Silence stretched. Aaron paced. Cooper, thankfully, sat next to her and pulled her close, up under his shoulder. And to think she’d started out thinking he’d be the difficult one but he was a little tense too. He just hid it better.
“North of Vegas?” Aaron said. “About seven years ago?”
Oh shit. “Yeah.”
“You didn’t leave fast enough, baby. I sensed something. I convinced myself I’d imagined it.”
Damn damn damn. “I didn’t know, Aaron,” she whispered. His anger over that hurt and she rubbed her chest. “I promise I didn’t know.”
“Aaron,” Cooper snapped. “You have to let this shit go.”
He spun around, furious. “We’re supposed to trust her with everything when she doesn’t trust us? How many more secrets? How many more things we need to know to protect our mate and children that she isn’t telling us? Doesn’t plan to tell us.”
She felt Cooper’s anger spike and put a hand on his chest when he went to rise, shook her head and stood to face Aaron herself. Didn’t stop Cooper joining her of course.
“Gage has a twin,” she said softly. “Younger. And he hasn’t claimed his mate yet because it’s safer for her that way. And we have a cousin, a female werewolf, whose father went rogue and killed her mother. Her name is Gia and she lives with a group of human hunters not far from your hunter headquarters.”
She clenched her fists and looked away. “That’s how you destroy me, if that’s what you decide. That’s all I had left until I came here.”
Fuck it. The longer this dragged out the more pissed off she got. “You’re whole life you got to be who you are. What you are. You had a pack and a family and you didn’t have to hide from any of them. You weren’t hunted from the day you were born. Not just because of your name but because you shouldn’t even exist. I’m sorry you’re butthurt because you didn’t know who and what I was before I came here. Because I wasn’t willing to just hand over my family to you because you’re my mate.” She paused, sucked in a deep breath. “You know what? I’m not sorry. You don’t fucking know me. Apparently you don’t want to. And my identity, my secrets, aren’t what this is about anyway. You can’t accept me as I am.”
His nostrils flared, taking in her scent and finally catching on. “Don’t you dare try to leave, mate.”
Cooper looked like he was ready to throttle his brother and she stepped in between them. Tried to control the way her body reacted to the confrontation. This should not turn her on. Not even a little. She’d almost had something here.
“Do you know how much it hurts when you can’t shift for weeks on end even in inside your house? Because then you want to run and it hurts even more not to run. It’s better to just not shift at all. That’s why we spent so much time out west. I could have a taste of freedom in the desert. I should have stayed out here when Pop died,” she said softly. “Maybe in another couple of generations we won’t be as hunted.”
Aaron looked torn and a little bewildered. She didn’t want that either and turned away. She didn’t have to fight for her freedom because Cooper blocked his brother.
“Delilah,” Aaron said brokenly.
She paused for a second but she didn’t look back and then she didn’t hesitate. She wasn’t surprised to find Gage waiting for her in the drive. She went straight to the SUV and climbed in the back. She’d scented Nicholas Sarseen behind the wheel. Gage slid into the front passenger seat and twisted to face her.
“You’re sure?”
“Get me out of here.”
“You’re mated and you’re pregnant,” he said as Nicholas swung the car around.
She shrugged a shoulder, met his gaze coldly. “Just get me out of here, Gage. Take me to the airport. I can’t stay here.”
His jaw clenched but he nodded. “Whatever you say. For now.”
She hated leaving. It hurt, especially Cooper who understood, seemed to accept, but hell maybe that was just an act. Maybe he was just as hung up on her being as strong and capable as he was and hid it better. She closed her eyes. Pretended to doze until they got to the plane at the small local airport. She got on by herself and it took off a few minutes later. When she landed in Knoxville, she disappeared.
Nineteen
Two fucking weeks she hid from them. From him as Cooper loved to point out, when he bothered to answer his fucking phone, and she was here? In an isolated little farmhouse barely a hundred miles away? At least she wasn’t alone.
