Mirror Lake Wolves 01 - Moon Kissed

by Jennifer Snyder

  “Which is why we’re out here,” Drew said, sounding as though he was talking to a five-year-old. “I want to nab another one. I told you I can get a shit ton of money if I grab a female this time around.”

  “So you’ve said a million times. I don’t see why you won’t tell me who the guy is you’re working with. What does he want with werewolves anyway?” Shane asked. The light on his flashlight skimmed the bush beside where Eli and I were crouched.

  My hand snaked out and fisted the back of Eli’s shirt in an ill-fated attempt to steady my trembling body.

  “Don’t know. Don’t care. All I know is I’ll be set for a while from the cash once I do,” Drew said. “Now be quiet. If there’s anything out here, you’ve probably done scared it away by now with your constant yapping.”

  “Yeah, like one of those things would be scared of us,” Shane scoffed.

  The click of a rifle being cocked echoed through the woods. “They will be once they see this baby.”

  “No doubt. Man, that thing is a beauty,” Shane said. He spun around, aiming his flashlight in the opposite direction. I wasn’t sure if something had caught his eye, or if he was continuing with his survey of the area. Either way, I was glad he wasn’t looking near us anymore.

  I loosened my grip on Eli’s shirt. His hand found mine in the dark, and his warm touch settled over me like a sedative.

  “All right,” Eli whispered. His hot breath slipped along my clammy skin, stirring things to life inside me that didn’t have any business being awoken in the moment. “Let’s get out of here.”

  I nodded, glad to finally hear the words slip from his mouth. I’d heard enough. Knowing Drew had someone lined up to pay him for a female from our pack was sickening.

  Eli’s grip on my hand tightened as he eased us away from the two goons. We were still hunkered down in a crouched position, which made me feel safer but not safe enough.

  Once there was enough distance between them and us, we righted ourselves to standing. Eli didn’t let go of my hand right away, but maybe it was because I wouldn’t let him. His touch was the only thing keeping me grounded in the moment. When he released a long breath, I glanced at him. The look plastered on his face let me know he was having a difficult time walking away. He wanted to go back. I could sense the anger he felt toward them. It rippled off him in waves now that I was focused on more than the feel of his hand in mine.

  “I should go back and pummel them,” Eli snarled, confirming my thoughts.

  “No, you shouldn’t. They have guns. You don’t.”

  “I can shift. They won’t know I’m coming.”

  “Being in wolf form didn’t help Glenn any,” I reminded him as we stepped into the clearing of the trailer park.

  We’d made it back safely. Thank goodness.

  I knew I should release Eli’s hand and head home, but a part of me didn’t want to. A larger part said I needed to make sure Eli calmed down enough so he wouldn’t do anything stupid like go after them the second I left his side.

  That was the part I listened to.

  I tightened my grip on his hand and steered us toward his trailer. He didn’t fight me. Heck, he didn’t even seem to notice we were still holding hands.

  “Glenn was a damn fool,” Eli growled. “Everyone knows it’s not safe to shift when you’ve been drinking.”

  “Right there. You need to heed your own advice.”

  Eli glared at me. “What are you talking about? I’m not even buzzed anymore. Seeing those guys and hearing what they said sobered me up quick.”

  I knew what he meant. I’d grown stone sober the second I heard Shane’s voice. “Doesn’t matter. It's not a good idea.”

  “Something needs to be done, though. We can’t let them get away with this,” he said in a low growl, his teeth gritting together.

  We continued toward his trailer.

  “I know, but I think we need more time to figure out what’s really going on.” Maybe it wasn’t the smartest move, but it was all I could think to do. Charging after Shane and his brothers wasn’t going to bring Glenn back. It wasn’t going to help us figure this situation out either. While we might know something—like who was responsible—we didn’t know enough. “We need to keep tabs on Shane and his brothers so we can learn where he took Glenn. We should probably watch the other members of the pack, especially the females, too.”

  Eli paused at the stairs leading to his front door. “Watch what? Watch as one of them gets abducted like Glenn did?” Eli snapped in a harsh whisper.

