Seducing the Moon

by Sherrill Quinn

  Pelicia partly turned to see what he was looking at, but she saw nothing. “What?” she asked in a hushed voice.

  He gave a slight shake of his head. “I don’t know. There looks like there’s something on the kitchen floor. Wait here.”

  Sully crept down the hallway. Pelicia waited a second or two and then followed him. When she caught up to him he muttered, “What part of ‘Wait here’ didn’t you understand?”

  “The part where I wait by myself while the big man with the gun goes off without me,” she muttered back, clutching Declan’s clothing to her chest. “As long as you’re armed, where you go, I go.”

  His sigh was low and heavy. He stopped in the doorway and checked the room, then reached out and pushed the light switch. Pelicia saw his back stiffen. “Goddamn it.” He looked over his shoulder at her, his expression hard. “This time, wait here.” When she didn’t respond, he said, “I mean it.”

  Her brows dipped but she gave a nod of agreement. Then she saw what was on the floor. “Oh, my God! Brenna!” Pelicia started to go into the kitchen, and Sully put out one arm to stop her. “Get out of my way, Sully.” Her voice shrilled, echoing in the confined space of the hallway. “It’s Brenna. I have to get to her.”

  “I know it’s Brenna, love.” His voice was soft. “She’s dead.”

  Tears slid down her cheeks. She shook her head sharply. “How can you know that from here? Maybe…maybe she’s just unconscious.”

  “There’s too much blood, Pel. I’ll double check, but I need you to stay here, all right?” He turned and took her by the shoulders. When her gaze stayed plastered to her friend’s body, he cupped her chin and made her look at him. In that gentle voice he said, “We don’t want to disturb the scene any more than necessary. As a matter of fact, why don’t you ring emergency services?”

  She swallowed, hard.

  “Go on,” he murmured.

  He was right. Pelicia gave a lingering look at the body of her friend, her heart breaking. Then she went down the hallway and picked up the phone, dialing nine-nine-nine for emergency.

  She looked toward the kitchen to see Sully walk carefully over to Brenna’s body. Once the operator knew the nature of the call, he transferred her to a Police Community Support Officer in Cornwall. As she gave information to the officer, Sully squatted near Brenna’s head and reached out to place two fingers against her neck. After several moments he rose and made his way out of the kitchen.

  At the solemn look on his face, a sob broke free and she clapped her hand over her mouth to try to keep the rest of them at bay. She held onto her control long enough to give her address to the officer. She hung up just as Sully reached her. He pulled her against him, one hand at the back of her skull, pressing her face against his chest.

  She wrapped her arms around him, clutching his back, and cried.

  “I’m sorry, love,” she heard him murmur. “I’m so sorry. She’s gone.”

  “This can’t be happening.” She sobbed into his chest, speech difficult. “Why would anyone want to kill Brenna?” This kind of crime was unheard of on the Isles. Robbery, sure. Even some vandalism now and again, but murder…” I don’t understand,” she whispered.

  “A murder like this never makes sense, sweetheart.” Sully let her cry another few minutes. “How long until the police get here?”

  Pelicia gave a shuddering sigh and wiped tears off her face, grateful for his solid presence. “We only have a couple of constables here on the island—they usually have to take care of traffic tickets and the odd burglary, and during tourist season some drunk and disorderlies. But not murd—” She swallowed back more tears and pulled away from Sully. “Not murder. They’ll have to bring a specialized unit over from the Devon and Cornwall Constabulary. It will take a few hours, though I imagine the support officer I spoke to will have called Charlie Tremwith, our local PC. He should be here just as soon as he gets dressed.”

  Standing there, staring at the floor with tears burning in her eyes, she felt old. And scared. And very much as if her world had just been turned upside down.

  Again.

  Pelicia tucked her trembling hands into the pockets of her robe and looked up at Sully’s face. “I…don’t know what to tell them when they get here.”

  His brows lifted. “You can tell them everything that happened, except for the werewolf bit.”

