Moonlit Rescue

by Leigh Erikson

  “That means nothing.” She shook her head. This wasn’t the Middle Ages where knights in shining armor stayed with their ladies. Today, even the most gallant were free to disappear no matter what destruction they left in their wake.

  “It means everything.”

  “I’ve been with other men.” With his possessiveness, she knew those words would sting. She needed to make him understand she wasn’t his. He was wrong. She didn’t belong with him.

  “A fact I am aware of and a fact I don’t need to think about.” His nostrils flared.

  “Surely, you’ve been with others.” She scooted back.

  He moved with her. “Not like this.”

  “We are not together.” They weren’t getting married.

  “You experienced the same end I did.”

  “An orgasm doesn’t make us mates.” She used his word on purpose. No matter what happened to his mother, or in his world, it didn’t apply to her. She should have never had sex with him.

  “You don’t believe that. You wouldn’t have given yourself to me if that was the case.” Without warning, he crushed his lips to hers.

  She wanted to resist, but her body defied her mind and her lips softened, giving him access.

  In another sudden move, he broke the kiss. “I want you and I just had you.”

  She wanted to slap him across the face for leaving her in a state of need, and proving what he could do to her with a simple kiss. “Don’t you just take what you want?”

  “I would never take anything you wouldn’t willingly give me. Stop fighting yourself.” He lowered himself on top of her, kissing her lips, her neck and her ear. “I think you waited a long time for someone to come into your life.”

  “No.” Maybe he was right. Maybe she needed to stop fighting and over thinking everything. Maybe it was enough to be wanted. She didn’t need to be loved. Or maybe he would crush her heart.

  “We were both alone until now,” he whispered, creating a cascade of shivers down her neck. “I’ll always be here for you.”

  With his words, her mind finally raised a white flag, choosing to only focus on how hard and thick he was pressed against her inner thigh.

  “Vale.” His touches, kisses and words rendered her unable to reason, to point out the flaws in his logic.

  “I know you want me again, I can sense it.”

  “No,” she whispered, though she wanted him to take over and create those incredible sensations again.

  “Tell me what you want, Kira.”

  She hated her own body when she bucked her hips up to him. “You.”

  With no resistance, he entered her and she held on.

  He promised to take care of her and never let harm come to her, yet she couldn’t give in completely and lose herself. But, damn, she wanted him with a passion that frightened her more than he did.

  ****

  “Vale, dinner is ready,” Kira called to him from the kitchen.

  Her homey, singsong phrase caused him to almost drop the record he was placing on the old-fashioned turntable. Over the last two days, they’d traveled the proverbial rocky road, with Kira alternating between skeptical scientist who wanted nothing more than to analyze him and their situation, and domestic diva who wanted to cook and take care of the cabin. At least he wasn’t bored. He put the record on and went to her, wondering what she had concocted for their meal.

  By the time he entered the kitchen, she was bobbing her head and tearing some greens in time to the old-time jazz music. “Do you like it?”

  She nodded, and motioned toward the counter where she had set out several dishes. “Look.”

  “Let me see.” He came up behind her, putting his hands on her hips and pulling her toward him, swaying in time to the tunes.

  She stiffened, but before she could pull away, he bent down and kissed her neck. She leaned back against him. The day after they mated she’d tried to push him away, turning pensive and silent, but she never ran. She also seemed to relish his attention, something he was more than willing to dole out. However, during the day she tried to stay away from him, doing her own things, drowning herself in any book she found, or chore she made up.

  “I’m trying to show you.” She shivered and stepped away.

  “I’m paying perfect attention.”

  “Vale.” Her tone took on one of an older mate.

  “I’m sorry.” Not willing to give up any headway, he leaned over and gave her a chaste kiss on the cheek.

  She glanced at him and held up a wooden bowl. “I made a stew with the wild carrots, yams and mushrooms.”

  He breathed in. “Smells good.”

  “I made a salad with the greens.” She picked up a few leaves out of another bowl and turned toward him.

  Before he could protest, she shoved a sample into his mouth.

  “I also made desert with the berries.” She fed herself a berry. “These are my favorite.”

  “I see.” Her gums and lips were stained purple from snacking.

  “I guess we can go to the table.” She handed him the bowl with the stew.

  The dish looked like it could appear in a magazine for living off the land, except for one thing. “What happened to the meat?” Today was the first day he was able to hunt for something he thought she would eat other than vegetables.

  “Aren’t you hungry?” She took the bowl from him.

  “No meat?” he tried again. Humans were squeamish about meat unless it came prepackaged in cellophane resembling nothing of its original form.

  She wrinkled her nose. “Vegetables are good for you.”

  “So is protein.” He bit the side of his mouth to stop a laugh from escaping.

  She backed up. “There’s nothing like the pop and crackle from listening to real records. Do they have music where you’re from?”

  Now the questions would begin. “Yes, we have music.” He slid down the counter and found the meat under a dishtowel. He had made sure to clean it first, but he supposed it was still too primal for her. Maybe many things were too primal for her. “Not only do we have the benefit of listening to music from above, but we have our own artists as well.”

