Blood Moon (Entangled Select Otherworld)

by Lisa Kessler

  I stared up at the Stone Mother, praying for a miracle to save my mate, praying I might be able to comfort her. I wasn’t even sure the Stone Mother could help, but I was willing to try. My chant continued until my throat ached. Gradually, Nadya’s body relaxed, her weight pressing against me.

  “You did it.”

  I glanced down at her. “Did what?”

  She lifted her hands. “The change stopped.”

  “Good.” I kissed the back of each hand and tipped my head toward Pyramid Lake. “Why here?”

  She looked around. “This is a dream, isn’t it?”

  “I think so.”

  “I remember wanting to be closer to you when I drifted off. This is where I ended up.”

  I tipped her chin up. The dreamlike morning sun shone in her dark green eyes. “I want to be closer to you, too. I want to know everything. Did you have a place like this? Someplace you could escape to when you needed a break?”

  She paused, worrying her lower lip with her teeth. “After I moved with Sasha, I found an old pepper tree. The branches reached all the way to the ground like walls. I pretended it was a cabin. I’d find rocks and crystals and build castles. I imagined my parents were inside.”

  “I was raised believing that our loved ones leave their bodies and become spirit. They walk to the stars and watch over us.”

  She rose up on her toes, and I swore her soft lips caressed mine. I held her tighter, sliding my hand down her back. She hummed, and I opened my eyes.

  Nadya smiled, resting her forehead against mine. “Good morning.”

  A quick glance at the clock grounded me back into the present. My throat still ached a little and my voice sounded strained. “Until the sun comes up, it’s still night in my book.”

  “Five a.m. is definitely morning.” She grinned, no trace of the exhaustion that had weighed her down a few hours ago. “Can we still run up to Virginia City? I’d love to see it.”

  “Think you’re up for a ride already?”

  She rolled her eyes. “I slept almost eight hours. That hasn’t happened in weeks. The serum is working.”

  I still wasn’t convinced. I kissed the dimple on her cheek and nuzzled close to her ear. “Do you remember your dream?”

  She held me a little tighter. “You were with me. We were at Pyramid Lake.”

  I pulled her back so I could see her face. “You started shifting.”

  “But I stopped.”

  “I chanted until I almost lost my voice.” I caressed her cheek. “We should call Jason before we go.”

  Nadya sighed. “We both know he can’t do anything for me and I can’t get another shot for two more days.” Her gaze searched mine. “Please, Gareth. Let’s go have an adventure. Sitting around thinking and worrying is going to make me crazy.”

  Chloe’s words echoed in my head. I would feel better having a doctor close by. But this was about Nadya. She wanted to ride and put the future out of her head. Who was I to deny her that?

  “Okay.” I nodded. “Let’s get out of here.”

  …

  From the Journal of Dr. M. Granger – Journal Entry 535

  I administered the serum to Ms. Dalca at three p.m. The dosage of both the sedative and the adrenal enhancement were increased. I encouraged the subject to cease fighting the change. If she can shift her form without the help of the moon, we can move forward with phase two of the testing.

  If she survives and reaches the second phase, her value to the project increases exponentially. I believe it would warrant Nero’s intervention to bring the subject to our labs for further testing. I have reported my findings directly to Mr. Severino, hoping he will support my decision to relocate the subject even if it requires bringing in a team from Nero to assist in relocating her to headquarters.

  My time is running short in Reno. Ms. Dalca brought another werewolf Pack member to her last appointment, insisting he be present. If the Pack Alpha discovers me, I will need to return before my research is completed. I am prepared for this, but remain hopeful that I will see this project to its finish.

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Nadya

  I closed my eyes and pulled in a deep breath as the Harley roared up the mountain toward Virginia City. We had made a quick stop at Gareth’s garage on our way so he could grab some clothes, and for a second, I worried he’d try to convince me to see Jason again, but he didn’t.

