Moon Crossed (Werewolf Hunter Series): Season 1 (Episodes 1-6) (Crescent Hunter) (41 page)

He still doesn't look
at me. “It scares me to be near you, with you. But it's worse
when I think of being without you.”

“Well, then, I
guess it's a good thing we don't have to.” I smile wide,
feeling as though we really got some stuff out in the open and
settled.

“No, we really
don't.” He finally looks at me, and a wild quality invades his
demeanor.
He leans down, sweetly pulling my chin
toward him until our mouths meet. With his hands on my cheeks gently
guiding me, he presses into me, offering his lips in a bittersweet
surrender. Cole pulls my loose hair tie, freeing my ponytail. His
hands tangle in my hair, pulling me into him deeper. His soul begging
for more of me, and I give it to him. The glorious burn his fingers
leave on my neck and shoulders as he trails down my skin resonates
through me like a beautiful melody, leaving a warmth that radiates
from a part of me that only he can awaken.

Cole and I lay in the
clearing, basking in each other's presence. He mindlessly caresses my
arm, barely humming some melody. My head is resting on his chest,
looking up. “I love when the clouds look like herds of
dinosaurs parading through the sky.”

He huffs a little
laugh. “Huh, they really do look like that.”

“My Da and I used
to sit out here cloud busting on days like this. It's like the big
fluffy clouds are putting on a show just for us.” I smile at
the memory.

He tilts his head down,
looking at me. “Don't you know that everything in this world
was made just for you?”

“Ha, that's a
laugh.” I roll my eyes at the irony in his statement.

“If it wasn't, it
should be.” He inhales. “The sunrise was made for you, if
only so you could smile.”

“I do love the
sunrise.” I think about it. “And the fluffy clouds.”

“There was only
one thing in this world made just for me.” The sad lilt in his
tone prepares me for him to say something dark.

“What's that?”

“You.”

Cole
and I have been guarding our secret; he's better at it than I am.
Problem is, I've never been a good liar, and I know that Locke can
see right through me. He flashes me judgmental looks and he'll make
the occasional off-handed remark. If he were to ask me point blank, I
wouldn't lie to him. But he hasn't, and I'm not going to offer it up.

Gonna miss you
tonight. ~Cole

Me too. What ever
will you do without me? LOL ~Claire

Prol'y hang out at
home. ~Cole

You can get some
stuff done, maybe fill out your school stuff. ~Claire

Maybe. Or I could
drink copious amounts of liquor, play video games, and watch porn.
~Cole

If that's what makes
you happy. ~Claire

Gross.

Knowing I'll be
watching the sunrise with you makes me happy. ~Cole

Me too. I'm sure the
hours will creep by, waiting until it's time to go. ~Claire

Don't go. ~Cole

Have to. :(~Claire

No you don't, you
could be bad. XD ~Cole

Yeah, nope. ~Claire

“Hey, Claire,”
Brogan calls through the screen door.

“Hey, babe! Come
on in.” I go to the door and give him a hug. “How are you
feeling?”

“I'm feeling
pretty good. I haven't had too much trouble with shifting lately.”
He half smiles.

“That's good.
Hopefully you'll be back to normal soon.” I go to the fridge.
“You want a sandwich?”

“I would love
one.” He sits at the table.

I get out the meat and
bread
and get busy. “So what's going on?”

“We're all going
out tonight, and I wanted to get here early so I could see you.”
He stares down at his hands.

“That's sweet.”
I put the sandwich in front of him and give him a glass of milk.

“Locke said you
were on patrol tonight.” He takes a big bite.

“Yeah, otherwise
I'd love to go with you guys.” I sit with him.

“Bummer.”

“Duty calls.”

“It's just as
well. I heard it's a wolf party.” Brogan wipes his mouth.

“Really?” I
try not to feel offended. “Who's going?”

“All the bros:
Locke, Kyle, Rabbit, Tor, Trevor, Cole. You know, all of us,”
he says, then takes a drink of milk.

“Cole's going?”
I know that I need to chill out. We aren't a thing, we're just
something different. He can do whatever he wants.

“Yeah.” He
says it like it would be obvious.

“Well, have fun.”
I check the time. “I gotta get ready to go.”

“Okay, be
careful!” he says as I'm walking out of the kitchen.

“Always. You stay
out of trouble.” I turn around, flashing him a parental look.

“Always.”
He offers that crooked smile that I love so much.

Patrol was uneventful;
it should be, with three hunters to an area. But it was nice spending
time with Casey. I'm on my way to the clearing to be with Cole. He
makes me feel like there is more to life than just work, school, and
hunting.

I get to the clearing
with thirty minutes to spare. The feeling of wolf-borne being nearby
makes the hair on the back of my neck stand up. But it's not Cole or
the boys, and there are a lot of them. I decide that it's best to
climb until I can figure out what's going on.

Fifteen or so wolves
walk through the clearing. I recognize Lex and Lenny. Why are they
here?

They stop and shift to
human form, instructing the rest of the wolves to keep going. Lenny
and Lex stand silent and wait for the other wolves to be out of
earshot.

