The Moon Shadow : The Wolfrik Trilogy | Book 1

by K. Rea

  “Where are we going? What are you going to do?” I asked, clutching my dress in my other hand in order not to trip over it.

  “I’m taking you to the abbey where they can bind your powers, or I have a cottage nearby. It should be far enough away to give us some distance and privacy. The king does not make idle threats. Abigail doesn’t care what he does as long as she is the one at his side in the throne room,” Aiden stated as he opened a door leading to a car garage. Already Ruben waited by a black convertible with keys in his hands.

  “Best hurry, milord. Her call is getting stronger. You’ll have challengers soon. May the Goddess protect you both,” Ruben said, moving to shut the door behind us.

  “Get in,” Aiden ordered as he sat in the driver’s seat, his shoulders tense. I heard my dress tear as I hastily climbed into the car. He handed me the blanket and threw his bag in the backseat. The moment my door clicked shut, he was driving, speeding out of the complex. The countryside around us shrouded in darkness but for the blue moon that rose higher in the sky. Its light overshadowing nearby stars. The nauseating metallic copper smell of blood that had surrounded me drifted away in the crisp night breeze. I was thankful for the blanket as the temperature dropped.

  Aiden slowed the car as we came to an intersection in the road.

  “Left takes us to my cottage. Right will take us to the abbey where they can bind your powers. You heard Cleo, if you go to the abbey, you’ll likely go insane there, unable to access your wolf for the rest of your life. I’m willing to take you there if that is what you want,” Aiden said, his hands curled around his black leather steering wheel. His knuckles white.

  “What about the king?” I asked.

  “It would be too late for him to do anything by the time he found out. Let me worry about him,” Aiden said.

  “Why can’t I go home?” I asked.

  “You’d bring chaos and bloodshed to anyone around you. Not to mention, we’re already on the brink of another Shadow war. The wolves can’t afford another war with vampires. Gaius is aligned with the Court of Darkness,” Aiden said, staring straight ahead; he didn’t compel me. “They would unleash demons and vampires on the world if it meant the end of the wolves and Court of Light.”

  “How could a vampire king align himself with the King of the Underworld?” I asked. Aiden flinched, the leather beneath his fingers crackled. I regretted my question instantly.

  “Gaius sent me on assignment. In my absence, he gave Lara to Lucien, the Court of Darkness’ king,” Aiden said coldly.

  “Lara? The woman Alex and Gaius mentioned, how could he just give a woman away?” I whispered against my better judgment.

  “Easily. She was my fiancée,” Aiden said coldly. He forced his fingers to relax for a moment.

  “What will it be, little wolf, left or right?” Aiden asked softly.

  “To the cottage,” I whispered and pulled the blanket tighter across my body. Some tension eased from his body as he turned the car left.

  “We’ll be at the cottage soon. I can smell your blood; put this to your throat please, it’ll help us both. The smell is a distraction,” Aiden said as he pulled his navy pocket square from his front suit and handed it to me. I pressed the silky fabric to my tender neck. He drove in silence, barely breathing, his hands clenched the bent steering wheel.

  SEVENTEEN

  Aiden didn’t speak again for the rest of the drive. Eventually, he turned off the main road and took a long winding gravel road to an iron gate. The bars swirled in intricate vines that ended in spikes. The fence extended in opposite directions as far as my eyes could see. I could see the dark, lush woods around us, swaying in the breeze. The trees blocked out the night sky above.

  As the engine turned off, Aiden opened his door, and it plunged us into darkness. My eyes adjusted to the lack of light as he grabbed the pack from the backseat. He shrugged out of his suit jacket and into the backpack’s shoulder straps before looking at me. His hair was looser and wilder than it had been at the gala. I released my seat belt, left the bloody pocket square on the dash, and climbed out of the vehicle. Leaving the warmth of the car behind, I walked toward him. Gravel, pine needles, and leaves shifted beneath my flats with a slight crackle.

  “You were prepared?” I questioned as I gestured to the pack on his back.

  “Lady Cleo and Ruby, my captain of the guard, suggested it. Cleo wasn’t sure who you would choose tonight. She saw three distinct paths for you. She told Quinn and I to prepare. Even then, you may have changed your mind,” Aiden explained.

