Lunar Mates 8:
Hunter’s Moon
By
Loribelle Hunt
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, organizations, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
Hunter’s Moon
Copyright© 2009 Loribelle Hunt
ISBN: 978-1-60088-469-6
Cover Artist: Sable Grey
Editor: Devin Govaere
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced electronically or in print without written permission, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in reviews.
Cobblestone Press, LLC
www.cobblestone-press.com
Dedication
To all the fans of werewolves who have made this series such a success. Thank you!
Chapter One
Anthony left his clothes in a pile in the SUV’s backseat and shifted into his wolf form as he walked towards the waiting woman. He smiled a wolfy grin at Gia’s shocked expression. Few werewolves could shift while moving, but he was far from ordinary. To his annoyance, she quickly covered her reaction with chilly disdain, spun on her heel, and strode away.
He sat on his haunches to admire her. Her steps were soft, but measured and efficient, as she stalked forward to the tree line. Her ass swung in provocation he knew she was unaware of and she sure as hell wouldn’t like his appreciation of it. In his current form, he could admire it without giving himself away.
The moon was almost full, easily penetrating the gloom so when she turned to see if he was following, her gray eyes glowed silver. He moved forward and she fell into step at his right, an arm’s length away. They moved in step, as one, as if she’d always been at his side. As if she’d hunted with him for years instead of just months.
He made himself focus on the assignment. They were in a forest on the Georgia side on the Savannah River. Hunting a rogue cat. It was impossible to tell what breed exactly from the markings left on the victims’ bodies but it was definitely a shifter. Big cats didn’t stalk the city streets of Atlanta. And as the leader of the Hunters, the werewolves charged with hunting down and executing rogues, he didn’t normally hunt cats. He would have scowled if he were in human form.
It was a distraction he couldn’t afford. He never would have made such a stupid misstep otherwise and Gia turned to glare at him as the twig cracked loudly under his foot, announcing their presence in the silent night. He was reaching for the power in him to switch forms when he saw the shadow, when he saw it move. With a forceful leap and lunge, he took the naked man to the ground and clamped his jaws around his throat in an animal demand for submission.
He sensed more than saw Gia step up to his side, weapon drawn and pointed at the stranger. He snarled as the man under him tried to turn his head to see her. His throat moved under Anthony’s tongue and teeth and he released his grip a bit, just enough so the man could gasp out a question.
“Can you call him off?” he asked Gia.
Anthony growled low in his chest. This cat wasn’t free to speak to his woman. His claws dug a little deeper into the man’s chest, puncturing the skin so tiny droplets of blood appeared. But only just enough to pierce his skin. Just enough to let him know Anthony meant business.
“What are you waiting for?” Gia demanded in a whisper.
Good question. Why was he waiting? Anthony had seen the last victim just minutes after his murder. The answer came immediately in the stink of panic on the man’s skin. He was a cat, all right, but the wrong cat.
Anthony let go of the man’s throat and backed away, using his body to force Gia behind him before he risked shifting. Just because he wasn’t the killer they were looking for didn’t mean he wasn’t a killer.
He focused his will, forcing his body to change back into a man’s. Bones lengthened, popped. Muscles stretched and changed shapes. In mere seconds he stood tall and waited while the cat-man stood too, holding Gia back with one arm when she tried to step around him. She gave an exasperated huff and dug her fingernails into his forearm in protest, not realizing his wolf side found the display of irritation amusing. Pleasing.
“I’m Carlos.” The cat was careful to keep his distance and to keep his bearing neutral, but Anthony didn’t miss the power in the shorter man’s leanly muscled body. Like a real cat, he was built for speed and agility and Anthony had been around long enough to know not to underestimate him. “I’m not the one you’re looking for.”
Gia’s grip on him relaxed, stroked, and he let his guard down enough for her to slip under his arm. Her pistol was still in her other hand, but pointed at the ground, as if she was at ease. Anthony knew better, could feel her tension, and knew she’d react quickly, no hesitation, if necessary. He didn’t want it to be necessary. Didn’t want her anywhere near this life at all, but he didn’t have much choice in the matter.
“Well?” she asked softly, asking him to confirm the cat’s assertion.
“No,” he responded. She shivered. Now that the excitement was over, he became aware of the cold. “It’s not him.”
Carlos let out a relieved breath. Cat must have realized he was safe for the moment. Gia tugged her bottom lip between her teeth, a gesture that never failed to bring Anthony’s body screaming to full life. He fought the reaction, willing his cock to behave. There were a lot of things he wanted to do to her, none of which she’d let him try yet, but trying to coax her into accepting him in the cold, in the middle of the woods, in front of a stranger was not high on his list. His struggle for control was easily achieved when he caught the gleam of interest in the cat’s eyes, however.
“Don’t even think about it, cat.” He added a sub-vocal growl to the warning for good measure, and saw it was noted immediately.
The cat grinned. It transformed his face from cruel beauty to charm, and Gia sucked in a breath. “You wolves are always so possessive,” he said. Trying to defuse the tension? He couldn’t risk asking now.
Anthony narrowed his eyes, and wrapping his hand around Gia’s elbow, pulled her close to his side. “What are you doing here?”
