Fated Under the Moon Read online

"You almost ate your brother."

  I got another glare. Then we heard a knock on the door. "Let's go." I shook off his strange behavior and followed him into a modest bathroom. He turned on the water in the shower and locked us in.

  "What are you doing?" I asked. A girl needed her privacy.

  "I have to be in here with you. I don't know how my wolf will react if he knows you're in here naked, and I'm not in here to protect you."

  "Okay," I said, drawing out the word. "Can you at least turn around while I pee?"

  "I've been buried inside of you. Do you think I really care about watching you pee?"

  "I care."

  He turned around, and I quickly sat on the toilet and did my thing, then I washed my hands and confirmed that my hair was a rat's nest. He turned back around. "Do you have a toothbrush I can use?"

  "Mine's in the drawer. Use that."

  I scrunched up my nose, not loving the idea of using someone else's toothbrush, but whatever. This entire situation was unbelievable. Using someone else's toothbrush was the least of my worries. I found Ryker's toothbrush, used it, then set it down next to the sink. He grabbed it, put toothpaste on it, and brushed his teeth. That was weird, but, again, not the strangest thing to have happened in the last forty-eight hours. I felt the temperature of the water and took the t-shirt off, then stepped into the shower.

  Once I was in, I heard Ryker sigh, "I've never changed that fast. I've never lost control of my wolf. All of that was a lot for me. And how the hell did you talk to me in wolf form? We're going to figure this out."

  I found the shampoo and quickly started to lather my hair when the shower curtain was inched open. Ryker's powerful legs came into view as he stepped inside with me.

  "What are you doing?"

  "I better shower too." His eyes raked over me, and I saw his large erection jutting toward me. It was hard to take my eyes off it. I knew looking at it was like waving drugs in front of an addict, and I'd need it soon enough, so I turned away from him and rinsed my hair.

  "Did I scare you?" he asked. "Are you afraid of me? Is that why you don't want to look at me?"

  "Nope, afraid I'll jump you," I answered honestly, then looked around for the conditioner and cursed when I saw none. "My hair is going to be a nightmare."

  I tried to take my mind off the fact that there was a very naked Ryker behind me, so I tried to think of my responsibilities.

  "Will you take me today to get my car?"

  "It's already here."

  "That's good," I mumbled, letting the hot spray wash over me. "Do you have soap?" I put my hand behind me, hoping Ryker would pass me the soap. He handed me a bar, making our fingers brush.

  Nope, not going to look at him or acknowledge the way that shot tingles up my arm!

  "After we shower and find out what Reece knows, maybe I should go back to the apartment. I need to contact my job, and hopefully, I still have a job. Is it still Sunday? Did another day pass?"

  I rinsed the soap from my body and knew that I had said the wrong thing when Ryker gripped my hips and spun me around. Dammit!

  "You can't work for them," he snapped.

  "Don't get all growly on me, Wolf. I moved here for a job. Look, the sex is amazing between us, the best I've ever had, but this is all happening so fast." He walked me forward, so I was directly under the shower spray. "I told you, they're bad news. You will not be working for them."

  God, why did his cock have to be aimed at me? I would be so much more on my A-game if that thing weren't right there. "Step back," I warned.

  He didn't step back. Instead, he walked under the spray, not giving me much room to move. "Worrying about some fucking job for those people—" he snarled, "—Is the last thing you need to do. We have so much to figure out. So much you don't know."

  I barely registered what he said because his nearness and his muscled solid body made me react. "I need you to move, so I can get out of the shower," I squeaked.

  Ryker grabbed the soap from my hand and began to rub it all over his chest; then, his hand slid over his shaft. I closed my eyes, breathing in deeply. I'm not looking. I'm not looking.

  "You have to stop and move back. I'm going to jump you in two seconds, and we don't know what that will do to me." He took a second, rinsed off, then did as I asked, and took a step back. Every second he was near me was excruciating. My body felt more and more alive, and I began to thrum with want. It took everything in me to step out of the shower and grab a towel.

