Blood Moon Rising Box Set (Books 1-6)

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Blood Moon Rising Box Set (Books 1-6) Page 31

by Lola Taylor


  “Someone tried killing you?” Malachite asked at once, his eyes narrowing. “Who?”

  Danica sighed and wearily rubbed her temples to assuage the growing headache. “It’s a long story.”

  “Which we don’t have time for,” Alara said sharply, cutting into their conversation. “We shouldn’t stay here in case there are more shooters. If you were the target, we need to get you out of here immediately.”

  “I’ll accompany you,” Malachite said, following them as Alara led Danica back toward the dressing rooms to change.

  “Uh, whoa there, cowboy,” Danica said, halting and holding up a hand in a “stop” gesture. “There’s no need to ride along with us—”

  “Actually, that’s not such a bad idea,” Alara said thoughtfully.

  Danica’s head whipped around. She gave Alara a WTF look.

  It never fazed the werewolf princess. “He did save your life. It would seem he has an inclination toward protecting you. A plus, in my book, as you are apparently in need of more protection than I thought.”

  Danica gritted her teeth and turned to Malachite. “Um, can you excuse us for a minute?” She grabbed Alara’s arm and yanked her to the side. “Are you crazy?” she hissed under her breath. “That’s my mate’s sworn enemy! The Jafar to his Aladdin!”

  “And I understand and respect that,” Alara said carefully. “But you have to admit, he was an Alpha and a highly skilled fighter at that. He would be handy to have in case we run into trouble along the road.”

  Danica felt miserable. She couldn’t blame Alara for playing Devil’s advocate. Being the head of a supernatural race, sort of, she’d probably had to keep a level head about things. But if Gage found out she’d accepted help from his worst enemy and tormentor… “angry” would not begin to cover how he’d be.

  “Besides,” Alara added after Danica didn’t speak right away, “we’re heading in the same direction. Might as well at least let him follow us.”

  Danica gave Alara a pleading look. “Please don’t make me choose.”

  “Fine.” Alara smiled. “Then I will, and you can send Gage to me when he flips out.” Without giving Danica another chance to talk, she wheeled about and approached Malachite. Danica rolled her eyes as the two began talking, and she ducked inside her dressing room. She wanted nothing more than to hide behind the curtain and never come out, but she also wanted to get the hell out of here. Getting shot at was a great way to spook a girl.

  The DPI, along with the regular police department, was quick to the scene. Danica was about ready to scream by the time they finally made it around to her and her companions for questioning. They said they’d let them know if anything came up.

  Sure. Like next year, maybe, Danica thought sourly. You guys were sooooo helpful the last go-around.

  After Alara snagged a shaken Suzie and asked her to check out their purchases, their company slipped out a quiet side entrance. Malachite had offered to carry their bags, but the women politely refused. Well, Alara had politely refused. Danica had more or less glared at him and mumbled that she could carry them herself. No way was he going to get cozy with her, no sir.

  Truthfully, she wouldn’t have minded if he carried the bags. The two she carried, in addition to the garment bag containing her dress, were pretty heavy; one bag contained a pair of fancy silk gloves, sky-high heels, a silk shawl to cover her missing tattoos, dangly earrings, and a sparkly bracelet. The other contained two sets of matching lingerie Danica had fallen in love with while she had been so elegantly plastered to the carpet. She couldn’t wait to show the lingerie off to Gage. Despite the fact she really did adore them, she thought Gage could use a distraction. Hell, so could she after all this.

  A few security guards of the supernatural kind flanked them since Alara was werewolf royalty and, technically, so was Danica. Malachite walked alongside her. When his hand brushed hers, she quickly snatched it up and crossed her arms.

  He chuckled, and she resisted the urge to stick her tongue out at him.

  Danica was filled with relief to find out Malachite wasn’t riding with them but simply following them in case anything happened. The ride back was tense and mostly silent.

  Alara sat beside Danica in the backseat while one of the bodyguards drove. “Do you have any idea who might be after you?”

