Enslaved by the Moon

by Morgan Fox

  Brie met her gaze, her eyes softer than she’d ever seen them. “You can tell him that you love him.” Bianca swallowed hard as Brie told her, “Give him a reason to return to his body.”

  Brie placed one hand on Ryder’s forehead and the other on his stomach. “Tiffany, keep your hands on his chest. Concentrate all your energy into him. You will be the air that fills his lungs.” Brie’s gaze turned toward Bianca. “Bianca, place your hand over the wound. You will be the reason his heart will beat again.”

  Each of them sighed before the light surged from Brie and Tiffany, diving into Ryder. Warmth began to course through Bianca’s veins. The power of both Brie and Tiffany pulsed up her arms and into her chest. She could feel the energy as it rippled through the air. Bianca closed her eyes, absorbing the magic that filled her completely. Her heart skipped, dropping in her chest and then beating incredibly fast.

  Ryder’s devilish grin filled her mind, consuming all her thoughts. She felt the heat of his touch as he stroked her cheek. A memory. She had slipped into the far reaches of her mind. Uncovering visions she had been forced to forget, compliments of their council.

  Unable to feel anything but peace, a smile lit her face. She remembered the way he forced her to her back so he could straddle her and tease her with his body pressing down on her. Time and again, he slid up between her legs to pin her down completely. His hard body was so much larger than hers.

  Back then, she hadn’t realized his actions were done because he desired her. Looking back now, a fly on the wall, she could see it clearly. Ryder had wanted her before the bond had ever been forged and she had wanted him.

  A shiver jumped along each vertebra as she felt the press of his lips on hers. He’d stolen a kiss to gauge her reaction. After a moment’s hesitation, purely from shock, Bianca’s arms circled his neck, pulling him down into a kiss that had stolen her breath away.

  His wonderful, heartfelt chuckle sent her toes curling as he rolled them over, placing her on top of him. Staring into his youthful face, she assumed they’d been about sixteen and seventeen years old. Ryder had been so much more to her than just a crush. He had been the vital piece to her beating heart.

  “I love you,” he breathed, cupping her face in his hands.

  Her heart raced as the soft words he spoke to her and only her. She’d already known how he felt, but hearing the words was like being branded. He wanted her and she wanted him.

  “I love you, too, Ryder,” she replied, leaning down to take his lips once more.

  “We’ll be together forever, you know. We’re going to be mated someday. I just know it.”

  Bianca’s brow furrowed. “How can you be sure?”

  He kissed her forehead, nose, and lips. “This feeling I have…it’s too strong to be anything but forever.”

  Bianca giggled.

  “What’s so funny?” he asked, shifting uncomfortably beneath her.

  Bianca caressed his cheek. “It’s just so strange to hear you say things like this. You don’t show this side of yourself to anyone else.”

  “It has to be that way between us, Bianca.” He shook his head. “No one can know about our love.” He held her face, forcing her eyes to look on his. “No one can ever know, especially my father.”

  “Why? Won’t they be happy for us?”

  Uncertainty consumed his eyes. “I’m afraid my father has made it perfectly clear that I’m not to do anything but train. If anything gets in the way of that…I don’t even want to know what he’ll do.”

  Bianca’s heart hurt as her childhood memory slipped away like a wind clearing a cloud of smoke. That was exactly what had happened to them. Their love had been discovered and she had been ripped from the pack, their memories stripped from them.

  No wonder he never came after me. He couldn’t remember how we felt about each other. Nothing had changed for him. But everything had changed for me. That’s why I could never let go of the past.

  A searing pain shot from her heart and Bianca gasped, clenching her teeth. Her heart beat heavy, and a thunderous sensation filled her ears. Her hand still rested over top of the spot where Ryder’s heart would be. As she stared at her hand, a soft blue glow lit the underside of it.

  For what felt like an eternity, Bianca watched as the light moved from her body and into his. It was as if a piece of her heart was joining Ryder’s. For the first time since seeing his lifeless body, she felt hope fill her soul.

  The glow of power fizzled away from Brie, Tiffany, and Bianca. They sat in silence waiting for any sign that Ryder would return to them. But nothing happened.

