Bound by the Moon (A Royal Shifters novel Book 5)

by L. P. Dover

  Shaking his head, he swipes his thumbs under my eyes to wipe the tears away. “Don’t worry about that. I’m ahead of schedule.”

  I take a deep breath and let Colin’s hands go to continue our trek through the forest. “Crying makes me feel weak.”

  “We all cry, Kami.”

  “Even you,” I say, glancing over at him. “The big bad wolf?”

  He stares at me with utter seriousness. “Even me. Although, I will say it’s been a long time.” A memory pops up in his mind of him and Zayne running through the woods in the cloak of darkness the night the Royal pack was attacked. I can feel his sadness when he realizes his family is gone and that he might never see them again.

  We walk in silence, and my throat grows thick with each passing second. The location of Chris’s phone before it disconnected is coming up close, along with the ever-growing stench of blood and decay.

  “Here we go,” I say, clenching my teeth.

  Keeping my head down, I scan the ground for Chris’s phone and find it obliterated in hundreds of tiny pieces as if it were crushed. A shifter could do that easily with the squeeze of a hand. Colin walks off from me, but I keep my eyes on the ground. I already know what he’s going to find.

  “You don’t have to look,” Colin says in my mind.

  My hands shake as I focus on him, standing by the edge of a drop-off. I can hear the rushing water of a creek just below. There are trails of blood leading the way, along with scraps of torn clothing. Colin glances back at me as I approach him. He holds a hand out, and I take it before looking down the hill to the creek. I’ve killed enemies before and ripped them apart, but nothing can prepare you for seeing it done to a friend. Down by the creek’s edge is Chris’s obliterated body. When I lock eyes on his severed head, that’s when I break down.

  More tears fall down my cheeks, the rage so raw and intense inside of me I don’t know if I can control it. I want to scream. I want to shift into my wolf and run until I find Ivan and his men so I can tear them open like they did my friends. They deserve all the pain and torment we can give them.

  Colin pulls me into his arms. “We’re going to find them, Kami. I can promise you that.”

  I bury my head into his chest. “You’re damn right we are. They’re not expecting someone like us to come after them.”

  Colin gently grasps my shoulders, pushing me back so he can look at my face, his blue eyes glowing as they peer into mine. “Exactly. It’s time we end them.”

  I nod. “And I know just how to find them.”

  Searching for Ivan and his men will take time. It killed me to leave Chris and Anthony’s bodies where they were, but it’s only temporary until we get rid of Ivan and his men. If I call in the FBI now, they’ll screw everything up. Yes, they could quickly come in with an arsenal and blow Ivan and his men up, but they won’t know to do that. It’s the only way to defeat four vicious wolves who have no remorse for taking human lives. The last thing I want is the FBI knowing there are shifters in the world. They might already know, but if they did, they wouldn’t have put Ivan on the list for mere humans to deal with.

  Right now, Sawyer is still under his sleeping spell, and I told Tia about everything Colin and I found. Ivan and the other wolves’ scents didn’t go any further than the creek. I assume they doubled back to their car and left from there. That’s where I’ll begin my search. My laptop is booted up, and so is Sawyer’s. I gave Colin a quick course on how to use the satellite system to search for people. If the FBI knew, I’d be in some serious trouble.

  As I look down at my clothes, there’s dirt all over my jeans, and it’s getting late. When I breathe in, I can still smell Chris and Anthony’s decaying bodies all around me. I’ll never be able to forget what I saw today.

  Colin is across from me at the small table in our hotel room, his eyes focused on Sawyer’s computer. I don’t know what I’d do without him. “I think I need to take a shower,” I say, sliding my laptop to the side.

  His need rises, and I can hear the sharp intake of his breath, but he keeps his attention on the screen, trying his best not to envision me naked and failing miserably. Memories of the last time we made love flash through his mind, but I can feel he doesn’t want to come off as insensitive to everything that happened today. What he doesn’t realize is that I need him more now than ever before.

  “You’re killing me,” he groans, hanging his head. “I’m trying to give you space to deal with everything.”