  “Does she always see the future?” I asked, stepping closer to him.

  “Seers see the paths destiny has set before a person. Sometimes they only know what you do that night,” Aiden explained.

  “Like this dress?” I asked, looking down at the glittering fabric that seemed custom fit.

  “She’s had that dress for months. She told no one what it was for. If she had, maybe this all could have been avoided,” Aiden said before turning toward the gate. The gate had no chains, no lock I could see except for a seal at the center. The seal was a knot of woven black iron. At his touch, the seal unraveled, the metal slithering like a snake, and the gate swung open on its own.

  “A fae enchantment. No one enters or leaves unless the fae or I will it so. Mechanical and electrical items don’t mix well with this kind of fae magic, though there are a few exceptions. The car will have to stay here. We have a bit of a walk ahead of us,” Aiden explained as he tightened the straps on the pack.

  “Fairies aren’t real,” I said as I carefully walked up to the gate. My flats did not provide protection from the forest and gravel beneath me. I trembled in the chilly night air; my dress danced around my ankles in the wind. My arms were still wrapped in delicate silver scrollwork; the metal’s constant cool burn helped to keep me grounded. The Court’s version of a wedding ceremony and the rushed departure had left my wedding dress worse for wear.

  “Witches, druids, and trolls, they are all fae to a degree. Fae are very real; some of my best friends are fae. They see, feel, and commune with the world in a way we do not. If they’re part of our Court, they answer to the Ossett clan. The clan answers to Gaius, but you’re safer here than at Court. If you didn’t choose the abbey as Mistress Tessa recommended, I was to take you here. I think she fancies herself your guardian. We’ll be safe here as long as the gate stays intact,” Aiden explained as he walked up beside me and placed his jacket around my shoulders.

  “May I?” Aiden asked, gesturing to my neck. I nodded. He gently tilted my head to look at my neck. His nostrils flared. I could see a hint of his fangs before he furrowed his brow and nudged me toward the gate. I put my arms through the sleeves and pulled the jacket tight around me. It was still warm from his body. A stormy smell of sandalwood, bergamot, and eucalyptus caressed my senses.

  “There’s a cottage about a mile ahead on this path. If we hurry, we can beat the weather. I can carry you if you like, but we need to get moving. Others will be along soon,” he said, rolling up his black dress shirt sleeves. His self-inflicted bite gone, whereas mine burned and throbbed. Each turn of my head a painful reminder. The black gates swung closed behind us with a clang; the metal became a woven knot once more after we passed through.

  Wind blew through the trees and turned them into gentle, swaying chimes. The smell of the surrounding wood brought a calmness I hadn’t felt in days. The wild harmony was interrupted only by the steady heartbeat echoing from Aiden’s chest and the sound of his footsteps. Everything about him was too loud against the calmness of the forest. Even then, he seemed to fit with the woods, more so than the palace or club before. The demeanor of the entrepreneur, prince, and leader was gone. His shoulders relaxed, his walk smooth, he was attentive to the surroundings yet unguarded and almost causal.

  As we followed a turn in the path, a single-story stone cottage came int
o view. My heart raced as we got closer to the cabin door. A set of tables and chairs were to the left of the solid wood door on the deck. A fire pit and shed peeked from behind the cabin. Alongside the cabin under the shelter of the roof lay a small stack of chopped firewood.

  “Welcome to Rosewood Cottage. My home, my sanctuary away from Court,” Aiden declared, offering me his hand as he climbed the wooden steps of the deck. “Only the people I trust with my life and then some know about it.” I admit it, he was attractive. He seemed even more so than when I first bumped into him in the club that first time. He wasn’t even intentionally charming me. For a vampire, he had barely charmed me with his compulsion since the moment we met. The pride he had in the cottage was genuine.

  “Are you all right, Evelyn?” Aiden asked, pausing just before the doorway.

  “I’m fine,” I answered while trying to get control of my emotions, powers, and body. Aiden smirked.

