The Fifth Moon's Lovers (The Fifth Moon's Tales Book 3)

by Monica La Porta

  The intensity of his gaze left her breathless. His chest rose against hers.

  “Until the end of time. I’ll always love you,” he said.

  Mirella felt his heart skipping a beat at the same time hers did. “I love you, Valentine.”

  Raising his lips to hers, he moved his hands to her breasts again and drove into her, but with a slow and torturous rhythm.

  “Faster,” she demanded when he brought her closer to completion and slowed his movements again.

  “I want to savor you,” he replied, pinching her nipples as he directed his soft kisses from the contour of her jaw to her throat. “I want to remember this moment forever.”

  Her head swam and her heartbeats sped, making her pant in anticipation of his teeth marking her.

  “Your scent.” He nipped her earlobe, then moved down the column of her throat again.

  She shivered, her body clenching around him.

  “Your skin.” His tongue lapped at the hollow of her throat.

  “Please—” She tethered on a precipice, all her senses heightened by his slow and deliberate actions.

  “Your softness.” He bit into her shoulder and rocked her hard, filling her completely.

  Closing her eyes, Mirella dissolved in a haze of pure bliss. His roar echoed inside her a moment later. Moving against each other, they rode the ecstasy of their fulfillment until they were completely spent.

  Chapter Three

  “I came here because I wanted to talk to you.” Valentine laughed against her shoulder, sending the white, hanging chair into motion once again.

  “It was a good talk.” Mirella kissed the crown of his shorn head. “You have a way with words, husband.”

  “You are a sorceress.” He straightened to meet her mouth. “There is no other explanation for my lack of restraint when I am in your presence.”

  “I rather like your wild side.”

  “You look like a savage has just had his wicked way with you.”

  “And I immensely enjoyed every moment of it.”

  Caressing the swell of her breast, he sighed. “I must leave for a few days.”

  “Where are you going?” She pushed against his chest to look at him.

  “To Sidera Prime.”

  “Why?”

  “I need to visit the Brotherhood Library. I have a few questions about this business of raising pups, and I hope to find answers there.”

  “Can’t it wait? I’m months away from giving birth.” Mirella smiled.

  “Once your belly starts to grow, I don’t want to miss a minute of your pregnancy, and I am clueless when it comes to these kinds of womanly things. I want to be there for you, not just as a panicked spectator.” The words came out of his mouth as he had rehearsed them countless times. He could have lied and told her he had business with the Brotherhood, but he hated subterfuge and loved her too much to fabricate a story for her sake. Still, he hadn’t told her the truth.

  “A panicked spectator, ah?” she said. “According to my mother, my father went a bit crazy during her pregnancies. It seems that he was worried the entire time something would happen to her and treated my mother like a porcelain doll. She complains about it, but I know deep down she loved the attention. She still does.” Mirella laughed. “Are you going to be obnoxiously attentive as well?”

  “Am I not already?” He leaned to kiss her. “Because if you don’t think so, I am not doing my job properly.”

  She didn’t know how much he refrained himself from being overprotective. He wanted Mirella to feel free while he tried his best to protect her from anything. It was a tiring job that was draining him because he feared it would all be for nothing.

  “You are just perfect.” She kissed him back, then leaned away to look at him. “I hoped I could come with you though.”

  “I would like nothing more than to make love to you high in the sky, but the Brothers wouldn’t like me breaking the rules.”

  Only werewolves were allowed inside the space station, and although Valentine didn’t relish the idea of spending time alone in the ancient mausoleum, he wouldn’t have brought Mirella along even if it were allowed. Besides a few happy memories of his childhood, the rest of his life on Sidera Prime had been at best bleak. He didn’t dwell on the worst.

  “I’ve been given a week, but I hope to find my answers sooner.” He nudged her nose with his. “I’m famished.”

  Her eyes darted toward the marble table that was set for two but devoid of food. “I’m afraid Crea and I ate everything.”

  “Let’s raid the kitchens.” He closed her corset and helped her down.

  “I hope nobody saw us.” She looked around, flattening her skirt.