  I knew he was pissed at the situation, not me, but I couldn’t help but feel a sting of hurt at his words.

  I chewed my bottom lip, hating what I was about to say next because I knew he wouldn’t like it. “Maybe.”

  “No! I’m not about to sit back and let something like that happen to someone else,” Eli insisted. He jerked his hand from mine. The sudden loss of his touch tingled across my palm. “You heard what that Shane guy said. He said he was there the other night and the times before that too. They could have nabbed more than just Glenn.”

  I’d heard, but I hadn’t given much thought to it.

  “All I meant was that maybe we could scout the woods or set up some bait for them so we can follow and see where they’re taking them. Maybe it would lead us to Glenn. If not, then at least it would lead us to where he’d been taken and we can take the place down. You can’t take a place down when you don’t know where it’s at.” I started up the wooden stairs that led to his front door and let myself inside.

  Who knew who was watching us and possibly overhearing our conversation? We didn’t know enough yet to pull others in. It would only cause more harm than good at this point. Panic was never anyone’s friend.

  “You know,” Eli said as he started up the stairs behind me. “That’s actually a good idea.”

  I headed for his kitchen. My mouth was bone dry. Stress always had that effect on me. “Of course it is. I came up with it.”

  Eli laughed. It was the reaction I was shooting for. It meant he was calming down. I was glad.

  I opened the cabinet closest to the sink, searching for a cup. It was empty. “Got a cup?”

  “No, but there’s bottled water in the fridge.” He closed the front door behind him and headed straight for me. I froze. He bypassed me and pulled a box of something down from a cabinet near my head. “You hungry at all?”

  I moved around him in the tiny kitchen and grabbed a bottled water from the fridge. “Sort of.” Judging from the lack of food in his fridge, I didn’t think he had much to spare, though. “Depends on what you’re making,”

  “Mac and cheese.” He placed a pot filled with water on the stove and cranked one of the burners to high. The water would be boiling in seconds, and once he added in the pasta, it was sure to bubble over. “I’ve been living off that and scrambled eggs for days.”

  “Seriously?” Gran would have heart failure if she knew. His mom probably would, too. “Why haven’t you gone home for at least one nice meal?”

  He shrugged and dumped the pasta in before the water had a chance to warm. “I don’t know. Call it pride, call it whatever you want, I don’t want to have to go home for anything. I want my parents to know I can do this on my own. Besides, it’s not bad if you cook the noodles right. I can’t stand it when they get mushy, and I happen to like eggs.”

  “Going home for one meal a week is not proof you can’t live on your own. It’s called quality time with your family,” I insisted as I hoisted myself on the counter and opened my bottle of water.

  There still wasn’t a scrap of furniture in the place with the exception of the bed and rickety dresser in his room. I imagined both had been his when he lived with his parents.

  “Maybe,” he said as he reached for a wooden spoon that looked as though he’d chiseled it himself and stirred the noodles.

  Silence built between us. It was awkward and tense. It had me questioning whether I should still be here. Eli wasn’t goin
g after Shane or Drew; he was making mac and cheese. I should probably leave, but I didn’t want to.

  If I directed our conversation back to stuff involving Glenn and the pack, then it counted as pack business and I was allowed to stay, right?

  “So, I’m supposed to hang out with Alec sometime this week. It would be the perfect opportunity for me to hang around Shane and ask some questions about his brothers. Anything we can learn about him and his family might be valuable. It might lead us to Glenn and help put a stop to whatever they’re doing.”

  “I don’t like the idea of you hanging around him. I know I said I didn’t care for you hanging around Alec to begin with, but this is serious, Mina. The full moon is coming. That means you’re going to have to drink the tea again. If it triggers a reaction this time, you’ll be Moon Kissed. Which means you’ll be a prime target for Shane and his brothers.”

  “It might not happen, though. It hasn’t yet,” I insisted. At this point, I was beginning to think it might never happen.

