Bewitched by the Moon [Moonlight Shifters 5] (Siren Publishing Classic)

by Morgan Fox

  “I look young and harmless. Why else would they send me?”

  She had a feeling he was much older than he appeared. The magic pulsing out of him had a signature that had her marveling at its strength. “Why not send a woman? Women are known to be more approachable and less intimidating.”

  “Not the women of the Lupinari.”

  Tiffany frowned. “I don’t understand.”

  “The women of our order are powerful, and stronger than any of the men. Once they reach their prime, their magic is unlike anything you’ve ever seen before.” He hung his head as if ashamed, but then raised it quickly and stiffened his posture. “My mate was a powerful witch, but a terrible accident took her from me. Now my role is to help guide fey witches back into the order and to help them learn about the powers they are experiencing.” He smiled. “I help young witches find their true potential.”

  For whatever reason, that made perfect sense to Tiffany. She felt his words deep within her like a whisper from her own subconscious and knew that he spoke the truth.

  A twinge of pain sank deep into her heart at the mention of his mate, but then quickly faded as if he sucked the emotion from her. “I’m sorry about your mate,” she said.

  “Thank you.” He glanced down at his watch, and his face grew pale. “This isn’t good.”

  “What?”

  “It looks like it’s just going to be you for now. Brie won’t be able to come.”

  “Why?”

  Augustus smiled broadly. “She won’t be able to travel like us since she’s about to go into labor.”

  “What? Well, I can’t leave now. She’ll need me to help her.”

  “No. Your mate, Zane, will tend to her. He was chosen to help her with the baby. We just hadn’t realized that she’d be going into labor so soon. We assumed we’d have a chance to get you both to Amsterdam first.”

  “Amsterdam?”

  “Yes, we hide in plain sight.” He shrugged. “Go figure.”

  Tiffany’s body tensed, and a feeling of dread consumed her. Suddenly the air was sucked from her lungs as the door to the stairwell opened. As if watching in slow motion, a tall, dark-haired vampire emerged. His bloodred eyes fixed on her and with a rabid hiss he launched himself in her direction. She quickly took hold of Augustus and yanked him behind her as if to protect him. Without thought she stood her ground, held up her hands, and blasted a wave of energy at the vampire. Turning, she grabbed hold of Augustus and charged toward the opposite stairwell.

  The sound of the elevator ringing drew her attention back momentarily.

  Just as she was about to disappear down the stairs, she caught sight of Zane stepping clear of the elevator. He was about to walk right into the fight. Again Tiffany raised her hand and sent a controlled beam of energy at the vampire, sending him slamming into two other vampires that shot out of the stairwell door. Zane’s eyes widened as he took in what Tiffany had done.

  Tiffany breathed hard, surprised by her own ability. Zane locked gazes with her, and her heart screamed for him. But she knew she couldn’t stay. Everything around her was closing in on her as she realized it could be the last time she ever saw Zane. She was about to charge out into the world on blind faith, and for the first time, she believed she could take care of herself.

  She just didn’t know what mess she was leaving Zane to manage. What would the vampires do once she left? Would Zane be all right without the others?

  Please be all right.

  With one last glance, she vaulted down the stairs after Augustus and prayed she wasn’t making another colossal mistake.

  * * * *

  Zane watched as Tiffany disappeared. He didn’t know who she was with, but he could scent that it had been another man. There was magic in the air, a powerful surge of energy that lingered in their wake. But it wasn’t the kind that had the hair rising on the back of his neck. It was something so serene and calming.

  The originals found us.

  Twisting to the side, Zane saw three large vampires hauling themselves off the ground. Somehow Tiffany had harnessed her magic and sent the three bloodsuckers sprawling. Within seconds, Zane’s body morphed into the beast that hungered for the hunt, longed for the kill. He charged at them, snarling and slicing through the air with his teeth and claws. He pounced on the first vampire and ripped at the flesh of his neck. The other two quickly vanished down the stairwell just as Ryder rounded from behind Zane.

  “I’ve got them,” Ryder barked. “Tend to Brie.”

