Liam tapped his finger against his chin with a chuckle. “I’m willing to admit that I may have gone slightly overboard.”
“Just remember, as a human, I don’t have any magic. So I couldn’t pull a bunch of gifts for you out of thin air.” I pressed my lips together to stop myself from spilling the beans about Jareth coming over soon, figuring it would be a great surprise.
He slid his hands behind my back and tugged me against his chest. His breath was hot against my ear as he murmured, “Like you said, you’ve already given me everything I could ever want just by being here, my darling.”
Butterflies swarmed in my belly at how sweet he was being, and I mentally offered up my gratitude to the fates for pairing me with such a wonderful man. “Please keep in mind that turnabout is fair play when I have the opportunity to dote on you, too.”
“Feel free to spoil me whenever you want. I’ll treasure any gift you want to give me. But in the meantime”—he swept his arm out to gesture toward the Christmas tree—“I’ll take immense pleasure from watching you open your presents.”
“Well, if you insist,” I drawled, pressing my lips against his in a quick kiss before I climbed off his lap to start making a dent in the ridiculously tall pile of wrapped packages. There were more clothes—sweaters, leggings, and fuzzy socks galore. Several items of lingerie made me blush...and sent my pulse skyrocketing as I pictured him tearing them from my body.
When I opened a frame without a picture in it, I turned it around so he could see the front. “I think you forgot something.”
“I left it empty on purpose. We’ll take a photo in front of the tree later, and it can be the first of many to go up on the walls.” The wink he aimed my way sent shivers down my spine. “You never know, it might be our only chance to snag a holiday photo of just the two of us before the pitter-patter of little feet fills our home.”
The amount of thought and effort that he put into my gifts brought tears to my eyes, and that was before I realized he’d saved the best for last. Getting up and striding over to the fireplace, he retrieved a jewelry box that I hadn’t noticed before. Then he dropped to his knees next to me and flicked the lid open with his thumb. “Amaia, my darling, would you do me the honor of wearing this ring to symbolize our bond?”
The ring was beautiful and unique, the luminosity of the pearl capturing my gaze. Holding out my hand, I whispered, “Yes, please.”
With the worst timing in the world, Jareth popped into the room as Liam slid the ring into place on my finger. “Great choice, brother. Nana’s ring looks perfect on Amaia.”
Liam didn’t look thrilled at the interruption, but I couldn’t be too angry since he was here at my request. Jumping up, I grabbed a few of the presents from the stack in his arms. “And now it’s my turn to spoil you, Liam.”
I moved closer to Jareth and gave him a peck on the cheek. “Thank you so much for helping me surprise your brother.”
A growl rumbled up Liam’s chest as he yanked me back and glared at Jareth, making me giggle and blush.
Unbothered by his brother’s flash of jealousy, Jareth patted his stomach and smiled. “I was more than happy to help, but now I must be off. I’m beyond famished, and there’s bound to be a feast laid out at our parents’ house by now.”
“Oh, wait. Please.” I pressed my hands together as I beseeched, “You’ve done so much for me. The least I could do is give you a snack before you run off. We have quite the spread ourselves in the kitchen. I could dash in there and fix you up a plate in no time at all.”
Jareth bent at his waist and swept his arm out in front of him in a courtly bow. “Thank you for taking pity on me in my time of need, dearest sister.”
Liam let out a huff of exasperation as I padded toward the kitchen, giggling over Jareth’s antics all the way. I hadn’t been exaggerating about the bounty of food we had available. I grabbed only one item off each tray, and the plate I put together for Jareth was still piled high by the time I headed back to the family room. To prevent anything from falling onto the floor, I moved slowly down the hallway. As I neared my destination, the low murmur of their deep voices floated toward me.
“I told you so.” My lips curved into a grin at the hint of superiority in Jareth’s voice. He sounded just like my sister and I did when we lorded it over each other when we were right about something. But my smile was wiped from my face as he continued, “I hate that you’ve spent the past five hundred years convinced you’d never get to experience the consort bond because you refused to listen to any of us when we tried to tell you how wrong you were about Barbra. At least now we won’t have to see you wearing those ridiculous gloves of yours wherever you go.”
