Light up The Moon (The Bound Series Book 4)

by JF Holland

  When he pulled back, she was already sleeping. Sighing, he watched her for a minute, then turned on his heel and made his way into the kitchen.

  Jaden was in the kitchen with Sam, they were staring at the map, the one they’d used when searching for Balin. They were again going over the area, going back over every inch of land, looking for Maisie’s hideout.

  “Coffee?” Maya asked, handing him a cup, he took it with a thank you and sat drinking it.

  “So how can I help you?” came a voice from the doorway.

  Luc looked up to find Ronald standing in the kitchen doorway. The big dragon shifter stood with his hands in his denim jacket pocket. Motorbike helmet hanging from an elbow, dangling there.

  “Ronald, thank you for offering to help us,” Maya smiled, moving towards him.

  “What’s going on?” Luc asked, nodding towards the newcomer as he came over to the table, looking down at the map. Putting his helmet down on the table, Ronald again turned his attention to the map.

  “Luc, meet Ronald, the owner and security at club Karma,” Jaden introduced them, before shaking Ronald’s hand.

  “We’ve met before, the night the fireworks between Lana and Balin began,” Luc replied dryly, taking a swallow of his coffee.

  “How’s he doing?” Ronald asked, thanking Maya as she handed him a coffee.

  “He’s improving,” Jaden replied, but with him being out of action, and having to leave extra’s to guard us, we are down a few in our searches. We also have a full moon coming up we’re are desperate for man power.

  “I’m happy to help out, but tonight is all I can offer you until next week. I’ve shut the club for the night. After weekend, I’ll be able to offer you more time.”

  “How?” Jaden asked.

  “I’m doing interviews, I’m taking on a manager, I need a little more time to myself.” Ronald informed them. “It’s just a pity I’d not arranged it last weekend, then I’d have been able to offer you more time, I’m sorry.”

  “No, any time given just now is appreciated.”

  “My pleasure, Lana’s a good girl, anything I can do to get rid of this threat to her, I’ll do gladly.”

  “What’s the plan for tonight then?” Luc asked. His mind on Sophia in the next room, knowing he wasn’t going to be spending time with her just yet. Sighing, he tuned back into the conversation.

  “I was thinking, with both you and Luc out, we could cover more ground, especially with you two in air.”

  “Good idea, I have no problem doing that,” Ronald replied. “I would actually enjoy spreading my wings, it’s been a while. Plus, it’s overcast tonight, so not much worry over being spotted.”

  They spent the next hour or two sorting out which areas to cover and what to look for. Before leaving, Luc went in search of Sophia, frowning when he found the sofa empty. He found her in the room Jaden had turned into an office, head in a book as she sat behind the desk. She was so absorbed that she didn’t even look up as he entered.

  “How are you feeling now?” he asked, making his way towards the desk. She jumped as he spoke, and blinking she looked up.

  “Luc, hi, I’m a little better, thank you,” she smiled, resting her hand on the page she was reading.

  “I’m heading out for a bit with Ronald. We’re going to sweep the area from above, see if we can find any signs of the elusive Maisie. I’ll come find you when I get back,” he told her, leaning over the desk, kissing her cheek, their lips connecting as her head turned.

  He’d only meant to peck her, but as their lips met, he’d groaned, deepening the kiss. Sweeping his tongue into the interior of her mouth, savouring her unique taste, allowing his senses to absorb her. Sophia’s, arms lifted, winding around his neck and Luc cursed the desk between them, stopping him from feeling her against him. He gave thought to lifting her over it, undoing her jean’s, bending her over and losing himself in her body. It wouldn’t take long; he was already hard. He’d gone from no sex drive to only having to see or think about her to be ready. Growling at the thought of her heat surrounding, squeezing him as he pumped in and out of her tight heat had him shaking with need. The thought of the sounds she’d make as he pushed her over the edge, his name on her lips had him reaching behind her back. He was ready to lift her over and act on his thoughts when he heard a noise in the next room. Breaking the kiss, he sucked in a breath, his forehead resting against hers as he ground his jaw in disappointment and frustration.

