastard. He simply laughed at me, grinning widely.

  "The Towers might not want us hunting your pack in your territory, but you've crossed into our territory. First a Summer Court elf and now a werewolf. This is going to be a fun night."

  I continued to struggle a little, but let this asshole lead me back to where the rest of the fey were holding Trixie. It was nice that he thought I was just another shifter. That edge was going to come in handy.

  We walked for nearly a mile before we came to a small circular clearing in the trees. I blinked at the pale white lights that hovered in the air, giving the area a silver-lined appearance. The same elves I had seen on horseback were now standing around the clearing, holding silver goblets and chatting softly as if they were attending a fancy dinner party. Some even seemed to have changed clothes into elegant evening wear. The horses were gone but I could smell them on the wind as if they were lingering close by.

  I located Trixie kneeling on the ground next to the king with a gag in her mouth and her hands tied in front of her with white rope. Her glamour spell was gone and she was back to being the blond elf I had fallen in love with. In the faint lighting, I could make out a bruise on her cheek and tears in her jeans and shirt.

  The instincts I had been battling since I first caught Trixie's scent jumped back into control before I could push them down again. I lunged forward, my entire body screaming to sink my teeth into the throat of the king, but the rope around my throat tightened painfully, halting me before I got more than two feet.

  "Your Majesty, I present you with a new pet," my captor cheerfully proclaimed, bowing beside me at the king. He giggled and then turned toward the queen. "Or maybe Her Majesty would rather have a new fur."

  I'd had enough. The pain in my throat had been enough to snap me out of my blind rage so I could cast a few useful spells. Lying on the ground, I closed my eyes and blocked out of the sound of their conversation. I cast the pain-relieving spell I should have used earlier in the night and dissolved the ropes around me with a second spell. As my captor shouted in surprise, I kicked on the shifting spell.

  Pain lanced through my body a second time, but it was muted, as if I were detached from my body. Senses dulled and instincts dimmed slightly, but there was still a rage beating in the back of my brain that wouldn't go away. Not until Trixie was safe back at my side.

  As the last of the pain subsided I became aware of screaming and frantic shouting. I lifted my head to find the gathered elves backing away. It seemed like they recognized me. A smile grew on my face, wavering only for a second as I caught the look of horror in Trixie's eyes.

  Pushing to my feet again, I cast one last spell, clothing myself in jeans and T-shirt from my own closet rather than the suit and cloak of the Towers. They had no doubt I was a warlock, there was no reason for me to wear that damn monkey suit now.

  I stood slowly and brushed my hands off on my jeans. My body ached down to the bone and was stiff, but I was surprised that I didn't feel worse. I wasn't a lycanthrope so my body wasn't prepared to shift like that. Tomorrow I'd be lucky to crawl out of bed. For now, I was moving only because of adrenaline and a good numbing spell.

  "So we meet again," I said, grinning at the king.

  "We have not been hunting the werewolves in your territory," the king argued quickly.

  "I know."

  "This was a
trap?"

  "No. You have someone who belongs with me." I stared down at Trixie. Her eyes softened as her hands relaxed in her lap. "I've come to get her back."

  "She is precious to you?"

  Something in the king's tone snapped my head up and I glared at him. Anger flared to life again in my chest, burning away all thoughts of walking away so that I instead longed to rain destruction down upon their heads. They had stolen Trixie from me, threatened her well-being. They had to be punished. They had to be crushed.

  "Do you have something you wish to say?" I asked in a silky voice.

  The king stepped forward and placed a heavy hand on Trixie's stiff shoulder, while a dagger glinted faintly in his other fist. "We found her wandering in the woods and have kept her safe for you. I thought to suggest an exchange."

  My smile grew a little wider as I narrowed my eyes. "An exchange? I think I would be willing to make an exchange. How about we exchange her for the lives of all the Winter Court females?"

  I swept my hands out on either side of myself and then lifted them up. There was no whisper of magic words or tricky movements. There was only energy; lots of magic energy rushing into the circle, stirring the wind, and wrapping around all the females within the circle. As one, they were jerked up into the air, dangling above the gathered males. Their screams were cut off as the energy wrapped around their throats, nearly cutting off their access to air. They kicked and fought to be set free, but I could only see the anger and fear on the face of the king.

  "Tonight, I can wipe out the Winter Court. I can't imagine there are too many people in the world that would miss the cold embrace of winter," I taunted. "I could kill your females and watch the last of you wither away to nothing."

  Trixie grabbed the gag and, after a few tries, jerked it from her mouth. "Stop it! Please, stop it now!"

  "They hurt you! They threatened your life! They have to pay!" I shouted back, my temper breaking lose.

  "And I'm sure they'll be happy to let me go. Please, let's just leave."