The Moon Rises (Gigi Monroe)

by Angela Horn

  “I don’t like you,” Michael growled at Gigi and Finn laughed so hard he knocked his can of soda onto the ground.

  “Be careful, lil bro. Don’t want to mess up Mike’s fancy apartment.”

  Finn froze when he heard his brother’s voice while Michael’s growl deepened. Declan grinned at both males then glanced at Gigi and his grin shifted from smug to charming. Gigi returned his smile as she tried not to laugh at Michael.

  “No,” Michael said.

  “Aww, don’t be like that,” Ella said, bouncing into the room from behind Declan. “This will be good actually. You like to win and Declan sucks ass at cards.”

  Declan ran his tongue over his top teeth, maybe irritated with Ella. He looked happy enough as he walked further into the apartment.

  “Hello, Gigi,” he said, ignoring Michael who was still growling.

  “Hi, Declan. I hope Ella’s not lying and you really are bad at cards because I want to get more quarters and Finn wins too much and Ella and Mike never bet enough.”

  Ella pushed past Michael and grinned at Declan. “She’s turned into quite the smartass, hasn’t she?”

  Declan smiled as he ran his hand down the back of Gigi’s head, stroking her hair. Gigi noticed Finn standing awkwardly in the background, suddenly submissive with his brother in the apartment. Gigi wanted to do something to show how she still liked Finn and even preferred him. Do anything to get rid of the sad look on his face. Yet making a big show of her feelings for Finn might be dangerous. Gigi glanced at Michael who was now looking in the refrigerator, indifferent to his guests, and hoped he fixed things.

  “You can stay, Alpha, but hands off the chick. I don’t need her crying or getting horny or whatever might happen if you fondle her for too long.”

  Ella laughed while Declan glared at Michael who pretended not to notice. Gigi was happy because Declan’s hands were off her. While normally she liked when he touched her, she didn’t want Finn to feel like the dumb little brother. Even if they couldn’t date, Finn wanted Gigi to like him and she saw how he tried to impress her. Declan being in the same room seemed to tear away all his confidence though.

  “You’re paying for pizza,” Michael told Declan who rolled his eyes.

  “Fine, but no sissy vegetables,” he said, glancing at Ella.

  “I want mushrooms,” she announced as if he was taking her order.

  Gigi waited to see if Declan would tell her no. Instead he allowed Ella to order for the group including getting hot wings on his dime. Soon they were sitting at the table, waiting for the pizza while they played a few hands. Finn was still too quiet, having pulled within himself. Maybe it was a reaction to having an Alpha in the room, but Gigi noticed how most Weres were intimidated by Michael, yet Finn never was. No, it seemed to be a brother thing.

  Soon Finn, Declan, and Gigi were the only ones still in the hand while Ella meowed at Michael for no discernable reason. Michael did his impression of a statue, his blue eyes unblinking while she nuzzled him. Sometimes Gigi wondered if Ella tormented Michael because the redhead had a crush on him? Ella either liked Michael a lot or hated him with a vengeance. She screwed with him too much to be anything else.

  “Well?” Declan asked Finn who was studying his cards.

  Gigi knew Finn’s tells and she knew he had a good hand. She also knew he was thinking about folding because Declan intimidated him. Looking at her own cards, Gigi suspected she had the best hand so when it was her turn, she folded. Finn might know her tells too because he frowned when she bowed out of the game. His gray eyes met his brother’s identical ones and Gigi sensed Finn wished he had folded too. He didn’t though. Yet when Declan made a huge bet – five dollars in quarters – Finn looked ready to give up. Gigi caught his gaze and stared at him, willing him to call the bet.

  Meanwhile Ella had licked Michael who finally blinked and tried to bite her.

  As Ella laughed her ass off, almost falling out of her chair, Finn did call Declan’s bet. A minute later, Gigi was proven correct about Finn’s cards being the winning hand. Declan, realizing he lost, stared hard at Finn who kept his eyes down and slowly pulled the quarters from the pot. Declan laughed as he reached across the table and ruffled Finn’s hair.

