Moon Glamour

by Aimee Easterling

  The pack leader killed one of the traitorous fathers. Evicted the two others. “I was worth too much to evict,” Tank said, tone flat rather than prideful. “Doctoring skills are in short supply among werewolves. Lawyer skills too. But our alpha couldn’t risk me rising up against him. He gave me a choice.”

  Tank had walked through door B, the door that let him stay with his pack. He’d shifted into wolf form and excised the charisma he’d been born with, scratching at his own face to do so. The external damage was just window dressing, the real changes within himself.

  He hadn’t removed his power, the alpha side that Ryder had reacted to. But the enticing charm that drew pack females to him? When Tank was finished, every potential mate turned up her nose in disgust.

  “But that doesn’t make sense.” Despite myself, my index finger rose to slide down across the bump on Tank’s nose. “This”—I traced the scar under his eye next—“and this are so minor. Small blemishes don’t change who you really are. I barely even see them.”

  “Because you’re special.”

  I shook my head. “No. You don’t understand your own appeal. You....”

  I gave him no warning before my face inched forward to join my fingers. I was half in Tank’s lap by the time my lips met his lips.

  IF I’D THOUGHT OUR first kiss was incendiary, this one was a supernova. Hands gliding over skin. My front pressed up against his hard muscles. My fingers found a zipper and pulled.

  Then something started beeping. Loud and adamant.

  I ignored it. Grabbed hold of his collar to draw myself closer. Our skin needed to touch. My body needed....

  The beeping continued. “Shit.” Air pooled between us as Tank dragged a cell phone out of his pocket. I winced at how easily he’d pushed me aside.

  But his pupils were dilated when his gaze met mine. One broad hand cupped my chin and he feathered my lips with a final kiss so soft it was almost intangible.

  “We’re late. Lupe’s pissed.”

  Oh. Oh. I glanced over his shoulder at the kitchen clock. It felt like mere minutes since we’d set foot in my cabin, but the elapsed time had actually been over an hour.

  And I hadn’t managed to warn Tank about Marina or beg a favor for the sake of my sister. “I have to tell you things and ask you things.”

  “We can walk and talk.”

  We did, Tank slowing after the first moment to match my shorter stride. Our fingers curled together while I relayed the bare bones of my meeting with Marina. “She’s fae,” I asserted.

  Because Marina had danced around the issue of whether or not she was a Sleeper. And my gut suggested human allies of fae wouldn’t have quite so many skills.

  I expected denial. After all, Tank was a pack wolf and Lupe had said there were no fae present before Samhain.

  Instead, Tank nodded. “You were there. I trust your judgment.”

  My throat tightened, not with disappointment but with something sweeter and fiercer. “She’s Harper’s history teacher. I’m worried...”

  “That she’ll do something to your sister.” Tank finished my sentence, making the leap that had been obvious to me.

  I nodded. “Harper needs to be somewhere safe. Somewhere Marina won’t look for her. I was going to suggest your pack, but now that you’ve told me about your alpha....”

  “The former alpha.” Tank’s body language radiated purpose. “I knew he wouldn’t last, and he didn’t. The new alpha is Kira’s brother-in-law. A good wolf. Honorable. Our pack is thriving.”

  I could see the others waiting for us through the trees now. I needed to stick to the point. Still, my hand rose to feather across Tank’s face a second time. “Was it worth it?”

  His answer was immediate. “One hundred percent.”

  Then, before I could ask, he offered. “My pack will be glad to keep an eye on Harper and Clara for the rest of their vacation. Kira’s brought humans home before. It won’t be a problem hiding lupine natures.” His voice dropped to a growl. “No one would dare invade our land.”

  I swallowed down fear of pack and accepted that this was the exact solution I’d hoped for. “Thank you. I owe you.”

  He shook his head, curt and adamant. “You owe me nothing. We’ll talk to Lupe, explain the situation, then the two of us will....”

  Now I was the one shaking my head so hard that Tank fell silent. The heat of Lupe’s gaze bored into us. We weren’t just late, we were dawdling within plain sight.

