Ties to the Blood Moon 2nd Edition (21 page)

He swung me around a few times, squeezing his arms even more tightly around my waist. “Genevieve … thank God you’re all right,” he whispered softly in my ear. “I don’t know what I would have done if something happened to you.”

We held each other a few more moments before he loosened his hold, letting me slide down the front of him to my feet. He still had his hands around my waist as we gazed into each other’s eyes.

My skin flushed warm, and I grinned. “It’s a long story,” I answered, then as I thought about something, my grin slowly faded. “How did you find me?” I asked, gazing into his eyes, still unwilling to let go of him.

Before he could answer, some loose rocks slid down the mountain. William’s gaze flew upward.

I sensed his uneasiness, then I suddenly remembered Zane was unconscious only feet from where we stood.

“We have to go!” His voice sounded urgent. He grabbed my hand and we ran. I felt like a clumsy puppy, tripping and stumbling while we ran. William just held on to my hand and pulled me along, keeping me from falling. We didn’t slow down until we were away from Devil’s Pass.

“Wait! I have to find Luna and the boys,” I shouted, yanking back on his hand. “I need to make sure they’re okay.” I didn’t know what William’s plan of escape was, but I couldn’t leave without at least knowing they were all right.

“Where are they?” he asked earnestly.

“They were still fighting the Lycans at the Ice Cave.” It promptly hit me that so much had happened since I’d last seen William. I couldn’t help but wonder what he would say when he found out I was a werewolf, and not just any werewolf either. I was the Adlet Princess.

I needed to tell him before he found out on his own, so I could explain that none of it would ever change my feelings for him.

“I went to that cave looking for you, but the only thing I saw was a lot of blood and dead coyotes.”

I thought about what Zane had said, and hoped he was wrong. “Maybe they’re back at our camp … follow me.” I held out my hand and he took it, giving it a gentle squeeze.

William and I ran until we were inside the tree line not far from the camp. He pulled on my arm so I would stop. I opened my mouth to speak, and he gently place his finger to my lips.

“Shh. I hear something,” he whispered, then turned his ear to the side like he was trying hard to listen.

I did the same thing and then I heard Luna’s voice. She was crying. My heart sank as I thought about something bad happening to one of her brothers.
Oh my God … Joseph!

Chapter 33

I bolted toward the camp. I hoped William was behind, but wasn’t about to stop to find out. I had to see why Luna was crying. I couldn’t even think about any of the brothers being hurt, especially not Joseph. I didn’t actually realize just how fond of him I had grown until the threat of him being hurt or killed entered into the equation. The closer I got the more my heartbeat quickened and the unbearable ache inside my chest grew.

I rushed toward an opening in the trees where I saw a small fire burning through the branches. Luna’s sobs echoed inside my head. When I broke from the trees I stopped dead in my tracks.

“Genevieve,” Luna shouted when she turned and saw me, a huge smile immediately covered her face. She jumped to her feet and ran to greet me. The force of her weight almost knocked me to the ground.

I silently counted heads. All three of her brothers were there, and I quickly realized Luna had been crying for me. Joshua and James were even smiling when I looked at them. There was something more in Joseph’s expression than just a smile, like, relief mixed with a sadness, maybe.

“How did you get away from Zane?” she asked, squealing and squeezing me way too tightly. Suddenly, she went stiff and the brothers’ smiles disappeared.

“Sure he did,” Joseph said, glaring at him. He stepped extremely close to William, and eyed him up harshly. William didn’t cower one bit even though he knew he was outnumbered. Instead, he leaned in close to Joseph and appeared to say something to him, but I couldn’t hear what.

Joshua spoke up and broke their testosterone-filled stare down. “So, tell us, William, how did you find Gen? I mean … who told you where we were?” Joshua shot William a dubious glance.

“Genevieve’s aunt told me where you guys were headed,” William answered dryly. Once I got down here, I tracked you guys to the cave, but when I got there, you were already gone. I was headed back down the mountain when I overheard voices, and that’s how I found her.”

