The Ash Moon (The Ariane Trilogy Book 1)

by Michelle Dare

  Cace is focused on getting Paige and me out of there safely. Ford is worried about Kiara, but by the same token, he knows she's a strong vampire and will be able to handle herself. His main goal is to get me out safely. And Rion is doing nothing but worrying about me. He doesn't want me to go. He thinks they can find another way to get Paige and Kiara out of there, without me being involved.

  While Aries talks about what we should do, I don't think any of his ideas will work. If there's anything I've learned in my short life, especially during these last weeks with Rion, nothing goes according to plan. You can think your life will go one way, but then you get whiplash by how fast things change. And this—tonight—is going to be a change. I can feel it in my very bones.

  The best case scenario is we get Paige, Kiara, and the rest of us out of there safely. The worst is none of us leave alive. Yes, Javen gave his word, but if all hell breaks loose, I doubt I’ll be standing without harm. I'm not ready to die, and they don't know they'll have to chop off my head to kill me. I love having this new ability. Advantage: Ariane.

  Ford must hear my thoughts because he uses his mind to send me a message. “No one is getting near you so they can decapitate you. No one.”

  My eyes meet his. “I'm just one girl. There's nothing special about me. Get Paige out of there. She's human.”

  “That's where you're wrong, princess. You aren't just a girl. You’re more special than you realize.”

  I blush and duck my head so no one sees me. Ford walks up behind me, his boots clapping on the hardwood floor. He stops at my side and places a protective arm over my shoulders. I lean into him instinctively. No, he's not my mate, as Rion would say, but things are different now. I’m still trying to wrap my head around it. Although, right now, Ford's providing the comfort I need. He's my friend—a best friend. I won't discount him ever.

  Rion growls on my other side, his jealous side fully coming out. Taking his hand in mine, I lift it to kiss the back. Our connection flares to life, easing his troubled mind. What am I going to do? I have a vampire for a bestie, who has feelings for me, and a wolf who’s my mate. Why can’t anything be easy?

  “Ari?” Aries says, trying to get my attention. “Have you been listening?”

  “Maybe,” I reply sheepishly.

  “How about the two of you?” he asks Rion and Ford. Neither utters a word. Aries throws his hands up. “Why do I bother?”

  “We appreciate your time and direction,” Rion starts, “but all that matters is Ari getting out of there safely. I know she wants her friend alive, but once we're in that home, my eyes will only be on my mate.”

  Aries nods. “I can't fault you there. I'd be the same. Ford, can you focus on Paige and getting her out?”

  “No can do, wolf. My eyes will be on everyone in the room and their proximity to Ariane.”

  Scrubbing a hand over his face, Aries turns to Cace. “What about you?”

  “Pack first. That's our motto and has been since day one. Ari is pack. Let's also remember Rion will be in there, and he's the least experienced wolf we have. Those two will be my priority.”

  “Paige is mine,” I say loudly. “I get what the rest of you are doing, but can we all please remember that I'm no longer a vulnerable human? I'm a paranormal now. I can heal instantly. I can read minds and teleport. If you think I'm going in there to talk pack politics with Travis, you're wrong. I’ll do my best to read his mind and find out what he's planning. I want my friends out of there, however—Paige and Kiara.”

  “This is going to be a mess,” Aries mutters.

  Cace claps him on the shoulder. “This isn't the first time we've had to deal with other packs or this kind of situation. We'll handle it.” In each of the books in Lealla's series, there is always conflict. Always a life or death situation. It's what keeps the reader entertained and wanting more. There is one thing we can count on from her books—a happily ever after. That brings another question to mind.

  “Has there ever been a couple in your pack who didn't make it? Who were killed before their books could be written?” I ask.

  “No,” Aries replies. “But that doesn't mean it couldn’t happen.”

  “Don't,” Rion growls.

  “I'm a realist. You know this.”

  “I'd rather you don't speak your trepidation when it pertains to my mate.” Aries nods.

  “We should get going,” Cace states. “We're supposed to be there in five minutes.” Well, this day flew by.

  “Let's get this show on the road,” I add.