  Tiffany lowered her head, resting her cheek on his chest. Brie sat back on her heels, her head hung low. Bianca studied the look of defeat the women shared. Her heart squeezed in her chest, reminding her of the love she’d felt for Ryder. She lowered her lips to his, kissing the man she had loved since they were teenagers. Her body tingled as she touched him, her hands tenderly caressing his face. She kissed him hard, a passion and need engulfing her.

  She closed her eyes and placed her cheek against his. Her lips at his ear, she whispered, “I’m sorry I screwed everything up, Ryder. I’m sorry we couldn’t be together sooner. You were my best friend, and you will always be the beat in my heart.” A tear trailed down her cheek. “I love you more than you will ever know.”

  Ryder’s body convulsed under her as his chest filled with gulping air. Bianca shot up to see his eyes wide open, searching. His gaze locked onto hers and he calmed.

  “Oh. My. God,” Tiffany cried. “You’re alive.”

  Smiling, Brie clasped her hands over her heart and sighed.

  Bianca’s eyes watered. Unable to fight the joy that filled her heart, she didn’t hold back a single tear. “Don’t ever do that again,” she warned him.

  Licking his dry lips, he muttered, “I’ll do my best.”

  Bianca hugged him.

  “Lilly?” he asked, his throat raw and husky.

  “She got away,” Brie admitted, her body weakened from the transfer of power. “But Dominic and the others are chasing her down now.”

  Ryder tried to sit up, but Brie placed her hand on his chest. The knife wound was completely healed. “You might want to give yourself a second.”

  He scanned her with his gaze. “You look like hell.”

  Brie forced a smile. “Thanks.” Her gaze shifted to her sister. “Tiffany, you know I couldn’t have done this without you. You saved him by putting up that shield. You kept Mason’s soul at bay and Ryder’s soul from fully departing.” Brie sounded breathless as she spoke.

  Tiffany shook her head. “I didn’t know I was doing that. I was just trying to keep Lilly away from us.”

  Brie smiled softly. “Your instincts are more attuned than you realize.” She hugged her sister. “You are going to be a very powerful fey witch one day.”

  Tiffany grinned shyly. “As long as I have you to guide me and Ryder to protect me, I will be.”

  Ryder winked at her.

  Brie wrapped her arms around Tiffany and squeezed. “I love you. I’m so glad I have you in my life.”

  “Me, too,” she replied, kissing Brie’s cheek.

  “Brie!” Sebastian’s voice rattled through the room, leaving Bianca’s heart racing even more.

  Somehow they’d gotten lost in the moment as a full-on brawl surrounded them. As her eyes settled on Sebastian, she noticed that he was carrying Jonah, his body battered and bloodied.

  Brie’s hand came up to cover her mouth. Immediately she rushed toward them. “What happened?”

  “He’s been bitten. The virus is attacking his system so much faster than it did to me.”

  Brie shook, her mouth hanging open as she stared down at her lover. Tears flooded her eyes as she glanced up to meet Sebastian’s wide eyes. “I can’t help him.”

  Sebastian’s gaze narrowed. “Yes you can. Do for him what you did for me.”

  Brie shook her head. “I don’t have the energy. I just used all I
had to save Ryder.” Her lower lip quivered. “Sebastian, I can’t save Jonah.”

  Chapter 15

  Brie’s lungs squeezed as if all the air had been sucked from the room. Her eyes blurred with the tears that filled them. Panic consumed her, ravaging her heart in utter anguish.

  Rattled from her thoughts, she watched mindlessly as Ryken, Luken, and Zane fought the vampires that were trailing into the room. Her pulse pounded in her ears, the sound like a drumbeat the vampires and lycans battled to. Her blood was thick and heavy like the muscles in her legs. Everything inside her body shook with despair.

  Brie couldn’t move as her life flashed before her eyes. She’d been forced to watch Sebastian nearly die, her daughter torn from her arms and kept from her, and now Jonah was infected by the virus that was quickly killing him. Her bottom lip quivered as she placed her hands on his face. Not an ounce of her magic remained in her body. She was weak and fragile, barely standing on her own. Sheer will drove her to be close to her mate. A burning need to do something fired in her mind.

  “We need to find another witch,” Sebastian practically shouted.

