Darkening Moon

by Gaja J. Kos

  “I intend to find out what she isn’t saying. I have a sister at ICRA,” I explained, although keeping my voice neutral was quite an effort with Afanasiy standing so damn close my fingers itched to explore that honed chest. “She’s doing her own investigating. I might not be Voit’s liege,”—a twitch in the corner of his mouth that echoed mine—“but he is my employee and I do care for him.”

  “So why not work with the Agency?” His tone spoke clearly of his opinion on ICRA, but the question was sincere.

  “I double-crossed Isa once. Even if I could bring valuable information to the table, she’d probably shut the door in my face.”

  Not probably. Definitely.

  Isa might have come to like me on a personal level during our time together, but someone as work-oriented as her could never forgive that I almost blew her entire mission. I hadn’t. But it didn’t matter.

  I’d broken her trust, and a voice inside me warned that there was no chance in all the fucking realms she would let me dip my toes into another one of her cases.

  Afanasiy considered me, then crossed his arms. “So what do you propose?”

  “We work together. I share everything I learn if you do the same. Maybe between us, we’ll be able to figure out who took Voit and where they’re keeping him.”

  I almost couldn’t believe the words that were coming out of my mouth even when I had prepared myself for them. But the fact remained that while I still wanted a normal life for myself—or at least an approximation of it—I couldn’t just sit back and do nothing.

  That much I’d known ever since the Games. Although it hadn’t stopped me from turning a blind eye and pretending otherwise. At least in times of moderate peace, there was no real danger for me to dive headfirst into.

  Even so, being the head of the Zentrum had changed me. Brought out the base werewolf nature I couldn’t deny any longer.

  We were pack animals. And since I didn’t have one of my own, I channeled all that care and protectiveness into the people surrounding me. It would have been a nice notion if not for a darker undercurrent of thought.

  My eagerness to help went beyond the concern for one of my own.

  I was starting to believe that my brothers had been right and the thrill of the hunt was addictive. But the time to sort that out would come later. Right now, I just needed to get Afanasiy to back me up on this.

  “So what do you say?” I stretched out my hand. “Do we have an agreement?”

  Afanasiy’s fingers slid across mine, solidifying me. I wasn’t fully corporeal, but definitely more tangible than when I had arrived. The half state was unsettling, though when Afanasiy shook my hand, I forgot all about it.

  This probably qualified as one of the dangers Bathilda had mentioned. But for the life of me, I couldn’t not be thrilled by the contact.

  Afanasiy tipped his head to the side. “We have an agreement.”

  Heat pulsed between us where our skin met, but even as a rush of inexplicable desire surged through me, the demon didn’t pull away. Instead, he lifted the sleeve of my jacket with his free hand, exposing my forearm.

  “You will need a means to summon me,” he whispered.

  “Isn’t a cell phone good enough?” My words came out as low, harsh breaths.

  “Effective, but not infallible.” His fingers danced down the exposed skin, pressure building somewhere beneath. “With my mark, you may reach me anytime you desire.”

  I shivered, my back arching slightly as the peculiar sensation increased, but couldn’t tear my gaze away from the intensity burning in his eyes. Afanasiy tugged me forward, crushing me against his chest the instant his fingers untangled from mine and came to rest at the bottom of my spine instead.

  My heart thrashed against my ribs, my lips parting involuntarily as I continued to stare at him, those violet eyes seeming to drink in my every ragged breath. “How does it work?”

  Without letting go of me, he lifted my phantom yet solid arm up by my side where I could see it with ease. There was nothing but unmarred skin there, a blank canvas that was next in line to boast a tattoo once I had the time to blow off a few hours in the parlor.

  Or not.

  Heat rushed through me—lust, but something else, too. Something potent and powerful that coursed from Afanasiy’s body into mine, linking us together and igniting the pressure I’d felt earlier.