  “I’m sure that Gabriel warned the staff not to venture to this side of the gardens.” His hand reached for her disheveled braid and loosened her tresses until they were free. “Better.”

  She gave him a brilliant smile and shook her head, sending her mane over her shoulder, then she buttoned his pants, put his belt back in place, and finally passed her palm over his chest before straightening his jacket’s lapels.

  Once they were both presentable, he offered her his elbow.

  They walked in silence for a few minutes, then Mirella gently squeezed his arm. “When are you leaving?” she asked.

  “Tonight.” He had postponed the conversation as long as possible, but there was no escape now.

  “Tonight?” She stopped. “Why so soon?” Her lips were still swollen from his kisses, and her frown made her look adorable.

  How could Mirella have gotten so firmly under his skin that he couldn’t breathe at the mere idea of leaving her for a handful of days?

  “Because the answers I seek are time sensitive, and the sooner I go the faster I am back to you.” He dropped a kiss on her unruly tresses, and the gesture combined with his words seemed to pacify her.

  Mirella sighed, then leaned against him as they resumed walking. “What are you looking for exactly?”

  “How to raise a werewolf puppy and take care of his beautiful mother.” He wound his arm around her back. His statement was truthful, yet again it failed to convey the whole truth.

  Valentine couldn’t tell Mirella that he was on a quest to save her life. No known blessed bride had ever survived labor, and he intended to find out why and change her fate.

  “Balenus explained that my body is changing to better care for our son.” She passed her hand over her flat stomach. “I think I can already feel the changes.”

  “Can you?” He was surprised that the medicus had released that information to Mirella, but it probably wasn’t a bad idea to prepare her if her pregnancy would soon diverge from normalcy. She wasn’t going to give birth to a human child, and not even her mother could assist her in the coming months.

  Her head bobbed in assent. “My sense of smell is sharper than it was for sure.”

  “That’s the little wolf in you.” He couldn’t help but smile.

  His unborn son’s wolf was already manifesting its powers, and it made Valentine proud.

  “What else?” he asked, pressing her against his side.

  “Sometimes I think the colors are more vivid, but maybe it’s just in my head.”

  “Werewolf senses are stronger than human senses.”

  “So, I truly can feel textures differently?”

  “That’s right.”

  “When we make love, all the sensations are more intense; it’s almost overwhelming.”

  Valentine stroked her back slowly, his fingers trailing over the fabric of her dress, looking for the strap of her brassiere. “We should do it more often then, so you can get used to it.”

  “If we do it more often, we might never get anything accomplished.” Mirella laughed.

  “But what a great way to pass our time.”

  “I wouldn’t complain one bit, but I’ll be round and fat soon, and you might not be interested that much in seeing me naked—”

  He halted her, then pressed on h
er back to turn her around and face him. With a finger under her chin, he raised her face until she looked at him. “Never. That will never happen. I’ll always want to see you naked, and when you increase, I’ll take pictures of you to show you how beautiful you are.” Walking forward, he led her to the wall and took her mouth for a deep kiss as his hands roamed all over her corset. “You know that your scent is sweeter?”

  Mirella shook her head, panting.

  “It is, and it’s very distracting—” He lowered his lips to the swell of her breasts and nudged his face against her warm skin, inhaling her perfume. “Because I can’t resist you,” he whispered.

  Goosebumps appeared on her skin, and he trailed his mouth over her soft mounds. “Valentine—” Steps interrupted her.

  Raising his head, he smiled at Mirella. “My longing for you will only increase as you do.”

  She blushed, then hugged him, leaning her head against his chest as a house servant walked by, followed by two mechanical workers that carried laundry carts.

  Valentine caressed her head, then kissed her crown. His stomach growled, and they both laughed.

  ****

  The rest of the day passed too fast. They ate lunch with Dragon and Gabriel, but Valentine ordered their dinner to be served in his apartments, which were now Mirella’s as well. He didn’t want to share her with anyone else, and his friends were both too charming for their own good. Even though he knew Dragon and Gabriel were only being gallant, it still irked him whenever they paid a compliment to his bride. There were also good chances that at least Gabriel did it on purpose. A smirk appeared on the vampire’s face every time Valentine growled after one of his praises.