I halted in my tracks, remembering the gloves Liam had pulled off when dinner had been served yesterday. I’d wondered about them since I had never seen another unmatched daywalker wear something that would prevent them from being able to touch a potential consort to discover if they were meant to be together, but I’d forgotten about them after we had learned we were destined to mate.
I was so deep in my thoughts that I missed Liam’s mumbled reply, but unfortunately, I caught every bit of what Jareth had to say next.
“I understand that Barbra was special to you, but the pain of her rejection should have lessened enough for you to finally be willing to listen to what we’ve been trying to tell you for half a millennium. You let emotion cloud your judgment and put her on a damn pedestal for far too long, brother. Your refusal to see that woman for what she really was almost cost you your only chance at happiness.”
I felt as though I’d been stabbed in the chest. What I’d just heard should be impossible. Daywalkers couldn’t feel desire for anyone except the person they were destined to spend an eternity with. They only had one consort out there, and fate made it damn clear who that person was. There was no mistaking the bond...but apparently, daywalkers could wish they were paired with someone else. And I had the unfortunate luck of being fated to spend my life with a man who’d fallen for another woman and pined for her for hundreds of years.
Although we’d just met and didn’t really know each other, I had expected that the explosive chemistry between us would lead to an emotional bond that would develop over time. But the coupling of our bodies had been nothing more than biology for Liam. What I’d thought of as lovemaking had just been sex to him. I couldn’t help but wonder if he’d been thinking of her the entire time, wishing that fate had paired them together instead of us.
The mental anguish was more than I could bear. Whirling around, I raced back into the kitchen, ignoring the cookie I accidentally dropped on the floor, and set the plate I’d been carrying onto the counter. Then I dashed over to the back door. I opened it as quietly as I could, not even bothering to close it as I hurried outside. I needed to get as far away from Liam as I could. And quickly.
Once I was safely away, I’d call Everleigh. I had no doubt that she’d come for me, and she could get me out of here in the blink of an eye. I didn’t know what I’d do then, but I couldn’t possibly stay with Liam after what I’d just heard. I refused to come in second place to a ghost for the rest of my life.
6
Liam
“I’m not going to deny that you were right about Barbra,” I grumbled as I dropped onto the sofa. My eyes were glued to the door where my consort had disappeared, waiting for her to return. Even these few minutes without her made me ache to have her in my arms. “But I am going to look on the bright side of things. At least she saved me the ups and downs of wondering for centuries. I can be grateful to my friend, who is now just a fond childhood memory.”
“Are you going to tell Amaia?”
I looked at my brother and frowned. “Of course. There will be no secrets between us.”
Jareth nodded. “Good.”
“Now that I have Amaia, I feel even more lucky because what I feel for her could never be compared. I already love her more than I thought possible. She’s the best thing that’
s ever happened to me, consort or not.”
He snorted a laugh and grinned. “I’m happy for you, brother. But a word of advice. Don’t tell her that today, or you’ll spend eternity trying to top it every Christmas.”
I rolled my eyes, and he laughed, glancing toward the doorway I’d gone back to staring at.
The contentment I felt when Amaia was near had begun to dissipate, and it made me wary. “I think I’ll go check on my mate and make sure she hasn’t lost her way. I haven’t given her a tour of the house yet.”
Jareth followed me from the room, and when we entered the kitchen, I felt something crunch under my foot and looked down to see that I’d stepped on a gingerbread cookie. “What the hell?” I grunted as I glanced around for clues as to what had happened. There was a plate of food on the counter, undoubtedly the one she’d made up for my brother. She must have dropped the cookie when she returned to the kitchen, but I didn’t understand why she hadn’t brought the snack into the den.