  Danica shook her head. “I don’t know. I thought the whole debacle about the Nightshade Pack was over, but maybe Norman was lying. Maybe he’s actually more involved than we thought. I just don’t know what they could gain by killing me now. I’m already mated to Gage….” Her voice lifted on the end as doubt plagued her. She stared forlornly at her hand and where her Mark had been.

  Alara took her hand and squeezed. “You’re still mated to him. I’m sure of it. There’s a perfectly logical explanation for this.”

  Danica appreciated the attempt at making her feel better, even though it killed her inside to not have any answers.

  Every time she thought about not being mated to Gage, she wanted to cry. She decided to switch topics back to the shooting. The two exchanged theories, raking their brains for any clues as to what happened before the shooting or if they had noticed anyone suspicious, but they couldn’t come up with much. It was frustrating. And scary.

  Danica’s heart sank. First, her mating marks disappear, and now someone was trying to kill her. Why couldn’t people just leave her the hell alone?

  Never a dull moment, right? Isn’t that what you wanted?

  She wanted excitement, yes, but nothing on this grand of a scale. She was thinking more like moonlit walks along her mate’s own private island. Something tamer and more romantic.

  So much for that.

  They pulled up to the castle in record time. Malachite escorted them inside, and guards met them as soon as they were on the stairs. Apparently, word had spread about the shooting.

  “Danica!”

  “Gage!” she called back as her mate broke through the crowd gathered in the foyer. He ran to her, and she wrapped her arms around him. He held her tightly as she buried her face into his chest, relishing the smell of him. Her senses were so much sharper now, and no matter where she was, she’d never forget his scent.

  Pine, grass…. The scent of home.

  “Are you okay?” Gage asked quietly, looking her over. “We were in the meeting when someone interrupted and told us what happened. Nik mentioned Alara was looking for an excuse to shop and figured she might try to coerce you into going with her.”

  “I’m fine,” Danica said, giving him an encouraging smile. He already had so much to worry over. She didn’t want to be the cause of gray hair sprouting up on her mate’s handsome head.

  Gage’s eyes lifted from hers to gaze past her shoulder. They immediately hardened, and he slipped a protective arm around her waist, pulling her close.

  Confused, Danica looked over her shoulder to find Malachite standing there, staring evenly at Gage.

  Lengthy silence ensued as the two men stared down one another. Gage was the first to speak. “I heard you were at the site of the shooting.”

  “It’s a good thing I was,” Malachite replied smoothly. “Otherwise, you might not be holding her right now.”

  Gage’s grip only tightened around her. His fingertips dug into her arm.

  Malachite waited and grinned. “Well? Aren’t you going to thank me?”

  A warning growl rumbled in Gage’s throat. With a grunt, he gave Malachite a curt nod and promptly wheeled Danica about and up the stairs toward their room.

  Gage kept his arm around her waist the whole time, guiding her. “Good God,” he said, taking her bags. “Is there no such thing as a gentleman anymore?”

  Danica let him take the purchases, deciding not to bring up the fact Malachite was the only man who’d offered to carry her things.

  Gage carted her bags with one arm while holding onto her shoulders with his free hand. Tension radiated off Gage as they walked. She didn’t need their mating bond to feel that h
e was about ready to snap.

  “Um… Gage?” she said gently.

  He stared straight ahead, those gorgeous blue eyes of his dark and stormy.

  Maybe he didn’t hear me. “Gage?”

  His jaw ticked, as if he were mulling something over.

  He walked faster, speeding up so they were practically sprinting. “Gage,” she said, startled as he dragged her along. “Slow down! What’s gotten into you?”

  He remained silent the rest of the way, staring straight ahead and keeping an iron grip around her shoulders.

  Danica frowned, staring at him with worry. Had he snapped? Had seeing Malachite in person again so soon after their last confrontation finally pushed him over the edge?

  When they came to a jarring halt in front of their bedroom door, Gage whipped out the key and opened it. He ushered her inside and slammed the door shut, locking it.

