Shades of Moonlight (12 page)

He really didn’t want to take her along but he knew she was right. In this short amount of time, they couldn’t fake her presence.

“Kiss Arin goodbye then we have to leave.”

“I already did. He seems to like your mom.”

“Everyone likes my mom.”

“Son, I think I should accompany you.”

Race turned to his dad, unable to contain his shock. His dad had never been a fighter and there was definitely going to be a fight. “I’ve got backup.”

“You know I did my time in the legion. I was a fairly decent strategist and I still remember how to use my claws.”

“Dad, I didn’t mean—”

His dad held up a hand to stop him. “I know you didn’t mean to dismiss me but you’re not the only one who can fight in this family. I just chose a different path.”

“Then stay here and guard Mom and Arin. If the
Mal
think two steps ahead of us, they’ll send someone here. Someone needs to make sure they don’t get to the baby. He’s…important, Dad.”

His dad’s laugh was strained but amused. “I think we understand that, son.”

Yeah, but did his dad understand just how important? And not just to Race. Probably not. But the look his dad gave Mara was beyond worth. It was an accepting smile. A welcoming smile.

“You’d better get going then. I won’t let anyone near Arin or your mom. Bring your brother back.”

“I will, Dad.”

His dad turned to Mara and reached down to pat her cheek. Surprisingly she didn’t flinch. She even had a smile for him. “You make sure you’re careful, sweetheart. I have a feeling my son would be lost if anything happened to you.”

* * * * *

“They want to meet here? At a park? Where anyone can see?”

Mara’s incredulous tone cut through the silence that had held throughout their drive to the address the
Mal
had indicated. He’d figured she was worried but now he heard anger in her voice.

They were a few minutes early and he didn’t see Quinn or any unusually large gray dogs among the people milling around the park.

“Promise me you’ll stay in the car.” Race had to make her understand how important that was to him. “No matter what, okay? I don’t want you anywhere near these people. We’ll get Lark and we’ll get the hell out of here and you will not expose yourself to any danger. Understand?”

Mara smiled at him and put her hands on his cheeks, drawing him close for a quick kiss that eased a little of the anxiety inside him.

“I’ll try.”

“No, you will do it.”

“I’ll—”

Mara’s eyes widened as she looked over his shoulder and Race turned to find a man standing by the door. Not that old, maybe a little younger than Race. And definitely not as big. Race could take him with one hand behind his back.

Except for the fact that he reeked of magic.

The guy wore a pleasant smile that Race had no doubt was false. If he didn’t stop directing it at Mara, Race was going to rip it off his face.

“Thank you for coming.” The man didn’t raise his voice but Race and Mara heard him plainly through the window. “Why don’t you step out and we can talk?”

“Stay in the car, Mara.”

He didn’t turn to see if she responded in any way. He could scent her fear and anger and he wanted to rip out this guy’s throat. Time enough for that later. First he needed to get his brother. He could smell Lark but didn’t see him. And he really didn’t like that.

This guy was fucking with him.

Race opened the door and stepped out, keeping his arms at his sides. “Where’s my brother?”

“He’s here. And I see you’ve kept your end of the bargain.” Looking in the back window, the man must have been satisfied to see the car seat. Hopefully he didn’t realize it was empty but Race knew it wouldn’t fool the guy for long. He was surprised it had so far.

“Nice to see you again, Mara.”

“You don’t speak to her.” Race didn’t bother to hide the growl in his voice. “Let me see my brother.”

The guy looked amused and it was all Race could do not to shift and tear his throat out. But he had no backup. Where the
fuck
was Quinn?

“Look across the parking lot.”

A van sat on the opposite side of the lot. The side door opened and Race saw his brother in the back. He didn’t look injured but then he didn’t exactly look completely awake either.

“Don’t worry. He’s perfectly fine. Just dosed with a little Bullet. Wouldn’t want him to turn and expose all these lovely people to the Etruscan dirty little secret.”

The bastard had given his brother the drug used by the
lucani
to stop their change. He was going to enjoy ripping out the guy’s throat.

“Now, where’s my son?”

Race felt as if he’d been kicked in the gut. Son of a bitch. No wonder Mara had gone sheet-white.

After a split-second struggle to submerge the shock and fight off the urge to kill the guy, Race took a deep breath. “The brat’s in the back. You send Lark over and I’ll get the kid.”

“And don’t forget Mara. She produced something extraordinary the first time around. Can’t wait for the second.”

Holding on to his rage by the barest of threads, Race deliberately turned his back on the guy. In the reflection of the window, he saw two men help Lark out of the van. His brother stumbled and between one blink and the next, both men had vanished.

It only took a millisecond to realize what had happened and, letting instinct take control, he turned and grabbed for the bastard behind him.

But he wasn’t there.

“You didn’t think I’d be stupid enough not to think you’d bring backup, did you?”

The guy stood on the other side of the truck, his hand around Mara’s throat. He must have pulled her from the truck in the time it’d taken Race to turn.

They stood on either side of the hood and, though Race wasn’t looking directly at Mara, he could see her in his peripheral vision. She had her hands clasped in front of her and she looked terrified.

Race felt his wolf flex his claws inside his skin. He wanted so badly to shift and tear the guy’s throat out.

But he couldn’t risk Mara.

“And you didn’t think I’d be stupid enough to bring the kid.” Race looked the guy in the eyes and silently promised retribution. With a silent apology to Mara, he added, “You can keep the girl. We don’t need her.”

The guy snarled. “I want my son.” His hand tightened around Mara’s throat. “I’m sure I can make more but he’s mine and I want him.”

