Blood Moon (Entangled Select Otherworld)

by Lisa Kessler

  Jared stopped and called through the door. “Mom, Nadya and Gareth are here.”

  “Come on in,” Sarah murmured from inside.

  I nodded to Jared and moved past him into the room. Wyatt lay motionless on the bed, a couple of IV stands near his head. At least he was breathing on his own.

  “Have a seat, Nadya.” She patted the chair next to her. Her other hand clasped Wyatt’s.

  Sarah had hazel eyes that radiated life. She’d passed them on to her twin sons as well. They both had Wyatt’s bone structure, but their mother got all the credit for their stunning eyes.

  I sat down beside her. “How is he doing?”

  “He’s resting. Go ahead and talk to him.”

  “Can he hear me?”

  She shrugged, tilting her head slightly. “Jason says some patients report being able to hear everything people say.” Cautious hope emanated from her, tingling against my skin. “For now, I talk to him as much as possible. He could wake up and run screaming from this room at any moment.” She winked at me and then focused on her husband again. “And you’ll have me to thank for it, right Wy?”

  She squeezed his hand and I noticed a scar on the outside edge of hers. It had to be from Wyatt converting her years ago. Did the Pack usually bite the hand of their mate? Like a werewolf version of a wedding ring? My scar was jagged and unwanted, marring my shoulder. A constant reminder of being attacked instead of loved. I pulled in a controlled breath, boxing up the anger that swelled inside me. If my emotions were the key to these shifts, wallowing in the unfairness of my situation wasn’t going to help.

  I couldn’t ask my sister about the Pack converting their mates. Lana and Sasha were jaguars already, so Jason cautioned both Adam and Aren against it. Humans became werewolves. No one could be sure what would happen to a jaguar if they were bitten.

  But Sarah had been human…

  I shut down my curiosity. This was not the place for a bunch of personal questions. “I’m so sorry this happened.”

  “We all are, but if anyone can recover, it’s my Wyatt. He’s the most stubborn person I’ve ever known.”

  “I don’t know what Jason told you, but I was the one—”

  “No, honey.” She shook her head, glancing my way. “Neither you nor Jason could have guessed this was going to happen. And if it had to happen to someone, I’m sure Wyatt would’ve wanted it to be him. He and Nick are the only Pack elders left who were studied by that Granger character, so hopefully that giant chip on Wyatt’s shoulder will pull him back to us. Bottom line, he wouldn’t blame you, and I won’t either.”

  Gareth settled his hands heavy on my shoulders. I tipped my head back to look at him. “I wondered if we lost you.”

  He kissed the top of my head. “Just talking to Jason.”

  He bent over to brush a kiss on Sarah’s cheek. “Sorry about Wyatt.”

  She nodded, watching her husband’s face. “Thanks for coming by, Gareth. I know he’d appreciate the visit.”

  “He’s a good man. He deserves better.” Gareth rubbed my shoulders, gently easing the tension bunching there. “We’ll make Nero pay for this.”

  Sarah shot him a disapproving glare. “Hasn’t this Pack sparred with them enough? Nothing will make this right, Gareth. It’s not worth putting any of you in danger.”

  Sarah was a smart woman. Before I could agree, Gareth tightened his grip on my shoulders. “If we let them get away with this, they’ll never leave us alone. Nadya was their target. And they’ll keep coming until they have her.”

  Sarah sighed and stared at her husband’s sleeping face. “The casualties of this war have already been too high. We lost Gabe and Malcolm, now Wyatt is fighting for his life. This Pack is my family. I can’t bear to lose anyone else.”

  “We’re on alert, and we’ll be ready.”

  “You’d better be.” She released Wyatt’s hand and patted my leg. “You’re in good hands.”

  I rested back against Gareth’s firm abdomen. “I’m very lucky.”

  We chatted with Sarah until Jason finally came in to add a bag of fluid to the IV stand.

  “We’ll get out of your hair.” I stood up and moved beside Gareth. “I’m keeping Wyatt in my thoughts. If you need anything…”

  “…Jason and Jared are taking good care of us. I’m sure Wyatt will wake up soon.”

