Taken by Moonlight

by Violette Dubrinsky

  “Okay. Okay. Um, I’ll call you when I’m there.” She closed the phone and stared blankly ahead.

  “Someone broke into my apartment,” she said as an afterthought. “Why would they even? We don’t have anything—at least they’re both okay. Oh my God, I can’t believe this.” She lifted her hands to her temples and began slowly massaging them. “My mother’s jewelry. I hope they didn’t take her jewelry. It’s the only thing she has left of her mother. Cassie has some too but I can’t believe—”

  “Vivienne,” he said, reaching out and taking one of her hands in his. She was still in shock and her reaction was slow. “Vivienne.” She turned to look at him, or rather look through him. “You’re fine, your friends are fine. Everything else, we’ll deal with together.”

  She nodded, still in disbelief over Max’s call, and went back to staring ahead.

  ***

  Conall’s mind swirled with possibilities. Her home had been broken into and robbed the same day he’d felt a witch searching her out. He didn’t believe in coincidences, had never believed in coincidences. It was why he’d survived centuries.

  “Can you take me to—?” Vivienne read the address in a little voice.

  “Of course,” he replied instantly, staring at her crestfallen face. “Vivienne, it’s going to be okay.”

  She nodded, but he knew she didn’t believe him.

  ***

  “If I remove the gag, do you promise not to scream?” Max asked as he stared down at a furious Drew.

  After minutes of trying to explain he wasn’t going to hurt her or Vivienne, with Drew screaming obscenities he was sure had never left her mouth prior to that day, Max had finally torn apart one of his T-shirts, and gagged her. With her voice silenced, she’d taken to kicking and punching at him and so, he’d dragged her over to his bed and tied her there. It wasn’t the way he’d imagined this scenario when he’d thought of it countless times, but it was necessary to keep her quiet. This was his safe house, this spacious, loft apartment with protective charms at every corner and protection spells bouncing off the walls. No witch would be able to find this place unless Max used his powers. And that was the other reason he was in this predicament with Drew. He couldn’t pull her memory of him killing the tracker without having half of his covenant, including his father, at his door.

  “Drew?” Almost an hour had passed since he’d tied her up and gagged her, and she’d stopped struggling with bindings during the last fifteen minutes.

  She glared up at him, and he could see the anger and scorn in her eyes. Finally, she nodded.

  Max bent down and loosened the gag, waiting for the shrill scream to touch his ears. When it didn’t come, he removed the cloth entirely, staring at her lips and waiting to see them open as she breathed deep.

  “What are you?”

  He drew back slightly. He wasn’t expecting that. Hysterics, crying, screaming, those he expected, but he should have known. Drew was always one to surprise him.

  “I’m human.”

  “Do you think I’m stupid?” Her voice was harsh. “After all the time you’ve known me, you really think I’m that stupid, Max? Is your name even Max?”

  “No I don’t think you’re stupid, Drew and yes, my name is Max.” He sighed and ran a hand over his face. This was going to be hard. “Drew, I’m not going to hurt you. I’m not going—”

  “What are you?” This time her voice was low, almost a whisper.

  Max looked down at her. Her brown eyes were hooded, her lips loosening from the tight scowl that had been there since she’d awoken in the apartment.

  “Okay, I’ll tell you. I’m going to trust you with this, and you’re going to trust that I’m not going to hurt you or Vivienne?”

  She was reluctant, but eventually nodded.

  “My mother was born of a human and a warlock; my father is a witch.” His eyes were on hers as that information sank in. Except for the slight widening of her eyes, she did nothing else. “I’m all three.”

  Drew swallowed and cleared her throat, twice. “So, you’re telling me you’re part human, part warlock, and part witch?”

  He nodded, wondering if she would accept that truth. It wasn’t as if humans found out daily that creatures from horror stories actually walked the earth. She blinked up at him as an odd expression took over her face, and then she asked in a doubtful, but curious tone, “Witches and warlocks exist?”

