Blue Moon (21 page)

Chapter Thirty-Two

Vivianna

My phone buzzed in my pocket. Logan’s name lit up the screen and relief swamped my senses.

“Hey, Logan. Did you find Luke?”

“Yeah. We got him. Thank god you’re okay.”

I frowned. “We’re fine. What’s wrong?”

“I’m on my way. Stay inside, and keep the gun handy.”

“You’re on your way over here? I thought you had to shift.” Now Lana and Taryn were staring at me.

“Sebastian contacted Sasha. Damian’s gone.”

I swallowed the lump in my throat. “You think he’s coming for me.”

“I don’t know what the hell he’s doing, but I’m going to keep you safe.”

“How can you do that if you’re a wolf?” My tone rose, the panic beginning to show.

“Just wait for me. Okay? Taryn is there, and you have my Glock, right? We’ll be there in a half hour.”

His voice broke up, and the call dropped. I stuffed my cell in my pocket and reached for my messenger bag. I tugged the plastic case with the gun out, and a folder and an envelope fell on the floor. What the hell? As I reached for them, I remembered. I’d grabbed them off Damian’s desk before I jumped out the window.

Until now, I’d forgotten they existed.

I set the gun case beside me and opened the envelope. Inside were pictures. Lots of pictures.

Of little Madeleine.

My hands trembled. “When I met with Damian, he told me he needed an heir. I thought he was threatening to rape me, but…”

My words faded as Lana took the photos from me. Her brow furrowed. “What the hell are these?”

Malcolm pointed. “It’s my sister.”

Lana’s gaze met mine. “He knows I’m his sister.”

I swallowed hard. “Madeleine is the heir he needs for his father.”

Lana dropped the photos, pulling her toddlers in close to her. “That’s why he bit the news guy. A distraction.”

I opened the case and took out the Glock. “He’s probably on his way now, before he shifts.”

Taryn was on her feet. “He wouldn’t dare. I almost killed him last time.”

“You set him on fire?” The surreal conversation was beginning to sink in. This was real.

“Yeah. The scars on his face are from me.”

“How?”

She met my gaze. “Once I see him, I can light him up again.”

Before I could ask a follow-up question, Lana’s cell rang.

“It’s Adam.”

She answered, but her voice faded into the background. The Glock was heavy in my hand, the weight of it reassuring. Mentally, I ran through all of Logan’s instructions.

Lana ended her call. “Adam has the Pack at the Lake, ready to shift. Sasha is on her way over here just in case Damian shows up.” She stroked Madeleine’s hair. “I’m sure we’ll be fine.”

I nodded, but I didn’t put the gun away.

Suddenly glass shattered in the front living room, followed by the repetitive beeping of the burglar alarm. My heart stuttered as I faced the door.

Taryn looked over at Lana. “Keep Charlie safe.”

Charlie frowned. “Mom, I’m a werewolf, I can help you.”

She glanced over her shoulder. “You need to stay here and help Lana with the little ones, okay?”

Charlie sighed, but he nodded and stayed put.

“I’ll cover you.” I bit back panicked laughter. I sounded like I was some seasoned cop on TV, not a journalist fresh out of college with one shooting lesson under my belt.

As Taryn reached for the doorknob, it flew inward, and in one smooth movement a metal-tipped cane smacked her in the side of her head. She crumpled to the ground, leaving me pointing the gun at Damian’s chest.

“Mom!” Charlie shrieked, but Lana caught him before he could race forward.

Damian stared right past me at Lana. “Sister. Finally, we meet.”

I kept my gun raised, my finger sliding onto the trigger. “Get out of here, or I’ll shoot.”

He sighed and met my eyes. “This is a family matter.” His attention settled on Lana’s leg. “Is that my niece? Madeleine, right?”

Lana shook her head. “They’re nothing to you. The Pack is on their way.”

“I think they’re up at Lake Tahoe chasing a news man who is trying to expose them.” He chuckled and looked out the window, then back to Lana. “Unless they can drive as wolves, I don’t think we’ll be seeing them until much later.”