“Claire, I know
you're here,” Lenny calls out, looking all around.

“You are in my
territory, Lenny.” I'm seething. Who the hell does he think he
is? I should never be made to feel afraid on my own land.

“I want to talk
to you,” he pleads.

“Talk.”
There's no emotion behind my voice.

His shoulders slump as
he blows out a frustrated breath. “Face to face.”

“This is all
you're going to get.”

“Claire, please.”
He's looking up, trying to find me in the trees.

“Is Pike agreeing
to a parley?” I ask.

“That's not what
I want to talk about,” he says, pulling his lips into a thin
line. “It's about Lili.”

I draw my father's sais
and jump down from the tree, landing in front of them, ready for a
fight. “What about Lili?”

They both jump back,
startled. “Claire, I'm not here to hurt you.”

“You'll have to
forgive me for not trusting you.” The words hurt coming out,
since Lenny was my friend. “And I definitely don't trust him.”
I motion to Lex with my sais.

Lenny turns to Lex.
“Can you give us some space?”

Lex cuts me a hateful
look. My eyes roll heavenward; I so don't care. “Pike said you
weren't to be alone with her.”

“I just want some
space.” Lenny shakes his head.

“Oh, someone's
losing grace with their alpha,” I chide, pursing my lips.

Lenny hangs his head.
“Listen, I wanted to talk to you about Lili and possible
negotiations.”

“Okay, I'm
listening. First Lili.”

“She's absolutely
heartbroken about your friendship.” He looks down at his hands.

“Dude, seriously?
She was supposed to call me. I'm not angry with her. I'm a little
shocked that she doesn't seem to understand the bad position she's
in. I'm also worried that you are going to use her against me.”
I want to pace, but need to stay sharp and hold my ground.

“I'm not going to
let that happen.” He's emphatic.

“It's already
happening. The minute you sent her to talk to me on your behalf, you
brought her into this.” I blow out a breath. “You're
going to get her killed.”

“You can prevent
that.” He tilts his head in challenge.

“No, I really
can't.” A sardonic smile crosses my lips. “If I
surrender, she's spared for now, and then it's only a matter of time
before Pike finds some other reason to kill her. Or she's attacked by
a moon-touched wolf.”

The look on his face
tells me that he knows I'm right. He's not going to speak his mind
with Lex here. “I'm not going to let that happen.”

“Lenny, I'm still
open to a parley, but I'm not surrendering.” I grip the hilt on
my sais tighter, seeing Lex's jaw tense.

“We could take
you right now.” Lex narrows his eyes at me.

“You could try.”
I tilt my head downward with a sick anticipation, knowing
I'll enjoy killing him.

“That's not why
we're here.” Lenny puts his hand up, as if to hold Lex back.

“Maybe not you,
but I'm bringing her in.” Lex starts toward me. “You're
surrounded, and I don't have a hunter's sympathetic heart. If you're
dead, all that much the better.” He pauses and looks to Lenny.
“Then I'll be beta.”

I draw energy from them
and use my magic to call forth kudzu vines from the trees. They wrap
around their necks and tighten. Lex and Lenny tug and struggle,
tearing at the vines, but they don't relent. A pang of guilt niggles
at the back of my head at doing this to Lenny, but he brought it on
himself. I feel the other wolves closing in. “I'll snap both of
their heads clean off if you don't retreat.”

“You wouldn't do
that.” A voice I somewhat recognize comes from the darkness.

“Try me.”

“Retreat and I'll
let them go.” I'm no match for this many wolves, so this is the
only way I may get out of this alive.

Lenny is trying to
speak while gulping for air. I loosen the vines around his neck.
“Tell them to retreat.”

“Go!” he
rasps. They look at him and hesitate. “Do what she says.”

They all walk backward
except for Lenny and Lex. I look Lenny dead in the eye. “You
are not welcome on my territory. Don't come back.”

Lenny nods. Lex lets
out a growl. I shake my head. “It doesn't have to be like
this.”

The other wolves are
far enough away that I feel safe in releasing Lenny. He rubs his neck
and looks at Lex. “Are you going to let him go?”

“Maybe.” I
narrow my eyes at Lex, remembering his exchange with Cole, knowing
that he will kill me if given the chance.

“Claire,”
Lenny warns.

“No, you came
onto my land, threatening me. I'm going to fight back.” I shift
my gaze to Lenny. “And I'll win.”

“Think about
Lili,” he pleads.

“You should have
thought about that before you brought her into this. There's nothing
I can do; I can't sacrifice my entire race for one girl who wouldn't
listen.” I want to choke on the truth in those words.

“Where's your
heart?” Lenny pulls his lips to the side.

“In my chest,
where I intend to keep it.” I look back to Lex, “I'm
going to let you go, so be a good dog and scurry along.”

He growls again, and I
tighten the vine. He struggles against it, gasping. “Okay.”

I let him go and they
both shift into wolf form, running away. I remain ready, in fighting
stance, until I can no longer feel them nearby.