Kiss of Moonlight (Lucani Lovers Book 1)

by Stephanie Julian

  The man had been killed before anyone could question him. But Kyle knew, before he’d died, that he’d said something about a “she” who wouldn’t stop.

  “All I can say is good luck,” were his last words.

  Against what?

  No one had been able to find out and there’d been no other attacks on the boschetta since then.

  Were these men working for the same woman who’d organized that kidnapping?

  What would they want with Tam?

  They needed answers.

  “We need at least one of them alive.”

  Tivr’s voice was barely audible and never failed to freak Kyle out, coming as it did out of a wolf’s mouth. No other versipelli could do that. But when you were the son of a powerful goddess and a god in your own right, the rules didn’t apply.

  As he nodded, Tivr shifted back into his skin, fully dressed in a t-shirt, jeans and combat boots. Another perk of being a god. When Kyle shifted back, he’d be naked.

  “I’ll go in the back.” Tivr kept his voice low enough that Kyle almost had trouble hearing him. “You make sure they don’t get out the front. Disable. Don’t maim. You can thank me for the clothes later.”

  A second later, a stack of clothes appeared in Tivr’s hands.

  Biting down on his tongue to stop himself from making a sound, Kyle began to call back his pelt.

  This process didn’t take as long as calling it forth, because his body knew its natural shape. The wolf was only one aspect of the man and to bring it out, he had to submerge the rest of him. He was a man and his body knew its true form.

  In seconds, his body reformed, the pelt disappearing into skin, bones reforming and repositioning. To anyone watching, his transformation took only seconds and was accompanied by a bright flash.

  Now, he knelt on the ground, naked. Rising to his feet, he took the boots, black t-shirt and black tactical pants Tivr handed him. Then he took the knife Tivr had in his other hand and shoved it in the side pants pocket.

  Yeah, he’d thank Tivr later. But not now.

  Back at the front door, he had to wait only seconds before Tivr opened the back door. Kyle waited until both men had turned toward the sound before he kicked the front door in.

  One of the men turned toward Kyle. The other headed for Tivr.

  Knowing Tivr could take care of himself, Kyle took a run at the other guy. Who pulled a gun.

  Tall and lanky but quick, the man got a shot off before Kyle reached him. The bullet burned across his upper arm without penetrating.

  Kyle pushed the pain out of his mind and used his forearm to knock the gun out of his hand. It took the guy a second to bring his fist into play. By that time, Kyle had his hand wrapped around his throat and had slammed him up against the wall.

  Behind him, Tivr growled, the sound menacing and deadly and totally terrifying coming from what looked like a human male. The stench of fear rolled off the two men, although the one he held had a healthy dose of anger. He fought Kyle’s hold, his fists rising to reach for Kyle’s fingers tight around his throat.

  Kyle took a few punches before he squeezed tighter, depriving the man of all air until his struggles grew weaker. Then he knocked the man’s head against the wall hard enough to make him lose consciousness.

  When Kyle was sure the man was truly out, he turned to the one Tivr had pinned in a corner.

  “You need to start talking,” Kyle said. “Now.”

  * * * * *

  By the time Kyle got back to his home, his gut ached so badly, he could barely breathe.

  Tivr hunched behind him, his body and face that of a gangly teen not yet a man. The Bullet for My Valentine t-shirt and faded jeans fit the image.

  Tivr had no blood stains on his clothes. Kyle had had to ditch his t-shirt in the garbage can outside so he didn’t scare the girls.

  Neither man in Tam’s house had been able to tell them who they worked for, only that it was a woman. Career criminals, they’d been sent to retrieve Tamra and deliver her unharmed to the man who’d hired them for the job. They only knew they were working for a woman because their contact had used the word “her” once during the conversation.

  They didn’t know why the woman wanted Tamra, only that she’d given them a list of places to look for her. This had been the last place on their list.

  After they’d spilled all the information they had, Kyle had taken them outside and killed them. No great loss to society there.

