"But she bit someone! Turned them into a werewolf. Changed them forever. Even now my head is pounding and I want to scratch my own face off!"
"We've all been bitten. Whether it be us or our parents or our grandparents. Griffin explained all that. This is new for you and I understand. It gets better."
"So I keep hearing but from what I see, it doesn't. And Cara… Cara made me care about her. Made me fall in love with her and all along she knew she was the same kind of monster as Jefferson."
Tate leapt to his feet, his steely gray eyes hardening. "That's enough! You need to man up. Cara didn't make you fall in love with her; you did that. And she isn't a monster. Did she tell you why she bit that man?"
"No."
"She bit him because he was going to kill her mom. Their neighbor shot Cara and her mom tried to stop him. Cara bit him to save her mom but the man's son shot anyway. Cara lost everything that day. Her family and her home."
"She still owns the farm," he said lamely.
"But the man she bit would smell her easy if she went back and who knows what he'd do. Cara had to leave for her own good. The only reason she rents out her house, and her land, is to cover up her scent – and her mother’s."
Noah rubbed his face. She'd been through a lot too. And maybe she was justified in biting that man, he didn't know. But she should have told him what she’d done from the beginning.
"Come on." Tate walked to the door. "Donovan wants to check you out. You have somewhere to go tomorrow for the full moon?"
"I figured you were going to lock me up again."
Tate shook his head. "This isn't the way we normally do things. We don't get involved with the shifters we relocate, but since you're a fellow jarhead, we made an exception. We can't keep doing that though. You need to make a life for yourself. Move on."
The same words he himself had said to Brigette the day before.
"Maybe you could run with Liam," Tate suggested.
Noah nodded. He was going to have to figure this out on his own.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
Donovan refused to let Noah out of his sight for the rest of the day– punishment for drinking– and had laid into Noah so hard it made his teeth hurt. But several hours of manual labor had Noah sobering up like ten gallons of coffee.
From moving boxes, to cleaning the bathrooms at the Night Shift office, Noah did it all. Just like he had in boot camp. The mind numbing work gave him a lot of time to think; not only about his life, but about his future and what he wanted from it. By the end of the night exhaustion weighted him down and he ached from his fingers to toes.
He slumped into a leather couch and took off his prosthetic. He rubbed his leg and moaned at the relaxation of his muscles. He’d left his TENS unit back in Malibu. Man he sure could use it right about now.
Tate walked in and threw Noah a hamburger.
"Damn that smells amazing," Noah said.
Tate snickered. "Well it is the best in town, but since it's the night before the full moon, it will taste even better."
Noah bit into the burger, forgetting all about his diet, and groaned as the juicy meat hit his tongue.
"You can sleep on the couch," said Tate. "But tomorrow you have to go back. You can't stay here unless you want to join the Night Shift."
The offer was tempting but not what Noah wanted to do with the rest of his life.
"We'll give you a map of places you can run tomorrow but I suggest you go out with a pack. New areas aren't the best to try alone. Plus you're still getting the feel of the shift."
"I wish I wasn't."
"You have to get over that man. It ain't changin'. I know this is tough but you've been through tougher."
"Do you know why Cara doesn't go out and run at the moon?" he asked.
Tate cleared his throat and then licked his lips. "She doesn't want to bite anyone else. Cara’s a great girl. She’d been through a lot. Her dad running off. Her mom dying. Then being attacked a few months back. You know she tried to kill herself soon after arriving here because of guilt."
"What?" His heart pounded. Just the thought that Cara would want to kill herself– Something snapped inside him. Cara had been protecting her mom just as Jefferson had been trying to protect him. Neither of them had meant to hurt anyone.
Tate grabbed his bag. "Finish your burger and get some sleep. You're gonna need it for tomorrow."
Noah nodded. He knew what he needed to do. “Can I use your phone?”
****
Liam picked up Cara for class, his dark sunglasses hiding his golden eyes.
"No Natasha?" she asked.
"Not today. She's too irritable."
Cara nodded, guilt punching her in the stomach saying yes to Natasha's bracelet.
“Have… have you heard anything about Noah?” she asked.
Liam blinked against the bright sunlight. “Yeah, Tate went to get him yesterday. He’s with the Night Shift right now.”
She nodded. At least he was okay.
They rode the rest of the way to school in silence, except for Liam growling at every driver that got in his way.
She spent the day in classes but her mind was on Noah. She still hadn't seen, or heard from him, and it stabbed her heart, like a thousand shards of glass.
At lunch she sat with Clint, Rock, Buck, and Cindy. They were all as bad off as Liam so she made an excuse and took off. The guilt building inside her was too overwhelming.
She headed to work until four, and then caught the bus back to her condo. Once inside, her phone rang.
"Noah's heading over to pick up his clothes," Liam said. "I just thought you should know."
She sucked in a sharp breath and pinched the bridge of her nose. Tears threatened to spill but she held them at bay.
For the last four years she'd been running from her past and now it had cost her the man she loved. She couldn't do it anymore. She owed it to Noah to try and make it right. She looked down at her hand and a thought struck her.
"Can you come get me?" she asked.
"Natasha and I are headed down to the preserve in an hour."
