My teeth sank into my bottom lip as I waited for the bomb Rowena was clearly about to deliver.
“I hate meeting with you so early in the morning, especially the day after you’ve said goodbye to your beloved father. However, this matter could not wait,” Rowena insisted as she crossed her legs and straightened her back. Her fingers locked together and came to rest on her knee. “Please accept my condolences first and foremost.”
Eli nodded. “Thank you.”
“Second, I feel as though we have an issue that needs to be discussed. When you came to me to warn me about the Midnight Reaper due to the message left on your father, I told you I would help as best I could. I said we would place a ward around Mirror Lake with the intent of keeping out vampires not part of the Montevallo family. All we needed was a full moon.” Rowena paused as though waiting for Eli to acknowledge what she’d said. When he didn’t, she pressed forward. “I know you are aware we attempted to set the ward in place last night. At first, we thought our efforts had been successful despite the difficulties we endured. However, at some point in the night, the ward broke.”
My heart stalled. I licked my lips, my mouth suddenly dry.
“Why? What went wrong?” Eli asked. His voice was calm, but his eyes were wild with panic.
“Honestly, we’re not sure,” Rowena said.
“We think it has something to do with the Sire Brand Mina mentioned to Ridley,” Raven said, her voice husky and smooth.
Rowena nodded in agreement. “Yes. That is what we suspect. We think the rune is too powerful. It caused the ward to break.”
“Can you try again?” Dorian asked.
“I’m afraid that’s out of the question,” Rowena insisted. “The spell can only be performed during the night of a full moon.”
“Okay, then what’s the next step?” Eli asked as he stroked his chin. “Is there anything else you can do?”
Rowena straightened her back. Her chocolate brown eyes seemed to become unemotional and detached as she glanced at each of us. It was clear she didn’t like what she was about to say.
“There will be no next step for us I’m afraid. My reasoning behind putting the ward in place was to not only protect the town and my family, but also to help the situation in your father’s honor. He was a good man, Eli. I wanted to acknowledge that. Unfortunately, things did not go as planned, and something much stronger will be needed. Something I’m not willing to tap into my magic for without being one hundred percent certain it will work,” Rowena said. “I need to keep my strength up so that if/when it comes to me having to protect my family from the Midnight Reaper group I’m able.”
“This means you can’t offer any more help with the situation, then?” Dorian asked.
Rowena nodded. “I’m sorry to say it, but yes. This is something you will have to take care of on your own. Something I need to see dealt with before the next full moon. If not, the deal we have struck with one another regarding your ceremonial running grounds will be off the table.”
I couldn’t believe what she was saying.
My gaze drifted to Eli. His brows had furrowed, but other than that he showed no signs of distress. The same could not be said for me. My entire body trembled with the weight of Rowena’s words.
She’d threatened to take away our sanctuary. Weren’t we already dealing with enough?
This couldn’t be happening.
“I understand,” Eli said. “We’ll see to it this situation is resolved promptly to avoid that.”
“Thank you.” Rowena stood. Her gaze shifted over each of our faces. “I will be in touch.”
“Have a good rest of your day,” Eli insisted as he held open the front door for the three of them.
Rowena paused before she stepped out. “I truly am sorry for the loss of your father, as well as the position we are currently in. I hope you understand.”
“I know. And, I do understand,” Eli insisted.
Ridley flashed me a small smile as she followed her aunt and cousin out the door. She mouthed the word sorry, and I shook my head letting her know it wasn’t her fault.
Once the three of them were gone, Eli spun around to face us.
“That conversation does not leave this room. Do you understand?” His gaze drifted around to each of us. His eyes were cold, but I could tell from the tension rolling off him and the set of his jaw he was worried, not angry. The strength he’d exuded while in Rowena’s presence had been an act. Now, I was able to see the chinks in his armor.
“Agreed,” we all said.
“Looks like we’re back to square one.” Dorian ran a hand through his hair. “We need to come up with a plan so we can find out how many vampires we’re dealing with, and then figure out how to take them down. Quickly.”
Eli didn’t answer. Instead, he headed for our bedroom, slamming the door shut behind him. A deafening silence filled the trailer. No one moved. Hell, I barely breathed. I didn’t know if I should go after him or give him the space he wanted.
I didn’t have to debate long because he came back minutes later with the hand-drawn maps he’d crafted.
“We need to look over this again. We need to mark where we found the first vampire, and then figure out a new rotation so we can search everything again. Just because an area was previously searched, doesn’t mean it won’t need to be searched again. For all we know, this group of vampires could be on the move constantly. They might not have set up a home base yet,” Eli said as he spread the maps out on the coffee table. “We have until the next full moon to rid this town of whatever evil this is, which means we don’t have time to waste.”
“Okay,” Dorian said as he crouched down to stare at the map with Eli. “We were right here when we found the first vampire, the woman who could control invisible razors with her damn mind.” He pointed to an area on the map.
Eli uncapped his pen and marked the area off with an X.
“Okay, so this is an area they frequented. We should check it again,” Eli said.
“Is that where you want to start?” Frank asked. “I can gather up a couple of pack members, and we can scour the area again.”