  “It will. I can sense it,” Eli said as he shifted to face me. “I’ve always been able to sense it in you.” His smoldering eyes pulled me in.

  The moment was becoming too intimate, which was exactly what I’d been trying to avoid. I averted my gaze, even though it was the last thing I wanted to do.

  “Only time will tell,” I whispered, unsure what else to say.

  Eli stepped toward me. Something in the air shifted as he continued to erase the space previously separating us. I lifted my gaze to meet his and caught sight of a dangerous glimmer sparking to life within the color of his eyes.

  Eli was about to kiss me.

  His lips were about to press against mine. It was written all over his face. My heart stalled out when only inches remained between us. His gaze locked with mine as the charge in the air intensified due to our close proximity. I was frozen, waiting to see what would happen next.

  An eruption of something sizzling burst through the trailer, startling me and causing Eli to spin around to find its source. Steam billowed to the ceiling coming from the stove. Eli rushed to remove the pot he’d been boiling his noodles in from the burner.

  “Damn it,” he growled. “Now the noodles will be mushy.”

  “That’s not your only problem,” I said as I brought my hand up to cover my nose. “The stench of burned water is going to linger for a while.”

  He set the pot back down on the stove. “It does have a distinct smell, doesn’t it? Maybe when I add in the cheese it’ll be okay.”

  I hopped off the counter and stepped to the nearest window. “I’m not taking any chances. It could just make it worse.”

  Once I had the window open, I went for the front door and fanned it to get more fresh air inside faster. I caught sight of Gracie and Cooper together. Their heads were close. In fact, from this angle, it looked as though they were making out.

  “Since when is your brother dating my sister?” My tone was harsh. There was no denying how unhappy I was about the situation.

  “Whoa.” Eli stopped what he was doing and shifted to face me. “I know nothing about that. Which brother is she dating?”

  “Cooper. Which one do you think she’d go for, Jonas? He’s nine.”

  “She’s thirteen. It's only a four-year difference. I’ve seen bigger age gaps between people before.” Eli went back to his noodles. He drained the pasta and then rummaged through the fridge for whatever else mac and cheese called for.

  I poked my head out the door to get a better look at my sister and Cooper. Her arms were wrapped around his neck. His hands were gripping her hips. Their faces were still stuck together.

  “They’re making out! I can’t believe my little sister is making out with someone. She’s doing it right there in the open for anyone to see, too.” I shook my head, appalled by what I was seeing. “I need to have words with her. Soon.”

  “Why? Because dating a Vargas boy is so bad?”

  My teeth grazed over my bottom lip as I thought about how my words might have come off. I stepped away from the door. “That’s not what I’m saying. I’m just saying…” What was I saying? Why did Gracie dating Cooper bother me so much? Was it that she was dating him specifically, or that she was dating in general? That was it. “This is Gracie. My little sister. She shouldn’t be kissing boys at all.”

  Gracie was thirteen. She was too young to be doing something like that. Hell, she was too young to be interested in boys. Too young for boys to be interested in her.

  “And? Cooper is my little brother,” Eli said with his back still to me. He poured milk into the pot of noodles and stirred. “What are you so worried about? They’re thirteen. Dating was bound to happen. At least she picked one of the pack members to date.” I didn’t care for the edge to his words.

  “What’s that supposed to mean?” I knew it was a jab at me for dating Alec, but I wanted to hear him say it.

  “Nothing,” he said with a shrug. “Look, don’t worry about it. Cooper is a good kid. So is Gracie. They’ll be fine.” He grabbed two paper plates from a cabinet and scooped mac and cheese onto them. “Here, eat something.”

  I exhaled a long breath. Gracie was a good kid. Cooper was, too. Neither of them had ever been in any trouble. Cooper had always creeped me out, though. I didn’t like how he kept tabs on me with Eli’s other brother, Tate. Maybe he was protective of those in the pack.

  I walked to where Eli stood holding a paper plate filled with macaroni and took it from him. It had been forever since I’d eaten mac and cheese. Gran didn’t buy it. Everything she cooked was homemade.

