MoonlightDrifter (10 page)

Cain set everything down in the
kitchen and pulled out some paper plates. He filled Allie’s first and snagged a
cold bottle of water for her. Heading into the bedroom, his heart turned over
at the sight of her lying in the bed. Her hair was a tousled mess because she
hadn’t brushed it that morning, but the covers were smooth, letting him know
she’d been as still as possible. He’d heard her praying last night that the
baby would be okay and that she would be able to get out of bed again. Her
prayer had partially gone unanswered.

Cain had done a little research
on fetal distress and knew that if the baby didn’t get the proper amounts of oxygen,
it could cause brain damage. He hadn’t shared that with Allie, not wanting to
make her worry even more. She’d done everything the doctor told her to do, in
hopes that their baby would be okay. She might not have asked to get pregnant
so early, but he could tell she was going to be a wonderful mother. Because of
the rate of the baby’s development, her glucose test had been scheduled for the
next morning. Cain wasn’t sure entirely what all they did, other than check for
diabetes, but the doctor had mentioned something about a test for
Down ’s
syndrome. He hated to think their baby could have
it, but if he, or she, did it wouldn’t make Cain love them any less. And he
knew Allie felt the same way.

“Are you hungry?” he asked as he
stepped into the room.

Her eyes lit up when she saw him.
“I’m starving.”

“Didn’t anyone give you a snack
while I was gone?” he asked, frowning.

“I had two, but the last one was
over two hours ago.”

He smiled. “Well, we can’t have
you and the baby hungry, now can we?”

Allie took the plate from him,
pushing herself up against the pillows. Despite her hunger, she ate slowly,
savoring each bite. Cain sat on the edge of the bed and rubbed her belly. She
already had a baby bump and she was only five weeks along. It amazed him how
fast their child was growing. The doctor had told them they could probably tell
the sex of the baby during the ultrasound, but the little one hadn’t
cooperated. The baby had faced away from them the whole time so they hadn’t
even been able to see its face.

Cain leaned down and kissed her
stomach, murmuring a few words to the baby. He always took time to talk to his
child, hoping the baby could hear him and would recognize his voice. He felt a
kick against his cheek and smiled. According to the doctor, the baby looked
more like a four month old than a one month old fetus. He was astounded, but no
more so than Cain and Allie.
 
Cain had
called his parents to tell them what was going on. His mother had some
surprising information for him. It seemed that he, too, had developed at a fast
rate. He’d been born when his mother was just four months along, and had been a
full-term baby. No one had been able to explain it. For Allie’s sake, Cain
hoped this pregnancy moved just as swiftly, so she could have some relief. They
would both feel better after they got to hold their child in their arms.

“How was work?” she asked between
bites.

“Same as usual. They wanted to
move me to the midnight shift, but I told them what was going on with your
pregnancy and said I really needed to be home at night. They understood and
kept me on second shift. I thought it would be easier for people to check on
you between two and ten, than ten and six.”

“That was nice of them,
especially since they’ve never met me.”

“We’ll fix that just as soon as we
can. Is there anything else I can get you before I shower and change?”

She shook her head.

Cain set her plate aside for a
moment. He cradled her face between his palms and kissed her gently. He was
always so afraid she’d break. No sex for a month had been hell on him, but he’d
endured, knowing it was for the good of his wife and child. Truthfully, even if
she was cleared from bed rest, he’d still be too scared to touch her
intimately. He didn’t want any harm to come to either of them.

“I love you,” he told her.

She smiled. “I love you, too. By
the way, your mother called me. She said that she’s loading up the car in the
morning and driving here. I explained we didn’t have a spare bedroom, but
apparently Connor has offered her the use of his home during her stay. She said
she wants to be here to help.”

“Sounds like Mom. She’ll probably
drive you crazy. Me, too for that matter.”

Allie laughed. She did that so
little these days that the sound warmed his heart. Maybe his mother coming
would be a good thing. It would give Allie someone who could stay with her the entire
time he was gone. He knew his mother would wait on her hand and foot and make
sure she got the rest she needed.

He rubbed her belly again. “I
meant what I told you before. We’ll get through this, Allie. You and the baby
are going to be fine and, before long, we’ll be one big happy family. After the
baby gets here, we’ll move into our new house and, if you decide to work, I’ll
help you find a job.”

Her eyebrows lifted. “I thought
you didn’t want your mate to work.”

“The truth?”

