Moon Crossed (Werewolf Hunter Series): Season 1 (Episodes 1-6) (Crescent Hunter) (34 page)

The one with thick
tattooed arms and brown shaggy hair steps forward, putting his hand
on his chest. “Wade, also third to Pike.”

I turn around and
whisper to the boys, “How can you have two number threes?”

They all exchange
glances and shrug.

“You know who I
am, and our intent is to bring you to Pike,” Riker says, but
can't look me in the eye.

“Is he calling a
parley?” My eyebrows arch in anticipation.

“No,” Lex
says with a look of warning.

“Riker, in the
house,” I demand. Cole gives me a look like I've just gone mad,
and doesn't step aside when Riker comes up the steps. “Cole,
move out of his way.”

He reluctantly moves
aside, following us into the house. I put my hand on his chest at the
door. “No, it's just going to be us.”

“Claire?”
he protests.

“Trust me.”
I close the door and lead Riker to the parlor. “Okay, first of
all,
Riker?
What the hell is up with that?”

“I started going
by Riker about three years ago; it was better than Lenny.” He
looks at his feet.

“All to be in the
running to be beta?” I shake my head and laugh a little.

“Hey, you don't
know what it's like,” he defends.

“No, I don't, and
I'm glad. I'll go along with it, but just so you know, you'll always
be Lenny to me.” I wink, cupping his cheek. “Now give me
a hug.”

He hugs me and then
steps back, like I'm a dead woman walking. “Seriously, though,
we have to bring you back to Pike.”

“I realize that
the council hasn't taken an interest in this area for a long time,
but there are rules and if he wants a fight, he'll get one.” My
tone is severe and I stare him in the eye.

“Claire, please,
don't make this harder than it is,” he argues, but looks away.

“Harder for
whom?” My voice reaches an upper register. “He wants to
kill me and you want me to surrender?”

Lili comes in, full of
worry. “Claire, um, things are getting scary out there.”

Riker and I exchange a
look. “Lenny, don't let them bring this to my home. Get them
out of here.” My tone is low and serious. “Tell Pike I
call a parley. He may choose the
neutral
ground we meet on.”

“Lenny?”
Lili questions.

“Long story.”
I look at her and shake my head.

She looks at him with
that starry-eyed puppy look. I'll deal with that later. “You
need to stop this before there's bloodshed.” I tug at Riker's
sleeve.

He doesn't move.
“Claire, the order is to bring you in. We can't leave without
you.”

I pull my lips into a
thin line and pop my neck. “Okay, we do this your way.” I
brush past him and Lili. Without turning around, I say, “Lili,
get up to my room and close the door. It's about to get bloody.”

“Claire?”
Lili starts after me.

“Now!” I
bark, and she scurries up the stairs.

I burst through the
door, holding the sais at the ready. Lex and Cole in wolf form are
squaring off. “You are not welcome on my land. This is my
territory, and I'm demanding that you leave now.”

Neither of them look
away from the other, and they both continue snarling. Locke, Rabbit,
and Tor have surrounded Wade. It looks as though either Lex
challenged Cole, or the other way around.

Locke doesn't break his
stare with Wade. “Claire, you–”

“No. I said now!”
My voice is low and menacing. That finally gets their attention. I
pick up Cole's clothes and throw them to him. “Human form,
now.” He doesn't budge.

I walk down and stand
between them, leaning over, nose to nose with Lex. “I said,
off my land.” My tone deepens with threat. “Take a swipe
at me now, or leave. I won't start this fight, but I will end it.”

Lex looks toward Riker,
then Wade. Riker nods and comes down the steps. “This isn't
over, Claire. You're going to have to face the punishment for what
you've done.”

“Bring it.”
My gaze is unwavering. “Tell that pussy Pike that if he wants
me, to come and get me.”

The three intruders
start walking toward the front of the house. Wade pauses in front of
Cole. “Pike wants to talk to you, too, when you've got some
time off from being a trained dog.”

Cole growls, launching
into a bark and latching onto Wade's arm. Wade pulls away, kicking at
Cole, but misses. In human form, Cole dwarfs Wade; in wolf form, he's
so much larger.

Wade holds his bleeding
arm. “We'll have our day too, Cole.”

My pack and I all stand
statue-still in challenge a good two minutes after they disappear
around the corner of the house. Once I no longer feel their presence,
I turn to the boys and inhale to start lambasting them for what they
were doing. Cole stops me, coming to my side and nudging my hand with
his nose. I blow out a breath, shaking my head. “Go get
dressed.”

Locke follows him
inside with his clothes; when he returns, he can't look me in the
eye. Everyone else has remained silent. Cole gave me just the right
amount of time to consider my words.

I shake my ahead again
and can feel the tension building in my jaw. “I love each and
every one of you. But this situation was heading in a bad direction
fast. I had it under control.”

Aunt Rain and Brogan
come through the trees into the back yard. “Claire!”

She hugs me. “I
was so worried about you. Brogan came and got me.”

“I'm fine, but
these idiots nearly turned the whole thing into a blood bath.”
I shake my head slowly, staring each one of them in the eye.

Aunt Rain notices the
sais. “Are those?”

“Yeah.” A
tight smile crosses my lips, trying to hold in the emotion.

“But where...”

“I brought them.”
Ki comes from behind Rabbit. “Aengus asked me to hold them
until she was ready.”

“I thought they
were lost.” Her voice is merely a gasp as she reaches for them.

“Me too.”
The boys start filing into the house. “Hold on just a minute
there! I wasn't done.”

They all freeze. “This
was my fight, not yours.” Anger churns in the pit of my
stomach, radiating outward.

Tor steps closer to me.
“Claire, we're your family, and there's no way any of us would
let them take you.”