  “Tell me when you’re ready to admit otherwise,” Aiden said. That damned vampire knew I wanted him. The kiss from earlier only a glimpse of what it would feel like to be his lover. He unlocked the cottage door and pushed inside. I followed him inside. I expected to see a hunter’s cabin, sparse with a trophy or two and gear. Instead, I stepped into a cozy cabin with warmth and life, even if it was a touch cold and dusty.

  The temperature inside the cottage was frigid. My breath formed puffs of clouds in front of my face. I pulled Aiden’s jacket closer to my body, thankful for its warmth as I paced to keep warm. Aiden sat his pack down next to a wooden breakfast table and walked to a fireplace on the far wall.

  Green and cream buffalo check fabric covered the windows of the cottage. A matching quilt lay over the back of an evergreen corduroy couch. A plush shag carpet lay beneath the couch. Everything I saw was cream, green, or wood. Even the open wood shelves in the kitchen revealed a small set of painted artisan dishes. Matching utensils, pots, and pans sat on the counter in a holder or hung on the wall. It all matched the tea kettle I had seen in his apartment at Court.

  The cottage was one large great-room style space, with a kitchen and two doorways. Through the open doors, I could see one was a bathroom. The other led to an enormous bed covered in another quilt. Between the two was a gallery wall that gave me pause. You could tell some photographs were new, others ancient. Some faces were familiar, others not so much. Most of them had one thing in common: every photo had either a blonde-haired woman or girl in them.

  Only two of the photos had Aiden. In one photo, his arms were wrapped around the blonde woman. She looked straight into the camera as if on the verge of laughing, her green eyes vibrant and full of life. He was looking at her. From that look alone, you could tell he was smitten. A simple engagement ring twinkled on her ring finger. Her face a likeness to the dancing figurine fountain at Court. The other was a picture of him walking in the woods, his canvas backpack strapped to his back and a toddler sitting on his shoulders. Her blonde braid hung down his shoulders while she clenched fistfuls of his dark hair. The photo appeared to be the last of the child; there were no other photos of the child or the woman.

  I looked around again; the signs of a child were there. I missed them the first time. A wicker basket of baby bottles and cups sat on the kitchen counter. A folded up wooden highchair leaned against the wall with a cream throw folded over it. In the corner, what I thought was an ottoman at first was a simple wooden bassinet piled high with folded blankets. A disassembled wooden crib peeked out from behind the curtains in the bedroom. A child was here at some point.

  “There’s a washroom behind that door if you want to clean up some. It should have some supplies. We need to get more logs before I can start a fire; there’s some stacked around back,” Aiden said, startling me out of my realization.

  “Where did this cold front come from?” I asked. The temperature was rapidly falling inside the cottage, although summer was barely even over.

  “A spurned druid always brings the worse weather,” Aiden muttered. “I’ll try to keep you from catching hypothermia and freezing into an early grave. The rest is up to you for now,” Aiden explained. He unbuttoned his dress shirt and laid it across the back of a dining room chair before he pulled the quilt from the back of the couch and handing it to me.

  “I don’t want it,” I declared.

  “It’s a blanket, not a love potion. I can hear your teeth chattering. I’ll be back with logs for a fire. Stay here,” Aiden muttered.

  “Won’t you be cold?” I asked as he walked out in only dress slacks and an undershirt.

  “Not for long, and not with a spitfire like you around,” Aiden teased. He forced the door closed behind him. I set the clean blanket back on the couch and wandered over to the fireplace. I grabbed the fire iron; it would work as a weapon. I could leave the cottage, but if he told the truth, the fae enchanted property wouldn’t let me leave unless Aiden wanted me to. Either way, I wouldn’t be able to accomplish much until we removed the silver, and only Aiden could remove it. I set the fire iron back down.

  The washroom would provide some comfort and might help clear my head. He smelled like a heady summer storm and woods; it was disarming. I pulled the jacket off from around my body, folded it, and placed it on top of an empty hamper. The washroom, like everything else in the cottage, was a variety of greens. A quick inventory revealed basic essential toiletries. I turned the shower on. As the water heated, I untied the dress and slipped out of my clothing.