  Now, standing with his hand on the hidden latch to the entrance into the safe room, he saw he hadn’t cleaned his hands well enough. They still bore specks of blood.

  Without a word to Tivr, Kyle turned and headed for the kitchen sink, ran the hot water and scrubbed his hands until they retained no trace of blood.

  Then he forced himself to walk back to the hidden door and open it.

  “Catene, Tamra,” he called down the stairs. “We’re back.”

  Then he held his breath and didn’t move.

  Seconds later, he heard Tam say, “Kyle?”

  A gut-twisting mix of relief and dread settled in his stomach. “Yeah, it’s me. We’re coming, down, okay?”

  The soft sound he heard could’ve been a laugh, could’ve been a sigh. He had no idea.

  He took the stairs as slowly as he could, not wanting to scare her by barreling down like a bull. He couldn’t imagine what she’d been thinking while he was gone, what Cat had said. Or what Tam would do when he told her what needed to happen.

  He hadn’t let himself imagine the scenario that greeted him when he reached the bottom. His breath caught and held in his chest as he froze.

  Tam sat on the floor, the half-grown black wolf on her lap sound asleep. Tam’s fingers slid through the silky fur on his daughter’s neck, petting in a rhythmic motion.

  “She fell asleep about fifteen minutes ago.” Tam’s voice sounded calm, cool. Almost inaudible. As if she didn’t want to wake Cat. “Please don’t be angry with her. I think she worried herself into exhaustion waiting for you to get back.”

  Tam continued to pet Cat as if she’d been doing it for a while now, her fingers gentle against Cat’s pelt.

  He opened his mouth to speak but all that came out was, “Tam.”

  Behind him, he heard Tivr draw in a strangled breath. The god’s body tensed, as if ready to fly across the room and grab Cat away from Tam.

  Kyle planted himself in front of Tivr. Cat didn’t appear hurt. In fact, it looked like Tam was trying to soothe his daughter.

  He drew in a deep breath. “Tam, are you all right? Is Cat okay?”

  Tam’s mouth curved in a rueful grin. “Are you asking if I was a little freaked out when Cat changed into a wolf right in front of me? Yeah, you could say that.”

  “Did you hurt Catene?” Tivr’s voice held a deadly menace that made Kyle’s hair stand on end but Tam’s face screwed up into an angry frown.

  “Of course not,” she huffed. “Why would you even think that?”

  Kyle released the breath he hadn’t realized he was holding. He hadn’t even considered the idea. Not with the way Tam looked so comfortable with Cat on her lap.

  But he’d been terrified that Tam’s already damaged mental health had been affected. She’d watched Cat shift into a wolf. That had to have made her question her sanity.

  Obviously, Tam was stronger than he’d given her credit for.

  He started to move closer, needed to look into her eyes. “Tamra.”

  Shit, where the hell did he start? Neither of them looked injured and Tam’s eyes were clear, not dull or cloudy as if she were in shock. She stared straight into his.

  “Are you a werewolf, too?”

  His heart started to pound so hard he thought his veins might burst. Everything he’d ever been taught by his parents, every internal safeguard he’d had pounded into his brain rose up to tie his tongue in knots.

  How did he answer that question?

  What could he tell her? She wasn’t part of his world.
She was almost completely eteri, despite the minute trace of arus in her blood.

  She was also his. Hadn’t he already decided that? Hadn’t he already made the decision to keep her? Or at least try to keep her? Hadn’t he worried all last night about what he would do, how he would explain his life to her?

  Well, he still had a lot of explanations to give but she’d already asked the million-dollar question.

  “Kyle?”

  Cat chose that moment to stir. She snuffled, lifted her head and stared straight at him. Her whimper nearly cut his heart out.

  “Shh, Cat. He’s not angry.” Tam leaned down and rubbed her cheek against Cat’s silky head, rubbing her hand down his daughter’s quivering back. “It’s okay.”

  Cat looked up at Tam then back at Kyle and finally at Tivr, still behind him.

  His attention focused on Cat, Kyle walked to within a foot of the girls then knelt, not wanting to tower over them.