William was still staring at me oddly with a hint of that crooked grin of his as he walked up next to me and put his arm around the small of my back. I figured he was still trying to get used to my new look. My heart rate instantly climbed, and I felt tingly on the inside. I couldn’t explain it, but every time I was around him I got the excited feeling of a first kiss or a first date. Joseph glanced at me with a heartbroken expression, his big eyes seemed so sad, and then he turned his attention to his brothers, and mumbled something as he disappeared behind the rocks.

Not wanting William to see the guilt I felt over Joseph. I lowered my eyes and slid my hands into my front pockets. I suddenly felt the necklace. With all the commotion, I had temporarily forgotten what Zane had said. I quickly pulled it out and held it by the chain. “We have to get back to Alaska,” I spoke with an urgency in my voice.

William stood next to me and ran his finger down the chain, stopping the locket from spinning. “Where did you get this?”

“Um, I got it from Zane, but it belongs to my mom,” I replied all panicky, and briefly turned to face William. “My mom wasn’t killed in a fire. Zane took her.”

“What are you talking about?” William peered into my eyes and seemed genuinely shocked at what I’d told him.

“I can’t explain it, but I can see things sometimes. Zane is holding my mom somewhere.” I glanced around at everybody. They were all looking at me like I had lost my mind. “Look, damn it! My. Mom. Is. Alive. When Zane handed me her locket I had a vision … or something. Anyway, I saw her in this, like, dungeon place. And she was calling out to me. I need to get home and tell my aunt.”

“I believe you,” Luna said, with that happy-faced grin she always seemed to be able to put on in a moment’s notice.

“No, you don’t, Luna. None of you do.” I trailed off, dropping my shoulders.

William hugged me tightly, and I curled into his chest, accepting the comfort. “I came to take you home,” he said softly. “I came to take all you guys home.” He glanced at Luna, and the two brothers. “I’ve got an SUV not far from here, and my dad’s company plane is waiting at an air strip just south of town.”

I know my face must have glowed with happiness because William smiled and gave me a gentle squeeze.

***

The ride to the airstrip was tense at best. The sun hadn’t yet started to rise so my energy level was still up. It was like I’d drank a bunch of energy shots or something.

Joseph hadn’t spoken a word since he saw William. He sat behind me in the SUV, but I didn’t have to look at him to feel his eyes burning through my back. William tried to hold my hand, but I acted like I wasn’t paying attention.

When we arrived at the airstrip, the place seemed abandoned with the exception of one guy in a pair of coveralls and, of course, a really sleek looking jet.

“This is your dad’s ‘little’ plane you mentioned?” I threw up air quotes for little.

William just nodded and grinned slightly. “I never said little anything. This is how we Novaks roll.” He spread his arms wide, referring to the jet.

“Can we all just get on the damn thing,” Joshua said eyeing William ominously. “It’s not safe for Gen to be here,” he spat his words at William.

One by one we entered the jet. When I stepped inside it took a moment for my eyes to adjust to the dim lighting. William turned to the left and went inside the cockpit.

I just stood inside the front of the plane taking it all in. “I think I could get used to this,” I mumbled under my breath. There were sixteen seats, eight on each side, facing each other in sets of two. All the way in the back was a couch, a bar and a couple of tables.

I waited for Joseph to sit somewhere before I took a seat. I was afraid he might sit by me and cause a fight with William.

Before William came out of the cockpit, the intercom made that familiar doorbell noise, and I cringed as soon as I heard William’s voice. I was so afraid he was going to spout off to Luna’s brothers.

“Ladies and gentleman, welcome aboard Novak Air Alaska. I’ve picked some mood music for the trip. Please enjoy your flight and, oh yeah … don’t forget to thank your host for this totally awesome ride home.”