  My eyes widened as a shape started to form on my skin, a beautiful black design of ancient symbols nestled in a bed of thorny vines. Its vibrancy grew in tune with the heat, and just when I thought I couldn’t bear any more, just as his fingers dug into the small of my back, pressing me even closer to him, the magic—and the design—faded.

  But the heat between us did not.

  I could feel Afanasiy’s erection straining the fabric of his pants and rubbing against me, his hunger so thick in the air I tasted its flavor on my tongue.

  I wanted to ask about the mark—I really did—but my mind refused to cooperate. Afanasiy released my hand. He used the newly found freedom to trace his fingers across the side of my breast before bringing them up to my neck.

  “You only need to think about me,” he whispered. “Think about me and want me there, and I’ll come.”

  The image of him coming did it. I slipped a hand between the press of our bodies, trailing the chiseled muscles of his abdomen, then hooked a ghostly finger behind the waist of his pants.

  A low growl rumbled in his chest, his breath washing across my lips. “Do that when you are fully corporeal, and we’ll see how much this little wolf can take.”

  There was danger in his violet-tinted eyes, a heated, primal need for possession I yearned to explore.

  I caressed the skin just beneath his waist, then snatched my hand back. “Is that another agreement?”

  Afanasiy’s hand cupped my ass, the touch bruising in a way that made me seriously regret not being in corporeal form right this instant. The next thing I knew, his lips were on mine, pushing them apart until our tongues met. He kissed me deeply, the sensation just as potent as if it were my true body he was caressing, and I moaned into his touch, burning for him until even this ethereal shell of me needed to come up for air.

  The grin he flashed me was downright infectious. “An agreement I look forward to fulfilling.”

  10

  Whether it was the overflowing piles of paperwork or the realization that I was irrefutably connected with the demon, which was as terrifying as it was exhilarating, the end result was the same. I didn’t call on Afanasiy the first chance I got.

  Days spent cooped up in the office, with hour-long intervals of coaching Selma thrown into the mix.

  The stationary phone on my desk blinked red. I cursed under my breath and tapped the key that would put the call on speaker. “Yes?”

  “Sorry to bother you, Lotte.”

  Felix. His voice was no less chipper than usual, but not quite as carefree. Great.

  “Hit me with your worst, Felix.”

  “Ian Steiger changed his mind. He won’t be coming in for the interview this afternoon.”

  It was a good thing I had put Felix on speaker. The receiver probably wouldn’t have survived the tight fist my fingers curled into.

  “Did he say why?” I asked, barely keeping the lid on my anger.

  “Apparently”—some of the brightness slipped away—“he thought it through and realized the Zentrum might not be the best match for him.”

  “Right.” Who’d want to soil their pristine name for the more than generous offer we’d put on the table? “Anything else?”

  “Do you want some fresh coffee?”

  “I’ll swing by your office in half an hour. I have a distinct feeling I’ll need to step away for a bit before I shred something to ribbons.”

  A small laugh. “Until then.”

  When Felix’s voice disappeared, I rubbed my eyes, careful not to smear the mascara, and opened the relevant folder on my too-cluttered desktop. I’d gone through the applic
ations already, but since I’d spotted Ian Steiger among them early on, it was possible I overlooked someone.

  Not very likely, but a werewolf had to hope.

  The names and recommendations blurred together as minutes ticked by, forming a vicious dead end that glared right back at me. I sighed and slightly dimmed the computer screen.

  Why was it so fucking hard to find a decent coach?

  “Because we’re rare gems in this world,” a voice fluttered from the door.

  Startled, I looked up and saw Melina standing in a streak of sunlight, a sympathetic smile on her face. Her sleek dark hair was pulled back in a ponytail, the scent of clay that clung to her baby-blue-and-black tracksuit testifying to hours spent on the court.

  “Sorry.” I winced. “Didn’t know I was whining out loud.”

  With three long strides, Melina crossed the room and threw herself down in the chair across the desk. Her demeanor was easy, but I could tell that keeping her natural energy in check was a burden.