  As Ryder disappeared, Zane clawed the vampire repeatedly across the face until his body lay lifeless beneath him. Slowly, he regained control and pushed the wolf back into the far reaches of his mind. In that moment, the air was sucked from the room as he scented Brie and the soon-to-be birth of her baby. He sprang to his feet and captured Brie in his arms. She was pale and weak, holding her stomach as if in extreme pain.

  Brie grabbed his hand. “Please find some clothes, Zane. It’s not appropriate for a doctor to be naked in front of his patient,” she said with a smile and then squeezed his hand harder, gritting her teeth.

  “Right.” He twisted his body so she couldn’t see his lower half. “I don’t usually go all wolfy when I’m fighting. For the most part, I can keep my wolf under control. My pants usually remain on.”

  “Good to know,” Brie muttered, walking, more like waddling, into her room and directly to the bed.

  “Tiffany’s gone.”

  Brie groaned, squeezing his hand harder. “I know,” she said, her jaw tight with tension. “Holy shit, I’m being split in two.”

  “Good to know,” he said, repeating her words.

  “The Lupinari have her. We’ll be able to find her soon.” She bent over as another pain consumed her. “But first, I think you are going to deliver my baby.”

  “Do you have something you can change into? Something that you’ll be more comfortable in?”

  Brie nodded. “Top drawer, next to all the supplies you’ll need to deliver my baby. I brought a hospital gown to make it look official.”

  Zane shook his head. Brie had an interesting sense of humor. Not to mention, the accuracy of her visions was starting to freak him out. “You knew you were going to have this baby here, didn’t you?”

  She breathed hard. “I had a feeling. I’ve been having contractions since before we got onto the plane.”

  Zane froze, holding the gown in his hand. Slowly, he turned back to face her. Fury charged from the far reaches of his very medical brain. “Are you insane?” He couldn’t believe she’d go through all this danger just to find the originals. “What if something goes wrong, Brie? I don’t have anything here should there be any kind of emergency.”

  Brie smiled. “All will be well, Dr. McCoskey.” She said his professional name, and he knew she was trying to get him back into the “don’t panic” frame of mind. “This baby will be healthy, and Sebastian will be here soon enough to take care of protecting me.”

  Zane wasn’t sure what she meant. How would Sebastian be here soon? Did Ryder break down and call him? “What do you mean Sebastian will be here?”

  “No, Ryder didn’t call him. I did,” she said matter-of-factly. “I’m closely linked to Sebastian, more so than most mates are to each other. I opened myself up telepathically to him. I did this the moment we arrived in Germany. That’s why I needed time to rest when we got to the hotel.” Zane frowned, fearing the danger they were in. Brie sighed. “I’m no fool, Zane. I know my magic is too weak to keep hiding us, and I couldn’t risk the vampires getting to us before we found the Lupinari. We need Sebastian. I have no illusions to that. I only wanted to get here so Sebastian couldn’t stop our plans. Tiffany needed to be here to learn all that she must.” Brie twisted her hands together. “I hope I haven’t misjudged the time frame.”

  Zane stiffened his spine. “Tiffany is with them now, so what does that mean for us?”

  Brie seemed to breathe a sigh of relief. “Good. I guess it means you are delive
ring this baby, and I pray Sebastian heard my calls. We’ll need all the protection we can get.”

  “Why?”

  Brie swallowed hard, her face straining. “I’m not the one Lilly’s after, Zane. I’m just the vessel.” Brie began stripping off her clothing, and Zane quickly turned to give her privacy. “Lilly wants the baby of an alpha wolf and a fey witch. She wants the power the legends speak of.” Brie pulled the hospital gown over her head and pulled the covers down off the bed and slid beneath them. “She wants my daughter.”

  Before Brie had spoken the words, Zane had already known what she was going to say. “So you know you are having a girl?”

  “The prophecy says it’s a girl, and every instinct inside me tells me that it’s true.”

  “Does Sebastian know?”

  She shook her head. “I didn’t have the heart to tell him.”

  Zane frowned. “Do you think he’d be somehow disappointed that he’s not having a son?”