  “I have to go, we’ll take this up when I get back,” he told her, kissing her nose and turning on his heel, and left the room, before he couldn’t.

  Sophia sat back in the chair, hand to her chest as her heart banged against her ribcage.

  The man had her tied up in knots, he was drop dead gorgeous, protective and kissed like an angel. Fanning herself, she blew out a breath and shook her head to clear it, before again looking to the book before her.

  She would find a way to break his curse if it was the last thing she did.

  Chapter Twenty-One

  L ana woke with a sigh, surrounded by warmth, her hand sinking into velvet, and a loud, rumbling purr by her ear.

  “You’re awake?” came Balin’s husky whisper in her mind.

  “Wow, you finally shifted,” she murmured, hand sinking into his thick black fur with a sigh as his amber, feline eyes gazed at her. She smiled up at him and a contented purr rumbled in his chest.

  “You’ve been holding out on me,” he yawned, jaw stretching, muzzling reshaping and fur disappearing as paws turned to hands and feet. She now found herself lay with her hand on his chest, still running over his hard, smooth skin and ink.

  “What are you talking about?” she asked, distracted, tracing over the pattern on his pectoral muscle.

  “You’ve obviously done a little experimenting in your past,” he replied, eyes dancing with mischief.

  “I don’t have a clue what you are talking about?” she replied, confused, hand stilling as she tried to read his thoughts. Tutting in annoyance when she came up against a blank wall.

  “That didn’t feel like the first time you’ve stroked pussy,” Balin chuckled, then as she sputtered in indignation; his chuckle turned to a full out laugh, sobering as it pulled on is healing stomach making him wince. Looking down at the pout Lana wore, he leaned over, ignoring the way it pulled on him and kissed her. Her eyes slid closed and her breath hitched at the first touch of his lips on hers. Her nails digging into his pectoral muscle, making him hiss, a groan leaving his chest as he pulled her over him. One of his hands moved to the nape of her neck, holding her to him so he could feed from her mouth. He deepened the kiss, tongue stroking over her bottom lip, dipping into the interior, feeding her arousal. Her knees slid over his hips, a groan leaving her as she felt his erection brushing over her. She moved, grinding against him and froze, as he broke the kiss, sucking in a breath.

  Lana sprang off him like a scalded cat, panting, her eyes full of horror and her hand cover her mouth. Balin lay back, eyes squeezed tightly shut, sweat covering his brow and jaw grinding as his hands white knuckled the sheet at his hips. It had moved, his bandage like a beacon, a small amount of blood, bleeding through the white gauze.

  “Shit, shit, I’m sooo sorry,” Lana murmured, voice low as she stared in horror.

  “It’s fine,” Balin ground out, jaw tight.

  “No, it’s not, I’ll shout Jaden, he’ll get a hold of Agatha.

  “Jaden’s at the police station in Upper Lunaton, which was why I thought I could seduce you without being interrupted. Fuck,” he ground out again, slamming his head back into the pillows. “I thought it would be okay, I’d shifted, I’ve had healing sessions. Shit, I’m sorry love, I really thought I could do this. Arrgh,” he curled onto this side, trying to hug his abused stomach.

  “What can I do?” she asked, hand reaching out to touch him but he growled at her.

  “No, don’t touch, just give me a minute,” he sucked in a breath, panting.

>   “How are your legs?” she asked, biting her lip and wringing her hands together as she paced by the side of the bed.

  “Fine,” he ground out.

  “Fine?”

  “I can move them again, so I guess they’re healing.”

  “You guess, you guess,” she asked incredulously, her voice rising. “You didn’t check your injuries before you decided to drag me over you?” hissed, angrily.

  “Erm, no, I was kind of thinking with the brain a little lower,” he admitted.

  “Well, Einstein, suck it up while I check what kind of damage I’ve done to you,” she told him. Stopping her pacing, Lana approached the bed with a determined gleam in her eyes. He’d have laughed if he didn’t feel like shit, his insides on fire. She looked as if she was preparing herself for war, the way her shoulders straightened and her mouth thinned.