“We should go in groups of four this time. Maybe even five. I know there aren’t many of us, but if everyone pitches in—without telling them what’s at stake because we don’t need panic circulating through the pack—we should be able to get these bloodsuckers,” Eli said. His choice of words surprised me.
I’d never heard him refer to a vampire as a bloodsucker before. Maybe it was the pressure of everything weighing on him.
“Start on the outskirts and make our way toward here?” Dorian asked, his eyes never wavering from the map.
“I think that’s a smart move,” Eli said. “We’ll give them one place to go—the lake. Let’s corner them on our turf this time, and let’s make sure we’re prepared.”
3
“We’re going catch them this time,” I said to Eli as soon as the others had left. He barely acknowledged me. “I think we have a great plan this time around. Starting on the outskirts of town and working our way in is smart.”
“We have no choice but to be smart,” Eli said without looking at me. His gaze was fixed on the map.
The pressure he was under reflected in his tone. I hated it for him. I hated it for us.
I made my way to our bedroom and grabbed my apron from on top of the dresser. My shift at the diner started in twenty minutes. After I checked the pockets for my order pad and a pen, I headed back to the living room.
Eli hadn’t moved.
“Do you want me to take Moonshine out before I leave?” I asked.
Eli didn’t answer. My question seemed to have fallen on deaf ears.
Was he purposely ignoring me?
My heart picked up pace. This was what I’d feared most—that Eli would place distance between us because of everything he was going through. I knew his mind was preoccupied. I understood he was under more stress now due to Rowena’s threat, but that didn�
�t mean he needed to shut me out.
We were in this together. We were a team.
I grabbed Moonshine’s leash and went to where she was, lying on the couch beside him. “Let’s go outside,” I said to her.
When I moved past Eli, he wrapped his fingers around my wrist. The feel of his touch had me coming to a standstill.
“I’ll figure this out, okay? I don’t want you to worry,” he insisted. His thumb brushed along the inside if my wrist. “I don’t want anyone to worry.”
“I know you’ll figure it out. Everyone knows. You can do this.” I emphasized my last words more than I should, but I needed him to know I believed in him.
Eli released his grip on me and smoothed his hands along his face.
“I hope you’re right,” he muttered.
His gaze shifted back to the map.
“I know I am.” I reached for Moonshine and carried her to the front door.
When I stepped outside, I led her to where the woods butted up against the trailer park so she could do her business. The sound of someone wincing in pain captured my attention. It sounded as though it was coming from Taryn and Glenn’s place.
“I told you not to carry those,” I heard Glenn say. I peeked around the trailer. Glenn stood, shaking his head as he took grocery bags from Taryn’s hands. “You were only supposed to carry the one with the bread and eggs in it, not the rest. They’re too heavy.”
“They’re not that heavy. I just stepped funny and rolled my damn ankle on a chunk of gravel,” Taryn spat. She directed a dirty look at Glenn’s back that was comical.
I grinned as I stared at the two. God, it was good to know he was here to hover over her. It was good to know he was here at all. There was a time when I didn’t think I’d ever witness another exchange like this between them. Thankfully, we’d been able to rescue him from Regina.
My stomach soured because now our pack was faced with a new threat. Would there ever be a time when we were one hundred percent safe? Maybe we never were safe. Maybe I’d been too young to see all the dangers. Too blind. Maybe our alpha had done a hell of a job hiding things of that nature from us.
Maybe I was only seeing them now because I was so close to the inner workings of our pack.
“Hey, guys,” I said as I stepped closer to Taryn and Glenn, pushing everything else from my mind. “Everything okay?”
“It would be,” Glenn growled as he frowned at Taryn. “If I could get this one to quit carrying heavy stuff and actually rest like she’s supposed to.”
“No doctor has told me I need to rest yet. Until they do I’m going to do whatever the hell I want. I’m pregnant. Not disabled,” Taryn snapped. Her hand went to her hip as she flashed Glenn another go-to-hell look.
I chuckled, unable to help myself.
“Hey, what are you doing later?” Taryn asked, ignoring my laughter.
“I’m about to head to work right now. Why?”
“What time do you get off?”
“Between three and four.” I tugged on Moonshine’s leash, trying to get her to come back to where I was instead of disappearing into the woods like she seemed to want.
“Think you could dye my hair for me when you get off?” Taryn asked. Her hand shifted to her baby bump. “I talked to my doctor and she said it was okay, but I’m still not sure about all the chemical crap. I went to the store and got the most natural kit I could find. One that’s close to my natural hair color so I don’t have to keep touching up while I’m pregnant.”
“Umm, yeah. Sure. I can help you with that.” I hoped I didn’t screw her hair up. I’d never dyed anyone’s hair before. Not even my own.
“Thanks.” Taryn beamed. I’d heard somewhere once pregnant women emitted a glow, but I’d never known it to be true until now looking at Taryn. Then, her face darkened as her eyes darted back to Glenn. “Someone said he would help, but I know all he’d do is gripe the entire time, and frankly, I’d rather not listen to it.”
