Bad Moon Rising: A Loup Garou World Novel (Tempting Fate Book 2)

by Mandy M. Roth

  She sighed. “Remember how I mentioned I didn’t think any of the men would listen and stay away long enough for us to draw out Reynaud?”

  Groaning, I looked in the direction her attention was pulled to. “How many ignored us?”

  “From the smell of it. All of them,” said Myra, her gaze sliding to me. “I’m shocked they made it a whole two minutes before blatantly throwing our well-thought plan out the window. Men. They’re infuriating.”

  Romeo stepped out from the darkness, his hands in the air as if signaling surrender.

  I’d last seen him in Jay’s kitchen where we’d all stood together formulating a plan to try to end Reynaud. Clearly, the men thought the plan was shit and formulated one of their own.

  Since they were the types to let testosterone guide their actions, I wasn’t holding out a lot of hope they’d do anything more than get in the way.

  I eyed Romeo. “You draw the short straw?”

  “I volunteered in hopes the ice cream bond we share would keep me safe from your wrath,” he said.

  I snorted.

  “Think the creepy vamp guy will come now?” asked Myra, her hand still on my shoulder.

  Suddenly, pain lanced through the bite marks Reynaud had given me. They each started to burn. Hissing, I tugged at the collar of my T-shirt. “Yep. I think he’ll show. In fact, I’m sure of it.”

  Myra sniffed me. “You smell like a vampire suddenly.”

  I rubbed the spot Reynaud had bitten me the deepest. “Pretty sure he’s flexing his power muscles as we speak.”

  Romeo neared us more, his hands still in the air.

  Myra snorted. “Wolf-boy, you can put down the white flag. We won’t kill you for being the guys’ sacrificial lamb.”

  Romeo lowered his hands and then stopped, glancing around. “What is that?”

  The same darkness I felt around Reynaud before began to creep over the area. It seemed to emanate from the club itself. I could feel it slinking its way over the ground, searching out something or someone. It zeroed in on Romeo and I inhaled sharply.

  So did he.

  “Kill me if I try to hurt you,” he said as it slammed into him.

  Myra let her claws emerge from her hands.

  I gasped. “You can’t really kill him.”

  “What is one less wolf-shifter?” she asked with a shrug.

  I grabbed her arm but looked at Romeo. “Oracle, you still you?”

  He patted himself, going so far as to feel his groin as well. “Yes. Pretty sure I’m still me.”

  “Want to tear my head off?” I asked.

  “Nope. I want to take you back to Jay’s and make you sit tight while we handle this.”

  I exhaled. “Yeah, sure sign you’re not mind-jacked. The other idiots can come out now. I promise not to bite.”

  Jay rushed out from the darkness, followed closely by Shaw and the others.

  Exavier twisted. “That is a shit load of evil I’m feeling. More than any one master vampire should be capable of.”

  Shaw nodded. “Aye. He made a deal with darkness long ago. I do nae know the price, but I know it’s pure evil and powerful.”

  Exavier looked to Jay. “This isn’t like anything I’ve encountered before. And it doesn’t feel natural.”

  Romeo nodded. “Gina mentioned that she thought it felt like it didn’t come from Reynaud but to him, kind of. As if its separate from him.”

  Exavier put his hands out and turned in a slow circle.

  I could sense the power trickling over him, curious but tentative in regard to him. Interesting. It must have sensed who he was and what he was capable of.

  “Exavier,” I said. “I get the feeling it’s not so sure it wants to take you on.”

  He shivered. “I feel like someone walked over my grave.”

  The bite marks on me hurt more. I hissed and grabbed my neck.

  Jay and Shaw came right for me.

  Grunting, Jay pushed past Shaw and pulled me to him. Jay turned me to face him. “Gina? What is it? I can feel your pain. Tell me what hurts.”

  “Where he bit me burns.”

  Shaw stiffened. “He’s calling you to him, lass. Do nae give into the lure.”

  I met his gaze. “I think we’re safe from me falling into his arms. He makes my skin crawl.”

