Taming the Moon

by Sherrill Quinn

  “Good. That’s good.” He wasn’t looking forward to trying to walk the distance to the road, let alone all the way back to Declan’s house.

  She glanced at his shorts. “These actually aren’t in too bad of shape.” She grimaced. “Well, other than being covered in blood.” She sighed and shook her head. “But it’s better than having you running around naked. Let’s get them back on you.”

  He groaned and closed his eyes. Pain racked his body, especially his legs, and he just wanted to lie there and not move.

  “Come on, Sully. Declan and Pelicia will be here soon, and it won’t look nearly as strange to passersby if we’re helping a man in bloodstained shorts rather than a naked one. I think we’ll get some really hard stares—and most likely a few calls to the police—if you’re seen naked.” She stroked her fingers across his forehead. “Come on. You can do this, Rory.”

  It was his name on her lips that made him open his eyes. It was the worry in her eyes that made him nod and do what he could to help as she pulled his shorts onto his legs. It was the sight of her teeth worrying her bottom lip that made him grind his jaw against the pain and lift his hips to allow her to pull the shorts to his waist.

  He squeezed his eyes closed and collapsed onto the ground, holding the moans in, breathing through his nose with quick, shallow pants. God, he hurt. And he’d be hurting even worse if…

  If he wasn’t a werewolf.

  Hell, he’d probably be feeling no pain by now if he were still human, because he’d be dead.

  Being a werewolf had just given him a second lease on life.

  The thought of whether werewolves had nine lives like cats flitted through his mind. It was probably a grave insult to compare them to felines, but who cared right at that moment? Certainly not him.

  The sound of car doors slamming made him open his eyes again.

  “They’re here.” Relief was rife in Olivia’s voice. “Hang on, honey.” She stood and waved.

  Getting hit by a car might just be worth it if he could get a few more endearments out of her.

  In a matter of seconds, Declan and Pelicia stood over him.

  “Bloody hell.” Declan muttered a few more curses. “Who did this?”

  Olivia shook her head. “I have no idea. It was a dark four-door—black or maybe dark blue.” She sighed and folded her arms over her breasts. “It all happened so fast. But I have to believe it was deliberate. It hit him and then came back and ran over him.”

  Pelicia put her arm around Olivia’s waist and looked down at Sully. “Is it as bad as it looks?”

  “Not now. It was pretty bad, but he’s already shifted to wolf and back once.” Olivia started chewing her bottom lip again. “Both his legs were broken and are probably still very fragile.”

  “Bloody hell.” Declan shook his head and scowled.

  Olivia looked at him. “You should carry him to the car. Once we get back to your house—”

  “Back to the house?” Pelicia looked from Olivia to Declan and back again. “Shouldn’t we take him to the hospital?”

  Olivia shook her head. “They’ll only ask questions we don’t have answers for. If he goes through at least one more shift, he’ll be fine. If he can stand the pain.”

  “He is right here, you know,” Sully muttered, peeved they were discussing him as if he were unable to contribute to the conversation. “There’s nothing wrong with his hearing.”

  “Or his mouth, it appears.” Declan hunkered down beside him. His light tone and teasing words did little to hide the concern in his eyes. “You’ve gone an’ done it up right, haven’t you?”

  “It was on my list of things to do—ride up to Mt. Lemmon, stand next to a saguaro, get run over by a car.” Sully struggled to a sitting position, grateful for Declan’s strong hand behind his back helping him up, chagrined that he needed the assistance. He huffed a few pain-filled breaths between his lips. “Been the…highlight of…my trip so far.”

  “You must not be feelin’ too bad, boyo.” Declan shook his head. “Come on, then. Up you come.” He grabbed Sully’s left wrist and hauled him up and into his arms. “Jaysus. You’ve put on a few pounds, haven’t you?”

  Sully gasped with pain, and in a gruff voice repeated the only Irish Gaelic phrase he knew, one he’d heard Declan say often enough during their university days. “Póg mo thóin.”

  “No, thank you. If I’m goin’ to be kissin’ anyone’s ass, it sure as hell won’t be yours.”

