Moon Crossed (Werewolf Hunter Series): Season 1 (Episodes 1-6) (Crescent Hunter) (32 page)

“Oh, I have to
hear this.” Lili leans forward in her chair.

“Yeah, legend has
it that Cole's dick is cursed.” Locke is also enjoying this far
too much. He's probably jealous because Cole gets so much more play
than him.

“Seriously?”
Lili asks. “I need more info.”

Brogan blows out a
breath. “Everyone woman he's had sex with has had her life fall
apart afterward.”

I look at Cole,
questioningly. “Really?”

He shrinks a bit in his
chair. “It's not my fault? I plead innocent on the grounds of
coincidence.”

“So it's true?”
Lili says, tapping her finger on her lips.

“I'm with Cole.”
Rabbit comes and stands behind Cole. “The women he's been with
were already making bad choices; therefore, they were bound to have
their lives fall apart.”

Cole looks at me as
though asking permission to beat Rabbit with a blunt object. I shake
my head and smile. “Okay, the teasing is going too far. Cole's
dick isn't cursed.”

All eyes fall on me as
everyone goes silent. My eyes widen and dart from person to person as
they look at me accusingly. “I mean, I don't know from
experience,” I sputter. “I have no reliable data other
than your word.” More stuttering, and the stares are just
intensifying. “We have
not
had sex.” I push myself
out of my chair and walk down the steps.

“Claire, come
back. We were just giving you a hard time.” Locke chases after
me and I wonder why Cole didn't come. Then, I see that Trevor looks
to be lecturing him. “Way to lighten things up.” The
sarcasm is strong in my tone.

“It's funny.”
Locke shrugs. “Come on back up; we'll change the subject.”

I get back to my seat,
and it comes to me: a way that everyone will be distracted. “Hey,
isn't it about time to set the forest on fire?”

“Heh heh, fire!”
Rabbit balls his fists up in front of his mouth excitedly.

“Oh, hell yes.”
Trevor gets up.

“Wow, I haven't
seen Trevor move that fast since half price day at the pizza buffet,”
Tor chides.

“Yeah.”
Rabbit giggles.

“God, I would pay
money to watch that. It's the funniest thing. I think the bees really
hate him.” Brogan laughs, shaking his head.

“Just like Winnie
the Pooh,” Tor deadpans.

“Yup.” I
nod.

Everyone filters off
the porch to get ready for the fireworks except for Cole and me. “Oh,
hey. I need something from you.” I pull my shoulder to my ear
coyly.

“Do you?”
He quirks one eyebrow.

“Yeah, follow
me.” I stand up and go to take his hand as I walk by, but
snatch it back fast.

“Where are we
going?” he asks playfully.

“The lab.”
I say it dramatically, widening my eyes.

“Oh, sounds...”
He thinks about it for a moment. “Scary?”

“Nah, it'll be
painless.” I pause. “Mostly.”

When we get downstairs,
I open the secret door. He looks around in wonder. “I've not
seen this part.”

“Yeah, I keep it
closed up.” I pull a stool out and pat it for him to sit on.

He sits cautiously as I
get my supplies. “Do you trust me?” I ask, and mean it to
sound like a loaded question.

“Yes?” He
grimaces.

“Good, roll up
your sleeve.” He ticks his head back as he rolls up the sleeve
on his flannel. “What are you going to do?”

“I want to take a
blood sample for my research.” I say it quickly, hoping that he
won't process my words.

He snatches his arm
away. “Whoa, what?” He ticks his head back. “You
want to take my blood?”

“Yes.” I
say it simply, swallowing hard.

He shakes his head and
glances sidelong at me, cautiously. “But, it would be like you
would have a part of me.”

His apprehension
dissolves; I gaze directly into his eyes. “You already have a
part of
me
.”

His words are like a
caress on my soul. “And you already have a part of me.”
He reaches out, taking my hand. We sit, gazing at each other in
stunned silence. It's as though his soul is telling me a story that
requires no words.

“Hey, what are
you two doing down here?” Trevor's voice comes from the
stairway.

We both sit up straight
and Cole clears his throat. “Your sister is turning into a
vampire. She's trying to get my blood.”

I take his hand,
turning his arm over, studying his veins. This should be easy, but I
have to remember that the wolf-borne don't go to the doctor. He's
likely never had his blood taken before. He has scars on his arm,
which is odd. He shouldn't.

“Oh yeah, I
figured it was bound to happen since she can't be a wolf.”
Trevor comes and stands behind Cole. “You're going to let her
do it?”

“Yeah, if it
helps.” The corners of his mouth turn downward. “I mean,
what's the worst that can happen?” He shrugs.

“She can use your
DNA to create a clone and make it do her bidding,” Trevor says
humorlessly.

“Trevor, you
aren't supposed to reveal my secret plan,” I joke.

“Um, yeah, you
don't need a clone. I'll already do your bidding.” Cole brands
me with a serious stare.

“Yeah, she has
that effect.” Trevor rolls his eyes. “Anyway, I just
wanted to let you guys know we are about ready to start the
fireworks.”

“Cool, give me
like ten minutes. K?” I say, still looking at Cole's arm.

“All right. I'll
hold Brogan off for as long as I can.” He turns and heads for
the stairs. “Ten minutes.”

“Yes, sir.”
Cole salutes Trevor as he slowly walks up the stairs.

What are these from?
Trevor is still on the stairs, so I reach out to Cole silently,
running my fingers up and down the scars.