She nodded.

“I’d feel better if you were home
with the baby. I wouldn’t be worried about the childcare worker being vigilant
enough. And I wouldn’t worry about you overdoing it. Working and raising a baby
is going to be hard work, Allie. But I know being a stay-at-home mom isn’t
really your thing.”

She bit her lip. “I’ve done a lot
of thinking, lying here in this bed. I’ve spent the past four weeks terrified
that something would happen to our baby, and it made me realize something. If I
went back to work, a job where I couldn’t take the baby with me, I’d be worried
sick the whole time I was gone. I wouldn’t get any work done because I’d think
non-stop about the baby.”

“What are you saying, Allie?”

“I’m saying that I want to give
the whole stay-at-home mom thing a try. Cassie and Harper seem to enjoy it.
Maybe… maybe it’s time to embrace the changes in my life and start a new
chapter.”

He kissed her again. “I think
that’s a very smart decision. And if you decide later that you want to work, I
won’t stand in your way. Just be prepared for me to snap and snarl and threaten
anyone who watches our child with life in prison if she so much as gets a hang
nail.”

Allie laughed. “And if it’s a
boy?”

“Same thing goes.”

She cupped his cheek. “You’re
going to be a wonderful father, Cain. I look forward to the day we can hold our
baby.”

“Me, too.”

As Cain gazed into her eyes, he
realized that even if the baby didn’t make it, he had everything he needed
right there in his arms. The baby would just be an added bonus. Of course, that
wasn’t saying he wouldn’t do everything in his power to make sure his child
survived and thrived, because he would. But knowing that Allie was all he
needed, that she was his world, was enough to get him through the upcoming
months.

If you’ve read Moonlight Angel, you’ve already had a
taste of Moonlight Keeper, the next Ashton Grove novel. As a thank you for
purchasing Moonlight Drifter, I’m going to give you another taste of Moonlight
Keeper. Enjoy!

Aria’s body ached, her latest beating having left fresh welts and
bruises. She felt like one big walking sore, but no matter what they dished
out, no matter how severe her punishment, she refused to bend to her uncle’s
wishes. It would be a long, cold day in Hell before she’d bow and scrape before
the likes of Boudreaux LeBlanc, her uncle’s best friend. The man was insane,
not to mention the meanest son of a bitch she’d ever met. He’d never had a kind
word for anyone in his life, and now her luck had run out because he’d decided
he wanted her for his mate. Even worse, her uncle was in complete agreement.
Sadistic bastard.

Boudreaux wasn’t the first man her uncle had tried to pair her with.
There had been three others over the past two years, and Aria knew what would
happen when she refused to back down. The pain and horror of what happened
those other times lived on in her mind. While it may not have scarred her
physically, emotionally… well, let’s just say she wasn’t going to trust men
very easily ever again. And if she were never intimate with one again, it would
be too soon.

She pushed the curtain aside and peered through the window. It had been
quite a while since she’d been free to roam the pack grounds. Uncle Remus had
deemed her unfit company, until she gave her word that she would mate with the
loco Boudreaux. Since that was never going to happen, she’d been locked in her
room for the past week. She was lucky her small closet had been turned into a
tiny bathroom when she’d turned sixteen, otherwise she wouldn’t even had a
toilet to use or a sink so she could wash up. Her hair was filthy, the long
strands greasy and repellent. She’d plaited it, doing the best she could with
what little she was given.

Uncle Remus was afraid if he let her out of her room, she’d find a way
out of the small cabin, and once that happened, he knew she’d hit the road.
Well, swamp. It was a long way to the nearest town. What he didn’t realize was
that the boards in the corner of her room were loose, enough so that she’d been
able to dig a little each night. It wasn’t a big whole, but it was big enough
for her animal to fit through. All she had to do was shift, dig the rest of the
way out, and she would be free! Naked, but free. But hey, everything came with
a price. At this point, anything was better than prostituting herself to an
abusive asshole for the rest of her life. However long that might be. Boudreaux
had already had one mate. She’d died less than a year after their mating
ceremony.

She winced as she moved, her muscles pulling and contracting painfully.
Aria had heard murmurs in the hall earlier, when no one thought she was
listening, or maybe they just didn’t care if she knew her fate. Her uncle was
desperate and had determined the best way to control her would be to drug her.
He’d ordered Ruth Ann, the pack cook, to dose her food with sedatives, like
valerian root. She was certain there would other things in there, things meant
to keep her calm and docile. She had little doubt they would continue to dose
her food until it took effect, and since she didn’t plan to eat it, that could
be a while. Well, either that, or she’d starve to death.