  “Thanks again for doing this. You’re saving my ass, you know?”

  She chuckled. “I like your ass, so don’t even mention it.”

  But we both knew her coming here to train the younger players wasn’t something I could easily write off as a small favor. The tight leash Melina had to put around herself to not drive the teens into a hormonal storm was a massive sacrifice on her part. And since she’d insisted to take over all of Voit’s athletes, save for Selma who was under my wing until further notice, the control was starting to wear her out.

  I scooted around the table and shimmied into her lap. Beneath the pleasant aroma of tennis, she smelled like sun and freshly cut grass. I buried my nose into her neck, letting the scent of her fill my lungs, then nuzzled my way across her skin until our lips came together.

  The kiss was light at first, then quickly deepened. My body tightened at her taste, at the warmth that wrapped around me as lovingly as her arms. She slipped a hand beneath my shirt, fingers dancing along my spine and teasing a low growl from my chest.

  Without breaking the kiss, I pressed myself closer, my breasts crushing hers as hunger grew and pulsed, creating a cocoon where there was nothing but us. No job. No worries. Just the pure pleasure of two bodies coming together and exploring their desires. I caught a fistful of her hair, arching back her neck to taste more, to feel more. And Melina responded.

  Her fingernails dug into my shoulder blades, her need for me saturating the air until all I could think about was how good it would feel to slip my fingers inside her. To taste that molten core and caress her until her climax washed over my skin.

  We came up for air, the office spinning around me. It was only the press of Melina’s body that kept me grounded.

  I trailed my thumb along the curve of her full lower lip. “You know, I always did fantasize about splaying you across my desk.”

  “Seducing your employees, Lotte?” Melina’s near black gaze shone with mischief, the corners of her mouth quirked up.

  “That would be bad conduct.” I arched an eyebrow. “Only you, love, are not my employee.”

  “But I am.”

  I stilled as the voice broke through the bubble of heat surrounding our tangled forms, then peered over Melina’s shoulder. Alec was leaning against the doorframe, a dazzling grin stretched across his tanned face.

  “Don’t go spreading lies, now, Lotte. Employee or not, you don’t give a fuck.”

  “Actually, a fuck is exactly what I give.” A smile teased my lips, echoes of it seeping into my tone.

  Melina’s body shook with silent laughter beneath me. She pulled me down into another kiss, then patted me lightly on the ass. “Off you go now. I have to cool down before I walk out on the court again, and I’m sure you two have some catching up to do.”

  I scooted off, but when she rose, I drew her into my arms one more time. Our lips brushed, a teasing, but gentle caress that left me grinning. “Call you later?”

  She winked. “Sure.”

  Alec gave her a quick, guarded hug as she walked past him, his werewolf senses undoubtedly picking up the slowly rebuilding, but not quite there yet shields. He closed the door behind her, then leaned against it, arms crossed and mirth sparking up his eyes.

  “So, boss, is your quota of good times filled for one day or can this employee take you out to dinner?”

  I shot him a glare, but burst out laughing far too quickly for the effect to sink in. “Come here, you goof.”

  Alec peeled away from the door and poured himself into my outstretched arms. I sucked in his scent with long, deep breaths, bathing in the normalcy and security it brought. Even if it was only a temporary solution, it was simply too damn good to pass.

  Our lips met in a brief kiss, gazes locked as if we hadn’t seen each other in months, instead of the three weeks we’d spent apart while he was basking in the Australian sun.

  I cupped his cheek. “I didn’t think you were coming back until tomorrow.”

  “Neither did I.” He leaned into my touch, eyes fluttering shut for a moment. “The flights got jumbled. It was a good thing Rihard and I were staying at the airport. Otherwise, we’d be stuck Down Under until the weekend.”

  “How’s he holding up?” I asked, shuffling the two of us back until my butt rested against the edge of the desk. Paper fluttered onto the ground.

  “Pretty good, considering.”

