GraceinMoonlight

by Stephane Julian

  She and her grandmother had been tag-teaming Ettore for the past ten minutes, trying to buy time. Goading him.

  Kaisie was on his way. She just had to hold out until Kaisie got here.

  Not that she planned to play the damsel in distress. No, she was going to kill Ettore herself. She just needed Kaisie to distract the bastard so she could take the knife he held at her side and jam it down his throat.

  It would end his life too quickly but that couldn’t be helped.

  The bastard had planned to sell their daughter to the highest bidder after her grandmother had handed him her business.

  She couldn’t believe her grandmother had planned to give the business to Ettore. Grace wondered if her father knew. Not that she really cared but, damn, her father would be crushed. Which she figured didn’t come close to being what he deserved.

  “I want you to sign the papers now, Graziella. Sign everything over to me and I’ll allow your granddaughter to live. She and the children will live with me. We’ll all be so happy in New York, won’t we, Grace?”

  “But you’ll never find the children, Ettore. Trust me, they’re far from your control now.”

  Blessed Goddess, she could practically smell the rage coming off him. And the stink of injury. He was hurt badly. His skin burned against hers and he was drenched in sweat.

  Unfortunately, he could still stand and hold a knife to her chest.

  She choked a little as his arm tightened and she saw John’s eyes narrow with deadly intent. He was going to get himself killed defending her. And that was simply unacceptable.

  She stared at John, tried to get him to relax, but he had his gaze laser-sighted on Ettore.

  Blessed Goddess, please, she silently prayed as her grandmother spoke in haughty tones about betrayal and consequences and Ettore raged back. Their words meant nothing to her. Please don’t let John be hurt. Kaine would be inconsolable.

  Because she was watching him so closely, she saw John’s attention waver for a brief second. His gaze focused on a point just over Ettore’s shoulder. Something in the window.

  Ettore’s focus never wavered from her grandmother. The guards made no movement.

  Then John’s gaze shifted back to her and he mouthed one word. She hoped like hell she got it right because, out of the corner of her eye, she caught a flash of movement.

  Closing her eyes, she forced her body to go limp as all hell broke loose.

  Ettore let her drop as the growls of two wolves echoed in the room. Shouting and gunfire erupted around her and her first thought was to find Kaisie. She knew he was here.

  Above her, Ettore howled with rage and she opened her eyes to see a fast-moving blur jump at him. With a startled cry, she scrambled out of the way as Kaisie took Ettore to the ground.

  The knife Ettore had been holding fell out of his hand and she lunged for it, grabbing it and moving as far away from the men as she could.

  She had no doubt that Kaisie would best Ettore but she wasn’t going to give Ettore any advantages.

  When she reached the wall of windows, she stood, holding the knife out in front of her. Beside her, she felt her grandmother stand next to her.

  She kept her eyes on Kaisie, ready to fight beside him if he needed her, which it didn’t appear that he did. Ettore was fighting for his life and he knew it but Kaisie was wearing him down.

  “I’m assuming you know these men?”

  Her grandmother’s quiet comment drew Grace’s attention away from the fight for a brief moment.

  “Yes.”

  “That one.” She pointed at Kaisie, currently pounding his fist into Ettore’s face. “He’s claimed you.”

  Grace wanted to laugh at the archaic phrasing but considering it was basically true, she didn’t bother to contradict her grandmother.

  “Yes.”

  Grace winced as Ettore landed a blow, drawing blood from Kaisie’s lip that he spit on the pristine, white carpet.

  “So you’ve taken up with the lucani. He seems strong enough to protect you. And the children.”

  Grace slid her grandmother a quick look. “That almost sounded like approval.”

  “Just an observation.”

  A growl from the other side of the room drew her attention away from Kaisie long enough to see that John and the two wolves, who she believed were Duke and Nic, had dealt with Ettore’s two men. She had no idea if they were still alive and didn’t care.

  She wanted Ettore dead.