  “I know, but space isn’t what I need at this moment. I need you,” I murmur. I stand and take off my shirt and bra, followed by my jeans and underwear. His heated gaze rakes down my body, and his need crashes into me so hard it makes me sway on my feet. “You’ve been holding back on me.”

  Getting to his feet, he rips off his shirt and tosses it across the room. “We’re so close to the full moon. It’s taken every ounce of strength I have to keep my hands off of you.”

  I walk up to him and slide my hands up his bare chest. “That’s the last thing I want right now.”

  He brushes a thumb over my lips. “What do you want?”

  Lifting on my toes, I nip his bottom lip gently. “I’ll leave that up to you.”

  A low growl rumbles in his chest as he unbuttons his jeans, letting them fall to the floor. “You might regret that.”

  I shake my head and move over to the bed to lie down. “Doubt it. I’m ready for anything.” My body trembles just looking at him, all hard and ready. I ache to feel him inside of me.

  Pushing my legs apart with his knee, I hold my breath, waiting for him to plunge in deep. Instead, he wraps his arms around my waist, lifting me off the bed, so I have to straddle his waist to hold on.

  Gasping, I can feel the tip of him at my opening. I try to lower my body onto him, but he grabs my ass and lifts it so I can’t go any lower. “Not yet, Kamille. You left tonight up to me.”

  “So I did,” I reply, already regretting my decision. “What are you going to do with me?” He carries me into the bathroom and reaches into the shower to turn on the water. A smile spreads across my lips. “A shower, huh? This will be interesting.”

  Colin sets me on the bathroom counter and smirks. “That’s not all, baby.”

  He trails a long, lithe finger over my collarbone and down to my breast, where he circles my nipple and finally to my aching clit. Moaning, I arch my back and squeeze my legs tighter around him.

  “I love it when you touch me,” I moan.

  Nipping my ear, he groans and lightly pushes me back, the counter cold against my skin, but Colin’s warm breath between my legs heat me right up.

  I moan again, and he chuckles. “That’s what I like to hear.”

  On his knees, he pulls me down to his mouth, nuzzling me with his nose before trailing his tongue from my opening to my clit. My body jerks from the contact, and it doesn’t take long for the delicious ache of orgasm to draw near. He licks me again, and I tremble when he slides a finger inside of me, then another.

  “Fuck, I could taste you all day,” he murmurs huskily.

  Thrusting his fingers inside of me, he closes his lips over my clit and sucks while pushing demandingly hard and fast. It’s my undoing, and I explode all around him, contracting around his fingers as my orgasm spreads throughout my body. He slows his pace and licks me gently, groaning while getting a taste of what he does to me.

  “We’re not done yet,” he growls. “I need you to hold on tight.”

  Lifting me into his arms, he carries me into the shower and puts me right in the path of the showerhead. The water drips down his whitish-blond hair and over his face and body in tantalizing lines; I want to suck him dry, to taste every inch of him. Pushing me against the shower wall, he presses his lips to mine and thrusts his tongue inside at the exact moment he lowers me down hard on his cock.

  “Colin,” I scream out, digging my nails in his back. Being pushed down so hard sends a jolt of ecstasy through my body, and I love it. Another orgasm comes swif
t, but I hold off, loving the way it feels when it builds up.

  Gripping my waist with his hands, Colin rocks his hips a few more times before lifting me and setting me down on my feet. “Turn around and lean your hands against the wall,” he commands, helping me along by pivoting my hips.

  I do as he says and lean against the wall, spreading my legs wide as he lifts my hips. The tip of his cock grazes my opening for only a second before he plunges in deep and reaches around to grab my breast with one hand and massage my clit with the other. In and out, he pushes, the friction making my body slide against the slick wall of the shower.

  “I want to feel you come again,” he orders. Groaning, he lowers his fingers to where he can feel his cock gliding in, and when I moan, he grips my waist harder. “You’re so damn tight. I could enjoy this all day long.” Holy hell, he’s going to kill me. There are so many sensations running through my body I can barely think. I can feel him getting harder the tighter I clench my muscles around his cock. “Fuck,” he growls, picking up his pace. “I’m going to come, baby.”