No, she needed to escape and she needed to escape right now.

A glance out the window showed the sun was setting, which mean the guards
outside the cabin would be changing shifts. If she was going to run away, it
was now or never. Aria slipped out of her clothes, shifted into her animal, and
dug her way out of the room. Once she popped out on the other side, nose
twitching, she froze and scanned the area, looking for signs of trouble. It
looked like no one was paying attention to her. Fast as she could, she made a
dash for it, leaving the pack behind her.

Aria didn’t stop until she reached a small settlement not far from the
highway. She shifted back, grabbed some clothes off a line in someone’s
backyard, and made her way to the road. She’d have to be careful, if her pack
had realized she was missing, they would be searching for her. Watching from
the tree line, she waited until she saw a car with out of state plates on the
front. Texans were friendly, right?

Stepping up to the edge of the highway, she held out her thumb, hoping
they would stop and give her a lift. Hitchhiking was dangerous, but it had to
be safer than staying with her family. Anything had to be safer than that.

The car slowed and pulled over. The man behind the wheel appeared to be
in his sixties and gave her a kindly smile. Aria pulled open the door and slid
into the passenger’s seat.

“Thank you for stopping,” she said.

“Young thing like you shouldn’t be hitchhiking.” He noticed the bruises
on her arms and frowned. “Are you in some sort of trouble?”

“My family can’t find me,” she confided. “I need to get as far from here
as possible, as fast as possible.”

He nodded and put the car in gear. “Buckle up. I’m on my way to
Chattanooga. You just tell me when you want to be let out.”

“Is Ashton Grove, Georgia on the way? I think it’s in the mountains.”

He smiled at her. “Well, if it isn’t, I’ll get you as close as I can. You
just sit back and rest. We’ll have you somewhere safe soon.”

“Thank you.” Aria let her eyes drift closed, finally able to relax for
the first time in a while. Not much longer and she’d be safe with Amber, the
shifter she’d been talking to in Ashton Grove.
 

If you enjoy werewolves, how do you feel about sexy, sensitive vampires?
Here’s a sneak peek from Eternally Ever After, available now on Amazon from
Coastal Escape Publishing.

“You’re awake, I see.”

She swallowed and stared at him in wonder, having never seen
a man quite so beautiful. His black hair, layered to frame his face, fell to
his shoulders. Eyes so blue they seemed ethereal watched her with concern. His
nose was long and straight and led to full, kissable lips, ones she suddenly
wanted to nibble. She felt as if a magnet were pulling her toward him as her
body swayed in his direction.

Stubble along his square jaw gave him a bad boy look that
she found to be oddly appealing. She wanted to run her fingers along that jaw
and feel the rasp of his whiskers against her skin. She felt hypnotized,
enthralled.

“Not talking?” he asked.

Her gaze returned to his. A mistake, for sure, as his stare
robbed her of the ability to speak. For that matter, the man robbed her of all
senses except the ones urging her to run her hands over his biceps and see if
his mouth tasted as yummy as it looked. Her body flushed hot, her blood boiling
in her veins, as desire blazed through her. Clenching her thighs together, she
tried to stave off the needy ache growing within her.

Salena quickly looked away. She’d never reacted to men this
way and wasn’t sure she liked feeling this powerless now. In another moment,
she would have been rubbing against him like a cat in heat. She didn’t know
what the hell was wrong with her, but she needed to figure it out and shut it
off. The man was here inquiring about her health and she wanted to strip him
naked and ride him like a cowgirl.

I’m often asked if I listen to
music while I write, and the answer is YES! I like to loop single songs or
entire CDs while I work. These are some of the songs I listened to while
working on Moonlight Drifter (you’ll see I have rather eclectic taste):

Kokomo by
The
Beach Boys

Surf City (CD) by Jan and Dean

Timber by Pitbull and Kesha

Turn Down for What by DJ Snake
and Lil Jon

Whistle by Flo Rida

Love the Way You
Lie
by Eminem

The Monster by Eminem

Red Red Wine by UB40

Let me
Go
by Avril Lavigne and Chad Kroeger

Jar of Hearts by Christina Perri

Redneck Crazy by Tyler Farr

Tippin’ Point by Dallas Smith