September Moon (7 page)

“No, of course not,” I said, incredulous. He was not listening. “This is not a threat. It’s an invitation. If you tell me to fuck off then that’s what I’ll do. I’m giving you an opportunity to form an alliance with one of the most powerful people in this city. Me. If you don’t want to, it’s not my loss.”

Hanna and Dayne exchanged a look. With a hand on his arm, she stared at him, communicating without words.

“Isn’t this why we have such a strong pack?” She asked him. “So when trouble comes, we’re ready. This demon may not be our problem yet, but he wants to be. And I’d say that’s trouble.”

Dayne’s silence was heavy and uncomfortable. He stared at his wife for a long time before turning back to us. “If you don’t mind, I’d like to speak to Hanna alone about this. Just give us a few minutes.”

The Alpha pair excused themselves, disappearing through a door marked: Staff Only.

Shaz finished his beer and stretched. “That didn’t go so bad. I think they believe us.”

“I’m starting to think this is more trouble than it’s worth.”

I used the time to try calling Jez again. Still no answer. This was unlike her. The uneasy feeling I’d been plagued with all night began to grow.

“I’m going to find the restroom,” Shaz announced. “I won’t be long.”

He stood up and turned away right in time to collide with another wolf. The collision caused the other guy to spill his drink, most of which soaked his shirt and dripped down his pants.

“Oh, man, I’m so sorry,” Shaz said, grabbing frantically for the napkin dispenser on the next table over. “Please, let me buy you another drink.”

The wolf exploded without warning. He smashed his glass on the floor at Shaz’s feet before slapping the napkins out of his hand.

“You fucking clumsy idiot,” the wolf growled, his eyes flashing with the beast within. “You ruined my goddamn shirt. Do you know how much this cost me?”

“Look, I’m sorry. I’ll pay for it. But it was an accident.” Shaz spoke calmly though a muscle twitched in his jaw. “Let’s just take it easy here.”

The angry wolf’s nostrils flared as he took in our scent. His gaze dropped to Shaz’s neck, seeking a tattoo that would mark him as a brother but finding none.

“How did you get in here?” He snarled. “You’re not pack. You’re trespassing on our territory. Guess what we do to trespassers here.”

“We came to see Dayne and Hanna,” I butted in when I probably shouldn’t have. But the two male wolves were staring at one another with a vicious need for violence. I had to do something. “They know we’re here.”

The feisty wolf looked me over, his wolf eyes lingering a little too long for comfort. He was a big guy, built like a football player and clearly eager to fight.

“Well, aren’t you a sweet little thing,” he drawled, ogling me like I was a piece of candy he wanted to taste. His gaze returned to Shaz, and he said snidely, “Let me take your girl home tonight, and we’ll forget it ever happened.”

Shaz’s calm, even tempered approach shattered with those words. He threw a punch I never saw coming. It seemed to surprise the aggressive wolf as well. Shaz’s fist connected with his jaw in a smack loud enough to be heard over the music. But Shaz didn’t stop there. He followed it up with another.

I was knocked aside in the flurry of fists. Snarls and growls drew the attention of everyone in the vicinity. We all looked on in interest as the fight went on. I stood there unable to believe what I was seeing. Getting involved wasn’t an option. The two males were fiercely going at it, throwing and taking punches that would have killed a human man. Jumping into that would mean taking a hit. Using power was also out of the question. I’d come here to proclaim I was still wolf. I intended to stick to that plan.

Nobody made an attempt to jump in or separate them. In fact, only a few people continued to watch after first glance. This kind of thing must happen a lot at Doghead.

The scent of blood only caused the fight to escalate. The two men crashed into a table, knocking it over, sending glassware and other items scattering across the floor. I shouted at Shaz to stop, but my command went unheeded.

Power rose up like a breath of wind inside me. I squelched the urge to use it. The scent of heady Were blood was tempting. Thankfully I’d recently fed that ugly hunger.

Shaz managed to get his hands around the other guy’s throat. He slammed the guy into our table, squeezing until his face turned purple.

“Shaz, stop this shit right now,” I shouted.

Grabbing a hold of his forearm, I tugged hard, but he wouldn’t be budged. Instead, he flung me off like I was little more than an annoying insect. With one hand, he gave me a shove, barely looking at me as I flew backwards. I landed hard in the mess of broken glass and table debris.