  “Now love, let’s not be hasty,” he held out a hand trying to stop her advance.

  “Oh, shut up you moron, stop being a baby while I see what we’ve done.”

  “I’ll be fine, good as new in a few shifts you’ll see,” he told her nodding his head.

  “A few shifts?” she asked suspiciously, kneeling beside him.

  “Yeah,” he sighed.

  “What do you mean?”

  “That was my first shift.”

  “So, if you shift a couple of times this can be resolved?”

  “I think so,” he told her with a sigh, shuffling around and trying to push himself up in the bed.

  “So?”

  “What?”

  “Shift already,” she growled, pushing up off the bed again and standing with her arms crossed, tapping a foot.

  “Now?”

  “No, next week. Of course, now, unless you want me to get Thomas back to undo that bandaging and have a root through your insides again.”

  “Fuck,” he grumbled.

  “No, no fucking for you, fucking is off the table for the foreseeable future,” she told him.

  “Now baby, let’s not be hasty here,” Balin wheedled. He tried giving her a charming smile, playful smile, but missed by a mile. His movements again pulled on his stomach and it protested, his smile turning to a grimace.

  “Shift, or I swear to god I’ll ring Thomas,” Lana warned, moving to the drawers by the door where his mobile phone sat, charging.

  “Bollocks,” Balin grumbled, gritting his teeth and closing his eyes. His jaw ground as the shift over took him, bones popping and reshaping, fur once again covering him and muzzle forming. There, panting on the bed in his place, now lay a couple of hundred pounds of black jaguar.

  “How does that feel?”

  “Like my body has just been run over by a fucking truck.” he groused in her head.

  “How long do you need to stay in this form?” she asked, edging back towards the bed. Slowly she knelt on the edge then crawled over to him, lying beside the large cat.

  “Not a clue,” he sighed into her mind, purring as her hand once again began stroking through his fur. “Now, this no fucking rule, you weren’t serious, were you? he grumbled. “Only I have a serious case of blue balls here. If I give it a couple of shots of shifting, how about a hand job as a reward? You know, just to help me out” he asked hopefully.

  “We’ll see how you go,” Lana laughed, burying her face in his fur and he again purred.

  “If you’re feeling really generous, a blowjob would definitely cheer me up,” he added and her laughter made her shake against him.

  “Don’t push your luck kitty.” She warned, then sighing added. “You scared the shit out of me,” swallowing, she ran her face and hands over his fur, soothing herself.

  “Hey, I’ll be okay,” he told her, large head coming close, rough tongue licking the tears from her face.

  “Promise?” she asked, wrapping her arms around his neck.

  “Yeah, I promise,” he said, big head, now nuzzling into her, purring, his large front paw going around her shoulder, pulling her into him.

  “Don’t scare me again,” she scolded, half-heartedly.

  “I’ll nap in this form, then change again later.”

  “Okay, you need food, I’ll go grab you something.”

  “No stay, let me just hold you for a while,” he rumbled into her mind.

  “Okay, but only for a little while, you need food to keep up your strength.

  “I need you more,” he admitted to her on a yawn, the feline eyes blinking closed as Lana tightened her hold on him.

  ***

  “Well, that was fun,” Jaden said, sarcastically as he made his way over to Leonards Maserati.

  “It could have been a lot worse.”

  “How Leonard?”

  “You may have had to do it on your own,” Jaden sighed at this, lowing himself into the sports car.

  “Thanks for your help, it was appreciated.”

  “You’re welcome.”

  “Could you not have hired a proper mode of transport?” Jaden grumbled, trying to get comfortable in the luxury interior, but feeling decidedly claustrophobic.

  “This is top of the range,” Leonard snarled, knuckles whitening on the steering wheel.

  “Have I hit on a sore point?” Jaden asked, turning to the vampire.

  “A little,” he sighed as the engine purred to life.

  “Come on spill,” it’ll take my mind off where we are heading now.”