  “Guid,” returned Shaw, edging closer to me.

  Myra snorted. “Gina, you do realize that between your mate and your father, you won’t be standing against anything. I’m shocked they didn’t lock you in the cell at Jay’s place like they threatened to do to Lindsay if she attempted to follow.”

  Romeo groaned and rubbed his forehead.

  “What?” I asked.

  He motioned to Jay. “He’s totally regretting not doing that. Dumbass.”

  There was a swooshing noise, and I turned slightly to find Zachariah there. He nodded to Exavier before turning his attention to Jay.

  Jay growled slightly. “You should have told me about the attack on her the night you sent her to the club.”

  “I know,” said Zachariah. “But be honest. You’d have launched a war.”

  Romeo nodded. “Oh yeah. Big time.”

  “For sure,” said Samuel, approaching from the other side of the parking lot. Mason and Christian were close by his side.

  With a long, annoyed breath, I looked at Jay. “Tell me you at least left someone at your house to guard Lindsay and the baby.”

  Exavier grinned. “Eion is there as well as the rest of my band. Nothing is getting past them.”

  I almost felt bad for anything that tried since his bandmates were all high-guards of the Dark Fae.

  “I should probably confess a new development,” said Zachariah.

  I sighed. “Bigger than finding out my dad is the Scottish dude?”

  Shaw waggled his brows.

  Zachariah did a double-take and then cleared his throat. “Well, no, not that big, but it’s something. I believe Reynaud may have succeeded in converting Tabitha and Lucy.”

  I tensed. “He turned two slayers into vampires? What? No way.”

  Zachariah faced me. “He has the power to do so. And more than one report of them being seen feeding on humans has come in tonight. I have slayers looking into it, but I ordered them to stay far from the club. I won’t risk anymore being turned.”

  Jay held me tighter to him. “You’re saying that he’s probably got slayers on his side in addition to like a hundred vampires and pure evil?”

  Zachariah rubbed his jaw. “Yes. That sums it up nicely.”

  “Not to mention he can apparently mind-jack people,” added Myra, not really helping with easing the tension any.

  “Lass, if his darkness is here, he cannae be too far,” said Shaw. “Take the females and go. Let us handle this matter.”

  Myra tipped her head, a hand going to her hip. “Listen here, hunk. You’re hot but I’m not taking a backseat to this prick who dared to hurt my friend. And I know Gina. She won’t back down either.”

  “This is nae up for debate,” snapped Shaw. “Gonzales, tell them I’m right.”

  Jay opened his mouth, took one look at Myra and then me and snapped his mouth shut.

  Shaw grunted. “Yer weak, Gonzales.”

  “Having a healthy fear of my mate isn’t weak,” said Jay before caressing my hip. “Baby, please go. We can handle this.”

  A black mist filled the entire area. When it cleared the parking lot was packed with vampires. None of them looked to be on our side.

  I felt him then. Reynaud was close, watching me.

  Jay growled so loudly that I was sure people in a four-block radius probably thought a massive animal got loose from a zoo. That or they were all supernatural and knew one badass alpha shifter was pissed.

  Two women I knew well stepped out from the seemingly endless group of vampires.

  Zachariah drew in a deep breath.

  So did I.

  He was right. Tabitha and Lucy were converted as noted b
y the fangs they flashed at us. While I’d never particularly liked them, I’d never wished this fate upon them. And if I wouldn’t have seen it with my own eyes, I’d have never believed converting a slayer into a vampire was even possible.

  Lucy stepped forward, her short dark hair spiked up in all directions. Her smile was wide, but the look in her eyes was wild. “Things were good until you got here, Gina. We were Zacharias’ favorites.” She motioned to Tabitha, who held a knife in her hand.

  Both women wore stakes and knives attached to each thigh.

  Tabitha nodded. “You came along and everything changed. It’s been nothing but Regina this and Regina that.”

  Zachariah stepped forward more. “That is not true. I value you both. Reynaud plants the seeds of jealousy in you, knowing you are too new to the demon in you to resist. You can fight his hold on you even though he sired you both. Focus and break his will.”

