Moon Crossed (Werewolf Hunter Series): Season 1 (Episodes 1-6) (Crescent Hunter) (52 page)

“You’re
welcome.” He mock bows.

We stand quietly, both
of us waiting for the other to flinch. He definitely has me at a
disadvantage; I have one dagger. If he shifts, it will be a
challenge, considering his size and strength. He's waiting for me to
say something, anything. He knows how uncomfortable strained silence
makes me. One of the follies of letting someone get close to you,
giving them the chance to study you and get inside your head. He will
forever have the upper hand, unless I change.

The urge to say
something, anything, burns. He's enjoying watching it, seeing me
languish in this horrid silence. Don't speak, Claire. Just don't.

Gathering all of my
resolve, I challenge him by staring him directly in the eye. He feels
it. His body tenses. He's the one feeling uncomfortable now,
swallowing hard, his Adam's apple rising and falling. The sound of
his heartbeat is thrumming in my ears rapidly.
It's a game of chicken.

Searching my heart and
soul for what to do, what to say, it comes to me. Nothing at all.
That's what I am to him: nothing. Without breaking my gaze, I start
to back away until I'm at the opposite side of the clearing, pausing
only for a moment to look at all of him. His eyes are pleading and
full of fear. I bite my lower lip and turn to disappear into the
forest.

“Claire.”
The desperation in his tone breaks me.

With my back to him, I
stop.

“Do you know what
happens when a wolf denies his nature?” I remain silent with my
back to him. “He dies.” He lets the words hang heavily in
the air. “It's in my nature...I love you.” He whispers
it, and I feel it move through me on his breath.

My mouth goes dry, my
being flutters at hearing him say those words. More powerful to hear
than I ever thought possible. Wrestling with my emotions - fear,
anger, love - I don't know what to do. It's just a lie. He knows how
to work me; emotions are the vehicle on which his lies are allowed to
travel.

If I turn around, I'll
be surrendering. Can I? Should I? I remain quiet while I consider how
to respond.

He can't take the
silence; his heart
reaches out to me. “Claire, please
turn around.”

Hearing his voice
angers me after all of this time. He's making me think I might be
crazy. When was the last time I saw him? Was he in the bed with me?
No one but me saw him. Has it been a month? A week? I don't know.
Cole went dark on me again, after we shared something that I thought
was amazing and real that should have strengthened our friendship.
Not destroyed it. I want nothing more than to hold on to the hurt so
that it won't happen again.

“Please.”
The desperation in his voice reaches down deep into the darkest parts
of the hurt and softens me.

Slowly I turn around,
biting my cheek to keep from speaking. I look at him expectantly,
longingly, because in this moment, seeing him, I want nothing more
than for him to hold me. To take back everything that's happened.

“I'm sorry.”
He says it quietly, closing his eyes.

I have no response,
only my silence. Can he read the hurt in my eyes, the way I feel so
lost right now?

After a long beat of
silence, he looks toward the horizon. “Watch the sunrise with
me.”

My feet are still
unmoving; a million things to say run through my mind. I want to say
them all at once; I want him to feel them all. The pain, worry, fear,
love, desire, loneliness, but my words don't come. Only my gaze,
which is yielding. Cole sees the downing of my defenses and takes
advantage, moving slowly toward me. He presses his fingers into mine,
intertwining our hands.

“Did you hear
me?” he asks through pained eyes.

I nod.

“Will you?”
he asks.

Emotion floods in and
anger flares in me that I'm letting him touch me. The feeling that
he's just going to use me again, screw me again. A hardness takes
over. I pull my hands away from him, taking a step back.

He gives me a curious
look. My brows knit together, and I purse my lips. “Beg.”

“What?” he
answers in a lower register.

“You heard me,
beg.” I raise my brows, holding my head high with pride.

“Why?” His
tone is pleading and partly frightened.

I lean in close to him;
I can feel his breath on my skin. “Because I need you to
surrender the same way you're asking me to in forgiveness.”

Understanding washes
through him and he drops to his knees, takes my hands back in his,
and lowers his head in shame. “Please forgive me.”

My finger glides under
his chin, bringing his watery eyes to meet mine. I take a moment to
look into them to find the truth in his plea. I'll regret this later,
but I'm letting my heart do the thinking. A reluctant smile spreads
across my lips. “I forgive you.”

His chest heaves a
relieved breath. He stands, tangling his fingers in my hair and
pulling my lips to his. Fire spirals through my being. The closeness
and intimacy in this last desperate kiss makes my heart skip a beat.

Cole pulls back,
pressing his forehead to mine and his hand on my heart. “I felt
that.”

My cheeks flush. He
tightens his arms around me and breathes the words into my mouth.
“
Soul meets soul on lovers' lips
.”

“Percy Shelly.”
I close my eyes at the literary reference, and how perfect it feels
right now.

“Those words were
written for you and me. The only flaw is that we are one soul.”
He brands me with a sad smile.

I'm speechless; there's
nothing I can say. I just want to bask in his warmth, his scent, and
live in this moment, right now. He pushes my hair away from my neck
and inhales deeply, peppering my neck with hot kisses
while holding me as though he'll never
let me go. Sparks shoot through my veins, and all I can feel is him.

Turning my head to
capture his lips in mine, a sigh escapes. Our lips bond in a fiery
love. I can feel the surrender in him, the love. I want him to feel
mine. My fingers trace along his jawline to his ear; I stroke it
gently, then glide down his neck,
kissing and teasing him. Our hands
explore every part of our bodies, and urgency sweeps us both up in
the undertow of this moment. “Cole, we can't,” I whisper
hesitantly.

