Full Moon Rising

by Arthur, Keri

  He nodded and rose. We checked, and found exactly what we expected. Nothing.

  “Hope Jack and Rhoan have more luck than we had,” I said, as we made our way back to the car.

  “I suspect they won’t. This is all too well planned to be uncovered so easily.”

  “I would hardly call going through a mountain of files easy.”

  “But what did we really find? Plans that may very well be nothing more than a dead end.”

  He lifted the wire for me. I ducked through, then stopped.

  The dead had returned to the graveyard.

  There were eight of them, and they formed a rough semicircle around us. They were all males, all naked, and all rather lacking in the manhood department. Their bodies were muscular, almost too perfect, and their skin shone with a luminosity that reminded me of the moon. But any vague resemblance to humanity ended right there. The flesh of their arms gave way at the elbow to the soft golden fur of a cat, and they had claws rather than hands. Instead of faces, they had the heads and beaks of an eagle. On their backs, fanning lightly in the wind, brown-and-gold wings that arched high above them.

  “Gryphons,” I said. “Sort of.”

  “Humans bred with gryphons, I would suggest.” Quinn stopped beside me, his shoulder brushing mine. The moon fever sang in response, and my whole body began to tremble, a sharp warning I was roaring toward the point of no return.

  I clenched my fists, fighting the need in me. “Why then do I sense them as the dead rather than gryphons?”

  “I don’t know.” He flexed his hands, then glanced at me. “I hope you have more of those punches in you.”

  “I most certainly do.” I watched them watching us and wondered why they hadn’t yet moved. “I gather you can’t touch their minds?”

  “No, they’re shielded, though I can’t see any wires on them.” His fingers captured mine, raising my hand to his lips. His kiss was feather-soft, erotic. “Good luck.”

  He released my hand and faded into the night, moving swiftly to the right. That was obviously what the creatures had been waiting for. With a blur of wings, they rose, five swooping toward Quinn, three to me.

  The insane part of me was quite offended by the fact that Quinn was considered the greater threat.

  The sweep of their powerful wings filled the night with a maelstrom of air. Dirt and leaves swirled around me, making it difficult even to see.

  As the three of them arrowed in, I turned and ran, heading for the protection of trees. I might be offended but I wasn’t a fool, and I didn’t have eyes in the back of my head. At least the thick pines gave me some protection against an attack from above or behind.

  A clawed paw the size of a spade swept through the air. I ducked and swung, kicking the creature in the gut. The blow bounced off the gryphon’s rippled abs and jarred the whole of my leg. I briefly wished I hadn’t taken off my shoes. Spikes were a far better weapon than bare feet.

  The air screamed a warning, and I ducked blows from the other two creatures. They were so close that the wind from their wings was a vortex that tore at my hair and clothes, filling the air with pine needles and my lungs with dirt. I coughed, squinting to see through the muck surging around me.

  The first creature banked toward me, arrowing in from a sharp angle. He flew low under the trees, beaked mouth open as if screaming, though no sound came out.

  I danced away from more blows from the other two, then rocked backward as the first creature swooped close. Claws lashed out, scouring my arm and leaving three bloody rents. I swore and leapt forward, onto its back. It screamed then—a high sound that was neither bird of prey nor cat nor human. I hung on for grim life as it bucked and twisted, then we were out of the trees and surging skyward.

  His smell hit me, and despite what I’d sensed before, it was not the mustiness of animal and death. It was honey and rain, a sweet, refreshing aroma that had the already rampant moon heat surging anew. But these things weren’t trying to fuck me, they were trying to kill me, and the moon heat wasn’t yet strong enough to overcome the instinct of survival.

  I drew my legs up underneath me, knees bent, feet pressed into the middle of its back, then released one wing and grabbed the other with both hands. It was a precarious stance and had he twisted then, I would have been gone. But he didn’t, seemingly content to surge for the stars. His wings pumped the night, gleaming a rich, burnished gold, beautiful and powerful.

  And I was about to destroy them.