  The deeper he pushes inside, the faster I succumb to my release and scream out as the pleasure explodes from within me. Breathing hard, I lean against the wall, trying to catch my breath. Still hard inside of me, Colin gently pulls out and turns me around to face him.

  “How was that? No regrets?” he asks, running his hands soothingly up and down my back.

  “No regrets,” I reply. “I needed it.”

  As he lifts my chin, his gaze turns raw with need. “We need a lot more than that.” Pushing his hard cock against my stomach, he looks down at it and then back up to me. “I’m not done with you, Kami. You have no idea how much I crave your touch.” He cups my breast before sliding a hand down to my center. My clit is swollen, but I’m ready for so much more. A chuckle escapes his lips. “Oh, I’ll be happy to give you more.”

  Shutting off the shower water, Colin opens the door and guides me back into the hotel room, dripping wet from the shower and from in between my legs. Before we even make it to the bed, he grabs me by the waist and pushes me down on the mattress, spreading my legs wide. This is precisely what I needed.

  Colin kisses me and brings a hand up to cup my cheek. “I needed it too.”

  I lean into his touch. “I love you,” I whisper.

  His smile warms my heart. “And I love you.”

  Thrusting inside of me, he begins another round of lovemaking, and I’m going to enjoy every minute of it. Because once we’re done, we have nothing but danger and uncertainty waiting for us.

  22

  Colin

  Eventually, my night of ravishing Kami had to come to an end. Still, it felt fucking amazing to forget everything going on and just be with my mate for the short amount of time we had. Now, we have to hunt, and I’m fully dedicated to helping her. Ivan is a Yukon, and that alone signed his death warrant with me. Even if he wasn’t responsible for killing countless women, his fate had been sealed.

  Kami showed me all the inner workings of the top-secret government satellite she uses to search for people. While she worked on her laptop, I took over Sawyer’s. It’s completely fucked up how the government has access to everything. I got curious and searched for myself and was shocked at what I found. There were videos I saw of myself going back and forth to places when I traveled. It’s a good thing we don’t shift right out in the open. With this kind of technology, it wouldn’t surprise me if the government already knew we existed. Kami seems to think not, but I’m not too sure. Either way, we have to be careful what we do.

  The sun came up about an hour ago, which began the time clock. Tonight is the full moon, and judging by the reports, the missing women who were found were killed on nights of the full moon. The need to hunt and mate is strongest on these nights. It’s different for males than females. We feel the pull a lot stronger than they do.

  Kami’s eyes meet mine over the top of her laptop. “Trust me, I want to complete the bond tonight, but we have to find them. We’re almost there; I can feel it.”

  “It’s okay,” I assure her. “We’re together. That’s all that matters. I don’t need the bond to know you’re mine.” But it will make her stronger if it comes down to a fight. She’d be a royal.

  She reaches for my hand. “Either way, I’ll be fine. I can do this.”

  Letting my hand go, she focuses back on her screen, and I do the same. We search for another hour or so until her hands slam on the table. “Holy shit, I think I found them.”

  After jumping out of my chair, I squat down beside her so I can see. She zooms in on an SUV and a truck pulling down a long, gravel driveway to an abandoned-looking house with holes in the roof. The grass is knee high, and there isn’t another home in sight, just miles and miles of forest.

  Kami points at the screen. “I lost them for a while on the highway but then decided to go back and check all the side roads they could take. There are a million of them, but I had a feeling about this one. I went with my gut.”

  No one has exited the vehicles yet, and when I glance down at the clock, the video was recorded thirty minutes ago. The satellite can show you the present time feed or take you back to ten years ago.

  “Where are they at?” I ask.

  Kami zooms out just a bit so I can see the map. “Looks like Longworth, right by the Lost River State Forest. It’s probably about three hours from here.”

  “The perfect hunting ground,” I state.

  She nods. “Exactly.”