  "I'm going to wash my hair. Don't leave this bathroom."

  "You're so bossy." I never really took well to people giving me orders.

  "It's not being bossy. If you leave this bathroom, I have no idea how my wolf will react. I need to keep you safe, and I also need to keep my family safe, Ariel. Do you think I like the idea that I had my brother pinned to the wall, and I could've killed him?" The water shut off. He stretched his arm from the curtain and grabbed a towel from the hook, then a moment later stepped out with it wrapped around him. The black terry cloth hung low at his waist, and I needed to get a grip because, at the sight of him, I found myself licking my lips.

  "Will you put those clothes on?" His head tilted to the folded stack of clothes. There were capri athletic leggings, a sports bra, and a black tank. There wasn't any underwear, but I didn't want to wear another woman's underwear, so commando it was. I turned away from Ryker and dropped my towel, then quickly dressed. Every moment near him in this small space was a challenge.

  Once dressed, I turned around and saw Ryker gripping the edge of the sink. This wasn't easy on him either. My face softened when I saw the amount of pain this seemed to be causing him. "I'm sorry. I can see how hard this is for you too. How about you get some clothes on, and we try to figure this all out?"

  He nodded, then opened the bathroom door and looked down the hall as if searching for any danger, then we walked into his room. I sat on the edge of the bed and worked my fingers through my hair, trying not to look at Ryker while he stepped into a clean pair of boxer briefs. Ignoring how beautiful his body was and how it made me react was no small feat, but I tried by distracting us with questions.

  "So, were you born wolves, or do you turn into them? Like, is it like The Howling?"

  "I don't know what that is."

  "1980's werewolf movie. One scratch, and it's all full moon changing from there."

  "We're born this way."

  "So, you can't accidentally turn me?"

  A low growl came from his chest.

  "Nope, okay then. I'm obviously not a wolf..." Another growl. I continued, "Is it common for a fated mate not to be a wolf?"

  "I've never heard of it, no." Ryker pulled up his shorts, and much to my dismay, pulled on a soft blue t-shirt. "I told you, though, you don't smell human, and everything happening with you has been anything but normal."

  "What do I smell like?"

  "Magic," he answered without hesitation.

  "I've never had magic. Never been exposed to anything like this. Nothing remotely special has ever happened to me."

  "Tell me about your parents."

  "My mom left when I was a baby. I don't know her, or anything about her really, but my dad was the best. I told you I lost him. September will be a year."

  "Was the ring his?"

  "It was."

  A knock at the door had Ryker snapping his head in that direction. He moved to it and threw it open to Reece. "Keep your eyes down and away from her. If my wolf even senses you looking at her, there is no telling what will happen."

  "This is crazy," Reece said, looking at the floor and stepping into the room. It was then I saw what was in his hands.

  "My dagger." I jumped off the bed and moved toward Reece to snatch it from his hand. Again, Ryker didn't have a great reaction to me approaching Reece. His head snapped to me, and he huffed. "Stop." Ryker held his hand out in front of me. "Reece, hand that to me."

  Reece handed the dagger to Ryker, and I watched as Ryker flipped it over, inspecting it. "It's similar to your ring."

  "Give it to me," I ordered. "I'm supposed to keep it with me."

  Ryker handed it to me and looked at me curiously. "You have no idea that you're magic, but you're supposed to keep a dagger so drenched in magic it makes the air thick with it with you?"

  I held the dagger protectively. "I have no idea why I said that."

  My mind flashed to my dream. The blue light. The voice telling me to keep the dagger nearby. I went back a step, feeling the onslaught of memories. The dreams and visions were all hitting me at once. I gripped my head, feeling exhausted as memory after memory assaulted me. This was all too much. I needed to get out of here and away from these people.

  "What is it? What's wrong?" Ryker led me to the bed to sit down.

  "I have to go. So much has happened. I need to clear my head. I need to think."

  "Calm down, Ariel."

  "Elle!" I snapped.

  He held his hands up like I was a wounded animal, and he was trying not to scare me off.

