Full Moon Rising

sure how much longer I could hold out against need

“Go find Rhoan,” I said, voice sharp. As much as I wanted to find him myself, the truth was, Quinn had far more experience than I in skulking around. He was a thousand-year-old vampire, after all. “I’ll stay here with these two.”

He hesitated. “Will you be okay?”

I ignored the concern in his voice. “Just go.”

He did. I leaned back against the wall as the slap of flesh on flesh and the grunts of pleasure echoed around me, rising to a crescendo that sawed at my nerves. When the two on the floor were finally still, I made them both get up and get dressed, then sat them down in the chairs

By that time, sweat was beginning to run down my cheek and my head was beginning to hurt. I’d never really used my abilities to this extent before, and had never realized just how much energy it sucked. It was worse than being with Talon for eight hours

I glanced at my watch. Quinn had been gone for fifteen minutes. We had maybe another fifteen before someone thought to check these two

Or would have had, had luck been on our side

Alarms bit through the air, the noise piercing. A second later, the door was flung open and Quinn appeared, Rhoan limp over one shoulder and a laser gun in his free hand

“Hurry” was all he said, all he needed to say

I glanced at the two men, wiped their minds of everything that had just happened, and ran out the door. I pulled the tape off the gates, locking them behind me, then blurred into the night and ran after Quinn

It was three blocks before we came to the car. Quinn exchanged the gun for his car keys and opened the doors. “We’ll head straight for the airport,” he said, as he bent to place Rhoan in the car. “I’ll call ahead so that the plane is ready by the time we get there.”

Like hell he would. There were times when I was more than a little careless about my own safety, but I sure as hell wasn’t going to risk my brother’s any more than I had to. He wasn’t just my twin, he was my pack. The two of us had to look out for each other, simply because we were all the other had since our mother’s pack had thrown us out. And until I’d actually talked to Rhoan, heard his side of the story, then Quinn was still on my may-not-be- trusted list

Which meant I was going to have to lose the delicious man yet again. I could only hope that if he was innocent, he’d forgive me

As he was straightening, I thrust a hand against the back of his head, forcing him forward, bashing his head against the roof of the car as hard as I could. Which was damn hard

He never really stood a chance—and it just went to prove that even a thousand-year-old vampire could be taken unawares. I caught him as he fell, grunting a little at the force of his weight, then dragged him across the pavement, and over the fence of the nearest house. He fell into the shadows of several thick bushes and, for all intents and purposes, was hidden from sight

I ran back to the car, slipped into the driver’s seat, and drove away as fast as I dared

Chapter 7

It took ten minutes to stop looking in the rearview mirror for any sign of pursuit and begin to relax. I glanced at my brother, still slumped in the passenger seat, and touched a hand to his neck. His pulse was steady, his breathing even. Yet I didn’t feel any easier. Until he woke, until I knew for sure he was okay, I couldn’t

Which left the problem of where to go while that happened. If I couldn’t go home and couldn’t go to the Directorate, then really, I only had one other choice

Liander

He’d protect Rhoan every bit as fiercely as I would, simply because he loved him. I reached for my phone and quickly dialed his cell phone number. He wouldn’t be home, not with the moon in bloom

He answered on the third ring. “Riley,” he said, surprise in his voice. “What’s up?”

“I found Rhoan.”

“He okay?” The edge was back in Liander’s voice and I relaxed a little more

“He’s unconscious, so I’m not sure. We need somewhere safe to retreat.”

“My office,” he said instantly. “It has plenty of security, and there’s a loft where he can sleep it off.”

I glanced at the time and saw it was almost three. “I’ll be there in twenty minutes.”

“I’ll meet you out front.”

I got there in fifteen, but it didn’t matter because Liander was waiting, anyway

“Jesus,” he said, as he dragged Rhoan from the car and hauled him over his shoulder. “He looks like he’s been through a marathon.”

“In some ways, he has.” A marathon of milking, I suspected. “Let’s get off the street, then I’ll try to explain what has happened.”

He nodded. Once he’d checked himself through the eye scan and fingerprint scanner, the huge red metal door that dominated the front of the cheerless brown brick building opened, revealing the soft golden glow that was Liander’s workshop. I stepped through, my gaze scanning the many half-finished bits of latex humanity and monsters. “You’ve got another movie contract?” I asked, scanning the line of ogres, trolls, and wart-nosed witches

He nodded as he closed and relocked the doors. “A fantasy project. I’ve actually had to take on two apprentices.”

“Excellent.”

“Indeed it is.” He walked toward the stairs, taking them two at a time, as if Rhoan’s weight was nothing more than that of a babe. “What happened to him?”

I hesitated, but only briefly. Liander was ex-military, and knew how to keep a secret. And while Jack might have a problem with me telling Directorate secrets to non-Directorate personnel, I doubted Rhoan would. Not in this case, anyway. And he was the only one whose opinion I really worried about

“He was in St. Kilda trying to find out why hookers were being snatched off the street, and got snatched himself.”

Liander carefully placed Rhoan on the bed, then touched his neck, checking for a pulse before he began taking off my brother’s clothes. “So where did he end up?”

“The Moneisha Research Center. We think they’re a collection point for nonhuman sperm and eggs.”

He shot me a surprised look. “Really?”

“Really.” I walked across to the small washbasin area and grabbed a soft cloth and a small bowl, then flicked on the tap and waited for the warm water to arrive

“Well, that certainly explains the bruised and swollen state of his genitals.” He shook his head. “No moon dancing for this young wolf this month, that’s for sure.”

“And won’t that piss him off.”

Liander gave me a grin. “Truly,” he said, as his gaze skated down my body. “Can I just say you’re looking wonderfully tarty for a change?”

“Thanks.” I added some soap to the warm water, then carried the bowl and cloth over to Liander. “He doesn’t seem to be hurt.”

I was looking for reassurance more than anything, and Liander wrapped an arm around my shoulder, giving me a light squeeze. “I’d say he’s just dehydrated and tired. There don’t seem to be any injuries other than bruising, but I’ll get a friend over to check, anyway. She’s a doctor.”

“Good idea.”

Liander took the bowl and cloth from me and carefully began to wash Rhoan down. I fidgeted for a moment, then walked across to the small window, staring out at the moonlit sky. The force of the heat that shivered through my body was a warning that I better get to one of the clubs sooner rather than later

“Go,” Liander said, reading the surge of desire, not my thoughts. “He’ll be fine with me.”