“Leave her alone.” My voice was dry.

His laughter surprised me, but I didn’t lower my weapon.

He leaned on his cane, sweat beading on his forehead. I was tempted to peek outside to see if the moon was up, but I wasn’t about to take my eyes off my target.

His mouth twisted into a sick smile. “I’m not leaving without Madeleine. She’s a natural-born female Jaguar shifter. Just like her mother. An anomaly for Nero to study and replicate. My father wants his granddaughter to come home.”

He took a step forward and I squeezed the trigger. Hard. Nothing happened.
Shit!
I forgot to cock it. He laughed and grabbed me by both shoulders, yanking me in close. “No one is coming to your rescue, and if you continue to delay me, I’ll shift and I might hurt the child.”

He shoved me aside, advancing on Lana. She landed a solid kick to his groin and followed it with an uppercut to his chin.

But it barely slowed him down.

I grabbed the metal slide on top of the Glock and yanked it back before raising my weapon again. My pulse pounded in my ears. He stood at the edge of the couch. If I missed, I could hit Madeleine or Malcolm. This wasn’t a game or a simulation.

Sweat trickled down my back.

Lana stomped on his wounded foot, stunning him for a moment before he roared and threw her across the room. When she got up, her arm was bleeding.

The twins screamed, reaching for their mother.

Blood trickled from the corner of her mouth as Lana yelled, “He’s shifting, Vivi! Don’t let him take her!”

I tried to breathe and line up the sights. Just as I readied myself, he spun around. His burn-scarred face was further misshapen, his jaw lengthening into a snout. This was real. Werewolves were real. This horror show was turning from a man into a wolf in front of my eyes, and he would kill us all.

He took one step toward me, and my hesitation vanished.

The blast of the gun deafened me. He dropped to the ground, pressing his hands, or what was left of them, over the wound
in his abdomen. Claws protruded from the ends of his fingers.

The babies cried, the toddlers wailed, and Charlie scrambled to help his mom. At my feet, Damian wheezed as he panted. He coughed, and blood spurted from his lips. I lowered the gun, all the strength and adrenaline draining from my limbs.

He was dying.

Damian stared up at me, his mouth opening and closing like a fish hungry for oxygen. He whispered something, but I couldn’t make out the word. Again he tried to spit it out and coughed. I knelt down, and his bloody contorted hand wrapped around my wrist.

He smiled with bloodstained teeth. “Sedona.”

“Arizona?”

He gasped for air. His grip tightened, and he grimaced. A thin, ragged breath hissed from his lips, and his gaze fixed on the ceiling.

Damian Severino was dead.

I’d killed him.

…

Time blurred. Things happened around me, but all I saw were his empty, dead eyes. Twice I reached out with a trembling hand to close his eyelids, but both times I retreated. His blood was still on my wrist, and it soaked through the knees of my jeans where I knelt beside him.

In the distance, glass crunched, but I barely registered it. When a huge sable-colored wolf with bright blue eyes filled the doorway, something in my mind gave way. I started to scream, and I didn’t know if I would ever stop.

Madeleine raced forward wrapping her arms around the wild animal’s thick neck. “Uncle Logan, you’re scaring her.”

His name was familiar, but the panic was all-consuming. The wolf came closer and sniffed my hand. I squealed, scrambling backward. Someone put their arm around my shoulders.

“Logan, she’s in shock.” The voice was slow and steady. “You should wait outside.”

His piercing eyes met mine, and my pulse raced until I thought my heart might explode. The bands of panic clamped around my chest, constricting my breath. The wolf lowered his head and backed away.

Tremors racked my entire body. Vaguely I noticed a blanket being wrapped around me, and another voice I recognized. “Can you stand? We need to get you out of here.”

I nodded, even though I had no idea if I could move. She put her arm around me and blocked my view of the soulless eyes that stared into oblivion. In the living room, she settled me onto the sofa and brought a glass of water.

