GraceinMoonlight

by Stephane Julian

  “Your daughter isn’t the one who’s lost her common sense.” Dorian’s eyebrows lifted slightly. “You seem to be spending an awful lot of time with the woman yourself.”

  To his left, Aule Pastore snorted as he pretended to check out his card hand. Aule had a wife and two kids, a slight potbelly from eating too much of his wife’s delicious homemade pasta and had lost most of his hair sometime around the age of twenty-eight, nearly two decades ago. In his pelt, the guy was a stealthy predator but in real life, he worked numbers as if they were a symphony.

  Kaisie frowned at Aule. “What the hell was that for?”

  To his right, Jimmy Domenico started to laugh. “Really? You really gonna play it that way?”

  Kaisie turned to give Jimmy the finger but the short, stout praepositus of the lucani army, the man in charge of teaching young soldiers how to be good soldiers, just laughed again. Nearly sixty and still able to best boys decades younger in a fight, Jimmy had a wicked sense of humor that, embarrassingly enough, included a love of Jerry Lewis.

  “Now, boys and girls, let’s not get into a pissing match. Are we gonna play cards or not?”

  The horned salbinelli sitting between Aule and Dorian had a cigar clamped between his teeth and sat on a specially made chair so he was at the right height to play. Beneath the table, Kaisie knew Salvatorus’ goat legs dangled inches from the floor while his human upper body was all that showed above.

  Sal flashed a warning look at Jimmy, whose grin only got bigger.

  Son of a bitch. He’d joined the game tonight in Dorian’s small cottage in the den because he’d wanted one night to just relax, drink a few beers, play a few hands and forget about the bullshit waiting to come down on his head.

  Not to be badgered by his so-called friends.

  The floating game had been going on for years, since he and Aule had been teenagers serving the first of their four mandatory years in the lucani legion. Over the years, players had come and gone but there was always a game somewhere in the den come Thursday night.

  “I’m playing, I’m playing.” Jimmy took another look at his cards then threw in a couple of chips. “But Kaisie, come on, man. Give the woman a break already. The bastard took her kid. She’s allowed to be a bitch until she gets him back.”

  For some reason, hearing Jimmy call Grace a bitch put his back up. Which was ridiculous, considering what he thought of the woman himself.

  Not that he thought she was a bitch. She was just…

  Stubborn. Willful. Demanding.

  Terrified for her son.

  And so fucking beautiful she made his gut hurt.

  So of course, he had to pick a fight with her every chance he got.

  “For fuck’s sake, Kaisie, if you’re not gonna pay attention, just fold and put the rest of us out of your misery.” Aule shook his head though he had a grin playing around the edges of his mouth, same as Jimmy. “You’ve won enough hands anyway. Give the rest of us a chance to win some money.”

  “Well, you ain’t winning mine.” Sal laid out a royal flush. “Read ‘em and weep, children.”

  As the rest of the table threw their cards down in disgust while calling Sal’s parentage into question in various and creative ways, Kaisie rose from the table with a sigh. “Deal me out next hand. I need a fresh one. Anybody else?”

  No one else took him up on his offer, probably because he was sucking back beers like a teenager at his first party. And he still didn’t have enough of a buzz to feel better about what had happened earlier.

  Making his way to the kitchen, he opened the fridge, pulled out a beer…and sighed as he shut the door.

  “No, Aule.” Kaisie turned to face his oldest and closest friend, who’d followed him from the other room. “I don’t wanna talk about it.”

  “Well, shit. I didn’t know you’d become a mind reader.” Aule leaned back against the stove, arms crossed over his chest. “And I didn’t even ask the question, scassacazzo.”

  Kaisie shrugged. “Well, you were gonna. I’m just saving you the trouble of trying and failing. So you drew the short straw, huh?”

  “No, I volunteered to come after you. We considered sending Dorian… You know, a woman’s touch and all. But then Dorian’s about as cuddly as an iguana.”

  “Whereas you’re just a bundle of soft and fuzzy.”

