Captured Moonlight

by Erin Kelly

  “They need their mother, Val, you should go back, and I can handle the front lines here. They have guns, and if they start shooting, I want you as far away as-”

  A mournful, pained howl interrupted their argument. Sophie froze and turned her gaze back to the barn. “How… how is that possible? It’s not even close to the full moon,” Val gawked at the sound in disbelief.

  Sophie rubbed her arms, a chill suddenly in the air. “It’s possible to turn without the moon, but…” Her voice trailed off as the howl grew louder, more pained.

  Next to her Freki tensed. “That’s Hati!” Skoll exclaimed, and Geri caught him by the arm as he lunged toward the sound.

  “Wait a minute, wait a minute!” Geri struggled to hold him back, and Odin caught his other arm.

  Skoll growled in frustration. “Let me go! I need to go help him!”

  “We’re going to go help him! We need to go in there with a plan!” Odin chastised him.

  Skoll struggled for another moment against them, despite their words, and Val went over, put her hand on his shoulder. She opened her mouth to speak to him when suddenly some more howls joined Hati’s. Sophie’s heart skipped a beat. The time for planning was over. Something was happening in that barn, and time was up.

  “We don’t have time for this!” Sophie snapped at them. “We can plan all day and it won’t be enough to cover all the ins and outs! We need to go in there now, before it’s too late!”

  “We can’t just burst in there without some sort of plan!” Val hissed as her eyes narrowed in frustration.

  “We know there’s two armed men, and,” Freki sniffed the air, “at least two, no, three werewolves besides Hati and Korban in there. That I can scent out anyway.”

  “We need to go help them now!” Skoll insisted, panic in his eyes. “That’s definitely my brother, he’s in trouble, and we need to get to him now!”

  The howling stopped, and with it, Sophie’s heart sank again. A strange, tense quiet fell around them in the absence of the haunting sound. She didn’t know if one of those howls belonged to Korban, but she wasn’t going to stand around out here waiting any longer. She looked to Freki, then the others. “They said he wants me. They set those traps trying to capture me. I can go in there and play bait. While they’re distracted, you all go in and get Korban and Hati out of there.”

  Val frowned. “What about you? If you’re the bait they could capture you too!”

  “I won’t let that happen,” Sophie vowed, and started towards the barn. As she strode forward, an idea bubbled into her head, and while it was risky, a plan was born. She glanced over her shoulder to the others. “Let’s get our guys back.”

  16: BRAWL

  Davey had won. The triumphant smirk on his face didn’t seem to be fading away any time soon. He approached Korban’s cage, giving the keys a happy jingle. He chuckled, held up a hand. “Stay, boys. Let’s give him a chance to step out of his cage. I don’t need all of you getting burned by silver.”

  Korban’s heart was in his throat. Facing not one, but three werewolves didn’t give him the best odds. He wasn’t sure he’d do much better as a wolf. Time was running out, and Davey hummed some familiar tune under his breath as he unlocked Korban’s cage. He wasn’t sure he could find his voice to plead for his own life. He wasn’t even sure it would make a difference if he could talk at the moment. Davey’s twisted mind was already set on destroying him. It would take a miracle to change it now.

  The lock clicked open and Davey stepped back with a dramatic flourish, that mocking grin accompanied by a mocking bow, his yellow eyes never leaving Korban. “Come out and play, Korban.”

  His hands curled into fists. He couldn’t succumb to his fear now. He wouldn’t give this bastard the satisfaction of killing him while he begged for his life. He could hone in on his anger, and hope that in the end he wouldn’t simply cave in to the tears that threatened to fall. He tried to focus not on his fear but his frustration. He turned his own trademark smile on full blast as he walked stiffly but confidently out of the cage. Something about meeting Davey’s grin made the other werewolf falter for a moment, and Davey’s look wavered. He really wasn’t used to being challenged, and at least Korban could do that. “My, aren’t we confident?” Davey purred as he recovered and bared his teeth again.

