Fated Under the Moon Page 18

  Finally, we pulled up to a small old white house. He turned his bike off, and we got off. I took off the helmet and looked around. There wasn't much to see. The house needed a paint job, and frankly, it looked like no one was home. I didn't see a car in the drive. There was an old barn off to the side, but I wasn't even sure it was safe to enter.

  "Where are we again?" I asked, knowing he should've answered me already.

  "I didn't want you to freak out, but we're at my dad's."

  Chapter Nineteen

  "Your dad's?"

  "I told you, he's our historian."

  "It doesn't look like anyone is home."

  "He's here. I can smell him."

  "What are you going to tell him... about me? About us?"

  "What do you want me to tell him about you? As for us, he'll know you're my fated mate. The bonding smell has begun."

  "Smell? What are you talking about?" I lifted my arm and smelled my armpits. I didn't think I smelled.

  Chuckling at my antics, Ryker pulled me close to his side. "Everything has a scent. Every person, every object. You smell like roses and rain with a sweet undercurrent, but the more we are together, the more both of our scents are changing. There's a spiciness mixed in with your scent now, and I have some of your sweetness."

  "Wow, that's..." I shook my head, unable to find words.

  "Before I introduce you. What do you want me to tell him about everything that's happening?"

  "I want to keep the Rosi and the light to ourselves."

  "He's old and wiser than most. He might know what your ring means."

  I was about to respond when the door opened, and a man just a bit shorter than Ryker and a tad older but definitely resembling him walked out.

  "Are you going to stand here all day gabbing, or are you going to introduce an old man to his future daughter-in-law?"

  Whoa, future daughter-in-law.

  "You're freaking her out, dad. This is Ariel. Ariel, this is my dad, Brogan."

  Brogan walked with heavy footfalls down his creaky porch toward us. I wasn't prepared for the impact of his body against mine when he hugged me. It was tight while his broad chest and wide arms enveloped me.

  Ryker emitted a low rumble from his chest, and I saw a smirk form on Brogan's face and noticed he was thicker but shorter than Ryker. He didn't look much older than Ryker, but something about how he carried himself made me instantly think he was.

  He released me, after ignoring Ryker's growl, and slapped Ryker on the back, "It's about damn time, Son. And look at her; she's a real beauty."

  "Dad," he snapped because I was embarrassed. I wondered if my cheeks were pink; I certainly felt like they were.

  He grabbed a strand of my hair, "Look at all this hair. Son, you're in trouble."

  "Dad!"

  I nervously giggled.

  Ryker, seemingly wanting to get down to business, asked, "Have you ever heard of a human and a wolf being fated mates?"

  His dad took a step back and said more seriously, "First, she's clearly not human. I don't know what she is, but she reeks of magic. And secondly, I've heard of mates, yes, but fated... not that I know of. It doesn't mean it hasn't happened. It's just that I haven't heard of it."

  "What about cubs? Have you heard of how my seed will affect her?"

  Hold the front door! Cubs? We just met. I liked the guy and all, but I wasn't trying to grow a small puppy in my womb.

  I coughed, and if I'd been drinking anything, I was sure I would've choked on it. I wasn't ready to be a parent. Sure, I wasn't even thirty. For many women my age, their biological clock went tick-tock, but for me, I wanted time to get to know the man I would be forever linked with before we had a child. I mean, how many marriages ended in divorce? And cubs?

  "Relax, we just need to know what he knows," Ryker attempted to reassure me, but it did little to ease my fears.

  Brogan raised an eyebrow at me, then continued like I wasn't the spectacle I felt like. "There have been several instances where cubs have successfully been born from such a union, but I must warn you, there have also been many losses. But, I do not think the Gods would fate the two of you if it was their intention to not give you the joy of offspring."

  I was beyond embarrassed. "I can't believe you brought me here to talk about knocking me up," I hissed. Maybe this was normal for him, but it certainly wasn't for me.

  Ryker ignored me, "Twice now when I was inside of her and came, she blacked out."

  Brogan grinned and looked at his son with a triumphant smirk.

  I wanted to die!

