Three

 

 

 

“Well, we all knew it was coming,” Michael sighed, closing his eyes in resignation. “This was just the calm before the storm.”

“And the wind is picking up,” Chase replied, pouring several fingers of whiskey into three glasses before handing them out. “The shit is really going to start flying now.”

Sitting at the kitchen table, Luna took the whiskey eagerly. It wasn’t her favourite tipple of choice, but after the events of the night, she didn’t care. Bringing the glass up to her lips, Luna took a sip, the liquid burning as it slid down her throat. The potent flavour was bittersweet, stronger than she usually cared for, but she didn’t care. Biting back the urge to splutter, Luna swirled the remaining liquid around in the glass, the gentle vortex hypnotising by itself. She released a sigh she hadn’t realised had been building up inside, her shoulders sagging as it escaped.

Arriving home, Chase had reported to Michael what had happened. Starting from the smell on the ice right up to when they had emerged from the woods. Michael had not been pleased when he learned how Luna had crept into the woods after Chase.

Or while his baby sister was supposed to be looked after by Chase, she had been attacked by an unknown werewolf in his own territory.

Chase’s explanations of wanting to draw out the werewolf hadn’t gone down well. