He watched her pick through his answers. He knew she could tell he was stonewalling her. And he fucking hated that he had to lie even though he’d spent most of his adult life telling them. When you killed people as a sanctioned assassin in the service of the lucani king, you didn’t go around announcing it.
With a slightly defeated sigh, she changed the subject. “So is Tivr a wolf? He certainly looks like one.”
Kyle nodded. “Yeah, actually, he is. He’s pretty tame, though.” That would frost the Lord of the Silver Light to no end.
“I’ve thought about getting a dog lately.” Tam pushed around the last bit of pie on her plate. “Living alone, it seems like a good idea. Hey, have you seen the two black dogs roaming around? I’ve been feeding them the past few nights. I thought…maybe I’d adopt them. They seem friendly.”
The sarcastic laughter rioting through his head made him feel the slightest bit out of control. And when she frowned at him, he realized he was must be grinning at her because all he could think was, Honey, let me show you just what you’d be getting.
Gods be damned, Fate was a real bitch. And if he was feeling particularly daring, he’d say that to Nortia’s face. She’d probably laugh and agree. Then she’d tell him to man up and get with the program.
This girl with her scarred heart, her abused body and mind, and her total ignorance of the world he lived in was his. He didn’t have a rational explanation for how he knew it. He just did. And it wasn’t just lust. Lust he could control.
This…was something different.
So what the hell was he supposed to do with her?
Yeah, he had a few ideas but—
“I think I should go.”
No. Absolutely fucking no.
Thank the gods he didn’t let that slip out. And even though he didn’t want her to leave, he thought it was probably for the best. At least for tonight.
Shit.
He nodded slowly. “What are you doing for dinner tomorrow?”
Obviously that had been the right thing to say because her lips curved and her eyes brightened. “Nothing that I know of.”
“Come back. Cat will be disappointed that she didn’t get to see you again tonight.” Just as her smile started to falter, he added, “And I want to see you again.”
“Are you su—”
“Yes, I’m sure.”
She hesitated just long enough for him to worry.
“Okay. Tomorrow.”
* * * * *
Wearing his pelt, Kyle watched from the side of her porch as she parked that little deathtrap she called a car in front of her house and walked to the door.
She was shaking her head and muttering to herself, so softly he had to strain to understand her, even with his enhanced hearing.
“I can’t believe I’m even thinking about this. I must be crazy. I just met the guy.”
Since the only guy she’d just met, as far as he knew, was himself, his ears perked up.
Kyle knew he shouldn’t be listening in on her conversation with herself. It was a huge breach of privacy.
Still, he couldn’t not listen. Just like he couldn’t sit at home and worry about whether she got back to her place safely. He’d had to change into his pelt and follow her.
Not that it was any great distance from his house to hers but… Apparently he’d turned into an idiot in the past twenty-four hours since he’d met her.
Shit.
So now here he sat, listening to her talk about him and debating whether or not he should make his presence known. At least, in animal form.
And since he didn’t want to be too much of a creeper, as his daughter would say, he stepped out into the weak glow given off by the porch light.
She gasped, her hand going to her mouth for a second before she realized it was him. Then she started to smile. And damn if he didn’t want to see her smile at him like that when he was in his skin.
“Hey, boy. Where’ve you been all day? I was looking for you.”
Damn, this is a total clusterfuck waiting to happen.
And this, right here, is where he should end it. Whatever the hell this was. Because there was no way this situation turned out to be anything less than a Greek fucking tragedy.
As she walked over to him, her hand outstretched for him to sniff, he twisted his head to the side and waited for her to run her hand over the fur between his ears.
Which she did immediately. Making his entire body shake in ecstasy.
Damn, could this get any worse?
As she sat on the rickety front step, he sat next to her, sighing as her scent teased his delicate nose.
“So I had a date tonight.”
He lowered his head and closed his eyes. Yeah, this could get a whole lot worse.
“I can’t believe I went. I mean, I wanted to go. Who wouldn’t? If you were human and a girl, you’d totally get it. He’s…”
Vaffanculo. He should get up and walk away. Right now.
Her hand stilled on his head and his damn lungs froze while he waited for her to continue.
“He makes me want to be normal again.”
He was going to kill the bastard. He didn’t care if the guy who’d made her feel like she wasn’t normal was in a coma. He was going to slit the guy’s throat and watch him bleed out. Slowly. Painfully.
“I don’t even understand why. I mean, yeah, the guy’s totally hot but he looks like a total bad ass. And I can’t believe he’s at all interested in me. There’s just no way. I mean,” she huffed out a sigh, “I look like a crazy homeless person.”
No, she didn’t. Yeah, she was a little skinny but that was nothing a couple months of decent meals wouldn’t cure. And his attraction to her wasn’t based on looks. It was chemical. Emotional. Not at all superficial. Which didn’t mean he didn’t think she was beautiful.
“I have no idea why he kissed me.”
He snorted at that and she huffed out a quiet laugh. “And wow. That kiss.”
She sounded so…amazed. Like she hadn’t expected him to kiss that well.
