Moonlight Kin: A Wolf's Tale (6 page)

“Oh please, only a politician or an idiot journalist would confuse fiction with real life. True romance readers don’t have that problem.” Sarah rolled her eyes. “Admit it, Madie. You would like nothing more than for your hero to come through that door, sweep you off your proverbial feet, and carry you away from your family obligations.”

Madie shifted in her seat. Where was their waitress? What was taking their drinks so long to get here?

She didn’t want to discuss make-believe heroes or her attraction to Damon anymore. One made her realize all too well what she wasn’t going to get. And the other simply made her uncomfortable.

No man had
ever
affected her that way.

If she were being honest, she’d admit that her toes were still curled
.
Madie balked. Fat chance of that happening. “What are you planning after graduation?” she asked, already knowing Sarah’s answer, but desperate for a change of subject.

Sarah fidgeted with the champagne glass. “You mean after the family cruise to the Bahamas?”

Madie nodded, trying to keep her expression neutral. Just once, she wished her family had done something, anything beyond hunt in the name of togetherness.

“Well I was going to work for you.” Sarah paused. “But since you won’t have the art gallery up and running in time, I figured I’d work for one of the other galleries in town. One of us has to make connections.” She winked.

“Good plan.” Madie grasped Sarah’s hand on top of the table, giving her fingers a firm squeeze before releasing her.

Sarah smiled. “You will get that gallery someday. I know you will.”

“Thanks for the vote of confidence. Now if I could just get Papa to stop pushing me to marry, I’d be set.” Madie frowned, sinking deeper into the booth to make herself less visible.

“I thought he quit that craziness last year,” Sarah said.

“I wish,” Madie said. “Gaston hates the fact that he and mom married so late. He has another blind date lined up for me next week. He swears this one will be different.”
Yeah right...

Sarah’s face skewered. “Has he lost his mind? This is America, not the Middle East or India.”

“He might have,” Madie mumbled, sick to death of the pompous show dogs with good breeding her father paraded in front of her. Marriage was difficult enough without adding complete strangers and low expectations into the mix.

 “Who’s this latest loser?” Sarah asked, crossing her arms over her chest.

Madie loved that her friend was indignant on her behalf. “Not sure. Papa says he’s one of his hunting buddies and shows real promise. He hasn’t given me a name yet.” She laughed. “I think he figures if he does I’ll call the guy and cancel.”

“Hunting buddy?” Sarah pretended to stick her finger down her throat and gag. “You’re not going to go out with him, are you?”

Madie shuddered at the thought of dating a man who was friends with Gaston. “No way.”

She frowned as she recalled all the nights as a child she’d spent hunting with her father in the woods around their estate. He’d insisted she attend the excursions.

More like executions.

Decades worth of wolf pelts lined the walls of the estate, not that Madie ever shot any of the creatures who’d been brought in specifically for the hunt. She winced every time she laid eyes on those furs. To this day, Gaston insisted that the pelts belonged to werewolves. In his mind, that excuse justified the kills.

Twice Madie came upon fresh wolf tracks in the snow, only to brush them away with her heavy winter boots before her father could descend upon her. At least on those nights, the poor defenseless animals they’d been tracking had escaped death. Madie cherished those rare victories.

Sadly, there were no wolves left now.

Sarah nudged her. “Maybe he’d stop trying to set you up, if you met someone and told him that you were serious. Someone like Damon Laroche,” she said.

“Doubtful,” Madie said. “Gaston is pretty insistent.” It took her a moment to realize that Sarah was staring at something behind her.

An ominous hush fell over the tavern. Madie followed Sarah’s gaze.

In the doorway stood Damon Laroche.

And he was staring right at her.

Chapter Six

“Speak of the devil. If you don’t want him, I’ll be more than happy to take Damon off your hands.” Sarah smoothed her long, dark locks and applied a fresh layer of red lipstick.

Madie leaned back into the shadows, her heart slamming against her ribs. What was he doing here? It made her angry that Damon had such an effect on her. She didn’t need any complications while she tried to figure a way to out-maneuver Gaston. Damon Laroche might as well have
complicated
tattooed on his forehead.