This and that.
He
smiles.

Are you really okay
with this?

Yeah, go for it.
Just be gentle.
He pumps his eyebrows.

I'm always gentle.
A
lewd smile crosses my lips.

No, no you aren't.
His eyes widen.

I find the vein and
have to work really hard to get the needle in. I glance up at him
“Even your veins are tough.”

“You expected any
less?” He cuts a half-smile into his cheek.

“Nope, but I know
you really aren't all that tough.” I arch my brow. “As a
matter of fact, you're a big soft teddy bear.”

“Shh, just don't
tell anyone and we'll be fine.”

“You got it.”

We rejoin everyone in
the back yard just in time for Brogan to set fire to the pallets of
fireworks they have set up further down the trail. Oohs and aahs
circulate through the yard. I'm actually very impressed with the
display and the fact that nothing has caught fire yet.

Cole and I are standing
at the back of the crowd. The colors light the sky in an impressive
display. Cole reaches over and discreetly wraps his pinky finger
around mine. I smile without looking at him, and I wish the hours
away until we can watch the sunrise.

I
roll over and look at the clock: one p.m. Thank God I'm actually
waking up during the day. I'm tired, but happy, having watched every
sunrise with Cole since the fireworks. We haven't kissed again.
Everything that we needed to say was said in that last kiss. We also
have been trying not to touch. It doesn't matter how we feel for one
another; we know reality, and we have to be happy with our
friendship.

There's scratching at
the door, bringing me out of my Cole-induced stupor. “Go away!”
I yell from under my comforter.

Whining comes from the
other side of the door. Which one of these jack-offs is waking me up?
I get out of bed, scratching my behind all the way to the door, and
fling it open. Brogan.

“What the hell?”
I snap.

He sits, wagging his
tail.

“Brogan, I'm
tired. Just shift and tell me what you need.” I step outside
the door since he can't come in.

He hangs his head and
goes downstairs as though he wants me to follow. We get down to the
kitchen and no one is here. The house seems to be totally empty.

I look down at Brogan. “Where is everyone?”

He barks and whines at
me, and I'm pretty sure that I left my patience in my other shorts.
“What is it, boy? Is little Timmy stuck in the well?” I
ask sarcastically with my jaw tight.

He goes to the back
door, scratching at it. I open it and he runs out. “Are you
serious? You got me out of bed to let you out?”

A string of expletives
is running through my mind as I go to slam the door. The sensation of
another wolf-borne approaching puts me on alert. The silhouette of a
man comes into view at the tree line. I squint my tired eyes.

“Holy crap!”
Recognition hits me when I see him. “Ki?”

“Claire.”
He comes across the backyard and I run to him barefoot to give him a
hug. He pulls back, studying me. “Look at you. I swear you've
grown since I saw you last.” His smile reveals creases at the
corners of his eyes, showing some age. He only looks to be about
forty, but he's likely closer to sixty.

“Maybe my butt,
but that's it.” I smile, lead him into the house, and check for
coffee. I turn to look back at Brogan, who's running around, playing
in the yard. I shake my head. “Crap, no coffee. Give me a sec.
I'll make some.”

“Are you just
rolling out of bed?” he asks with a judgmental tone.

“Yeah, I had a
late night.” There's a silly grin on my face from recalling
Cole's scent.

“Oh my,” Ki
says, scrutinizing me.

“What?” I
ask coyly.

“Someone's
thinking about a man,” he accuses.

“And if I am?”

“So long as it's
a
man
.” He raises an eyebrow.

“He's a man.”
I turn away and pull the coffee out of the cabinet, obscuring the
expression on my face.

“Is he
always
a man?”

My whole body slumps a
little. I've been caught.

Ki inhales a frustrated
breath. “Claire, you know better.”

“I do, and it's
okay.” The sadness rolls off my tongue like water.

“From the look in
your eye...” He shakes his head at me. “You know you’re
walking a very dangerous line?”

“Everyone's
reminding me. And I know, I really do.” I try to keep the
sharpness of my tone to a minimum.

“I trust your
judgment.” He smiles, but the worry still rules his eyes. “So,
tell me about this wolf that has your head spinning, trying to figure
out how to work the system.” He pinches my side.

“Stop! And I'm
not trying to work the system. He's just a friend. For real.” I
can't keep the blush from rising in my cheeks.

“Oh, you're
screwed,” he says, smiling.

“Anyway. Why are
you here?” I change the subject.

“Do I need a
reason to stop by and see my goddaughter?” He puts his hand
over his heart, feigning insult.

“Usually.”
I pull my lips to the side.

“I wanted to
check on you.
And
I have a new scabbard I thought you might be
interested in trying out.” He bends down, unzipping his big
green army bag.

“Ooh, new
goodies.” I love when he brings prototypes of his leather work.

“Yup, this one is
unique in that it has three sheathes on the right, three on the left.
So you can carry two swords and four daggers, or whatever.” He
pulls out a black strappy-looking thing with buckles and snaps.

“That looks...”
I look at it for a moment, turning it around, trying to figure it
out. “Interesting. How does it go on?”

He stands and takes the
leather from me. “Turn around.”

I comply, and he puts
the straps around my shoulders and back, and they criss-cross my
chest. “Hmm.” I look down at it and notice that it really
accentuates my breasts. “This is a little...”

“Hot. Yeah, if it
wasn't you, it would be hot,” he says.

“Ki,” I
warn.