  He did leave a message for his realtor about delaying the sale of Takoda Motorcycle Restoration. I wanted to believe the serum was working and that between the injections and Gareth’s dream walking, I’d escape the death sentence hanging over my head. But even if things didn’t go my way, I hoped Gareth would keep his garage. The more I got to know him, the more I understood this business, the bikes—all of it was a part of him. He’d already lost so much of himself when his parents were killed, and then his twin brother.

  This was his refuge, whether he knew it or not. If he gave it up, he’d be losing a piece of himself, too.

  We crested the mountain and followed the windy road down the other side. Big pine trees dotted the landscape. It wasn’t a dense forest like Mt. Rose and Lake Tahoe had been. This was sparse, more desert climate, but equally beautiful in its own right.

  Finally the town came into view and Gareth slowed, calling to me over his shoulder. “I’ll roll you through town, then you can tell me where you want to go first.”

  “Okay!” I shouted into the wind.

  He downshifted the Harley, slowing us as we approached Virginia City. Just before the city limits we passed the Silver Terrace Cemeteries. I caught a glimpse of a hillside covered in lives remembered. Headstones, obelisks, and iron lace fences embellished the landscape. Usually I enjoyed visiting old cemeteries, but at the moment, seeing those headstones hit a little too close to home. I tightened my grip around Gareth’s waist.

  One hand came down to cover mine. He didn’t consider himself psychic at all, but he sure seemed to sense when I needed him.

  We rode down C Street in the center of town and I gawked at all the old buildings lining both sides of the road. The parked cars were the only proof we hadn’t traveled back in time nearly two hundred years. Each new block we passed afforded us peeks at the ornate churches and even Piper’s Opera House. Where would I start?

  My head swam with choices, but a jolt of concern coming from Gareth yanked the world back into focus. He pulled into a tiny parking area behind a saloon and turned off the Harley.

  I lifted my helmet. “What is it?”

  Gareth’s was already off. He stuffed his gloves inside, without ceasing his visual scan of our surroundings. “Do you smell it?”

  “It?” I took a slow breath. I was still new to my enhanced werewolf senses, but if he noticed something, I should’ve been able to catch it, too.

  “Yeah.” He patted my leg, signaling me off the bike. After I slid off, he swung his leg over, still keeping watch. “The wind is swirling up here. I can’t figure out which direction it’s coming from, but we’ve got company.”

  “Someone from the Pack?” Dumb question. I would’ve noticed the scent of anyone from our Pack. But I wasn’t sure… Then I smelled it. “A jaguar.”

  Identifying scents reminded me of recognizing voices. You usually noticed an accent first, then if you listened further, you could figure out if you recognized the tone of the voice. This “accent” was a similar scent to my sister Sasha, Lana, and little Madeleine. But when I studied it more, I realized it wasn’t any of the three jaguars I knew.

  Gareth took my hand, tension coming off of him in waves. For once, he wasn’t bottling his emotions. His focus was elsewhere.

  “Do we need to go back to Reno?” I was pretty sure I knew what his answer would be, and I didn’t want to hear it. We just got here and there was so much to see. For the moment, I was even feeling good. The last thing I wanted was to go home and wait to see if I’d survive the night.

  He stopped scanning, his gaze meeting mine. �
�We should.”

  My heart sank.

  “But there’s only one scent here. So far. And I recognize it.” A muscle in his cheek jumped and suddenly his emotions pulled back. Controlled.

  “This is a jaguar you know?”

  “I don’t know him, but he helped Aren after you were bitten. I have no idea why he showed up that night, but I’d like to find out.”

  My pulse thrummed in anticipation. “You want to lure him closer?”

  “No. Your safety comes first.” He pulled his attention from the street to meet my eyes. “I should take you back.”

  “So you can come up here alone?” I shook my head, crossing my arms. “No way.”

  “I can take a jaguar.”

  That was probably exactly what his twin brother thought, but I kept it to myself and went for another angle.

  “You can still take him, and I’ll be your backup. No reason we need to go to Reno. Besides, you wouldn’t leave me home alone, so you’d either lose this jaguar, or you’d have to drop me off at Jason’s while you came back up here to find him.”