  Ford squeezes my shoulder and sends to me, “No matter what happens tonight, I've got you.”

  “I need you alive, Ford. I don't want anything happening to you. We all need to survive this and bring Paige and Kiara with us.”

  “We'll do our best.” He releases me then strides over to Cace, resting a hand on his shoulder. He sends me a mental image of what the Diaminsey Pack house looks like so I'll know where to teleport. Ford snaps and he’s gone.

  “Ready?” I ask Rion.

  “Not at all.”

  I don't reply but simply picture what Ford sent me and snap. We reappear a moment later in front of a white stone home beside Ford and Cace. It's not as massive as Lealla's but is grand on its own. Two large, white pillars flank a deep blue door, which stands out in stark contrast to the white home. Turning, I take in the surrounding area. No trees but rather acres of land that seem to go on and on. In the far distance, I make out the line of the forest.

  The door opening pulls my attention back to the house. Rion goes rigid beside me. His body is almost vibrating with energy.

  “Don't shift,” I remind him.

  “Easier said than done.”

  A man steps through the doorway. He's tall with dark blond hair cut close to his head and a full beard. He's wearing jeans and a pair of brown work boots. The red thermal shirt completes the whole woodsman vibe he has going for him. The sleeves are rolled up, exposing muscular forearms. He smiles widely, his eyes trained on me. A shiver works its way down my spine and not the good kind.

  “Ariane, welcome to the Diaminsey home. I'm Travis.” He walks toward us and extends his hand. I try to get Rion to release me so I can shake Travis’ hand, but his death grip on my fingers isn't letting that happen.

  Travis’ eyes go to Rion. “I mean your mate no harm, Orion. I gave my word that she would be safe. That you would all be safe.”

  “As long as they don't hurt anyone in my pack,” I hear him think. I can't reveal that I heard, but I send the message to Ford so he can say something. Shady wolf. Not that I expected him to be anything else.

  “What if I stab your beta in the chest? Will the four of us become fair game to be killed?” Ford asks.

  Travis growls. “Don't test me on my land, vampire.”

  “Oh, I'm real scared,” he mocks, pretending to shake.

  “Can we get on with this? I have other things to do,” I state.

  Travis grins. “I think I'm going to like you.”

  “Goodie for me.” Maybe giving the alpha an attitude isn't the smartest thing I've ever done, but I won't change my personality for anyone. Plus, they already know about me, so they probably expect my sass.

  “Come inside. Dinner is being served. My pack is already seated.”

  “Where's Paige and Kiara?” I ask as we walk to the door.

  “Right to the point. I like that. They'll be joining us for dinner.”

  “If you have either of them tied up,” I warn. It’s taking everything in me not to lunge at him. Of course, if I did that, I wouldn’t be able to back it up. Not like I have the strength of Rion or Ford.

  “You do have quite a mouth for a human. Then again, you aren't merely human, are you?”

  “One point for you for remembering I can teleport.”

  He laughs. “Yes, I like you a lot.”

  Rion tugs on my hand, bringing me closer to his side. The word behave is tumbling around his head. He doesn’t send it to me, though. I
wouldn’t listen if he did.

  Inside the home, we turn left and step into a grand dining room. Two gold chandeliers hang above a long table. There are easily twenty men seated around it. This can’t be the whole pack. The females are missing. Well, except for my friends. Paige and Kiara are seated on either side of the empty head of the table chair. Wake isn’t anywhere in sight.

  We’re shown seats at the table on either side of Javen. Yippee. Rion and I take seats to his right, Ford and Cace to his left. So many thoughts bombard me. It’s taking everything inside of me not to wince and cover my ears. I can’t do that without giving myself away. Instead, I focus as Eloise instructed. In a matter of seconds, the thoughts drift away.

  All heads are turned toward us. A menacing wave of power ripples through the room, causing me to lose my breath for a moment.

  “Did you feel that, Ari?” Travis asks from his seat. “That's the power of the Diaminsey Pack. Power the Avynwoods don't have. You see, we’ve been a pack for over a thousand years. My parents formed this pack with only the most powerful wolves. They all had children. Our fiercest are who sit before you. Our pack is the strongest along the entire East Coast.” If he thinks all of this talk of power is going to impress me, he’s wrong.

