Moonrise

by Ines Johnson

  "Open your eyes, son. She'd playing you."

  "Then she's won," Jackson said. "I'm hers."

  "But she's a witch."

  "That didn't matter when she saved Pierce's life."

  His father pressed a hand to his temple. "She nearly got my youngest son killed. Now she's destroying my eldest son's life. She's after your seed. By the looks of it, she's already got it."

  Jackson pushed his shoulders back and stood firm. "Where is she?"

  Harold stood, his jaw set. "I told her to leave. She took off and good riddance."

  "You sent her away?" Jackson took a step back. Needing to brace himself, he leaned on an armchair. "You turned your back on her? Like everyone else in her life. Do you have any idea what that has probably done to her? She loved you two. You were the family she never had and always wanted."

  His mother made a strangled sound from her place on the sofa. Her pursed lips of disappointment turned to anguish.

  "Can't you see," said his father, "we're protecting you, son. We only want what's best for you. That's all we've ever wanted."

  Jackson turned back to his father. The Chief of the PPU was an unmovable mountain of judgment. "This is not your decision to make. This is my life. I love you both. I am the man I am because of you. But I won't keep living my life for your happiness and approval. I'm going to find her because she is my life now. If that doesn't please you, then..."

  Jackson choked on the words that stuck in his throat. He looked at these two people. All his life they had been his world, his moonlight. His mother looked as though someone had died. His father's jaw was tense enough that Jackson wondered if the slightest tap would break it. Then he realized it was now or never.

  "I'm leaving the PPU," he said.

  His father's mouth flew open. He huffed out a gust of air that felt like a boulder running down the side of a cliff.

  "Not because of Lucia—no, that's not true. It's what I wanted to do before I met her. But I realize that if I'm going to make her happy, then I need to be happy too. I want to go into lawmaking, not enforcing. I'll tender my resignation tomorrow night.”

  Jackson turned on his heel, but his mother's hand stopped him.

  He turned and his mother brought him into her arms. She spoke no words of encouragement. But neither did she try to sway him. She just held on.

  He felt his mother's heart pounding against his chest. The beat of it reminded him of the flashing yellow light he'd faced earlier on the street. But he couldn't -wouldn't- proceed with caution now. He knew exactly which direction to take. And so he let his mother go. He turned and left the safety and certainty of his parents' home.

  He closed the door behind him and hopped into his car to find his mate. He couldn't get to her, and get her in his arms, soon enough. He could only hope she knew to go to his home, their home, where she belonged.

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Lucia walked aimlessly down the city streets. The cold nipped at her bare arms. She wasn't sure what she missed more; Jackson's embrace or his discarded coat.

  The signs of the city were not like that of the forests. There were too many lights that blurred the direction of the guiding stars. The streets were numbered, but some numbers were skipped over. Some streets were actual numerals. Others were numbers spelled out in words. She didn't understand how there could be a Second Street at First Avenue. None of it mattered. She had no place to go.

  She saw signs depicting a knife and fork on a circular plate. She hadn't eaten since dinner with the Alcedes the previous night. But she had no money to purchase anything to eat.

  She saw signs with a disc-headed stick figure laying on a platform. She devised that the platform was a bed and concluded the picture meant lodgings. Lucia was bone-weary from walking on the hard concrete of the city. But she had no money to pay for a room.

  She walked on and saw a sign with a snake slithering up a pole. It was the same sign on the uniform of the paramedics who’d saved Pierce. It was the same sign Nurse Clara wore on her pink jacket. Lucia aimed her feet in that direction.

  Her feet carried her through the automatic sliding glass doors of the hospital. The bright, fluorescent lights assaulted her eyes, and she brought her hands up to shield her face. Warm arms came around her shoulders.

  "Lucia? What are you doing out there without a coat?"

  Lucia looked up into Clara's face, directly into the woman's eyes. And Clara looked back at her, with eyes full of worry and compassion. Back on the mountain she could never let weakness show. It would not be appreciated or attended to by other witches.