Glass shards sliced into my palms as I pushed to my feet. Shock and fear threatened to undo my composure. I could feel sad about Shaz’s reaction later. Now, I had to stop him from killing a Doghead pack member.

Dayne arrived on the scene with an angry shout that had people moving as far away from us as possible. I had to act fast, before he got his hands on Shaz.

Knowing I might regret it later, I grabbed Shaz’s arm again, this time letting the force brewing inside me flow. I didn’t take it easy on him. With a slam of power, I forced him away from the other wolf and into the closest chair that was still standing.

“You’re lucky I respect you so much, or I’d have you on your knees,” I hissed between my four fangs. I maintained my hold despite the pained sounds it forced from him.

Turning to Dayne with apologies already spilling out, I found him unleashing fists on the wolf Shaz had nearly killed. The wolf dropped to the floor, submitting entirely to his Alpha.

Most of those watching did their best to pretend they weren’t. A few wore obvious expressions of glee at seeing the troublemaker cowed before their leader. After a few more angry words from Dayne, the wolf slunk off to lick his wounds somewhere in private.

“It seems our boys can’t play too well together,” Dayne said. His eyes were pure wolf, and his fangs gave his already hard face an additional sense of menace. “I apologize. I don’t doubt that my wolf started that brawl.”

“I’m sorry too.” I winced as I plucked a piece of glass from my palm. “I never intended for anything like that to happen.”

“I believe you.” Dayne regarded me thoughtfully. His wolf seemed to scrutinize me, searching for signs of weakness. “You should probably leave.”

He was kicking us out? Son of a bitch.

“And our alliance?” I asked, refusing to go without an answer.

“We don’t have one. I’m not convinced that’s in our best interest right now.” Dayne tilted his head to the side, watching me expectantly like the curious animal he was.

I searched the bar for Hanna. She had been my best chance of having Dayne take me seriously. But she was nowhere to be seen. I had no choice but to take her absence as her answer.

I wanted to argue, to beg him to take me seriously. Instead, I spun on my heel and headed for the door, fully expecting Shaz to follow. He did. So did Dayne who came to the door to ensure we left.

A rage unlike any I’d known in some time threatened my control. The wolf was pushing against my insides, seeking release. Being around so many wolves had really stirred up my beast. I wanted nothing more than to be furry on four legs, chasing Shaz through the night.

Ignoring Shaz when he called my name, I stalked across the parking lot, seething. He caught up to me, grabbing my arm and spinning me around to face him.

“Get off me.” I jerked my arm away and took a few steps back.

“Lex, I’m sorry. I don’t know what happened. I just lost it.” Shaz ran a hand through his platinum hair a few times before reaching for me again.

I stepped away to avoid him and threw up a hand to ward him off. “Don’t. Just fucking don’t. I don’t know what’s gotten into you recently, but I don’t like it. You blew it in there, Shaz.”

His gorgeous green eyes were all wolf. The wolf didn’t give a damn about the fight, but I could see Shaz struggling to show remorse. It would have worked if he’d been feeling it. He wasn’t sorry.

“I know. There’s nothing I can say. I get that. But I am sorry.”

Too furious to speak, I got in the car with a loud slam of the door. My fingers shook with rage as I tried to slip the key into the ignition. Blood made my fingers slippery, and I had to fish some fast food napkins out of the glove box to wipe my hands.

Shaz got into the car looking both mad and guilty, a difficult feat I was sure. “Are you ok? I’m sorry I pushed you.”

“Fine,” I said, short and clipped. “It’s already healing.”

We sat there in silence while I struggled to take deep, calming breaths. It was too late for regrets, though I wished I’d come alone.

“I’ll fix this. We can come back, talk to Dayne after this blows over. It will work out.” Shaz didn’t sound convinced.

I wanted to slap him. Somehow I kept my hands to myself. “What you did in there, that’s something Arys would do. You used to be the calm, cool one. Remember? What happened to that?”

Shaz shrugged and slumped in his seat. “I don’t know, Lex. People change. I changed.”

“I feel like I don’t know you anymore.” The words just slipped out, a breathy whisper that might as well have been a scream. He turned sharply to look at me, but I kept staring straight ahead at the Doghead sign. Once my hands steadied, I put the car in gear.

