Moonrise

by Ines Johnson

  His parents had said the exact same words after they sent Lucia out into the cold. His chest burned so hard he coughed. He jerked up in bed, displacing Lucia.

  "Jackson, are you okay?" she said, rubbing at his back.

  Once his chest settled, the words spewed forth like embers on hot coals. "I found your father. He's in prison."

  "You... what?"

  "After we saw Pierce this morning, my father told me where your father was. He asked that I go to the prison and check him out. To make sure..."

  “To make sure what?"

  "That your father would be no threat to the family," Jackson slumped against the pillows. "He was taken in for terroristic threats. He tried to breach the Sierra Mountains fifteen years ago. The authorities captured him and threw him in jail where he's been all this time."

  Jackson watched as Lucia processed all of this information. She landed on the most important fact.

  "You saw him?"

  Jackson nodded. "I did. He's... a little unhinged. I was afraid to let him near you."

  Lucia jerked away from him. "Jackson that's not your decision to make."

  "I know," he moved closer to her. "I know. It was my first instinct, to protect you. I won't apologize for the instinct because my life will be based around your happiness and safety. But I was wrong in my conclusion. I should have shared the information with you immediately. I promise to do that from now on."

  Jackson reached out to her, but paused before his hand reached her cheek. He waited, hanging in mid air, until she leaned into him. Jackson sighed as he brought her head against his.

  "Do you want to see him?" he asked.

  She didn't hesitate. "Of course."

  It made Jackson nervous, but he would be by her side. He'd stand by her as she went through with this decision of hers.

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  Lucia looked down at the long, strong fingers that gripped hers. Jackson’s hand had wrapped around hers when he'd found her with Pierce the other night. He'd held onto her as he made love to her later that night, and then again in the morning sunlight. She couldn't remember a time when his fingers hadn't been between hers.

  This evening, they sat in plastic chairs that scraped on linoleum floors. Lucia tapped her toe only to have the tap-tapping sound stutter as the sole of her shoe met with a sticky substance on the floor. She stopped her mind from wondering what that substance could be and kept her feet still.

  Jackson wrapped an arm around her shoulders. He lent her his strength, and she took greedily from him. The momentary anger she'd felt at him for planning to keep the whereabouts of her father was forgotten. After all, she'd kept secrets from him, too. But neither could hold their truths for very long.

  She looked up at Jackson. He gave her his eyes, open and accessible as ever. She'd been taught that fairytales and romances were horror stories of evil queens, incapable princesses, and foolish girls. That men would rob women of their power and force them into service. Lucia tilted her head up and Jackson placed the gentlest of kisses against her lips.

  In truth, Jackson's love had overpowered her. His wang was pure magic. And if he wanted to place a gold band on her finger to show his ownership of her, she'd wear it with pride. She felt stronger than she ever had with Jackson by her side. The care he took of her she wanted to return tenfold.

  When she turned her head, she saw the first man that had made her feel strong. Lucia rose, but Jackson held onto her. She sat back in her chair and her heart broke and shattered inside her chest.

  Inside the prison visiting area, the Moon filtered through thick glass windows that diffused the rays and cast the room into a foreboding shade of blue that sucked any light and life from the atmosphere. Her father's hair wasn't the thick, lush mane that she remembered grabbing tufts of. His eyes weren't the shining lights of love and joy of her memory. His hair was wild, his eyes vacant. He didn't reach his arms up to her. His hands were chained, his feet shackled. He shuffled towards her under the direction of two warlock guards, an animal well and truly captured because the real chains were in his mind.

  Lucia's eyes flashed, but a steady hand pulled her back. Jackson held her to him, placing his lips against her temple and whispering words that didn't penetrate her brain. But his calming tone did. Lucia took a deep breath as her father sat down at their table. There was not a shred of recognition in his empty eyes.

  "Hello," she tried.

  No response.