  She shook her head again and smiled. Her cheeks were flushed as another wave of pain moved through her. “I feared he’d put me under even heavier house arrest.”

  Zane grinned. “You’re probably right.” He cleared his throat. “How do you know the baby isn’t Jonah’s?”

  “My magic told me.”

  He should’ve known. He wasn’t sure he’d ever understand the full power of Brie and Tiffany’s magic, but he figured he’d have to take a crash course once he saw Tiffany again.

  His thoughts raced to the vampires that Ryder had followed from the hallway. A sinking feeling sank to the pit of his stomach. He couldn’t help wonder if there would ever be an “again” for him and Tiffany.

  “You really shouldn’t think like that, Zane. You and Tiffany will be together again very soon. The Lupinari won’t let anything happen to her. I know it.”

  “I hope you’re right, Brie.” Zane’s chest tightened. “I truly hope you’re right.”

  A thunderous knock echoed from the door, and his wolf sense kicked into hyper drive. He inhaled a familiar scent before opening the door. He practically swallowed his tongue as he stared into the most dangerous, dark eyes he’d ever seen.

  Sebastian blasted past him and darted toward the bed where Brie lay. His body was enlarged, like the wolf was ravaging him and he was doing all he could to contain his beast. Zane wasn’t sure if he should run or stay. Either way, he knew Sebastian was less than pleased.

  Sebastian knelt beside the bed. His hands were trembling as he took Brie into his arms. “Brie?” His voice was riddled with pain.

  Zane could only image the hell he’d been through on his way to find his mate.

  “Hello, my darling,” Brie said with a soft smile on her face. Then her expression changed, showing the surge of pain that lashed through her body once again. “Oh, boy!”

  Sebastian turned to face Zane. “Is she going to be all right?”

  “She’s having a baby, Sebastian. Of course she’ll be all right.”

  “Can’t you give her anything?”

  Perhaps my foot in her ass for being so dumb to think it would be okay to have her baby outside the sanctuary of their home. “She needs to be in a hospital.”

  Sebastian’s glare deepened with a fierceness he’d never seen before. With a snarl, he said, “That’s not an option. You’re her doctor, so now you take care of her.”

  Brie reached down and took hold of Sebastian’s hand. “You really should take it easy on Zane, my love. I’ve threatened him enough already.” Again Brie smiled, and it amazed him just how well she was handling the labor pains. She placed Sebastian’s fingers to her lips and gently kissed them. “What took you so long to get here? I thought you would’ve found me sooner.” Brie’s grin widened.

  Sebastian kissed her lips. “Nothing could ever stop me from finding my mate,” he said with a gruffness that showed he wasn’t happy that he’d had to go seeking her to begin with.

  Brie nibbled her bottom lip and then winced as another labor pain took hold of her. The contractions were practically coming one right after the other.

  “After you called, I knew I had to be careful getting here, so I had to take the long way. No direct flights. I was looking over my shoulder at every turn expecting Lilly to be glaring at me.”

  Zane grunted. “Well, she was. Did you notice the new décor down the hallway? Three fang faces tried to kidnap Tiffany and Brie. They must have tracked you to us.”

  “I’m too weak to block us anymore. It won’t take much to find us now. Especially if Ryder can’t dispose of the other two before they contact Lilly.”

  Sebastian cupped her face. “You never should’ve left me, Brie. I would’ve listened…eventually.”

  Brie caressed the side of Sebastian’s face. He hadn’t shaved in days. A full beard covered his cheeks and chin, a look Zane hadn’t seen on his alpha. “No you wouldn’t have. You are always too busy trying to protect those you love. That’s your first priority. Always has been.”

  Zane moved back to the dresser and began pulling out all of the needed supplies. Brie had done her homework. Everything was in order. He grabbed the desk and hauled it over to sit beside the bed where he could put the towels, latex gloves, stitching material, and lubricant.

