Broken Melody (Luna's Children)

by Melissa Kay Clarke

  “Cay... I... I can see you. I can see you,” she sobbed then pulling her hand free of his, she threw her arms around his body, buried her face against him and cried. He dropped to his knees, pulling her into his arms and held her, one hand gently combing through her long blond hair, the other pressed firmly against her back. She felt good in his arms, her curves fit him perfectly, and he tightened his grasp marginally. The world could explode in a shower of fiery sparks and he wouldn't know or care. He held his entire universe in his arms and nothing could pull them apart. He whispered endearments to her; just as he had the night she had helped them find his sister, just as he wanted to for the remainder of his life. She was perfection and he loved her with every ounce of his being.

  Had Cayson looked around, he would have seen Chase hold his mate close to him as tears poured down her face. Rachel stood nearby and pulled a tissue out of her purse to blot her own eyes. All around them, various members of Sapphire Lake stood, clutching loved ones as they watched the tender scene unfolding before them, but he never saw any of it. All his attention was on the beauty snuggled against his chest and the soft sob of “I can see you, I can really, really see you,” that was coming from his mate. Never, in all of his life, did he ever hear anything that caused his heart to soar as those words she whispered against his chest. It was sweeter than any words he had ever heard in his life. Until she murmured the phrase that almost ripped his soul from his body from pure happiness and sent it soaring into the stratosphere.

  "I love you, Cay."

  FOUR

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  A single beam of sunlight fell across her face, pulling her out of the sweet grasp of blissful dreams. Blinking, she started to stretch but stopped when she realized there was something warm pressed up against her back. She grinned. Seems good dreams really do come true after all. As she finished her stretch, she turned over facing him..

  “Good morning, love.” Cayson's gorgeous face was just a couple of inches from hers. With big beautiful green eyes that never failed to make her catch her breath, he captured her chin in his strong fingers and gently stroked her bottom lip. “So beautiful,” he murmured softly and every nerve in her body jingled at his words. Leaning in, he pressed his lips to hers and kissed her tenderly, running his tongue along the seam until hers parted slowly. The kiss deepened, causing an ache in her belly that screamed for more. When he finally pulled away, she panted from the intensity. His eyes never left her face, drinking in her features like a parched man in the desert finding a cup of water. He pulled her back to him and held her close; her face pressed to his chest, her lips hovered above his mark – their mark. It was so overwhelming she didn't know if she could continue to breathe being so close to him.

  “How about some breakfast,” she whispered softly, her breath caressing his skin.

  He groaned and tightened his arms around her. “I have all I need right here.” He kissed her head and nuzzled the blond tresses. “It feels like a dream, a beautiful wonderful dream starring you.”

  “Dream?” She blinked. “I... I didn't have any nightmares last night.” She raised her head and looked at him. “For the first time in I don't know how long, there were no nightmares.”

  “Let that be a lesson to you. I protect you here in the physical world and there in the dream world. All I want to do is love you and keep you safe; every day, every moment. It's what I live for. Baby, won't you let me? Forever? Even if you are the most stubborn woman I have ever had the pleasure to know.” He chuckled and she felt the pleasured rumble in his chest. Both he and his wolf were satisfied at the moment, though she didn't know why they were. For some crazy reason, his wolf didn't seem to mind that she didn't have one of her own. Maybe he was right. Maybe it was time to let someone else deal with the nightmares. Either way, at this moment it felt good to be with him. She sighed happily and laid her head back on his chest. In his arms she could almost forget. Almost.

  A loud rumble came from his stomach and she laughed, sitting up and pointing a finger at him. “You are hungry!”

  He grinned. The sound of her laughter was like a balm to his soul. It was so light and free, lifting his heart. He drank it in and could swear the room brightened in response. “Maybe just a little bit, but I am enjoying having you in my arms too much to move.” He growled and pulled her back down to lay beside him. “My stomach can wait because my arms will never let you go again. I've waited too long for this and I intend on enjoying every moment just in case you suddenly change your mind again.”

  His words hit home and she sighed heavily. “About that. Cay, I was so stupid for so long, denying what we are.” She ran a finger along the lines and whirls of his mark. She blinked a few times to clear the sudden pool of tears that had gathered.. “I thought...” It was on the tip of her tongue to tell him everything but something stopped her. He didn't need to be burdened with her problems. When he finally found out, he would most likely never want to see her again. Now that she had let him passed her walls, she wasn't quite ready to let him go again.

  “Whatever you're thinking of, stop it. Today is about us and I don't want anything to ruin it. What's in your past is there, in your past and has no place in now. The past can't hurt us so just let it go, baby.” He nuzzled her hair again, breathing in the scent of bread, cinnamon and sunflowers. Strange how he hadn't noticed her having a special scent until the day they had bonded. He chuckled. “You smell like sunflowers and fresh baked cinnamon bread.”

  “Bread,” she froze. “Oh, no!” Jumping up she grabbed her glasses and peered at the clock. “It's after seven – I should have been at the bakery two hours ago. I'm late!” Looking down at the rumpled clothes she was still wearing from the day before she groaned.