“And rude. How could I forget rude?” the cat continued as if talking to himself. He sighed dramatically, but Anthony ignored him. Waited him out. He hadn’t met a non-theatrical cat yet. The façade hid cunning and god only knew what else.
“The same as you probably.” This time spoken seriously, with a bite of menace in his voice. “Hunting for the feral one.”
“And did you find him?” Gia asked.
“No,” he answered with a curt shake of his head. “I found an abandoned camp, next to a dirt access road. Tire tracks. Whoever he is, he’s moved on.”
“Shit,” Anthony muttered. He’d really hoped to find the feral cat quickly, execute it, and go back home. Now the search would start all over again. Unless… “Are you going to keep tracking him then?”
“Sorry, wolf. No such luck.” The damned cat grinned. “I was on a mission for my king when I got word of the feral. Since he’s not here and you are, however, there’s no reason for me to continue the delay.”
He swore under his breath while Gia asked what was obvious to him. “King?”
“He’s a lion,” Anthony practically snarled. He’d come across a few werelions over the years. They tended to be charming but standoffish and were fanatically loyal to their pride and king. “Is this feral cat a lion?”
“Of course not,” Carlos answered disdainfully. Oh yeah, now he remembered why he really didn’t like lions. They thought their shit didn’t stink. Whatever. Time to move on.
“Where’s the camp?”
Carl
os gave them directions, then backed away in the opposite direction and disappeared into the trees. Anthony changed back into his wolf form and led Gia to the camp. The camp had been abandoned and the feral cat hadn’t left anything that might identify him behind. His scent ended on the dirt road where he’d obviously hidden a vehicle of some kind. A truck, Anthony guessed by the size of the tire markings.
They made the trek back to their car and the return drive home in silence. It was dawn before they reached their North Carolina town. He watched until Gia let herself into her house, before returning to Hunter headquarters. It had been a long day and night, and he collapsed in his bed fully clothed, asleep before he could motivate himself to strip.
Chapter Two
Anthony woke hard and aching, alone and wanting Gia. As usual. He rose, pulling off his slept-in clothes with distaste, and entered the shower. He washed with quick efficient moves and hesitated only a moment before wrapping his soap-covered hand around his cock.
With a groan, he tightened his grip for a series of slow strokes. Her image in his mind. Driving him crazy. Making him crave. His wrist moved faster as he envisioned her. Slowly stripping her. Touching. Tasting. Learning every sweet curve and sharp angle. Making her his forever. His strokes grew quicker, faster. Frenzied as he imagined the bite that would mark her as always his.
He came, leaned against the shower wall and watched the spurts of cum go down the drain. It seemed a fitting metaphor. If he didn’t convince her to give them a chance soon, his dreams for a future with her would follow.
Shaking off the maudlin thought, he turned off the water, dried off and got dressed. There was work to be done. There was always work to be done.
He found Clint and Ellen in his office. At least that was one problem that had been dealt with. Ellen glowed, happy that Clint had finally accepted his past and her place in his present.
When he entered, Ellen lifted a department store bag emblazoned with the local costume shop’s logo and set it on his desk, then stepped back with a Cheshire grin. Fuck. He had cats on the brain. Still. Growling, he peeked inside.
“What is this?”
“Your costume.”
He pulled out what he could only describe as gold underwear. “What in hell, Ellen?”
“The Halloween party tonight? Human hunters? Remember?”
He pulled the rest of the things from the bag. The underwear was some kind of loincloth. Sandals and calf guards. Something that looked like it might cross his chest. A red cape. There was no way she could really expect him to wear this!
“And what the hell is this?”
She was still grinning. “I thought it would fun if we all went as Spartans. You know? 300? Great movie.”
“Yeah.” He got it. “No.”
Ellen tilted her perfect heart-shaped face to one side, long red hair cascading over her shoulder at the movement, and he didn’t feel…anything but brotherly exasperation. Even knowing she wasn’t his, he’d considered her the ideal of feminine beauty for years. Now another face, another body, demanded his regard. He refused to call it obsession, but he knew he was bordering on it.
Ellen set her hand on Clint’s forearm, and moved in front of him, as if blocking him. It set Anthony’s teeth on edge. Made his hackles rise.
“You know,” she started, while caressing her mate. “Maybe seeing you as a Spartan is just the push Gia needs.” She shrugged. “Women are just as susceptible to physical appeal as men.”
He frowned. “Sure they are.”
She shrugged again, and he knew she was changing tactics. “Well, Clint is secure enough to wear it.”
Anthony laughed. “Sure he is.”
“Yeah,” she said with a huff. “He is. I’m going to set dinner out.” She pivoted on her heel and left the room.
He looked up to meet Clint’s gaze. “Tell me you aren’t.”
“If it makes her happy and I go to bed happy?” He smirked and shrugged one shoulder. “Why not?”
Anthony tossed the loincloth onto the table. “No fucking way.”
“Whatever you say, Tony,” Clint said turning to follow Ellen as the desk phone rang. He glanced at the caller id, determined to ignore it, but snatched it up when he saw Gia’s name and number.