  Pushing away a touch of regret, I glanced down at the rapidly disappearing ground. It had to be done right then, or the fall could kill me. Taking a deep breath, I pushed up and twisted backward with as much force as I could muster.

  I had the inhuman strength of a vampire at my call. The wing stood no chance.

  With an odd sort of popping sound, the wing tore free of flesh, then it and I were tumbling earthward. The creature’s screams filled the air, along with its blood. It spiraled out of control, the one remaining wing pumping frantically but doing little. More screams filled the night as the other two creatures swooped to the aid of the first, each catching an arm, wings a blur as they tried to ease the rate of its fall.

  Unfortunately, there was no one to ease my fall. I twisted, hitting the ground feetfirst, then collapsed forward into a roll to ease the pressure on my spine. It didn’t seem to make much difference. My breath left in a whoosh of air, and, for a moment, stars danced so close it felt like I could reach out and grasp them. The pain filling every fiber became a darkness that threatened to consume me.

  I fought it, breathing deep. Heard the screams that weren’t human and knew those things were coming after me again. I had to get up. Had to move.

  With a groan, I rolled to my feet, but immediately dropped as a creature swooped. I surged upward as it skimmed past, avoiding its claws to sink my fist into its groin. It made an odd sort of coughing noise and came to a hovering stop. It hunched up, but the claw at the end of its closest foot caught my shoulder, slashing deep even as the blow knocked me sideways.

  Pain burned white-hot through my body, and sweat beaded my brow. Gritting my teeth, I scrambled upright, grabbed the leg of the creature, and swung it around as hard as I could before releasing it. It flew awkwardly through the air and hit a nearby pine with enough force to shake needles loose. But it obviously wasn’t hurt, as it pushed upright almost immediately.

  The third of the creatures arrowed in. I ran, and had to resist the sudden urge to shift into my other form. A wolf wouldn’t have a hope against flighted creatures, and the only weapon I’d have would be teeth. Nor could I use telepathy—if Quinn couldn’t touch their minds, there was little chance I could.

  Wrapping the night around myself, I grabbed several stones and tossed them into the pines. They clattered against the trunks and plopped into the soft carpet of needles. My attacker swung toward the sound, giving me time to catch my breath.

  But the gryphon I’d torn the wing off was on the move, beak in the air and making a strange snuffling sound—much like a dog did when tracking. I swore under my breath. Obviously, gryphon and human wasn’t the only thing in the mix. Its head swung my way and, with a scream, it ran toward me.

  I backpedaled fast, not daring to take my eyes off the thing. It was faster than I’d expected. Talons raked my stomach, drawing blood. I dropped my cloak of shadows and bit my tongue to hold back the scream. Grabbing the creature’s wrist, I twisted around and pulled hard, yanking it up and over my shoulder. It sailed past me and landed with a crash on its back. As feathers flew upward, I stiffened my fingers and knifed them toward the creature’s eyes. It moved, and I hit cheek instead. Felt flesh and bone give as its cheek caved in.

  Bile rose in my stomach. Shuddering, I dropped, sweeping my leg and knocking the creature off its feet again as it struggled to rise. It roared in frustration and lashed out. The blow caught the side of my face and sent me staggering.

  The creature was up and at me almost instantly. Air became a to
rrent of dirt, telling me the others were also close. I faked a blow to the creature’s head, then spun and lashed out at its groin instead. The force of the blow shuddered up my leg, but the creature dropped, clutching itself and making an odd sort of keening sound.

  The others hit me. I ducked and weaved, but there was no way on this earth to avoid every blow. I was vampire-fast, but even the wind itself would have had trouble in this situation. Red heat flashed through me, and the smell of blood and fear sat heavily on the whirlpool of air surrounding us.

  I hoped like hell Quinn was faring better, because I was in deep trouble and in need of help.

  Fast.

  From the side of us came an odd popping sound, then the head of the lead creature exploded. Blood, tissue, and gray matter went everywhere. As it dropped lifeless at my feet, the second creature met with the same end.

