Midnight Moonrising

by K. S. Haigwood

  “That isn’t the bad news, my dear vampire,” Meridia said, her voice defeated even before she spoke the nearly impossible task.

  He studied the witch, her distressed expression saying more than her words had, and he immediately understood that what he’d thought was nearly impossible, had just become full-blown never gonna fuckin’ happen! Swallowing hard, he shook his head, even knowing she couldn’t see him. He did it for himself, because he couldn’t—no, he wouldn’t—believe it. The only way for another Alpha to be able to discover the name was if he read Mena’s mind, and the only way for another Alpha to be able to do that… he’d have to bond with her. Fuck! He would find another way. He had three weeks. It was possible. He wouldn’t lose her. His heart couldn’t take the breaking.

  “What?” Mena said as she looked back and forth between him and the witches. “Tell me what I have to do before she wakes up, Phoenix!”

  With sad eyes, he drew in an unsteady breath. “You have to bond with another Alpha wolf. If we can even get one to agree to do it, there will be no future for us. You’ll belong to him and he’ll belong to you.” A sob racked up her throat as she stared at him. “I’m so sorry, Mena. I am so fucking sorry. I’ll try my damnedest to find another way.”

  She took two steps and threw her arms around his neck then briefly kissed him hard on the mouth. “Do whatever you need to do to make sure she doesn’t win, Phoenix. Promise me that she won’t win.”

  Taking her face in his hands, he looked deep into her eyes. “I will. I promise. Do you hear me? I won’t let her take over you completely.”

  “Even if that means killing me?” she said.

  It felt like someone shoved their hand through his chest and squeezed his heart until it burst, but he eventually nodded. “Whatever it takes. I promise.”

  Mena’s lips curved up a little. “You don’t break promises.”

  He shook his head. “No, I don’t.”

  “Phoenix…” she said as she looked down at her boots.

  “What is it, baby?”

  “I love you.” She didn’t wait for him to respond—not that he could after hearing that come out of her mouth—before talking again. “I just wanted you to know that in case this doesn’t end well. I don’t want you dying thinking that nobody ever loved you, because I do. I love you, and you don’t have to love me back. I know how you feel about love—”

  Sighing long and hard, he gently took her face in his palms again and forced her to look at him, realizing then that there was a ridiculous smile on his face. “If I don’t love you, I don’t know what the hell it is that I feel for you.”

  She laughed as he kissed her.

  “The spell is wearing off,” Meridia said.

  Phoenix lost his smile as he focused on Mena’s eyes again. They were shimmering with love and fear. “We’ll fix this. Stick with the wolf’s plan. Stay with Rhodes. Don’t think about any of this. We will be together again. I promise.” She nodded, and he wiped a tear away with his thumb. “Trust me, Lupacchiotto. I won’t fail you again.”

  “Just don’t let her make it to the next full moon. I’d rather die than be imprisoned in my head for an eternity.”

  He nodded as he knelt, pulling her down with him and lying on the floor, like the others, never losing eye contact with her. These next three weeks were going to be the hardest time of his life; there was no doubt about that. “I’ll see you soon, my love.”

  “See you soon,” she sobbed.

  “Mena?” Phoenix said.

  She wiped at her cheeks as she stared back at him. “Yeah?”

  “Don’t fall in love with the cop, too.”

  She laughed. “No chance. I’m attracted only to arrogant blood drinkers.”

  He smiled. “Lucky me. Arrogance is my best trait.”

  She leaned in and kissed him one last time.

  Mena

  I waited until I heard a few of the others in the room stirring and my wolf snarling in my head before I opened my eyes to the dimly lit room. I knew it had to look like Phoenix and I had been affected by Meridia’s power, too. I felt a little drained, but I didn’t think it was me, because I hadn’t felt this way before my wolf woke up. It had to be the spell Meridia put over my wolf to knock her out. Maybe it would keep her weak a little while longer, forever if I was lucky. Sadly, I didn’t seem to have luck on my side of late. Karma, though… yeah, she was having a blast with me.