  “I got called a poser,” Leonard told him incredulously as he pulled out of the police station’s car park.

  “Really?” Jaden drawled, eyes returning to the vamp who sat there driving a top of the range sports car. Armani suit, tailored to his body, down to the shirt, leather driving gloves and a full-length black duster coat which hung from a hanger in the back. “Not a clue how anyone would think that about you,” he replied dryly, shaking his head and holding onto the ‘Oh shit’ bar by his left shoulder.

  “Exactly, she has a bloody cheek. I mean, she should be impressed that I’m even trying with her.”

  “Right, because, I mean, her views shouldn’t count. She should be kissing your feet for giving her the time of day.”

  “Well, maybe not quite that. But, I mean, I’m courteous, good looking…”

  “Modest,” Jaden interrupted.

  “See, you get me,” Leonard told him earnestly. “This human, this, Jill person,” he sighed.

  “Is this the one you’ve got to take on five dates?” Jaden asked, trying to remember the specifics of the rules Luc had given him. “How’s the blue balls going?” he grinned, evilly. “You’ve taken her out once or twice now I believe?”

  “Twice,” Leonard gritted out, his knuckles turning white on the steering wheel as he took a corner.

  “So, I take it the no sex thing isn’t working for you,” Jaden smirked, trying to cover his mouth.

  “There are ways around that,” Leonard grinned.

  “No, I do believe there was a no sex rule.”

  “I can do things without full out penetrative sex,” Leonard informed him, then sighed. “Fuck, I’m not enjoying this at all.”

  “Is she really not your type?” Jaden queried, actually feeling sorry for him.

  “It’s not that,” Leonard sighed, pulling up beside the little church where Michael’s funeral was taking place.

  “What’s the problem?” Jaden asked, turning to him.

  “I like her too much, but at the same time, she annoys the arse off me,” Leonard scowled, shaking his head. With that, he turned the engine off and alighted, grabbing his coat out of the back and slipping into it. Jaden was a little slower, Maya appearing by the passenger door as he finally got out, straightening his own suit jacket, finger running around the collar of his shirt.

  “Are you okay?”

  “Yes, I’m fine baby. Just in shock,” Jaden told her.

  “I know, it’s such a dreadful situation. Another young life taken,” Maya murmured, her arm slipping through the crook of Jaden’s. Her other hand running over
the sleeve of his charcoal grey suit jacket.

  “No, that’s not it… Shit, yes it’s sad about Michael. It’s fucking heart-breaking actually,” he informed her. “But that’s not it.”

  “So, what’s wrong?” Maya asked, stopping and turning to face him, a frown marring her beautiful face.

  “Leonards in love,” Jaden told her incredulously, and her mouth opened and closed a few times.

  “Maybe his own reflection.” Maya snorted and Jaden laughed before sobering.

  “No, he really is,” her brow rose at this and he continued. “It’s the human he’s dating, the one Luc set him up with from the dating site.”

  “Seriously?” she blinked a couple of times, looking at him as if trying to gauge the truth of his words.

  “Yeah, that’s what I thought too,” he told her, kissing her nose.

  “Leonard told you he’s in love?” she asked cautiously, still not believing it.

  “Oh no, dumb bastard doesn’t have a clue,” Jaden told her, an evil grin splitting his face. Maya laughed as he pulled her to his side and again tucked her arm through his.

  “Should be fun,” she giggled, then sobered as the hearse pulled up by the kerb.

  “Come on, time to give the boy his send off,” Jaden sighed, moving along the pavement to stand with the others, hands folded before him in respect.

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  S ophia stepped into the bedroom with Agatha and Douglas on her heels. John and Edwin looked to them from their posts in different corners of the room as Lara sat on the side of the bed, running a damp wash cloth over Davion’s face.

  “Still no change?” Agatha asked, Lara looked up and shook her head, as she continued to mop his brow.

  “I’m not sure another healing session will help him Lara,” Agatha told her softly.

  “I agree,” Sophia added, swallowing at the look that crossed Lara’s face, it killed her to admit, especially as Lara was more like a sister to her.