  “I need to check her, Sebastian. Please move to the side and up near her head.” Surprisingly, the alpha did as requested without argument. Zane pulled the heavy comforter off the bed and left the sheet, but pulled it up to her knees so he could check to see how far she had dilated. He released a pent-up breath of air. “Well, I hope you’re ready to push, Brie. You’re fully effaced and dilated.” Zane stood and repositioned himself. “Let’s have this baby.”

  Chapter Thirteen

  Tiffany stared out the window of the bullet train and marveled at the landscape of trees and homes as they passed with amazing speed through another town. She’d known the moment they’d crossed into Holland by the number of still-working windmills and gorgeous countryside. The crisp blue sky made everything look picturesque and captivating.

  I wish Zane were here to see all this.

  Even though Tiffany had never been outside the United States, she’d studied so many locations in Europe. Amsterdam was just one of the many cities she couldn’t wait to visit on vacation. Never once had she guessed she’d be visiting one of her Bucket List cities to discover the secrets of her birthright.

  Augustus’s voice broke through the silence. “People actually live in those, ya know?”

  “I’ve heard,” she said, turning from Augustus to look back out the large window of their private train car. She couldn’t help but watch the windmill as it quickly disappeared from view.

  The train car was spacious. She sat on a blue bench that lined the back wall, while Augustus sat across from her. A table separated them.

  Tiffany gazed down at her watch. Only two hours had passed since she’d last seen Zane. Her heart sank into the pit of her stomach, and she prayed they’d see each other again. She was desperate to hold Zane in her arms and tell him that she loved him. She wanted to celebrate with him, celebrate her newly found confidence and ass-kicking ability. She hadn’t choked, not like before. This time she set her mind to the task and fulfilled the action.

  Before, she’d been so consumed by her inability to control her magic and the notion that she was somehow the chosen one that she’d forgotten all about the woman she was and the man that had instantly won her heart.

  I’m such an idiot.

  Why had it taken her so long to figure out how she felt about him? Why hadn’t she been strong enough to allow him into her heart without fear? Why had she been such a fool?

  She replayed the events in her mind, every detail that led up to the vampires she had thrown across the hallway like they weighed nothing, and she knew Brie had been right all along. All Tiffany had to do was believe in herself and stop worrying that she wasn’t capable of doing what needed to be done and that there was no way her magic was strong enough to defeat Lil
ly and the vampires.

  That kind of self-doubt had been suffocating her, and she hadn’t even realized it until now.

  Clearly, she was strong enough.

  Now all she had to do was figure out the rest before Lilly caught up to her. Tiffany knew Brie was having her baby. Augustus had told her that, and for whatever reason, she trusted him. Knew he was truly taking her to see the Lupinari. But Tiffany also knew that Lilly had discovered where Brie was and only Zane and Ryder were there to protect her.

  The lump in her throat practically choked her. The idea of separating from her family was tearing a hole in her heart and ripping apart her stomach. She’d never forgive herself if something happened to them and she could’ve stayed to help them.

  “Will my friends be okay?”

  Augustus frowned. “I’m not privileged to that information, but once we arrive, you’ll be able to speak to the person who is.”

  Who would she be meeting? The visions Brie had must be similar to the visions of this other person. So many questions formulated in her mind.

  “How much longer?”

  He glanced to the side just as a larger stadium-type building filled the window. “We’re almost to Central Station. It’s a short walk to the hotel.”

  Tiffany narrowed her brows. “Hotel? I figured it would be some underground lair or something like that.”

  “I told you. We hide in plain sight.”

  “Right.”

  Just as Augustus had said, within a short time, they arrived at the station and exited the train. Augustus grabbed her hand and led her through the swarms of people rushing on and off the trains.

  “Stay close to me,” he told her, tugging her along.

  Once they finally made it outside, Tiffany couldn’t get over the hundreds of bicycles that lined the street. Even off to the side was a parking garage just for bicycles.

  “Does anyone drive a car here?”

  “Not many. It’s too congested. People generally walk and bike where they need to go.” Augustus led them across the street, past a row of inner city trains and right to the corner hotel. “This is where I leave you,” he said. “The elevators are located up the stairs and to the right. Take the glass elevator up to the third floor. It’s the first room on the left. They’ll be expecting you.”