"Yeah, I know."
He was quiet for a minute. "Are you sure you want to do this? It's gonna hurt like hell if you take that bracelet off."
She twirled it around her wrist. "I can't hide anymore."
"I'll be there in thirty."
"I'll be waiting."
Cara hung up the phone and slipped off Natasha's bracelet. It was time to stop running from the past and start running toward the future.
****
Noah stood outside the door to the condo, his limbs shaking, eyes tearing from the sun, trying desperately to get the key into the lock.
Every bone in his body ached. Every muscle burned. Every joint creaked, like metal filings, grinding together. He never should have made the decision to get his clothes and other belongings, so close to the full moon.
He jammed the key in the lock and growled. The door swung inward. He stepped inside and slammed the door, reveling in the cool shade. Leaning his head against the door he listened for Cara. He didn’t want to see her. He couldn’t handle it. Maybe in a couple days, but not today. With the way he felt, he was as likely to rip off her head as to have a civil conversation.
He didn’t have much time. The sun would be down in an hour. He crossed to his room. Everything still lay in the same spot. An envelope caught his attention. He walked to his bed and picked it up. It weighed more than it should have.
He ripped it open with a finger and removed the letter inside.
Dear Noah,
I can only hope that you get this in time and that you read it instead of throwing it in the trash. I want you to know that I never meant to hurt you. The moments we spent together were some of the happiest of my life. I’m sure you didn’t mean to hurt me either. For what happened between us I can never apologize enough, but I can try to help. Please take the token I’ve included as a way for me to try to make amends. I wish you only t
he best.
Yours Always,
Cara
He turned the envelope upside down and out tumbled the wolfsbane bracelet.
“Shit.”
With a bracelet like that he could go anywhere, do anything, pretend he was still human. Never worry about the full moon, or packs, or anything. She’d given him the one thing he wanted most.
He stared at the bracelet in his palm, ran his fingers over it and shook his head.
Why had she done it? Why had she given him the bracelet after everything he’d put her through?
At that moment his wolf howled so loudly he couldn’t deny the call. His knees buckled and he fell to the floor. He clutched his chest, raised his head to the ceiling and howled. The sound of it reverberated around the room and shook the windows.
Dogs barked all over the neighborhood.
His mind snapped into action and he looked at his phone. He had only forty-two minutes before sun down. He propelled himself to his feet and grabbed his duffle bag. Then he stalked to the front door and out to his truck. He had to find her.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
Cara stumbled into the preserve with Liam and Natasha, memories of laying under the moon and watching the stars with Noah dogging her every step.
The pain started at her toes and rolled up her extremities like a tidal wave. She cried out and fell to her knees. It wasn’t time yet but her wolf had been muzzled too long. Though she’d shifted only a few months ago, it’d been years since she’d run free.
“It’s okay.” Natasha knelt next to Cara and rubbed her back. “Let the pain wash over you and pass through you.”
Cara wanted to snap obscenities at Natasha. Instead she bit the inside of her cheek until it bled. When the wave of agony passed, she sucked in a deep breath and leaned on Natasha and Liam for support. Together, the three of them walked further in to the preserve.
Anxiety tickled her brain. “You’re sure no one else is out here?”
“I’ve been coming here for five years and have yet to see another person,” said Liam.
“It’s going to be okay Cara. We’re right here with you, to make sure you’re safe.” Natasha gave her a tired smile.
“It’s not me I’m worried about.”
They stopped and Cara dropped to the ground. The scent of the sweet grass tickled her nostrils. She splayed on her back and stared up at the stars peeking through the darkening horizon, as if someone had plugged the sky into a kid’s Light Bright toy. Another wave of pain curled her toes and had her calves flexing so hard they felt like over-stretched rope. She cried out and tried to focus on something, anything but the pain.
“Two cups berries. Four cups sugar. Two tablespoons lemon juice. One packet of gelatin and one tablespoon of corn syrup.” She sucked in air. “Mix and let sit for ten minutes before–"
“Cara!”
She opened her bleary eyes but couldn’t see anything through the tall grass. A howl sounded and it pierced her soul. Her wolf roared to life and answered the call. Cara lurched off the ground and howled a reply before slumping back to the ground. What the hell was that?
Footsteps pounded toward her and she looked up to find a man leaning over her.
“I found you.” Noah picked her up in his arms and pressed her against his hard chest.
She hugged him fiercely, trying to believe what her senses were telling her.
“You’re here.”
“Yes.” He kissed her head, her cheeks, her nose, and her lips. “I was a jarheaded jackass. I am so sorry.”
His body tensed and a groan of agony rippled through him.
“Sun’s going down,” said Liam.
"We'll hurry," replied Noah.
"Are you sure you're okay, Cara?" Natasha called.
"Yes." Cara caressed Noah's cheek. "I'll be just fine."
“You guys should get undressed. Natasha and I are gonna take off but we’ll meet up after the change,” said Liam.
Noah nodded to Liam and turned to Cara. “Come on, let’s get your bracelet back on.”
She shook her head. “No. I gave it to you.”
He cupped her face. “I don’t need it. I need you.”
“Then I don’t need it either.”