  “Thanks,” I said as I shoveled a forkful in my mouth. “You know, if you don’t want to go home for a dinner, you could always come to my place. Gran would love to cook for you.”

  “What about you?”

  “What about me?” I glanced at him.

  “Would you cook for me?” he asked, not bothering to keep the heat from his words or his eyes.

  The breath in my chest stilled as goose bumps erupted across my skin. “Umm, I’m not much of a cook. All I know how to make is canned tomato soup and grilled cheese.”

  “One of my favorite meals.” Eli winked. “That would be great. Thanks.”

  What just happened? Did we agree on another meal together? Was I supposed to make him tomato soup and grilled cheese now? I wasn’t sure.

  All I knew was that if he mentioned it again, I didn’t think I’d tell him no.

  14

  Sunlight beat down on me. It was a crisp ninety-six degrees today. I was guessing that was why Alec had set up a lake adventure. I enjoyed going to the lake regardless of the temperature, so I’d agreed to come along with him and his friends. It was the perfect way to spend a Saturday afternoon, especially one this close to a full moon. With only four nights left, I needed a distraction. Looming full moons always left me a little on edge.

  Gran said becoming Moon Kissed wouldn’t hurt, but no matter what she said, I wouldn’t believe her. I had to experience it myself. She called me stubborn, but I said it was being smart. I didn’t think a person should ever base anything in life on the way someone else perceived it.

  “My nose is already starting to feel tight,” Becca said, drawing my attention to her. She wrinkled her nose and reached for the bottle of sunblock beside her. We were sitting in the grassy area at the edge of the lake, soaking up some sun. “Am I getting red yet?”

  “A little pink, but not red.”

  “You’re so lucky. I wish I had skin that browned instead of burned. I think at this point, I’ve given up on ever having a good tan.” She opened the bottle of sunblock and squirted some into her palm.

  “There’s always spray tans,” I offered. “I’ve seen some that look pretty realistic. They don’t look as orange as they used to.”

  “Tried it once. Hated it. You can’t shower well while you have one. Plus, you have to leave it on your skin for like forever before you can shower the first time. It stained my sheets and made m
e look like an Oompa Loompa.”

  An image of the short, orange guys shifted through my head, causing me to chuckle. “Sorry, I’m not laughing at you. I swear.”

  “It’s fine,” Becca said as she held the bottle of sunblock out to me. “Think you could get my shoulders and back? Shane didn’t do a good job. He doesn’t understand that when I say I need a thick layer, I really mean it. One time last summer, I trusted him to put some on my back, and he did a really crappy job. I wound up with blisters. It was not fun.”

  I winced as I took the bottle from her. “Yikes, I can imagine.”

  I squeezed a dollop of sunblock into my hand and allowed my gaze to drift to where the guys were flopping around on inflatables in the water. I slathered the coconut-scented sunblock on Becca’s back and the tops of her shoulders while I zeroed in on Shane. He wore dark sunglasses that blocked his eyes from my view. I couldn’t be sure if he was looking at me now, but knew I’d felt his stare in the last few minutes. He was watching me. Dread pooled in my stomach.

  Was he thinking of kidnapping me so his brother could sell me to whoever it was he’d been talking about the other night? Little did he know, I hadn’t been Moon Kissed. Even if I had been, I’d like to see him try doing something like that to me. I’d take him out in a heartbeat. At five foot two, I might be a tiny thing, but that didn’t mean I couldn’t take care of myself. People always underestimated me because of my size.

  Once I’d sucker punched a guy for slapping me on the ass when I walked past him at a party. He didn’t bother me again that night. In fact, no one did.

  “Thanks.” Becca shifted around on her towel and reached into the bag beside her. She pulled out something square and handed it to me. “Here, for your hands.”

  “Oh, thanks,” I said as I took the towelette from her.

  A loud splash drew my attention to the boys. Benji had flipped the raft Shane was floating on over, sending him toppling into the water. My lips twisted into a smirk that was hard to dim. It was about time someone knocked him off his high horse.