  Phoenix groaned from beside me, and I almost reached out to take his hand, and then remembered Alex thought I was with him and that I supposedly hated Phoenix. I managed a frown. It really wasn’t hard, considering what I had just been informed of.

  Trying not to think about anything the witches and Phoenix told me, I scowled at Phoenix. “What did you do, Phoenix?” I said, and the harsh tone of my voice even fooled me. “We came here for their help and you’ve screwed everything up! Apologize to them,” I demanded.

  “For what?” he barked as he got to his feet, not bothering to help me to mine. Guess he was good at acting, too. Imagine that.

  Unsurprisingly, Alex was there to help me up. I smiled up at him as I took his hand and let him pull me to my feet, exaggerating the act a bit more and snuggling against his body. I cringed inward, but didn’t let it show in my actions. My wolf knew I wasn’t interested in Alex, but if I suddenly shied away from him and showed Phoenix favoritism, he would suspect something. It was best to act like my wolf when I was around Alex.

  Placing a finger under my chin and tilting my head back, Alex studied my eyes with concern. “Are you all right, Mena?”

  I nodded once then turned my mean face on Phoenix. I was just about to demand he apologize again when Meridia started shouting.

  “Everyone out! Get out of my house!” she wailed.

  “Wait!” Roel said as he pointed at Phoenix. “I don’t know what he did, but we are innocent, and we need your help!”

  Magnalayna and Morgana turned their backs on us and walked into another room. Meridia stood rigid and appeared to be staring down her nose at Roel.

  “Seek your help elsewhere,” she said, and then turned and followed after her sisters, shutting the room door behind her.

  Wow. They were making this really believable.

  The flames licking the air and crackling in the fireplace were the only sounds in the room until Daryn spoke.

  “Should have known better than to trust witches. Hope you didn’t pay them much, asshole,” he said to Phoenix, then opened the front door of the cottage and walked out onto the porch.

  “We’ll find them on our own,” Heath said.

  “I never thought using them was a good idea. They always want more payment than the job is worth anyway,” Brad said.

  Jaw flexing under his taut skin, Roel glared at Phoenix. “You’d better have a damn good back-up plan. You know what’s at stake.”

  The three men turned and followed Daryn out the door.

  Jaxon stared at us with narrowed eyes, seeming to be deep in thought, and then he just shook his head and stepped outside.

  “Mena?” Alex said. “Are you going home with me?”

  Taking in a deep breath, I looked up to see Phoenix’s pained expression. Even though we knew this had to happen, I could tell the agony he was letting me see was as real as mine felt.

  I nodded as I took Alex’s hand. “Yes, let’s go.”

  Chapter 40

  Alex

  The keys jingled as Alex struggled to find the right one in the darkness. Leaving the light on would have been a brilliant idea, he thought, then the right one slid home and he turned the knob, letting himself and Mena into his apartment.

  The small living room and kitchen were illuminated when he flipped the switch by the door, and he instantly regretted not picking up a little before he left.

  Grabbing two coffee cups and a plate with half a three-day-old sandwich on it off the counter top, he rushed to the trash can and sink to dispose of the mess.

  “Sorry. I wasn
’t exactly expecting company.” Dear God, she’s in my home!

  Mena smiled. “Don’t worry about it—”

  Seeing a green hoodie and a pair of boxer shorts lying on the back of the recliner, he ran to grab them, but she was there, in front of him, staring up at his face like she was freaking happy to be here or something. He had to be dreaming. That couldn’t be possible.

  “Leave them, Alex,” she whispered.

  Still uncertain, he nervously glanced around, looking for more clutter to pick up. “It’ll only take me a minute to tidy up. My apartment isn’t that big. I don’t have nearly as much space as you do. Then we can watch TV or… or something.” He swallowed.

  She grinned mischievously. “You want to watch TV?”

  Holy shit, she was sexy when she smiled, he thought, and then gave a mental fist bump to Karma for helping him get Mena here where she belonged. She was safe here with him. He could protect her more than that damn club owner ever could. “Not particularly,” he said in a husky whisper.