“Vivi? Can you hear me?”

I did, but my voice didn’t respond. I managed to nod.

“Good. I’m going to go help them clean up in there. I’ll be right down the hall if you need me, okay?” She knelt in front of me. Sasha. Yes, that was her name. “You saved them all, Vivi. You did the right thing.”

Outside of the house, a lone wolf howled, and a hot tear rolled down my cheek.

Chapter Thirty-Three

Logan

I struggled to push my wolf back. Fighting the moon hurt like hell. I’d never forced a shift before. I knew it was possible. The night Malcolm died, I’d witnessed his sons Adam and Aren shift back into men, and Jason, our Pack doctor did as well. It worked for them.

Our mate needed us. This single thought seemed to resonate with the wolf. He’d seen her pain. He didn’t understand it, but the instinct to protect her was hard-wired. We couldn’t help her as a wolf. Not right now.

Finally, it started at the tip of my tail, the wet popping of the joints mutating. I almost welcomed the physical pain, anything to stop the replay of the fear in Anna’s eyes when she saw my wolf. Sweat rolled down my face as the thick fur vanished and my body contorted. I gnashed my teeth to keep from screaming.

When the pain gradually subsided, I stood. My vision was still not at a hundred percent, but my sense of smell didn’t lie.

Jaguar.

Fuck. Really? I followed the scent closer to the house. My clothes and phone were in Sasha’s car. If I could get up there, I could send her a text. But as I rounded the corner of Adam’s house, the scent was even stronger, and now I recognized it.

Sebastian.

A cold barrel pressed into my bare back. “I’m not here to kill you, wolf.”

“Funny way of showing it.”

“I tracked my brother here.”

I spun around and reached for the gun. Surprise was on my side, but my eyesight was for shit from the damned pepper spray. I missed the pistol, grabbing his arm instead. He wrenched free of my grasp, but I punched his jaw, knocking him back a couple of steps.

“You let your psycho brother escape. I shot him in the foot. He was wounded and slow, and he still slipped through your fingers.”

Sebastian spat blood onto the ground and narrowed his eyes. “Judging by your lack of attire, you’ve noticed the full moon is up tonight. My brother was stronger than I anticipated.”

“Your mistake put all our lives in jeopardy. While we were chasing the reporter, Damian was here.”

“I have no time for this, wolf. Do you have him or not?”

“He’s dead.”

Sebastian’s eyes widened, then his mask of indifference settled back into place. “You have signed your own death warrant.” He holstered his weapon and headed for the house.

“Fuck
.
”
I scrambled to Sasha’s car and found my jeans. Chandler grumbled from the backseat, but I didn’t have time to deal with his crap. Not now. Yanking on my pants, I chased after Sebastian.

Inside Adam’s place, the stench of blood made the wolf alert and eager. The line between man and beast was tenuous during the full moon. The added allure of fresh meat was not helping me keep control.

Then Anna’s scent broke through the death and fear. I turned, forgetting Sebastian for a moment. She was alone on the couch, wrapped in a blanket and staring into space. I stumbled forward and knelt at her feet.

“Anna?”

Nothing.

I took her hand. Her gaze focused on me, and she frowned. “Your eyes.”

“Pepper spray. I’ll be all right.” I laced my fingers with hers. “Are you okay?”

She shivered, and a tear rolled down her cheek. “No.”

I kissed her knuckles, the faint scent of Damian’s blood lingered on her skin. This was all my fault. “I’ll take you home. Just give me a minute. I’ll be right back.”

She didn’t respond. Her stare was distant again. Damn it.

I tucked her hands back inside the blanket and hustled down the hall. Sebastian covered his brother’s body and stood up.

“Take him and get the hell out of my house!” Lana stormed toward Sebastian, hitting his chest with both hands. “He came for Madeleine. He knew everything. You said he didn’t know.”

Sebastian grabbed her wrists, his expression emotionless. “Calm yourself. I need to understand. What do you mean he came for Madeleine?”

