Chapter Three
“Bye, Boss,” Evie said to Killian as she headed out the door.
“Good luck on that audition!” Meredith shouted. “I mean, break a leg. Oh my God, did I just jinx you by wishing you good luck? Oh, fuck nuts, I’m sorry!”
Evie laughed. “No, Meredith, that’s for when you’re in the theater.”
“Oh good,” Meredith sighed in relief. “Well, go and kill ‘em.”
“I will!” With a final wave goodbye, she disappeared.
“Wow, she’s only been here two days?” Quinn said as he looked around the office. The boxes and the clutter were gone. The reception area looked like a real office lobby and there was now space for people to sit on the couch. Evie had even rescued a potted tree from the dumpster out back and placed it in the corner.
“Yeah, she’s got the magic touch,” Killian said. He knew hiring Evie was a good idea. She’d already re-organized the file cabinet, chuckling as she undid Meredith’s unique filing system.
“And Connor?” Meredith asked. “Still no sign of him?”
“Where is he staying these days?” Quinn added.
“He’s around,” was all Killian said.
Truth be told, he wasn’t sure. When they moved to New York, they all found their own homes. At least Killian and Quinn did, the latter having bought himself a nice loft in SoHo from his share of Archie’s estate. Connor, however, with his restless nature, preferred to stay in hotel rooms, moving every couple of weeks. Killian wasn’t sure where he was staying now, but he kept in touch via text. Did Connor really hate Evie that much? Damn, his brother was stubborn, but he was going to have to show his face eventually.
“So, what have you two been up to?” Killian asked, changing the subject.
“I had this hot date last night,” Quinn said. “We had dinner at Nobu.”
“Daric took me to Paris for dinner,” Meredith said smugly.
“You’re such a one-upper,” Quinn moaned. “We can’t all have warlock husbands with super transportation powers, you know.”
“You’re just jealous my date probably ended better than yours,” she retorted. “Did you get lucky at least? At five hundred bucks a pop, dinner at Nobu should warrant you at least a handy.”
“I’ll have you know—”
A knock on the door followed by the jiggling of the doorknob made all three Lycans stand at attention. Years of training, of always keeping their senses on alert for danger, made them all eerily still and quiet.
Meredith pointed to the door indicating she would open it. Good idea. A woman might make an intruder let down his guard which would make him easier to disable. Killian nodded and stood to the right of the door while Quinn planted himself on the opposite side.
Killian watched closely as Meredith turned the knob. The door swung open to the left side which meant he couldn’t see who it was.
“Can I help you?” Meredith asked.
“Where is Killian? I need to see him.”
That voice. No. It couldn’t be.
“Who are you? Hey, you can’t come in here!”
Killian held his breath, waiting for what would happen next and then there she was, standing in the middle of his reception area. Luna Rhoades. She was wearing a black coat, and her beanie had gone askew over her head. Her platinum blonde locks now stopped short at her jawline, and he realized it was her he’d seen the other day. Did she see him? Follow him back to the office? What did she want?
“Where is he? I need to see him now,” she said. “I need to—”
“I’m here, Luna,” he said, barely able to get the words out. Hate filled his veins like ice. Yet, he couldn’t form the words ‘I hate you’, not even in his mind.
Luna’s violet eyes grew wide when they landed on Killian. He didn’t miss the dark smudges under them nor the unusual pallor on her sunken cheeks. If she’d been miserable any time during the past four months, then she deserved every goddamn second of it.
“Killian,” she said breathlessly.
“What are you doing here?” He crossed his arms over his chest. “How did you find me?”
“I saw you the other day by Union Square,” she said. “So I waited for you this morning and followed you back here.”
Killian gritted his teeth. After the day he thought he saw Luna, he couldn’t help but pass by Union Square every single chance he got. He told himself it was just to make sure she’d been a figment of his imagination.
“You know her?” Meredith asked.
He ignored the shock and surprise on his siblings’ faces. “Tell me what you want and then get out,” Killian said in a cool voice.
“What did you do to me?” Luna asked when she finally spoke. “You did something to me, and now I’m a freak!”
“What the hell are you talking about? I haven’t seen you in four months.” Killian felt his blood boiling. She was the one who walked away from what they could have had. And now she was accusing him of doing something to her?
“It’s the only explanation why I’m like this!” she shouted. She withdrew something from the pocket of her coat. Metal glinted in her hands.
“Jesus Christ,” Quinn exclaimed as he stepped forward. “Put that thing away before you hurt someone, doll.”
Luna held up the knife and pointed it at Quinn. “Stay away.”
Quinn rolled his eyes and continued to advance. Luna’s scent, thick with fear filled the air and Killian held his hand up.
“Quinn—no.”
“But she can’t hurt me—”
“I said no,” he commanded and Quinn stopped in his tracks. “Luna,” he began. “Put the knife down and we’ll talk.”
“Talk?” she cried. “Talk? Okay, let’s talk. You can explain to me what this is about.”
“No!” Meredith screeched as Luna held the knife to her wrist and slit the delicate skin there.
His inner wolf howled. On instinct, Killian leaped forward and made a grab for Luna, but she stepped quickly stepped aside. “Are you insane?” he growled as he turned around to face her. “What the fuck were you thinking?”
“Look.” Luna held her hand out showing them her wrist. Blood dripped down from her wrist, but there was no wound. The skin was completely healed.
