Full Moon Rising

“Here, put this on, then get into the car.” His voice was even, yet I had a sense of controlled excitement. Perhaps he, like me, sensed that the resolution of this whole mess was drawing close

I took the thin strap of metal he held out. “What is it?”

“It’ll disrupt the chip’s tracking signal and ensure we’re not followed.”

I strapped it onto my forearm as I climbed into the car. “Any word from Rhoan or Jack?”

“They’re finished and waiting at Liander’s.”

We drove in silence to the workshop. Rhoan, Jack, and Liander were seated in the small dining-cum-living room behind the main workshop. Rhoan rose from the sofa he and Liander were sharing and pulled me into a hug. I hugged him back, glad to have someone in my life who was stable. Constant. Someone who loved me for what I was, not what I could do for him or produce for him. Someone who would always accept me as I was, vampire bloodline, wolf heritage, and all

“You okay?” he whispered

I nodded, not daring to answer in fear that the tears stinging my eyes would choose that moment to break free

“Sex for information is never pleasant the first time.”

“That’s the trouble—in the end, the sex was more than pleasant.” I shivered. “I don’t want to become a guardian.”

But it could happen, and I very much suspected that Jack was right. That I’d not only be good at it, but I’d enjoy it. Even the information-gathering, sex-with-strangers bit

“Then fight it for as long as is practical.” He stepped back, his face stern but eyes smoky with understanding. “You need a hot drink?”

“Coffee, with a chaser of bourbon.”

He squeezed my hand, then walked across to the minibar. I sat down on a hard wooden chair next to Quinn

“So,” I said, voice edgy, “what happened to cutting all the alarm systems?”

Liander looked more than a little affronted. “I may be rusty, but I’m not that rusty.”

“Then how come Misha knew you were in his office going through his files when I walked into the Blue Moon tonight?”

“He couldn’t have,” Jack said. “Believe me, we were very careful.”

“Electronically, perhaps, but Misha implied he had more than electronic security systems present.”

“He did, and they never saw us.”

“Someone—or something—did.”

Rhoan handed me the alcohol and I drank it in one gulp. It burned all the way down, but at least it took the edge off the cold knot sitting deep in the pit of my stomach

“Then he didn’t answer any questions?”

“No, he was quite happy to talk. He reckons he has nothing to hide.”

“And you believe him?” Quinn asked softly

I met his gaze, momentarily getting lost in the depths of his dark eyes. “No, I don’t.”

“So, why Genoveve?” Jack asked

“Apparently, it’s built over the top of a World War II military bunker. He was planning to use it for non- government-approved research.”

“Was?” Jack asked

Rhoan held out a steaming mug and I accepted it with a small smile. “Yeah. He was outbid by the same company who owns Moneisha.”

“Konane?”

“Yep. And Konane is owned by Talon.”

Liander groaned. “We had him, and we let him escape.”

“And he’s probably out of the damn country by now.” Rhoan sat on the arm of the sofa and threw an arm around my shoulders. “We’ll never find him.”

“We will,” Quinn said softly. “He was in the Blue Moon tonight, watching Misha and Riley. And he was furious.”

“Interesting,” Jack murmured. “It suggests that he still has some interest in Riley. Maybe we can put that to use.”

“No,” Rhoan and Quinn said together

Jack ignored them, staring at me. “This all goes far deeper than one werewolf and one company, but right now, he’s the only lead we have. He has to be caught, and he has to be questioned.”

“Agreed,” Rhoan all but spat, “but why use Riley as bait again? She’s done more than her fair share for kin and country.”

“I know she has.” Jack’s voice was filled with a contriteness that didn’t show in the green of his eyes. “But Talon is not interested in you or me. And, because of Gautier’s influence, we dare not trust any of the other guardians at this moment.”

“We know where Genoveve Confectionary is. Why don’t we just raid the damn place?”

“Because we don’t know where the entrances to the underground sections are, and by the time we find them, the evidence we need might well be destroyed.”

I sipped my coffee and met Jack’s gaze evenly. While I was aware that he was reeling me in a little bit more, the reasons why I’d walked into the Blue Moon earlier tonight still held true. Whoever was behind this had to be stopped, and if I could play a part in that, did I really have the right to walk away?

And would walking away be any safer? They’d first come after me at the train station, and that was way before I’d really gotten involved in this investigation. Maybe walking would only make things worse

Besides, the wolf within had had enough and wanted revenge in a bad way

“Do not forget that ten guardians have already died, or that Kelly may have made it eleven,” Jack added, talking to Rhoan but his gaze not wavering on mine

I closed my eyes, not wanting to think about the other guardians. Not wanting to think that Kelly might have joined their ranks

Dammit, she couldn’t have. I didn’t make friends all that easily—surely fate wouldn’t be cruel enough to snatch her away

“We have to stop this now,” Jack added softly

“Riley’s not even a guardian!” Rhoan was off the chair, fist clenched and expression livid. “How in hell can you expect her to survive what those others could not?”

“Because she is a survivor,” Jack bit back. “And because she’s a dhampire, just like her brother. That is more of an advantage than either of you realize.”

“She’s also sitting in this damn room, not in another building,” I interrupted. “Rhoan, calm down and sit. Jack, just give me a goddamn chance to drink my coffee and catch my breath, will you?”

With the coffee in hand, I rose and walked out onto the balcony. The night air was as sharp as ice, and I breathed deep. It didn’t clear the fear stirring through me. Fear not of what I had to do, but what I might become

I leaned against the wrought-iron balustrade and sipped the aromatic hazelnut coffee. The wind whispered through the nearby trees and stirred the hair from the nape of my neck. It felt like the fingers of ghosts

I closed my eyes and tried to gather calm from the cool of the night and the brightness of the stars

Though I heard no sound, the teasing caress of sandalwood momentarily overwhelmed the scent of hazelnut and told me I was no longer alone. He leaned on the balustrade, his body separated from mine by several inches, yet close enough that the heat of him burned across my skin

“Is it the moon?” he said softly

“Partly. Jack seems to have forgotten that Rhoan, Liander, and I all turn into wolves tomorrow night.”

“It’ll surely be over by then.”

I opened my eyes. The stars seemed to reflect in his night-colored gaze. “You didn’t come out here to try to stop me?”

His smile was bittersweet. “What right have I to do that?”