  Aule patted his stomach with a rueful grin. “Well, you got the soft right. At least I don’t have Jimmy’s back hair.”

  Kaisie tried to give Aule the smile he was after but couldn’t quite make it stick.

  Instead, he sighed and Aule’s expression transformed with concern.

  “Hey, man. You wanna tell me what’s really going on? The last couple of times I’ve seen you, you haven’t seemed…”

  Kaisie forced himself to maintain eye contact. “Haven’t seemed what?”

  Aule took a deep breath and shook his head. “You seem kind of close to the wolf, my friend. Like maybe you’re spending a little too much time in your pelt.”

  Kaisie didn’t bother to deny it. He couldn’t.

  “What’s going on?” Aule leaned forward, his voice dropping to barely a whisper. “Kaisie, is something wrong?”

  Nothing was wrong. Nothing was going on. Life continued much the same as it had for the past twenty years. He spent time with his daughter when he had it. Not as much as he should have. Way less than he should have, in fact. Hell, he was a fuck-up as a father. But for some reason his daughter loved him and he was eternally grateful for that.

  She’d even forgiven him for never telling her the truth about her mother, that she was half silvani, one of the Fata, the Etruscan fairy races. She’d had to find out that one on her own.

  Hell, life should be good.

  So why did he feel so fucking restless?

  “Hey, man, I don’t wanna pry.” Aule leaned forward. “You don’t wanna talk to me, I’m good with that. But you—”

  “I’m bored. It’s stupid and childish and I feel like a fucking idiot admitting it but…” He sighed and took a deep pull on the beer. “I’m bored and…burned out.”

  Aule paused. “Then take a break. It’s not like you haven’t earned it.”

  Snorting, Kaisie shook his head. “What the hell would I do?”

  “Take a vacation. Go to a casino, play some real table games. Ask a woman on a date.”

  “A date, huh?”

  Aule’s mouth curved in a grin. “Yeah. You remember those, right? You take a woman to dinner, maybe a movie before you ask her to sleep with you. You know, court her.”

  “Court?” Kaisie actually smiled. “When did you become such a fucking gentleman?”

  “My mate would tell you I’m not, usually. But then she puts up with me day in and day out.”

  Kaisie nodded, but that ache in his chest had returned. The one he’d had earlier today. The one he didn’t understand. And probably didn’t want to know what caused it.

  Since Aule continued to stare at him, Kaisie forced a smile, which his friend probably knew was fake. He didn’t care. “Make my excuses, will ya? I think I’m gonna head out.”

  After a brief pause, Aule nodded. “Sure. Hey, stop for dinner. Mary’ll make you ravioli. She knows you love it. Bring Kaine and John.”

  Grabbing his coat from the pile on the kitchen table, he left after telling Aule he’d call to set a date. Maybe he actually would this time.

  Then again, he’d become so fucking antisocial lately, he probably wouldn’t.

  Stepping out of the house, he took a moment to just breathe in the cold air. February in Pennsylvania usually meant snow on the ground but the last snowfall had been in early December so the ground was frozen but not covered.

  He thought about changing into his pelt and going for a run, maybe heading over to the Howling Wolf bar to listen to the Lady of the Silver Light, the Etruscan Moon Goddess Lusna, sing some blues.

  He decided against it when he realized she’d probably want to talk to him and he had no desire t
o talk to anyone. Not even the lucani’s patron goddess.

  He really was an antisocial son of a bitch.

  Except, there was one person he would have no problem talking to right now.

  And his feet had automatically pointed him in her direction.

  He tried to ignore the impulse, tried to tell himself he was only walking back through the den, when his house was in the completely opposite direction, because he needed the exercise.

  Shit. The least he could do was not lie to himself. He’d done enough of that through the years.

  Soundlessly, he made his way through the wooded areas between the houses on the outskirts of the small lucani village and the more densely populated area closer to the community area.

  The little house that was his target rested dead center in the village.