“There was no
chance that was going to happen. Pike made the mistake of only
sending three.” I start off. “Please, let me be to do
what I'm meant to. I don't want to worry about any of you getting
hurt.”

They reluctantly nod in
agreement, excluding Locke and Cole. “I'm not going to let
anyone hurt you, ever,” Cole says in the most sincere tone I've
ever heard words spoken.

It could be the primal
part of me made from the wolf-borne; it melts me a little at the
thought of Cole protecting me, caring enough to. It doesn't mean I
want him to. I walk along them all, standing in a line on the porch,
and start my lecture until reaching my chair to sit. “I realize
that it's your nature to feel the need to protect me. But you all
seem to forget that I'm stronger, faster, and more deadly than any of
you.” My voice dips lower with each word. “I am not just
little frail Claire. I'm a hunter, and I'm built to destroy your kind
at your strongest.” They all blanch at the thought, but they
know I'm right. “Don't do it again.”

They all agree
silently, excluding Cole.

This whole exchange has
left me emotionally exhausted, but I remember what Lex said to Cole.
I study him for a moment and decide that it's probably better for us
to discuss it in private.

We've had many very
deep, telling conversations where Cole has let me into some of the
nethermost parts of his mind. It's as though I'm the only one he has
ever been able to confide in, the only one who hasn't judged him for
his darkness. Who would I be to judge him? My existence is born of
darkness. I guess it's something that we share. Our friendship has
become a healing for both of us in so many ways. I will cherish what
we have for years to come; it's an honor that I take very seriously.
Something I don't want to damage, and if I confront him about this
now, in front of everyone, he may close up.

“You're
dismissed.” They didn't realize that I was done. “Someone
tell Lili she can come down.”

“I was watching
out the window. I'm already here.” She's standing behind
Trevor.

“I'm so freakin'
hungry.” Rabbit bolts through the door. I can't help the smile
that rises to my lips as they all start to joke and poke at each
other.

Brogan sits in the
chair across from me and I remember him waking me. “What the
hell was that this morning?”

“Claire, I'm a
little scared.” He's shaken.

Cole, Ki, and Aunt Rain
sit, and Locke takes position behind me, interested in what Brogan
has to say. “What's going on?”

“I'm having
trouble shifting.” He looks at each of us.

“From human to
wolf?” Ki asks hopefully.

He dips his head. “No,
from wolf to human.”

“This could still
be the effects of the potion you took. It's probably a good sign, but
maybe you should lay off the shifting for a week or two.” My
mind starts racing with a million thoughts about the potion and what
I did differently this time. How I can use these results to our
advantage. “It may be good news.” A cautious smile
crosses my lips.

“How so?”
Ki asks.

“The whole point
of the potion we tried last full moon was to suppress the involuntary
shift,” I explain. “If we can keep wolves from shifting
on the full moon, that will be a huge step in the right direction.”

“But only if they
are willing,” Ki warns.

“True, but still.
If we can help willing wolves, it's a victory.” I smile
optimistically.

“I'm a willing
wolf.” Locke puts his hand on my shoulder. “We need to
make sure you're going to be okay.” Locke looks at Brogan.

“I'm fine, it's
just the shifting.” He rocks slightly back and forth. “It's
not like I have the urge to kill.”

“That's good,”
Aunt Rain adds.

“The question is:
who should be the next Guinea pig?” Locke asks.

Crap. Of course, with
Cole being here, I'm way behind schedule. “This moon, we're
going to skip testing. Until I have a better idea of what went wrong
with the last one.” There, great excuse, lie, excuse. Shit.

“Looks like we'll
spend the moon locked up again.” Cole smiles.

“Yup.” I
return the grin; everyone notices.

“So what exactly
happened with the Amicalola Pack?” Aunt Rain asks.

“Apparently, they
want to punish Claire for her kills.” Ki gives Aunt Rain an
apprehensive look.

“We need to get
the council involved. I think this has gone far enough.” Aunt
Rain is furious. “How dare they threaten her like that.”

“I agree that we
need to contact the council, but we have to be prepared for them to
not do anything,” I warn. “They've been so quiet.”

Locke adds, “I've
already been in touch with them.”

“Why's that?”
I look at him curiously.

“Because there's
been a lot of grumbling.” He pulls his lips into a thin line.
“If the council is going to be involved, we all need to
consider our indiscretions.” He looks directly at Cole.

“You mean me
living with four wolves?” I arch a brow.

“That, too,”
Ki warns. “I'm going to get going. I'll contact the council,
too.”

We all hug as he gets
ready to leave. He stops in front of Cole. “You behave.”

“Yes, sir.”
Cole nods.

“Locke?” Ki
turns to him. “Look after her, and keep me updated.”

This infuriates me. “I
can–”

“Take care of
yourself, yes, I know. But you don't have to.” Ki cuts me off,
then kisses my forehead. “I love you, Claire. I'll be back with
your bodice when I'm done.”

“Love you too,
and thank you.”

Another
shifting dream wakes me in a pool of my own sweat. It's so real, and
they are getting more intense. It takes a few minutes of sitting up
in bed before I can get my bearings. I trudge to the shower.

Watching every sunrise
with Cole has been amazing, but it’s a little tiring not
getting much sleep.

There are things that I
can talk with him about and feel cleansed. I've watched his mood
lighten and his smile come so much easier. Not forced or fake like
when we first met. Having him as my friend and confidant is one of
the most important things to me. What we have is a beautiful
closeness that isn't complicated by sex. Sometimes, it makes me feel
like I'm the luckiest girl in the world. Others may have him
physically, but it's so much more satisfying having him in a deeper,
more meaningful way.

There's no doubt that
he's a womanizer. What everyone is warning me about is probably true,
but he's really not trying to get into my pants. He has no interest
in me that way.