Bound by the Moon

by L. P. Dover

  Looking in the mirror, I slowly blow out a breath and stare into my eyes. They don’t look tired anymore; they seem brighter than ever before. Taking a deep breath, I walk back into my bedroom and stop at the door. I can hear Tia and Sawyer in the kitchen, but not Colin. I open the door, and his room is across the hall with the door still shut—the smell of eggs and bacon waft down the hall, and my stomach growls. When I get into the kitchen, Tia and Sawyer are all dressed for the day, sitting at the table and packing snacks and towels into a tote bag.

  Tia glances over at me and smiles. “Good morning, sunshine. It’s about time you got up.” She hurries over, draping her arms around my shoulders in a tight hug. “How did it go with Colin? I noticed you didn’t drink your tea.”

  I can’t stop smiling. “Everything’s good. I’m a little nervous to see him though,” I whisper back. “Especially after our dream. I think things are about to take a turn.”

  She lets me go and winks. “I hope so.”

  Sawyer comes over, setting his coffee cup in the sink. “We waited up for you last night, but when I saw Colin outside with you, I figured you were okay.”

  “I am,” I reply.

  His gaze narrows with concern. “Did everything go as planned with the target?”

  I nod. “It’s done. Please tell me you didn’t doubt me?”

  He chuckles. “Nope. Just asking.”

  Tia kisses his cheek. “Hey babe, do you mind grabbing us another couple of towels, please?”

  Sawyer looks at her as if she’s the most precious thing in his life; it’s so sweet. “Will do. We should probably get going soon, too. We’re supposed to be at the dock by eleven.”

  Tia nods. “I’m almost ready.”

  He disappears down the hall, and she turns to me, her eyes lit with excitement. “Tell me about your dream? What did you two talk about?”

  I shrug. “Lots of things. It was really nice. I felt like we had a breakthrough.”

  “Good,” she says. “That’s the way it should be. You’ll have more alone time together. Sawyer and I rented a boat for the day. We wanted to give you and Colin space.” Then she winks. “And us some time too. I’ve never had sex on a rocking boat. Could be quite interesting.”

  Giggling, I shake my head. “You’re too much but thank you.”

  The door to Colin’s room opens, and I freeze, keeping my back to the hallway. My pulse spikes, and I hold my breath, especially when Tia waves at him. “Good morning, my friend.”

  Colin’s voice glides over my skin like a caress when he speaks, but it burns through my blood, making me want him even more than last night.

  “Good morning. The same goes to you, Kami.”

  Tia grins at me. “You have fun today.”

  She sidesteps me, and I watch her walk over to Colin and hug him. His whitish-blond hair is messy in that sexy bedhead way, and of course, he has to walk around without a shirt on, which doesn’t help me control any of my thoughts.

  “Yes, I know,” I say in my mind. “It’s hard not to admire that body of yours.”

  His lips pull back in a smirk as he stares at me over Tia’s shoulder. My body feels like a magnet, and I’m fighting against the pull. I want to go to him, to touch him. Sometime soon, I’ll have to give in; I want to give in. In a way, I wish I could hear his thoughts, especially when he looks at me with those piercing blue eyes of his.

  Rolling my eyes, I can’t help but smile. Sawyer strolls in next, holding the towels, and when Colin lets Tia go, they stare at each other for a second. The last time they met, I thought there’d be a brawl.

  Colin holds out a hand to him. “I’m sorry about the way I acted before. I’m Colin Storm.”

  Tia takes the towels, and Sawyer shakes his hand. “It’s okay. I wouldn’t like it either if I saw Tia around other men.” Sawyer glances over at me and then back to him. “Did Kami tell you I’m her partner?”

  Colin nods. “She told me everything.”

  Tia takes Sawyer’s arm and pulls him close to her. “There are no secrets here. Colin and I understand what you and Kami do.”

  Sawyer holds up his hands and laughs. “I was just making sure.” He kisses her quickly and takes the towels back from her. “Come on. Let’s get out of here.” They grab their things, and Tia grins at me before shutting the door behind them.