  Gareth led me toward the door. “See you soon, Sarah.”

  Jared passed us to go back inside, carrying a bottle of water and a sandwich in for his mother.

  “Take care, Jared,” Gareth said.

  Jared nodded, briefly making eye contact with us. “You, too. Thanks for coming by.”

  With the Ayers family busy caring for Wyatt, we let ourselves out and walked back to the Harley in silence. Gareth got on the bike and shook his head. “This isn’t right.”

  I slid onto the seat behind him. “Jason thinks he’ll wake up and be okay eventually, though.”

  “He’s not sure of anything.” Gareth pulled on his gloves. “Apparently there’s no way to tell if he has permanent brain damage from the lack of oxygen to his brain until he wakes up. He said Wyatt could be like this for a few days or a few months, and even if he regains consciousness, he might not be the Wyatt we all knew.”

  I rubbed at the dull ache in my chest and cleared my throat to find my voice. “I wish there was something we could do.”

  “Me, too.” Gareth started the Harley and I grabbed his waist as he rolled forward. I didn’t know where we were going.

  And I didn’t really care.

  Seeing Wyatt lifeless in bed made it tough to keep hiding from the reality of what was happening to me. Gareth was my mate. I needed him to know my wishes.

  Even though he wouldn’t want to hear them.

  We rode in silence. I did my best to calm my thoughts and enjoy the wind against my skin. Gareth leaned into the final turn, and I opened my eyes as we pulled into his place. Luke was waiting out front with his pickup.

  I moved close to Gareth’s ear as the door to his garage started to open. “What’s Luke doing here?”

  He kept the Harley steady while I got off. He swung his leg over and stood up, removing his helmet and gloves. “I called him from Jason’s place. He’s going to help us get your stuff moved over.”

  “Wow.” A laugh bubbled on my lips, surprising me after the heartbreak I’d experienced at Wyatt’s house. “You don’t waste any time.”

  “Nope.” He tipped his head with a cocky grin that launched butterflies in my stomach. “Don’t want to wait for you to come to your senses.”

  Luke came over with a chuckle. “Last chance to run, Nadya.”

  I grinned and went to give Luke a hug. Before I was bitten, Luke was one of my first friends in the Pack.

  Like his twin brother, Logan, Luke had rock star good looks, but their similarities ended there. Luke enjoyed working with his hands. His emotions ruled him and tended to be more polarizing, while Logan, the older of the two by a few minutes, kept his feelings close to his vest and channeled any frustrations into his music.

  Lana confided in me that Adam brought Luke to work at Whispering Pines after he’d been sent to reform school during high school. He’d been getting in fights, and a werewolf in human form was stronger than most men. There was a real possibility he could hurt or kill another student. The hard labor on the ranch seemed to be the ticket. From the interactions I had with him, and even reaching out with my empathic powers, it was clear that Luke had grown into a good man.

  I gave him a hug and pulled back with a smile. “Nah, I’ve got no regrets.”

  We piled in the cab of his truck, me pinned between the broad shoulders of two chiseled werewolves. Today was getting better all the time. After a couple hours of packing, we hauled all my things out of the condo in one load. I hadn’t been in Reno long enough to amass much stuff.

  Luke drove into the parking lot at Gareth’s place and then helped us unload. I paid him with a meat lover’s pizza.
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  After we were finally alone again, Gareth and I relaxed on the sofa. I rested on his chest while the television droned on. I wasn’t paying much attention. Too busy trying to figure out how to say what needed to be said.

  “Sarah had a scar on her hand. Was that where Wyatt converted her?” Okay, so I had to ease into what I had to tell him.

  “Yeah.” Gareth’s arms were around me, his large hands covering my abdomen. “Our parents’ Pack tradition was you court your mate and finally trust her with our secret, then it’s her choice to be converted. If she wants children, she’s got to become a werewolf.”

  “But Adam didn’t bite Lana.”

  “Yeah, that surprised everyone. Jason thinks she got pregnant because she was born a shifter. She didn’t need to be converted.”

  I sank into a thoughtful silence. “Did they get married first?”

  “Who?” Gareth clicked the television off.