  She reached out her hand, but Jackson stopped her. She flashed her eyes at him. He let her hand go, but he moved in closer to her, ever the protector. She did not object. Though she didn't fear her father, she needed her mate's strength to get through this ordeal. She reached out to touch her father's hands. They were ice cold, like the steel that bound them.

  Her father flinched. Then inhaled. His eyes clouded with a pale shade of moonglow. He blinked, as though an attempt to wipe away the confusion. The haze cleared, and then he finally looked up at her.

  His eyes roamed her face. His lower lip slackened. She knew the moment he recognized her because his eyes widened. He turned his head away and shut his eyes tight, shaking his head. But then, as though he couldn't help it, he looked at her again.

  "I thought I would never see you again. Is it really you, my little Lucia?" His voice sounded like gravel scraped against broken glass.

  "Yes." There were so many things she wanted to say. She had so much to tell him, but that was the only word she could get past the constriction of her chest.

  The edge of her father's mouth kicked up into a simulation of a grin, but on his face it reminded her of a hyena's grin. The sound of him chuckling completed the comparison.

  Jackson's hold tightened around her shoulders. She knew that her mate heard insanity in that cackle, but all Lucia could parse out was pain.

  She leaned forward and took her father's hands again. "Mother never fully recovered. If she had come back down the mountain, she would've died sooner. You prolonged her life sending us back."

  The pained laughter died. A sorrow bleaker than the light straining through the thick glass of the prison clouded her father's gaze.

  "She never doubted you," Lucia continued. "Not one single night. She never stopped loving you. Your name was the last thing she spoke before she returned to the Goddess."

  His eyes didn't widen. His mouth didn't gape open. It was as though he shrank even further into himself. When he finally spoke it was barely above a whisper. When his eyes found hers again, they were full of torture. "I was here. I tried to get up the mountain. The authorities arrested me, called me a terrorist. They caught me and threw me in here. Said my actions were a danger to all. No one was fool enough to climb a witch's mountain. I'm a loner. There was no one to speak for me."

  "I'll speak for you."

  They both turned to Jackson.

  "I'm a..." Jackson paused and reset his lips to form a different word. "I'm a lawyer. I'm taking on your case. You were not given due process, or a trial. The law has been violated. We will get you out of here."

  As if her prince couldn't be any more perfect, now Jackson was set to save who he'd once considered the villain in this story. Her chest hurt as her heart stretched to expand with this new love she felt for him.

  Lucia turned her attention back to her father. She squeezed his bound hands tightly. "I promise you, I'll be back tomorrow. I'll be back every night. You are no longer alone."

  As she walked away from her father, she saw the light dim in his eyes. She almost turned back, but Jackson pulled her into his arms.

  "I promise you," he said, "I will move the Moon and the Earth to get him out of here."

  It was the only reason she could walk out of the prison. She trusted Jackson with her life. She trusted him with her father's life as well.

  "I already have his file," Jackson continued as they entered the cool twilight air. "I'll file motions in..."

  Jackson stopped walking. Since Lucia was tucked into his side, she
was forced to stop too. She looked up at him, wondering what the matter was. But his eyes weren't on her.

  "Ma? What are you doing here?"

  Lucia looked away from Jackson to see Karyn Alcede stepping out of the street and onto the sidewalk. Karyn's eyes weren't on her son. They were on Lucia, open and accessible.

  Karyn walked up to her, not breaking eye contact as she did so. "We went to your home, and you weren't there. Don't scowl, we would've called first, but you don't have a home phone. Anyway, Harold said he found Lucia's father."

  Behind Karyn, Harold trudged up the sidewalk. His head cast down, eyes not looking at either Lucia or Jackson. It would seem that Karyn was ready to hear Lucia's side, but her husband didn't entirely see it that way.

  "I wanted to check this Luke Serrano out," Karyn continued. "To make sure he wouldn't hurt our new daughter."

  Lucia had to lean into Jackson's side. The impact of Karyn's words made her knees weak and her eyes fill with tears.