  “Really?” She put the bowl down and moved closer to him.

  He found a knife and cut the meat into chunks. “Yes, really.”

  She leaned over and watched him. “Do you have television? Computers?”

  “How do you think we found out about you?” He continued his task.

  “I wasn’t on television.” She reached back and handed him a pan.

  He put the meat in the pan. “The computer.” He peeked at her out of the corner of his eye.

  “Oh.” She bit her bottom lip and slid some fresh herbs toward him.

  He pinched some of the seasoning between his fingers and sprinkled it over the meat.

  They turned in unison toward the stove. He reached for the tongs, but she got to them first and handed them over.

  For less than a second, he stopped, but forced himself to continue and not draw any attention to what was happening, but what was happening was glorious, and he wanted to cheer. They were doing something together.

  He turned on the burner and browned the meat. “This will need to cook a little longer to get tender.”

  “How about we add some of this?” She went to a cupboard and revealed a bottle of wine.

  “Perfect.”

  While he continued cooking, she opened the bottle.

  “By the way, we do drink wine.” He took the bottle and poured some in the pan. The liquid steamed and bubbled and gave off a rich, tangy aroma. He opened the oven and put the pan inside.

  “But you do have television, right?” She covered her mouth, but the corners of her eyes turned up.

  Was she teasing him? He cleared his throat and decided to play along as well as get his point across. “I can change forms, we can walk among you and never have you know the difference between us, and I can put you in a trance and make a rock transform beneath my fingers.”
He moved his face closer to hers. “We have everything you do and then some.”

  Her eyes widened and she gasped, a small intake of air and then she laughed, and laughed again, causing her to turn her back to him. She tried to keep her joy to herself, but her shaking shoulders told him she’d caught a case of the giggles.

  He joined her, letting his relief out and putting his arm around her. Her laughter was a present even more priceless than her scant smiles, but he didn’t have time to indulge, he needed to keep forging ahead. “While this cooks let’s listen to the music.” He guided her to the main room.

  He didn’t allow her to curl up in the corner of the sofa with the book she placed on the side table, and instead, took her hand and began to dance with her.

  She stumbled, and caught him by the shoulder.

  He held her tight, pressing her body flush against his. “Do you dance up here?” He winked.

  “It’s been a while.” She settled into him, her steps matching his.

  “For me as well. I suppose dancing is only right when you have the right partner.”

  She looked up at him. He watched her eyes move, her focus falling on different parts of his face.

  Though he could sense her arousal, the way she studied him made him ask the next question. “What do you think?”

  “About what?” She tilted her head.

  He took a breath. “Me.”

  She didn’t answer right away, only kept up her scrutiny of him. “You look like magic.” Her entire face flushed pink, and she turned away.

  Her words were exactly why he wanted her, and he ran his hand down her back. “I think you are magical as well.” He nudged her chin up with his fingers and gave her a light kiss, knowing his own desire would take over if he did anything more. When he pulled back, she stared at him once more. “What is it?”

  “What happens after this?”

  Until now, she had never asked, as if this time were only a placeholder, and nothing existed beyond the cabin. “We will be together and you will be treated like a queen.” With her doubts about his world, he chose to try to make it sound like a fantasy.

  “Will anything ever be normal?”

  “What do you mean?” He wasn’t sure what she was asking.

  “Restaurants, shopping, going out. Will we always be trapped?” The flush from her cheeks faded, leaving her examining him like some specimen.

  “No, I told you, you will be treated like queen. You will have everything.” Why couldn’t she trust him?

  She shook her head and pushed herself back. “Let me go check dinner.”

  He watched her walk away. He needed to get through to her.

  ****

  “Gin.” Kira put her cards face up on the table and tilted her head.

  Vale leaned over, analyzed her hand and tossed his cards down. “I give up.” He counted off the appropriate number of pebbles they were using as makeshift currency and pushed them toward her. His mate was not only smart, but a card shark too. “Up for another hand?”

  Rather than answering, she stretched, jutting her breasts out in his direction. There were better things they could do to pass the time than play cards.

  She got up from the table and went right to the window, moving the sheer curtain aside and staring out. “Can you believe it has been a week?”

  A short time in her mind, enough time in his. Every day he watched her struggle to give in and accept him. The more time he spent with her, the more she softened.

  Her transformation was magnificent, but equally as frustrating was her change back to the hard, analytical scientist when she caught herself giving into what she wanted. They stood together at an impasse, one he planned to cross tonight. He needed to do something to bridge her new life with her old, give her something normal. “Let’s go rock hunting.” He felt his pocket to ensure he had what he needed.

  “What?” She faced him. “I haven’t been out since we got here.”

  “I want you to be happy.” He took her hand. “Come on, we deserve a break.”

  “Are you sure?” She resisted, but her face lit up.

  He basked in the glow of her smile. “I would never take a chance with you.” He guided her toward the door. “Believe in me.”

  She stared at him as if she were trying to take him all in. “I want to.”