  “Chill, dipshit. I think I smacked you around too much when we were kids, you submissive little dork.”

  Finn looked irritated, even as his shoulders relaxed. “I just don’t want you to go all Alpha when you lose.”

  “Right, because Michael’s known for keeping his cool when he loses.”

  Michael stopped glaring at Ella so he could glare at Declan. “Get the fuck out of my house.”

  Gigi started laughing first then Ella and Finn joined her. Finally Declan smiled with a little chuckle. The only one who didn’t find it funny was Michael. A few hands later though, Michael finally found someone besides Sara that he could beat at poker. Suddenly best buddies, Michael invited Declan to return whenever the urge for poker struck him.

  As much fun as Ella and Michael seemed to be having with Declan at the game, Finn never really shook his quiet mood. He folded most hands even when Gigi knew he had good cards and he only took a single slice of pizza which might have been the least Gigi ever saw him eat. With an hour left before the game usually ended, Finn stood and said he wasn’t feeling well.

  Michael just shrugged since his focus was on Ella who was taunting him again. Declan frowned at his brother who headed out the door. Gigi knew she shouldn’t be too obvious about her feelings for Finn, but she couldn’t help following him.

  “Why are you leaving?”

  “It’s okay, Gigi,” Finn said, kissing the top of her head. “Just go have fun.”

  Gigi followed him down the stairs and out to where his truck was parked.

  “I don’t want Declan. I want you.”

  Finn stopped and sighed. “I don’t know why it just hit me tonight, but I finally realized you and I will never be together. I still had hope, but I see the truth now.”

  Gigi wrapped her arms around his waist to make him stay and talk with her.

  “Maybe God wants us to be together? If He does, then it won’t matter about any stupid threats.”

  Finn smiled, but he wasn’t happy and just wanted to leave. Gigi didn’t want to let him go though and not just because he was sad. She needed to feel hope too.

  “I didn’t wash my sheets after you stayed with me the night Sara disappeared. I like your scent. It relaxes me.”

  Finn took her face in his hands and she hoped he might kiss her. Instead he frowned.

  “You need someone strong. Someone who can protect you. I heard people talking about how you survived and now the witches are curious. Even if there weren’t threats to keep us apart, you deserve someone stronger than me.”

  “I don’t want Declan,” Gigi said with a pout. “He’s handsome, but he’s not you.”

  “Then be with Anton. Just find someone strong who can make you happy and keep you safe.”

  Gigi wanted to protest, but Finn let her go and walked to his truck. Part of her really wanted to chase after him and force him to be with her. She hated being alone. When she was in bed at night and imagined Finn with her, the loneliness faded a bit.

  Instead Gigi let Finn leave because he knew what he wanted and what he was willing to fight for. While Finn wanted her, it wasn’t enough to make him stay. Heading back inside, Gigi found Declan waiting in the hallway.

  “You didn’t talk him into coming back?” he asked.

  “No.”

  “I shouldn’t have come.”

  Gigi stared up at Declan who looked big and menacing in the dark hallway.

  “Can’t you make the people threatening me stop? You’re an Alpha.”

  Declan shifted his stance and sighed deeply. “It’s complicated and I’d rather Finn be the one to explain. Let me just say if I had the power to make the person back down, I would make it happen because my brother really cares about you.”

  Gigi though
t of Finn’s face when he realized they would never be together. He needed her as much as she needed him, but their needs didn’t change the situation.

  “I’m sorry, Gigi.”

  “I know and I think you should come back and play poker if you want. Finn likes being around you and he likes being around me. He just needs to learn to be around us at the same time.”

  Declan grinned. “You’re good for him.”

  Gigi felt tired now which meant her sadness was setting off the trigger in her head.

  “I better go home and rest before my shift tonight.”

  “Are you okay? Do you need someone to drive you?”

  “It’s fine. I walked here.”

  “Gigi,” Declan said, coming towards her. “I know that flying thing died, but Tobin said its master is still out there. You can’t be walking the streets at night.”