  No, mustn’t tell the cops about the werewolf. At least she and Scully had been the only ones to witness Declan’s transformation—even the intruder hadn’t seen it.

  Sully guided her up the stairs. “Put some clothes on, love,” he said in a soft voice. “I’ll do the same, then we’ll go back downstairs and wait for the police together.”

  She went into her room and numbly shrugged out of her robe. She took off her nightshirt and got dressed without putting much thought into the process. For the first time since she’d returned to St. Mary’s, she wasn’t averse to having the police on her doorstep. Someone had killed Brenna.

  Pelicia would do whatever was necessary to make sure her killer was found.

  Still in wolf form, Declan paused at the end of Garrison Road. A boat engine fired up, and he heard the water slosh as the marine vehicle took off.

  Enemy. Lost.

  The bastard had gotten away. But it had been the same one who’d fired those shots—the smell of gunpowder lingered in the man’s clothing. The sniper had been in her house, trying to hurt Pelicia.

  When Declan had first burst into the Nola he’d smelled blood. His heart had thudded to a stop. Relief and rage had mingled to see a very much alive and apparently unhurt Pelicia struggling with an intruder.

  As soon as he’d engaged the attacker, his rage had exploded. Sharp pain had seared his gums as his canines had elongated, his eyes had burned as the wolf struggled to be free. Declan had believed in his own control to the point where he was confident he was stronger than the beast, that when it wasn’t a full moon he wouldn’t shift.

  He’d been wrong.

  The transition from human to wolf took an amazingly short time, considering the way bones and sinews had to shorten or lengthen, muscles realigning to match, blood vessels and organs transforming as well. An amazingly short time and an astonishingly painful process.

  He’d been aware of Sully’s horrified disbelief, though his friend’s hands had been steady as he aimed his weapon at the wolf. Pelicia’s reaction, on the other hand, had been one of awe quickly followed by anger.

  He hadn’t wanted her to find out this way. Hell, in the back of his mind he hadn’t wanted her to find out at all. Maybe he’d have told her on their fiftieth wedding anniversary when she was too old to run from him. Well, at least, too old to run very fast.

  Giving a snuffling snort, he put his nose to the ground and followed the attacker’s trail until it ended at the water’s edge. It was impossible for him to track the bastard any farther.

  With no little trepidation he made his way back to the Nola and tried to prepare himself to face Pelicia and Sully. When he transformed back to human he’d be naked. Wearing his birthday suit to face down an angry lover and friend wasn’t high on his list of things to do.

  But it was time to face the music.

  Naked or not.

  He loped back to the Nola, using shrubbery as much as possible to cloak his presence. Wolves weren’t indigenous to the Isles, and there was no sense in getting people riled up and started on a wolf hunt. He reached the edge of Pelicia’s property and paused, lifting his head to sniff the wind.

  Safe.

  But…he smelled blood.

  Before he could proceed farther, a small police car rolled up in front of the Nola and stopped. PC Tremwith got out and walked briskly to the house. He rapped sharply on the front door.

  The door opened and Pelicia stood there, looking wan but unhurt. She stood aside and Tremwith entered. As she closed the door Declan saw Sully standing near her.

  He couldn’t very well walk up to the house stark naked, no
t with the local police constable there. Besides, now he knew she was safe. And with Sully and Tremwith there, Declan could go on to Phelan’s Keep and get a fresh set of clothes.

  And brace himself for Pelicia’s wrath.

  Chapter 11

  Hours later, the watcher stood in the shadows and watched while a sheet-draped body was rolled out on a gurney. Rage burned in his gut. He put his attention on the house where Pelicia Cobb stood in the doorway with the London cop behind her, his hands on her shoulders.

  He ground his teeth together. He’d made a mistake—he’d thought Brenna was the Cobb woman, had thought he would be able to take her out and finally strike a blow to O’Connell.

  Instead she stood there, brave, weeping, sorrowful, and alive. Alive, damn it.

  And the lovely Brenna Brown was dead. Killing her had never been part of his plans. Using her, yes. Slaking his carnal thirst with her beautiful body, absolutely. He’d never meant to fall in love with her, but he had.