  Max nodded and smiled a bit. “Yes, they do.”

  She tugged at the binding that connected her wrist to the headboard and Max leaned forward and touched her skin, which was chafed from her pulling against the bindings. The position had him half-leaning over her body. His chest was pressed to the side of her body, his head directly over hers. “If I untie you, will you try to run?”

  His gaze was on hers as he asked the question. Her eyes seemed to touch every inch of his face before her lids lowered. Taking her lip between her teeth, she shook her head.

  Max looked away from her face immediately. She couldn’t know how good she looked, tied to his bed, her lashes fanned out against her cheeks and her teeth biting down against her full bottom lip. She couldn’t know. He made quick work of the bindings at her wrists and then undid the ones at her feet, moving away from the bed as she pulled her knees up and placed her arms around them, her eyes locked on him.

  “So you’re a….” She let her voice drift off and shook her head. “The men in our apartment, they were after you, weren’t they? They were like…you?”

  Max contemplated that answer. He could lie to her but that would be a betrayal of what little trust she now had in him. Still, he couldn’t exactly tell her they were after Vivienne because he would then have to explain why, and though he knew his father wanted his friend to restore the immortality of the witches, he was sure that Maximilian had left something out. He’d been told Vivienne was a powerful witch who, like himself, could easily pass as human. His father had had told him she was somewhere in New York City, that she was slightly younger than he, and that he was to find her, and bring her back to the covenant. He’d packed his things and had left New Orleans for New York, excited to be away from those who looked down upon him because he was, as they termed it, a “halfling.” He’d been welcomed in the human world. The first female to lie with him had been human, his first date, his first friend, his first everything.

  Almost on a whim, he’d enrolled in college. He’d watched enough television programs to know that was what guys his age did with their lives. It had been easy enough, a spell cast on the Director of Admissions and he had a student file under the name Maximilian Carter at NYU. Money had never been an issue because his father kept him supplied. And then he’d glimpsed Vivienne, practicing for a track-and-field event, and he’d been drawn to her. In hindsight, he realized his instincts were telling him that she was the ‘girl’ he was tracking. Still, he’d never seen a woman more beautiful, and so he’d followed her, grew to know her, like her, admire her. Because his emotions were involved where Vivienne was concerned, he’d failed to read the signs until finally, after four years of knowing her, he’d had to accept that she was the one.

  It had all happened because of a nightmare. Their first week living together, he’d awoken to Vivienne’s voice. Feeling unnaturally weak, he’d dragged himself to her room, only to find her sitting up in the bed, her eyes closed, whimpering. Even now, he could remember the waves of power coming from her unconscious body. Dragging himself over to the bed, he’d awoken her before getting under the covers and holding her as she slept. His heart had raced that night with the knowledge she was the one, that if he told his father where she was, they would kill her, one of his only friends. He couldn’t let that happen.

  “Yes, they were after me,” Max heard his voice say and he mentally shook his head. “And yes, they were witches.”

  She nodded and pulled her drawn up knees under the long T-shirt she wore. “Did you kill them?”

  Max nodded once. Drew shuddere
d.

  “Drew, they were going to kill us. I couldn’t let that happen.”

  She inhaled deeply. “This doesn’t even seem real, Max. Witches trashed our apartment, and you…killed them. I feel like I’m caught in some nightmare. Witches and warlocks aren’t supposed to exist outside of TV shows and movies.” Drew shook her head, and then her brows crinkled. “But I know what I saw and I saw you…sucking something out of that man, and you were blue. Is that how witches look?”

  Max shook his head. “No. That isn’t how witches look.” Another reason why he was scorned by his covenant. While the children were learning to cast spells and incant rituals, he’d been learning how to control his body. He could still remember the laughter and jeers when he’d grow angry from them calling him “half-breed” and his skin would turn sheet-white, revealing blue veins all over his body. When he’d reached puberty, the change had been stronger, with his eyes changing to electric blue, his skin to pale blue and his hair bleeding to black. His father had sequestered him, training him as he learned to control it. Years had gone by without any interaction with children his age, and when he was finally able to be around them, their views on him hadn’t changed for the better. “When I lose control of my emotions, it happens.”