  It only had five rooms and one floor but apparently she liked it. At least, she hadn’t complained when Kyle had told her she’d be moving out of the holding facility where she’d been kept for months.

  Kyle had figured she’d be safer surrounded on all sides than stuck on the outskirts of the village where he’d have to assign guards at all hours.

  Besides, she wasn’t going anywhere without her son. She’d made that perfectly clear.

  No one had any reason to doubt her word not to leave the safety of that house after dark without an escort.

  Kaisie figured she was tucked up tight inside. Probably not sleeping. Grace didn’t look as if she got near enough sleep lately. Couldn’t blame her for that.

  If his child had been abducted by the Mal, he’d be going crazy with worry.

  Grace seemed to be holding it together fairly well, actually.

  Which was part of the reason he goaded her. When they verbally sparred, she didn’t look as terrified.

  Why that bothered him… Hell, he didn’t have a fucking clue.

  He reached the house in minutes then found himself leaning against an old pine at the back, where a large window looked straight through the tiny kitchen into the front room.

  He knew she wasn’t sleeping because he saw her, huddled on the couch, a mug in her hands as she stared at the TV, though he was pretty sure she wasn’t watching the program.

  He didn’t take Grace for a fan of late-night infomercials about men’s hair loss but he didn’t really know Grace that well.

  And right there was another problem.

  He wanted to get to know her. He wanted to know about the shadows in her eyes and how she’d gotten that scar on her back. The one that looked like a burn.

  He wanted to know what she liked to eat and what side of the bed she slept on. He wanted her to tell him who he could kill for putting that pain in her eyes and he wanted her to tell him she was never going back to the Mal.

  Idiot.

  Hell, he’d never wanted to kill for a woman before. He was a tracker. He wasn’t sicari, an assassin.

  But…he would kill for her.

  He took a deep breath, barely scenting the two lucani out on patrol. Another lucani might not have been able to detect them. His powers of smell were just that much better.

  Which meant he could smell her tears. With her face turned away from him, toward the TV, he couldn’t see her crying but he knew she was.

  Gods damn. Just… He sighed. Nortia, the Etruscan Goddess of Fate, must really have it in for him. What the hell had he done to piss her off?

  He should go home. He needed to sleep. He hadn’t had nearly enough to make up for the hours he’d missed when he was looking for her boy. And yeah, he was exhausted.

  Besides, she wouldn’t want him here. He’d frighten her if he knocked on the door this late at night.

  But like every house in this village, there was a swinging door on the back entrance, just the right size for a large wolf to enter.

  Even though the temperature hovered below freezing, he stripped down to his skin then folded his clothes and left them on the bench by the back door before he shifted.

  Standing with his feet on the frozen ground, he called his wolf with little effort. The pain lasted only a few brief seconds. It ripped through him with the force of a bullet, tearing at his muscles and reshaping his bones before he stood on four paws and gave a full-body shake, just to make sure everything was where it was supposed to be.

  It always was but he still checked every time. Force of habit.

  Walking up to the back door, he found the latch to unlock the gate, easily manipulated by a wolf’s paw, then slipped through into the kitchen.

  As the panel swung shut with the barest hint of sound, he heard Grace gasp as she turned. Her gaze locked onto him immediately and he saw her scramble off the couch, nearly dropping the mug in her hand before she steadied it with her other.

  He thought about shifting back, showing her who he was but when her eyes narrowed and her teeth bit into her bottom lip, he realized she knew it was him.

  Then she confirmed it. “It’s a little late for visiting, isn’t it, Kaisie?”

  Now there was the tone he wanted to hear in her voice, even if it was overlaid with the wet sound of the tears she’d been crying. That haughty, high-society drawl she used on him all the time. Nobody else, just him.

  That tone did things to him…

  He shook his head and walked around the couch, knowing she watched his every move. He didn’t smell fear on her. If he had, he would have shifted back into his skin and gotten his clothes.

  But he wanted to stay in his pelt. He wanted…

  Jumping up onto the couch, he lay on his stomach, paws out in front of him, staring up at Grace.

