Blood Moon (3 page)

“When I woke, I went into a rage.” He lifted one shoulder and gave a rueful smile. She opened her mouth to ask what exactly that meant, but he shook his head. “According to Thaddeus and Aaron, that is the ultimate understatement. It wasn’t pretty. If I hadn’t been weak as a kitten, I might have done things I would have regretted forever.”

“But they’re pack—” The taut lines of his shoulders and the frown on his lips told her to drop it. She clamped her mouth shut.

“When I could finally get out of bed on my own, my Beta, Aaron, had already sent someone to determine if you were alive. They came back with information that you’d been killed. After that, I don’t really remember much.” He paused, searching the room as if the words he wanted would be written on the windows or walls. Finally, he sighed, picked up her hand and pressed it gently between his palms. “I went a little mad, I guess. Aaron ran the Pack while I lost myself. I stayed in wolf form for almost two months.”

A small sound escaped her throat, and she bit her lip. While he might be keeping secrets, she believed him.

“When I got myself under control, I sent out more inquiries, but received the same answer. There were rumors you had escaped, sightings even. I investigated them all. Each time, the lead dried up.” His hands squeezed hers. “Six months after that night, I had to stop. Haemon took over the territory near here, and he’s wanted my head since I attempted to steal you away. Keeping the Pack safe has been my life since.”

Resignation covered his face. His story had torn down some of the walls she had built, but she couldn’t release all of them. Large chunks of the story had been omitted. Anger started and faded all in the same instant. Could she really expect him to bear all his secrets if she was unwilling to do the same?

Her fingers curled around the hands cradling hers. “You answered my question with far more detail than I expected. I appreciate that. I could sit here and blame you for the last year, but it wouldn’t be fair. We were both deceived.”

Her mouth opened to add a little of her own account of the year, but she paused. An image of his broken, bloody body rose in high-definition through her mind. She did not want to be responsible for that again. While it might tear her heart to pieces, leaving was really her only option. Getting more emotionally involved would not make it easier.

“As it is, Lukas, I can’t stay here. Knowing you are alive and I’m not responsible for your death is quite liberating, actually. I thank you for that and I’m glad to know we can part with the matter resolved.”

His hand tightened on hers and a small growl burst from his throat. “You don’t really believe that, do you?”

Calm swirled around her like a cloak. It was always easier to remain cool and collected when the other person appeared to be losing theirs. “While I’ve learned the value of lies recently, I meant what I said. I cannot risk endangering you or your Pack. We’ve seen what happened to you the last time you were involved with me. Leaving is my only option.”

Suddenly, she found herself kneeling before Lukas, pressed against his chest by strong arms. She noticed a bright sheen over his eyes. His arms tightened a fraction more. “Not anymore. You’re mine. You’ve always been mine.”

Angry.
She should be angry at his sudden attack. He lowered his head, his lips teased hers, tickling the corners of her mouth. She should stop him before she lost what was left of her heart, but couldn’t bring herself to care.

All thoughts fled as his tongue traced her mouth, while his hands skimmed over her body, mapping the curves. A small whimper moved through her throat as he tore away from their embrace. She flicked an annoyed glare at him. “I’d forgotten just how lethal your lips could be.”

A smile tugged at Lukas’ face. He pressed another kiss to her mouth, then skimmed the soft skin of her neck. He nipped and sucked, his tongue lapping over the spot to ease the slight pain. Heat and desire swept through her. It was one of the most erotic things she’d ever felt.

Providing encouragement without being aware, her hands sifted through his hair. A low moan escaped, even as she tried to hold back. Lukas chuckled against her neck, the sound vibrating through her body. Pressing a last kiss to her shoulder, he released her.

Aria sagged back against the chair and blinked as tears threatened. He leaned toward her, and she pushed against his chest, holding him at arm’s length. “Don’t do that again, Lukas.”

“Not until you ask me.”

“I won’t.”

 His expression darkened, and the light in the room seemed to dim. “You haven’t taken another Mate, have you?”

Her chin rose. “And if I had?”

Chapter Three

She would have sworn he hadn’t moved, but in less than a heartbeat, Lukas’ face was a breath away from hers. His unnerving stare drilled into hers, while his body pinned her flat against the carpet.

“Don’t jest. Answer me.” It took a moment for her to decipher his snarl.

