Dark Moon Falls: Volume 2

by Bella Roccaforte

  “You sure we shouldn’t call the sheriff or whoever passes for law enforcement here in Summermire?” Logan asked. “It is a crime after all.”

  Deacon shook his head. “They’ll make a bigger mess or do nothing at all.” He shrugged, shaking his head. “We know who did this. There’s nothing the cops will do about it.” He reached down and grabbed two of the suitcases. “I just need to keep her from coming back to this chaos.”

  The others picked up bags, Logan snatching up the laundry basket of stuff, and they all headed for the front door.

  “You also still need to call Elias before this mess enters Dark Moon Falls,” Logan said. “And call your dad. You know damn well it’s way past time for you to fix that mess. None of it was your fault.”

  Deacon opened the front door. And yet, my sister still died. “I’ll call them once we get back,” he promised. He knew Logan was right; Deacon just didn’t want to deal with old arguments.

  They stepped out into the afternoon, ready to finish their task, Deacon feeling good about having it over. All they had to do was get everything back to town, their town, and put this mess behind them. Of course, he also needed to find out what to do with Purity, not that he didn’t have his own ideas on that subject.

  His wolf howled, prancing up and down at the thoughts going through Deacon’s head.

  As he stepped out to the railing, glancing down at his car, their quick getaway shattered. Damien Croft and several of his goons sat back on the hood of a car, arms over their chest as they stared up at the three wolves from Dark Moon Falls, a scowl pinching Damien’s face.

  “Looks like the farewell committee has arrived,” Morgan said, stepping up beside Deacon. “He’s just as ugly as he was last night, and that was before you punched him.”

  Logan stepped up to Deacon’s other side. “I take it this is our villain?”

  “He is,” Deacon growled, turning and heading for the stairs. “He’s a gutsy bastard, it seems, too.”

  “Deacon, let’s not do anything rash,” Morgan called out, and Deacon could hear the man’s footsteps trying to catch up to him.

  “You talk like you haven’t met Deacon before,” Logan said. “We’ll be lucky if it stops at rash.”

  Deacon ignored his friends as he took the concrete stairs two at a time until he hit the ground, his fists gripping the suitcases with white knuckles. His wolf’s prancing had turned into a deep growl as Deacon drew closer to Damien and his henchmen, and Deacon had to tamp down tightly to keep his animal from shifting as anger roiled through him. He just needed five minutes with the man, and Damien wouldn’t walk away again; not without his goons helping him at least.

  He started toward Damien, but Logan headed him off, turning him toward the car. “We don’t need trouble,” Logan said in a low voice. “We have what we came for. Let’s get out of here.”

  “He’s got a good point,” Damien said. “Run. Take your girl her...Wait, she’s not your girl.” He pushed himself off the car with a bump of his ass, standing there, braced for a confrontation. “She’s mine, and I haven’t forgotten how you stole her. That woman has a debt to pay. Remind her of that. Remind her as well that I’ll be coming for her, and everyone between me and her won’t be too happy when it’s all said and done.”

  Deacon turned, his wolf growling within as the shift started to happen, but Logan gripped Deacon’s upper arm, jerking him back around. “We’re going home,” Logan said. “He’s baiting you. Be smarter than him.”

  Damien laughed, sliding his hands into his pockets. “Oh, your friend proved he wasn’t smart when he got involved in my affairs. That’ll come back to bite him in the ass.”

  Morgan had the car doors open as well as the trunk. He took the suitcases from Deacon’s hands while Logan guided their friend to the car.

  “Be smart, wolf,” Damien said as Deacon stood in front of the passenger door to his car. “I’m coming for what’s mine. You’ve been warned.”

  Deacon just stared at him a moment, Logan blocking him from leaving the side of the car. Deacon growled, his wolf growling with him as he slid into the car, Logan shutting the door behind him. Don’t worry, boy. He won’t hurt her. We’ll make sure of that.

  Logan slid behind the steering wheel and started the car. As they pulled away, Deacon couldn’t take his gaze off the owner of the strip club. Damien just grinned at him as they drove away.