  "Not like that. Hours on end, not sure if she was going to wake up, passed out. It's the scariest thing I've ever experienced. Ever heard of anything like that happening?"

  Brogan seemed to stand up a little taller, and his carefree demeanor seemed to change. "No, nothing like that. Where are my manners? Your mom would have skinned me alive for not asking already. Do you want a beer? Pop? Water? How about you come inside, and we talk?"

  "That'd be good, Dad."

  Ryker grabbed my hand, and we followed Brogan inside the house. It was modest, with the exception of several stunning pieces of furniture that were most likely crafted by Ryker. There was something slightly different about the craftsmanship, but it was still equally as beautiful. His living room was dark, with the curtains drawn and only a small side table light switched on. The space looked masculine, and it made me wonder what happened to Ryker's mom and how long ago. Something told me that she never lived here. Now was not the time to ask him about it, though. He guided me to the sofa, which was surprisingly comfortable as we sank into the soft leather.

  A small white cat popped out from under the sofa and purred around my legs. "Oh, look at this pretty kitty," I said, picking her up and petting her behind her ear. Her eyes were blue, and I wasn't sure if I'd ever seen such a pretty little kitty.

  Brogan grabbed a few beers from the kitchen, set them down on the coffee table in front of us, then grabbed a chair from his dining room table and sat it across from us.

  "When did you get a cat?" Ryker asked.

  "She found me. Just showed up here one day. Skittish thing. I've never seen her come out like that. It took me two months before she ever let me hold her. You have a gift, Ariel."

  "Elle, call me, Elle."

  "Elle, it looks like she likes you." The kitty snuggled onto my lap and hissed when Ryker tried to touch her, making me grin.

  Ryker grabbed a beer and opened it taking a long swig. "Ariel is in Ohio because the Valderes offered her a job." At the mention of the Valderes, Brogan let out a snarl. The kitty curled into me.

  "That can't be a coincidence," Brogan said, low and deadly.

  "No, it can't. There are other things too that have come to light, but Ariel isn't comfortable sharing that yet."

  "What's your connection to them? Have you ever met any of them before? What about your parents, do they know them?" Brogan asked, firing question after question.

  I felt the familiar pinch in my chest at the mention of my parents. "My mom left when I was a baby, and my dad passed away last year."

  Brogan sat back and sighed, "I'm sorry." I watched as his eyes grew soft. "We lost my wife years ago, but it still feels like it was only yesterday. It's why I live out here by myself. I like the quiet. I like feeling like she's with me. I hate getting the sad eyes from the rest of the pack all of the time. I don't need sympathy. What I need is something I'll never get back.

  "My wife, we were fated like the two of you. Mary wasn't only my wife; she was my world. When she died, I lost a part of myself. It's not uncommon either. You should know that with having a fated mate if something happens to him, you'll never love again."

  "Dad," Ryker said sympathetically.

  "I'm just saying. Being out here is good. I get to feel however I need to feel without all the watchful eyes. I don't need sympathy. What I need is something I'll never get back."

  I could tell Ryker wanted to go to him, and it pained Ryker to hear his dad talk about how empty he felt.

  Brogan put his hand up, "No, Son. You should know what it's like—the pain of losing your fated mate."

  "I'm sorry, I didn't think bringing her here would bring mom up for you."

  Brogan laughed, "So much to learn. She's always on my mind. Don't be that arrogant. It's always like this for me, and I can't wait for the day that the fates finally decide I can join her."

  It was then as if sensing Brogan needed some affection, the kitty jumped off my lap and hopped on to Brogan's. At first, he didn't touch her, then after several attempts from the kitty pushing her head under his hand, he finally pet her.

  Good girl, I thought. And I swear, no lie, that the kitty looked at me and blinked at my thought. It was the strangest thing.

  "What do you know about your mother?"

  "Truthfully, not a whole lot."

  "I've known the Valderes a long time. If your mother just up and disappeared, then they asked you to work for them some years later, that's no coincidence. Since your father has passed, knowing them, it must have something to do with your mother. And your smell... it's so unusual. Did your parents hold magic?"