  Korban met his challenge, fueled by his own inner fire. No longer stuck in the silver cage, and despite being literally surrounded by wolves, he was on the same ground level as Davey. And no matter what happened next, he wasn’t going to go down as this cocky bastard’s bitch. “Yeah, actually,” he began, circling around Davey, though the cages blocked most of his escape routes, especially with three werewolves flanking him. A quick glance at the door evoked a nasty frown from Earl who held a small camcorder, and the loud metallic clack of Jimmy taking off the safety from his rifle. Good. If Davey wanted to make a show of his final moments, he’d put on one hell of a memorable performance. “You could kill me. You could have your brother and your bestie over there pump me full of silver. You could have Hati, Blaze, and Spike rip me to shreds. You could eat my liver with fava beans and wash it all down with a nice Chianti for all I care. Though I bet in your case it might be more like a Budweiser. But no matter what you do, no matter how hard you try to impress her, there’s no way in hell you’ll ever convince Sophie to be with you. Not in this lifetime, or any other lifetime. And do you know why?”

  Davey’s lip curled and his yellow eyes held a stormy look in them. “Why is that, Korban?” His voice was colder, and he knew he was getting under his skin. Good.

  He looked Davey right into his golden glare. “Because I’m the better man,” Korban growled as he clenched his fists. “No matter what you do to end me, she chose to be with me. And nothing you or anyone else can do to me will ever change that, or take that away from me. Because even if it wasn’t for long, I loved the smartest, most beautiful and incredible woman. I didn’t have to manipulate her or use some monster mojo to convince her to be with me. It was her choice, and together we were happy.”

  Davey’s eyes narrowed and he squared his jaw. “So these are your last words? Declaring your love for your lady?” He burst into a manic fit of laughter. “Ah, delightful Korban. Amusing me all the way to the end. Should I have Earl zoom in for dramatic effect? Women like that, don’t they? Shakespeare sonnets and shit.” His look turned dark again, just as quickly as it came the laughter faded away. “You think I care enough whether she will want to be with me or not? Of course, it’d be easier for her if she doesn’t resist. Think of your death as… just a stepping stone to making her life easier. Because if you’re around, she’ll want to fight me. I do like a good fight, that’s true, but I have other plans for sweet Sophie.” He licked his lips and made a lewd gesture with his tongue. “Maybe I’ll just have my wolves play a little with you, and keep what’s left of you around to see exactly what I have in store for her.”

  Korban let out a much more menacing growl this time. Davey leered and held up his hand, the three wolves perked their ears up and stiffened, awaiting his command.

  Instead of a snap of his fingers, a sudden knock came at the door that made all eyes- both wolf and human alike- turn toward the entrance. Jimmy and Earl looked surprised and confused, turning to one another and then to Davey for instructions. Another polite rap at the door came and Davey waved his hand. “Well? What are you waiting for you idjits? We’ve got company. Answer it!”

  The two human henchmen didn’t look so sure at first, but Earl swallowed and lowered his camera, then turned the handle to open the door while Jimmy fixed the aim of his rifle from Korban to their mystery guest. Korban’s racing heart skipped a beat as the door opened to reveal who had interrupted Davey’s twisted game.

  She stood there, an image he both dreamed and feared, but even Korban’s jaw dropped in surprise at the sight of her. She wore form-fitting, faded blue jeans and a pair of black combat boots. Her black t-shirt was tied off at her midriff, revealing her sm
ooth stomach. She held herself in a confident stance, her chin held high and shoulders straight. Her pale blue eyes search the room and light up when they land on Korban. “There you are! You know, I’ve been looking everywhere for you, Korban!”

  “Sophie-!” Korban began to warn her as the conflicting feelings of relief and worry struck him at the same time, but he froze as Jimmy’s gun clicked. Sophie didn’t move, simply kept a demure smile on her face.

  “Wait!” Davey snarled at him then smiled to her in return. “Put it down or you’ll shoot her you idiot.” He ran his hand through his hair, and stepped toward her. Jimmy flinched at Davey’s look and lowered his weapon. “You’ll have to excuse my friend. We don’t get company around here too often.”

  Korban took a step toward Davey to stop him from going near Sophie, but he waved a hand and the three wolves growled in unison and blocked him as they padded forward.