  “It will be too late,” Brie told him, her voice shaking. “Jonah won’t survive that long.”

  Sebastian’s wolf growled, his elbow flying back into the face of a vampire trying to sneak up behind him. The vampire’s head flew backward. Sebastian swiped his claws to the side, severing the vampire’s head from his body. Within a moment, his attention was focused on Brie.

  “Then take my energy, Brie.” He swallowed. “Save Jonah.”

  Brie shook her head. “No, Sebastian. It will leave you weakened. If you’re attacked…”

  Her words trailed off as her eyes settled on the headless body on the ground at his feet. Sebastian knew the risks and so did she. Her valiant alpha was making a decision. One he obviously knew she would never be able to make alone.

  “Take only what you need to save him,” he said coldly. “Leave me enough so that I can make it out of the cave and safely to the witches. They can shield me until I regain my strength.” His dark gaze was brutally frightening and deadly serious.

  She shook her head, a whirl of unsettling nerves rocking through her body.

  “Breath, Brie, just breathe.” Sebastian’s voice brought an instant calm to her raging thoughts. He had such power over her.

  A fluttering breath fled from her chest. Her gaze shifted from Sebastian to Jonah. Then she remembered something. Darting her gaze toward her sister, she saw that Ryder was now up. He and Bianca had joined the fight. Tiffany was crouched low behind him as he protected her and his mate the only way a hybrid could.

  Tiffany? Her sister’s gaze rose to lock with hers. I need Ryder and Bianca’s help. Tiffany nodded, and within a few short moments the three of them were standing directly beside her.

  Brie stared up at Ryder. “I need you to protect Sebastian. I’m about to drain him of his energy, and it will leave him vulnerable.”

  “Bianca and I will protect your mate, Brie,” Ryder said with strong conviction, his hand resting on her shoulder in a comforting gesture.

  “And I will protect mine,” Zane said adamantly, sliding up alongside Tiffany. His body was still more lycan than man, but he possessed the same adorable qualities that made him so irresistible to her sister.

  They formed a protective circle around Sebastian and Jonah. Swallowing the acidic bile that rose up at the back of Brie’s throat, she pressed to her toes and kissed Sebastian. Her heart was hammering in her chest with tremendous force. Her breathing was shallow.

  Brie fought hard to keep her voice even as she whispered, “I’ll be pissed if something happens to you, Sebastian.”

  He arched a brow. “This is not good-bye, wife. I promised I would never leave you again. I don’t plan on breaking that promise.”

  A sob settled in her chest, and she struggled to gain control. She didn’t want to seem so vulnerable, fearful. She had to focus. Jonah needed her, and she needed him.

  Placing her hands on Sebastian’s bare arms, she pulled at the energy thriving within his body. The powerful source was like an addictive drug she couldn’t get enough of. Closing her eyes, she relished the warmth that flooded through her, feeling as if she stood, basking in the afternoon sun.

  She placed one hand on Jonah’s chest, connecting the three of them as they had always been. The love she felt for Jonah, the brotherly bond that was unbreakable between him and Sebastian, swelled within her soul. The power of their joining was rich with joy and tantalizing like the sweetness of honey.

  Jonah gasped, and as he did, Sebastian dropped to his knees. Her eyes widening, Brie pulled her hand away from Sebastian, leaving it for just a moment longer on Jonah. He blinked several times, lowering his brother to the floor.

  Jonah’s eyes opened, a look of disappointment consuming his gaze. “One of those dickheads almost killed me, didn’t they?”

  Brie smiled down at Jonah, but the joy was quickly wiped clean as Sebastian fell forward, his body weak and fragile. She collected him into her arms.

  Not only had her alpha succeed in giving her enough energy to save Jonah, but he had recharged even her body. She had never known someone who possessed the kind of strength and power Sebastian did.

  “Lean on me, baby,” Brie said, leaning over Jonah, who quickly moved to stand and help her lift Sebastian to his feet.

  “We need to get out of here,” Ryder said, his gaze darting around the room. “Pretty soon there might be more than we can handle.”