  “It didn’t want me. I think its master only wants humans and it could tell I wasn’t human.”

  “Really?” Declan said as he walked with her down the stairs. “I can’t tell, so how could it?”

  “It was basically an animal and animals act differently around me so maybe that’s how it could tell.”

  Declan nodded and Gigi knew he was going to drive her home whether she wanted the ride or not. Arriving at her apartment, which was less than two minutes away, Gigi realized they had left without telling Ella or Michael. Declan said he thought to tell them, but chose not to because Ella was being annoying by tormenting Michael and Michael was being annoying by being Michael. Gigi might prefer Finn, but when Declan gave her a devilish smile, she realized the Alpha definitely had his qualities.

  Chapter Thirty Four

  Anton had only seen Gigi in passing for days and he missed her. She was kind and fragile and he shoved her away without an explanation. Entering his office to find Gigi with Melanie and the guys, Anton noticed how they immediately stopped talking. He also noticed she looked scared to see him. Everyone stared at Anton like he was the mean teacher who interrupted a group of kids goofing off. Before he could speak, Anton spotted a cardboard box on the desk and heard squeaky meows erupting from inside.

  “Cats?” he asked, hoping they would stop staring like he was the Grinch.

  “Gigi got herself some pets,” Melanie said with a scowl directed at Anton. “She wanted to show her friends. Is that a problem?”

  Anton frowned at Melanie who used her baby bump as a way to avoid work and mouth off when she didn’t get her way. The males lacked baby bumps so they remained silent. Gigi just stared at the floor like a scolded child.

  “Can I see?” he asked, moving closer and peering into the box.

  The box wasn’t filled with a couple kittens, but what looked like a litter. He counted eight striped cats of varying colors inside the box. They only glanced up at him before shrinking in fear, sensing a predator in their midst. When Gigi peeked at them though, they shook off their terror and meowed in unison.

  “What are you going to do with all of them?” Anton asked in his friendliest tone while enjoying her scent.

  “What do you mean?”

  “He wants to know if you’re going to eat them?” Melanie said and Gigi’s eyes grew wide and frightened.

  Anton growled at Melanie who flinched then immediately rubbed her belly.

  “I only mean do you plan to give them away to other people?”

  “No, she’s going to keep them,” Melanie answered.

  Anton wished his assistant would shut up, but he wasn’t going to express this desire out loud.

  “I want them,” Gigi muttered, looking scolded again.

  “Eight cats is a lot of cats.”

  Everyone was again looking at him like he was the bad guy for pointing out the obvious.

  “Do you have everything you’ll need for them?” Anton asked.

  Gigi shook her head as her eyes remained focused on the ground.

  “I’ll take her shopping,” Melanie said.

  Anton wished he could take Gigi shopping. He sometimes imagined them doing things together, everyday couple-type things, and it always filled him with a longing for a life he couldn’t have. Even now when he knew Gigi didn’t want him to take her shopping for cat products, Anton ached to volunteer.

  “You can leave the kittens here while you shop,” Anton suggested as he walked to his office to sulk.

  “Thank you,” Gigi said quietly and he took solace in her upbeat tone.

  Anton soon heard Gigi and Melanie leave the office. Not long afterward, the male Weres headed out for a recon mission near Roger’s territory. If a war came, Anton wanted to hit Roger and Declan hard enough to minimize his own causalities. It was all wishful thinking though since he sensed Declan’s first strike would be devastating enough for the war to get bloody fast.

  Thinking about the impending war was a nice distraction for Anton. Yet he could still smell Gigi and the distraction didn’t last. The kittens were whining in the main office and Anton wondered why Gigi needed so many? Was she planning to become a cat lady? As unlikely as this scenario seemed, she had eight frigging cats now.

  Anton walked into the front office and looked down at the kittens as they searched for Gigi. They flinched when they found him instead. Scooping up an orange and white kitten, Anton ignored the animal’s fear - and its scratching and biting. He ran his finger along its head, just behind its ears until it settled down. The little guy was soon purring as it dozed against his chest.