Act upon your urges. The little voice inside her head taunted. What’s the worst that could happen?

“A lot!” she said, knowing it was the truth.

“Did you say something?” Sarah glanced her way, then back at the throng, not waiting for an answer. Her elfin-like face twisted into a scowl. “I’ve lost Damon in the crowd. No wait, there he is.”

Was it too much to hope that he was here to meet someone and would leave them alone?

Sarah straightened in her seat. “I think I’m going to ask him out...unless
you
want him.”

Want him?
“What? I don’t want Damon Laroche. Why would you say that?” Madie’s voice quivered as she lied and her stomach churned. If Sarah asked Damon out, there was no doubt that he’d say yes. Men didn’t turn Sarah down. Ever.

“Wild guess.” Sarah teased, holding a note of challenge in her voice.

Madie said nothing. Instead, she seethed inside. She clutched her hands together under the table as she fought the urge to reach over and strangle her best friend.

“Last chance,” Sarah said. “Just admit that you like him.”

“Sarah, this is crazy,” Madie said. “I don’t even know him.”

“If wanting Damon Laroche is crazy, then call me crazy with a capital ‘C’.” Sarah made the symbol of a ‘c’ with her fingers for added drama.

If Sarah went out with Damon, it would be only once—like all the other men Sarah dated. Just long enough to...Madie sighed. She didn’t want to think about what they’d do once they were alone.

Her stomach continued to gnaw at her insides until she felt physically ill. Madie realized once again that she was jealous.

“I knew it!” Sarah exclaimed. “You do have a crush on him. I can tell by the grimace on your face. You look like you sucked on a lemon.”

“Do not,” Madie said defensively.

***

Damon knew he’d find Madeleine here. He’d parked his SUV near her home and followed her sweet scent past the coffee shop, all the way to the old pub door. He’d been so wrapped up in her aroma that he almost missed the faint odor of werewolf lingering in the air.

He fought hard to identify the wolf, but he was too late. Whoever had been there was long gone now. The mixture of cloying perfume, cigar smoke, and stale beer had effectively diluted the scent.

Had to be one of the pack since strays had to come to him to enter their territory.

Since there were no laws against Moonlight Kin hanging out in pubs, Damon dismissed the appearance as unimportant. The door burned his hand, thanks to the wolfbane in the stained glass.

Everyone stopped talking the second he stepped inside. The hair on the scruff of his neck rose as his wolf sensed the danger. On the outside, he remained calm, but in a glance he managed to take in the whole room.

One of the women he sought was seated toward the back in a booth. He didn’t immediately spot Madeleine, but he knew she had to be nearby, perhaps hiding in the shadows. Damon couldn’t decide if she was behaving more like a hunter or like prey.

He ignored the curious glances darting his way and moved farther into the pub. Rumors of dark
magik
and monsters had surrounded the pack ever since they’d settled in the area a few hundred years ago. Damon was amused by the superstition given New England’s history with witches. Of course none of the rumors were true.

The Moonlight Kin weren’t monsters. They were a separate species. Fortunately, they appeared human enough to blend in…most of the time. As for dark
magik
, the pack wouldn’t know the first thing about spells, other than to leave them alone.

The dark-haired woman he’d seen talking to Madeleine in class continued to stare at him. Damon had seen that look on women’s faces many times. In his younger years, he would’ve taken her up on the unspoken offer, but not anymore. Fortunately, the look did give him one thing—an open invitation. All he had to do was smile and he’d be welcome at their table.

Humans truly had no sense of self-preservation.

Werewomen knew better than to blatantly flirt with him like the brunette was doing. The women in his pack accepted him for what he was: aggressive, sexual, dominant—Alpha. They wouldn’t dare tease him, knowing that such a deliberate act could challenge the wolf inside him to come out and mount them.

Damon looked at the brunette and grinned, then slowly made his way across the crowded room.

***

Sarah started to rise to go find Damon, but stopped midway.

Madie watched Sarah’s expression abruptly change to one of surprise. “What’s wrong?”