  Still, Tank focused on me alone. “Problem?”

  Memories of Lupe’s gun made me wince away from Tank’s game plan. I barely knew the woman. Tank was the only one I trusted. “I’m not ready to share this with anyone other than you.”

  Tank’s cheek twitched as if he disagreed with me. But he didn’t argue. “Okay. Then we’ll make an excuse for the two of us to be gone....”

  “No.” I shut him down again, knowing I was driving a wedge into this utterly sweet but oh-so-fragile thing germinating between us. “Marina might be spooked if you come with me. This is something I need to do alone.”

  I held my breath, expecting an explosion. Men, especially werewolf men, didn’t deal well with disagreement. They hated being told that a mere woman was going to solve a problem on her lonesome.

  But Tank only closed his eyes for one split second, exhaling slowly. And when he met my gaze again he nodded. “If that’s what you need, I’ll help make it happen. But call me. Please. If you need any help.”

  Chapter 24

  “Have you decided to join us?” Lupe didn’t give me and Tank time to answer before continuing with the spiel we’d so obviously delayed. “Then we can finally begin our lesson in swordcraft. I’ll let Butch explain.”

  And he did. In excruciating detail while I struggled to focus on something other than Marina and Harper and Rowan.

  It was useful information, actually, if Butch could have summed it up a bit more succinctly. Fae, he explained, were allergic to all metals other than copper. Which meant a steel sword thrust through their torsos was the most effective way of expelling them back to the Otherworld.

  “Doesn’t kill them?” Tank asked, jabbing the ground with one of the weapons that had been handed out to us. Someone had attached heavy weights to broom handles then wrapped padding around them, producing a so-called sword that wrenched my arm muscles whenever I tried to lift it but made Ryder laugh when he smacked himself in the face.

  Lupe shook her head. “No. The fae aren’t entirely of this world, so nothing you do here will kill them. They can, however, kill you. And while they can’t handle steel the way we can, their copper swords are sharp enough to do the trick.”

  Ryder’s nostrils flared. “All it takes to expel them is metal? So why don’t we shoot their asses?”

  I winced. Not at the language, but at the bloodthirstiness.

  Unlike me, Lupe was unfazed by Ryder’s tone. “Guns have a tendency to backfire around the fae, making them worse than useless. Something about the ability to twist air and fire to their will. Whatever the reason, blades are our safest choice.”

  I attempted to follow along as Lupe showed us a few basic maneuvers. It soon became apparent that there was no way any of us, except Lupe and Butch, were going to be up to speed by Samhain.

  Kira, in contrast, turned out to be quite the swordswoman, as I learned when the girls descended upon us in a mass of giggles and chatter. “Ooh! I want to play!” the older girl said, pouncing upon the pile of spare weapons. She hefted three of them before choosing her favorite, then used the practice weapon to batter Butch to a standstill. “My sister taught me,” she explained through a smile so wide it must have made her cheeks hurt.

  And, to my surprise, Harper seemed to have a knack for swords also. She showed none of the tentativeness I’d grown accustomed to from her, snatching up a weapon without asking for permission. Then she managed to knock my practice sword out of my hand when the two of us squared off.

  “Nice work,” I praised her.<
br />
  “Kira said if I want something, I have to take it,” Harper answered, brushing a strand of sweaty hair off her forehead.

  My heart warmed. This was the right move. Werewolves and fae aside, the environment was good for my sister. She was growing right in front of my eyes....

  But Lupe’s voice rose above the clatter of practice weapons, preventing me from praising Harper further. “Now you’ll learn what battle feels like. Let’s split into two teams. Harper, Tank, Athena, and Kira against Butch, Ryder, Clara, and me. Let’s make it real.”

  I opened my mouth to protest the girls being included in a werewolf challenge. But...Harper needed to be treated like an adult. And—

  I shot a glance at Tank. He nodded, our communication fast and wordless. With both of us focused on the same agenda, the girls would stay safe.