  They didn’t look like they wanted to break anything other than our faces.

  “Zachariah,” said another slayer I knew well from behind us.

  I glanced over my shoulder to find every slayer from our division there, closing ranks along with what I could only guess were the vampires Zachariah had called in to help.

  Jay’s pack appeared as well, each looking ready to fight to the death for the cause.

  One by one Fae males began to pop up at seemingly random spots. The more I thought about it all, the less random and more strategic their positioning appeared to be.

  It took me a moment to recognize that while I’d assumed I was alone in the world, I wasn’t. Each and every one of these people came to help something that was a direct threat to me.

  Myra touched my shoulder lightly. “Any sign of Creepy McCreepy?”

  “Not yet,” I returned, the bite area hurting once more. “But I know he’s close.”

  In the next second, Reynaud appeared on the top of the club.

  “Speak of the devil,” I managed.

  Myra snorted. “You weren’t kidding. He is full of himself. Though, I’d have thought he’d be uglier. Shame to waste a perfectly good hot male to darkness, but whatever. Win some. Lose some. But hey, your dad is hot enough to make up for it all.”

  I nearly gagged.

  She laughed.

  Reynaud soaked in the sight of the army ready to stand against him. The crazy bastard smiled as if he’d been expecting something like this all along.

  If he had, we’d played right into his hands. And by we I meant the dumbass men who decided to toss the playbook out the window.

  “Ladies,” he said to Tabitha and Lucy, who looked totally enamored by his very presence.

  Yuck.

  They sneered before glancing at all of the vampires surrounding us. “Kill them all and take Gina to the master. I’m told she’ll make a grand companion and mother to his children.”

  “He’ll nae touch my daughter!” yelled Shaw.

  “I’ll rip your fucking head off, Reynaud!” Jay jerked me behind him and put his hands out to each side of me and let them shift. Fur covered his forearms and hands while huge claws emerged from his fingertips. The snarl that tore free from him left no room for interpretation.

  Fuck with his wife and die.

  My husband was fierce.

  So was I.

  Every one of the good guys took a fighting stance and the enemy didn’t disappoint. They launched a full-scale attack. The ground seemed to shake as supernatural collided against supernatural. It was epic and chaotic.

  I went low while Jay went high. We cut through the enemy with ease at first, neither taking any hits. It took me a moment to realize that Jay and I worked together as if we’d been doing it for years and years, when in truth, we rarely did.

  The happy thought left quickly when I realized just how many vampires were coming at us. They seemed to be multiplying.

  The darkness that covered the ground increased and rushed up my legs, halting my movements. A vampire slammed into me and Myra attacked it, beheading it before grabbing for me. She tugged, I remained planted in place.

  Her eyes widened. “Gina?”

  Jay twisted, and his brows met. “Baby?”

  “I can’t move,” I said, my voice barely there.

  He paled and rushed me, trying to lift me but he couldn’t. I was stuck to the ground as if I was a cement statue.

  Shaw appeared and cut through two more of the enemy. “Lass?”

  “I can’t fucking move her!” yelled Jay, sounding panicked.

  The same static energy I’d felt while Jay was claiming me rushed through once again. One second, I was there, near my husband, in the center of the battle and the next, Jay and I were in a darkened hall that looked to be carved deep in the earth.

  Jay spun. “What the hell?”

  I lifted a foot, happy to see I could move again. “Jayson? Where are we?”

  He grabbed my hand. “No fucking clue.”

  The darkness level increased in the area so much so that I honestly wondered if we were standing in hell.

  Jay sniffed and then gasped. “Gina, I think we’re under the club. In the den.”

  I eased closer to him. “How did we get here?”

  He closed his eyes a second. “Baby, remember how your father told me you flashed away from him when he wouldn’t let you make stakes when you were little?”

  I thought about it and then sucked in a huge breath. “Holy shit balls, I brought us here?”

  He nodded. “That is my guess.”

  The urge to move down the corridor was great. I gave in and dragged Jay with me. As we came to a fork in the tunnels, I paused.