She straightened out her clothes. “Do I look okay?”

“Why?” Madie asked.

“Because I think he’s coming over here.” Sarah looked at her and winked. “May the right woman win.”

They both knew who that would be. Madie slumped, wishing the cushions in the booth would open their stuffing-filled mouths and devour her.

She peered into the crowd. Sure enough, Damon made his way toward them. Madie’s stomach somersaulted as she tried to think rationally. Was it too late to run? She could always tell them she needed to use the restroom and then slip out the back door. Madie dismissed the idea as quickly it surfaced. She may be a lot of things, but she wasn’t a coward.

Sarah hummed ‘
The Wedding March
,’ loud enough for the surrounding tables to hear. A few men raised their eyebrows and smiled encouragingly, hoping to catch her attention, but it was too late. She already had her eye on her next conquest. Madie doubted it would take long before Damon was groveling at Sarah’s feet like a dog wanting treats.

Not that it mattered. Not that she cared.

And she’d keep telling herself that until she believed it.

***

Damon knew Madeleine registered his presence, but she feigned indifference. When he stopped in front of their booth, he could hear her heart jump. She continued to stare at the scratched up table as if she’d never seen one before. Madeleine wasn’t going to make this introduction easy, which was fine with Damon. He loved a good chase.

Unduly pleased with himself, it took a moment for the treacherous thought to register. When it did, Damon stilled. What was he thinking? This wasn’t about a sexual chase.

She was a human female, far inferior to her wolf counterpart. He was here to get information and gain her trust, nothing more—nothing less.

“You were in class today, weren’t you?” he asked the dark-haired woman, while applying just the right amount of shyness, a tactic he knew from experience made human females fawn.

“Yes,” she gushed, obviously pleased that he remembered.

“I’m Damon Laroche.” He stuck out his hand to shake hers.

“My name is Sarah Ann Gilbert,” she said coyly, then quickly shook his hand. She flipped her long raven hair over her shoulder and batted her eyelashes. The move looked practiced and well used. “And this is Madie Valois.” Sarah waved a delicate hand toward his prey.

 “A pleasure to meet you.” Damon smiled at Sarah. He only spared Madeleine a quick glance. He didn’t want her to know that he recognized her last name. For now, it was better that she thought he was interested in her friend. “Mind if I join you?”

“Not at all.” Sarah made a big show of scooting over.

Madeleine made no effort to move.

Damon sat down beside Madeleine, almost landing in her lap. She let out a surprised yelp as he scooted into the booth, forcing her over. He settled his hard thigh against her leg, before dropping his jacket next to Sarah.

Madeleine shot him a frosty look, then slid farther away until she was pinned against the wall. She rubbed her leg where he’d
accidentally
touched as if that could somehow wipe him off her clothing. Her fingers continued to worry the spot, but he pretended not to notice.

Her general disregard of his charms certainly gave her the appearance of an Alpha female, but not her other behavior. Alpha’s never cowered. And they definitely didn’t back down when challenged in any way.

None of this made sense.

“Were you in the art class today, too?” he asked.

From her stunned expression it was obvious that the question had shocked her. “You looked right at me,” Madeleine said in a strangled voice.

“Really?” He shrugged. “Hmm, I don’t remember seeing you.”

For a second, Madeleine allowed the surprise and disappointment to show on her face. She shot Sarah a quick look of disbelief, before carefully blanking her expression. A rich shade of pink rose up her neck and her jaw firmed. As he watched, Madeleine’s shoulders drooped and she caved in upon herself, diminishing her size and her presence.

Damon had hoped his question would rattle her. Tweak her temper. Instead, she’d deflated before his eyes. He hadn’t expected her to react so…out of character. She was the Hunter. Confident. Strong. Fearless. What was going on? He inhaled. The sweet scent of excitement that had been there only moments before had soured in defeat.

For some reason her reaction disturbed him deeply. He wanted the fire back that he’d sensed in class, not the false serenity and retreat. Damon gave Madeleine his best wolfish smile, one guaranteed to melt hearts and loosen inhibitions.

Her brow furrowed and she looked away, studying the table once more.