EdgeofMoonlight

by Steph2

And everyone around him bowed or curtseyed to her.

  “Lady of the Silver Hammer,” Kyle’s tone immediately leveled, as if he was speaking to a commanding officer. “What—”

  She cut him off by raising one index finger. “He goes.”

  Kyle wanted to argue. John could see the struggle he waged against blurting out whatever was in his head.

  “Lady, let me get another man to go with him. He’s not lucani. He won’t be able to protect her—”

  “Kaine is perfectly capable of protecting herself. Or so I thought you believed when you chose her to be sicari.”

  Sicari? That was a new one. John had no idea what it meant but he didn’t think now was the time to ask. Whoever this woman was, she was on his side at the moment so he kept his mouth shut.

  “John.”

  She turned to him as if she’d heard his thoughts. Her vivid blue eyes speared through him and the word regal suited her to a T, even though she was dressed in a tight blue miniskirt and white top. He had the overwhelming urge to bow as well. Who was she?

  He straightened his back even as his head bowed. “Yes, ma’am.”

  The force of the blonde’s smile hit him like a blast of heat directly in his solar plexus. Holy hell, the woman made every hair on his body stand at attention. She was a freaking force of nature. Too damn beautiful to be believed.

  “Ah, I can see why Kaine fell for you. All that strength and manners, too.” She turned to wink at Tam, who smiled back. “Anyway, you’re going to need a little help finding Kaine when you get to New York. Despite Kyle’s momentary lack of faith,” she lifted her eyebrows in Kyle’s direction and he had the grace—or the good sense—to look abashed, “she’s very good at disappearing when she wants to. And her new powers—”

  “What?” Kyle interrupted. “What new powers?”

  “—will give her an edge against detection.”

  “Nortia, what—”

  Again, the lady raised one finger. And Kyle shut his mouth.

  But John had the same question. “What powers?”

  Nortia smiled. “When you find her, you can ask her about them. But you’ll need this to find her.” Reaching into the pocket of her skirt, Nortia pulled out a slim crystal attached to a long dark chain. “Wear it against your skin, under your shirt. She’ll be well hidden and you’ll need all the help you can get to track her down. The crystal will grow warm to the touch and begin to glow when she’s near so you’ll know you’re on the right track.”

  “Thank you…”

  She smiled again and held out her hand for him to shake. At least, he hoped that’s what she’d intended. Not for him to kiss her ring or anything.

  “Nortia, Lady of the Silver Hammer. Don’t worry. You don’t need to know exactly who I am right now. You can take the crash course in Etruscan mythology when you get back. With Kaine. Kyle, give him your car keys.”

  Kyle stared at him for several seconds but obviously wasn’t about to disobey a direct order from Nortia, Lady of the Silver Hammer. What the fuck kind of name was that anyway? And that line about Etruscan mythology refused to stop winding around his brain.

  No, he really didn’t want to think about the implications of that. So he merely took the keys when Kyle held them out to him.

  “If anything happens to her…” Kyle’s gaze bored into his. “If she so much as breaks a nail, I will hurt you. If she dies…I kill you.”

  John nodded, his blood frozen in his veins at the thought. “If she dies, I’ll let you.”

  Chapter Eight

  By the time night fell, Kaine swore she’d watched a million people enter and exit The Century building.

  None of them the woman she was looking for.

  From her perch high in a tree in Central Park, directly across from the building, she noted the presence of a doorman and some decent security. Nothing she couldn’t bypass but, damn, the building was freaking huge—two towers and more than thirty floors.

  Luckily, Rio had given her an apartment number as well as the address. Still, it was going to take some doing to get into the building, make her way to the twenty-eighth floor and sneak into the woman’s apartment.

  She needed time. And a team.

  Which she didn’t have because she’d stupidly and naively thought she could drive to New York City, find a powerful woman who didn’t want to be found and drag her back to Reading where she’d be forced to cure a woman she’d already tried to kill.

  Shit.

  Okay, she was officially an idiot.

  She hadn’t even thought about where she was going to spend the night. It wouldn’t be the first time she’d slept outdoors but, this time, she wouldn’t have her pelt to keep her warm.

  Of course, they had animal control people here to round up loose animals and take them to the pound. She really didn’t want to spend the night in a cage.

  She should get a hotel room. She had a credit card with no limit but the second she used it, Kyle would be on her. And she had no desire to face that situation yet.

  When she returned home, she wanted to be dragging Grace Bell with her.

  Which brought her back to the first problem—how to get the woman out of the building.

  Below her, the city rushed by. Even at night, horns honked, people hustled in and out of taxis and raced off to wherever they were going. People passed below, walking along the park paths, completely unaware of her while she watched their every move.

  She was used to being invisible. She needed to be invisible for her job.

  But…she’d never felt so disconnected before. And that struck a chord deep inside.

  She missed John.

  Which was ridiculous because he’d probably already regained his memories and wouldn’t want to see her again.

  Her heart thudded almost painfully against her ribs and she took a deep breath to try to contain the pain.

