Moonlight

phone there. If Sebastian was really going to take me back to Nero I was pretty sure he would’ve already taken me, but I also didn’t feel like he was going to help me escape them either. Until I knew whose side he was really on, knowing I could dial 911 gave me a little piece of mind.

I turned back to the Jeep and gasped.

Leaning against the spare tire on the back was a very beaten up Sebastian.

“What happened to you?”

“No questions now.” He looked straight ahead. “We’re not safe here. You still have your room, right?”

“Yes, I didn’t check out.”

He nodded. “Take me inside. We can talk there.”

I wasn’t excited about being alone in a hotel room with Sebastian again, but he had information I needed. And although I couldn’t put my finger on the moment that our relationship shifted, something had changed. I couldn’t be sure of Sebastian’s motives, but taking me to Nero seemed to have fallen lower on his list. For now.

Safely in my room, he peered out the window, checking the parking area below. Finally he closed the drapes and headed into the bathroom. He came out with a damp washcloth. His face looked bad, but I didn’t feel comfortable offering to help him. Since he attacked me the first time we met, my relationship with Sebastian was tenuous at best.

“How did you get here so fast?” I asked.

He pressed the washcloth to his nose. “When I told the wolf to protect you, I knew he would bring you back to his Pack. I am in no condition to wander into a wolf pack at the moment, so I came here to wait.” He glanced at the blood on the washcloth and refolded it. “Where is the wolf?”

“He should be here soon.” No sense letting Sebastian feel like he could stay. “Adam told me Nero sent another jaguar to San Antonio.” I watched him cleaning up. “She really messed you up.”

Sebastian winced as he wiped at the dried blood on his lip. “These are scratches. No real damage.” He stopped, and his head snapped in my direction. “How did you know it was a female? Did you see her?”

“No.” He relaxed slightly, and I rubbed at the back of my neck, trying to relieve the ball of nervous tension. “Adam caught her behind the library in San Antonio.”

He went to the bathroom sink and dropped the washcloth into the basin. He examined his wounds while he spoke to me. “Did he kill her?”

His question jolted me. Until recently, I’d never in my life had people asking me if someone had been killed. It still felt surreal that this was my life now. Wolves, jaguars, and the constant threat of being hunted and killed. Fabulous.

“No, she got away.” I gnawed at my lower lip while I thought about the best way to get more information out of him. “He said she’d been bitten. She wasn’t born a jaguar like me, was she?”

Sebastian shook his head and ran his fingers back through his black hair with a frustrated sigh. “Her name is Sasha.” His eyes met mine. “I bit her.”

“What?” I popped up from the bed like a bolt of lightning zapped me. “So she’s your…mate?”

The corner of his mouth twitched and he shook his head again. “No.”

“But you bit her.”

Sebastian glanced my way and raised a brow. “Jaguars are not like wolves. We do not have an instinct that forces us to mate for life.” He went back to the mirror with a dismissive grunt. “We make our own decisions.”

I wanted to go smack him, instead I smirked. “Sounds like you made a great decision.”

“Enough.” He glared at me, features cold and menacing. “I have history with Sasha that you know nothing about.” He walked back over to the window and parted the drapes to peer into the darkness again.

I stared at the back of his head and reminded myself that pissing him off wasn’t going to get me the information I was looking for. “I think I’m missing something here. If Nero sent her to help you, why did she beat you up?”

And why are you here in my room, not dragging me back to the happy family waiting for me at the Nero Organization?

I was careful to keep the last question in my head.

Sebastian raised his arm up on the windowsill and rested his head against his wrist. “We have history. I’m sure that is why they sent her.”

I bit my lip, waiting for him to say more, but my hulking cat friend, or enemy, whatever he was, remained silent. Sighing, I started to pace. Maybe it was a feline thing, but I thought better on my feet.

“I don’t understand what’s going on here. Are you trying to help me? Is Sasha trying to help you?”

“She used to be a detective when we met. I had an assignment to kill a witness she was protecting.”

I had no idea where this was going, but at least he was talking. “Did you kill him?”

He looked back at me over his shoulder with an arrogant chuckle. “Of course.”

He went silent again. I rolled my eyes and groaned. “Come on, Sebastian. If you came here to talk to me, then talk. Otherwise you should go.”

He spun around. “You cannot be alone. Sasha could already be in Reno.”

“Why are you helping me?”

“I’m not.”

I raised a brow. “Oh really? Sure seems like you don’t want Sasha to get me.”

He shook his head. “I don’t want Nero to get you.”

“Well, that’s helping me. Why do you care anyway?”

“That doesn’t matter.”

“Yes, it does matter. I need to know what’s going on.”

He closed the drape and passed me to get back to the sink. He filled a glass of water and took a sip. “I have the highest level of clearance, but I was fed a lie.” His dark eyes met mine. “I am well trained, loyal, and lethal. I’m not a mindless drone, and until I know the truth behind this mission, I will not allow it to continue.” He glared at his reflection in the mirror. “I have given my life to Nero, but my allegiance is not blind.”

I crossed my arms. “Do they know what’s going on with you?”

He set the empty glass on the sink. “That’s why they sent Sasha.” He glanced my way and for a moment I almost thought there was a trace of hurt in his eyes. “Apparently I’m not worthy of the truth.”

I gnawed at my lower lip. He could be an amazing actor, but he didn’t have to give me that flash drive. He wasn’t going to be a trusted friend, but it seemed, at least for now, he could be an ally.

“Assuming I decide we might be on the same side right now, what are you doing here other than cleaning up?”

He turned my way. “The wolves can’t protect you like I can.”

“Judging by your appearance right now, I beg to differ.” I sat down at the small table. “Looks like Sasha kicked your ass.”

His jaw clenched. “They sent Sasha knowing I would not harm her. It’s my fault she’s in their service. But I can keep you away from her. I know how she thinks. The wolf doesn’t seem to understand the simple rule that you cannot be left alone.”

“First off, the wolf has a name. And secondly, Adam knows better than to order me around.”

Sebastian shook his head. “Rest. I’ll keep watch.”

“You expect me to sleep?”

He nodded. “You should rest while you can.”

“I agreed we might be on the same side right now, but I don’t trust you any farther than I can throw you. Why would I sleep while you’re here?”

His hands balled into fists and he headed to the door. “You should do as I say because I am the only one who can keep you away from Nero.” His dark eyes bored into mine. “They will never stop searching for you, Lana, and they will find you. You are too precious to them to give you up.”

Sebastian twisted the door handle, but before he could pull it open, the door rammed him back against the wall. Adam stormed into the room and grabbed Sebastian by the shirt, yanking him back up to his feet.

“What the hell are you doing here?” Adam shoved him aside before he could answer and spun around toward me. “You stole my Jeep so you could meet up with him?”