Jed had already polished off his ham. Two boxes of ice cream bars were also gone. Jason was opening a third. All seemed much more relaxed in the park, other than the distraction of masses of gray squirrels that tourists fed and that darted everywhere.
I’d gulped up half my latte as well. Sweat trickled between my shoulder blades into my bra.
Mental note: London in July—pass.
I settled in shade, watching Kage as he examined the area, absently balancing the watermelon in one hand by his shoulder. They all had to check out a new place as if looking for snakes and scorpions before they could relax.
“How will you get into that?” I asked, imagining him trying to bite the rind.
Kage tossed the melon lightly up into the air.
Bash—on impact with packed earth the watermelon burst into several chunks. Jagged wedges tumbled away in the grass.
He proudly offered me one of these, much to my shock. Another food gift?
“Thank you, Kage.”
Andrew and Zar were watching.
Jed took his shirt, boots, and socks off and flopped in the shade a little away from us, lying on his back with his shirt over his eyes. Others also removed their sweaty shirts.
Isaac sat with a chilled water bottle. He kept his clothes on and remained watchful behind sunglasses.
Jason approached Kage and Kage handed over melon slabs. He smiled at me when he did. See? I can look after you both. What’s the big deal?
So was I the only one who thought this was weird? Yet I knew Jason was depressed about the situation, even if Kage seemed to think he was fine.
Kage gathered remaining melon and sat down to eat.
I avoided looking at him, yet his sharing watermelon with Jason and me … under the circumstances of who and what… It was sweet of him.
I saved the rest of the latte and ate the juicy melon leaning sideways so it didn’t drip all over me—first wiping the grass bits and grit off with a napkin.
Zar sat beside me.
I wanted to text Melanie, and our potential informant, Rowan, to let him know we were on the case as well. Then put in earbuds and lie down for a few hours before having to think anymore.
Zar, who had a paper map of London, started telling me how we would search and cover different neighborhoods. He was eating another ice cream bar—essentially like a human would—and I had my melon to enjoy, so I didn’t mind him until I was finished. I agreed with everything he said and he warmed more and more to his task of strategizing. Finally, though, I had to explain I needed to send texts and we should all take a break.
He was quick to agree. “Would you like an ice cream?”
Really getting into this food thing now.
“Thank you but melon was plenty for me. And that after the pizza,” I added quickly, which cheered him up.
“Want a pillow?” He’d brought his backpack out with him so he could read in the park.
“Oh, I guess so … if it’s not hard as books?”
He removed most of the books, then situated the bag for my head. It wasn’t half bad.
I started a text to Mel, stopped, started over.
Andrew, who’d been studying the ground on his hands and knees, shuffled over to Jason—who’d finished melon and was just about to unwrap his third ice cream bar.
“Ant trail at Jed’s feet.” I could just catch Andrew’s voice.
Jason’s eyes lit up. He handed Andrew the bar and grabbed the last in the box for himself.
Some sort of bond between those two: Andrew giving Jason a milkshake on the drive to Cornwall, sharing the trailer, planning card tricks. Quite buddy-buddy.
Was I still reticent about asking questions, or could I let myself get to know them better? Allow myself to care even more than I already did?
I started a third text to Mel.
Both shirtless, and Jason with his socks and shoes off as well—so lean and toned and beautiful it made a mockery of the snacks they ate—they crept over to Jed, who was apparently asleep. Hard to tell with the shirt on his face.
They ate white chocolate shells off their ice cream bars while Jason observed what must be the line of ants through grass.
I tried again on the text.
Starting out by saying I was fine sounded like there was reason to think I wasn’t. But acting like this was nothing out of the ordinary was not right either.
Andrew turned his bar upside down, letting it drip to the grass around Jed’s heels, leading the ants.
I’m sorry I split on you, Mel. I’ll be in touch and be back soon!
I bit my lip and looked at that one.
While Andrew worked, Jason crept up the grass on his knees and cocked his ear at Jed’s chest. He must have been satisfied with the deep breathing because he nodded to Andrew.
Sorry I split on you! You must think I’m crazy. But I’m fine and I’ll be in touch. Back soon! XO
Jason was licking around his bar to make a smooth cylinder of it.
That message would have to do. I sent it. Goddess help me. And turned to the matter of adding Rowan’s number with the exit code and country code.
Jason put the now rounded ice cream bar down his throat all the way to his fingers on the wooden stick. Slowly, eyes shut, he withdrew it. He bowed his head over Jed’s feet and let a milky white trickle of melted ice cream and his own saliva dribble onto Jed’s toes. It ran down the backs of his feet and soles to his heels in the grass.
Jason repeated the performance. Andrew dripped two more trails to lure in marching ants from more directions.
I forced myself to the text for Rowan. This one was easy. Did I have his number right, this was Cassia, we were looking. That was it.
The pranksters leaned over Jed’s feet, heads together, watching for progress. They kept their bars from dripping directly onto his skin, perhaps because the cold would have been more likely to startle him awake than skin-hot liquid.
Both grinned. Must be seeing good progress from the swarm. Then they slunk away, finishing their bars and retreating beyond Kage, Zar and myself, then Isaac, to bask in the sun by the bronze statue.
I put in earbuds but didn’t play anything on my phone. Only lay with my eyes closed behind sunglasses.
What were we getting into tonight? I needed to ask them more questions not of a personal nature, but of a life and death nature. Shifters attacking shifters in the past? Vampire enemies? Old truces that kept vampires out of the countryside?
But there was something about the moment I couldn’t let go. Something starting tonight that we wouldn’t be able to turn back from.