  After a dinner that was consumed mostly in silence as he and Mirella lovingly gazed at each other, exchanging caresses and kisses, Valentine had to say his goodbye and ended up making love to her on the table instead. Several porcelain plates and bowls crashed to the floor when he wiped the marble surface clean.

  “I’ll miss you,” she said when he collapsed on top of her.

  “I wouldn’t be leaving if it weren’t necessary.” He passed his fingers through her hair, disentangling one of the barrettes that had come undone. “I have ordered a communication mirror to be installed in the bedroom.” He pointed at the wall beside the large poster bed filling the nook at the other end of the room. “Aldo will install it first thing in the morning. It will take me a whole night and part of tomorrow to reach the space station. Communication aboard the Beagle isn’t possible, but I’ll call you as soon as I set foot on Sidera Prime.”

  “I’ll be counting the hours.” She caressed his jaw, then her hands followed the contour of his throat, moved to his shoulder, and progressed all the way down to the brand on his forearm. There, her fingers lingered, tracing the VL etched on his skin. “Does it hurt still?”

  The pads of her fingers danced over the raised edges of his burnt skin. Tender and exciting at the same time, the gesture was as intimate as lovemaking, and Valentine basked in the moment, committing to memory every detail. Her skin glowing in the aftermath of passion, her soft panting, her bouquet that was both lustful and pure, inciting his senses faster and longer than any aphrodisiac.

  “I’ve left a few gifts for you in the closet—” he said instead of answering her question and propped on his elbow.

  Mirella’s eyes darted toward the closet door.

  He chuckled, shaking his head. “I want you to wait for me to call you to open them. I’ll instruct you on how to use them.”

  Her eyes widened, but she nodded, blushing a little as if she could divine the nature of his presents. “As you wish.” Hands reaching for his neck, she pulled herself up.

  He grabbed her wrists and raised them over her head, pressing her down to the table. As he was about to profess his undying need for her once again, a knock on the door interrupted him. “What I wish for isn’t going to happen now,” he growled low against her throat.

  It was her turn to chuckle, and he kissed her laughing lips. At the third set of knocks, he finally answered, “What is it?”

  “Master Lobo, your freighter is ready,” Aldo said from outside. His receding steps echoed in the hallway soon after.

  Valentine released Mirella’s wrists, then cradled her to his chest and walked to their bed where he deposited her in the middle of a dark red blanket, her long auburn locks fanning all around her like a halo.

  “I must go.” He looked at her from the foot of the bed, filling his heart with her beauty.

  Curling into a ball, Mirella hugged her knees and silently watched while he dressed. He couldn’t resist taking her in his arms one more time to kiss her.

  “I’ll accompany you to the hangar,” she said, making an attempt to move away from his fierce hug.

  “Stay,” he said, lowering her to the bed again and covering her with a chenille throw.

  He brushed her lips one final time and left their apartments. The rational portion of his mind fought his heart the entire walk to the hangars. Leaving his bride was harder than he had imagined, and their separation would be short. What if he failed to find the answers he sought and he couldn’t save Mirella?

  ****

  Hovering among Lobo House’s large fleet, the Beagle Voyager waited for Valentine in the iron and polished wood hangar. The black of the metal structure was offset by the cherry-red beams forming the high ceiling above the ships. Marcellus had built the edifice with Terran naval hangars in mind, and Valentine added the thick glass portholes framed in copper when he remodeled much of Lobo Manor. He had liked the building but wanted to make the structure his own and made several changes.

  The smell of mechanical oil and the sight of busy workers wheeling about the hangar welcomed Valentine as he approached the entrance. He hadn’t visited the place in a while. The last time he had left Lupine was before his wedding because his business didn’t require extra-planetary traveling. He liked flying, though, and if the reason for his trip to Sidera Prime had not been dire, he would have enjoyed the ride. As it was, he walked toward the Beagle Voyager with a heavy heart.