“It can’t be good for the baby,” Glenn said as he dashed from inside the small trailer back to the trunk of her cherry red car for more groceries. “All the chemicals and stuff that’s in hair dye, natural or not, can’t be healthy. I don’t understand why you don’t let it grow out naturally.”
Taryn rolled her eyes. “Maybe because I don’t want to look like a damn skunk the entire time.”
Another chuckle burst from my lips. She really would look like a skunk. Her natural hair color was a dark brown that was almost black, but she’d dyed her hair platinum blond.
“You would not look like a skunk,” Glenn insisted. “All you have to do is put your hair up and nobody would even notice.”
“Everyone would notice!” she shouted at his back as he carried in more groceries.
“I should probably go,” I said. “I’ll see you between three and four.”
“Okay, thanks,” Taryn said. She waved at me, but Glenn had stepped back out of the trailer and she continued with her argument. “It’s the last time. I already told you I talked to my doctor about it. If you don’t believe me I’ll get her on the phone right now, and you can ask her yourself.”
Glenn muttered something, but I’d already started around the trailer and couldn’t hear his response. A smile stretched across my face. It was nice to hear them argue again. They’d always argued. It was part of the reason why when Glenn went missing nobody thought he was missing. He and Taryn had had an argument the night before, so naturally everyone assumed he’d decided to leave and take a breather. It wasn’t the first time he’d opted to do such a thing after a heated argument. Heck, some months it happened twice. However, that hadn’t been the case the last time. Glenn had been abducted.
I started up the wooden steps of my trailer, pulling Moonshine along with me. She fought me wanting to stay outside and chase leaves, but I forced her.
“All right,” I said once I closed the door behind me. Eli was still on the couch, glaring at the map. “Moonshine has been taken out, and I need to get to work before I’m late. I’m supposed to get off between three and four, but I told Taryn I’d swing by her place after and help dye her hair.”
“Okay, sure,” Eli muttered without looking up from the map.
I stepped to the edge of the coffee table and crammed both my hands into the front pockets of my apron. Normally he kissed me goodbye. It didn’t seem as though that would be happening today. He was too lost in thought.
“So, I guess I’ll see you later, then,” I said, trying again to get the point across that I was leaving. I wanted my kiss, damn it. Even if it was just a peck. My lips screwed together into a frown when he didn’t move. “Keep the change.”
That got his attention. He blinked. “What?”
“Keep the change,” I said as I cast him a coy look. “Did you already forget what that means?”
“No.” He ran his fingers through his hair and leaned back against the couch cushions. “I just didn’t think you were serious when you said you planned on using it instead.”
“Well, I was.” I rolled my ankles. “So, how about it? Keep the change?”
Eli shook his head. His lips quivered as though they were fighting the urge to twist into a smirk. My chest lightened. “I’m just thinking about a lot of things at once, really.”
“Like?”
No doubt I was going to be late for work, but I didn’t feel comfortable leaving him in this funk he was trapped in.
“My dad. How I haven’t been alpha for a full day yet and already our pack’s future has been threatened.”
“That’s not your fault.” The words rushed from my lips without hesitation.
Eli smoothed a hand over his face and let out a loud sigh. “Sure feels like it is.”
“You had no idea the Caraways weren’t going to be able to put the ward in place securely.”
“I know,” he said. His gaze flicked back to the map. “It just seems like I should’ve been able to stop all of this. I should have been able to capture the
Midnight Reaper group of vampires and put an end to all of this by now.”
“You’re not Superman, Eli.” I folded my arms across my chest. “You might be a werewolf, but you’re sure as hell not Superman. No one’s expecting you to take care of this situation overnight. The pack isn’t even that worried. They don’t know the whole situation we’re in. I mean, Taryn and Glenn were arguing over her carrying groceries. And, she wants me to dye her hair this afternoon. Those are not the conversations of worried pack members. We have until the next full moon. There’s no doubt in my mind this will be sorted out before then. I already told you, I believe in you. Now believe in yourself. Please. You can do this. You’re a great alpha. One your dad would be proud of.”
“God, I love you,” Eli whispered in such a low, emotional tone it tore at the fragile edges of my heart. “You always know exactly what I need to hear.”
“I only say what I feel, what I know to be true.” I shrugged as I felt my cheeks warm. “And, I love you, too.”
Eli pulled in a deep breath. When he exhaled the weight of the world seemed to drift off his shoulders. He reached for me, pulling me into his lap.
“Thank you,” he whispered before his lips brushed across mine.
My skin tingled where he touched me. I’d missed moments like this with him. Lately, they had been spread thin. For good reason, but still.
Fire smoldered through my veins when Eli’s tongue pushed its way inside my mouth as our kiss deepened. A tiny moan escaped me. Eli’s lips pulled away from mine to press against the warm skin of my neck. He sucked and nibbled there while my teeth skimmed over my bottom lip and my hands raked across his back.
“All right,” he breathed. “You should get to work, and I should probably meet up with Dorian again. Find out who’s available today to go on rotation.”
I leaned in to peck his lips once more, hating he was putting an end to our moment, but understanding nonetheless. “Be careful.”
“Always,” Eli insisted as he gripped my hip tighter.
Moon Revealed (Mirror Lake Wolves Book 6) Page 2