  Women come out to serve us. I’m not sure if they are mates of some of the men at the table or staff the pack hires. Everyone is given a plate of meat and potatoes. I have zero interest in eating. I keep my eyes on the head of the table, bouncing from Travis to Paige to Kiara.

  “Congrats on your pack power,” I say. “But I have no interest in that. I like being a boring high school girl.”

  Ignoring me, Travis continues his sales pitch. He lifts his arm, pointing in the direction of one of his wolves. “This is Garrison. I think you'll find him appealing.”

  A man stands across the table from me. His chestnut hair is on the longer side, brushing just past his ears. Between the board shorts he’s wearing and the white polo, I guess he’s going for the preppy surfer vibe. He’s as muscular as every other shifter here. I’ll give him that.

  It's then I delve into Travis' thoughts. He thinks Garrison could be a mate for me. He's presenting him to me on a platter for my taking. He's lost his mind.

  I play stupid. “I’m not sure what he has to do with anything.”

  Travis laughs and brushes off my comment. “Let's eat.”

  This has got to be the strangest dinner I've ever been to. What's next? Being shown a room I could live in and a wardrobe of dresses and rubies?

  Everyone eats, even those I came with. I push my plate away. “Can I have my friends back now? I get that you want me to join your little band of wolves, but I'm good. I just want Paige and Kiara with me so we can leave.”

  “I was hoping I could show you around,” Garrison interjects. “There's much to see. Much to learn about the pack.”

  I quirk an eyebrow. “I don't think so. I saw the outside of this place and the grass you have surrounding it. I'm good.”

  Garrison's eyes flash green and next thing I know Rion is on his feet, his own eyes reflecting the same color.

  “Come near my mate, and I will end you,” Rion seethes.

  Leaning back in his chair, Travis steeples his fingers. “This could be interesting. Do we have a formal challenge for Ariane's hand?”

  Swinging my gaze his way, I ask, “What are you talking about? No one is fighting for me. I'm already taken.”

  “You still have much to learn, Ariane. You see, a wolf can challenge another for you as a mate. It's a battle to the death.”

  31

  “Every day I'm waiting for someone to show up with white coats and haul me off,” I mutter. “You can't be serious.”

  “I'll make you a deal, Ari,” Travis starts. “If you agree to Rion and Garrison fighting to the death, I'll hand over Paige and Kiara, nothing further asked of you.”

  Rion holds my eyes and sends me a message with his mind. “Let me do this. It will free your friends and also prove to their pack that I'm the only wolf for you.”

  “I'm not letting you fight to the death. He could kick your butt for all we know.”

  “You have no faith in me, little mouse,” he smiles wickedly.

  “I have faith. Faith that one of you is going to die, and it's going to be my fault.”

  “I'm going to agree to it and there's nothing you can do to stop me. I will not have another wolf thinking they can beat me and take my mate. There is more than death on the line—there's pride—and that's very important to shifters. Plus, strength and ability to protect our females.” This isn’t happening. I don’t know what I’ll do if something happens to Rion. For him to appear in my life and suddenly be ripped away. No.

  “And if you die? Then what? I'm going to live here with this insane posse of wolves.”

  “No. Ford will get you out of here. He'll die to do so.”

  “For the love of... I don't like this one bit. I don't want you to die, Rion. Or Ford.” I’m near tears, fighting away the onslaught of emotions this entire situation floods me with.

  “I won't, Ari. Trust me. Trust our bond and my love for you.” Trust him to live and not get killed.

  I hang my head for a moment then lift it to face Travis. “Fine. Whatever. They can fight.”

  “Excellent. Let's move to the battle room.” This is such a bad idea.

  “You have a battle room?” I ask with a quirk of my eyebrow.

  “Absolutely. We have to train somewhere.”

  “I want Kiara and Paige by my side during the fight. No matter who wins, they leave with me.”

  “Of course.” He smiles. It’s the type where he wants you to think it’s genuine, but it isn’t. I can hear his thoughts. He thinks his smile will calm my nerves and show me he’s a nice guy. Ha!