  She got her wish a few seconds later.

  Ettore hadn’t stood a chance against Kaisie. With a final twist of his hands, Kaisie broke Ettore’s neck and dropped his lifeless body to the floor.

  She didn’t wait for him to come to her. She ran for him, remembering at the last minute to drop the knife before she stabbed him with it.

  Throwing her arms around his neck, she clung to him as his arms wrapped tight around her waist.

  “Gods damn it, Grace. The next time I say stay put, I fucking mean it.”

  She laughed because his voice held absolutely no trace of anger. Just pure exasperation and relief. And his mouth, when he bent to kiss her, was hungry for hers.

  When he finally let her up for air, he shook his head as he ran a shaking hand over her head. “Are you ready to go the hell home?”

  “You’re going to have to clean up your language, you know. You can’t swear like that around the kids.”

  His smile made her light up. “Don’t worry. They won’t get any bad habits from me. You’re the one with the temper.”

  Eyebrows raised, she opened her mouth to respond—

  “Grace.”

  Her grandmother’s voice totally ripped her out of the moment she’d been having with Kaisie and back into the reality of a room with at least one dead body and another two who would probably join him shortly.

  She considered ignoring Graziella but knew her grandmother wouldn’t let her get away with that.

  Taking a deep, fortifying breath, she turned to face the woman who’d haunted her nightmares along with Ettore.

  And realized her grandmother had lost some of her power to shock and awe her.

  With Kaisie at her back, she looked Graziella in the eyes and waited.

  Her grandmother raised one perfectly curved eyebrow at her.

  “We need to talk.”

  “No, Grandmother. I don’t think we do.”

  “Well, you can stick your head in the sand now but when I die, which won’t be too long from now according to my doctors, I think you’re going to want to understand a little bit about how this company works…since it will belong to you and your children.”

  Chapter Eight

  Grace sat on Kaisie’s screened porch, staring out into the dark.

  Every now and then she’d see a shadow move through the underbrush. She knew the only reason she caught sight of the wolf was because he wanted her to.

  The young soldier, Seth, was out there. She knew it was him. He’d come to the house earlier to tell her he’d be on patrol tonight.

  She liked Seth. He didn’t say much but he always had a smile for Alex and treated Amy like he did everyone else. He didn’t talk much but when he had something to say, it was relevant and insightful. And he had the driest sense of humor, something they had in common.

  The ride back to the den from the city had been quiet. The men hadn’t had much to say and she had been too stunned from her grandmother’s announcement to contribute to anything they might have said.

  Her grandmother was dying. She was eighty-seven, so this wasn’t a shock. Grace couldn’t even muster up much sympathy because her grandmother had never shown her anything other than mild interest.

  But Grace had been beyond shocked when her grandmother had dropped her bombshell this afternoon.

  The only question Grace could ask was “Why?”

  She continued to ask it even though her grandmother was still in New York and she was back in Pennsylvania. Where she planned to stay.

&nb
sp; There was no way she was going to take control of her grandmother’s company, not even to hold it in trust for her children. She didn’t want anything to do with the Mal. She wanted to put all that behind her.

  And yet…

  The money from the company could fund her research into Alex’s unknown disease and the lucani disease Dane Dimitriou was trying to cure. She could hire someone to run the company, which had been in her family for almost a hundred years, for her.

  For that matter, she could give the reins over to her father, who was bound to be upset that his own mother had tossed him aside in favor of the daughter he’d barely spoken to in years.

  “You don’t have to make a decision tonight. You know that, right?”

  She turned to find Kaisie watching her from the doorway. Her lips automatically curved in a smile at the sight of him leaning against the jamb.

  Sexy just wasn’t a strong enough word to describe what she thought of him. Long, lean, sleek. He made her heart pound just from one glance of those green eyes.

  She couldn’t believe how much she wanted him. Or how very much she loved him. It felt like a fever in her blood and she’d never thought that could be a good thing.

