Full Moon Rising

way a likely target, so I could only try. If I kept following his footsteps, sooner or later I was going to find some real information

I checked the transport situation, noting there was a railway station within walking distance of the Moneisha labs, then closed the directory and pushed it toward Misha. “Thanks for that.”

His smile touched his silver eyes as he reached across the table and took my hand in his. His fingers were warm against mine, his skin so pale. He caressed my wrist with his thumb, shooting slivers of desire up my arm. “How are you intending to get out to Moneisha?”

“Train. Why?”

“Would you like to borrow one of my cars?”

I raised my eyebrows. Misha was a collector of not only high-priced shag wagons, but vintage automobiles. At last count, he had about fifty antiques and five newer “classics” stored in the special parking lot underneath this tower. “You’d trust me to drive one of your cars?”

I couldn’t help the surprise in my voice, and his smile grew. “Only one of the ones that I don’t mind getting bashed up. I’ve seen you drive, remember.”

“I know. Hence my surprise.”

“There is an ulterior motive, of course.”

His voice had dropped several octaves and slid through my system as smoothly as warmed chocolate. Talon might be excitement and raw power, but Misha was certainly passion. “And what might that be?”

“You have to return the car and the keys, and therefore might spend tonight with me rather than Talon.”

I leaned across the table and kissed him. “A car would be far handier than public transport, so I just might be forced to accept that proposition.” The hunger glittering in his eyes echoed through me, stirring the moon heat to life. “But why not get a down payment right now?”

“Why not indeed,” he agreed, and pressed his hand against the back of my neck, holding me still as his mouth claimed mine

As places to make love went, a kitchen bench wasn’t that bad an alternative

I checked the map for the umpteenth time, wanting to be sure I was headed in the right direction. On foot, I could find my way anywhere. Shove me behind the wheel of a car and I could get lost in a traffic circle

Up ahead, the lights changed from green to red. The cell phone chose that moment to ring and I slipped the earpiece in as I stopped the car

“Riley here.”

“How are you feeling, little wolf?”

Talon’s husky tones lost none of their impact electronically, and a warm shiver slipped down my spine. He didn’t even have to touch me to turn me on

“I’ve been with Misha, and I’m feeling fine.”

Talon paused. Maybe he didn’t like the thought that I could still need another after the pounding he’d given me

“He can’t do to you what I do to you.”

His words held an edge that made me frown. Was Talon getting jealous? Surely not. “No. And sometimes that’s a good thing.”

The lights changed. I put on the turn signal and moved over to the side of the road. Given my driving record, talking to Talon while trying to steer the car probably wasn’t a good idea

His laugh skittered across my skin and made me hunger, yet there was also that rawness in it that stirred uneasiness through me. Sex with Talon was great, but if he was beginning to think there could be anything else between us, he needed his head examined. As a part-time lover he was fantastic, but I was damn sure I couldn’t cope with him full-time. And not just sexually. Arrogance, and a complete belief in one’s own superiority, was okay in the bedroom, but it would probably drive me crazy elsewhere

“Can I see you again soon?” he said

“I’m with Misha tonight.”

“Then come now.”

There was no hiding the annoyance in his voice this time, and I frowned. “Why do you suddenly have a problem with me being with Misha?” In the two years we’d been together, I’d had up to four other partners. It had only been recently that I’d settled on Misha and him

“I don’t. Well, I do when I want you and he has you, but it’s not a jealousy thing, if that’s what you mean.” He paused. “How about I add a sweetener? I have that information you wanted.”

“You ran a search on Evensong?”

“And the owner. Found a couple of interesting tidbits. You can come over to my place and collect them.”

My heart accelerated. He’d never asked me to his place before—never told me much about himself at all, in fact, and curiosity stirred

“When and where?”

He chuckled. “What are you doing right now?”

“Driving out to the Moneisha labs.”

“You haven’t got a car.”

“Misha lent me one of his.”

“No way. He’s seen you drive and he adores his cars.”

I grinned. “It’s a Mercedes and he has several of them. He says he can afford to lose one.”

Talon snorted. “I hope it’s some bright color, so the other drivers can see you coming.”

“It’s red.”

“Red is the color of danger.”

“I’m not that bad.”

“Oh yes, you are. I hope you’re not driving while you’re talking to me.”

“I can multitask.”

“Yeah, right. What street are you on now?”

I peered up at the nearby street sign. “On Burwood, near Oaklands Avenue. Why?”

“Because I’m going to send out an all-points warning to my people to get the hell out of the area.”

“Bastard.”

He chuckled. “Why are you going to Moneisha?”

“I’m probably chasing a wild goose, but that’s where Rhoan might have been heading.”

“Why would he be going there?”

“He’s a guardian, so who knows? I’m just going to walk around the perimeter and see if I can feel anything.”

“So how far off are you?”

“About ten minutes. Why?”

“Just trying to work out how long it’ll be until you get here. I’m feeling hungry, little wolf.”

My pulse slipped into third gear and the ache I’d thought Misha had sated became fierce again. Lord, what was I going to be like a day or so before the full moon? “So give me your address and I’ll get there as fast as I can.”

Not surprisingly, he lived in Toorak, a classy suburb filled with the superrich. I jotted the address down in my diary and hung up with the promise to be there within an hour and a half

I continued on, and despite the aspersions on my driving skills, reached Moneisha without incident. After parking, I grabbed my coat and strolled toward the red-topped white buildings I could see through the guardhouse gateway. There were two sets of fences—a solid white concrete one that had to be at least eight feet high, and, farther in, a wire one. Even from across the road, I could feel the buzz of electricity running through the wire. I had no doubt there would be other security systems right through the lawns that surrounded the building

The gray-suited guard shifted in his box, watching as I approached. I dropped my shields, and reached out to touch his mind telepathically. It felt like I was hitting a brick wall. Either he was wearing some sort of electronic