  “Oh,” was all she said.

  Feeling a twinge of scorn at himself, he turned from her. “Are you thirsty or hungry?” It had been hours since he’d brought her to his safe house. He doubted she’d eaten for the morning, what with his covenant breaking in and destroying the place.

  Drew nodded. “Can I have some water, please?”

  Max nodded and was heading for the door when he turned to look at her over his shoulder. “Don’t try anything, Drew. I’m not going to hurt you but I will gag you and tie to the bed again if I have to.”

  He waited for the nod and then without a backward glance, walked from the room and pulled the door closed behind him.

  ***

  Conall pressed his hand against the small of Vivienne’s back as they walked toward the building. His eyes scanned the bustling downtown area, taking in the faces of already tired humans as they trotted about their days at work. They stopped before the tall apartment building in lower Manhattan and she pressed the intercom button for the floor Max had given her.

  “Vivienne?”

  “Max?”

  “Vivienne, I’ll buzz you—Are you alone?”

  Conall glared at the grungy white voice box. Vivienne turned to him. “No. I have a friend with me. Is it okay if he comes up?”

  He felt a surge of pride. His hand at her back looped around her tiny waist, pulling her against his side.

  “I’ll meet you downstairs.” Max’s voice was curt and Conall fought the urge to slam his fist against the intercom.

  Vivienne suddenly turned to face him and the look on her face told him she was about to say something that he wouldn’t like. “Thanks for bringing me here. Maybe it would be best if I went upstairs alone. You don’t have to feel obligated to come upstairs with me.”

  “I don’t. I want to,” he interrupted smoothly.

  She released a sigh and Conall pulled her tighter against his body. “I can’t believe someone robbed my apartment.”

  He was just about to reply when a young woman suddenly pulled open the door, smiled, and held it for them. Vivienne murmured her thanks and Conall held the door as she stepped into the lobby. It was gray, gray tiles and a dirty wall that might have been white or cream at some point. A white light flickered above them and Vivienne hugged herself. Conall stepped closer to her.

  The sound of an elevator arriving touched his ears moments before a door at the end of the lobby opened. A man stepped through, approaching them slowly. It took Conall seconds to recognize him. Max was the same friend who’d ripped Vivienne away from him at the club.

  “Vivienne,” Max began, heading in their direction, but then he slowed and came to a direct stop when his gaze landed on Conall. He waited for recognition to hit the human’s eyes, barely concealing his need to walk over to and the man and give him a solid right to the face. He needed Vivienne to trust him, and knocking her friend out, no matter how much he wanted to, wasn’t going to make that happen.

  That was his train of thought until Vivienne moved quickly, throwing herself against her friend, and Max, hugging her quickly, proceeded to push her behind his body.

  “Max, what are you doing?” Vivienne began in confusion. Conall twisted his head slightly, relaxing the tension there, and took a step in the friend’s direction. Most humans had a sixth sense, but this one obviously didn’t, and he was going to take pleasure in knocking some into him. He was just about to reach forward and haul Vivienne from her stupid friend, when he froze. The air had suddenly thickened, and with his heightened senses, Conall could feel the barely concealed power coming from Max. Witch.

  His lip curled upward, and his body tensed for an attack. Vivienne’s friend was a witch, one who could disguise himself as human. He doubted she knew that, but the friend certainly did. And then he remembered the phone call, that a witch had been tracking Vivienne last night. That, and the fact that a witch was standing between him and his mate, the same witch who’d dragged his mate away from him days ago, propelled him into action.