Meredith gasped. “Oh, my God.”
“What is happening to me, Killian?” Luna asked in a frantic voice. “I…I tried everything. I mean, I got hit by a car the other night. And then…I don’t know, I thought it was strange that nothing happened to me. Then last night I tried to cut my hand, but it kept healing, over and over again, no matter how many times I tried. I’ve racked my brain to find an answer until I realized there’s only one explanation.”
Killian didn’t know what to say. Couldn’t say anything. So Meredith spoke up.
“Honey,” she soothed, moving closer to her. “Give me the knife.”
“No.”
“Please. Give it to me and I’ll explain. I’ll tell you what’s happening to you.”
Luna’s expression of determination faltered and she held her hand out, the blade pointing towards Meredith who grasped it, her fingers wrapped around the sharp edge before dragging her hand deliberately along the length of it .
“No!” Luna yelled and pulled the knife away, letting it fall to the ground. “Why did you do that?”
Meredith held her hand up. Although smeared with blood, there was no wound on her palms. “See? I know what’s ‘wrong’ with you. I have it too.”
Luna looked relieved, her arms falling limply to her sides. “What’s wrong with us? Are we sick?”
“No,” Meredith shook her head and looked at Killian meaningfully. “It’s our babies. Protecting us from harm. We’re invincible. That’s what happens when we become pregnant with our True Mate’s child.”
Luna collapsed to the floor.
***
3 Months Ago…
Killian never thought of himself as a one-woman kind of man, but Luna made him entertain dangerous thoughts that veered towards just that. Commitment. Rings. Forever. Hell, he was practically there already. He hadn’t even looked at another woman since he met Luna. Quinn was disappointed that he’d lost his best wingman.
But he couldn’t deny that he was deliriously happy.
After that first date, he spent nearly every free moment he had with Luna. Taking her to lunch; dinners at her place, and of course, making love to her every chance he got. He thought all he needed was one night to get her out of his system, but he only wanted her more each time. Luna was beautiful and gorgeous, yes, but she was also passionate and giving, matching him in every way.
The rest of his time was taken up with the job. Trying to find a way to steal the Gastlava Tapestry was more challenging than he’d thought. He was running out of time and options. Unfortunately, as he grew more desperate, it seemed there was only one option available to him. Luna.
He didn’t set out to chase after her just because she was a curator at the museum. The attraction between them that first night was undeniable and he knew he had to have her. Of course, he couldn’t help it that he spent a lot of time there now they were dating. It gave him an excuse to scope out the place and assess the security without bringing about any suspicion. The guards all knew him and didn’t bat an eye when he strolled into the office looking for Luna. His naturally observant nature immediately picked up on the keycard she used to open the door to the office when he would bring her to work in the morning. Memorizing the guards’ rotation duty and usual routes they took when patrolling the galleries during the day was a snap, as was making a note about the peak times of day and when it was least crowded during the week.
The guilt wrapped around his heart like a vice, but he had a job to do. The Mornavian Government and their people were counting on him to bring their treasure home. He told himself that although Luna never explicitly said she would prefer the tapestry went back to its rightful owners, he knew that’s how she felt. They had long conversations about art and politics, and this strong, beautiful woman had convictions that ran deep. She believed in doing what was right.
Killian made the decision. He would have to be careful though and decided that in the days after he stole the tapestry, he would lay low—keep the heat off her. Right before he planned to pull off the heist, he was careful to make himself scarce around the museum. The month of the exhibit was nearly up and he had to move fast.
But of course, life always threw curve balls and this time it was a big one.
“I’m pregnant,” Luna blurted out as they lay in each other’s arms, sweaty and tired from another intense lovemaking session.
Pregnant? How could that be? Killian didn’t grow up in a Lycan clan, but he knew that their kind had problems reproducing. Archie had been married to a Lycan for years and never had any children, no matter how much they tried. He never bothered with condoms when he had sex with Luna and she didn’t protest, so he assumed she was on birth control. His inner wolf, on the other hand, relished the thought of a pup. No—not a pup of course. Only two Lycans could produce another Lycan. Any child he would have with Luna would be human.
“Killian? Are you mad?” Her voice was small. He didn’t answer back and she stiffened, but when she tried to disentangle herself he clamped his arms around her.
“I’m not mad. Just surprised.”
“Why aren’t you asking if it’s yours?”
“Of course it’s mine.” He would kill anyone who touched her, and his inner wolf agreed.
She relaxed against him. “I’m scared.”
“Don’t be, sweetheart.” He kissed her on the forehead. “It will be okay.”
He wanted to believe that, but a child would complicate things. They didn’t talk about the baby again for the rest of the night and the following day after he had brought Luna to work, he went to the only man he could talk to about these things: Archie.
The old man’s reaction went swiftly from shock to happiness. He seemed ecstatic that he was going to be a grandfather, but agreed that it wasn’t going to make his plans easy.
“What are you going to do?” he asked as he poured Killian a glass of his best whiskey.
“Move her into my place. Put my ring on her finger. Raise our baby together.”
“I know that. But what about the job?”
He had no choice. The exhibit was closing in two days. He had to move fast, and so he did. With Luna’s keycard, he was able to get into the museum after hours. He stole the tapestry and hid it then decided to lay low for a while. It was a week later when he hadn’t heard anything in the press about the theft that he thought he was in the clear. But he was wrong.
And everything turned to shit.