  “Master Lobo,” Lando, the chief engineer, greeted Valentine from his portable station, now parked under the ship’s belly. The slender man wiped his greasy hand against his pants and tipped his head toward the ship above him, dislodging the magnifying glasses resting on his balding crown. “The Beagle is ready and the captain is waiting for you inside.”

  “Thank you, Lando.” Valentine brought two fingers to his temple and saluted the man as he passed by the engineer on his way to the retractable ladder hanging from the rotund keel.

  The Beagle’s lateral sails lay flat against the sides to occupy less space in the already crowded hangar, but the cruiser still towered over the rest of the fleet. Built for a rich merchant from Celestia, Valentine had acquired the ship from the merchant’s heirs who couldn’t afford to maintain it when they inherited their patriarch’s estate. It had been love at first sight for Valentine, and he had gone out of his way to snatch the ship from two overly-eager bidders at the auction house. He paid more than its appraised value, but money wasn’t a problem and its acquisition made him happy.

  As he ascended to the forecastle, he thought he would have liked to take Mirella on the Beagle and leisurely circumnavigate Lupine or even travel as far as Celestia and Solaria. The thought was sweet but the reality was bitter. Mirella’s days were numbered. The weight of the world resettled on Valentine’s shoulders with an oppressive, yet familiar sensation. Day by day, the bulk became heavier, and only his resolution to seek answers allowed Valentine to breathe. Feeble hope was his lifeline, anchoring him when despair would have crushed his spirit.

  On the forecastle, Captain Venezio welcomed Valentine aboard. The portly Celestian had come with the cruiser. Soon after Valentine took possession of the ship, the captain had come forward and given him a tour of the Beagle. The man’s affection for the ship he had commanded for more than fifteen years was written on his face as he p
roudly escorted Valentine through the galleries and explained how to take care of the sails. Valentine had reinstated Venezio and hired back the entire crew the captain had vouched for.

  “We haven’t sailed to Sidera Prime in a long time,” Venezio said, shaking the hand Valentine offered.

  “Are the weather conditions favorable?” Valentine asked.

  “We’ll have some turbulence coming out of Lupine’s atmosphere, but it will be smooth sailing from then on.” The captain indicated for Valentine to precede him on their way to the quarter deck and Valentine’s cabin, just above the officers’ gallery and the captain’s cabin.

  The crew bowed when Valentine passed, then resumed their activities. Valentine liked the controlled frenzy shown on the deck. It grounded him. He took in all the details that had made him fall in love with the Beagle. The brass shone and the steel deck resembled a mirror. The ship masts stood tall, their white sails hanging low. House Lobo’s insignia had replaced the original markings, and the HL decorated the foot of the black masts. Once the sails were freed from their constraints, they would inflate and sport the family crest, the silhouette of a red wolf on a white camp.

  A cabin boy Valentine hadn’t met before held the door to his cabin.

  “Since the last time you were on board, I’ve hired a few new sailors,” Venezio explained as they entered the large set of rooms that composed Valentine’s quarters. “I’ve ordered a light repast to be brought shortly, and as soon as we obtain the go from space control, you can give the command to sail.”

  Usually, Valentine stood on the deck for the first part of the launch, when the air was still breathable, but tonight he declined the captain’s polite offer.

  The captain nodded. “Very well. I’ll report if there are changes to the weather.”

  After exchanging a few more pleasantries, Venezio excused himself and left for the enclosed poop deck on the stern, from where he would direct the Beagle. Valentine removed his leather jacket and draped it over the back of a high-backed chair. His cabin smelled of polished wood and golden brass. The interior had been decorated to resemble a galleon’s captain’s quarters. Sturdy furniture in dark shades of cherry woods filled the bedroom, the living room, the parlor, and the bathroom. If the décor looked antique, the amenities were state of the art, modern and perfectly maintained, even if he used the ship only occasionally. Valentine kicked his boots off, eager to walk the hardwood floor that shone like a mirror and get reacquainted with the cruiser.