  Chapter Ten

  “Dara,” Madison said, shaking her head. “You scared the hell out of me. What are you doing out here, anyway?” Dax bounded over to the other woman, tail wagging as he begged for a head scratch.

  Purity felt her heart pounding in her chest, the fear that somehow Damien had found her causing her body to tremble slightly. The newcomer didn’t seem at all apologetic, however. At least Madison knew the woman, which took away some of Purity’s anxiety.

  Dara smiled over at Madison, leaning down and scratching behind Dax’s ear. “Well, I was combining two tasks into one,” she said. “First, I was out looking for ingredients for a spell I’m working on, and then, I was also wanting to check on Deacon. I heard he was in town and wanted to say hello.”

  Madison cocked an eyebrow at the woman. “And you just thought to look for him out here?”

  Dara grinned as she held up the cardboard coffee cup in her hand. “I was at Hot Joy Café. Need I say more?”

  Madison shook her head, chuckling. “Joy Darling. Nevermind, that answers all questions.”

  Purity bounced her gaze between the two ladies. “I don’t get it. How did that answer your question?”

  Madison turned and started walking down the trail again, Dara quickly catching up. “Because, if anything happens in this town, Joy Darling knows about it.”

  The German Shepherd returned to his exploration, but Purity noticed the dog didn’t wander off very far.

  “And then so does everyone else,” Dara added, chuckling. “That woman couldn’t keep a secret to save her life.”

  Purity laughed along with them, knowing people in her life just like the lady they described. Some people were just natural busybodies, never happy keeping their nose out of other people’s business, and needing to know everything about everyone. Then, something the other lady said finally snagged her attention. “Did you say you were looking for Deacon?” Purity asked, suddenly worried an old girlfriend had surfaced. She never did ask Deacon if he had someone in his life, which probably would have been good information to have before sleeping in his motel room, even if they were in separate beds. And if this woman was out in the woods looking for ingredients for a spell, then she was a witch and able to do her own kind of harm.

  Dara nodded as she clasped her hands behind her back. “I hadn’t heard from him since he left Dark Moon Falls,” she said. “I know he hurt when he left. I hoped his time away had healed some old wounds.”

  Madison nodded, a bird lifting from a branch overhead. “Logan told me part of it,” she said. “His sister was in an abusive relationship, and Deacon didn’t get involved in time to keep the man from killing her in the end. From what Logan says, Deacon always blamed himself.”

  “Himself and his father,” Dara said. “The two got into a major fight, and Deacon escaped into the Army just to get away from it. I’m not sure if the two of them have spoken since. When Deacon’s mother passed away a few years ago, he returned for the funeral, but I don’t think he sat with the family. As soon as it was over, he left again, not even visiting his mother’s grave. His father’s been alone ever since.”

  “That’s a heavy guilt to bear,” Purity said, thinking of the moment when she said goodbye to her own sister, sending her away, out of Damien’s grasp. If Purity knew things would work out the way they had, she would have climbed in the car with her sister. Purity sighed. That was something she wished she had done every night since.

  “It is,” Dara said. “And those of us who knew him back then—myself, Logan, Morgan, a few others, even Elias—did our best to convince him
none of it was his fault. He did what he could, but his sister ignored him.” She glanced over at Purity, her lips twisted in a grimace. “You can’t force people to accept help. Everyone has to reach that point on their own.” Purity wrapped her arms across her chest as she sucked in a breath. “No wonder he was so quick to come to my rescue,” she said, her voice low as she stared at the ground in front of her. “He’s still worried about being too late for his sister, for anyone; he’s still worried about people around him getting hurt and not being able to stop it.”

  Madison grinned over at Purity, one eyebrow cocked. “That may have been how it started,” she said. “But, I kind of think it’s moved way past that now.”

  Dara giggled as she glanced over at Purity from the other side. “Now, that is good news. You’re going to have to tell me more.”