  Now she wanted it to consume her.

  She held out her hand and he smiled as he walked over to take it. And that fever became a raging bonfire.

  Drawing in a deep breath, she caught the clean male scent of him and couldn’t wait to take a bite out of the firm flesh of his chest. She couldn’t imagine her life without him anymore.

  And though that should have scared the life out of her, she felt nothing but absolute joy.

  He grabbed her hand, lacing their fingers together then drawing her hand to his mouth. She thought he was going to kiss her but his tongue flicked out to paint her knuckles with heat.

  She shivered and tugged on his hand but he refused to release her. “How much trouble are you in with Cole?”

  Kaisie shrugged, as if it didn’t matter that he’d disobeyed a direct order from his king and killed Ettore. “He understood, especially when I told him your grandmother gave us more than Marrucini ever would have.”

  “We can’t be sure she doesn’t have a hidden agenda. If the name she gave us is legitimate, she risked so much. I just can’t believe she’d do that. You don’t know her, Kaisie. She’s not the type of person who would do that out of the goodness of her heart. The woman has no heart.”

  “I didn’t smell a lie on her, babe. I seriously think she thinks she’s telling the truth.” He bent over to press his mouth against hers for a hard, heated kiss. “We don’t know that Marrucini would’ve given us any more. At least now we have a place to start.”

  Staring into Kaisie’s steady eyes, she wanted to believe her grandmother hadn’t lied to them. That the information she’d given them about the leaders of the Mal was correct. But she knew her grandmother.

  “Kaisie—”

  He bent and pressed his lips against hers again, this time wrapping his arms around her and lifting her off the couch.

  “Time for bed, babe.”

  She liked the sound of that. “But—”

  “No buts.” Another kiss.

  Blessed Goddess, his kisses had the power to scramble her brain and leave her panting for him. “Are the kids asleep?”

  Kaisie strode through the living room to his bedroom on the other side of the house. “Alex is. Amy’s pretending to be and that’s good enough for me.”

  “Kaisie…” She sighed as she nuzzled her nose against his neck. “I love you but you didn’t sign up for this much crazy.”

  “Don’t worry, baby.” He kicked the door shut behind him. “I can handle crazy. I don’t think I could handle losing you.”

  Tears welled and she didn’t bother to blink them away. When he laid her on his bed and started to strip away her clothes, she watched him, seeing the heat in his eyes flare as he uncovered her.

  He had her naked in seconds, his gaze sliding along her like a physical caress. Her nipples tightened, her thighs clenched and she could barely breathe, even though he did nothing more than stare at her.

  When he finally met her gaze, she nearly combusted.

  And when he tossed his shirt over his head and shucked his jeans down his legs, she felt her juices seep from her body.

  He didn’t make her wait any longer.

  He fell on her with a hunger she returned, their mouths fused, their skin pressed tight. She slid a hand between them to wrap around his cock, hard and hot against her stomach. So silky.

  Kaisie groaned and tore his mouth away to begin trailing kisses down her neck.

  She knew he was headed toward her breasts and her nipples ached for the feel of his lips on them.

  But she ached between her legs even more.

  With one hand on his hip, she pushed and prodded until he complied with her silent demand.

  The tip of his cock slid between her sensitive lower lips, filling her slowly and sensuously. She couldn’t help the moan that escaped when he finally began to move.

  With her arms wrapped around his shoulders, fingers sinking into the muscles of his back, she curled her legs around his hips and arched closer, taking him deeper.

  “I love you.” His breath rasped against her neck followed by a quick nip of her collarbone.

  As he began to thrust, he took her mouth again and stole her breath.

  He didn’t let her up for air until she began to convulse around him. He rode her through her orgasm, pushing her higher, extending the sensation until her arms fell limp to the bed.

  Only then did he release, the pulse of his orgasm making her breath hitch.

  “Kaisie…”

  “I know, babe.” He pressed a kiss to her cheek. “You love me.”