  She watched his every move with narrowed eyes but her teeth worried her lip until he thought she might break the skin.

  With a huff, she pushed that gorgeous red hair over her shoulder and sat back down on the opposite end of the couch, a sectional with a chaise. She stretched her legs along the chaise but she didn’t look at all comfortable.

  “I don’t know what you’re doing here but I don’t want to fight with you. Not now.”

  He didn’t want to fight either. And he didn’t want the entire width of a cushion to separate them.

  Careful not to rip the fabric with his nails, he shimmied over onto that center cushion and pushed his snout against her leg.

  She wore flannel pants that smelled like her. So damn soft against his nose. On top, a huge, old sweatshirt covered her from neck to thighs, faded and washed so many times, it felt like a baby’s blanket. That smelled like her too.

  Hot, sweet woman.

  He squashed the growl building in his throat. She probably wouldn’t understand that it wasn’t an angry sound.

  Nudging her leg again, he heard her huff. “You’re pushy no matter what form you’re in, aren’t you? Do you want the entire couch?”

  He shook his head then licked her nearest hand, clenched into a fist on her knee, and felt her shiver.

  Her fingers straightened and flexed and she lifted her hand.

  That was the opening he’d wanted. He laid his head where her hand had been, twisting his body onto his side and stretching out along the cushions.

  For a full ten seconds, her hand hovered in the air over his body. He almost thought she was going to push him away.

  Then her hand descended and her fingers settled onto his fur, gently, as if she were afraid she’d hurt him.

  Or maybe she was afraid he’d snap at her.

  He lay as still as possible, not wanting to spook her and after a few minutes, she started to run her hand along his fur.

  No one but his daughter had ever petted him before. The sensation was strange. Nice but strange. Especially considering the feelings this woman riled in him.

  Instead of the usual tension, his muscles relaxed and he huffed out a breath, which made her pause for a few seconds before she continued. They sat there in silence, the low drone from the television the only sound and the soft flicker of the screen the only light.

  If he hadn’t been so acutely aware of
where he was and with whom, he might have fallen asleep. As it was, he had no problem staying awake so he could enjoy the sensation of her hand stroking through his thick fur.

  Tinia’s teat, if he’d known how fucking good this felt…

  No, probably best not to go there. Because if he did, he might have to consider why he allowed her, of all people, to get this close.

  After several minutes, he heard her sigh. “I keep wondering what he’s doing. Does he think I’ve abandoned him? What lies has Ettore been telling him? Does someone read him a story before bed? Do they tuck him in? Is he feeling better or is he still sick?”

  Kaisie heard the agony in her voice, the fear. It hit him in another part of his body, dead center in his chest.

  “I don’t know even know why Ettore took him. What’s changed? Alex wasn’t born Mal, not like—” She stopped to draw in a breath. “He didn’t want him when he was born. Why would he change his mind now?”

  Since Kaisie had no answers for her, he remained quiet, sensing she just needed to vent. She continued to pet him with a light touch even though her tone had hardened.

  “I’m not a violent person. I’ve made horrible mistakes. The men I hired when I first started to look for the right donor for Alex’s serum were animals. But I was desperate. I didn’t know they’d murdered my test subjects. I should have. I make no excuses. But my son was dying. I’d already lost my daughter and I couldn’t lose Alex.”

  At the mention of her daughter, he turned his head to look at her.

  Tears welled in her eyes, which he could barely see because she refused to look down at him. He heard a soul-deep pain in her voice that called to the man. Again, he felt the urge to shift and take her into his arms.

  He wondered if she’d let him.

  Probably not.

  Probably safer to stay in his pelt.

  Shit. When had he become such a fucking pussy?

  Then again, discretion really was the better part of valor occasionally.

  And sometimes the feel of a woman’s hand on your pelt was enough to make you stupid.

  Chapter Two

  For hours, Grace had been battling nausea, dizziness, muscle pain and a monstrous headache that she couldn’t afford to turn into a migraine.