“What’s wrong?” he barked, not even trying to temper his tone. She never called him unless there was a serious problem.
“You are not going to believe who is here,” she answered in a harsh whisper.
He suspected he knew before he asked. “Who?”
“That lion!”
There was a long pause, and he wondered if there was a reason she thought this should be a private conversation. His wolf nature went on high alert. “Are you okay? Do you need me?”
She blew out a long breath and he could imagine her blowing the hair from her forehead and rolling her eyes. He smiled. “I’m fine. But I have no idea why the fuck he’s here. I don’t like it, and Julian won’t talk.” She paused and practically growled before going on. “I don’t like this cat.”
Anthony preened. She didn’t like the cat, because whether she wanted to admit it or not, a part of her knew that Anthony was her mate. And finally, finally, she’d come to him outside of an assignment for help. He knew better than to let her hear his satisfaction though. He picked up the damned costume. Fingered the soft fabric. Maybe Ellen was right. Maybe it was time to really go on the offensive instead of just trying to insert himself into her life and wait for her to take the next step.
“I’ll be there soon.”
“What? Why?”
“Party? Tonight?” He kept his tone light. He didn’t know Gia’s history, but he’d watched her keep herself closed off from everyone long enough to guess it was ugly. He intended to change that.
“Oh yeah.” She sounded almost confused, like she’d never been to a party, but she signed off before he could ask her what she was going as. He hoped it was something sexy and grinned at the image of her in a French maid’s outfit. He wasn’t that fucking lucky. She’d probably go as an Amazon. Or Xena, Warrior Princess. That would be pretty damned hot too, come to think of it.
He loaded the costume back into the bag and followed the others into the dining room. Ellen had ordered in Italian and he helped himself to a huge plate of lasagna. One of his favorites. She ate silently at the other end of the table. Probably waiting for him to announce he was giving into her suggestion. When he met her gaze, her expression was so expectant he nearly laughed.
“Fine. If Clint goes all macho and Spartan, I guess I will too.”
When he saw the look on Clint’s face, he realized the other werewolf had made the same deal with her. They’d both walked right into her trap. He did chuckle then, and shook his head.
“That wasn’t nice, Ellen.”
She smirked. “Worked though.”
“You could have just told me,” he said to Clint.
“I didn’t think you’d ever agree to it,” Clint said with disgust in his voice. “Too late now.”
Anthony shrugged, already resigned. Since all three of them lived in the mansion that served as Hunter headquarters, he preferred to not rile Ellen up. She wouldn’t do it on purpose, but if she was displeased with any of them, all of them would know it. Thank God, Clint had finally claimed her. Anthony had hated to watch her sadness grow with each year that Clint had let pass. And that idea just firmed his resolve to more actively pursue Gia.
He finished his dinner and after rinsing the plate and putting it in the dishwasher, took the bag upstairs to his room. He dumped the contents on the bed and stripped before he changed his mind. He pulled the outfit on. First the loincloth, then the gold metal plates that strapped behind his knees and calves, and finally the cape whose black straps crisscrossed his chest. There was a sharp rap on the door that he recognized as Clint’s, and he reluctantly turned to face the mirror while calling out.
“Come in.” Fuck. He couldn’t do this. He looked ridiculous. He felt ridiculous. Hands on h
is hips, he faced Ellen who’d ducked in under Clint’s arm. He was wearing the same get-up. She whistled. “There’s no way I’m leaving the house in this.”
Her grin was accompanied by an appreciative gleam in her eyes as she looked him up and down. “Oh, yes you are. You made a deal.”
She leaned back against Clint and her costume finally registered. There was no way Clint was letting her leave the house like that. She’d curled her hair and piled most of it on top of her head, but some fell loose down the back. The look accented her bare neck, the thin straps of the gown over her shoulders, the deep V cut all the way to her waist.
“You ready to go?” she asked.
He snorted. Yeah right.
“As soon as everyone gets dressed.”
But when he met Clint’s gaze, he realized she was serious. “Sorry, man. Neither one of us is winning this one.”
Ellen was still smiling, eyes shining, when she turned and kissed Clint then stepped around him to leave. “Just let me grab my bag. I’ll meet y’all downstairs.”
“I can’t believe you’re letting her leave the house in that,” he said to Clint who’d taken a step towards the door to follow her. He turned around to meet Anthony’s gaze and crossed his arms over his chest.
“You’ve known her almost as long as I have. You gonna tell her no?”
He had a point. The woman was stubborn. And hell, he might look at her as a little sister, but when it came right down to it, she wasn’t his woman. Wasn’t his to watch over anymore either.
“Besides, she’s been looking forward to this for weeks. When was the last time you saw her that happy?”
A few months ago when you finally claimed her, but he kept the thought to himself. Clint was still learning how to live as part of a unit after years of trying to cut himself off from everyone who cared about him.
“Come on!” Ellen called impatiently from downstairs and he had to laugh as he buckled the sandals on and followed them out.
Chapter Three
Gia gripped the stem of the wineglass so hard she couldn’t believe it didn’t snap. Where the hell was Anthony? And why the hell was she expecting him to come rescue her from this social disaster? She’d never felt so exposed.
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