Her pulse beat a sharp staccato. “I—”

Liquid warmth trickled over her belly. She looked between their bodies, realizing the spreading sensation over her hand and arm. Blood oozed from his chest, down over the claws she’d buried into his flesh.

“Oh my God! Lukas, I’ve—you need to get up!” She jerked her claws from his body, pushing frantically against him with both hands.

He blinked, her frenzied movements finally breaking through. Her hand morphed back to normal, still coated with his blood.

He pulled away, glanced down at the wound and then back to her face. “It’s minor. Answer my—”

Before Lukas finished his demand, a large hand closed like a vise over Aria’s bicep and wrenched her from beneath him. A brief impression of muscles and snapping teeth flashed past her as she was slammed against the wall. Her attacker pressed his heavy forearm against her throat, his canines bared, snarling, and anger blazing.

“What the fuck is wrong with you, Lukas?” The stranger bit the words out without looking away. “She could have killed you!”

Lukas rose, his hand covering the healing wound on his chest. “I started it, Aaron. Let her go.”

Aaron’s arm pressed harder against her windpipe. Aria focused on squeezing air past the obstruction. Her captor had the build of a back alley boxer. Escape would be impossible even if he released his hold.

Aaron eased from her neck, but retained his grip on her arm. With Lukas near, the nausea from the other man’s touch seemed even harder to bear than usual.

“Fine.” Aaron’s furious gaze swept over her as he pulled her away from the wall. “But you
will
answer my Alpha’s question. Now.”

“Let go of me.”

The two men stared, unaffected by her demand. She considered saying something rude, but she stopped at Lukas’ expression. Behind Lukas’ tough exterior, she saw his vulnerability. Despair lurked behind a hurt she didn’t really understand, and it tore at her.

Then Lukas spoke. “I think that’s an excellent solution. You answer, he releases you.”

“Who is he?”

“Aaron Kavoski, my Beta. Now answer him, please.”

Aria glared. “This is not winning you brownie points, you know.”

He raised one brow.

Her curt retort became a growl through clenched teeth. “I cannot bear the touch of another man. I have no Mate.”

He studied her, intense and uncomfortable. “Good.” He jerked his head in her direction. “Release her, Aaron.”

Her captor watched her with disdain. “She could be lying.”

Lukas smiled. “I don’t think so. She kisses like a virgin.”

“And you have a lot of experience with that, do you?” Aria couldn’t help the comment, even when she knew keeping her mouth shut would be better.

Thaddeus’ voice cut in from the doorway. “Well, I do. If you aren’t sure, Lukas, I could give her a try.”

Lukas’ good humor extended only so far. He glowered.

Thaddeus raised both hands in surrender. “Bravo, Aria. I don’t think anyone’s gotten so much emotion out of him in months. You have to be his Mate. Lord knows, no one else would have him.”

 “I’m not sure I’ll have him either,” she muttered, rubbing her arm where Aaron had held her and turned her attention to Lukas again. Her glare promised retribution if he tried anything like it again.

Lukas crossed his arms over his chest. “You cannot expect me to just nod and smile and watch you walk out the door, Aria. I’m a strong man, but not that strong.”

The admission hadn’t been easy, the tight lines of his mouth made that obvious. His audience gawked, rendered speechless by the bald emotion in his voice.

For a moment, she could only stare. He offered her all the dreams they’d once talked about. Could she slap it away so easily?

“I’m a liability, Lukas. If Haemon finds out I’m here, I’ll endanger the whole Pack. I almost got you killed once. I won’t risk that, again.”

He reached out and twined his fingers with hers, pulling her closer. “You aren’t going anywhere. No one is going to kill me or anyone else.”

His insistence that she stay tempted and irritated her. “You don’t know that. If your Pack knew who I was, would they keep me? Besides being Haemon’s obsession, I’m officially an Outcast. If they associate with me, the Council can exact a steep price.”

To her surprise, neither Aaron nor Thaddeus uttered a word. She’d been counting on their reactions to help support her case.

Pretending their audience didn’t exist, she continued, “Besides, a lot of things have changed. I’ve changed. I’m not so sure you will like the person I’ve become. Maybe I won’t even like what you’ve become.”