  He frowned and shook his head, staring up at the sky. “This could be the one who killed Gabe.”

  “Why would the jaguar who murdered your brother have helped Aren?”

  His dark eyes met mine. “Did your sister tell you she worked for Nero?”

  I nodded.

  “This guy might be a friend of hers on the inside.” He shrugged and took my hand. “He’s been here more than once and no one in the Pack is talking. I want to know why.”

  He deserved that much. “Why is he following us?”

  “He works for Nero just like Dr. Granger. I don’t think that’s a coincidence.”

  “Maybe they sent him to watch over their scientist, to be sure the Pack didn’t keep his research?”

  “Could be.” He stroked the back of my hand with his thumb. “If we don’t go back to Reno, I need you to stay close, and no second-guessing my instructions. I can’t focus on him if I’m worried about you.”

  I bristled, tightening my grip on him. “Sasha sent me to plenty of self-defense classes when I started college. I’m not a princess in a tower for you to protect.”

  The corner of his mouth twitched, but he didn’t smile. Not quite. “I’m not saying you’re weak. Hell, you’re a werewolf now. But this guy is a trained assassin, and if he followed us up here, then you are probably his target. Nero wouldn’t kill you, but I wouldn’t put abduction out of the picture. They could take you and study you.” His shoulders tensed. “No way I’m going to let that happen.”

  The strong set of his jaw said more than words could. They’d have to kill him to take me. My pulse pounded. “I won’t put myself in jeopardy.”

  “You’ll run if I tell you to, and you won’t look back.”

  I couldn’t agree to that, especially not if he was in danger. But his expression made it clear if I didn’t give him my word, we’d be riding back down that mountain to Reno.

  “I’ll stay safe.”

  “That wasn’t what I said.”

  My hip jutted out, my hand resting on it. “I won’t agree to blindly following orders like you’re my lord and master. I still get a say, and you have my word I won’t take any risks with my safety.”

  He tried to stare me down, but I stared right back. The heat of his frustration singed my empathic senses. But I wasn’t giving in on this one, and I wasn’t going to lie to him, either.

  Life was too short for lies. Especially now.

  He growled, and in two paces he had me in his arms. His lips claimed mine. Passion, fear, and frustration flavored his kiss with a gruff dominance that heated my body against his. When he pulled back, we were both breathless.

  He demanded my attention as his gaze wandered over my face, searching—for what, I couldn’t be sure. “I need to tell you something.”

  I hoped my rubbery legs would hold me up. I’d never been kissed so ferociously. I liked it. A lot. “Okay.”

  He hung his helmet on the handlebars and jammed his gloves in the saddlebag. I waited for him to speak, but I didn’t need to be empathic to see his agitation. Finally he put his fists on the black leather seat of the Harley, leaning into it. His biceps pulled at the sleeves of his T-shirt, and the muscles in his forearms tensed. Every line of his body called to me. I wanted to be closer, tracing every inch of him with my fingers, my lips.

  “I want you, too, but I need to get this out first.”

  I almost blushed when I realized he knew exactly what I was thinking. Was I that obvious? “All right.”

  I resisted apologizing for finding my mate sexy. Go me.

  “I need you to understand where I’m coming from. It’s my fault Gabe is dead. And if anything happens to you on my watch…” He ground his teeth. “I can’t fail you, too.”

  I frowned. “You didn’t kill Gabe. It wasn’t your fault.”

  His pain made my temples ache. “Gabe and I patrolled for jaguars together. Always. It’s safer with someone else watching your back. But that new moon night…” He shook his head and cleared his throat. “That night Gabe talked me into meeting a woman from his construction office.”

  Jealousy spiked through me as suddenly as a bolt of lightning. I prayed it didn’t show on my face quite as plainly as my lust had. I didn’t want to think about Gareth touching another woman. Ever.