  He rose up on an elbow and watched her dart around the room, pulling clean clothes out of a drawer and mumbling the entire time. Chuckling he shook his head. “Audrey will be fine. It was an emotional night last night and she was there to witness. I bet she didn't expect you to be there this morning anyway. Besides, it's not like she's going to fire you.” He swung his feet over the edge of her bed and pulled his tee shirt from the corner, frowning at the smell of sweat and grime. He really should have taken a shower last night but she had clung to him and refused to let go so he carried her to her house and put her to bed. She begged him to not leave her and he obliged, curling behind her and holding her until she finally fell asleep. It had been nothing short of heaven.

  "I've never been late," she groaned, shoving her fingers into her hair, looking around wildly. She stopped and glanced at the clothes in her hand. “I need a shower and to brush my teeth.” She whirled around, looking for her robe. Spying it, she grabbed it and headed towards the bathroom. He shook his head and laughed; even in panic mode, his woman was amazing. His woman. Yep, he liked the sound of it. “I'm going to go home and take one for myself. Unless you will let me share yours? I'll wash your back and you can wash mine,” he called out, teasing her.

  “I don't have time for back washing,” the water turned on in the tiny shower. “I have to get to work,” she shouted.

  He grabbed the handle of the door and opened it a crack to tell her he was going and was struck dumb by the sight of her standing in the stall, back to him. He watched mesmerized as the rivulets of water slid down her back and over the swell of her rear. Her luscious curves created hills and valley for the droplets as they raced down her body. He sucked in a breath, wishing he could follow their path with fingers and lips until they disappeared at her ankles and he had tasted every delectable inch of that amazing form. Never had he been so jealous of water. He feasted on the sight of her as she bent over to wash her legs and whimpered, his wolf echoing his distress. Luna, what the sight was doing to him! Adjusting the tight material over his groin slightly he tore his eyes away and coughed. “I'll see you in a bit." The words were a strained so he repeated it a bit louder and added, "I'm going to get a shower and change clothes.” He turned away tr
ying to shake the vision her luscious curves and the way the water sluiced over them from his mind.

  “Ok, I'll see you after a while. I will be working until at least lunch. Maybe we can go for a walk this afternoon,” she called out then grumbled when she dropped her scrubber. “Darn thing is slippery,” she mumbled under her breath. His acute hearing picked it up and the thought of her bending over again just about gave him a heart attack. “A cold shower,” he promised himself and wrenched the bathroom door closed. Three steps later, he was at the front door of her cottage. Pulling it open, he gritted his teeth and walked out before he could change his mind, his animal shredding his insides with the need to go back and claim their mate right now.

  "Later," he growled through gritted teeth. "She's not getting away from us again, so settle down."

  His wolf snarled at him but with the promise of having her nearby soon, soon settled down enough for them to make their way painstakingly across the commons and the promised cold shower.

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  Carson sat on the front porch of the pack house, draped over the swing with one toe pushing against the floor absently. She had her head back against one of the chain supports and her eyes closed, the dark mass of curls thrown haphazardly up into a messy bun on her head.

  “Well, well, would you look at that?”

  There was a poke on her knee. “Lem'me alone, Rach, can't you see I'm trying to nap.”

  “Nap later. Come on, look, hurry up.” Rachel's voice had gone up an octave, a sure sign that something noteworthy had happened. Cracking open an eye, she looked out across the commons.

  “I've seen my brother before,” she mumbled and closed her eye again.

  “Ever seen him coming out of Zan's house? At seven a.m.? Wearing the same clothes he had on last night?” Every question had gone up another pitch until the last one had been a squeak.

  “What?” Carson jumped up and almost fell out of the swing. Her eyes found Cayson as he walked across the early morning commons, head bent and mumbling to himself, stopping a couple of times to adjust himself. Quickly he climbed the steps to their parent’s house and paused at the door. Looking back over his shoulder at Zandria's little cottage, a huge grin broke across his face and then he turned and made his way inside, closing the door behind.

  “Think they were doing the nasty... hide the pickle... horizontal bop....?” Rachel wiggled her eyebrows suggestively then fell back into the rocker she had been sitting in. “You know, Car, sex!”

  “Rach! I swear you are too crude at times. I don't want to think of my brother doing... that… so please keep your dirty thoughts to yourself.” Carson's face practically glowed from the heat that came off it. “I'm not going to talk about my brother's sex life. Geez! Talk about TMI!”

  “Call me a tabloid because inquiring minds want to know.” Rachel looked over at the cottage again. “I wonder if I could weasel it out of her later,” she mumbled absently.

  “It's none of our business, now behave!”

  Her friend huffed and muttered, “Spoil sport” under her breath.

  They sat in silence for a few minutes before Carson broke the silence. “I'd say from the way he was walking he was shut down. Either that or he's got a wicked case of jock itch. Just saying.”

  “And there you are, Sister Perv, I knew I was rubbing off on you.” She sniffed dramatically, "You make me so proud!" then ducked, laughing, as Carson's shoe barely missed her head.