  "What's wrong?" Clara rubbed her hands up and down Lucia's shoulders.

  Lucia burst into tears. "I've messed everything up."

  "I can already guess what happened." Clara's arms came completely around her and squeezed. "Wolves are hardcore in their practice of monogamy, and the idea of the one and only, and the promise of until death. Wolves fight hard and they love harder. I've healed many a brother who's come in bruised from a fight over a woman they both wanted to mate. But they always heal. That's what family's do. This will work itself out."

  "I thought I loved Pierce," Lucia sniffled. "I mean, I do love him. He's so sweet and kind. You've seen that since he's been awake?"

  Clara pulled away and grinned. "He is a charmer. Got the nurses to bring him an extra jello cup."

  "I did love him at first sight, but it wasn't the kind of love I thought it was. It was the same kind of love I felt for my parents. I didn't know there was anything different until I met Jackson. And then his parents..."

  Lucia closed her eyes but she couldn't escape the memory of Karyn cringing away from her, of Harold's anger and harsh tone.

  "Oh, sweetie." Clara brought Lucia back into her warm embrace and rubbed her back. "Don't worry. If Jackson has claimed you, and by the way he was looking at you earlier, he... Wait, where is he?"

  "I don't know? I don't know where he went? I don't know how to get in touch with him? I don't know my way back to his house? I don't know if he'll want me there after his parents..."

  "Lucia? Is that you?"

  She turned to see Pierce standing in the doorway of his room in a thin hospital gown and bare feet.

  "Should you be up?" she asked.

  "No, he shouldn't," Clara frowned.

  Pierce assaulted both of the scowling women with a charming grin. "Come give me a hand back to bed, sis." He leaned on the doorframe and held out his hands towards her.

  Lucia stuttered a step. Pierce had accepted her only after a moment of knowing her. Now, after being awake for less than a night, he'd extended his friendship to her again. She went to him. But it was he who supported her as they made their way back to his hospital bed.

  "Let me guess," he began and then identified each puzzle piece as though he'd been awake and watching the events of the last two nights play out the whole time. "And now my parents are disappointed in you because you're not mating the brother they expected you to."

  "They're not disappointed. They hate me."

  "They don't hate you. I saw the way they were around you. They love you. Otherwise, they wouldn't be disappointed in you. Trust me, that's how they work."

  "That makes no sense."

  "Welcome to my family. This likely has something to do with me as well. My family won't face the fact that I'm a..." Pierce swallowed. "A lone wolf. They were probably hoping that if I mated you, I'd want to stay put. Buy a house, raise a family, and hold still. I love my family, but staying in the city is stifling me. I'm about to go crazy laying in this bed and I've been awake for less than a night."

  "You're going to leave again, aren't you?"

  He nodded.

  "For good?" She'd only known Pierce conscious for less than a night, but she knew she wanted to know him better. He was the first real friend she'd ever had, and she hated the thought of him leaving her life.

  "I'll never be gone for good. My family is here. That's what home is; it's family not the land w
ith a structure built on it. I'll be back. I just can't stay. You'll be fine. You'll have Jackson. He's the best man I know. Together you'll work this out. And if he doesn't want you, you can come with me."

  There was a low growl at the door.

  Pierce burst into laughter.

  Lucia turned to see Jackson framed in the doorway. His gaze locked on hers and her feet were moving. She was in his arms in the blink of an eye.

  "You had me so worried," he breathed into her hair. "I thought you'd be home, at our place, but you weren't. I panicked when I couldn't find you."

  Lucia's heart stopped when he said our place, not his place. She had to force air down her chest to speak. "You're parents are... disappointed with me. I couldn't stay there."

  "I know. I had words with them. But why didn't you go home and wait for me?"

  Lucia choked at those beautiful words. She had a home. "I didn't know how to get there."

  "Tomorrow, I'm getting you a phone and teaching you how to drive. I don't ever want you to feel trapped or lost or that you can't make a decision or a move without me."