  "I'm just going to go," Reece said.

  I began to breathe deeply. This was all too much.

  Keeper of the light.

  What did that even mean? I sucked in a lungful of air.

  Werewolves, fated mates.

  It all seemed too extreme, too unbelievable, and magic?

  Panic seized me, and for the first time since I was a child, I felt like I couldn't breathe. Flashbacks from my childhood suddenly assaulted me.

  "You have to tell her, John." A man spoke to my father. I was lying in bed and had been since the accident.

  "She's too young. She'll never understand."

  "What if something happens to you? Then what?"

  "I'll leave instructions for her to open if so
mething were to happen to me."

  "She'll be without guidance."

  "I want her to have a normal life! Do you know how hard it was to have this hanging over my head my entire life? I never wanted this for anyone else. I didn't even think it was possible that she could conceive."

  "And she left not long after Ariel was born. You have to know that is no coincidence."

  "Coincidence or not, she gave me my daughter. I cannot hunt her."

  "You know you should."

  "It's not as black and white as I once believed it to be. Look at her. Look at my daughter." It was then that both men turned to me and saw my eyes open. I was in a haze of sorts and was young. I didn't understand what I was hearing. But I now saw the man's face who was speaking to my father, and I knew exactly who it was. Father Archibald.

  "Breathe, Ariel. Breathe." Ryker rubbed my back. "You're okay. Take a deep breath. That's it."

  My breathing began to even out. What did it all mean?

  My dad was keeping something from me. Something huge, and he said he'd leave instructions—the letter. I needed to read the letter that was left for me. My breathing evened out as I planned what I needed to do.

  "I'm okay," I told Ryker.

  "I think you had a panic attack when you grabbed the dagger."

  I shook my head, but for some reason, I couldn't find it in me to tell him everything. This fated mates thing was utterly new to me. The vision of my dad and Father Archibald left me feeling like a lot was being kept from me, and perhaps I couldn't trust what I thought I knew. How did I even know what Ryker was telling me about fated mates was true? What if all of this was magic and not fate. I needed to get away from Ryker and clear my head. I needed to read my dad's letter, and I needed to get a hold of Father Archibald. Then, there was my job for the Valdere Estate. It was the reason I was here. I needed to contact them and make sure they were okay with the fact that I didn't show up. I know Ryker had an issue with them, but I still didn't understand what that was about.

  "I need some space, Ryker. I need to go back to the apartment. A lot has happened in a short amount of time, and I need to digest it all."

  "Let's go."

  "I mean, I need space without you." I winced as I said it, but there was just too much I needed to figure out—too many unknowns.

  His eyes flared, and I saw the wolf blaze behind them.

  "Why do I see your wolf in your eyes?"

  He tilted his head curiously at me. "What do you mean?"

  "I mean, I can see your wolf in your eyes sometimes, like an image of him flashes there."

  "That doesn't happen."

  "I'm telling you that it most certainly does."

  He shook his head at me like he didn't know what to do with me. "Why don't we sit and talk and try to figure everything out?" His hand brushed against the side of my face, and I knew I had to get out of there fast. His tenderness only made me want to strip my clothes off, and I had too much I needed to figure out.

  "No sitting. I'm telling you I need space from you. I need space from all of this. It's a bit much to find out werewolves are real and that I'm something magical, don't you think?"

  "I get it. I do. This must all be confusing, but Ariel..."

  It was on the tip of my tongue to correct him.

  "I physically will go mad if I'm not around you. It's this need to protect you that is unlike anything I've ever felt before. Being away from you is dangerous. Do you want something to happen to Mindy?"

  "What? Of course not."

  "Did it look like I was in control?"

  I gritted my teeth. He had a point. "No," I reluctantly answered. "How about this? We go to the apartment, and you give me space. I'll stay in my room where I can get my head on straight, and you can be all alpha-wolfman in the other room."

  "Fine. Grab your blade, and let's go."

  He opened the door and hollered, "We're going to the apartment. Clear the way."