  With no further incidents after the scout, he felt sure the pack wouldn’t find their hidden retreat. He knew he’d made the right decision to take her out when they stepped outside, and she held onto his arm and sighed. The forest at night was his favorite time. He wanted Kira to experience the magic, live her passion, breathe in the air tinged with pine and oak, and spy on the animals who only ventured out after dark.

  “Look there.” He pointed out a small family of opossums, a mother with three babies in tow.

  She twisted to watch them as they trundled away. “They’re so sweet.”

  Here and there, he picked up rocks he found below his feet. At one point she stopped and dug one out of the dirt. He crouched down to help her, their fingers colliding as they liberated the stone.

  “Here you go. That’s a good one.” He wiped off the bumpy rock and held it out to her.

  “Thank you.” She put her hand over his and leaned up with her lips pursed.

  The fact she requested a kiss from him gave him hope he was chipping away at the wall she’d built around herself. He pressed his mouth to hers, only pulling away because their tour wasn’t over. “Shall we continue?” When she nodded, he helped her up and motioned toward a tall oak tree where a majestic owl kept watch.

  “It’s beautiful out here.”

  “Just wait.” He moved some low hanging branches aside, revealing a small lake. “We’re here.”

  “It doesn’t seem real,” she whispered.

  The nearly full moon shimmering off the clear lake provided the perfect light to see his mate, and he sat down on the bank placing her in his lap. “Yes, it’s beautiful.” He kept his gaze on her.

  “Vale.” She looked away.

  “I know it’s been difficult waiting for the full moon.” He leaned back. “I have to be able to blend into the human world so we can travel.”

  “What about you?”

  “I only care that you are safe and with me.”

  “How can you be sure you want me with you?”

  “That’s not even a question.” He dug his fingers into the soft sand of the shore.

  “Yes, it is.” Every word she spoke put up another barrier to him.

  “You belong with me.” He sat up. Her wall still stood tall. He had much more work to do. He reached into his pocket, retrieving the items he wanted. “I found this yesterday to add to your new collection.” He held up a smooth, beige rock. “This one seemed different. Tell me about it.”

  “What do you want to know?”

  “How long has it been here?”

  She ran her index finger across the surface. “I don’t think this was originally here.”

  “A transplant?” He would prove his point.

  “Yes, probably brought here by some visitors.” She took on the tone of a teacher. “The texture and color indicates it may have been submerged in salt water for quite some time.”

  “Maybe whoever brought this here thought they were saving the rock from being lost in the ocean.”

  “Why would they do that?” She tilted her head toward him.

  “Because maybe the rock was too unique and wonderful to be swept away by forces beyond its control.” He needed her to understand in her terms.

  “Do you mean that?” Her voice told him he’d made a crack in the wall.

  “Maybe our stone earned a place next to this one?” He put the silver stone in his palm, changing its form to liquid.

  “This defies everything I know.”

  “That doesn’t mean it can’t happen.” He concentrated and the fluid began to glow. “The element can only be transformed by pack leaders. Only those above you in the hierarchy ca
n alter the stone once it’s been changed.”

  She touched his wrist. “You’re a leader.”

  He suppressed a growl and continued. “I’m part of the ruling class. Yes, I can transform the stone, but I cursed my human side the day Xander proved he could change the rock after I did. He was above me in the pack, and my path was chosen.”

  She looked him in the eyes.

  “I forget there are two sides of me.” He poured a tiny bit of the molten rock into his free hand and closed his fist around the rest, returning it to its solid state and putting it in his pocket. “You join me to my human side. I am pledging myself to you, Kira.” With both hands, he molded the rest into the shape he wanted.

  “Vale.” She put her hand to her chest when he held out a gleaming ring.

  “This is yours.” He took her trembling hand and slipped the ring on her finger. “I want the world to know you are mine.”

  Her eyes darted between him and the ring.

  “With you I know what I’m meant to do. I’m meant to be with you.” He brought his lips to hers. “That is why you belong with me.”

  When she smiled into his kiss, he assumed he’d received the gift of the barrier she built around herself crumbling at last.

  ****

  The moment a man gives a woman a ring is sacred. Usually such an event comes after a long courtship where there is a period of growing love, mutual respect and maybe a little uncertainty.

  When Vale pledged himself to her with such intensity, she did what came naturally and kissed him, her arms encircling his chest. No matter how she tried, she would never be able to wrap her arms completely around him, a metaphor for their entire relationship.

  She studied him, her fingertips taking in the satin skin that covered pure muscle and strength. After being with him for a week in the most intimate of situations, she knew every inch of Vale, and yet she didn’t know him.

  “My Kira.” He trailed his lips down her neck.

  She closed her eyes, trying to block everything out. What she knew was no other man would ever live up to Vale. She had never been more physically or mentally attracted to anyone.

  With him, she was special. He made sure she was comfortable, warm and happy. He went out of his way to entertain her. He lavished her with attention, something he gave happily and willingly. “Do I give you what you need?” The words left her mouth when she only meant to think them. She wanted to be a partner not only a mate.