Aaron had used the time to delve into her past, had painstakingly recreated it. Every little thing he learned dug a knife in his chest. Gage drove it deeper every time he taunted him for losing his cousin. His own brother twisted it every chance he got.
“Why are you here?” Cooper drawled. He’d come outside and met Aaron in yard when he pulled down the drive.
Aaron forced the wince down, glared at his brother. “She’s our mate, remember?”
Cooper eyed him lazily. Shrugged a shoulder. “She left you. Not me.”
Aaron couldn’t believe this shit. “Since when does a female come between us?”
“Since you rejected our mate.”
That tone, that coldness, had never been directed at him. It stunned him. He’d never imagined it was possible to be at odds with his brother. Unbelievable.
“I objected to be uninformed. That doesn’t warrant this,” he said as calmly as he could. Especially from his brother.
Gage stepped out of the house and as much as he wanted to, Aaron didn’t snarl. The man was his king, and his smile was cruel promising retribution.
“She’s one of mine. My family, and I am nothing like our grandfather. If I lose Delilah and my nieces because you are an ass, I will destroy everything that means something to you. She gave you her biggest secret. Not me. Not her name. Her. And you threw it away.”
Aaron felt it with everything he learned about her and he knew what an ass he’d been. But it wasn’t every day you found out your mate was stronger than you. It wasn’t everyday you saw it. Cooper seemed to accept that right away. It had taken Aaron longer.
“What do you mean lose her?” he asked. “She’s here. I scent her.”
“Why would I let you pass? You should take a minute to imagine what it feels like to be rejected by a mate,” Gage said, so frigid Aaron thought he had frostbite.
“I didn’t mean to,” he protested.
“But you did.” So soft. So cold. So menacing. Their king was furious. Aaron got the message and Gage was the gauntlet, her oldest adult male family member. He didn’t think Gage wanted promises of fealty either. He was just looking out for Delilah.
“I love her,” Aaron said. He was pretty sure she was listening. “I knew it the minute I saw her and wanted the same from her. The same blind faith.”
She walked outside, her arms crossed tight over her abdomen, protective though she wouldn’t show for awhile yet. “Do you even get why blind trust was not an option?”
He walked up the steps, dropped to his knees and pressed his lips to her stomach.
“Yes. I do. You didn’t give me a chance to come to terms with it. You just left.”
He’d thought the first night he couldn’t get more scared, not knowing where she was or if she was okay. It had grown worse every hour that followed until one day he realized he hadn’t seen his brother. Either she or Gage had let Cooper know where she was. If they’d told anyone else, their alpha or beta for instance, no one would share the information with Aaron. His reception had been distinctly chilly at the big house. Someone had taken pity on him eventually however, and anonymously texted her location. Hell, despite Gage’s fury he’d probably done it. Aaron wouldn’t put much past him, and he knew what he needed to do.
Beg. Grovel. Whatever it took.
“I was a dumbass. I’m sorry. Please come home, Delilah.” She pressed her lips together and he could see her wavering.
“And what’s this about girls?” he asked lightly. “First born in our family is always twin b
oys.”
“Just another thing wrong with me I guess,” she said sharply.
He’d fucked that up too. “There’s not a damned thing wrong with you, but some of us need shaking up. I can’t wait to see our daughters.”
“They’ll shift.” That was definitely a warning. He’d had a lot of time to think about it, though. “Our girls will be stronger, faster, better able to defend themselves than a human female born in the pack. A father would have to be an idiot to take issue with that.”
“Didn’t we already establish you’re an idiot,” Cooper drawled.
Aaron grinned, rose from his kneeling position, but ignored his brother. “No, I was a dumbass. I came to my senses when you walked out the door and disappeared. If you want to do that, fine, but take me with you. Don’t leave with my heart again, Delilah.”
“Shit. Put me out of his misery, sweetheart,” Cooper said.
Aaron could practically hear his eyes rolling, but it was okay since, Delilah was fighting a smile.
“I don’t know, Cooper. I don’t think he’s groveled enough,” she said coolly.