  Damn, the city completely fucked up her sense of smell. There were just too fucking many scents and they jumbled together into a mass of puzzle pieces she couldn’t make fit into any semblance of order. Trying to ignore that puzzle required a level of concentration she couldn’t maintain for much longer.

  She needed to find a hole for the night, catch a few hours of sleep somewhere she’d feel safe enough to close her eyes.

  Checking below to make sure no one could see her, she began her descent. Beneath her hands, the bark of the old oak warmed to her touch. She swore she felt sap running through its limbs and a hum unlike anything she’d ever heard before. Almost like a melody.

  She paused about twenty-five feet above the ground, her hands pressed against the thick trunk. And listened.

  Blessed Goddess. She did hear something. Something amazing. Closing her eyes, she let the melody of the tree transport her.

  Minutes passed and the sounds of the city faded to a drone that curiously only complemented the melody that never ended.

  Absolutely amazing.

  If she’d ever stopped to think about how the trees had felt before—and why the hell would she have ever done that?—she would’ve thought the trees here would be screaming at their imprisonment, surrounded on all sides by concrete and brick and all these people. The motor exhaust alone should have choked the life from them.

  But no, they were singing.

  And she could hear it.

  Shaking her head, she finally made her way to the lower branches.

  She waited as a couple jogged by then slid off the branch. The backpack barely jiggled as she landed on her feet and immediately started walking, as if that’s exactly what she’d been doing all along.

  Head up, she walked like she knew exactly where she was going. Which is how she must have missed him.

  She felt someone come up behind her and had a momentary flash of panic when she thought she recognized his scent.

  But she couldn’t have. It couldn’t be—

  “You shouldn’t have left without me.”

  Her foot caught a crack in the walk and
she nearly fell as she flashed cold then hot at the sound of his voice.

  Before she embarrassed herself any further, she stopped and turned to face him, barely able to keep from throwing herself at him.

  John looked… Well, he looked pissed. His gorgeous mouth was flat and straight, no hint of a smile. The look in his eyes matched. And the pulse at the base of his neck, which she could see just above the collar of his tight black t-shirt, throbbed.

  She didn’t care. Not one bit.

  He was here. As if she’d only had to wish for him and he’d shown up. Though how he’d found her…

  So many questions. And only one answer she cared about.

  “Why are you here?”

  His lips flattened further and she thought he might actually be more than pissed. Yes, she’d taken his information and run with it but she’d done it for him. She knew he’d want to stay with his sister.

  “Do you really not know the answer to that?”

  A frown creased her forehead as she shook her head, where more questions started to jumble together. “How did you find me? I didn’t tell anyone where I was.”

  “And you thought that was a good idea?”

  Confusion continued to build and she didn’t have a clue what he was getting at.

  “John, what—”

  “No. Not here.” His voice had dropped to a bare whisper, as if he knew she’d be able to hear him. “Let’s go.”

  He slipped his hand around her arm and started to walk. She either had to follow along or resist. And possibly draw unwanted attention. They’d reached the sidewalk along Central Park West, directly across from the Century and she couldn’t help but stare at the building.

  “Not now.” John tugged on her arm, not painfully, just enough to keep her moving.

  She frowned. The caveman routine was starting to get old. Not bothering to be subtle about it now, she pulled away from his grip but kept walking beside him. “Where are we going?”

  “I got a room at the Mayflower. It’s right next door.”

  She opened her mouth but he cut her off before she could say a word.

  “Don’t. Just don’t say anything right now. Not until we get inside.”

  Okay, he’d just stepped on her last nerve. Her back straightened and her jaw locked against the urge to bite his head off.

  Eyes straight ahead, she followed him through the hotel lobby, too pissed to notice much of anything but the gold and black decor. The silent elevator ride grated on her nerves, as did John’s reflection in the mirrored doors. His gaze was glued to her reflection, watching her every move.

  Her jaw tightened almost to the point of pain and she knew if she didn’t release some of this tension soon, she’d break.

  And that would not be pretty. Or quiet.

  She noted the floor they stopped on. Fourteen. Noted the number of the room. They’d have a view of the park and the street below.

  Tapping her foot as he opened the door, she walked through when he pushed on the door. A bed, a chair, a desk, all shoehorned into a room half the size of her bedroom at home.

  Didn’t matter. She was going to tear him—

  He clapped a hand on her shoulder and spun her around, his mouth covering hers and stopping the stream of furious words bubbling in her gut.

  She tasted anger in his kiss but not in the hands he wrapped around her ribs. He held her in place but his fingers didn’t bite into her.

  And though she knew she should be resisting his kiss, she simply couldn’t.

  Her mouth opened to accept his invading tongue, her head fell back in a surrender her brain hadn’t consciously given.

  Anger still burned in her gut at his unreasonable fury. The fury that threatened to incinerate her.

  Her body responded to the heat and power of his. Her breasts ached for his touch and she arched her back even as he crowded closer to her.

  Her back hit the wall with a loud thud but when he would have drawn away, she clamped her hands on either side of his face and refused to let him.

  She sucked on his tongue and, when he retreated, she followed him back and tasted him. His chest rose and fell in harsh gasps and finally he had to break away to take a deep breath.