  He smiled at Cat. “The moon’s full, isn’t it? I forgot. Not as smart as I think I am, huh? I’m sorry, baby. This isn’t your fault.”

  With one final look at Tam, his daughter stood, careful not to scratch Tam with her sharp nails, and walked over to him. Those bright blue eyes he loved so much stared at him as he ran one hand down her back.

  “It’s gonna be fine, honey.”

  “Kyle, let me take her upstairs.” Tivr walked up behind him, his voice hard.

  Cat shifted her gaze to Tivr for one brief second then back to Kyle. She shook her head. He knew that look. Determination was his daughter’s other middle name. She didn’t want Tivr’s unspoken help to shift back into her skin. She wanted to do it herself.

  But the moon still hung in the sky. And she’d only been shifting for a couple of years. She still didn’t have as much control over the moon’s power as she would when she was older.

  He didn’t say anything, just let her come to her own decision. Finally, she snorted, shaking her head, and walked over to Tivr.

  Reaching down, the god put his hand on her head and, in an instant, his daughter stood before him in all her beauty, naked as the day she was born.

  Kyle reached for his shirt…and realized he didn’t have one. Tivr had already whipped his over his head and dropped it down over Cat.

  For several seconds, his daughter locked her gaze with Tivr’s and something passed between them, something Kyle couldn’t decipher. He couldn’t tell if Cat was miffed that she’d needed help or if she was silently thanking him. But when she turned to face him, he knew exactly what she was thinking. Her lips quivered before she could firm them and she blinked back tears.

  He wrapped his arms around her shoulders and pulled her in close.

  “Dad—”

  “No, Cat. It’s okay. It’s gonna be fine.”

  He figured if he kept saying it, it would be. Hell, something had to go his way sometime, right?

  When Cat pulled back, he let her, knowing exactly what she was about to do. His daughter drew in a deep breath, her mouth set in a quivering line, and turned back to Tam.

  But before she could open her mouth, Tam shook her head and stood, reaching for Cat’s clenched fist. “Please don’t apologize. I’ve never seen anything so amazing in my life.”

  Cat bit her lip, indecision clear on her expression. “You’re not afraid of me? Of…what I did.”

  Tam’s answering smile loosened Kyle’s lungs. She didn’t look like she was in shock. “I’ll admit I was…amazed. Watching someone turn into a wolf isn’t something you see every day.” Tam looked over Cat’s shoulder at Kyle, her smile disappearing. “You were at my house last night, weren’t you?”

  He knew where this was going, knew she’d make that connection. He’d been hoping she’d at least give him a few hours to prepare. Apparently, she really was thinking clearly.

  And he saw she wanted answers. Now. Without looking away, he said, “Cat, you and Tivr go upstairs. Tam and I need to talk.”

  “Dad—”

  “No, Cat.” Tam’s smile returned for a brief second, just for Cat. “It’s okay. Your dad’s right. I’ll be fine.”

  He stiffened as if she’d hit him. Did Tam actually think he’d hurt her?

  Cat hesitated another few seconds before she finally sighed and headed up the stairs, Tivr at her heels.

  Leaving Kyle and Tam staring at each other.

  Finally, she crossed her arms over her chest, as if preparing for a battle. “You know everything, don’t you? I gave you enough information the other night that all you had to do was Google my attacker’s name and ‘rape’ and it was all there for you to read.”

  Her expressionless voice made him flinch but the increasing despair in her eyes cut into him like silver blades.

  He didn’t want her to be hurt. He wanted her to get angry. Scream and yell at him so they could move on. So he wouldn’t have the urge to grab her and hold onto her so she wouldn’t shatter. But as much as he wanted to skip this part, he knew it’d be better if they got it over with. So they could move on.

  “Yes, I know everything.”