  The wind chose that moment to die, and I smelled the familiar aroma of musk and man. Anger surged, replacing the relief.

  But before I could say anything, before I could do anything, something hit the back of my head and unconsciousness claimed me.

  Pain woke me. It wasn’t sharp, just a constant, maddening ache, the sort that set teeth on end. Even breathing hurt.

  But it was a distant cry compared to the burning at my wrists and ankles, and the desperate, hungry blaze seething through my veins. My whole body trembled with its force, and it was an intensity that could so easily drive me mad.

  One that would drive me mad if I didn’t get some loving soon.

  I twisted, trying to at least ease that ache myself, even though it would provide temporary relief, at best. But I barely could move my hand more than a few inches, and the clink of metal told me why. I’d been chained. By silver, if the burning at my wrists was anything to go by.

  A soft chuckle filled the silence. Talon was there, watching.

  I opened my eyes. The room was large, the color a warm gold that was soothing despite the situation. To the right were large windows through which dawn’s light filtered, adding to the airy feel. It was an effect that was somewhat spoiled by the thick bars on each window—not that they would stop an escape if I managed to get out of my chains. The closest window was open, and the caressing breeze cool, filled with the salty tang of the ocean.

  Directly opposite was an open doorway through which a bath and several towels were visible. To the left, another door, that one closed. There was nothing else in the main room but a satin-covered bed, and it was there that Talon sat. He was fully dressed, which in itself was surprising.

  “You stupid bastard.” My voice was little more than a cracked whisper, but he was a wolf and would have no trouble hearing it. “You have no idea of the trouble you’ve landed yourself in.”

  “I think not.” His smile was all arrogance, his eyes chips of golden ice. “Government departments tend to turn a blind eye to the sexual practices of werewolves.”

  “This is kidnapping, and that’s a crime.”

  “But that’s not what anyone believes, because I rang up stating you are ill. You’re on sick leave, as of an hour ago.”

  I shook my head, unable to believe he’d go to such lengths. “I was on special assignment. With my boss. I have no idea who you spoke to, but it won’t matter. They’ll know the lie.”

  He shrugged. “I wasn’t fool enough to ring from my phone, rather a pay phone. And I used a voice modulator. They won’t find you.”

  “Rhoan knows who my mates are. He’ll find me.”

  Talon crossed his arms and laughed. It was a cold, dismissive sound that made the anger boil that much faster.

  “That pansy couldn’t find his way out of a flower shop,” he said. “Besides, we’re not at any of my known addresses, but a holiday house recently purchased by a subsidiary of one of my companies. It’ll take them weeks to nail down the paper trail. By then, we’ll have shifted.”

  “Never underestimate Rhoan. He’s very, very good at what he does—and in case you’ve forgotten, what he does is track down and kill people.” And Talon was dead meat if Rhoan found us like this.

  He rose and walked toward me, all grace and powerful elegance. The smell of his lust fanned the already out-of-control fire.

  I swallowed, but it did little to ease the aching dryness in my throat. “How did you find me?”

  His smile was all arrogance. “The chip in your arm is not for birth control—we took that out over a year ago. It’s a tracking device.”

  So that’s how he’d found Quinn and me at the Directorate. He hadn’t raided my apartment, as I’d presumed. He’d simply followed the signal. It had to have a limited range; otherwise, he would probably have made an appearance at the old farmhouse.

  The sweat running down my face dripped into my eyes and stung like crazy. I blinked, but it didn’t seem to help my vision any. Everything was blurry, tinged with red. I hoped it was blood, but had a bad feeling it was something far worse. Despite what Hollywood seemed to think, the moon fever didn’t often turn werewolves into desperate killing machines. But on the few occasions it did happen, it was because the wolf had ignored the call of the moon for too long. The desire for sex mutated into something far more deadly—bloodlust.

  Why would Talon want that? What good would it do him?

  He stopped. I lashed out with a fist, but the blow was brought up short as the manacles bit into my wrist. I hissed in pain and frustration, and he smiled.