The guy sounded like a toddler who’d had his favorite toy taken away.
Vaffanculo
, he hoped like hell Quinn was close because Race was about to make a goddam mess of this guy and there were going to be witnesses.

“Sorry. Not yours anymore.”

Deliberately crossing his arms over his chest, he made sure his fingers were visible to Mara. If he was lucky, the douchebag wouldn’t know he was signing to her.

If he did… Well, Race was going to kill the bastard anyway. It’d just be a little faster than he’d planned.

He tapped his fingers against his biceps, waiting until he saw Mara sign “Okay”, though she made it look as if she were just twisting her fingers together in agitation.

The
Mal
asshole’s face twisted with an evil smile that made him look like a comic-book villain. Race was going to wipe that look off his face permanently.

“Don’t be too sure about that.”

Race took a deep breath between one second and the next because instinct told him the guy was about to do something stupid.

And his instincts had yet to let him down.

A millisecond after he signed “Duck” to Mara, he saw two other men appear at the side of the car.

Taking a leap of faith and hoping that his trust in Quinn wasn’t misplaced, Race leaped across the car hood for the man holding Mara.

A split second after she ducked, Race hit the guy square in the chest and took him to the ground. Mara rolled away as Race wrestled with the
Mal
. The fight was short and dirty. And Race had no doubt who the winner would be.

The guy fought like someone who didn’t know how to fight. And didn’t have as much to lose as Race.

Only his life.

When he heard the snap of bone and the guy went slack beneath him, Race immediately turned to look for Mara.

She sat, breathing hard, only a few feet away. She met his gaze immediately, her eyes wide but not terrified. He didn’t know what he would have done if she’d been afraid of him.

“Are you okay?”

She nodded then looked over his shoulder.

Behind him, he heard the sounds of fighting and realized his backup had arrived in time.

Race hadn’t noticed. Now he turned and saw a huge gray wolf standing over an unmoving body while another guy with long, dark hair and arms almost the size of Race’s smashed his fist into another man’s face. As that guy crumpled, the wolf trotted over and lifted his leg to piss on him.

Race got to his feet then extended a hand to Mara, who took it and let him pull her up. Immediately he tucked her into his side, trying not to clinch her too hard, just to make sure she was really here and unharmed.

“I take it you’re Race?” The man Quinn stood beside held out his hand and Race took it without hesitation. “Gabriel Borelli.”

“Thanks for coming.”

“No problem. I like to kick
Mal
ass and I was in the neighborhood.” Gabriel turned to Mara and held out his hand. “I understand you have a very special little boy.”

Mara took his hand, even though she’d clearly been startled by Gabriel’s statement. “I do.”

“So does my mate. I think you two should talk sometime. You’re staying with Race at the den?”

He couldn’t help the hitch in his breath as he waited for her to answer. But she never hesitated. “Yes.”

And when her arm tightened around his waist, he wanted to lay a kiss on her that would take her breath away. Instead he forced himself to settle for hugging her just a little bit closer.

“Then we’ll be sure to set something up.” Gabriel turned to Race again, his expression turning badass. “Quinn and I’ll take care of the mess. We’re starting to get some funny looks from the natives. You and Mara take your brother home.”

Race looked down at her. “Are you ready to go?”

She smiled up at him. “I’m ready to go anywhere with you.”

* * * * *

Lark was no worse for wear, but he was furiously embarrassed about being taken by the
Mal
.

Their mom began to cry and clung to Lark as if he’d just returned home from a war. Their dad hugged them both then tried not to let them see he had tears in his eyes.

Arin took it all in with wide eyes while he clung to Mara’s neck.

By the time everyone had settled down, Race was ready to head home. He wanted Mara and Arin in his domain, surrounded by his pack. Protected on all sides.

Lark promised to come to the den the next day to talk to Cole and Dorian. His parents said they’d come along. His mom made a point of saying she was anxious to see Mara and Arin again, and Mara’s sweet smile in return made his chest ache.

By the time they returned to the den, that ache had transferred to a part of his anatomy lower on his body but it was too soon to put Arin to bed.

“Would you like something to eat?” Mara asked as he closed the front door behind him. “I’m not much of a cook but I can boil water for pasta. Sauce will be out of a jar though.”

She looked exhausted but he knew if he told her to go to bed, she’d fight him. “How about I help you with dinner? If you’ve got canned tomatoes, I can make a decent sauce.”

From the counter, Arin babbled away in his carrier, content for the moment with stuffing his hands in his mouth.

“A man who can cook.” She threw him a wry grin over her shoulder as she dug around in the cabinets and started pulling out cans. “Be still my heart.”

“My mom taught me well.”

“I like your parents. They seem very…”

“Normal?”

She started to fill a pot with water. “Yes. But that doesn’t mean I don’t like you.”

Race let her statement slide by him for the moment as he put the sauce together from ingredients in her pantry. “We’re going to need to go shopping. Your cupboards are pretty bare.”

“Does that mean you’re going to be spending more time here?”

“I thought I made that clear.”

She nodded but didn’t say anything more as they continued to work side by side then shared a meal. They avoided talking about what had happened earlier, about the fact that the father of her child had tried to steal her and Arin away. He knew eventually they’d have to deal with it but for now, this was nice. Normal. He could get used to this.
Wanted
to get used to this. Wanted Mara to get used to this.

By the time they were finished, it was time for Arin’s bath and bed. Poor guy must have been tired because he went down without a whimper and was out like a light only minutes later.