  Purity panicked, worried if the other women knew more about her, they wouldn’t be so eager to help her. A lot of people looked differently on her once they discovered she was a stripper. Suddenly, she just wanted to leave. This was not a good idea. “I think I’m getting kind of tired,” she said. “Do you think we could go back now?”

  The other women agreed, and they all turned around, heading back toward the cabin. “Dax,” Madison called out. “Come on, boy. We’re heading home.”

  The German Shepherd leaped over a fallen log and ran past them, kicking up broken twigs and fallen leaves, sending birds flying and smaller animals scurrying away.

  Purity kept her gaze to the ground as she walked. The other two women chattered on about what Purity couldn’t tell, her mind on Deacon. She shouldn’t even be thinking about him, but she couldn’t get the giant of a man out of her mind. She smiled as she thought of his snoring throughout the night, wondering if he even knew he did it.

  Her heart ached at what the others told her of Deacon’s sister, of the pain she knew he must have carried all those years. They had both lost, and sisters at that, and now, they found each other when neither of them were even looking for someone. They were just surviving, but now… Now, Purity wanted more than to just survive.

  Once the ladies reached the cabin, they walked inside, and Madison offered to make a pot of coffee. All Purity wanted to do was lie down, but she sat around the table as well while Madison moved to the counter to get the coffee started. Dax slid under the table, his tail wagging as he laid down at Purity’s feet.

  Dara just watched the dog, smiling. “He tends to know when someone needs him around,” she said. “He must sense the struggles within you, an inner pain you’re keeping hidden.” She nodded. “I understand. Truly. I can understand. It’s hard to trust people with our deepest hurts, especially people we just met.” She reached across the table, placing her hand on Purity’s wrist. “I promise you, though; you’re among friends here.”

  Purity forced herself to smile, pushing down the anxiety that wanted to take over. These people had done nothing but help her and take her in since she met them, so she really had no reason to fear them; no reason, that is, except her conditioning over the past few months that didn’t allow her to trust anyone. She needed to push past those feelings, open herself up more to what life brought her way. “Thank you,” she said, smiling at the woman. “It’s my nature to be skeptical. I’m sorry.”

  Dara nodded. “I understand, but when you’re ready to share, we’re ready to listen.”

  Madison slid a cup of coffee in front of Purity, smiling at her. “Agreed. Sometimes, the burden is eased when we share it.”

  Were they right? Should she open up? At this point, what did she have to lose? If her life disgusted them, she wouldn’t have lost anything she hadn’t lost a million times over. With a deep breath, Purity opened up and bared her soul as she had bared her flesh in the nightclub.

  Chapter Eleven

  Deacon stood outside The Wolf Inn, staring at the wooden door under the giant green awning, dreading the fact he needed to go inside to talk to Elias Grant, alpha of the Dark Moon Falls Pack, something Deacon knew he should have done when the chaos at Cheaters first happened. His avoiding the conversation didn’t mean he feared the alpha. On the contrary, Elias was a fair leader, ruling with a calm and gentle hand, forceful when he needed to be, of course, but with the way he did things, he rarely needed to be tough.

  No, the reason Deacon had put off talking to Elias had to do with his own insecurities and desire to avoid facing a past he tried so hard to forget over the past ten years. Their first conversation had been short and quick, just informing the alpha Deacon was back in town. This conversation, however, brought trouble to Dark Moon Falls.

  Once Deacon arrived back in town with Morgan and Logan, he took Purity back to the motor lodge, helping her to get settled a little more with her own clothing. She wanted to take a shower and clean up, so he used that time to call Elias and ask for a meeting. The alpha suggested a drink at The Wolf Inn.

  Before Deacon left, she asked how things went at her apartment, but he avoided the topic, not ready to tell her about the damage to her place or about the threats the other man made. Deacon did not want to scare her anymore than she probably already was. He made her promise not to leave until he returned, locking the door behind him as he left. She agreed, although she didn’t seem very happy about it. It didn’t matter; he wouldn’t risk her getting hurt by exploring the town around her without him beside her to protect her.

  With a deep breath, Deacon slid out of his car and headed for the alpha of Dark Moon Falls. God, I hope he’s in a good mood.