  We watch the feed for another few seconds until the SUV doors open, and two men get out. The driver has to be Ivan since he’s the only one with whitish-blond hair. He’s an arctic like me, but not a royal. The other cocksucker with him has dark brown hair, which means he’s most likely a gray. Gray wolves are more common than arctics and reds. It looks as if Ivan started up his own pack of rogues. In the truck behind them, two more wolves step out.

  “Guess they’ll be hunting for women tonight. Are there any bars close by?” I ask. In the reports, the women went missing from local bars.

  Kami keeps her eyes transfixed on their movement. “I’ll have to look. I want to see what they do.”

  And just then, one of the wolves opens the back hatch of the SUV and drags a woman out … and another. Two more women are pulled out of the second vehicle. Kami’s face pales, and her rage hits me like a ton of bricks.

  “Shit,” she hisses. “They already have them.” We watch them forcefully push the women into the house, and it makes me sick to know what’s about to be done to them. Kami’s hands tremble, and she clenches them tight. “We’re going to be too late.”

  Grabbing her hands, I turn her to me. “No, we won’t.”

  A knock sounds on the door, and I hurry over to open it. Tia walks in, holding a drink holder with three cups of coffee. She freezes when she sees Kami, who stares at the computer screen with a murderous glare. I can feel her need to protect those women.

  “What’s going on?” Tia asks.

  I take the coffee from her and set it on the TV stand. “We found them. They abducted four women.”

  She gasps. “Oh, God. What are we going to do?”

  Jumping out of her chair, Kami slams her computer shut. “We’re going to save the women and kill those worthless bastards.” She hurries over to her bag and shoves her things inside of it.

  Tia steps toward her. “I’m coming with you. You need me.” When Kami shakes her head, Tia’s magic fills the room, making Kami freeze in place before she can finish zipping up her luggage. “I am going, Kami. This is a rescue mission now. You and Colin can’t kill all four wolves and get those women out alive. It’s not possible.”

  “She’s right. We need backup,” I say, keeping my voice low. Tia frees Kami from her spell, and I can sense Kami’s turmoil. She wants to prove to the world how strong she is without asking for anyone’s help. I’m stronger than most shifters, and I can take two out at a time, but if all four surround me, it’s a chance I’
m not willing to take, not with Kami involved. I have to make sure she’s protected. She’s the only thing that matters above all else. I will protect her before I risk her life to save someone else’s.

  Kami stares into my eyes, and I know she heard my thoughts. “What if I asked you to save someone over me?”

  I shake my head. “You will always come first.”

  “Fine,” she gives in. “Who do you want to call for backup?”

  There’s only one wolf I know who will drop everything to be by my side. He already knows what we’re doing and has offered to help if we needed it. Pulling out my phone, I press Zayne’s number, and he answers on the first ring. “Hey. Everything okay?”

  “How fast can you get to Minnesota?” I ask.

  “I’ll be there in a few hours.”

  He hangs up, and I look at Kami and Tia. “Let’s get out of here.”

  23

  Kami

  Colin drove the entire way to Longworth so I could keep watch over the abandoned house. Tia followed behind us with Sawyer passed out in the backseat. We found a hotel about twenty minutes away from the abandoned house and are waiting for Zayne to show up before we leave. It’s five o’clock in the afternoon, and he’s set to arrive soon. The plan is to stake out the house and wait for the right time. With the sun already setting sooner with the time change coming up, it’ll be dark in an hour. Tia and I are going to concentrate on the women while Colin and Zayne kill the men. Colin knows I want my vengeance on Ivan, so he knows I want my time with him. I want him to feel helpless, to suffer and writhe with pain.

  I take in a deep breath and blow it out slowly. Colin stands by the window, watching out for Zayne, probably wondering why I’m blocking him from my thoughts. He’s gotten to where he doesn’t ask anymore why I keep things from him. His patience has made me fall in love with him even more.

  As I stare at the computer screen, none of the wolves have left, which means they’re inside with the women doing God knows what to them. When I was with the Yukons, I thought for sure they would get tired of torturing me, but it was endless. The more time they had with me, the more they desired to hear me scream—sadistic bastards.