Unless...shit. Was it possible she’d come to the room while Jareth and I had been discussing Barbra? If she’d only heard part of the conversation, I could easily see how she would misinterpret what we’d said.
“Do you think she heard…” Jareth trailed off, but it was clear he’d come to the same conclusion.
The back door slammed open with a gust of air, making me realize that it hadn’t been shut. I sprinted to the entrance and out into the multi-acre backyard.
The gate in the fence that opened to the side of the house was also swinging in the growing wind. A snowstorm was headed our way. I’d been looking forward to being confined to the house with my consort for a few days after completing our bond.
Right now, though, Amaia was still human, so this weather could make her sick. The miracles of modern medicine meant she would most certainly recover, but having lived as long as I had, I couldn’t help picturing my sweet girl as she would have been a centuries ago, lying in bed, sick and dying. The thought sent me sprinting once again. I ran along the side of the house until I reached the front and glanced around the circular drive, hoping to see her waiting or, better yet, heading back to me.
This relationship was still new, so I couldn’t blame her for not waiting around for an explanation, though I desperately wished she had. When I found her, I wasn’t going to wait any longer to make her mine forever. All of this could have been cleared up immediately if I’d taken that step before tonight. We’d have the ability to share a mind once our bond was complete, and she’d never need to doubt my feelings for her again.
“Where do you think she went?” Jareth asked as he jogged up next to me.
“My best guess is Everleigh.” I squinted up at the moonlit sky as fat flakes of snow began to fall. “But I’m not sure she had her phone. Which means she’s out in this weather, running from me, trying to find a place to call her sister.”
Jareth sighed as the wind whipped the snow into our faces. Our blood ran colder than most, so this weather didn’t affect us unless we had very prolonged exposure with very little clothing. But that didn’t mean the sensation was pleasant.
“I’m going to send help, then go to Marshall and Everleigh. I’ll explain what happened so he doesn’t kick your ass. Then they can look out for her and let you know when she contacts them. If she had her cell and Everleigh already came for her, then I’ll make sure she stays put until you can get there to explain.”
“Thank you,” I mumbled before taking off down the long driveway, keeping my eyes peeled for any sign of my dark-haired, violet-eyed beauty.
Stephan and Braedan popped in a minute later, immediately keeping pace with me. “When we get to the road, we’ll each take a direction,” Stephan informed me. “Ren is on an assignment, but Cian and his brothers are at Kieran’s for the holiday. They offered to help if we don’t find her soon.”
I nodded, grateful that I came from such a robust family. Cian and his two siblings were the sons of my father’s youngest brother.
Braedan handed me a belt that held a sheath with a stake and three little pouches, one filled with garlic, another with a cross, and the last held a vial of holy water. I had tried not to think about her encountering any nightwalkers, but Braeden thought rationally, and I gave him a grim smile in thanks. Armed, we jogged to the main road, and I went straight, while the other two split in opposite directions.
Despite our connection not being fully in place, I hoped I could get a sense of her nearness just through the bond of being mates. I’d realized shortly after finding out Amaia was gone that something in me had known. I’d sensed she wasn’t there anymore, just as I did when she was near.
Suddenly, Braeden appeared in front of me, bringing me to a skidding halt so I wouldn’t bowl right into him. “Let’s go,” he said right before he took my arm and teleported.
We landed in the dimly lit parking lot of a twenty-four-hour convenience store. I was about to ask Braeden what the hell he’d brought me here for when, through the heavily falling snow, I barely spotted Stephan darting around the side of the building into an alley. He was followed closely by Ren and Jareth, so I took off after them.
What’s going on? I asked my brothers.
Ren answered, We found her. She came in to use the phone and walked right into a fucking nest.
Fuck. My legs worked harder as I darted around the corner of the building.
There’s another girl, Jareth added. Amaia managed to free her before escaping, but the nightwalkers are just about to close in on them.