  Lupe ignored all undercurrents as she provided one final admonition. “Go for the torso,” she started. “A solid hit counts as a killing blow.”

  “Chests,” Kira said. “Got it.”

  But the torso had two sides. And Ryder, as I remembered a moment too late, had stabbed his alpha in the back.

  He wasn’t beyond metaphorical back stabbings either. Which is a long way of saying—while our attention was focused on Lupe, the tattooed shifter struck.

  I SHOULD HAVE REALIZED that Kira would be his target. After all, she was the only one on our team with swordcraft skills.

  She was also a distance away from the rest of us, picking through the practice swords in search of a better blade, when Lupe set us loose. “Go!” our leader barked, and padded swords rose and clashed in unison.

  What I hadn’t noticed until too late was the way Ryder sidled away from his group while Lupe laid out the game plan. How he’d slid around the edges of the game field until he was inches away from Kira.

  I’d thought he was choosing weapons just like she was. That they’d each grab a sword and trot over to join their compatriots.

  That assumption proved incorrect.

  Because the moment Lupe spoke, Ryder dropped his sword and attacked using weapons he was more familiar with. One hand clamped down over Kira’s mouth. The other squeezed her sword hand until her fingers released.

  Meanwhile, the thud of padded weapons all around suggested I was the only one who’d noticed. So I ran. Ran toward Ryder, the brute of a werewolf with a thrashing child in his grip.

  She’d managed to wiggle free of the hand over her mouth by this point. But Ryder’s meaty paw had drifted lower. To her throat, a hold I remembered far too well.

  Still, the release of her mouth allowed Kira to speak. “Ow!” she managed. “Get off me!”

  Ryder didn’t. Instead, he growled out animal aggression turned vaguely human. “Do you surrender?”

  “No!” She was furious. Scared but unwilling to bend. Her foot kicked out wildly. Ryder dodged, bearing down with his right hand until her words turned into a wheeze.

  Then he latched onto the arm she was using to try to jab behind her. Twisted it upward.

  I felt the pain in my own body as Kira shrieked.

  I DARTED THROUGH A pool of air that smelled like blueberries. Marina. Was she responsible for this disaster? Was it possible that strange warmth while swimming with Ryder was a pack bond building between us? Could Marina have used that tenuous connection to manipulate the burly shifter into doing her will?

  Or maybe Ryder really was an asshole. Either way, I needed to focus, not on the past, but on the present. Time to fix what could be fixed.

  I’d dropped my own weapon in my initial shock, but Ryder’s was there on the grass waiting for me. My mind was unbelievably clear now. I scooped up the discarded sword, letting my momentum carry me into a slide between Ryder’s legs.

  I was aiming for a literal low blow, but he deserved it...and Butch got there first.

  I hadn’t even realized the elegant shifter was following. But his arm came out of nowhere, so fast I barely saw it moving. A sharp crack of fist hitting flesh. Ryder’s chin snapped backward. Kira was flung away from her captor rather than released.

  Meanwhile, Ryder whirled to face his new opponent, already roaring. “What the fuck, man? I’m on your team!”

  “Stand down.” Butch looked twice as large as he had previously, the stink of fur so strong that fluff seemed to line my nasal passages. Was that why he meditated all the time? To prevent himself from unleashing this inner beast?

  I glanced sideways, checking on Kira. She was already surrounded by a huddle of teenagers. Tank stood between them and Ryder, his wolf rampant behind his eyes.

  The girls were safe...but Clara would have a heart attack if somebody shifted. Harper might too since she’d only seen me furry when I was friendly. From the fur rising on Butch and Ryder’s arms, there was nothing friendly about their impending shift.

  “How do you expect to win—?” Ryder started.

  And I pressed between them. Ignored the way hairs rose on the back of my neck as the cold draft of alpha aggression bore down on me from both the right and left hand. I raised my padded not-really sword then struck with words instead.

  “Kira is a child,” I spat at Ryder, willing him to remember what he’d said about her around the campfire. I had little expectation that it would work. But, strangely, it did.