  We stand as Travis leads us and the rest of the pack through the dining room to a set of stairs that leads downward. Every step I take, the colder it gets, until we're in a massive room that I would bet runs the length of the house. The floor is concrete with drains spread throughout. I’m assuming so blood is easily cleaned up and washed down them. If that doesn’t make me all warm and fuzzy, I’m not sure what will. The walls are bare. Nothing but solid concrete surrounding us.

  “Well, this is welcoming,” I mutter.

  “It's not meant to be,” Travis says in my ear. I jump and swirl, coming face-to-face with him. Freaking wolves and their stealthy behavior. His eyes flash green. “This is where we bleed for our pack, Ariane.”

  He steps aside, revealing Kiara and Paige. I rush at my bestie, slamming into her, throwing my arms around her. “Are you okay? Did they hurt you?”

  Her voice and body tremble. “I'm fine. Freaked out to no end but fine.”

  “And you?” I ask Kiara.

  “You shouldn't have added me to your deal, Ari. I can handle myself.”

  “You've covered for me. Now it's my turn to help you.”

  Rion is at my back when I turn back around. He dips down to brush his lips over mine, igniting my veins with electricity. “It’s going to be fine, little mouse.”

  I don't hesitate and wrap my arms around him, holding him close. “I don't want anything to happen to you. I've kind of gotten used to you.”

  He chuckles, his chin resting on my head. “My wolf knows how to win and will do whatever it takes to keep you as our mate.”

  I pull back. “Wait. Your wolf is fighting and not you as a human?”

  “That's right. When we fight, it's always with our animal.” Why didn’t that occur to me? Too much is going on in my mind. Trying to block out all the voices, ensuring Paige and Kiara are okay.

  “I want to talk to him—your wolf.” Rion nods and shifts.

  Before me stands an enormous black wolf. His white-tipped ears twitch in every direction, listening to the others in the room while his emerald eyes hold mine. Gently, I grasp either side of his face, his fur soft in my hands. “You win this, you hear me?”

  He snort
s as if to say, “Of course.”

  “I need you to survive.” Emotion clogs my throat as the enormity of the situation crashes over me again. I might talk a tough game, but inside, the thought of losing Rion is breaking me.

  He nudges me with his nose and licks my face. Then he's turning, walking toward the center of the room where a grey wolf is waiting for him. They’re equal in height and build.

  Travis steps forward. “You know the rules,” he speaks loudly. “No one is to intervene. Outside of that, there are no rules. This is a fight to the death. Winner gets Ariane.”

  I lunge forward, ready to punch him in his smug face, but Ford is behind me, holding my arms in an iron grip. I came here to talk, to get my friends back, not to get Orion killed. This shouldn't be happening.

  “Calm down, Ari,” Ford whispers in my ear. “Rion can sense your unease.” I pause my struggling and focus on my wolf. His hackles are raised, his legs twitching as if he's ready to pounce. “He needs to focus on the fight, not on you. Let him.” I relax, but only marginally.

  Orion and Garrison both move in a slow circle, their eyes never leaving the other. Garrison is the first to leap. He jumps toward Orion, but my wolf is faster. He dodges out of the way a split second before he would have been hit. Then he's on Garrison, his lips peeled back, teeth bared as he bites into the other wolf's flesh. Blood coats Garrison’s neck. Orion doesn't release him. He shakes his head, digging his teeth in deeper. But Garrison isn't giving up. He drops to the ground and rolls, ripping Orion's teeth from his neck. They both quickly stand and charge each other. This time, Garrison is able to spin around and jump on Orion's back, clamping his teeth down on his spine. Orion yelps in pain.

  Tears pool in my eyes; his hurt ringing out in my mind. I can't hear anything he's thinking. He must have blocked me out. I don’t have it in me at the moment to break down the wall in his mind. The pain—his pain—I can sense it. His back is on the verge of breaking from the pressure being put on it by Garrison’s jaws.

  Struggling, I try to break free from Ford’s grasp. Nothing I do works. I want to intervene. I want to stop this from happening.