  “Wyatt and Sarah.” I shifted, rolling over so my chest was on his abdomen and I could see his face.

  “No werewolf with any balls would trick a woman into marrying him first and then tell her what he really was.” He raised a brow. “What’s with all these questions?”

  This was it. My stomach knotted. “I love you, and you’re my mate, so you need to know my wishes.”

  “Your wishes?” He tilted his head slightly, confusion lining his features.

  “There’s no cure, Gareth. We can’t keep ignoring what’s coming.” I swallowed a sob I wouldn’t let escape my throat. His pain stabbed into me and part of me wanted to change the subject, wanted to protect him. But this was too big. Too important. And god it hurt so bad. A tear rolled down my cheek as I whispered, “I don’t want to be trapped in a bed like Wyatt.”

  Chapter Thirty

  Gareth

  “I can’t do this now.” I lifted her off me and got up from the couch. A knife in the chest would’ve been less painful than her words.

  The urge to get on my motorcycle and ride off without ever looking back slammed into me. My hair hung loose around my face, shielding me from the sadness in her eyes. I pulled it back and went to the fridge. There wasn’t enough beer in the world to keep this conversation from beating the shit out of me.

  I turned around again and found Nadya leaning against the counter, swiping at a stray tear. “If not now, then when?”

  “When we’re ninety.” I popped the cap off the bottle and took a long swallow.

  “I wish we had that kind of time.” She came to stand in front of me, sliding her soft hands around my waist and underneath my T-shirt. “This hurts me, too.”

  I set the bottle on the counter and wrapped her up safe in my arms. Closing my eyes, I breathed in the scent of her hair. Her body pressed tight against mine, where she belonged. My mind wandered toward despair, imagining her already gone, when Chloe’s voice whispered. My pain would be faced later. Right now, Nadya’s needs came first.

  But there was no way in hell I was strong enough for this. I pulled in a slow breath. Maybe if I didn’t have to look in her eyes. “I’m trying, but…” I ground my teeth together, struggling to keep my voice even. “But the thought of telling you good-bye…”

  I shook my head, unable to finish.

  She didn’t move or try to look up at me. We held each other in my tiny kitchen, clinging together tight like we could keep death from coming between us.

  “I hope you won’t sell the garage and move away.” Her voice was so soft I’m not sure I would’ve been able to make out the words if I hadn’t been a werewolf. “I know it’ll have memories, but this place is a big part of who you are, and the Pack needs you.”

  I stared up at the ceiling, willing the burning in my eyes to stop. “Anything else?”

  “If I start…”

  I shushed her, frowning.

  Something metallic clicked outside. I let go of her with one hand and turned off the light switch. In the dark, I kept her close, breathing slowly. This wasn’t unexpected. I’d been on alert ever since Sebastian’s warning, but being inside my garage handicapped my sense of smell. The scent of grease, oil, and gasoline made it impossible to tell if the noise I’d heard had come from someone I knew, or if it signaled danger.

  Nero wanted my mate. I’d assume it was danger until I found out otherwise.

  Slowly I released her, motioning for her to stay put while I ventured into my workspace. I silently lifted my forty-eight-inch steel pipe wrench from the hook on my tool wall. It weighed about twenty-three pounds and I could swing it hard enough to crack a skull.

  As I reached for the front door, the glass in the top windows of the garage door exploded inward, followed by canisters of tear gas.

  Damn it.

  Nadya rushed to my side with her shirt over her mouth and nose. “We’ve got to get out of here.”

  “Yeah.” I leaned in close to her ear. The gas already stung my eyes. “I need to tell you something first. This is going to be as helpful as cow shit, but here it is anyway. They’re waiting for us out there, but I need you to try to stay calm. Jason thinks your natural production of adrenaline is what’s triggering the shifts.”

  “I’m supposed to stay calm? Seriously?”

  I nodded.

  She shook her head. “Cow shit might be more helpful than that advice.”

  I tugged her shirt down and kissed her lips quickly. “I’m going to distract them. You’re going to get the hell out of here. Understand?”

  “I’m not leaving you.”

  “I can take care of myself, but not if I’m worried about you.”

  “I’ll stay out of the firing lines.”