  His lips parted but she slapped one hand over his mouth none too gently to shut him up. “Don’t say a word. Just do me. Right now.”

  For one second, she thought he might refuse and her heart began to shrivel. She couldn’t decipher the look in his eyes, didn’t know what he was thinking.

  But in the next, he’d clamped one hand to her nape to lift her up to his mouth again while the other unbuttoned her jeans.

  Relief and hot, hot heat poured through her at the taste of his desire. And the all-consuming possession of his touch.

  She wanted him to make love to her hard and fast. Right now.

  But her hands kept getting in the way of his. She reached for the hem of his t-shirt and started shoving it up his body, forcing him to release her mouth and abandon her buttons for the few seconds it took to drag it over his head.

  But he fell right back to kissing her the second she dropped it to the floor.

  He didn’t bother with her shirt as he finally released the last button on her jeans but she couldn’t bear not to feel his skin against hers. So she stripped off her own shirt and cried out when her diamond-hard nipples pressed into his chest.

  He swallowed her incoherent cry before he pulled away to string kisses along her cheek to her ear. “Undo my pants. Faster, baby, come on.”

  Every nerve ending in her body lit up like a rocket at his husky tone. Everywhere he touched her, she burned. Her hands fumbled with his belt, with the button and the zipper. She couldn’t go fast enough and her fingers refused to cooperate.

  Frustration made her moan but finally she shoved his pants and boxer briefs down his hips, wrapped one hand around his stiff erection and cupped his balls with the other.

  He shuddered against her, his groan rumbling in his chest.

  “Kaine.”

  She froze at the tone of his voice. He sounded as if he were in pain.

  Looking up, she saw his eyes were closed and his lips parted, as if he couldn’t get enough air.

  She released him, her fingers curling into her palms, worried—

  “No.” His eyes flew open, laser-blue and blazing. “God no, don’t let go. Put your hands on me, sweetheart.”

  Her eyes stung at the raw emotion in his voice and she blinked, fighting back imminent tears.

  “Ah, Christ. Don’t cry, Kaine.”

  “No.” She shook her head. “I’m not.”

  His hands cupped her face, thumbs stroking over her cheekbones. “Then why’s your face wet?”

  Because she was weak. She reached for him again, stroked her hand up and down his shaft in a rough caress she knew he loved. “Shut up and fuck me.”

  His breath hissed in between his teeth as she felt his cock tighten even further in her hand. “No way can I shut up. I can’t fuck you, baby. How can I tell you how beautiful you are if I can’t speak? And this has gone way beyond fucking. You know that.”

  Her eyes widened at the implications of his statement but before she could say anything, he covered her mouth again and kissed her with a passion that rocked her foundation and threw her nearly to the point of orgasm.

  Just from the touch of his lips on hers and the emotion in his voice.

  His kiss devoured, his hands smoothed down her body, trailing fire. As she stroked him with an ever-increasing rhythm, he molded her breasts in his palms and tweaked her nipples between his thumbs and forefingers.

  Her sex responded with a fierce contraction that made her gasp into his mouth.

  He played with her breasts as her knees got weaker, until she honestly thought they’d give out on her.

  She released him to grab for his shoulders but he was already lifting her against him, propping her up against the wall and positioning his cock at her entrance.

  Her head fell back
and her eyes opened so she could stare into his as he entered her. Every inch was a revelation, each thrust and retreat heaven and hell.

  His eyes flickered shut as he took her body, his expression sharp and full of desire. She didn’t need to see his eyes to know his every thought. Each one showed plainly on his face.

  Lust. Desire. And something else. Something she was afraid to give a name to.

  They all brought her that much closer to orgasm.

  It seemed like he took forever to seat himself but when he finally had himself deep inside her, filling every empty space, he opened his eyes.

  As he held her gaze, he began to thrust, slow and easy. She felt every inch of his flesh as his cock withdrew then invaded again, spreading her, stretching her.

  He kept the pace steady at first until she could have suffocated from the expectation. Every breath she took was more difficult than the last. Every time he pulled out, she thought he couldn’t fill her fast enough.

  She barely realized when he picked up the pace, his hips pistoning against hers. Her legs tightened around his waist, her heels digging into the small of his back, urging him on.

  Her sheath clutched at him, each drag of his flesh against her sending bolts of pure fire through her body.

  When her orgasm hit her, it hit hard, like a bolt of electricity. She clamped around him, each movement making her orgasm burn brighter.

  With a groan, he dropped his head to her shoulder and, with one last thrust, he came. She felt the warmth of his seed bathe her, the heat of his breath on her neck. She never wanted to let him go.

  Even though she knew he couldn’t stay.

  John knew the second he came that his life had just changed irrevocably.

  Before he’d left Pennsylvania for New York, he’d still had the vague idea that when Evie was fixed, they’d get the hell away from all this madness. From people who changed into animals and women who healed with their hands.

  That they’d put all of this behind them and start over somewhere far away.

  He hadn’t let himself think about Kaine, about what leaving her would mean.

  Now he knew that wasn’t going to happen.

  She was his. Just as he was hers.

  He didn’t care that she was lucani. He wanted to be with her.