  But killing her?

  It had never been part of the plan. She was the best thing that had happened to him in the last twenty years. She hadn’t cared about the tremor in his right hand or that he wasn’t whole anymore. She had given him strength when he’d needed it the most.

  He hadn’t been expecting her to be there tonight. When he’d seen a slender blond woman in the dark kitchen, he’d thought it was Pelicia. And he’d struck.

  He turned away, resolve hardening his heart. Pelicia Cobb would die, and that Irish bastard would watch and be powerless to stop him.

  Chapter 12

  Sully stayed by Pelicia’s side throughout the investigation, keeping her away from the kitchen when the small police unit took crime scene photos and collected evidence. One of the local constables had assured them this case would take precedence—after all, it was an islander who’d been murdered. He had looked askance at Sully, but at Pelicia’s assurances that Sully had been upstairs when she’d been attacked by the intruder, the constable had turned his attention to the two absent guests.

  “And you’ve no idea where they might be?” he asked again, his gaze going from Pelicia to Sully and back again.

  “No.” She gave a small shrug and folded her arms over her breasts. She looked so lost Sully couldn’t help but put one arm around her shoulders and pull her close.

  “From what I’ve seen, Andrew is usually gone when everyone else gets up and doesn’t come in until well after we’ve gone to bed, but he does come back here to sleep at least.” He glanced at Pelicia for confirmation, and she nodded. Sully looked at the constable. “I have no idea about Neal. I’ve only been here a couple of days myself.”

  The constable made a few more notes and then put away his notebook and pen. His face wore lines of concern. “Pel, if you think of anything else, let me know, all right? And if there’s anything I can do for you…”

  She swallowed. “Thank you, Charlie. I appreciate it.”

  When they wheeled the gurney with Brenna’s sheet-draped body on it down the hallway, Sully turned to block Pelicia’s view. He knew she’d seen it, though, because a sob broke from her throat before she buried her face in his shoulder.

  This should be Declan here, comforting her, not Sully. It should be Declan’s arms around her, his body warming her, his strength bolstering her.

  But of course he couldn’t be here, because he’d turned into a wolf and run away.

  Damn it to hell. His best friend was a bloody werewolf.

  Three hours after the police had been summoned Sully followed Pelicia out of the now empty Nola as if he was afraid she’d try to ditch him.

  “I’m going with you.” His voice rasped low and harsh.

  She glanced at him in the dim light of early morning. “Okay,” she said slowly. This was the third time he’d told her this, the first two being right after she’d said she was going to confront Declan. She hadn’t objected the first time he’d told her he was tagging along when she went to Phelan’s Keep, so she wasn’t quite sure why he continued to insist he was going.

  He grimaced. “Sorry. I keep expecting you to argue with me.”

  She raised her eyebrows. “He’s your friend—you have a right to find out what’s going on as much as I do.”

  “He’s your friend, too.” He shot her a look from beneath his lashes. “Isn’t he?”

  Once upon a time she would have said yes. But the way she was feeling right now…It was like she hardly knew him.

  No, that wasn’t quite true. She knew him too well—it hadn’t surprised her to find out he’d not been honest with her. It had hurt her, angered her, but not surprised her. It was pure Declan in action.

  But friends didn’t hold secrets—at least big ones—from each other. Especially friends who seemed to want to become more than friendly.

  “I don’t know,” she responded quietly. “I just don’t know anymore.”

  They walked in silence to the wharf. She caught sight of the young man who delivered groceries to the Keep loosening the mooring rope to his boat. “Robbie!”

  He looked up and grinned. “Pel! What brings you down here?”

  “I’m looking for a ride out to see my dad. Are you heading that way?”

  Robbie nodded. “Making my weekly grocery run.”

  Pelicia tipped her head toward Sully. “Mind if we make the run for you?”

  “Not a bit.” He helped her into the boat and, once Sully had jumped in, he tossed the rope into the stern. “Can you have her back to me by noon? I have another run this afternoon.”