  Her chin lifted, almost as if he’d hit her with an uppercut. “Cat does, too, doesn’t she? I talked to her for two nights before you showed up.” She shook her head, her mouth twisting into a grimace. “You know, the hospital shrink told me I should find someone to talk to. Someone I trusted. She sent me to another psychiatrist but I wasn’t ready. Not then. It’d only been a few weeks after the attack and I could barely look at myself in a mirror much less talk about what happened.”

  “Tam—”

  “No!” She slashed one hand between them, finally starting to show a little bit of the anger he’d wanted to see. “I thought I was talking to a dog. That I was pouring my heart out to an animal that couldn’t understand me. That my feelings would be safe.”

  Her fist rose to pound against her chest in the exact motion he and his fellow soldiers used to salute. But that’s not what she was doing. “I’ve been carrying this weight with me for months. Then I finally decide to spill my guts, to actually open my mouth and talk about what happened, thinking my confession was safe. So tonight, when Cat changed into that little black wolf, I honestly thought I’d lost my mind. But then I knew, I know I’m not that damaged.”

  She pointed a finger at him. “What I saw was magic. I know it even though I never believed there was anything like it in the world. I’ve seen the bad stuff. This…” She shook her head, “this was amazing. And I handled it. So don’t you dare look at me like I can’t handle whatever else happens.”

  Tam finally stopped to draw in a deep breath as she continued to stare at him. Waiting.

  Vaffanculo, she was going to give him a heart attack. He’d never gone from fear to arousal so fast in his life. He wanted to grab her and kiss her because she stood before him strong and proud.

  But she might just hit him. And he might like that a little too much.

  Her ice-blue eyes burned and that heat called up his own.

  But first, he had to tell her what was going on. Had to explain why she couldn’t return to her house. Why she had to stay with him. Even if she didn’t want to.

  And because he wanted her to understand exactly why she had to stay, he didn’t temper his words.

  “The men in the forest were looking for you. They were sent to kidnap you. They didn’t know who’d sent them. They didn’t know why this person wanted you.”

  He moved closer, breathing a little easier when she didn’t pull away from him, just stared at him with utter confusion.

  “But…why would someone want to kidnap me?”

  “I don’t have any idea. But I want you to stay with me until I find out.”

  Her mouth dropped open in shock seconds before she started to frown. “What? Why?”

  “Because…”

  I want you where I can watch over you. I want you in my bed even though I know you’re not ready for any kind of physical relationship. Because I can’t breathe at the thought of you out
in the world somewhere I can’t protect you.

  Which of those explanations didn’t sound completely irrational? Which of those wouldn’t have her running for the nearest door?

  “Because I can protect you better if you’re close while I try to find out who those men were working for and why they want you.”

  There, that sounded rational enough.

  But Tamra was shaking her head. “No. I need to go to the police, tell them about those men—”

  “You don’t have to worry about them.”

  She drew in a sharp breath. “What do you mean?”

  “I took care of them. They won’t be able to hurt you again.”

  She paused, her eyes widening. “You killed them?”

  He didn’t answer, didn’t want to lie to her. But he also didn’t want her to get a false impression of him right from the start. He was what he was. She’d have to know that sooner or later, though he hoped the entire truth wouldn’t need to come out until later.

  Yes, he was an assassin. But for now all she needed to know was that he was a soldier. And he didn’t take prisoners. He got answers then he disposed of the problem.

  “They couldn’t be released. They knew you were living in the house.”

  The color drained from her face and he realized he might have pushed her too far. “I don’t understand.”

  Before he realized what he’d meant to do, he wrapped his arms around her and drew her against him, surrounding her smaller body with his much larger one. She didn’t soften against him and her hands came up to press against his chest. But she didn’t push him away and he considered that a win.

  “Neither do I.” He spoke directly into her ear. “But I will. I have resources. I’ll find out who they were working for and what they want with you.”

  “But why?”

  “They didn’t know—”

  “No, not the men you— Not them. Why would you do this for me? You don’t even know me.”

  She looked up at him, confusion dulling the brightness of her eyes.

  He wanted to kiss her, to replace the confusion with heat. And he was so damn worried he’d scare her away, he froze.