  She raised an eyebrow. “Oh? Well, what else did you have in mind?”

  As his eyes fell to those plump lips, she took the corner of her bottom lip between her teeth and chewed on it as she waited for his answer. She’d freak out if he told her what was really on his mind, and it was probably a good idea if she kept her eyes above his belt or the bastard behind his zipper wouldn’t be as modest about telling her, with the way the damn thing was straining against the denim.

  Deciding it was probably best to let her decide, he gave her another option. “Are you sleepy? You must be exhausted after the day you’ve had.”

  “Nope.” She shook her head. “Are you sleepy?”

  “Wide awake.”

  “Are you hungry?”

  “Famished,” she said, and licked those lips. His eyes were drawn there again, and he had to fight with himself not to grab her and kiss the ever-lovin’ shit out of her right then and there.

  Clearing his throat, he made his feet do the near impossible—take a step back. “Really? I could fix you—” Shit! It’s been months since I’ve shopped for food! What the hell am I going to fix her, Ramen Noodles?

  “I’m not hungry for food, Alex.”

  “You—you’re not?” he stammered out.

  She shook her head again. “Huh-uh.”

  “Well, uh…”

  Mena wrapped her arms around him and pressed her lips to his.

  Yes, definitely a dream. And anyone stupid enough to wake me up will get a beating they’ll never forget.

  Taking her lead, he opened his mouth, deepening the kiss and tasting her fully. He longed to taste the rest of her, but until she gave him a hint that it was okay, he wasn’t about to go there. It was still all too soon, never mind the fact that he’d wanted her since he’d first met her. Now that he knew what an ass her husband had been, he didn’t have the same reservations, but the guy wasn’t even cold in the ground yet. There was still some semblance of propriety to think about.

  Although, propriety was the furthest thing from his mind as Mena suckled on his bottom lip, pulling it into her mouth with something that resembled desperation. A rumbling growl came from deep in his chest, and to his surprise, she answered with a growl of her own.

  Her hands wandered down his back, touching and exploring his muscles. The whole time, he did his best to kiss her senseless. When they landed at his waist, her fingers toyed with the handcuffs he kept clipped there.

  “Can we play?” One of her eyebrows quirked up mischievously, and his groin tightened. He could easily admit this was one of his many fantasies involving Mena.

  “Only if I’m the one doing the cuffing,” he muttered between kisses, allowing himself to taste the sensitive skin on her neck. Jesus, she tasted like heaven.

  “Can I do it later?” she asked breathily.

  “Hell, yeah.” Scooping her up in his arms, Alex stalked to the bedroom, taking that as the all clear. Tossing her on the bed, he managed some semblance of control as he unclipped his cuffs, sidearm and shield, laying them all on the nightstand. “Get naked.” The words came out gritty with lust.

  She eagerly complied, shucking her shirt and bra, before squirming out of her jeans. Watching her body writhe and undulate with the machinations of stripping snapped his tenuous hold on sanity.

  He launched himself at her, manhandling Mena the way he wanted her until her wrists were cuffed together, looped through a bar on his headboard. Feeling her soft skin under his was like caressing heaven. He could do it all damn day.

  “Okay?” He tested her restraints, and the unadulterated lust shining from her eyes accompanied by her slight nod made him practically weep with joy.

  For all their talk, chicks didn’t normally dig this, not that he’d had time to bring many home. They always joked about the cuffs, but as soon as things got serious, all bets were off.

  Mena lay there, willing, eager, and writhing with desire, so he set out to please her. His goal for the night: to make Mena scream his name.

  Standing at the foot of the bed, Alex slowly stripped, watching her. Naked. Writhing on his bed.

  His erection bounced against his belly, throbbing with need, but he clamped a fist around it, and told it to chill out. It wasn’t his turn yet.

  Slowly, Alex crawled over Mena’s body, blanketing her warmth with his. She pressed up against him, until he took one of her pert nipples in his mouth, and she arched up, gasping. The handcuffs rattled as she tried to get out, but her moans told him not to stop. As he brought one nipple to a stiff peak, he played with the other one, twisting it almost to the point of pain. Her moans of encouragement only spurred him on.