  “Always.”

  Epilogue

  “Push, Mara. That’s it. The head’s about to crown.”

  Struggling through the pain, Mara fought to keep her eyes open and on her cousin, Amy, as Amy translated the nurse Tamra’s words into sign language.

  Though she suspected her body would do whatever it wanted, she didn’t want to do something wrong and hurt her child.

  Behind her, Grace braced Mara’s body with her own, her presence a comfort she couldn’t acknowledge enough. Grace had been a godsend these last few weeks, steady, calm, the mother she’d always dreamed of having.

  Now she was going to be a mother and—

  Another contraction ripped through her abdomen and, though she heard herself scream in her head, no sound came out of her mouth. The streghe hadn’t been able to release the spell. Yet.

  She bore down, trying her damnedest to force her child from her body. Fear, joy and an almost tactile sense of anticipation crowded inside her.

  What if—

  Amy was signing. “The head’s out. On the next contraction, push hard and you’ll be able to hold your son.”

  Her son. Only hers. The lucani king had promised her. No one would take her child. No matter what.

  Blessed Goddess, please—

  Another agonizing contraction and she pushed and pushed until she thought she’d never be done and then, finally, the pressure eased.

  She opened her eyes, desperate to see her baby. She caught sight of a tiny arm then a small body. The head. She needed to see his head.

  At first glance, she couldn’t see his face. Then she realized why.

  It was covered with the caul. But not completely. The caul covered only a portion of his face.

  She started to cry.

  *

  Race didn’t know what the hell he was doing here. It wasn’t as if he was gonna go in there and…do something.

  What the hell would he do? Mara probably wouldn’t even want him there. Hell, he didn’t know why he’d want to be in there. He only knew that when Kaisie had told him Mara was in labor, he’d had to come.

  Six hours later, he’d done nothing more than pace like an expectant father. Which he wasn’t. The baby wasn’t h
is. Mara wasn’t his.

  Hell, most of the times they’d crossed paths since she’d been rescued from Florida, she’d barely looked at him.

  He probably scared the shit out of her with all the tats and the body built for heavy-duty violence.

  Beautiful, fragile, terrified, pregnant Mara didn’t need him hanging around her, making her more anxious than she already was.

  Vaffanculo, the girl had more than enough problems without his completely schizoid emotional reaction to her. She didn’t need him following her around like an overgrown, lovesick hellhound.

  He ran a hand over his head, the stubble softer than it had been just yesterday. He hadn’t shaved it in a few weeks. Not since they’d gotten back from Florida. And no, he wasn’t about to analyze why.

  The murmur of voices from her room increased and he froze. Closing his eyes, he listened then heard the distinctive sound of a baby crying.

  He ran for the door, stopping before he pushed it open.

  Looking in the small window, his gaze immediately went to Mara.

  Crying. Fuck, she was crying.

  He had a hand on the door ready to push through. He didn’t give a fuck what anyone else thought. He wanted in there and—

  Her face totally transformed with a smile. A weepy, wet, totally exhausted smile that made his heart beat once again.

  She reached out and Tam put a tiny, messy little body into Mara’s arms.

  Mara only had eyes for the baby but Race saw the pensive glances exchanged by Grace and Tam.

  Shit. Just…shit.

  About the Author

  Stephanie Julian is an avid reader who used to have a book-a-day habit. Then she realized she not only wanted to read books but write them too. Romance has always been her first love, the sexier the better. Hot men, strong women and a heaping helping of magic dominate (and she does mean dominate) her blazing hot stories.

  When she’s not writing, she’s, well…she’s certainly not cleaning. And she only cooks when her guys complain that they’re hungry (ain’t cereal grand!). Otherwise, she’s got her fingers on a keyboard, her butt in a chair and her head in the stars.

  Stephanie welcomes comments from readers. You can find her website and email address on her author bio page at www.ellorascave.com.