  “Sure thing.” Considering her mood, she wouldn’t need the boat for six hours—she’d probably have it back to him in two.

  She and Sully set off across the water and reached the dock at Phelan’s Keep in twenty minutes. Once she’d tied the mooring rope, she led the way up the steep stairs to the top of the bluff.

  Here she was, yet again, coming to this place but not to visit her father. She sighed. When all of this was over, she and her dad were going to have to spend some quality time together.

  She stopped to catch her breath at the top of the bluff and looked back over the ocean. It was beautiful here, with nothing but ocean and little dots of islands.

  Sully paused beside her, breathing deeply. “Damn. And here I thought I was in shape.”

  Even though she was still heartsick about Brenna and angry at Declan, the aggravation in Sully’s voice made her grin. “There’s nothing like a few dozen steps to show you just how out of shape you are, eh?” Pelicia shook her head. “I always have to stop at the top. Otherwise I end up at the front door blowing air like a bellows.”

  “You and me both.”

  After a few minutes, she turned to him. “All right?” At his nod, she walked toward the house, Sully at her side. She lifted the knocker and let it fall.

  While waiting for someone to answer the door, she looked again at Sully. “Just what are you going to say to him?”

  He gave a shrug. “Hadn’t planned on saying anything to him. I’m just going to knock him on his arse.”

  She pressed her lips together, fighting a grin. How like a guy—no questions, no recriminations, just go out and hit someone.

  Of course, O’Connell deserved it, so she wasn’t going to argue with Sully’s technique.

  The door opened. Expecting to see her dad, Pelicia was surprised to see Taite standing there.

  “Hey, Pelicia! How good to see you. Come on in.” She stood back and let them enter.

  Pelicia looked around. “Where’s my dad?”

  “He’s out for his morning constitutional.” Taite grinned. “He says it’s so he can keep up with me.”

  Pelicia returned the smile. “He’s probably just getting in shape so he can keep up with the babies.”

  “Whoa there.” Taite held up one hand, palm facing outward. “We just got married. Don’t be getting me pregnant already.”

  Pelicia laughed. “Sorry.”

  Taite shot her “the look” but spoi
led it with another grin. Then she looked at Sully, tilting her head slightly to one side. “I’m sorry. Where are my manners?” She held out her hand and shook his. “Hi. I’m Taite Merrick. You look familiar. Do we know each other?”

  “I don’t think so,” he responded with a shake of his head.

  “Taite, this is Rory Sullivan, one of Declan and Ryder’s friends from college. Sully, this is Ryder’s wife.”

  “Ah. I remember seeing a photo of you boys when you were in college.” She sounded so American that Pelicia couldn’t help but smile. When Taite glanced toward the study, Pelicia assumed Ryder was ensconced there working on his next novel. Taite went on, “This isn’t a good time for visitors—Ryder’s closing in on a deadline and his muse isn’t cooperating. But I know he’ll want to see you, Sully. Let me see if I can pry him away from his computer.”

  “We really came to see Declan,” he said.

  Taite paused on her way across the foyer and turned to look at them. “What’s he done now?” Resignation was rife in her voice.

  She knew him well, too, it seemed.

  “He turned into a sodding werewolf. Pardon my language.” Sully shrugged. “But that’s not something you see every day, is it?”

  Pelicia shared a look with Taite but didn’t volunteer that the other woman saw something like that on a fairly routine basis, actually.

  Taite pursed her lips a moment. “Um, yeah.” She shook her head as if warding off an errant thought. “Declan came in about two hours ago. Naked,” she added dryly. “He got dressed and went back out. I think he’s on the far side of the Keep—he goes there when he needs to sort things out.”

  “If you’ll excuse us.” Pelicia turned toward the front door.

  “Pel, wait. Please. I’d like to talk to you first.” Taite looked at Sully. “If you head straight across the island—there’s a goat path of sorts—you’ll find Declan. The island’s not that big,” she said at his wary expression. “Oh, let me get you some water before you go. Can I get you anything, Pel?”