  “Do you wonder why you’re here, and chained?” He reached out, idly fondling a breast.

  Part of me hated it. Part of me wanted anything he was willing to give. I knew which part would win. Had to win, or there would be trouble.

  “You want a kid, and I won’t give it to you willingly.”

  “Very good.” His tone was distant, his gaze intent, as his caress moved from one breast to the other.

  I couldn’t help pressing into his touch. I needed it as badly as an addict needed her next fix.

  “The scans I took the other day indicated you were close to ovulation. I cannot risk another wolf impregnating you after all the trouble I have gone to.”

  An insane thought when all wolves were chipped to prevent pregnancy happening. But then, I guess Talon wasn’t exactly chummy with sanity at that particular point in time. “There’s no guarantee I’ll even carry to term.”

  “Which is why I have arranged for you to be moved to one of my laboratories. Our perfect child will be given every medical chance there is.”

  “There is no such thing as a perfect child.” We all had faults, though right then I doubted whether Talon would agree—at least when it came to him.

  He didn’t seem to hear me, and his voice, when he spoke, was distant. “Perfection is something I have chased for a very long time.”

  His caress moved down my stomach. I was burning, eager, hungry. My heart raced, and the smell of sweat and lust filled every breath. But the need to become a wolf, to rend and tear and taste blood, was almost as strong as the call of the moon. My teeth and nails were elongating in anticipation of the change, becoming more wolf than human. The only thing stopping me from fully completing the shift was the silver on my wrists and ankles.

  “Why do this?” The words were slurred through my teeth. I rattled the chains to indicate what I meant.

  “Do you not remember your folklore?”

  I shook my head. Right then, I was having trouble remembering my own name.

  “Wolves who mate when the moon fever turns to bloodlust will always conceive.”

  My smile was bitter. “That’s no folklore—that’s a truth I owe my existence to.”

  He raised an eyebrow. “What do you mean?”

  “Just what I said. I was conceived when my mother was in bloodlust.” She’d been trying to make it home to our pack, but her car had broken down on the outskirts of a small country town. In some ways, it was lucky the graveyard and that newly risen vampire had stood between her and the people in that town, because it had allowed her to slake
both desires without killing any humans.

  “Then let us hope it is a case of like mother, like daughter.” His fingers slipped though my slickness, and I shuddered, arching into his caress, relishing it, as hard and as rough as it was. He chuckled. “You are close, aren’t you?”

  Closer than he knew. The need to mate warred with the need to sink teeth into his flesh and howl my victory to the moon. I took a deep, shuddery breath, suddenly thankful for the silver chaining me. It was the only reason I was still in human form, still lucid.

  “ARC1-23 was the wrong drug to use.”

  He raised an eyebrow. “When did you find out?”

  “A couple of days ago.” My words were little more than a pant of air, my body twisting, thrusting, desperate for the relief his fingers were offering.

  His lust swam around me, as thick and as heavy as the erection pressing against the restraint of his pants. God help me, I wanted to feel him inside, wanted it so bad I was whimpering.

  “That drug has an extremely high success rate. You will conceive when I finally fuck you, little wolf, and you will remain in my care until you give birth.”

  “Like hell.” But my words held little force. The pressure was building, ripping through my nerve endings with the force of lightning. A few more sweeps of his hand, that was all it would take . . .

  With a soft chuckle, he stepped away. I lurched forward, trying to grab him, trying to make him finish what he’d started. But the chains brought me up short again. I cursed him, long and hard.

  “And that,” he said, his voice rich with amusement, “is why I shall be raising our child, not you.”

  Though his features were half-lost to the growing haze of red, the icy determination in his expression was still very evident. Odd. I’d half expected to see a madness equal to what burned through my veins. He had to be mad if he thought he could get away with something like this. Even if he did make me pregnant, there was no way I was ever going to sit back and let him have our child.

  “Ten of the fifty on that first trial failed to conceive. I might be one of those.”