  “Oh, for crying out loud.” Olivia smacked Declan on the shoulder as she walked past him. “Can you be serious for even one goddamn minute?” She reached the SUV and opened the back door.

  As Declan came nearer to the vehicle, Sully closed his eyes and clenched his jaws, preparing himself for the transfer to the backseat.

  The pain wasn’t as bad as before, but still bad enough to make him break out in a fresh sweat. One ragged moan rasped from him before he could contain it. Thinking to give Olivia room to sit next to him, he opened his eyes and tried to maneuver to a normal sitting position.

  “What’re you doing?” she asked, her lovely face scrunched in a frown.

  “Making room for you.” He grunted as pain shot through his legs. But at least it was getting more bearable.

  Maybe.

  “I’ll ride back there.” She pointed to the cargo area of the SUV. Without giving him a chance to reply, she closed the door and went around back.

  Declan helped her up and shut the door behind her. He and Pelicia got in front, and he started up the vehicle. “How’re you doin’ back there?”

  “Fine.” Sully’s entire body was beginning to throb, and not in a pleasant way.

  “We need to get him home so he can go through the change at least one more time. Maybe twice.” Olivia scooted forward. Lifting her arm over the seat, she stroked the back of his head.

  Her touch was soothing, but even so, Sully didn’t think he could go through that again. As a matter of fact, he was sure he didn’t want to do it again. Changing from human to wolf and back again was extraordinarily painful under the best of circumstances. He’d discovered that doing so while grievously injured made the agony a hundredfold worse.

  “God, no.” He shook his head then looked at her. “It’s too much.”

  “Declan and I will get you through this, Sully.” Olivia rested her hand along the back of his neck. Her fingers felt cool against his heated skin, and he waggled his head against her touch, not caring that he rather resembled a dog begging for its master’s caress.

  She stroked his neck, sifting her fingers through the hair at his nape, and he felt himself calming. Even knowing how much pain he had yet to endure, he knew he could do it with this woman at his side.

  “Here we are.” Declan pulled the vehicle to a stop in front of the guesthouse. “We’ll get you into the bedroom, and after you’ve shifted a few times, you can have a wee lie down.”

  “Are you sure we shouldn’t take him to the hospital?” Pelicia asked as she got out of the SUV.

  “I’m sure Olivia knows best, darlin’. She’s had more experience with this sort of thing.” Declan opened the back door and glanced at Pelicia. “Go help Olivia out, would you, darlin’?”

  Pelicia came around to the back of the vehicle and opened the hatch, then pulled down the tailgate. Olivia climbed down and walked to the side, standing behind Declan as he helped Sully out of the SUV.

  “Lean on me,” Declan murmured, putting one arm around Sully’s waist. He glanced at him from the corner of his eye. “Want me to carry you in?”

  “No. I can walk.” Sally took one step and bit back a groan at the pain splintering through his legs. Not to mention that the slight jar of motion set cannonball fire off in his head, making it pound and roar in protest.

  Pelicia fished keys out of her pocket and opened the front door of the casita.

  “Maybe I’d best carry you.” Declan stooped and picked Sully up again, and carried him into the guesthouse. Once he made it
into the bedroom, he set Sully onto the edge of the bed.

  Sully looked up at three very concerned faces. “I’ll be all right,” he murmured. He really didn’t want Pelicia to have to witness him shifting into an animal—and viewing the pain that went along with it. He looked at Declan. “You and Pelicia go on up to the main house. Olivia can help me.”

  Declan lifted his chin. “You sure?”

  Sully gave a nod. “We’ll be up later. We still need to finalize some plans, right?”

  “Aye.” Declan flipped his wrist and looked at his watch. “Ryder will be here in about six and a half hours.” He looked at Olivia. “Before we go, though, you answer me this: what are the chances that the driver of that vehicle was sent by Miles?”

  She swallowed, hard. “Like I said, it seems too much of a coincidence for it not to be.” She shook her head. “Though I don’t know how he could have gotten someone here that fast. As far as I know, he doesn’t have any contacts in Tucson. But…it was clearly not an accident. Especially since the driver came back to make sure the job was done. So to speak.”