  In that moment, Jackson handed over more autonomy, more sovereignty, more power than she ever hoped to gain on her own. Instead of standing on her own two feet, Lucia clung to him, burrowing her face in his chest. "What about your parents?"

  Jackson's sigh was one of frustration. "I can't even think about them right now. I can't believe they just let you walk out the door with nowhere to go—and no coat. Anything could've happened to you."

  Lucia frowned, indignant. "Jackson, I'm a witch."

  Both he and Pierce chuckled.

  But then Jackson sobered. "I can't keep living the life they want for me, especially if it doesn't include you. And if I'm going to have you in my life, Lucia, if I'm going to deserve you, the woman of my dreams, then I need to live the life I've always dreamed about."

  "You're quitting the PPU?" Pierce spoke up.

  Jackson nodded. "Turning in my resignation tomorrow night and putting my law degree to use."

  Pierce stuck out his hand and Jackson grasped it. As they shook hands, something passed between the brothers.

  "You'll stick around for the ceremony?" Jackson asked.

  Pierce winced, but then his chin rose and that gleam that had first called to Lucia sparked in his eyes. "Couldn't keep me away."

  Jackson leaned down and embraced his brother. "You know, little brother, this is the best souvenir you ever brought home."

  Pierce winked at Lucia and Jackson punched him in the shoulder.

  "Ouch," Pierce cried. "I just came out of a coma."

  "And you'll go back into one if you keep that up," Jackson growled.

  The two chuckled again as Lucia looked between them. Men, she decided, were strange creatures.

  "All right," said Clara from the doorway. "Everybody out. Loverboy here needs to get some rest."

  Jackson gave his brother's shoulder squeeze. Lucia gave Pierce a hug and a kiss on the cheek. Then she turned to her mate. "Jackson, will you take me home?"

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Jackson didn't let go of Lucia's hand the whole drive home. He rubbed his palm against hers, stroked her fingers from nail to knuckle, and pressed the back of her hands to his mouth until her cold skin warmed.

  When he pulled up to the house, it was with great reluctance that he unwound their fingers to cut the engine and get out to open the car door. He swooped her into his arms and carried her over the threshold like he'd seen humans do after they were married.

  Lucia laughed at his shenanigans. The trickling sound bounced off the walls. The echo rose to the ceiling where the moonlight shone through from the skylight. When he'd come home an hour ago to an empty house, the sound of silence had pressed into his heart causing his body to ache. He could lay new floors, bust down walls, and move around the furniture, but it wasn't until this moment, with Lucia in his arms, that this place felt like a home.

  "We should talk," she insisted.

  He shook his head and tightened his hold. "It'll keep. I need to feel you beneath me. Or on top of me, whichever you prefer."

  In the pale moonlight, her golden brown skin darkened at the suggestion. Definitely on top, he decided.

  Jackson took the stairs two at a time. His hands were already inside her shirt when they landed in their bedroom. Jackson's fingers searched for a bra strap and then remembered that Lucia didn't wear one. He set her on her feet and tugged the shirt over her head, revealing the brown mountains with the dark tips he planned to summit.

  Jackson reached for one. He rubbed his thumb at the base. Lucia tossed her head back and gasped. Her lips parted and her eyes closed. She exhaled, his name on her lips, her voice full of need.

  Jackson brought her to him. He would fulfill her every need for the rest of his life.

  He dipped his head and claimed the prize at the crest. Lucia's hands ventured into his hair. He nipped her with his teeth. He pet her with the tip of his tongue.

  She pressed him closer to her chest with the flat of her palms. His name on her lips this time was a demand for more. Jackson obeyed. He took her left breast into his mouth, licking her with the flat of his tongue, sucking her in while flicking the tip of his tongue.

  Lucia cried out, digging her nails into his scalp. His name on her lips this time was surrender. Her knees wobbled. Jackson caught her. Of course he caught her. She would never fall with him behind her. She would never stumble with him beside her.

  He sat her on the bed and then knelt to rip the stained jeans off her. She protested as the fabric tore. Jackson ignored her protest. Fabric was replaceable. He would give her as many pants and shirts as she wanted. But he needed her now.