“An heir.” She shoved him and stepped back. “He said his father, your father, wants her.”

“Our father.”

“No!” she shrieked. “No. He’s
not
my father. And he’s not taking my daughter!”

“I have to discover how Damian found out.” Sebastian frowned and stared at the blanketed body at his feet. “You have all signed your death warrant tonight. There are factions inside of Nero who supported my brother’s bid for second-in-command, and my father will use his death to unite them against your Pack.”

I came in and stood at Lana’s side, blocking Sebastian’s view of Madeleine and Malcolm. “If you had kept him away, this never would have happened.”

His dark eyes locked on mine. “Do not try to lay blame at my feet, wolf. My hands are clean in this. You all knew what was at stake. Your Alpha gave the command that my brother was not to be killed. Perhaps if your mate had been more prepared for this world, we would not be having this conversation.”

I tackled him, knocking us both to the ground. We rolled in the blood on the floor, struggling for dominance. I landed a fist in his abdomen before Sasha jerked me back.

“Enough.” She glared at me and then Sebastian. “What’s done is done. We’ll deal with what comes next. Fighting is a waste of energy.”

I sucked in a breath through my teeth, and she turned to Sebastian.

“Get the body out so we can get this cleaned up. The kids have already seen more than they ever should have.” As Sebastian bent to scoop up his brother’s body, Sasha met my eyes. “Vivi is in shock. Get her in a warm shower and watch her. She’s still human, so if she gets worse call 911. I’ll send Jason by to check her when they get back from the Lake.”

Sebastian had the blanketed body in his arms and headed for the door. He turned back, his gaze on Lana. “Convince your husband to leave Reno.”

He didn’t wait for a response.

I glanced around the room. Taryn was conscious, but her head was going to need a few stitches. The kids were shaken up. Lana was doing her best to keep them distracted.

Sasha laid towels on the floor, covering the crime scene. I cleared my throat. “You got this?”

“Yeah. Take care of Vivi.” Sasha looked my way. “I know she doesn’t believe it right now, but she did the right thing. According to Lana, she saved Madeleine.”

She’d also killed a man.

I left, anxious to get back to my mate. Anna was stiff, a shell of herself, but I carried her out to my truck. We’d parked it at the ranch when Sasha took us up to Damian’s place at the lake. Now I was glad I had left it behind.

Her hand was too shaky to fasten the seat belt, so I got it for her. “All set?”

She nodded.

I didn’t know what to say, but the silence was making me nuts. “I think I’m almost done with my new song. Maybe I can play it for you later. The last verse isn’t quite right yet, but I’m close.”

My rambling continued until her hand rested on my thigh. I glanced over at her. “Sorry. I couldn’t take the quiet.”

She stared straight ahead, but just the sound of her voice filled me with relief. “Thank you for getting me out of there.”

I lifted her hand to my lips. Her skin was cold. “I’m sorry I wasn’t there sooner.”

Silence blanketed us again until I pulled up to my house. I went around and helped her out. Once we were safely inside, I embraced her, holding her tight while sobs racked her body. Every tear that fell on my chest ripped me open.

I wanted to protect her from this life, this world.

But selfishly I’d pulled her in deeper, even though I knew I’d be putting her in danger. I kissed her hair, closing my eyes. “I’m so sorry, Anna.”

When her tears subsided, I picked her up and carried her back to my bathroom. Instead of the shower, I filled the giant sunken tub in the corner. I rarely used it, but this way I could hold her, and warm her, and pretend that washing the blood off our bodies could erase the night she’d had.

I brought her into the water. She hummed and shivered against my chest. I frowned. “Is it too hot?”

“No. Feels good.”

I settled into the tub with Anna in front of me, sitting between my legs. She rested her head back against me, and I looped my arms around her waist.

“I wish we could stay like this.”

I kissed her temple. “Me, too.”

But soon Nero would be at our door for retribution, and if I wanted Anna to be safe, I’d have to give her up.