  FIVE

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  Jeff Hennison, alpha of Sapphire Lake pack, sat behind his large desk and shuffled through the papers heaped on the surface. For the most part, their pack was self sufficient and needed very little from the outside world. Every adult contributed to the overall well being of the pack, with some making the trek into town for normal jobs, while others stayed here in the village to handle things. They had an electrician, a plumber, a couple of seamstresses, not to mention a dozen or so miscellaneous crafters who could produce everything from baskets to rugs. Electricity and water was provided by a series of windmills, water wheels and solar cells. Propane gas fueled a few buildings, supplementing fireplaces and boilers. Food came from their lands and only marginally subsidized by area farmers. Things they could not produce on their own were purchased and maintained in the pack stores. A list of those items currently had his attention.

  “Thank the sweet face of Luna above, my father had such great financial instinct,” he mumbled.

  His mate, Miriah, looked up from her desk in the corner. Along with being alpha female of their pack, event coordinator and mother, she was also the pack teacher. Putting her pen down, she stretched languidly and rose from the chair, making her way to his side. Gently she rubbed his shoulders. “Is it bad?” she asked softly.

  He shook his head and leaned into her gentle ministrations on his tight muscles. “Not really, we're still in excellent shape. When he sold that furthermost tract of land to a wildlife preserve fifty years ago, he invested the money well and we have never been frivolous. I just see the cost of things going up and it concerns me about the coming generations.”

  She pressed a kiss to his head. “They will do fine, love.” She wrapped her arms loosely around his neck and nuzzled against him, breathing in his scent. He kissed her arm and patted it fondly.

  There was a soft knock at the door. Miriah reluctantly let him go and made her way back to her desk. “Come in,” Jeff called out.

  A smiling face topped with a mop of shaggy brown hair inched open the door. “Afternoon, Alpha.”

  “Afternoon, Landry. What can I do for you?” Jeff leaned back in his chair.

  Landry walked the rest of the way in and greeted Miriah as he shut the door. “I know you're busy but I just wanted to stop in and tell you that we're done; the ladies are back in business. I finished rewiring the main oven in the bakery and Steven got the leak fixed, but apparently it had been there a while before Audrey noticed it. We’ve got a lot of wood damage that will need to be repaired. I shored it up best I can, and I think it'll hold for a bit, but the sub-floor and a part of the wall as well as the joist is probably going to need to be replaced.”

  Jeff groaned and scrubbed his hand along the back of his neck. “Alright, I'll grab Cayson and we'll see if we can handle it or if we're going to have to contract it out.” He mentally added the latest fiasco to his ever growing list of things to do. “Anything else?”

  Landry nodded. “One other thing. Just as I was coming up the steps, there was a stranger pulling into the grounds. Definitely a wolf, but nobody I'd seen before. I saw Patrick heading his way.”

  Jeff nodded. “Thanks Landry. Oh, and Mirah was telling me that there's a light out in the pack house. Could you take care of that for me?”

  The younger man nodded, “No problem.” He turned and opened the door, flinching slightly as Patrick's big hand almost came in contact with Landry's forehead in an abortive attempt to knock on the door. “Sorry,” he mumbled.

  Landry slipped out the door as Patrick led a tall stranger into the office. Stopping at the desk he motioned towards him. “Jeff, this is Simon Winstead, alpha of Leeco pack in Mississippi. Simon, our alpha, Jeff Hennison.” He nodded his head respectfully at the two. “I'll be right outside if you need me.” He quickly slipped out the room.

  Jeff rose from his chair, leaned across the desk and shook the man's hand. Simon Winstead was about the same height but quite a bit older with gray around his temples and the faint touch of lines around his eyes and mouth. His hazel eyes held no warmth and his thin lips were drawn in a severe line. Given that wolves aged at a lesser rate than humans, he was probably close to a 125, maybe even 150. Wearing a pair of pressed black slacks topped with a dark gray polo shirt, he radiated a no nonsense attitude and Jeff decided immediately that he neither liked nor trusted him.

  Sitting back down, he motioned to the chair across from the desk. “Have a seat, Alpha Winste
ad.” Looking over the visitors shoulder, he saw Miriah arch an eyebrow quizzically. He knew she was asking if he wanted her to leave. He shook his head slightly before turning back. “What can I do for you?”

  Simon settled into the chair and crossed one leg over the other, resting his hands on his knee. “I'm not one to beat around the bush so please excuse me for being a bit blunt. I'm looking for a member of our pack that has run away.”

  Jeff wrinkled his brow and eyed him incrediously. “All the way from Mississippi? That's a pretty far piece to be looking for a runaway. Why not just let them go?”

  Simon shifted uncomfortably. “Normally, I wouldn't go to such lengths for a runaway, but this is a special situation. The girl in question is mentally unstable and has hurt some of our pack members. I'm trying to find her and bring her home again.”

  Jeff nodded sagely. “If she's a danger, why hasn't an alert been issued by the Council? I've not heard anything about a rogue wolf.”

  The visitor cleared his throat nervously. “Well, that's because she's not a wolf, she's a human. I would also rather handle this situation personally and not bother the Council.”

  Jeff pursed his lips. “I see. Have you talked to the human authorities? I assume you would if she is any kind of a risk.”