  “Yeah, running over me after he hit me going at least fifty miles an hour was the mark of a true professional, someone who takes great pride in his work.” Sully made sure there was a wealth of sarcasm in his pain-laden voice.

  “Yet if he’d been aware you were a werewolf, I’d hardly think a car would’ve been his weapon of choice.” Declan gazed down at him. “So let’s be thankful of that, at least.”

  “Oh, yes, indeed. Thank God for small favors.” More sarcasm.

  Olivia sighed. “Oh, brother. Don’t you start, too. One smartass around here at a time is about all I can take.” She drew in a deep breath. “I can help him. I’ve had to do this before. Don’t ask,” she said as Declan opened his mouth. “It’s not a pretty story, and it’s one I really don’t care to discuss at the moment.”

  He raised his eyebrows but otherwise didn’t comment.

  “Well, if you’re sure you don’t need us…” Pelicia seemed torn between wanting to stay and help—because she was a compassionate woman—and wanting to get out of there as fast as possible.

  Sully forced a slight grin. “I’m sure, darling. You and Dec go on.”

  She leaned over and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek. “We’ll see you later.”

  He waited until the front door closed behind them before he closed his eyes and heaved a long sigh. “I don’t want to do this, Liv. I really don’t.”

  “I know, honey. But it has to be done, or you’ll have a hell of a lot longer recuperation. And we don’t have time for that.”

  He looked at her. She was right, damn it. If they meant to take on Miles in the next day or so, he had to be in top shape. He’d be of no help to anyone—and, actually, much more of a hindrance—if he were anything less than in his best fighting form.

  With a sigh, he eased down onto the floor and turned his focus inward once more.

  Chapter 14

  “What do you mean, you’ve taken care of things? And where the hell is Peter?” Eddy tapped his fingers on the top of his home office desk.

  Calvin cleared his throat. Even across the phone line Eddy could hear the underlying satisfaction in Calvin’s voice as he said, “Peter tried to rip my throat out. It was self-defense.”

  “Was it?” Eddy leaned back in his chair. Had he miscalculated? He’d thought that Calvin had learned his lesson after losing his family, but perhaps not. Perhaps he still ached for revenge. “I’d hate to think you took it upon yourself to scratch an itch.”

  “He tried to rip out my throat,” Calvin asserted, his voice hard and ringing with sincerity. “I have a new wife and a baby on the way. I wouldn’t jeopardize them by acting without provocation.”

  Eddy wasn’t so sure about that. He wouldn’t let anything stand in the way of what he wanted, even a wife and unborn babe. Wives were easy enough to come by, and it was equally as easy to get children.

  But he’d let it go for now. He’d have a better sense of what had happened once he got to Tucson himself. “And the other matter?”

  “We saw Sullivan out walking along the road, and Peter ran him over. He’s dead.”

  Eddy sat forward. His eyes narrowed, and he pushed down the sense of elation threatening to overtake him. He wouldn’t celebrate until he had it confirmed. “How can you be sure? Perhaps he was only injured, not dead.”

  “It’s not the first time I’ve seen Peter use a car as a murder weapon. He made sure to run over Sullivan’s chest—broken ribs ripping into his lungs. I saw blood coming out of his mouth before we took off. He’s dead, believe me.”

  Eddy pursed his lips. So, Merrick would receive the news of his friend’s death when he got off the plane. Most excellent. He frowned. “I wonder why Livvie hasn’t called with the news.”

  “It’s possible she doesn’t know yet. It only happened about half an hour ago.”

  There was something in Calvin’s tone that Eddy couldn’t put his finger on, but it made him a little uneasy. He pondered it a few moments, but finally shrugged it off. No matter. He’d figure it out.

  He always did.

  “I’ve booked a flight for three p.m. today out of LaGuardia.” Eddy switched the phone to his left ear and reached for a copy of his itinerary. “My plane should land at Tucson International Airport at ten twenty-four. Pick me up.”

  “Of course.”

  “And not in the vehicle you used on Sullivan.”

  “Of course not.” Calvin’s voice was even, but Eddy caught the underlying thread of annoyance the other man couldn’t hide.

  “Don’t you take that tone with me. Did I give you the order to take out Sullivan?”

  “Ah…no.”