  Sophie tilted her head a little, her blonde hair falling over her shoulder at the motion. “I suppose it would be difficult to have guests way out here. Pardon my manners, just barging in like this without even introducing myself. My name is Sophie. I should thank you for finding Korban for me.”

  “I’m Davey, that there’s my brother Earl, and our old pal Jimmy. And I know exactly who you are, Sophie Bane,” Davey purred, looking like the cat who swallowed the canary, or perhaps more accurately the wolf who swallowed a grandmother.

  “Good,” Sophie said and gestured towards Korban, “then you’ll understand, Davey, that I’ll be sure to compensate you and your friends handsomely for finding and taking care of Korban. I don’t exactly have access to my bank account out here but I will be sure to reward you for his safe return.”

  Korban glanced from Sophie to Davey, then back to Sophie again. For a moment Davey seemed to actually consider it, but he chuckled and shook his head. “While I’m sure you could pay me, I’m a simple man with simple needs. Besides, I’m pretty sure that Korban is starting to like it here, aren’t you, Korban?”

  “Hardly,” Korban began, and Blaze stepped closer to him with a low growl that made him take a step back, which evoked a growl from Hati and Spike.

  Sophie’s smile faded as Davey laughed again. “You came at a pretty good time. As you can see we’re just in the middle of a game here, and you’re just in time to be part of the audience.”

  “A game, huh? Sounds like fun. I’m not much into just standing by and watching, though. How do I play?” Sophie asked, giving her hair another playful toss back.

  “So eager to join in on the fun! I like your spirit,” Davey walked closer to Sophie and began to circle her. His eyes roamed up and down her body and he gave a low whistle under his breath. “You’re even hotter in person.”

  Sophie glanced over to Korban as Davey’s predatory gaze followed the curves of her body. Their eyes met and she gave him a meaningful, pointed look as she tried to relay some silent message. Just as quickly it was gone. Korban wasn’t sure what it meant exactly, but he trusted her. He tried to swallow the lump in his throat again and remained as still as possible while the three wolves started to circle around him and mimicked Davey’s movements.

  “I take care of myself, as best as I can,” Sophie kept her voice level along with her gaze. As Davey stepped closer to her Korban could see her tense. He was getting a little too close for comfort and Korban had to bite the inside of his cheek to keep from growling out.

  “I can see that,” he responded, then leered at her with another cold smile. “I like that.”

  Korban watched her, tried to warn her with a look of his own. His fists were clenched, his knuckles turned white. He had to get her away from Davey before it was too late. But how could he even get near that monster, when he had three closer problems of his own that closed in like sharks, their hungry eyes fixed on him?

  ~*~

  She was buying time now, but so far it seemed to be working. All eyes were on her, save for the three wolves that surrounded Korban. She briefly wondered which one was Hati when she had arrived there, but didn’t let her thoughts wander long. Korban was in danger, and even from where she stood she could smell the fear rolling off him and the anger targeted at his captor. He was wearing only a pair of dirt and blood stained gray sweatpants and seemed thinner and gaunter than she remembered, his cheeks more hollowed and his ribs more visible. It pained her to see him this way. What had Davey and his henchmen been doing to him?

  It took all her strength not to rush towards him and fight off the wolves around him. She kept her focus on Davey, careful to watch him but cautious to avoid direct contact with those yellow eyes. Though Korban had the same wolf-like eyes this werewolf’s gaze seemed cold and creepy. She fought not to shudder as his eyes undressed her. “What else is it that you like, Davey?” Sophie asked. “If it’s not money you want, what is it that moves you?”

  “Like I said, the simple things,” Davey reached out and she suppressed the urge to flinch away as he ran his fingers through her hair, brushing back her blonde strands. “The basic pleasures a man can experience in life. Hunting, fishing, fighting.” He paused, smiled to her, and caressed her cheek with his knuckles. His touch made her skin crawl and this time she couldn’t help but step back away from him. “I’d like to add to that list, Sophie, but there aren’t too many lovely ladies like yourself out here. Maybe we can come to an agreement… you give me what I want, and I’ll release Korban.”