When I exited the alley into the area behind the store, I saw Stephan and my brothers engaged in a fight. Braeden ran into the fray to help. I swept my eyes over the scene until they landed on my beautiful consort. Amaia was huddled between two dumpsters with a terrified girl hiding behind her. Any time a nightwalker came close, she flicked droplets of holy water at them. That’s my girl.
Knowing she was as safe as she could be for the moment, I shifted my focus to the fight. I went after the leech closest to the girls, and when the vampire jerked out of the path of the projected poison, she stumbled toward me. Then I grabbed her shoulder, spun her around, and shoved my stake into her heart. She burst into flames, and I didn’t wait around to see her ashes blow away with the snowy wind.
Another vampire had jumped onto Braeden’s back and was trying to twist his neck. I started toward him, jabbing my stake into a nightwalker who lunged at me along the way. Braedon saw me coming, and I tossed him the small wooden cross from my belt. He caught it and pulled out his own before pressing them against the nightwalker’s forearms. He screamed in agony as the crosses burned and charred his skin.
He loosened his hold on Braeden, who was then able to throw him off, making sure to aim my way. The evil bastard hit the ground and rolled, using the momentum to get back on his feet. Except, he stood up directly in front of me. With a smirk, I thrust the stake in an upward motion, going under his ribs and into his heart.
I fought off two more nightwalkers and glanced around for another threat. But Ren plunged his stake into the last one that I could see. After the pop and flicker of flames, we waited for any to come out of hiding, but it seemed we’d destroyed them all.
Stephan, Braedan, and Rex walked into a huddle to talk while Jareth and I approached the frightened consorts.
“Amaia, my darling,” I said as I dropped to my knees and pulled her into my arms, burying my face in her soft, dark hair. “Don’t ever scare me like that again.”
“Wha-a-a-...um...what the heck just happened?” a shocked and horrified voice stammered from behind Amaia.
I stood and moved out of the way, taking comfort in the fact that Amaia didn’t try to break from my hold. Instead, she held me tighter. Sighing, I tried to calm myself with the feel of her body reminding me that she was unharmed and safe. She was shaking a little, so I lifted my head and tucked her into me, resting my cheek on her crown and rubbing soothing circles on her back.
Jareth had hesitantly approached the
other woman, and he crouched down to be at her eye level. “What is your name?”
“Why would I tell you?” she snapped suspiciously.
Keeping his voice gentle, he responded, “Because we’re here to help, and I don’t want to call you ‘miss.’ So, let’s start again. I’m Jareth, and you are?”
She chewed over her next move for half a minute before answering, “Narkissa.”
“It’s nice to meet you, Narkissa. In answer to your first question, those were nightwalkers, or evil vampires intent on destroying you,” he explained.
“What? Are you crazy? Vampires don’t exist! And why would they want me? I’m nobody!”
My brother shook his head. “You are everything to someone.” Then he gave her a very brief overview of her destiny as a consort. Narkissa’s eyes had gone wide and as round as saucers, but they were plagued with disbelief.
“Even if vampires are real, that’s insane. Fate can’t just...just...pick someone for me!”
I sighed, not envying Jareth in the least. The consorts we saved had all kinds of different reactions to the truth, but the most frustrating were the ones who couldn’t accept it. A lot of times, they refused the council’s help, went off on their own, and ended up dead as a result.
“There’s a place we can go—”
Narkissa snorted and began to struggle to her feet in the small space between the dumpsters. “I’m not going anywhere with you. You’re obviously insane, and your hotness doesn’t quite beat out the crazy meter.”
Jareth rolled his eyes, and I stifled a laugh, earning myself a glare that promised retribution.
There was nothing for Narkissa to grip, so her hands slipped, and she landed on her ass again. Jareth growled in frustration and leaned in, grabbing her arms and hauling her to her feet.
The air around us suddenly thickened, and Jareth’s shocked expression told me all I needed to know. Narkissa’s mouth opened, and she stared at my brother, clearly in much the same state. But when Jareth leaned in, she snapped out of the trance and landed a pretty impressive right hook into my brother’s jaw.
A Touch of Moonlight Page 4