  ***

  Vivienne was getting sick of the men in her life pushing her around like a rag doll. First Conall at Cedar Creek and now Max. She was just about to let her feelings be known when Max was thrown clear of her. It took her brain a few seconds to realize that Max, who’d been standing inches before her, was now crumpled against the wall at the opposite side of the lobby, and Conall had been the one to throw him. Her mouth opened on a scream, knowing her friend had to have broken bones, but snapped shut when Max pushed himself up so quickly her eyes could barely catch it, and tackled Conall. They went crashing to the floor amidst grunts and curses.

  She dropped her bag to the floor as she watched her best friend and Conall pummel each other. The fight was so fast it looked an action movie on fast-forward. Max caught Conall with a hard punch to the face and Vivienne was certain she heard bones cracking before Conall recovered and delivered a stunning kick to Max’s stomach. Max barely doubled over before they launched at each other once more. Vivienne’s horrified gaze followed them as they moved from wall to wall, from the ground to standing up, and then finally, she found her voice and screamed.

  “STOP!”

  Chapter Seven

  There was no glance in her direction, no grunt of acknowledgement from either of the two men. They continued on, punching, kicking, and slamming, beating the living hell out of each other. Vivienne looked from one to the other, noticing no one was yet bleeding, but in a few a seconds that would likely change. Every instinct in her body told her neither would stop until the other was badly injured or worse. She knew Max was deadly in martial arts, as she’d taken a class with him, but Conall was large and muscular, using his towering body to slam Max into walls. His fists reigned down on her friend.

  “Conall, Max. Stop it!” she yelled, lifting her hand to her face and wincing at the sickening sounds of flesh meeting flesh. Once more, she was ignored. Vivienne looked around, trying to find anything that would aid her in getting these two apart. Nothing. She couldn’t even find a fire extinguisher, though she doubted that would work. Her palms grew sweaty as her heart thumped painfully in her chest. She didn’t have a choice.

  Running over to them, she waited for an opening. She had to get them apart. Why were they fighting anyway? It wasn’t as if they knew each other! The opening came when Conall shoved Max clear of him. Max reeled back and Vivienne caught sight of the bleeding cut at his brow before he righted himself. Almost as if in slow motion, Conall straightened to his full height, his nostrils flaring, and his eyes seemed to glow a brilliant color, so bright it was almost yellow. His fists uncurled slowly at his sides.

  Max’s hazel eyes, which were usually relaxed and smiling, were watchful and alert. There was a distinct silenc
e in the air, so quiet she could hear the rapid thump of her heart, the slight flutter of Conall’s jacket when he shifted slightly. Vivienne could now say she understood the meaning of the calm before the storm. This was it. And one hell of a storm was coming. She didn’t know how else to put it, but she could sense it.

  Conall lowered his head and took a deliberate step in Max’s direction. Something flashed in his eyes and Vivienne panicked. They were going to kill each other if she didn’t do something. A taunting grin appeared on Max’s lips, and Conall snarled, moments before both each headed for the other. A wave of fear, frustration, and anger settled over her. A sharp pain touched her temples, quickly moving to her forehead, then the back of her head. It felt like the beginning of a migraine. Shaking her head, she lifted her voice and projected, “Stop. Just…stop.”

  Even the migraine listened. As quickly as it had started, the headache vanished, leaving Vivienne clear-headed and slightly disoriented. She quickly opened her eyes to scan what damage Max and Conall had done to each other but they were both focused on her. Max’s eyes were wide. He blinked rapidly in her direction, while Conall had cocked his head to the side in an inquisitive manner that for some reason reminded her of a wolf.

  Why are they staring at me like that? Vivienne’s gaze moved from one to the other.

  ***

  With that command, Vivienne had unlocked a hidden part of herself, and both men could both feel waves of raw power flowing unhindered from her body. To add to that, a hazy yellow glow surrounded her, making her appear more goddess than any creature of earth.

  “What?” She said it as if it were the only reasonable question to ask of the two macho-men who had just halted their fight-night simply to stare at her.

  At her voice, Max sprung into action, turning his body to face Conall, who in turn glared at him. “We have to get out of here. Now. With a signal like that, trackers will be here in a minutes.”