  He sighed and pushed off the Harley. “We hadn’t seen a jaguar for the past few new moons. We were starting to think word had gotten around to stay out of our territory. I told him I could meet her the next week, but he had a feeling about her. He thought she was the one. He just wanted me to be happy again.”

  “That doesn’t make you responsible for his death.”

  “While my brother was fighting for his life, I was with a woman who meant nothing to me.” He looked my way. “If I had skipped the date, he would be alive.”

  “Or maybe you’d both be gone.” The thought made my chest tight.

  He let out a humorless chuckle and danger colored his voice. “No jaguar could take me and my brother together. No way.”

  I went to him, sliding my hand up his broad chest to cover his heart. “This guilt you carry isn’t fair. You and Gabe couldn’t have known what would happen. You didn’t abandon him. He wanted you to go.”

  “I wish I could believe you, sweetheart.” He reached up, covering my hand with his. “But every night when I can’t talk to him, it reminds me that he would still be here if I had been with him that night.”

  “Why are you telling me this?”

  “Because you should know when the chips were down I wasn’t there for my brother.”

  I rose up on my toes to brush my lips against his. “Since my parents were murdered, I thought I’d never feel safe again. But I do when I’m with you.”

  He wrapped me in his arms and I breathed him in, closing my eyes. The stubble along his jaw mussed my hair as he nuzzled close.

  “I’d give up everything to keep you safe.”

  I pressed a kiss over his heart. “I’d settle for feeding me.”

  “I can do that.” An unguarded laugh escaped him. Such a great sound. I wanted a lifetime to enjoy it.

  Some days it was tougher to fight the bitterness than others.

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Gareth

  The damned wind kept spinning around us. I’d catch the jaguar’s scent, but I had no way to track which direction it came from. I held Nadya’s hand, walking on the wooden sidewalk, trying to contain my worry so I didn’t ruin her day with it. She looked over the menu in the window of the Silver Queen Saloon while I continued scanning the area for anyone watching us too closely.

  All I saw were tourists. But he was here. Somewhere.

  “Does this look good to you?”

  I glanced at the menu without reading it. “Sure.”

  We walked through the door and a stout bulldog raced toward us. He jumped up on me, his tongue curling at the end as he panted and wagg
ed his stump of a tail. Animals always gravitated to us, maybe sensing the wolf inside? On some level they knew we could relate to them.

  I scratched behind his ears while he sniffed my shirt.

  “Ulysses!” A woman called from behind the bar. “You get down and let them come inside.”

  I massaged his jowly cheeks and glanced over. “It’s all right.” Back to my new friend, I lowered my voice. “You’re a good boy, Ulysses.”

  Nadya pulled out her camera and the big guy got bashful, turning away and hopping to the floor.

  “He’s shy about cameras.” The barkeep smiled at us. “Can I get you something to drink?”

  “A cold beer. And lunch would be great, too.”

  Nadya ordered an iced tea, and the woman behind the bar handed me two menus. “Sit any place you like.”

  We found a table in the back corner. I sat facing the door so no jaguars would surprise me from behind. Ulysses came over shortly after our food arrived. He flirted with Nadya, wooing a couple of fries off her plate, and then he moved on to me. Laying his big head on my lap, he stared up at me like he hadn’t been fed in months. Liar.

  With only one guy sitting at the bar, the barkeep wandered over and shared some of the history of the place with Nadya. I only half listened, although I did catch that they had a vacancy in the hotel upstairs if we needed a room.

  I kept replaying my confession about Gabe. Before she placed her trust in me for her safety, I’d wanted her to understand that the last person who did that had been killed. I’d expected judgment or at the least, disappointment. She listened to my worst moment, my darkest secret, and somehow made me laugh. Me.

  This woman was pure magic. She made me want to be worthy of her love.

  “Ready to go?”

  Her voice jarred me from my thoughts. I glanced at my empty plate and hers and smiled at my new best friend. “Sorry, Ulysses.” I rubbed his ears and leaned close to whisper, “Werewolves are a bad choice to beg from. We’d eat the plates, too, if they tasted better.”