“Brutal honesty isn’t going to drive me away, love.” Despite his teasing tone, something in his demeanor changed—grew more careful.

“Thaddeus, get a wet cloth from the kitchen. We need to clean up before we go back into the other room.”

Moments later, she was scrubbing Lukas’ blood from her hands and arms. The blood on her shirt would have to be dealt with later, but no one would question it. They would assume it was Steven’s. She pushed aside the pang of guilt. Hurting Lukas had been an accident, and she would never do it again. Never.

Lukas and Aaron were arguing about something, probably her, on the other side of the room near the door. Ignoring the dark looks from Aaron, Aria inserted herself between them, pulling the hem of Lukas’ shirt up to inspect the damage she’d done. The wounds were nearly healed with little scarring. 

Lukas’ hands trapped hers against his flesh. “I deserved that, Aria. And I’m impressed. You’re much faster than I remembered.”

“You have no idea.” She shook off his hold, wiping away the worst of the blood with the towel. Thaddeus took the dirty cloth when she had finished, slipping out the door. Just before it closed, a tiny woman with curly red hair flew through the doorway, stopping in front of Lukas and Aria. Puffy, red-rimmed eyes fastened on Aria’s face. Their intensity made her cringe.

“I know you didn’t want to be disturbed, but I had to thank you.” The woman seized Aria in a crushing grip. “If you ever need anything,
anything
, you call me. You saved my son. For that I owe you my life.”

Aria gave her a squeeze of comfort. Embarrassment sent heat rushing to her face. “You don’t owe me. I’m glad to help.”

A tall man who shared Thaddeus’ family resemblance appeared in the doorway. “You can’t imagine the service you’ve done my wife and I. If you need anything, somewhere to stay, our home is always open.”

Lukas bristled. “She’ll be staying with me, Sean.” He pinned Aria with his gaze. “She is my Mate, and I won’t allow her to leave me, again.”

“Possessive much?” Aria muttered under her breath. Secretly, pleasure warmed her heart, the cold walls rapidly thawing.

Lukas smiled and winked. Nothing had been decided, but she wasn’t about to argue in front of his Pack. Beyond Aaron and Thaddeus, no one needed to be aware.

Sean wrapped an arm around his wife’s waist. “Then the service is all the more special. We are yours, whatever you need, forever.”

Thaddeus entered, stepping out of the way for his brother and wife to pass into the kitchen. He grinned at Aria. “I told you things would get interesting before it was over, didn’t I?”

She managed a weak smile. “I thought you meant rubber hoses or Chinese water torture.”

He smirked, tossing her a wadded piece of cloth, which she grabbed in midair. The flannel shirt had been green plaid at one point, but had faded to a strange grey color with bloodstains, rips, and tears. The buttons were mismatched as she had replaced them when they fell off.

“What is this?” Lukas’s hand smoothed over the fabric.

She didn’t look up at him, remembering the last time they had stood together. This bit of nothing had kept her strong for so long. “You gave it to me the day we married because I was cold. I’ve worn it every day for the last eighteen months.”

Lukas pulled her to the other side of the room, giving them some semblance of privacy. Picking up her hand, he pressed a kiss to her palm, his gaze intense. “Would you join with me as True Mates? Join the Pack?”

Aria froze, stunned and rooted to the spot. Did she want to? Her patched heart jumped at the idea. But things were different now. Much stood between them, and she wasn’t certain if was a gap that could be easily bridged.

“I can’t.”

Chapter Four

Lukas’ vulnerability shined from his eyes, and her heart contracted painfully.

“I can’t answer that. Not now.” Aria drew a deep breath, blowing it slowly through pursed lips. When he started to argue, she raised a hand. “You have to understand. I’m damaged goods, Lukas. I don’t make spontaneous decisions anymore.”

His frown turned fierce. “Then promise me you’ll give me time. To change your mind, or at least help you if you choose to leave.”

The smart choice was to leave immediately. Yet faced with the prospect of losing him again, of spending whatever days she had left alone—she gripped Lukas’ hand tighter and nodded once.

He relaxed, gaze searching her face. She smiled, though it didn’t feel right.

Without him, she was as good as dead. Knowing the danger her presence would bring, she vowed to protect his Pack. Perhaps she would be able to build enough memories to sustain her when she left. She would take advantage of what he offered. For now.