  He stood and undressed himself. Lucia's frown at the dismemberment of her clothing evaporated as she watched him lose his. With a cocksure grin, Jackson slowed down, popping one button of his shirt at a time. Silver lit the edges of Lucia's eyes as he exposed his chest. His shirt fell to the floor, and he went to work on his slacks.

  She pulled her lower lip into her mouth with her teeth as he popped open the solitary button of his slacks. The zipper rumbled out a low purr as he tugged it south. When he reached the bottom of the zipper's runway, the purring continued.

  It wasn't the zipper; it was Lucia making that sound. Her eyes were engulfed in moonglow as her chest vibrated out a heated purr of desire. Her knees pressed together as she squirmed on the bed. Any plans Jackson had had in mind about a slow seduction flew out the skylight. He was on her before he could form another thought.

  He fused their mouths, and her purrs turned to mewls. Her nails dug into his back, breaking skin as she urged him closer. As she marked his back, Jackson pulled away to lave the claim he'd placed on her collarbone. He kicked off his pants, spread her thighs and was inside her.

  They both growled their pleasure. Finesse went out the window as Jackson set a frantic rhythm. Slow and deep, fast and shallow, he couldn't decide. He wanted both. He wanted it all, and she gave it to him. Lucia met his erratic pace without missing a stroke, in sync as they moved as one to a beat that only they could hear.

  She was the most beautiful thing Jackson had ever seen in his life. Which was funny because he could scarcely remember his life before she came into it. It was all a haze, a fog of inconsequential actions before this moment. Looking down at her now, everything was crystal clear in the Moon's light.

  Jackson wrapped his arms around her and flipped them so she was on top of him. She startled with the reigns in her hands, and they came to an abrupt halt.

  Jackson reached up and stroked her face, brushing his thumb across her bright eyes. He caught moisture on his thumb. He wiped the tear away.

  "I love you, Lucia. I've loved you my entire life. I'm sorry you didn't know it until now. I'm going to make up for it every day for the rest of your life. I promise."

  More tears spilled from her eyes. But she didn't let them get in her way. Not his Lucia. Her tears mixed with that sexy
purr as she moved overtop of him. Her pace was steady and sure as though they'd done this a million times before.

  And perhaps they had. Legend had it that the spirits of the children of the Moon often returned to the Earth soon after they passed onto the Moon. The tales told that that's how the wolves knew their mates. They recognized them from a previous life.

  Jackson looked into the familiar face he'd only known for two nights. Already he recognized that she was close to her climax. Her movements sped up, and he matched her stroke for stroke, pressing deeply into her as she clenched around him. And when her inner muscles grasped at his cock, Jackson let go his seed, his heart, and his soul.

  Afterward, they lay quietly in a cocoon of satisfaction. Their bodies were spent, but neither seemed capable of sleep. They spent what felt like hours petting, nipping, and kissing; getting to know each other on a physical level since their spirits were already acquainted.

  As the sun rose to end the day, Lucia sighed. Jackson rose up on an elbow and turned her face away from the sun and into his.

  "I know you say your parents will come around," she said, "and I have hope for that. This is enough for me for now; you, Pierce, for as long as he'll be here, my friend, Clara, and Kayla, if your parents will let her see me. You're my family. I came hoping to find my father, and I found a family and friends. More family than I've ever had, and I'm content."

  Jackson heard the word "content" and grasped onto it with both paws. There should no longer be a question of whether to expose her to the caged beast that may or may not hurt her. But for some reason, Jackson's chest, which had been full of light and love only a second ago, burned with acid now.

  "I do wish that one day they'd give me a chance to explain my side of the story," Lucia said, turning the topic back to his parents. "That's all I want."

  Jackson closed his eyes as Lucia's words echoed those of her father's. Luke Serrano had begged Jackson for a chance to let Lucia hear his side of the story. For years, Jackson had allowed his parents to write the pages and chapters of his story. But Jackson wasn't directing the course of Lucia's life. He was protecting her, doing what's best for her...