  He pressed his hands against the door, his shoulders slumped forward and his head bowed. He let the bags drop to the floor.

  Danica froze, unsure what to do. She didn’t even care if the ridiculously overpriced dress got wrinkled. “Ga-Gage?” she whispered, gently touching his shoulder.

  A beat of silence passed before his hands slowly dropped and he turned around.

  She gasped.

  The agony in his eyes made her chest twist.

  She blinked in surprise and worry. “Gage, what’s wrong?”

  Silently, he snatched her hands.

  She blinked several times as he crushed her to him, not showing any signs of letting go anytime soon. He lifted a hand and cupped the back of her head, tangling his fingers in her hair.

  In Danica’s experience, guys rarely admitted wanting to be held. Most of the time, she found it hard to tell what they were thinking.

  But with Gage… words weren’t needed. Earlier, she’d been scared out of her mind that she couldn’t sense him. But when two people were so in tune to one another’s needs, they didn’t need a psychic bond to tell what the other craved.

  “It’s okay,” she said softly, reaching up and hugging him back. He trembled slightly at her words as she trailed her nails in long, soothing strokes down his back.

  She rested her cheek against his chest and closed her eyes, smiling as she listened to his heartbeat. “Nothing happened to me. I’m still here.”

  “But for how long?” he whispered back hoarsely.

  She pulled away from him just far enough so she could look up into his eyes. The pain that had nearly crippled her when he had first turned around and saw the look on his face was still there.

  Along with terror. All-consuming, paralyzing terror.

  She cupped his cheek and leaned forward so her lips were over his. “Forever,” she whispered.

  He didn’t move to kiss her. He was still staring at her as if she might disappear at any second.

  “You can’t be afraid of losing me,” she said gently. “You’ll worry yourself to death.”

  He chuckled half-heartedly. “Already done that, love.”

  She winced. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to worry you.”

  “What do you have to apologize for? It’s not like you intentionally placed your life in danger.” He sighed hard and ran a hand through his disheveled hair. It looked like he’d been in the process of pulling at it before she’d shown up, and it only thickened her guilt at having added so much stress to his already heaping plate of worries.

  He frowned and stared at the floor as that dark look from earlier returned to his eyes.

  Danica cocked her head to the side. “What is it?”

  Gage’s jaw ticked as he walked over to the bed and sat down. He leaned forward and placed his elbows on his knees, steepling his fingers to form a resting place for his chin. “Malachite.”

  “Oh.” Feeling awkward, she went and sat down beside him. “He’s… weird,” she finished lamely. She didn’t really have a word to describe Malachite. “Surprising,” maybe.

  Or “creepy.”

  While she could appreciate him saving her, she couldn’t help but get the shivers that he’d followed her to the mall. Although he’d denied stalking her, she was certain he had been lying. Still, there was a surprisingly charming side to him she hadn’t expected. From all the horrific stories she’d gathered from the Moonstruck Pack, she’d painted Malachite to be this ruthless, ice-cold villain. Yet he had treated her with nothing but kindness. The thing that bugged her the most was that it didn’t feel fake.

  It didn’t feel fake with your old boyfriend, Seth, now either, did it? Yeah. You’re an outstanding judge of character.

  She pressed her lips together. Okay, so people could wear masks and be deceiving. That was a lesson she’d learned over and over again, yet she still somehow hoped for the best in people.

  “I’m sure seeing Malachite again is stirring up a lot of bad memories,” Danica said quietly.

  It took Gage a moment to respond. “Not only that,” he admitted, “but he’s been there for you when you needed protecting the most. And I haven’t.”

  He wouldn’t meet her gaze as she leaned forward, jaw agape. “What are you talking about? You’ve been super busy with all this king stuff! Hey, mister, look at me.” She grabbed his arm and tugged. When that didn’t work, she knelt down in front of him and cupped his face in her hands so he’d have to look at her. “Don’t go beating yourself up for not being able to see the future.” She smiled and pinched his nose. “Knucklehead.”