  "I..." I began to answer when Ryker cut me off.

  "I don't know what she is. She's so human, and yet she can't be. She ran the other day, and it was faster than any human I've ever seen."

  "I'm betting the Valderes know who your mother is and know what you are."

  "Hold up. If you think they know my mother, do you think there is a chance she could be here? With them? I mean, I worked there. I'd have known, right? What if she was in one of the rooms or the basement. What if they've been feeding off her? Oh, God. I have to go back there. I have to know."

  "Abso-fucking-lutely not,"
Ryker sneered.

  "Hear me out."

  "No, because going anywhere near them is not up for discussion."

  "Why? If they wanted to kill me, couldn't they have just sent someone to Seattle to find me? Wouldn't that have been easier than paying me a sign-on bonus to relocate here? I don't think their intention was to harm me. Well, Lillian is up for debate, I'm not sure about that one, but Alfonzo is nice. Maybe he knows something. If my mother is involved, then I want to know. Don't you think it's better for us, for me, to know what we're in for? Why I'm here?"

  "Not if it puts your life at risk. You see what losing a mate has done to my father. Would you wish that on me?"

  I snapped my mouth shut as frustration filled my thoughts. We were so new. I liked him. He was the best everything I'd ever had. Here he was talking about being fated to each other and essentially not being able to live without one another and whether I could carry cubs.

  On top of that, he thought he could decide what I could and couldn't do? I'd already given up my job. Now he thought he could tell me I couldn't look into whether all of this had to do with my mom. She could be alive, and I could get answers to questions I've wondered about my entire life.

  I couldn't help the slight squint of my eyes while I thought, and Ryker, unfortunately, noticed.

  "I'm serious, Ariel. They're dangerous."

  "Maybe so, but Ryker, you don't own me. You barely even know me. How would you feel if you had a chance to see your mom after all those years, and someone you barely know told you no?"

  "There's a huge difference. My mom didn't choose to leave me."

  That was the wrong thing to say. "You're a real dick, you know that?" I stood. I was so over this. So much for trying to win me over. I began to walk towards the door.

  "Where are you going?" Ryker asked.

  Ignoring Ryker, I looked at Brogan, "It was nice meeting you. I'm sorry, but your son's a real jerk, and I'm leaving."

  "Ariel, wait," Ryker pleaded. But I was done! He thought I was fast. Well, I was going to show him how fast I was. Screw him. I opened the door and didn't think much about where I was going. I just ran.

  "Dammit, Ariel," I heard Ryker yell, but it was distant as I pushed my legs to move faster and faster. Maybe running was rash, but I was pissed.

  What the heck was that! I didn't need that kind of attitude from him.

  My mind fumed while my chest burned from the exertion. I ignored it and ran harder. In the distance, I heard a howl, but Ryker wasn't going to catch me, not today!

  Trees blurred by as I ran at full speed, and it hit me that this wasn't natural. I shouldn't be moving this fast.

  I quickly approached the Valdere Estate, and I had no idea how I got here so quickly. From what I could tell, I was on the backside of the property. I couldn't see the entryway. What I saw were large brick pillars with wrought iron panels that were about ten feet wide. The closer I got, the closer I noticed that the landscapers didn't put any less energy on the backside of the property. It was all so meticulous. I stopped running and marveled that I wasn't out of breath.

  I walked along the wall, taking it all in. Could my mother have walked along the other side of this fence? Could she be somewhere in there and see me?

  "Hey," A voice startled me. I looked around and spotted a man who appeared to be in his early twenties sitting against a tree on the other side of the fence. He had shaggy blond hair that hung over his face. He shrugged his head backward and ran his hand through it to move it away from his eyes. He wore a t-shirt and jeans. He looked like an average guy with a medium build. I wondered how deceiving looks were. Could he be a vampire?

  On that thought, I consciously took a step back. Ryker had ticked me off and all, but did I really mean to run to the exact place he was so adamantly afraid for me to be? Still, what if they knew something about my mother?