  Colin sits down at the bar, and I don’t know where to begin. There’s a plate of blueberry muffins I made yesterday on the counter, so I take off the plastic wrap and hold the plate out for him.

  “Breakfast? I made them yesterday.”

  Colin takes one, and I do the same. We eat in silence, but I can feel his eyes on me. When done with my muffin, I grab two glasses out of the cabinet and pour us some orange juice. I set his glass on the counter and take my seat across from him.

  Colin lifts the glass of juice to his lips. “Did you sleep okay?”

  I can feel the heat rise to my cheeks. “Yes. You?”

  His eyes twinkle with mischief. “I did. It was quite interesting.”

  “Oh yeah? How so?”

  His expression turns serious. “Our dreams are something I’ve never heard anyone experience before. Your gift of seeing true mates is a game-changer for so many people. Why can I share your dreams? I don’t know, but there has to be a reason. I’m hoping the Great Luna just wanted you to see I’m not the insufferable tool you believed me to be.” Deep down, I wanted the dreams to be real. That way, I’d know my feelings for Colin were justified. He’s not the inconsiderate ass I’ve always thought him to be. Colin stands and walks around to my side of the bar. “What I want to know is if you feel the same way right now like you did in the dreams? I want to know you believe this can work.”

  “I do believe,” I whisper, taking a step toward him. “The question is, where do we go from here?”

  Colin’s sexy smile makes everything inside of me tighten. “I’ll go wherever you want.”

  “First things first,” I say, closing the distance between us. His eyes darken the closer I get, and his control slips for just a split second. Last night, we touched briefly, and I thought my body would explode with just that simple contact. There’s no doubt about it, he is my mate. Holding my hands out, I place them on Colin’s bare chest. The second our skin touches, the electricity almost makes my knees buckle. I suck in a breath and look at him. “I didn’t realize it’d be that intense. It feels stronger than it did in our dream last night.”

  His eyes glow with need when he looks down at me. “I believe it is. Feels like I’ve waited an eternity to have you here with me.”

  I slide my hands up his chest to his face. Even though I didn’t know who he was in my previous dreams, my fingers recognize him. He starts to speak, but I lift on my toes and kiss him. Arms snaking around my waist, he pulls me in tight, his lips firm against mine. I open up to him, and he deepens the kiss. Everything about it feels right.

  Colin breaks away from the kiss first, his body tense. “We have to stop. It’s already hard as it is. Literally. I don’t want to do anything until you’re ready.” With his body pressed to mine, I can feel how much he wants me. What’s crazy is we’ve already taken that step in our dreams. Colin slides a hand up my back and runs it through my hair. “In our dreams, I always waited for you to ask me to make love to you. Until you ask me again, I’ll just enjoy these moments with you.”

  In the span of a day, everything I’ve known has wholly changed. I didn’t think it was possible to fall so hard and fast. Colin isn’t at all who I thought he was; he’s much more. Honestly, I don’t think I can wait much longer for him to make love to me.

  “Well,” I say, slowly stepping away from him. If I don’t, I have a feeling I’ll be the one pushing him into the bedroom. “We have the house to ourselves today.” I nod toward the window. “And it’s gorgeous outside. We can walk by the lake and talk. I know there’s a lot we haven’t said.”

  Colin nods. “Sounds good.”

  A smile spreads a
cross my face. “And then tonight, we can look up at the stars for real. We did that a lot in our dreams.”

  He reaches for my hand. “I know. Maybe one day soon you’ll come to my place and look at them there.”

  I can see the uncertainty in his eyes. He lives in Wyoming and I in Montana. What is our future going to look like? Where will we live? What pack will we belong to? He’s a royal arctic and an alpha; he follows his own orders. And when we complete the bond, I will be a royal. It doesn’t even seem real, but it is. The man standing in front of me is my future. It just took a while to see it.