“I know,”
he breathes into my mouth, then continues kissing me. Lighting me
aflame. His hand traces the curve of my waist, sliding under my
shirt. I reach underneath his, and my nails dig into his skin, greedy
with desire.

I pull his shirt off
over his head, sliding my fingers lightly down his arms. His heart is
beating so hard and fast that I can see it through his rib cage. “We
can't,” he pants.

“Why?” I
plead.

“Because it's
wrong.” His vehemence is apparent.

“If this is so
wrong, then why did you work so hard to make it happen?” The
passion in my tone bleeds into anger.

“I don't know, I
just...” He stumbles over his words, his breath moving across
my neck. “When I'm with you, there's just something inside you
that pulls at the good inside me.”

“Not good
enough.” I pull away from him. I can't stand this proximity if
I'm going to resist him.

“You make me want
to have a future,” he pleads.

“What does that
mean?” I snap. “We don't have a future.”

“I will always be
here for you, be your friend. I can't fathom a world that doesn't
have you in it.” His voice softens, as though he's ashamed.

“Then why do you
keep leaving me?” I ask point blank.

“I've never left
you.” He closes the distance between us, wrapping one of his
hands around mine. “You own me.” He lays his hand flat
over my heart. “I only live, breathe, and thrive in here.”

His words send a wave
of heat that burns down my barrier. “I don't want to own you, I
just want to love you.” I raise up on my tiptoes and whisper in
his ear. “However you'll let me.”

“Claire,”
he growls into my ear. “Damn it.” He slides his hand
behind my neck, caressing while he looks into my eyes. A loving smile
spreads across his lips, pain falls from his eyes, and he slowly
draws closer, covering my mouth with his. I can taste the bourbon and
cigarettes on his lips, and it tastes like heaven. My fingers drag
down his back, trying to bring him closer, inviting him into me. I
take in a gulp of air. “I feel sorry for people that are
only
in love.”

He closes his eyes,
smiling and catching his breath. “Why's that?”

“What they have
pales in comparison to what I feel for you.” The admission
burns in my throat.

He huffs another
breath. “Be with me.”

“I already am.”
I run my lips lightly down his neck as he picks me up, lowering me to
the ground.

I look up at him with
wide eyes, just wanting every part of him to join his soul inside my
own. We belong together; this is good and right. This is what the
elder shamans intended. I know it.

Cole and I lay among
the wildflowers in the clearing. The sky has taken on the morning
twilight, dancing with muted lilacs and pinks that announce the
oncoming sun. Cole plucks a wild indigo and runs it along my bare
stomach. My skin twitches and jumps at the feel of it.

“It matches your
eyes,” I say dreamily.

He flutters his lashes
and smiles. “You don't say.”

“I do.” A
laugh escapes me in the euphoria of it just being us. “You can
eat that, you know.”

“Yes, I know.”
He leans down and nips at my stomach.

I giggle and push his
head away. “The flower, silly.”

“Oh.” His
eyes flash with mischief. “I'd rather eat you.”

I lean up and run my
fingers through his hair, pressing my lips to his. This is absolute
perfection. The reflection of the sky flashes in his eyes as it turns
to a deeper fire red. “It's coming.”

We both turn toward the
horizon. Cole wraps his shirt around my shoulders at seeing me
shiver, then pulls me to him.

“What now?”
I ask quietly, fearing the answer.

“Let's run away,”
he answers quickly, as though it's been sitting on the tip of his
tongue.

“Really?” I
can't hide my shock.

“Yes.” He
turns, looking down at me.

“Just run away?
Just leave everyone we love? Everyone that needs us?” My heart
breaks at the thought of leaving Locke, Trevor, Aunt Rain, and the
boys.

“Yes,” he
answers vehemently. “They're what is holding us back from being
together.”

His point is half
valid. “That's not what's keeping us apart.”

“It is,” he
insists. “Trevor is my best friend, and it would devastate him
for us to be together. Locke and your aunt would never approve. Not
to mention my father.”

His words cause me to
stop and think. I don't know anything mundane about him. I don't know
his family, if he has brothers or sisters. Nothing. “Your
father would disapprove?”

Cole's breath catches
in his throat. He looks down at me with astonishment. “He
does.”

“I didn't
realize.” I look straight toward the horizon.

Cole shifts
uncomfortably and stands. “I have to go.”

“What?” I'm
totally confused. What the hell did I say?

“I have to go. I
have to take care of some things.” He looks away, sliding on
his jeans.

“The sun hasn't
even risen all the way. Please stay with me.” I can already
feel his absence, and the loneliness cinches my stomach.

He doesn't answer, but
only starts to walk away.

“Cole, please
don't go. Just a few more minutes. Please.” I'm begging and
pleading for him not to leave me again. I just need a little more
time.

He stops for a split
second, but still doesn't look at me; he only shakes his head.

“Cole, how can
you walk away from me like I'm nothing?” Tears threaten at the
corner of my eyes and words ride out on the sobs crashing against my
chest.

He shifts to wolf form,
ripping through his jeans, and bolts as fast as he can. I get into my
pants and hold his shirt closed around me and start after him. His
magic in me fades quickly; he's far enough away that I could never
catch up. I stop where his torn pants remain on the ground. Something
metallic catches my eye. His lighter.

I pick it up and hold
it tightly in my hands, like it's some sort of glass slipper. In
reality, it's just an oversight he'll regret having left behind
later. He won't regret leaving me behind. At the end of it all, I
have to come to terms with the fact that I was nothing but a
challenge to him.

I go back to the
clearing, hanging my head between my knees, unable to watch the sun
complete its journey beyond the horizon. He's left me again, and this
time it feels final.