“Welcome to my world,” he muttered, turning away to stare out the window.

When I hit the brakes at the edge of the lot, I slid a glance his way. A sinking sensation settled in my gut. I’d done such a good job of convincing myself that Shaz and I were back on track. The truth was, I wasn’t sure we ever could be.

As much as I wanted to believe we were all good, I knew that things had changed too much. They were still changing. Our private encounters were comprised of my need to feed and the desperate act of two people going through the motions, seeking but never finding the intimacy we’d once had. Maybe I was so desperate to hold onto the past that I was unwilling to accept that we had no future.

Shaz looked at me with a raised brow. Feeling like my thoughts must be written all over my face, I averted my gaze and eased the car into traffic.

* * * *

When we pulled into The Wicked Kiss parking lot, I tried to beat back the nervousness that gripped me. It had been some time since Shaz had been there. The first thing I noted was that Kale’s old Camaro was absent. That was a relief. It was early though, barely midnight. Despite the early hour, Willow sat at his usual place at the bar. More relief.

“Damn am I glad to see you,” I said, clapping him on the back before sliding onto the stool next to him.

Willow nodded and raised a tequila shot in greeting to Shaz who sat on his other side. Then he peered at me with a serious stare, reading me in a way that I still wasn’t used to. Perception was one of Willow’s talents. He could see right through the projected walls I tried to hide behind.

“Bad night already?” he inquired. “Do tell.”

“Our visit to Doghead didn’t go so well. Unfortunately. Anyway, I need to talk to you.” I wished I could be alone with him so I could vent about Shaz. “Shya was in my bedroom. He took my hair and my blood. I can’t put this off anymore. I need to know more about this scroll he’s looking for.”

“I’ll tell you anything I know. As long as you’re sure that you’re ready to hear it.” Willow’s smile was warm and friendly. He had a way of making me feel like I could tell him anything. And I had. Many times.

I gazed into his gold-flecked green eyes and saw the answers I sought within them. Everything had gone down so fast since I learned that Shya needed me as a sacrifice. Soon after, I’d taken off to Vegas. I hadn’t been able to bring myself to question Willow because deep inside I knew there was more to his sudden appearance in my life than he let on.

“You know, don’t you?” I asked. “What Shya wants, why he needs me. You know all of it.”

Willow smiled and his shoulders sagged as if a weight was lifted from him. “You’d better have a drink, Alexa. There are some things I need to tell you.”

Raising his hand to get the bartender’s attention, Willow had extra shooter glasses and a fresh bottle of tequila perched in front of us in no time. I wrinkled my nose at the shot he put in front of me.

After sliding one to Shaz, Willow raised his shot and said, “To the creatures of light who walk in dark places.”

At his insistent look, I raised my glass. There was no bracing for what was coming. Liquor was my only human vice, for now. But tequila, that was an ass kicker of a drink that would put me on my face if I wasn’t careful. I clinked my glass against each of theirs before downing the contents in one swift gulp. I slammed the shot glass down and reached for a slice of lime. “Oh God, that burns.”

Willow watched with amusement glittering in his eyes as I coughed. “Ready? Or do you want another?”

“As ready as I’m gonna get.” I motioned for him to start talking. “But pour me another one. Just in case I can’t handle whatever it is you’re going to tell me.”

The tequila burned in my stomach, but I gripped the shooter as if it was a security blanket. Willow tossed back another shot. Then he took my free hand in his.

“Before I fell, I was sent to look for the scroll. The same scroll that Shya’s seeking. I was also instructed to protect the Hound of God he was after. You.” Willow paused, letting that sink in. “I grew to care very much for you. Unfortunately, I failed you when I fell.” Willow stopped. He seemed to be searching for the right words. He opened his mouth to continue then shook his head and reached for the tequila bottle.

I looked down at our joined hands. The way I felt with Willow, safe and loved, it made sense now. “I think part of me knew that you were here for me,” I said. “I felt it.”

“I fell in love with Christina. It was wrong but it happened, and I have no excuses. Shya found me with her. After I fell, he wanted me to join him. When I refused, he threatened to kill you both. He made me decide between the two of you.” Willow’s voice grew husky. He stared at the liquor bottle, remembering. “So I did what I had to. I chose the one who was born to stop him. I chose you.”