  "You're not going to say hi back?" he asked. "I'll make it easy for you. You're Ariel, and I'm Gabriel, but you can call me Gabe."

  He spoke so casually to me that it made it harder to fear him. "Hi Gabe, you can call me Elle."

  "'Sup, Elle."

  "Uh, hi." I gave a small wave. I was weary. How he knew exactly who I was, made me uneasy. "Of course I know who you are. Everyone does."

  How in the world did he know what I was thinking?

  Before I had a chance to question him, he said, "Your boyfriend is coming. You better get him out of here before all hell breaks loose. He's not supposed to be anywhere near here. Then again, they weren't supposed to show up at his house the other day either, so I guess that makes them even."

  He stood, and I was surprised at how tall he was. There was a familiarity about him that didn't put me on edge, though, and I soon realized that I wasn't afraid of him.

  I thought if Ryker was about to be here, I only had a second to ask any questions I had. "If you know who I am, can you tell me why the Valderes wanted me to work for them?"

  He smiled. "Now's a bad time for all those questions swirling around in that head of yours, but I'll find you, and we can talk." I blinked because, in the next second, he was gone. It wasn't like he disappeared. It was like he was fast, faster than I was, that's for sure. He was just gone. The exchange happened so quickly, I had to wonder if I imagined it all.

  I heard a growl behind me, and I turned to see Ryker in his wolf form. Damn, he was a beautiful wolf, but I could tell by his growl he was pissed at me. "Don't you take that tone with me," I hissed, "You were a jerk!"

  He showed me his teeth, then walked to my side and bent low, indicating that he wanted me to mount him. I looked back towards the estate and knew that I didn't want Ryker to end up in a fight with the Valderes, so I did what he obviously wanted, I climbed on his back.

  His fur was soft, and I bent forward and held onto him around his neck. There was something magical about being on his back. He wasn't running as fast as he could. It was almost like a trot that he was enjoying. I don't know how I could tell, but it was almost like the further away from the Valderes we got, the less tension he seemed to carry in his gait.

  After a few minutes, he became playful, jumping over things unnecessarily. We walked through a clearing, then came to a forest. It wasn't the same way I'd come, obviously, but Ryker was familiar with the landscape. The trees were close together, and it didn't seem like there was a path. We came to gigantic boulders, and he moved swiftly, jumping over them before we came to a familiar cave. We walked through it like we did before. This time, I knew what was on the other side. Light shone through once we got to the opening, and I couldn't help but think of him inside of me here.

  He bent low, helping me dismount, and I wasn't as shocked this time around when he changed shape. It was still an unusual sight to see, but I was not as taken aback as before.

  "You ran right to them," he roared. Yes, roared. All right, I must've taken his wolf's behavior wrong. Maybe he wasn't playful.

  "I didn't mean to! And maybe I wouldn't have run if you weren't a J-E-R-K jerk!" I was so mad. I poked him in his chest, then I blinked, realizing he was naked in front of me again, and there swung his massive dong! Shit, I shouldn't have looked. Gah! Would this attraction to him ever end? Could I ever not want him? Logically I was so ticked, but my body was betraying me.

  "Eyes up here," Ryker smirked, knowing exactly where my head was at. He let out a puff of air, making his nostrils flare, and I saw his wolf in his eyes.

  "I think I like him better."

  "Who?"

  "Your wolf, at least he doesn't say asinine things."

  "You know I'm him, right? I just think differently, more instinctually, when I'm him. And what I wanted to tell you today is that being around you seems to be putting more of my human thoughts in my head when I'm in my wolf form."

  I ignored him and let him have it. "Im really struggling with my feelings right now. You don't know why my mom left me. Maybe it wasn't a choice? But I won't know unless I find answers."

  "Gods." He took a step back and ran a hand through his beard, then looked up to the sky as if asking the heavens for answers. I watched as he blew out a breath and said, "I'm sorry if that seemed harsh. I didn't mean it to be. My problem is that if it does have something to do with your mother and the Valderes. If she is working with them, then she could have had a part in my own mother's death, for all I know. It's not only that we hate them, Ariel; it's that they're the reason my mother is dead."