  Most Weres didn’t have pets. Animals knew to fear predators and Weres were at the top of the food chain. Whether in wolf or human form, most could take down a bear which made them scary as hell to ordinary little animals like cats and dogs.

  As a kid though, Anton had desperately wanted a dog, but he never asked for one. His mother and uncles didn’t believe in attachments, so even a goldfish would be asking for too much.

  Gigi suddenly appeared at the door of the office and entered without Melanie. Even though she looked startled to see Anton holding one of the cats, he didn’t put it back in the box. He was making a habit of acting stupid whenever she was around. Besides the kitten was sound asleep.

  “Get everything?”

  “I think so,” Gigi said, stepping closer.

  “Where’s Melanie?”

  “She was tired, so she went home.”

  Anton sighed quietly. “Of course she did.”

  “Are you still mad at me?”

  “I was never mad at you. I was mad at me.”

  “Why were you mad at yourself?”

  “Because I let myself get distracted by things I can’t have. That day with you, I was careless and lost control. I behaved badly. I’m sorry.”

  “People say it’s not me, but I think it is.”

  “Trust me, Gigi, it’s not.”

  “But you act like Declan acts and Finn acts, but then you say it’s not me. The lady on TV told this other lady that if things keep happening over and over to her, she needs to look at the common denominator. With the males in the Circle, I’m the common denominator.”

  “True. You are very beautiful and males want you. Whatever happens afterward isn’t your fault.”

  “But…”

  “Trust me. I know why Finn can’t date you and why Declan won’t date you and why I shouldn’t date you. It’s not about you. We have our own crap which keeps us from doing what we want.”

  Gigi nodded, but didn’t look convinced. “You think I’m stupid to want so many cats.”

  “Not stupid. I just don’t think you understand the amount of work involved. Cleaning the kitty litter alone will take up most of your spare time.”

  Gigi stared at him with those dark eyes. “I get lonely.”

  “I know.”

  Anton did know. Her loneliness was written all over her face most of the time. Anton knew that expression from when he was a kid and would see it in the mirror. Eventually he trained himself to hide his feelings, but he doubted Gigi ever could.

  �
��Have you thought of names for your cats?”

  Smiling, Gigi shook her head. “Do cats even respond to their names?”

  “I don’t know, but it would probably help to give them names for when you take them to the vet and get shots and stuff.”

  Gigi’s smile faded and he saw how clearly clueless she was to all the work ahead of her.

  “Melanie has a baby name book in her desk. You could use that to pick names, if you want?” Anton suggested.

  “But those are people names.”

  “True.”

  Gigi inched closer and he knew she wanted to check on her kittens. He also sensed she didn’t want to stand too close to him. She finally reached the box and glanced down at them. The whining and scratching stopped the moment they saw her. The seven kittens meowed in unison and Gigi smiled.

  “I don’t have any family,” she said, still looking at the kittens. “Eight is too many cats and the lady who was giving them away said I didn’t have to take them all, but I can’t give up any of them.”

  “I understand.”

  Gigi glanced at him. “Do you have a family?”

  “No.”

  “Do you get lonely?”

  “Everyone gets lonely,” Anton said. “Maybe one day your memories will return and you’ll find your family?”

  “Mira looked into my mind and said my family is probably dead. She said someone put up the walls to protect me from remembering how they died.”

  Anton frowned, unhappy with the idea of Mira messing with Gigi’s mind. He might have an alliance with her, but only because he knew the witches were devious and he was desperate.

  “Be careful with Mira. She pretends like she cares for you like a mother would. If she thinks she can use you to benefit her clan, she will.”

  “Use me how?”

  Anton didn’t answer immediately, but instead looked at the kitten asleep on his chest. It was fragile like Gigi, trusting predators if they showed it tenderness. Anton could kill the kitten in his hands without exerting the tiniest bit of effort. The witches were the same way. Lulling Gigi into feeling safe, until they tore her apart looking for her hidden magic.