  18

  Colin

  The day went by fast, and there was still not enough time to talk about everything. Tia called and said Sawyer reserved the house for another couple of days and that they’re going to spend tonight on the boat they rented, giving Kami and me the place to ourselves. I told Tia it was too soon for that, but she was adamant about giving us alone time. I’d give anything to feel Kami’s body wrapped around me, but I was serious when I told her I’d wait for when she’s ready.

  Kami and I spent most of the morning talking about our childhoods, but I left out the attack on the Royal pack that took my parents away from me and separated me from my sisters. Kami was raised to follow in the Grayson family's footsteps and help manage Grayson’s Construction, but she wanted something different.

  I try not to think about the past, but I have to let her in if this is going to work. I want to let her in. Once she takes my blood, she’ll have access to the thoughts in my head. She’s only let me inside of hers a few times here and there, but she always brings the wall back up. I don’t know what she’s hiding, but I don’t doubt there’s a good reason for it. I’m not going to push her. She’ll let me in when she’s ready.

  Kami dries off the last dish I give her and glances out the kitchen window. She’d made a lasagna for dinner, and much to her surprise, I helped her cook and clean. Growing up with Zayne as my protector, he made sure I knew not to expect someone else to do those things for me.

  Kami puts the plate in the cabinet and looks over at me. “The sky’s getting darker. Want to go out on the deck and wait for the stars? Since Sawyer left it up to me to figure out our next move, I can coordinate it with your schedule. Plus, it’d be nice to see what you’ve been working on.”

  “Sure,” I say, finishing off the rest of my beer. “You might get bored looking at them. It’s not as exciting as what you do.”

  She rolls her eyes. “I find it very fascinating, but then, I never wanted to tell you that. Your head didn’t need to get any bigger.”

  This is what I’ve missed with us. Our bantering back and forth is our usual routine, only this time Kami’s words aren’t laced with hate. “I’ll get my laptop and meet you outside.”

  She grabs my arm and pulls me down so she can kiss my cheek. “Be right out there,” she says before disappearing down the hall. So much has changed in this small amount of time we’ve had together. Never in a million years would I have thought she’d be this comfortable with me.

  My phone rings, and I walk outside to answer it. “What do you want, Faith?” I say, heading over to my rental car so I can grab my laptop out of the trunk. Faith scoffs, and I smile.

  “That’s not the way to greet your favorite sister. Don’t tell Bailey I said that.”

  “I won’t,” I laugh, setting my laptop on the patio table.

  I’m not as close to Bailey as I am with Faith. Bailey was always strong-willed, and it took me a while to see that Faith was the same way. I think it’s because she’s the youngest. Now that both of my sisters are mated, I have Kami to protect, even though she doesn’t need me to. It’s my duty as a mate to be her protector.

  “You haven’t given me any updates. Have you found Kami yet?”

  “I have,” I reply, preparing myself for the squeal that’s about to sound off in my ear. “She doesn’t hate me anymore.”

  I move the phone away from my ear just in time. “I knew it!” Faith screams. “How did she take it when you found her? Was she mad? Did you two figure out what you’ll do next?”

  Kami walks outside with her laptop in hand, shaking her head at me. “I could hear her all the way inside. Tell her it’s none of her business what’s going on.”

  Grinning, I press the speaker button and set the phone down on the patio table beside my laptop. “Why don’t you tell her that?”

  There’s a loveseat big enough for two people by the table, so I sit down and put Kami’s laptop down beside mine before pulling her into the seat beside me. She looks at my phone and giggles. “You’re being nosy, Faith.”

  Faith bursts out laughing. “Well, it sounds like you’re getting along at least.”

  Kami smiles over at me. “Sort of. I haven’t killed him yet. We had a good day.”

  “I’m glad,” Faith says, breathing a sigh of relief. “What’s the plan now?”

  I stare into Kami’s silvery-gray eyes. I’m hoping we’ll have answers to that question soon. “We’re still figuring it out,” I say to Faith. “We have a lot more to talk about.”

  Kami nods and lowers her voice. “We do.”