  Because Ryder glanced at me, peering down as if he was ten feet taller than I was. Our height difference must have triggered some werewolf instinct because the wolf receded. He blinked three times in fast succession then dropped his head into his hands.

  “Shit.” Ryder’s scent morphed from anger to remorse in an instant. Like rotten peaches, sweet enough to attract wasps.

  Taking a step around me, he headed toward Kira. Not the same Kira he’d battled earlier though. She’d found her feet and picked up a branch in place of a sword.

  Now, she stepped away from the other girls, evading Tank when he tried to stop her. “Stay where you are,” the girl hissed at Ryder.

  Not that she had any need to defend herself or her gaggle of friends. Butch and I were already moving back into position, ready to manhandle Ryder into submission. Tank was also striding into place, ready to fling himself between Kira and Ryder.

  And none of that proved necessary, because Ryder had regained his humanity. “Right.” He stopped walking, scrubbing his hands through close-cropped hair instead. “I’m a fucking idiot.” He growled out a huff of frustration. “I made a mistake. I hope you’ll let me make it up to you.”

  “If we had real swords, I would have skewered you.” Kira’s eyes were slits, her branch still at the ready. The tip was broken off at an angle and pointed directly at Ryder’s heart.

  “You sure would’ve,” Ryder agreed, no humor in his voice. He dropped down to his knees, this big, tattooed guy bowing his head in front of a teenager. “You can skewer me now if you want to. Like I said, I deserve it.”

  I glanced toward Harper and Clara who were watching wide-eyed. This wasn’t human behavior and I always tried to keep my sister clear of werewolves.

  But this was Kira’s decision and I wasn’t about to steal her moment of triumph. I held my breath.

  “Whatever.” The teenager dropped her branch.

  Chapter 25

  Kira had stood up for herself quite admirably, but I couldn’t count on her safety the next time. And Clara—would Marina go after the human teenager next?

  Just because my sister was off limits didn’t mean my fae employer had lost her leverage points. “Lupe,” I started, not knowing how I’d explain my absence, just knowing I needed to get out of there fast.

  But the older woman wasn’t paying any attention. Instead, she’d pulled a key out of her pocket and tossed it to Kira. “For the boathouse,” she explained. “If you girls want to get in a canoe trip, this is your window. We’re shutting down camp in two hours.”

  “Shutting down camp?” Harper’s face fell. She glanced my way, waiting for an explanation. But I had none to give. Had we failed so horre
ndously that Lupe planned to put a new team together? I shrugged at my sister as the older woman explained.

  “Three-day vacation for the ‘dults.” Her eyes sparkled as she exchanged a grin with Kira. “Although I expect them to work on their swordplay while they’re away.”

  “They need to,” Kira agreed, as if she and Lupe were co-captains. But she accepted the dismissal, heading over to Harper and Clara and leaving the “’dults” alone.

  Which was Lupe’s cue to return her attention to us. I braced myself for recriminations...but none came. Instead, our boss was all business.

  “Grab two practice swords and two real swords apiece. I suspect you’ll have no problem finding someone to spar with during your vacation.”

  Vacation? This felt far too easy. I needed a way to bow out of Samhain Shifter events for a day or two and Lupe gave us all a leave of absence?

  Of course, there was still the issue of Harper to be dealt with. I glanced at the kids, who were whispering in a cluster rather than racing for the boathouse. Kira nodded and my sister smiled. A real grin, not the pinched-lip fake she usually treated everyone to. How would Harper look when I told her I was sending her away in order to do yet another job?

  As if she’d sensed my thoughts, Harper’s gaze met mine and her face fell. “Would it hurt your feelings...?” she started, before spluttering to a halt. Her head bowed and she scuffed her feet. Turning to Kira, she muttered. “I’d better not.”

  My gut clenched. This time, the ease of getting what I wanted could likely be attributed to Tank. He must have thumb-typed Kira while I wasn’t looking and the older girl had invited my sister to return home with her just as we’d discussed.