He kissed her hard and his tongue plunged into her mouth claiming it. She grabbed onto him and pulled herself to her knees.
“You heard Liam, we need to get naked.”
A breathtaking, heart-stopping smile spread across his face. “I brought a bag for our clothes.”
She ran her hands under his tight t-shirt and lifted it off him, kissing her way up his chest. He stripped her of her tank top and bra and kissed down the side of her neck.
Her foot snapped and she screamed.
“Okay, no time for that now.” Noah grabbed her pants and underwear and tugged them off before taking off his own. He unhooked his leg and set it in the bag with the rest of the stuff and finally his compression sleeve.
Cara screamed again as her legs broke and hair sprouted from the back of her hands. Noah lay next to her on the ground and pulled her close.
“Noah,” she choked. “Don’t leave.”
“I’m not going anywhere.”
He wrapped her tight in his arms as they lay in the tall grass, bodies changing, breaking, shrinking, tearing and finally, blacking out.
****
Noah awoke to the sun streaming down. He glanced around and found himself naked with Cara in his arms.
His mind raced over the events of the night before. The pain, the shift, running all night in the preserve with Cara, Liam, and Natasha. There was only one word to describe the feeling. Right. It'd felt so right running alongside Cara. Unencumbered by his prosthetic, he'd run hard and fast, without so much as a hitch from his missing limb. The thought left him both elated and exhausted. Every muscle ached from the change and from the burn of exercise, which he hadn't been getting much of lately.
Cara rolled over, wrapped her arm around his back and kissed his chest.
"Good morning." She swirled her tongue over his nipple and a rumble escaped his throat.
"Yes, it is."
He lifted her chin and kissed her hard. The ache of his limbs dissolved into background noise as arousal took over. He licked her bottom lip and she pulled away.
"Sorry." She covered her mouth. "Wolf breath."
He pushed her hand off and kissed her again. "I don't care."
She laughed and rolled away. "But I do."
He flopped on his back and growled. "Okay. Let's get out of here then and finish this after we've brushed our teeth." He glanced around. "Where's the bag?"
"Uh…" She sat up.
"Ah crap. Do you even remember where we were when we turned last night?"
She bit her lip. "Not really."
They were naked and in the middle of a field. No clothes, no keys, no phones. They both burst out laughing.
"Okay, okay, let me think." She pushed her fingers to her temples and closed her eyes.
The way her eyes squinched up and her mouth twisted from side to side had him smiling. She really was the most beautiful creature.
Finally she lifted her head and sniffed the air. "Did you park near Liam's bike?"
"Yeah."
"Okay. You stay here. I'm gonna go toward the fence and follow it until I see your truck then I'll head back in from there."
"That sounds like a terrible plan. I don't want you going all the way out to the fence naked. What if someone sees you?"
"What choice do we have?"
"How about putting your bag where you'll remember it," called Liam.
He and Natasha crossed the expanse with Noah's bag in hand.
Cara dropped to the ground and peeked up over the top of the grass. "I'll try to remember that next month."
"You know I think maybe we should leave them out here stranded," said Natasha.
"Not funny!" Cara replied.
"They wouldn't really do that would they?" asked Noah.
&n
bsp; Cara smiled at him. "Nah." She shook her head. "Well… maybe."
Liam laughed and slung the bag in their direction. "You guys want to grab some breakfast?"
Cara crawled toward where the bag had landed. "Sure, but can we get cleaned up first?"
"Let's meet at the diner in thirty," said Natasha.
"Make it an hour," said Noah.
Liam waved then draped his arm over Natasha's shoulder. The two walked back toward the edge of the preserve.
"Come on." Cara crawled over and opened the bag. "Let's get back."
Noah grabbed his prosthetic and sleeve. "Absolutely."
Noah couldn't drive fast enough. All he wanted was to make love to Cara. To hold her and feel her body pressed against his.
He found a parking spot and rammed into the curb making the truck jerk to a stop.
"Uhm I think maybe I should have a different teacher for parallel parking," she said.
"Wiseass." He grabbed his bag and jumped from the driver's seat.
They walked up the front steps to the gate, then to the condo. She'd barely gotten the key in the lock before he pushed the door open, ushered her inside, and stripped off his shirt and shorts.
Her eyes grew wide and a seductive grin spread over her lips. "Teeth." She pointed to his bathroom.
Noah did as ordered and grabbed his toothbrush. Cara watched him for a minute, then hooked her fingers into the waistband of her leggings and slid them down her hips, inch by agonizing inch.
Noah grew hard and brushed his teeth faster.
She pushed the leggings to the floor, then lifted off her tank top. The black, lacy bra and panties were his undoing. He spit into the sink, rinsed out his mouth, then washed his hands, and face. Turning, he lunged at her.
She squealed and ran for the stairs. He was just a step behind and grabbed her panties. She stumbled on the stairs and he tried to drag her back down by her underwear.
"My teeth! I haven't brushed."
"I don't care."
She flipped onto her back and slid out of her panties, leaving them in his hand as she raced up the stairs again. She was going to be the death of him for sure.
Cursed by the Moon (Shifter Rising Book 2) Page 12