  She wanted to run. This close she could smell Davey’s wolf, not that his eyes weren’t a dead giveaway, but it wasn’t like the safe smell of forest that accompanied Korban or even Valkyrie’s pack. He reeked of something cold and harsh, undefinable but it made her think of blood, pain, death. It made her sick to her stomach and inside her sleeping wolf began to wake and also wanted to run away.

  She steadied her nerves and focused instead on his human features; his square jaw, the fall of his brown hair over his forehead. He had the eyes of a predator but he was ruggedly handsome. It was a shame he was clearly some kind of sociopath or he would be more attractive. She could continue this game and buy more time until the cavalry arrived. She could smell his growing desire but it wasn’t exactly aimed at her. Every time he glanced over to where he’d sent his wolves on Korban his cruel smirk widened, his eyes lit up, his pulse quickened. She realized that she was only a means to an end for him. He didn’t get off on her exactly; he wanted to cause pain to Korban and to the others who were trapped there. He only hoped to add her to his collection.

  She swallowed and found her voice again, “What is it you want?” This time she looked him in the eye, even though when she met his gaze she felt even more creeped out as the sensation of insects crawling over her skin returned.

  This pleased him and he let his eyes roam over her body again, a dark look in those vibrant eyes. “I want you of course. Right here and now. Choose me, and I’ll let him go.” He gestured to Korban with a wave of his hand.

  The wolves that paced around him began to growl again, their lips curled into vicious snarls. Korban gave a fearful look her way that spoke volumes. Sophie saw Davey’s grin only grow and something inside her snapped. She kept a cool demeanor as she plastered a smile of her own across her face. “Right here and now, in front of all these guys?” She asked and lifted her finger to curl a few pale strands of her hair.

  Davey’s eyes went from Korban to her and he nodded, licked his lips. “Mmm hmm.”

  “All right, but I don’t think you’ll be able to handle a woman like me,” Sophie said and locked eyes with him, reached up with one hand and touched the rough stubble on Davey’s cheek with her smooth palm. She steeled herself for what she planned to do next as she closed the space between them and leaned in. This close there was no doubt he would sense it the way she could sense him and she relished the moment when realization hit him and his eyebrows raised in surprise, right before she curled her free hand into a fist and thrust as much power as she could into an uppercut aimed for his stomach.

&nb
sp; The blow knocked the wind from his lungs in a rush that doubled him over. Before he could recover she brought her knee crashing up into his face with a loud crack. He fell over with a grunt of pain, curled into himself. His nose dripped blood onto the dirt floor and his shoulders tensed. He spat blood on the ground as he gasped to catch his breath.

  She flexed her hand, her knuckles sore from the strike. Her heart pounded and the thrill of striking him down sent adrenaline through her, the rush pure satisfaction. “That was for Korban, you sick bastard,” she snarled.

  Davey’s shoulders shook silently, and then a low, dark chuckle accompanied the movement. He lifted his yellow eyes to Sophie, intense lust reflected in his inhuman gaze. “Oh, I like this game even more then what I had planned for us! And when I’m done with you, sweet Sophie, I’m going to be sure to savor every minute I make you scream. I’ll be sure to keep Korban around to enjoy the show.” He turned his head to his wolves briefly as he stood. “If he makes a move to stop me, tear out his throat.”

  He lifted his fists and his eyes lit up with growing desire as he took a fighter’s stance and closed in on Sophie. He spat more blood on the ground and a red drop trailed down the corner of his mouth. “You’re definitely full of surprises. I like that. It’ll be much more fun beating you down if you actually put up a real fight.”

  “Then let’s get to it! I don’t have all day to braid our hair and discuss our feelings,” Sophie held up her fists and met his fighter’s stance with one of her own, just in time as Davey launched his fist toward her. She blocked the blow with a sweeping motion of her arm, moving fast to block his next strike as their fight began.

  ~*~

  Korban felt completely useless as Sophie began to take on Davey on her own. He wanted to go to her side and help her fight against him but the bared teeth that snapped at him were an effective barrier. Sophie was holding her own, but every time Davey got a hit in on her his own anger began to rise again. He had to get through this obstacle and join his Mate in battle.