  “That’s right. I did not. That was something I wanted Livvie to do. Now she’ll be stuck at the bottom of the pack for who knows how long. This was her chance to shine, to prove she’s more than an Omega. But you’ve taken that away from her.”

  “It wasn’t me, it was Peter. We thought—”

  “Don’t think, Calvin. Just do what I tell you, when I tell you to. That’s all you need to do.” Eddy heaved a sigh. “God. I should have…”

  “You should’ve what?” More hardness crept into Calvin’s voice.

  I should have killed you along with your family. “Never mind. Just pick me up tonight.” Eddy hung up before the other man could respond. “When did I surround myself with idiots?” he asked himself.

  “Sir?” Rico paused at the doorway, his dark eyes holding a false subservience that made Eddy want to puke. His second-in-command might think he had Eddy fooled, but he didn’t. Eddy knew it was just a matter of time before Rico got tired of being the second and struck out for his chance to be first.

  Eddy had surrounded himself with wolves just as ambitious as he was, but he knew how to handle them. He was older and wiser, and he knew a lot more dirty tricks than Rico ever would. “What is it?” Eddy stood and thrust his hands into his pockets. He morphed his fingers just enough so that his fingernails sharpened into werewolf claws. He never let his guard down.

  Never.

  “Will you be requiring any of us to go with you to Arizona?”

  “Why? Wanna work on your tan?” Eddy pursed his lips.

  “That would be a nice side effect.” Rico shook his head. “But you know I’m more than willing to go with you if you need me.”

  Eddy clenched his fists, welcoming the pain of his claws slicing into his palms. “I’d rather you stay behind and keep things under control here. I’ll take Walter and Aaron with me.”

  “Of course.” Rico turned to leave.

  “A moment.” Eddy called him back. “If Livvie calls, make sure to put her through to me right away. No vetting her calls anymore, you understand?”

  Rico inclined his head and walked toward the living room.

  Eddy closed his eyes, rotating his head to work the kinks out of his neck, and let his hands turn back to normal. Taking them out of his pocke
ts, he sauntered into the kitchen, where Zoe was finishing up the cereal she’d insisted on having for lunch. He ruffled her dark hair and then bent and placed a kiss on top of her head. “How’s my poppet doing?”

  “Good.” Her little feet swung in the air beneath her chair. She lifted the cereal bowl to her mouth and slurped down the milk in big long gulps. When she set the bowl on the table, he saw a rivulet of milk dribbling down her chin.

  He shook his head. “That’s not very ladylike, Zoe.”

  She grinned. Grabbing a napkin from the holder in the middle of the small table, she wiped her mouth and chin. “Mommy says it’d be a waste of milk to just pour it down the sink. Besides, it’s sweet.”

  He smiled and gave his head a slight shake. She was precocious. Sometimes she acted so mature he forgot she was only six. But at that moment…definitely childlike. Give her something sweet, and she’d gobble it right up. That was the way of children.

  His penchant for sweets lay along another path.

  He pulled out a chair and leaned his elbows on the table. When in Rome and all that. “How would you like to go to Arizona with me?”

  “Arizona?” She frowned. “I don’t know where that is. What about Mommy? When is she coming home?”

  He was getting tired of her asking him that. It seemed like every hour on the hour she would sniffle about her mommy. But it wasn’t the time to lose his patience with her. “Mommy’s actually in Arizona, sweetie. So you’ll get to see her there.”

  Zoe’s face brightened. “I will?” She jumped down off her chair and came over to him, going up on tiptoe to throw her arms around his neck. “Uncle Eddy!”

  “Yes, you will, poppet. So, you’d better go pack your smallest suitcase, okay?” He glanced toward the living room. “Rico!”

  When Rico walked into the kitchen, Eddy said, “Take Zoe over to her apartment and help her pack for a couple of days in Arizona. Shorts and short-sleeved shirts, plus at least one pair of jeans and a light jacket in case the evenings get cold.” He flicked a glance at Zoe, who was hopping impatiently from one foot to the other. “And the other…essentials.” He looked at Rico, at a loss for what other things a little girl might need to pack for a trip. “You know, little girl stuff.”