  It all seemed over the top. "You follow me, and we'll walkthrough. Please, try not to talk to anyone. They'll be making themselves scarce, but I don't want anything to happen."

  "All right," I agreed.

  I heard footsteps as people tried to get out of our way. There were a few door slams, and it made me curious how many people were there.

  I wish I had more time to take in his house. He was pulling me, and we were moving through it in a way that left little time for me to take it all in. Once outside, we stepped onto a large wrap-around porch that was scarcely decorated. I didn't have much time to take that in either as we moved to my car, and he opened the passenger door. "Get in."

  "Um, it's my car. I'll drive."

  He glared at me, and I didn't have it in me to argue, so I got in the car. I saw my purse sitting there, so I stuck my blade inside of it. I mean, who wanted to drive around with a dagger? Weren't there laws against that sort of thing?

  We drove to the apartment in awkward silence. What did you say to the guy who was your fated mate, whatever that meant?

  We pulled up and parked the car in Ryker's spot. So, now it was okay for my car to be there. Hmph.

  I got out of the car as soon as we stopped. Ryker followed, slamming the door. "If I'm driving or nearby, let me open the damn door for you."

  "You're so moody," I mumbled under my breath. We walked towards the front of the apartment building, and Ryker placed his hand in front of me, halting my progress when an SUV, then a limo, followed by another SUV, pulled up in front of the curb.

  Chapter Fifteen

  "Stay behind me." His body grew rigid, and I could see that he wanted to shift but held himself back.

  "Who is it?" I whispered.

  "The Valderes."

  "Oh, they probably just want to make sure I'm okay."

  Several large men who wore suits and dark sunglasses got out of the SUVs and stood on each side of the limo door. I'd never seen either of them, but I had no doubt they worked for Bronson.

  A man opened the limo door and out stepped Bronson Valdere dressed in a dark suit similar to the others but of finer quality. He also wore sunglasses. Something felt strangely familiar about Bronson, and it caused shivers to break out on the back of my neck. He reached behind him and helped Lillian from the car, who also wore black, including a black hat and black sunglasses.

  Without giving me even a second to greet them, Ryker shouted, "What do you want?"

  Bronson stepped forward, and my eyes were glued to him. That eerie feeling was screaming at me to pay attention. I shook my head. It was as if my mind was trying to connect pieces to a puzzle, but it couldn't. "Look, Darling, she is well," he said to Lillian.

  "Um, hello." I tried to step around Ryker, but the big oaf wasn't having it.

  "You're breaking the treaty by being here, so unless you want war, I suggest you leave."

  "Now, now. No need to get hasty. We're here to check on Miss Katz. After how sick she was after lunch last week, we're worried for her well-being.'

  "I'm sorry. I totally should've called today. "

  Ryker glared at me, "She's not working for you."

  "Uh, yes, I am."

  His glare intensified. "Ariel, could you wait for me inside?" He asked through gritted teeth, and I knew it was hard for him to ask and not order me.

  "Well, considering these are my employers, no."

  Boy, if looks could kill.

  It was then I saw his wolf flash, and I knew that looks could, in fact, kill. I needed to calm this situation down and not provoke it.

  "Can I call you? You caught us at a bad time. I'm really sorry about not showing up, it's just I wasn't feeling well, and things are complicated."

  "You don't need to explain anything to them."

  Lillian stepped forward, "Are you okay? Did this mongrel do something to you?"

  "Mongrel," I snapped in disbelief. I was ready to charge her. I wanted to smack her coiffed hair right off her head.

  I moved my foot forward to go toward her. I wasn't about to let some snooty uptight... Ryker put his arm out, halting me at the same time she stepped forward, then Bronson did the same thing to her, stopping her progress and shooting a look in her direction.

  She spoke, and it was almost regal as she did so, "Is there anything you need? Anything we can do for you? I was worried when you didn't show. It's the only reason we're here now. I apologize if this seems over the top. Sometimes, I'm not sure Bronson understands how showing up with a motorcade comes off. We mean no harm, and we're not here to break the treaty."