He reached for her slowly, took her hands and drew her closer. Bending his head, he kissed the mark he’d left on her skin. “Take me inside and make me beg, baby.”
She shivered. “Somehow I don’t think it would work out quite that way.”
“Oh, I’m begging,” he whispered. “Let me touch you. Let me love you. Come home. Well in an hour. Or two. Come home.”
She burst out laughing and wrapped her arms around his head. “I’ll think about it. In an hour or two.”
Then she dragged him inside and down the hall to the bedroom but he stopped her at the door. “The next time I’m an idiot yell at me or hit me. But if you need time to trust me this far, I get it. I just want to be near you.”
That was a lie. He was dying to get inside her.
“Aaron?”
“Yeah?”
“You’re being an idiot. Kiss me and take my clothes off before I change my mind.”
“Damn, I love you.”
She crooked her finger and turned away, a sultry smile tossed over her shoulder. “Prove it.”
He didn’t have to be told twice and he wasn’t about to give her time to reconsider. Cooper followed and shut the door. Delilah pushed him towards the bed and had him out of his clothes before he had a chance to help. Then she made him beg. Her hands stroked, her mouth sucked, and finally she lowered herself on to him. Head tilted back, a look of intense pleasure on her face. She was exquisite as she drove them to a place beyond bliss, beyond rapture. Fucking perfect and he knew how damned lucky he was that she shared it with him.
It was a long time later before any of them could speak. Cooper was still a little suspicious. That rankled but there wasn’t a damn thing he could do about it. Since Delilah was in his arms, sated and happy, he decided not to worry about it.
“I’m sorry I missed our first Christmas,” he said softly.
He felt her smile in his bones. “Better late than never.”
“It won’t happen again,” he promised. He swept her hair aside and kissed his mark on her neck. “I love you.”
She rolled over and rubbed her nose against his chest. “Don’t you forget.”
“Never again, baby. Never again.”
Claiming The Moon
Lunar Mates Six
Blurb
Hunter archivist, Ellen Monroe, is being stalked. Unable to determine who the threat is, her boss insists she move into Hunter headquarters until things are straightened out. Then he calls the last person—and the only person—Ellen wants to see.
Clint Osborn has his own reasons, dark and private, for not claiming Ellen, but when her life is endangered he can’t trust anyone else to her safety. Unfortunately, she’s not really safe from him either. Can he eliminate the threat against her before he’s forced to walk away from temptation? Or is it already too late for them both?
This book was originally published in 2007. It has been revised and expanded.
One
It was so freaking cold her bones hurt but that wasn’t what made her shiver, look over her shoulder and hurry up the walk to her condo door. She’d been edgy and nervous for days, but she couldn’t pinpoint why and the tiny hairs on the back of her neck rose as if someone watched her. If she didn’t know better, she’d think Clint had finally decided to claim her. Her stomach clenched as anger, and yeah bitterness, rose. Not likely. And she wouldn’t welcome him if he tried now.
Once, she would have. Once, she would have taken him gladly. But he wanted nothing to do with her, had made it bluntly clear that she was too young, the differences in their ages too great. She grimaced. Well, she wasn’t too young anymore. She’d just passed her thirtieth birthday. There was a time when she’d argued that ten years wasn’t that big of a deal, but he’d refused to hear it. She’d eventually given up all hope that they would one day be together, but when she saw him at Christmas at the Appalachian alpha’s home, she’d thought he would finally give in. He’d been so territorial. Her sex grew wet at the memory of the possessive heat in his eyes.
Her keys trembled in her hands and she lost her grip on them. She bent to pick them up, fingers closing over them as someone grabbed her from behind. One gloved hand clamped over her mouth, while the attacker banded his other arm around her upper body, pinning her arms to her sides. She reacted without thinking, flipping open the small knife on her keychain and jabbing it into his thigh. Howling, he released her.
“Bitch,” he hissed, reaching for her while holding a hand to the wound, but she was already moving.