  “We all knew that chances of him getting into the finals, let alone snagging the top spot, were slim,” I offered, then glanced down to see if the scattered documents were of importance. Nope. “That he made it so far at all is a massive achievement.”

  Rihard was good. No, actually, he’d become exceptional over the past couple of months. But hard courts weren’t his forte. Throw that in with the pressure of playing what was basically the supernatural equivalent of the human Australian Open, and it became quite a morsel to swallow.

  The kid did more than fine.

  “Yeah, but you know how it is when you’re that close.” Alec’s voice was gentle, filled with memories and experiences we both shared.

  It was never easy to fail at the final stage. But those unpleasant moments were vital in building character and shaping athletes into individuals who could do this in the long run, not break apart at the first sign of a crisis. And I, for one, seriously wanted to see Rihard rule those courts for years to come.

  Alec’s brow furrowed as he skimmed the multitude of papers that had managed to remain on my desk despite my ass taking up most of the space. “Bad day?”

  I opened my mouth to bitch about the lack of qualified coaches when I remembered—

  “Ah, shit.” I pressed my forehead against Alec’s chin. He didn’t even know about Voit yet. With a labored breath, I eased out of his embrace. “Does that dinner include comfort food?”

  “What’s wrong?”

  But I couldn’t give him his answer now. So I simply shook my head and mouthed “later” before letting his kisses whisk away the bitterness.

  Steiger’s change of heart at least had one desirable consequence.

  Instead of spending more time in the office after I was done with Selma’s training, I could let Alec take me to the small, but cozy restaurant near his place. Its rustic style appealed to my inner werewolf, the fact that the wooden touches were there, but not so overdone as to suck out the light, making it one of our regular haunts whenever we decided against ordering in.

  We grabbed ourselves a corner table, the aroma of food weaving through the air and making my stomach growl. Mercifully, Alec used the time we waited for the pizzas to arrive to fill me in on all that had happened in Australia, preventing my hunger from turning me into a grumpy mess.

  Gods knew there was enough of that going around lately.

  I lost myself in his voice, his recollection accompanied by whispers of the past we’d shared. It seemed not much had changed in the pro world, and I couldn’t help but find it comforting.

  This was what I knew.
What had always been mine.

  Change was not something I particularly craved even if fate had proven to have the exact opposite in mind. And listening to Alec…

  It brought me back to my roots.

  When the food eventually materialized on our table, we fell into a pleasant silence, enjoying the explosion of taste and washing it down with pitchers of Paulaner straight from the tap. But just as I found myself relaxing, my gaze fell on my forearm—on the now invisible mark resting beneath my skin.

  A bitter laugh fluttered through my mind.

  Things were far, far from normal. And that was a fact no amount of wishful thinking could remedy.

  Alec must have caught my mood, because he took another sip of his beer and studied my face with sharp focus. “Mind telling me why you look like someone who’s done way too much overtime?”

  “Because I have.” I wiped my crumb-sprinkled fingers on a napkin. “Still am.”

  “Why? I thought the Zentrum was running smoothly when I left?”

  The silent determination in his gaze was an obstacle I couldn’t dance around. He’d get the information out of me sooner or later. But I could control just how much of it reached his ears.

  I let loose a breath. I’d dragged him into my mess the last time. I sure as fuck didn’t want him to wade through all this shit alongside me.

  Or worry about my part in the wider mess.

  “Voit’s license is temporarily suspended. He failed to make it to that fucking seminar, and now they’re benching him.”

  Annoyance tightened the curve of his mouth. “There’s another one scheduled for December, right? If he makes it—”

  “If he even appears by then,” I said, keeping my voice devoid of emotion.

  Alec’s alertness washed all the way over to my chair. “Voit isn’t here?”

  “No.” I shook my head. It was bad news, but still safely within the parameters of what Alec could know. “He’s gone missing. ICRA’s looking into his disappearance in case there was foul play involved.”