“I mean, I figured the guy could kiss but… Damn.” Then she shook herself. “I can’t believe I let him. I mean, I’ll be leaving soon.”
He had to bite back a growl. No way in hell she was leaving. At least, not until he had the chance to…What? Lock her in his bedroom and convince her she was meant to be his? After he showed her what he was? Tinia’s teat, if the fact that he could shift into a wolf didn’t send her off the deep end, the fact that he killed people for his king wouldn’t win him any points.
“And maybe I should just jump his bones and not worry about anything?”
Yes, please.
Shit. He really needed to leave before he heard anything else.
“I guess I should go in.”
Sighing, she rose to her feet and headed for the door, but not before another stroke along his back.
“See you tomorrow, boy.”
Yes, she would because he’d probably spend the night on her porch. All fucking night.
At least it was warm.
When he finally heard the door close and lock behind her, he stretched out on the porch, head on his crossed paws as he stared out into the forest, where Cat and Tivr were probably still running.
Cat would be disappointed she hadn’t gotten to say goodbye to Tam but—
His ears pricked and his nose twitched.
He caught the scent of something on the slight breeze. A man. No, two men. Faint but not faint enough for Kyle’s piece of mind. There shouldn’t be anyone within a five-mile radius. At least, no one whose scent he didn’t recognize.
Rising to his paws, he looked through the window into the front room, but she must have gone straight to bed.
He headed for the edge of the woods at the back of the house, where he thought the scent was strongest. But it was still too fragmented to get a good read on it.
And maybe there was nothing there at all.
The only danger she was in was from h
im.
He should go home.
Sighing, he sat at the edge of the forest and stared at the house.
Maybe just a few more minutes.
Chapter Three
“So I heard you had company last night.”
Since Kyle couldn’t tell his king to go fuck himself, he settled for giving the younger man a look that didn’t need words.
Colerus Luporeale rolled his dark eyes and continued to stare at Kyle from the chair behind his desk. No throne for this king.
“Heard she’s pretty.”
Kyle’s molars began to grind as he held back the urge to strangle Cole. Not that Kyle would ever do anything to harm the guy. He’d pledged his life to keeping the young king safe.
Kyle had still been a regular soldier when the previous king and queen and their oldest son had been killed. They’d been executed by Malandante assassins, who’d been killed before they could finish off Cole, then seventeen, and his younger sister, Arabella.
That didn’t mean Kyle had to tell this kid anything about his personal life.
“Did you have a reason for wanting to see me? Or do you just want to gossip?”
Cole’s lips curved into a smile. “Heard she’s young.”
No, he couldn’t hurt Cole but he had absolutely no qualms about kicking the ass of a certain god who liked to hang around his daughter. And apparently tell Cole about Kyle’s life. Tivr could take a good ass-kicking without damage and not hold it against Kyle afterward.
“Cole. I thought you said you needed to talk to me about something important.”
“And your love life isn’t?”
How the hell a twenty-six-year old could manage to make a hardened sicari squirm…
“Cole.”
With a grin, the younger man shook his head and dialed back the smile. “Sorry. I’m not trying to pry.” His lips twisted. “All right, maybe I’m trying to pry a little. But can you blame me, man? When the hell was the last time you had an actual date?”
Not gonna answer that. Not gonna answer. Not—
Cole sighed. “So I need to make a trip and I need you to deflect any and all inquiries into where I am until I get back.”
Immediate suspicion made Kyle’s brows drawn down. “What? Where the hell are you going?”
Cole’s left eye brow rose. “If I wanted you to known, I would’ve given you that information.”
And there was the king, the descendent of the man who’d saved the precarious civility of the lucani after they’d run wild in Italy for centuries before immigrating in huge numbers to the United States in the early 1800s.
Cole’s great-grandfather had given up his Sicilian kingdom to unite the American pack. He’d instilled purpose, direction and a civility the lucani had needed to survive. He’d reinstated the legion structure, given the lucani a common enemy—the Mal—and generally saved them.
But Cole sometimes forgot that Kyle was no regular legionnaire. And how he’d come by his position in the first place.
When the Mal had killed Cole’s family and tried to throw the legion into turmoil, Kyle and Dan had been dispatched to send the Mal a message. He and Dan had executed three powerful, seemingly untouchable Mal in the exact same way as the Luporeale family.
There’d been no other attempts on Cole, his sister or the lucani since then.
“Who are you taking with you?”
“Dorian.”
“That’s it? What the hell? That’s a really fucking bad idea—”
“I’m not asking for your permission. I’m telling you I’m going to be away for several days and I need you to deflect any and all inquiries into why I’m gone. No one will doubt you or question you when you tell them I’m visiting a college friend out of state and will be back in a few days.”
Shit.
Kyle reined in his instinctive fear at Cole’s intention to leave the lucani den with only one of his praetorian guard and responded to the command in his king’s voice. The fact that Cole was ten years younger occasionally chafed, especially when Kyle remembered the boy’s expression after his parents had been killed.
Cole had been devastated but had held it together, mostly for his younger sister, but also for the pack, who’d been caught off guard by the attack.
But that didn’t mean Kyle wasn’t going to question Cole. Cole was no despot. He didn’t expect blind allegiance.