  Karyn's eyes shone with regret and sincerity. When they shifted away from Lucia, the light in her eyes switched to defiance when she looked at her son. "Before you tell us it's your lives and not our decision to make, just know that it's my job as your mother to protect my son and his mate. And I will never apologize for that because your happiness and safety are the most important things in my world."

  "I don't mind," Lucia said.

  "You say that now," Jackson murmured.

  But Lucia was already in Karyn's arms. The woman held her and rubbed at her back just like she'd done on that first night. Lucia had found her father. She had the man of her dreams standing behind her. She was wrapped up in the warmth of a new mother. But over Karyn's shoulder she saw Harold approach with his hands in his pockets and his head down.

  Lucia let Karyn go and faced her husband. Harold straightened his shoulders and then rose his eyes to hers. Lucia blinked in surprise, but she held his gaze.

  "What I said to you, Lucia... I didn't mean... I was just... There's no excuse—"

  "Then you're forgiven, and it's forgotten." Without waiting for permission, Lucia flung herself into Harold's arms. He stumbled back from the force of her embrace, but then he chuckled and his arms came around her just as sure as his wife's had.

  When she finally let the elder Alcede go, the younger one approached. Both men stood rigid and crossed their arms over their chests. Harold was the first to speak.

  "I take it you're not coming into work this evening?"

  "Just to clear out my desk," Jackson answered. "There's a city council seat I'm considering. But in the meantime, I'm going into private practice. My first case will be to exonerate Luke Serrano."

  Harold nodded. He uncrossed his arms and shoved his hands in his pockets. "I reread the details of his case—what wasn't redacted. There are enough grounds for a hearing."

  Jackson's arms fell to his sides, but he crossed them behind his back.

  Harold took a step forward. Jackson's foot rose. But then Harold paused.

  "You can't go into private practice," Harold insisted. "You have a family to support now. There's an opening in the DA's office. I'll pull some strings."

  Jackson shook his head. His shoulders also shook as he chuckled. His mother gave him a what-did-you-expect look.

  "What?" Harold asked, looking between them all. "There's nothing wrong with taking advantage of nepotism, son."

  "I love you, dad." Jackson stepped forward and wrapped his arms around his father. Harold returned the embrace. And then a moment later, he pulled out his phone and began making calls.

  Jackson returned to Lucia, tucking her into his side. He planted another light kiss on her temple. "You sure you want into this family? We're a meddlesome, over-protective, touchy-feely bunch of wolves."

  "It sounds perfect."

  Epilogue

  Pierce watched the city retreat as the train picked up speed. The city spires shrank. The bright lights faded into the sky and left behind the stars. He felt the crush of bodies lessening as he stretched out in his seat, alone in the train car.

  The Moon loomed large, ever present. In the darkness of the new day, he felt the Moon’s rays call to his blood, to the eager wolf inside him.

  At the increased chugging of the wheels, his ears perked up. His sharp eyes caught movement in the overgrown landscape outside the glass window. His fingers thrummed against the armrest. His foot tapped against the thin carpeting.

  The tip of his nose felt cold. He noticed he was flush to the glass window. He leaned back and saw he had fogged it up. The condensation melted away, leaving behind a shape that looked like a heart.

  Pierce smiled sadly. Love was the last thing in the cards for him. He’d finally accepted who he was; a lone wolf. His life would be spent roaming the lands of this wounded world. There would be no long-term attachments for him. No love. No mate.

  Over the years he’d tried to tamp down on his drive to run, but with each passing year it only grew stronger. With each trip he took he’d stay away longer and longer. And now this trip he was on had no expiration date.

  As the train picked up more and more speed, Pierce felt his heart lighten. He felt his wolf dancing in circles, excited to get out into an open space and run; run until his heart burst open. He’d rest. Then he’d rise and then do it all again. Every day. For the rest of his life.