Unless we were all torn apart by urban shifters, or our blood sucked out by vampires in a few hours, I would have time to learn more from Zar soon enough. And, if we didn’t make it through the night, due to sticking our noses places they didn’t belong in the magical underworld, I didn’t want to spend my last evening listening to stories or lectures.
I just lay there, listening to laughing children around the water’s edge, footsteps on the path, distant voices, birds, squirrels, my own breathing. Close to dozing off.
Then swearing and running. I didn’t look up at first.
An impact on the earth not far away made me cave and part my lashes enough to see what was happening.
Andrew ran through grass. Must be why he’d left his shoes on.
Jed was on his hands and knees. It looked like Jason, who’d been lying on his back, now sitting up, had tripped him as he’d started after Andrew. Jed whirled and punched Jason, slamming him into the ground. Kage sprang into my field of vision but Jed didn’t stay to fight them both. He took off after Andrew.
Jason sprawled on his back at Kage’s feet, clutching his head. And laughing. Kage sat with him.
Zar got up from beside me, dropping his books, and walking out to the trail to watch where they’d gone. Speculating on a way he could assist his brother? Cut Andrew off with two of them? I wasn’t sure if Zar would get involved or not. There did not seem t
o be much of a bond between the two brothers.
More I wanted to know. About their family. About Isaac’s. About dingo shifters and how Andrew’s ancestors had ended up here.
Isaac and I alone had not moved. He still looked out over The Long Water. I wished he would lie down beside me, just to be there. Or more—wondering again if this was my last evening on Earth.
Six werewolves and a witch? Wasn’t that why we were all together? Whatever was out there, I liked to think we could handle it.
Someone jogged up to my spot. He was breathing hard, stepping over me.
I squinted to see Andrew gathering Zar’s things; papers and books. He looked around, spotted the backpack under my head, then wisely decided to leave it.
“Jay?” Andrew panted. “Row boat docked just up there. That prat tried to stop me.”
Jason, who’d been lying back with his bruised head on Kage’s thigh for a pillow, scrambled up to take the papers and trotted off for the boat.
Andrew, bare chest heaving, skin wet with sweat, flopped on grass against me. He lay on his side, propped on an elbow, and kissed my shoulder through thin cotton.
“You didn’t save me watermelon?” he asked.
I indicated my earbud.
“Please, darling. You’re not listening to anything.”
Dammit, those ears of theirs.
I pulled out the bud beside him. “Why do you two torment Jed?”
“Don’t you remember that bit about a proper bastard?” Murmuring in my ear.
“Did it ever cross your mind that it’s the chicken, not the egg?”
“I don’t make Jed Jed. If anything, I help bring out his playful spirit.”
“Sure … he looked really playful.”
“You don’t know Jed. I do. I know them all.” His lips brushed my ear. “Information today, they say it’s easy to come by. But, if you can’t Google it … oh no. What will we do?”
“I’m surprised you know that term.”
“Humans have been my sideline all my life. I know what I’m talking about there too. And I know you’re a curious one—keeping an eye on us. You can’t stop thinking about my offer of truth telling, can you? Want to know who you’re really dealing with here? You need only ask me.” He leaned over to kiss my lips and I turned away before he could.
“Andrew, I’m having quiet time, as you noticed.”
“So you’ll let them have a kiss? Not me? What have I done?”
I looked at him sharply. “How did you know that?”
A slow smile twisted up his lips like the Grinch. “You just told me, darling.”
Of course I had. I reached for my phone. “Now, I am listening to something.”
As I tried to return the earbud, Andrew’s mouth got in the way. “Why does your own desire for me bother you? It’s obviously not the wolf thing. I’d ask if I remind you of someone unpleasant from your past but there’s no one else like me. So what is it?”
“You’re just not my type, I guess.”
“As if.”
“Some other time and place. I’m dealing with too much attention lately, in case you hadn’t noticed.”
“Another lie. You love it. Be honest with me and I’ll be honest with you.”
“Before or after you steal from me?”
“After, naturally.”
“What did you take?” I turned my head—a mistake, our faces touching. His lips had hardly brushed mine before I had my face upward again, yet contact left my pulse racing.
“You tell me,” he whispered. “Haven’t you ever had that feeling before? The shock of waking to discover someone stole your heart?”
I was spared by footsteps: Zar returning and snapping at Andrew. “What are you doing? Where’s my stuff?”
“I didn’t take your stuff,” Andrew said serenely.
“Like hell—”
“By Moon, I didn’t, Zar. You can ask anyone.”
I put in the earbud, starting Bishop Briggs at random.
The day was sweltering. The grass and shade and latte with melting ice were gifts.
I stopped following the arguments as Andrew was compelled to leave my side.
It didn’t seem, in that moment, that we were all about to start risking our lives—placing those lives in each other’s hands and paws. It felt like a beautiful day out in Hyde Park with a bunch of sexy British guys. The beach at Brighton couldn’t possibly be better.
So I would enjoy the moment, at least for now. Even though it was only a few hours until sunset.
Dear Moonlight Pack
Thank you for joining The Witch and the Wolf Pack! Ready for the adventure to heat up?
From sweltering tunnels below London to sizzling skin heat below moonlight, killers will be tracked and inhibitions will be tumbled in Moonlight Hunters, Book Two of The Witch and the Wolf Pack series.
Craving a binge-read? Find the whole series here.
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Until our next hunt,
Moonlight Desire: A Reverse Harem Shifter Romance (The Witch and the Wolf Pack Book 1) Page 22