  Something snarled and leaped out at me.

  Jay killed it before I could blink.

  He looked down at the dead vampire and then put his hands on my shoulders. “You lead, I’ll follow.”

  I did.

  He stuck to me like glue.

  The corridor opened into a large room and in the center of it was a pedestal. On it was what looked like a snow globe. If snow globes held blue fire and felt like death the closer you got to them.

  My eyes widened. “I think that is the darkness. At least the source of it.”

  Jay went for it and I grabbed his arm.

  “I’m not sure we should touch it,” I said.

  He bent, touched my chin, kissed my lips and winked. In the next breath, the fool not only grabbed the glass ball, he threw it at the wall. It shattered and blue light went everywhere.

  Jay threw me to the floor and covered me with his body.

  I screamed, sure he was going to burn away to nothing more than ash. When I realized he was not only in one piece but apparently unharmed, I slapped the crap out of his arms. The bite marks Reynaud had given me stopped hurting instantly.

  Jay grunted and rolled off me before helping me to my feet.

  I slapped him again for good measure once I was standing.

  He grinned. “What?”

  “Jayson, what if that would have killed you?”

  “Your father would kill Reynaud and you’d be safe. Without me, but safe,” he said calmly.

  I hit him again.

  He flinched. “Ouch.”

  I stilled. “You didn’t like end the outside world or anything, did you?”

  He paused, concern flashing through his brown gaze.

  I groaned. “You went all alpha and acted without thinking. Jayson, if you ended the world I’m going to be so pissed.”

  He bit his lower lip. “Um, okay.”

  The was a popping noise and Exavier was suddenly there. He stared around the cavern. “Are you two okay?”

  I gave Jay a hard look. “Yes, by the grace of the gods because dumbass here just took what I’m fairly sure was a globe of pure darkness and threw it at the wall. Tell me there is a world left out there.”

  Exavier stared at Jay. “That huge flux of evil was because of you?”

  Jay blushed. “Erm, yes.”

  Exavier rolled his ey
es.

  I stared at him.

  “The world is still out there. A mass of darkness rushed over the area and then vanished. The second it did, Reynaud looked scared shitless.” He looked at me. “Gina, your dad moved faster than I’ve ever seen anyone move. One second he was close to Myra and the next he was next to Reynaud.”

  “Is he okay?” I asked, scared for my father.

  “If by okay you mean standing on a pile of ashes that used to be Reynaud, while singing some song in what I’m guessing is Gaelic, then yes. He’s totally fine,” said Exavier.

  I gasped. “Reynaud is dead?”

  Exavier nodded.

  Jay spun around, lifted me and hugged me tight enough to crush me.

  I winced.

  He let up and set me on my feet. “I’m starting to like your father more and more.”

  Exavier grunted. “Not sure you’re growing on him any. Plus, you’re going to have to tell him you knocked up his daughter.”

  I swayed. “What?”

  Exavier glanced at me and then focused on my stomach. “I just spoiled the surprise, didn’t I?”

  I turned and swatted Jay some more.

  He laughed and lifted me again, kissing me thoroughly. “Mmm, Fiery One, how about we go out, and I’ll help finish off the bad guys while you stand out of the way and look sexy and pregnant.”

  I glared at him.

  “You’re super-hot when you’re pissed at me.”

  Exavier laughed. “Come on. Let’s go finish off the last of Reynaud’s vampires and go back to your place so I can try to calm my wife down. Just think now we’ll have two lethal hormonal women to contend with.”

  Jay set me down gently and cupped himself. “Shit.”

  “Yeah, shit,” said Exavier laughing.

  I took Jay’s hand in mine. “Bet you’re sorry you claimed me, aren’t you?”

  He grinned. “Hell no! I love you, woman, even though you’re the most stubborn woman I’ve ever met.”

  “I love you too even though you could have ended the world a few minutes ago.”

  “Uh, let’s not tell your father about that. I’m already batting a thousand with him,” said Jay, making Exavier and I laugh.

  I stilled. “What happens now?”