  Deacon remembered the bar from his previous years in the small community. It was an old brick building with stained glass windows that always amazed Deacon and gave the place an out of time feel to it, possessing an older feel to the place that wrapped around the customer like a familiar blanket.

  Opening the wooden door, Deacon prayed he got there before the Thirsty Thursday crowd filled the place, the women looking for half-price drinks and the men looking for the women. He took a moment at the door, allowing his eyes to adjust to the dim interior, taking time to scan the area, a habit of his from being overseas. Always know your surroundings and always have an escape plan. High-back stools surrounded the bar while a giant mirror hung on the back wall, giving the bartenders a great view of everything happening behind them while they fixed drinks.

  Deacon took a deep breath, inhaling the aroma of the past that reminded him of home. God, I missed this place.

  Glancing around, he noticed Elias sitting at a table toward the back. Putting a smile on his face, Deacon crossed the black and white tile floor to where his alpha sat sipping a whiskey neat. As he crossed the floor, Deacon asked Janey Forbes for a Jameson on the rocks, and then continued on to where Elias waited for him.

  “Thanks for meeting me,” he said to the alpha of the pack as he slid into a chair. “I hope I’m not taking you away from anything.”

  “Nothing that can’t wait,” Elias said, one hand holding his glass. “Did you get to talk to your father yet? I’m sure he would love to hear from you.”

  Deacon took a small breath as he shook his head, guilt filling him. “Not yet, but I promise I will. Something kind of came up suddenly, which is why I asked you here. I need to tell you about something that happened in Summermire that might trickle into Dark Moon Falls.”

  Elias cocked an eyebrow at him, his lips pursed in a thin line. “And what exactly is that?”

  Deacon shifted uncomfortably in his chair under the other man’s scrutiny. He had sat under drill sergeants, cocky captains, and prissy majors during his time in the Army, but no one made him as nervous as the man sitting across from him. Elias Grant had the calm strength that flowed underneath everything he did. He didn’t have to yell and belittle the people under him to make them fall into line. His mere presence accomplished that.

  “Last night, Morgan Holstead and I went into Summermire to go to a club,” Deacon said, staring down at his hands. As he spoke Janey arrived with his drink, setting it in front of him, and aske
d Elias if he needed anything else. He didn’t, so she left, allowing Deacon to continue with his tale.

  “A club?” Elias asked, giving Deacon a skeptical look. “The Wolf Inn not enough for you?”

  “I needed to blow off a little more steam than Lyall offers here,” he said, giving the other man a sheepish look. He had no idea why Elias knowing he went to a strip club bothered him, but for some reason it felt like he spoke to his father. “We went to Cheaters, a strip club. Everything went fine enough, but as we left, I witnessed the owner of the club beating a woman in the parking lot.” He then went on to tell Elias how he intervened, even admitting how his temper got the better of him as he picked Damien up and slammed him into the hood of a nearby car. He shared how Damien made threats as they walked off, Deacon holding Purity’s hand as Morgan carried her purse. Deciding not to leave anything out, he also told Elias about their trip to Purity’s apartment to get her clothes and other personal belongings to hold her over until they figured out what to do with her.

  “And what are you planning on doing with her?” Elias asked, lifting his glass to his lips and taking a slow sip as he stared at Deacon over the rim. “This Damien seems hellbent on getting her back,” he said, lowering the glass.

  Deacon nodded. “He does, which is why I can’t allow him to get his clutches on her. And I don’t know what she wants to do, but I know I can’t allow him to hurt her anymore. I can’t explain it, but something inside of me won’t permit me to turn my back on her. She shouldn’t have to pay for something her sister did.”

  Elias gave a small smirk. “I’m sure I know why you can’t allow it, but that’s for you to figure out on your own.” He nodded, taking another sip of his drink. As he set it back down on the table, he cocked his head at Deacon, his brown eyes boring into him. “But you still need to talk to your father.” He shook his head. “I know you want to help this woman, but are you sure you’re not doing it out of some sort of guilt for what happened to your sister?”