  He snorted, a glimmer of cheer sparking to life in his eyes. “I don’t believe anyone’s ever called me that.”

  “It’s never too late to start,” she said with a wink.

  The happiness on his face didn’t last long. Soon, his dark brows stooped downward once more as he began brooding all over again.

  Danica sighed and stood up. She went over to the only two shopping bags she’d brought home from the mall. “Well, if words won’t lift your spirits, I have something else that might be able to.”

  He raised a brow as she began rustling around in the girly, pink tissue paper and lifted up two lingerie sets.

  Gage’s eyes widened a little as she grinned and said in a sultry voice, “So, Mr. Johnson, which one shall I model for you first? The red lace or the black satin?”

  “Hmmm…” Gage murmured as he stood. The growing bulge along the front of his pants nearly made her pant as he approached and gently pried the lingerie sets from her hands.

  He promptly tossed them aside and took her into his arms.

  “How about we see how good they look on the floor, along with the rest of your clothes?”

  Danica had to agree: the clothes did look pretty damn good on the floor.

  After an hour of intense love-making and cuddling, they took a quick shower together. The “quick” shower turned into another half-hour love romp against the soaking wet tiles, and after finally prying themselves apart long enough to actually get clean, they dried off and dressed.

  “I think contacting Violet is a good idea,” Gage said, bringing up one of their earlier conversations. He tugged on a light leather jacket.

  Danica groaned as she slipped on a pair of ballet flats on loan from Alara. While their waistlines might be different, their shoe sizes weren’t. Alara had brought her and Gage some clothes. “Yeah, and I get that,” she said, “but didn’t you hear what she said when we saw her? People are watching her. And I don’t want to be responsible for getting her killed or worse.” She shivered just thinking about some of the awful things she’d heard Black Magic could do. “Worst nightmare” didn’t begin to cover it.

  “Right now, we need fast answers in order to anticipate and head off another attempt on your life before it happens. I’m not going to repeat the same mistakes I made last time. Besides, I suspect there’s a connection between our tattoos disappearing and this sudden assassination attempt. And since we know the witching mafia was involved last time, I’m assuming they are this go-around.”

  Danica sighed. Sometim
es, there was just no reasoning with the man. Flattered as she was that he was willing to do whatever it took to protect her life, she hated the thought of spilling innocent blood. Sure, Violet had done some pretty terrible things, but come on, she’d been coerced! Danica probably would have caved, too, had she been in her shoes.

  Gage went into the bathroom to brush his teeth, and Danica plopped down on the bed to wait for him. A knock came at the door.

  Figuring it was probably Alara with some news on the attack, Danica eagerly hopped up and scurried to the door. When she opened it, she stared in surprise. “What are those?”

  The delivery boy peeked around the gigantic vase of red roses he was holding to look at her. “Delivery for Ms. Danica,” he said. His spaghetti arms shook as he tried holding up the vase.

  He screwed up her name, pronouncing it “DAH-NIA-CA,” but she felt sorry for him because it looked like he was about to keel over from hauling the plants up the stairs. Not bothering to correct him, she quickly thanked him and showed him where to put the flowers.

  Once he’d left, she squealed with excitement and went to sniff the pretty roses. They were huge, a mixture of fully bloomed blossoms and petite rosebuds. She’d always wanted someone to send her flowers. Her eyes started to well up. Gosh, she was so darn sensitive.

  She heard Gage turn off the sink and shut off the bathroom light. Ecstatic, she whirled around. “Thank you so much! They’re beautiful!”

  “What?” Looking confused, he glanced past her. “Where did those come from?”

  The smile slid off her face. “What do you mean? Didn’t you send them?”

  He frowned. “They’re not from me.”

  “Then who are they…?” Her voice trailed off as she looked back at the flowers. They didn’t seem nearly as pretty as they did a minute ago, as if the sender diminished their beauty.

  No way…. Please don’t be from him….

  Walking over to them, she searched the leaves until she found a tiny card stuck on a plastic fork. Plucking it off, she gulped and opened it.

 

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