  Brie arched a brow as she saw Zane whisper something in Tiffany’s ear. She kissed him for a long moment and Brie cleared her throat to draw their attention. Zane smiled, pulling away from the kiss, slightly dizzy. Brie’s gaze moved to Tiffany, who just grinned.

  Raising her hand, Tiffany said, “Allow me.” A shield of energy balled up around them.

  “Nice,” Brie said, adding her own little jolt of power to their protective circle. “We need to hurry. I’m not sure how long our barrowed energy will last.”

  “Then let’s move,” Ryder said encouragingly.

  * * * *

  Bianca stepped forward and led the group as they made their way out of the cave. The vampires were easy to behead under the magical hold of the fey witches. Ryder frowned as he noted that a large group of werepanthers had joined the fight. He wasn’t sure how they knew where to be, but even though he had a lot of unsettled issues with his council, he was grateful for their aide.

  Brody and Bryce Sullivan stepped out of the shadows as Ryder and the others made their way up the hillside to join Brie and Tiffany’s family. Brie immediately called out to her parents, hoping someone could help Sebastian regain his strength.

  “Brie, we want to help, but it would simply be robbing Peter to pay Paul.” Her father frowned, his expression understanding. “No one wants to be left without a form of protection.”

  Brie sighed. “I’ll just keep him close to us then.” She pulled him close. “We’ll keep him safe.”

  “He’ll recover fast,” Jonah told her reassuringly. “He always does.”

  “I stripped him of more energy than I ever have before.” She pressed her cheek to his chest. “I don’t know how long it will take him to fully recover.” She shivered. “If Lilly comes back—”

  “We’ll protect him, Brie,” Ryder said, his chest swelling as he inhaled. “I won’t let anything happen to him.”

  “Neither will I,” Bianca said, her jaw locked tight. “I owe you both more than I could ever repay, but it still won’t stop me from trying.”

  Brie nodded.

  “Who was the last to see Lilly alive?”

  “I was,” Dominic said, out of breath and slowing his pace to join them. “But I lost her scent in the damn woods.”

  Ryder scowled. “You lost her?” Angrily, his hands dug into his hips.

  Dominic arched a brow. “That’s what I said.”

  Ryder shook his head, frustration consuming. Lilly neede
d to die, and it had to be soon. He’d never be able to move on with his life until this matter was finally laid to rest. He never wanted to hear another damn word about a mutating virus ever again. His first order of business when he returned to his council was to have Mason Levi’s name stripped from the records. In his mind, that son of a bitch never existed.

  “I always knew panthers made better trackers than wolves,” Bryce said with a sneer.

  Dominic laughed mockingly. “Let’s see how good you can track with my boot up your ass.”

  Bryce lunged forward just as Dominic did. Ryder was there in an instant, shoving them both backward. “Now is not the time to see who has the biggest dick. Besides, I’ll track her. I’m the best candidate for the job anyway.”

  Shoving Ryder’s hand off his chest, Bryce asked, “And why is that?”

  Ryder smirked. “I’m the best of both of you.” He winked. “Wolf and Panther.”

  Bianca covered her mouth as a whispering giggle escaped her lips. Bryce glared at her. “What are you laughing at? Aren’t you supposed to be dead?”

  Bianca’s smile shifted, her eyes narrowing into thin slits. “As if you didn’t know,” she said plainly. “You knew I was alive, and yet you never bothered to tell Ryder.”

  “That reminds me,” Ryder said, drawing all eyes toward him. “When this is all over”—he pointed at Bryce—“you and I have a lot to discuss.”

  Bryce swallowed and gave a curt nod. His eyes narrowed and his lips pressed tightly together as if already feeling Ryder’s verbal and possible physical thrashing due to his betrayal. A friendship based on lies was not a friendship at all, and Ryder would never be able to trust Bryce again. That much was clear. Even if Bryce explained to him with proof that the council had forced him, Bryce should’ve done something, anything to warn him. Ryder should’ve meant more to him than acting as a pawn.

  Struggling with Bianca’s selfish decision was hard enough. He hadn’t realized that so many of his trusted kin had a hidden agenda. Those he should have the most faith in had done nothing but prove their loyalties did not align with him. The council and his parents’ goals had been purely one-sided, and they had all used Ryder to get what they personally wanted.