She spun around and rammed her knee in his groin. When he dropped to the ground, holding himself and moaning, she kicked him in the head hard enough to knock him out. With a grim smile, she turned back to her door and quickly let herself in. Clint had done one good thing for her. He’d made damn sure she knew how to defend herself. Of course, that was because he wasn’t willing to do it himself. She pressed her lips into a firm line, ignoring her hurt and bruised pride. She didn’t need the aggravation of a mate anyway.
Inside, she locked the door and hurried for the phone. She hesitated over the nine button, then decided to call her boss first. She didn’t know if the man outside was a werewolf or not, but since she worked with the hunters who tracked down rogues, she should get one of them to verify it first. Werewolves handled their own justice.
It was a brief conversation. When she hung up, she stared at the phone and dug her fingernails into her palms, fighting the instinct to call Clint. He was hundreds of miles away, couldn’t do anything, and probably wouldn’t hold her even if he was there. She wrapped her arms around her waist and fought the tremors in her limbs, the sob clogging her throat. Told herself it was just a reaction to the adrenalin. But she recognized the denial for what it was.
Suck it up, Ellen. He doesn’t want you. Just get over it already.
The harsh pep talk helped, and she shrugged out of her coat. Anthony would be there in less than five minutes, he just lived a few miles away, and she had to pull herself together before his arrival. He’d already told her once that week that she looked like hell and had been getting worse since the few days she’d spent with the Appalachian pack. He wanted her to open up, talk about it, and get it out of her system. She snorted. Talking wouldn’t do a damn bit of good, so she’d just shaken her head and walked away.
Worse, he was gonna freak out about the safety of her living alone again. The Society, a group of rogue werewolves and feral werefelines, had begun hunting women whose fathers or grandfathers were wolf or feline shifters because rumors were spreading that some of those women might be able to shift. Ellen’s father had been an alpha but she hadn’t gotten that lucky. She was plain ole human. She only knew of my female werewolf but there had to be more. Anthony didn’t care about her lack of shifting capabilities; he was all about safety.
She went down the hall to the bathroom and avoided her reflection i
n the mirror over the sink. He was right about the other thing, and she didn’t need to look to verify it. Her skin was paler, and there were black circles under her eyes from the lack of sleep. Hot, erotic dreams plagued her when she managed to get any rest, so maybe the insomnia was self-inflicted. Even her hair seemed to have lost its luster, the red duller than she remembered.
Sighing, she turned on the faucet and splashed water on her face. Nothing she could do about it right now, but maybe Anthony was right. Not about talking. What was the use in that? But the implication she had to get on with her life. She was surrounded by single, horny werewolves. Why not have a fling? See if she could get Clint Osborn out of her system once and for all?
Someone pounded on the door so hard she feared it would burst open, and she rushed down the hall, checking the peephole before opening it. The werewolf on the other side was big, mean, and brutal when necessary, but he stared down at her with a worried expression on his face. “You okay?”
“Yeah. Well trained, remember?” To be fair, it wasn’t only Clint who’d trained her in self-defense. She sparred with Anthony regularly. She looked out the door behind him and thought her heart would stop. “Where is he?”
Anthony shook his head. “Gone. Pack a bag. You’re staying at HQ until we figure out what’s going on.”
She started to shake her head in refusal, but one look at his stubborn expression, and she knew it would be a waste of time. “Give me five minutes.”
She packed a bag quickly, tossed in her makeup bag, grabbed her laptop, and they were out the door. She locked it carefully behind her then put her things in the trunk of her car. Anthony followed her back to private estate that served as hunter headquarters.
Two
The kick only knocked him out for a couple of minutes. He awoke, head ringing, balls aching, and pissed as hell. He wanted to batter the door down, but he knew the female werewolf would have called for assistance as soon as she locked herself inside.
Gingerly, he got to his feet and lurched down the sidewalk to the full parking lot. He opened his car door with shaky fingers and slid inside. Hunching down, he waited, hidden in the gloom. Just in time.
Lunar Mates Volume Two: Books 4-6 Page 20