  He sighed again. This time, when the condensation fogged the window, it left no shape. There was no trace of him.

  “Is this seat taken?”

  The husky feminine voice called Pierce’s attention away from the window and up the long, long legs and shapely hips and pert breasts to a heart-shaped face engulfed in a halo of dark curls. The dark curls and lush curves marked her as a wolf. He cleared his throat and shifted in his seat. He motioned with his hands for the she-wolf to take the seat across from him.

  She struggled to put her luggage in the overhead compartment. Pierce stood to offer assistance.

  “I’ve got it,” she insisted and hefted the bulk overhead with a grunt.

  Pierce stepped back. He was used to strong, independent women. He’d been surrounded by them his whole life. He felt no offense that this woman didn’t want his assistance. But that didn’t mean he wasn’t a gentleman. He waited to be sure she’d secured the case. Then waited some more until she turned and sat down in her seat before he did the same.

  The woman sat, crossing those mile long legs. She cleared her throat and Pierce realized he’d been staring. He looked up to offer a sheepish apology. When his eyes met hers, his breath caught in his throat. Beneath the halo of dark, thick hair she had eyes of the lightest blue. Pierce had seen the ocean of the Arctic. That body of water was a dark, murky swamp compared to the crystals set deep in this woman’s face.

  Pierce was a lone wolf prone to roam, but he was also a man with needs. Both man and wolf salivated at this woman before him. He was certain his interest was plain. He heard himself panting. He felt his mouth water. He brushed his thumb at the corner of his lip to capture a drop of evidence.

  In response, she rolled her eyes and focus her attention outside at the scenery.

  “This is beautiful country side,” he tried.

  They were now far from Sequoia and nearer to the Mexican border.

  “Yes,” she said. She turned her head from the window and produced a book. She held the book up in front of her face, blocking him from her beauty.

  The terse response indicated that she wasn’t interested. It should’ve turned Pierce off, but it didn’t. Her disinterest in him turn him on. The last thing he wanted was an entanglement. Her disinterest in him would serve him well. If he could flip that disinterest, and by extension her, on its back for the evening.

  Pierce rarely went for she-wolves. The hot-blooded females could still form attachments with males who were not their mates. He saw no bite marks on her collarbone. He scented no other wolf on her skin. Though he noted a male scent, probably human. So, she likely wasn’t looking for
any entanglements herself. If he could just capture her attention, he might spark her interest.

  He noticed the thick book in her hands; Sheep Health, Husbandry, and Disease. He doubted it was for pleasure reading. Perhaps it was a textbook? Maybe she was a student? The last stop was a large college town.

  “I hope you don’t mind my saying,” he began, a wolfish smile on his face. “But you have the most beautiful eyes I’ve ever seen.”

  She lowered the book and arrowed those light-colored eyes at him. She opened her mouth to speak. Then she swallowed. She rubbed her hand over her flat abdomen. Then she lurched forward, vomiting in his lap.

  So much for his A game.

  Moonlight is the story of how Pierce came to be

  a fake-fiance, a baby daddy, and fell in love,

  in that order!

  She was no damsel but he rescued her anyway.

  You can never go home again…

  Viviane Veracruz is on her way home from university with a degree in one hand…and a baby in her belly. Desperate to escape the judgement of her family, she accepts a sexy stranger’s offer to pose as the father for a few days. The plan is for him to run off leaving her family none the wiser. But the longer Pierce Alcede stays, the more she can’t let him go.

  Home is where the heart is…

  Pierce Alcede has finally come to terms with the fact that he is a lone wolf, prone to roam the wilderness alone and never settle down with a family of his own. When he meets a pregnant woman in need, he thinks nothing of stepping in to take the brunt of her family’s ire. But somewhere between working on the Veracruz Ranch by day and climbing into Viviane’s bed at night, Pierce forgets to run away.

  Can a woman searching for a place to belong find a home with a man who lives to roam?