  I kissed her forehead. “Let’s get these bastards.”

  I threw the door open and rushed the man nearest to us. They were all dressed alike in dark gray riot gear. I cracked the first one in the head with the steel pipe wrench. He crumpled onto the ground, a lifeless heap.

  Nadya moved around the corner of the building as I rushed toward the next squad member. This one saw me coming and bent forward, ducking under my swing. I brought my hand down and my knee up, slamming his jaws together. He fell over just as something stung my back.

  I reached around and plucked out a dart. Fuck. My vision wavered.

  I kept swinging the wrench, keeping them away while I whispered, “Run, Nadya.”

  She’d hear me. I blinked hard. Sometimes there were four guys left and then they would swell to six. My limbs were like giant Sequoias weighing me down. The edges of my vision darkened. Someone knocked me to the ground and grappled for my wrists. Two more jumped on me. I elbowed one in the Adam’s apple just as another guy kicked me in the stomach. All the air whooshed out of my lungs, stealing the last of my consciousness.

  My eyes drifted closed and my spirit prayed Nadya was far from here.

  Chapter Thirty-One

  Nadya

  Around the side of the building my legs gave out. Pain radiated through my joints, but this time I didn’t fight the change. I welcomed it. Embraced it.

  I’d heard Gareth. Run. But where? Death was coming for me no matter where I went. How I left this world was my choice. My only choice.

  They’d kill Gareth to get to me. I had to protect him and I needed my wolf to do that.

  In a fraction of the time it had taken for my first shift, she burst to life, complete and deadly. Unlike the full moon nearly a month ago, this wasn’t a gradual change of form. This was tendons tearing, bones cracking, and a pain in my head so gut-wrenching that brain surgery sounded appealing.

  And this time I couldn’t seem to guide her like I did before. All her attention focused on the scent of blood filling her nostrils.

  I recognized it, too. Gareth.

  She shook her body and leaped forward toward our mate. He lay on the ground, motionless, while four men in matching gray gear kicked and punched him. Anger, rage, and fear exploded through me.

  Instinct took over. My wolf launched into the air toward the man closest to u
s. She sank her sharp fangs into the back of the man’s neck, dragging him to the pitted pavement. Her powerful jaws crunched against bone until he stopped moving.

  The others were shouting. I made out words like rifle, capture, and darts. My wolf didn’t understand anything but protecting her mate.

  Inside, I struggled to see through her eyes, to find the man with the rifle, but all I saw was blood and gore. She jumped onto another member of the Nero team, knocking him to the ground before tearing out his throat. Her stomach growled, encouraging her to finish her meal, but there was still danger.

  She turned, spotting the next threat. The man scrambled to pick up Gareth’s wrench, waving it erratically. Fear spiked through me until I remembered Gareth’s advice to me after my first shift. Let the wolf take the lead. I stopped fighting her and joined, my will surrendering to her instinct.

  With hackles raised, we pursued our quarry. We watched the weapon swing back and forth as the man tired. He gave one slow swipe and we dove at his legs, biting and tearing. Once he fell, we went for his neck, ripping into the soft flesh with our fangs.

  Something impacted our hindquarters, knocking us off our attacker. Spinning around, we snapped our jaws, snarling. Two men were left standing, the one in front of us and another one we hadn’t seen yet. A man with a rifle.

  I recognized this man approaching us. Gareth had knocked him unconscious when we came out. He was plenty conscious now. Blood ran down the side of his face, out the corner of his mouth.

  “Here puppy…” He kept glancing to his right.

  I struggled inside, trying to gain my wolf’s attention, but anger and adrenaline ruled her completely now. She pushed off her injured hind legs, pummeling the man in front of her. Her claws tore through his suit until blood soaked the fabric on his chest. Her jaw snapped closed on the exposed skin of his neck. He gurgled and went still.

  A noise drew her attention. She swung her head toward the sound, and finally we saw the last Nero agent standing, the man with the rifle. Unlike the others, he showed no fear. He stood his ground, calm and patient. Even united with my wolf, his emotions were plain to me. He enjoyed his work, relished the adrenaline, fed on the fear. We snarled as he raised the barrel.