  “I understand,” Faith agrees. “You’ll get there. I have faith in you both. Until then, have fun and enjoy the ride. It’s a special thing when you find your mate.” She clears her throat. “Do you want me to tell your brother, Kami?”

  Kami laughs. “Go for it. He likes Colin, so I’m not worried.”

  We say our goodbyes, and I pull her into my arms. “Everyone liked me but you,” I tease.

  She shrugs. “You wouldn’t have given me a second look if I swooned all over you like the countless other women.” Her mind opens for a split second, and I can see visions of other women and me. What I feel when I see them is jealousy … her jealousy.

  My smile fades. I tilt Kami’s chin up to look at me, and I kiss her, sucking her bottom lip to taste her. She trembles in my arms, and I hold her tighter. “You couldn’t be more wrong, Kamille.”

  “Only my close friends can call me that,” she murmurs against my lips.

  “Don’t you think I’m entitled to it now?”

  Her eyes stare into mine, and her lips pull back into a seductive grin. “Okay, fine. I guess you are. It does sound kind of sexy when you say it. In truth, you’re the only one who calls me that. I only said otherwise to mess with you.”

  “Yeah, it figures,” I say, chuckling.

  She pats my leg. “All right, let me see these designs of yours.”

  I let her go and grab my laptop off the table and boot it up. I click on the file with all my clients’ designs, and I pass it over to her. “Some of them are just the blueprints for houses that are currently being built, but if you look around, you’ll see ones with the blueprints and then the finished product.”

  Her eyes light up as she clicks through the photos. She’s the only female besides my sisters that I’ve shown my work to. It’s not something I want just anyone seeing.

  “Colin, these are amazing.” She clicks on a design and turns the laptop toward me, her mouth gaping in shock. “The name on this one says William Zabka.”

  I smile. “It does.”

  “Are we talking the real William Zabka? Like the actor from The Karate Kid and Cobra Kai?”

  “That’s him,” I say, loving how excited she is. “He’s a great guy. I’ve worked with other celebrities as well.”

  She scrolls through all the names and slaps a hand over her mouth. “What the hell, Colin? Why didn’t you tell me you worked with famous people? This is amazing.”

  When she looks at me, I shrug. “It’s not something I wanted to boast about to you. You already thought I was an arrogant jackass. I didn’t need to brag about this on top of that.” I take my laptop from her. “Now, it doesn’t mean I didn’t brag about it to other people.”

  Kami smacks my arm. “Of course.” She looks over my shoulder and points at another folder on my screen. “What are those designs
in there?”

  I click on the folder where I have four different designs, one of them being the house I’m living in now. All of them are modern-styled cabins, but some are bigger than others with more opulent features. “When I decided to move to Wyoming to be closer to my sisters, I put together these sketches. I didn’t know what I wanted at the time.”

  Kami inspects all four of them and points at my favorite one; it’s the one I chose. “I like your home. It’s smaller than the others but perfect all the same.”

  Closing my computer, I set it back on the table. “We haven’t talked about where we’ll live once we complete the bond, but I feel like it’s something we need to discuss. Where do you see us in the long run, Kami?”

  She blows out a sigh and leans her head against the seat, exposing her neck. “Good question. I know once we complete the bond, I’ll be a royal.”

  I lean in and kiss her neck. “And an alpha’s mate. You won’t have to live by anyone else’s rules.” She looks over at me, and I sigh. “We can stay in Montana, or you can move in with me. Hell, we could start our own pack.”

  She laughs. “Wouldn’t that be interesting. It might only be just you, me, a witch, and a human.”

  I shake my head. “As long as I have you, I don’t care.”

  She reaches for her laptop, then opens it up. “You can’t be the only one making sacrifices, Colin. I’m willing to make changes as well.” She types away on the keyboard and looks over at me. “With us traveling all the time for work, we can stay in both places. That way, our strength will be part of both packs. I can see my family, and you can see yours. It’s a win-win.”

  I want to tell her how much I’m in love with her, but I don’t know if she’s ready to hear it. All I know is that I’m prepared to say it.