“Are you going to tell me where you’re going?”
A muscle in Cole’s strong jaw twitched. “No. It’s personal. Not dangerous. And it’s private. I’m still allowed to have a private life, Kyle. Just like everyone else.”
Well, that should shut him up, shouldn’t it? Because it’s exactly what Kyle had been thinking earlier. Everyone was entitled to a little privacy. Even a king.
“If anything gets hinky, you’ll let me know immediately. That’s not up for debate.”
Cole’s lips quirked and he nodded. “Yes, sir. And when I get back, maybe you’ll tell me more about your date.”
King or not, Kyle leaned over and smacked Cole on the back of the head. “Don’t get yourself killed.”
* * * * *
“Are you sure you’re going to be okay on your own tonight?”
Kyle looked over his shoulder at his daughter, gnawing on her bottom lip so hard he thought it should be bleeding. “I’m pretty sure I can handle a few hours alone with Tam without embarrassing myself.”
Cat huffed out a sigh but the worry didn’t leave her sharp, green eyes. And he had no idea what the hell to do about that. Was his daughter truly worried that he’d do something to hurt Tam?
That stunned him. And made him second guess everything.
“I’m not worried about you embarrassing yourself.”
He turned away from the counter, where he’d been making burgers to throw on the grill later and leaned back against the edge, giving her his full attention now.
“Then what are you worried about? Come on, sweetheart. Just spit it out. Are worried I’m going to hurt her—”
“No!” Cat looked startled at the thought and the tension bled from Kyle’s bones. “No, of course not. I’m just…I like her. And I know you like her, too. And I just…”
“What? Give me a clue here.”
Hopping up on the counter, his daughter wrinkled her pretty nose and swung her feet. Right now, she looked all of about ten. “I don’t want you to be disappointed if Tam isn’t ready to be more than friends.”
Kyle’s mouth wanted to drop open at the realization that his daughter understood way more than he’d thought she would. Jesus, she was still just a kid. Yet, here she was worried not only about how he might be hurt. And worried about the woman who might be the one doing the hurting.
And once again, he realized just how special his daughter was.
“You know I love you more than anything in the world, right, sweetheart?”
Cocking her head to the side, Cat’s eyes narrowed as she nodded. “Yes.”
“Good. Remember that when I tell you I think I can handle things for a few hours tonight without making an ass of myself.”
Cat had the grace to look a little shamed and it was his turn to roll his eyes. Hopping off the counter, she walked to him and pressed a kiss to his cheek before turning and heading for the front door.
“Fine, fine. I get the hint. I’m leaving. Ty should be here by now anyway. He’s going to run me over to the den and Kaine and I are going to watch movies and eat ourselves into a food coma.”
Kyle already knew this but he nodded anyway. Kaine was one of the legion’s youngest female soldiers and also one of its best. A tomboy Cat had taken to the first time she’d seen her. Probably because Kaine was a lot like Kyle. A loner. Emotionally closed off.
All right, maybe Cat had every reason to be worried about him on this second not-a-date.
“But if you need me…” Cat looked over her shoulder but Kyle just pointed to the door. He’d scented Ty’s arrival, knew he waited for Cat at the treeline.<
br />
His daughter left a trail of laughter behind her. And the lingering doubt that maybe she was right.
Maybe this was a bad idea.
Maybe—
Maybe he should finish the damn burgers before she got here and they had nothing to eat.
* * * * *
An hour after she’d arrived, Tam realized she didn’t have a clue what the hell she was doing.
When she’d walked through the door, Kyle had seemed…distant. Almost like he didn’t know what to do with her now that she was here.
Oh, they’d started out okay but they’d run out of small talk fast. Mostly because she wasn’t good at it. She kept second-guessing herself before speaking, which tended to make her not say anything at all.
Which probably made him think she was bipolar. But whenever she thought of a question to ask, all she could think about was him asking the same question of her in return. And not wanting to answer because of her history.
Damn it, this sucked.
Why couldn’t she forget, at least for one night?
“Tam.”
Blinking, she realized she’d been staring at her plate. She lifted her gaze and caught him watching her with narrowed eyes. Probably wondering why the hell he’d asked her to come back.
“Yes?”
His gaze narrowed even more and she fought against the need to look away.
“Do you want another soda?”
Hell, no. She was already jittery enough from nerves. Any more caffeine and she might start to shake uncontrollably.
And that’s not how she wanted this night to end, with her slinking out the door because she couldn’t act like a normal person. When what she really wanted was for him to kiss her again.
“No, thanks.’
He nodded and seemed to contemplate his next statement carefully.
Before he could say anything, she forced herself to add, “Can I help you with the dishes?”
“Nope.” Then he stood and held out his hand. “Come sit on the porch with me.”
She only hesitated a second before reaching for his hand. “Okay.”
What would he do if she tugged him closer and kissed him? Would he let her? Would he kiss her back? Or would he wonder what the hell was her damage?
So she didn’t. Instead, she followed him out to the patio.
Kiss of Moonlight (Lucani Lovers Book 1) Page 5