  She tasted like the wilderness, like camping in the Alabama forests on his rare weekends off—fresh, earthy, and with a faint touch of musk that sent him reeling. As his other hand travelled her body, Alex realized that this one time with Mena would never be enough.

  His mouth trailed lower, leaving her breasts alone for now, until his tongue dipped into her navel and swirled around before continuing on its travels. He looked up to see her watching him, the look in her eyes akin to wonder as he did his damnedest to evoke the same sense of pleasure from her that he was getting from this.

  When he reached her slick sex, she cried out right before his lips latched onto the little bundle of nerves and sucked. Her back arched on the bed as she dug her heels into it, and he wrapped his strong arms around her hips to hold her still until he was finished.

  She was stronger than she looked though, and she ground her pelvis against his chin. He continued to suck, not giving her the pleasure of gentler movements. He wanted her to know of his need for her, needed her to know what she did to him, how she made him feel so good while at the same time breaking his heart by not telling him the truth. The thought crossed his mind to deny her orgasm until she told him what she was hiding, so he went with it, knowing it was probably going to be more torture for him than her.

  “Please, Alex,” she whimpered. Yeah, he was a goner.

  Lifting his mouth, Alex laid a wet kiss on her thigh. “Talk to me, Mena. Tell me something.”

  “What?” she breathed at him, her voice ragged.

  “What don’t I know about Marc’s death?”

  She sat up, as much as she could with her hands cuffed above her head and looked at him, outrage etched on her features.

  “You are kidding, right?”

  One long swipe of his tongue up her folds had her head thrown back, before he resumed kissing her inner thigh. “I know there’s something you’re not telling me.” Kissing his way back up to her navel, he ignored her protests, as he left the apex of her thighs, lonely and needy. She squirmed under him, rubbing her skin against his, in an attempt at luring him back where she wanted him. It was working. The sheen of sweat on her skin slicked against his deliciously, and made him want to plunge himself inside her.

  But he refrained. Barely.

  Taking a nipple between his teeth, Alex rolled it arou
nd, listening to the hisses and moans coming from Mena. The cuffs rattled where she was straining against them, and he chuckled around his mouthful.

  “Talk to me, Mena, and I’ll give you what you want.”

  “This isn’t fair,” she growled at him, before wrapping her legs around his waist. She futilely rubbed against him, a maddening torture for Alex. It was getting harder and harder to resist this. He regretted his decision immensely, but now that he’d started, he had to follow through. Mena dug her heels into his backside, arching her back.

  Slipping a finger inside her, Alex purposefully avoided the spot that would make her fly apart, instead focusing on drawing out her wetness, making her crazy enough to talk. His other hand kneaded her breast, rolling the nipple between his fingers.

  “Okay!”

  He let go of her nipple with a wet plopping noise and looked at her.

  “Just get back down there, and I’ll talk,” she gasped at him.

  He laughed as he made his way back down her body, eager to watch her fly apart and ready to hear what she had to say.

  Suckling the bundle of nerves back between his teeth, he marveled again at how she tasted, before muttering between his lips, “Talk.”

  “Marcwasawerewolf,” flew out of her mouth in a breathless rush, right before he began fluttering his tongue across her bud. He watched her face, enraptured, as her eyes rolled back and her mouth formed an ‘o’ of silent ecstasy, before she let out an inhuman moan, bordering on a growl.

  This had been a mistake. Alex couldn’t comprehend the words she’d said, so intent on Mena’s face and her orgasm, that he’d nearly combusted. Fuck it! She couldn’t have possibly said what I heard. Either that, or she is delirious with desire. Without a second thought, he reached over to his nightstand, ripped the foil packet with his teeth and rolled the condom on.

  Sliding into her, Alex groaned and stilled himself while she stretched to fit him. He could still feel the aftershocks of Mena’s first orgasm as her muscles rippled around him, sealing him in.

  Oh, Christ, this was going to go quick.