He must have timed it because the exact same time the cockpit door swung open, T.I.’s “Whatever You Like” started blaring through the speakers. He pimped down the aisle, then dropped into the seat next to mine, sprawling his long legs in the aisle, and leaning his body toward me.

I didn’t need to look in the mirror to know I was blushing. A felt the burning go from my face down through my body. I sank deeper into my chair and turned my face away from everyone ... including William. I couldn’t understand why he was acting like a complete ass. He had won. I was with him, but it just didn’t seem good enough.

Luna and Joseph moved from their seats closer to Joshua and James, and talked quietly among themselves. William glowered at Joseph every time he looked toward us.

As morning started to break, my energy dissipated. I was physically and emotionally drained. Hot tears stung my eyes when I pulled out my mom’s necklace and studied it for a moment. I closed my eyes, twirling the chain between my fingers, thinking about everything that had happened. Something didn’t fit. A journey that was supposed to have been so extremely dangerous, went pretty easily, with the exception of a few dozen coyotes and Lycans.

When I woke, everybody else was asleep except for William. His seat was empty. I sat forward, looking up and down the aisle. I was thirsty, so I went to the bar in the back and stooped down to get a soda from the little fridge underneath before taking a seat on one of the stationary bar stools on the other side.

There was a large mirror on the wall behind the bar. I stared at my reflection, realizing it was the first time I’d really gotten to see myself since the cave. I couldn’t believe how long my hair had grown in the last few days. Most people’s hair only grew about one half inch every month. Mine must have grown six or seven inches in just days. I was in awe of the fiery color it had become. The kinkiness had turned almost perfectly straight, except for the occasional wave, and it flowed down to my waist.

I set my drink on the bar and slowly stepped closer to the mirror, eyeing my full reflection. My arms were cut with large tight muscles. I pulled up my tee-shirt and my stomach was just as muscular, each set of muscles defined perfectly.
I look almost like a body builder.
I smiled briefly, then let it go when I looked more closely into the mirror. I turned my face a little to the right, then left, my fingers tracing my high cheek bones and defined jaw line. I was staring at this beautiful woman in the mirror, but I still couldn’t wrap my head around the fact that it was me.

I jerked, and quickly spun around when the bathroom door next to me swung open. “William!” I grabbed my chest. “You scared the hell out of me.” I smiled sheepishly, knowing he had seen me staring into the mirror. My chest rose and fell with each deep breath I took, trying to slow my racing heart. His crooked grin didn’t help the situation one bit.

“I’m glad you’re awake. I was lonely without you,” he said, pulling me in close and gazing into my eyes. “I missed you,” he whispered softly into my ear, squeezing me tightly.

Something felt different about William. Don’t get me wrong, his touch was tantalizing, and he still made my heart skip a beat every time he said my name, but he wasn’t acting like the same guy I had left behind in Alaska. He seemed to have a smugness about himself … and I didn’t like it.

“I want to talk to you,” he said earnestly.

“Yeah? Well, I kinda
need
to talk to you.” My smile faded when I saw the look of concern on his face.

Interlacing his fingers with mine, he led me to a small couch a few feet from the bar. I sat down and he dropped onto the seat beside me. He started to say something, but I stopped him. I didn’t know how he was going to react, but I had to tell him.

Chapter 34

I glanced nervously toward Luna and her brothers, and then back to William. They had kicked back in their chairs and crashed … hard, although I couldn’t say they looked peaceful at all. Maybe subconsciously they already knew.

“It’s a long story.” I sighed heavily. “I’m not really sure where to start.” I hung my head and took a deep breath. “I’m an Adlet wolf princess,” I blurted, then cringed while waiting for his response.

“You’re upset because you’re a princess?” His face contorted into bewilderment.

“You’re not listening.” I shifted uncomfortably. “I’m … I’m a werewolf.” I promptly realized I’d said it too loud, and glanced toward the siblings. Luna stirred, stretching her arms high over her head, but then turned over and pulled her knees into her chest and settled again. I turned my attention back to William.