  The warmth of the shower was pleasant as I stepped beneath the spray, and every touch of warm water elicited a reaction from my hypersensitive skin. The bite mark throbbed in time with my heartbeat as my desire rose. The sting of the water on my wound didn’t faze me anymore. I enjoyed the pleasure of the shower for a moment before I washed the events of the night away.

  I closed my eyes as I lathered the shampoo in my curls. Steam rose in puffs around me. I felt fingers caressing my back and stomach. Felt lips against my neck as hands drifted lower across my hips and fingertips about to disappear between my legs. My eyes flashed open, and I spun around in an empty shower. Only the water and my own hands caressed my skin, lost in a daydream. I looked over my shoulder again. Thankful and conflicted that I was alone in the shower.

  “Get a grip, woman,” I murmured as I turned the water ice cold and rinsed off. Chilled and frustrated, I stepped out of the shower, grabbed a plush towel, and quickly dried myself off. I put my undergarments back on and noticed a plaid robe on the back door. I slipped my arms into the soft robe and left my wedding dress on the hook instead. Picking up Aiden’s jacket, I left the washroom with my hair loose around my shoulders. He kneeled in front of the fire, coaxing it to life as I set his jacket on the couch.

  “Fire is about ready; do you mind checking the cupboard to see if I have any provisions left?” Aiden asked; he didn’t even look up at me. His skin was flushed, his smell enveloped me the moment I walked into the living room. His posture was tense as he purposefully avoided looking at me. I went to the quaint kitchen.

  “Check the cupboard to the left of the sink,” Aiden hollered helpfully. There were only two. I moved to the other side of the sink and opened the cupboard. It was mostly empty except for an assortment of odds and ends. Tins of coffee, tea, powdered chocolate, and expired baby formula stared back at me next to a picture of the blonde woman taped to a bottle of bourbon. In the picture, she played with a German Shepard puppy. The year was written on the corner, but I couldn’t make it out.

  “Anything there?” Aiden asked.

  “Pasta or graham crackers?” I asked lightly, a little amused. A hushed string of curses escaped his lips. I could smell the beginning of his fire.

  “I haven’t been out here in a while; I’ll sort it out tomorrow. I have a root cellar out back; I can check it. Are you hungry now?”

  “No, I’m okay with a cup of hot chocolate and some crackers.” I pulled the items from t
he cupboard and filled a cream-colored kettle with water. The gas burner ignited with a click, and I placed the pot over the flame.

  “What happens now? Do we drink chocolate, snuggle, and I play the little cottage wife?” I sniped, the pain at my neck and the heat in my veins wearing on me. Aiden chuckled.

  “What if I don’t want what you’re offering? What if I don’t desire you or obey you?” I asked, unsure about my future prospects.

  “We both know you want me. Your body and blood sing with your attraction. The genuine question is, do I want you?” Aiden asked as he lounged against the white brick fireplace.

  “Then maybe we should get it over with,” I spat, bracing myself against the sink. He grimaced and put his face in his and hands. I was more aware of his presence than I wanted to be. Being near to him heated me to my core. Thankfully, the frigid cottage air helped.

  “Maybe we should. I doubt my bite on your neck will heal until the beginning of our bond is broken or completed. Your blood is calling to me and mine to you. That frustration you feel is normal when you fight a bond. My blood gives you strength and lessens your inhibitions. I can feel, even taste in the air, how much you want me,” Aiden stated, trapping my gaze in his eyes, and I could feel his burning desire. “It’s intoxicating. For both of us.”

  “Your aura calls for a mate. It won’t stop until it has one,” Aiden stated huskily, almost regretfully.

  “I can remove the silver. It might help if you shifted,” Aiden suggested. I flinched as he touched my arm. I focused on his words and hadn’t even seen him moved from the fireplace. I couldn’t have pulled myself away from him if I wanted to, and in that moment, I didn’t.

  I couldn’t tell if the desire overwhelming me, warming me from the inside out, was mine or his. He brought his head close to mine, his fingers trailed gently across my neck. The silver chains slid down my arms unto the floor. I was overcome with a rush of power, unlike anything I had ever felt. Aiden growled. His eyes smoldered, and his fangs flashed, but he didn’t grab me. His fingers trailed down my arms and back up my shoulders.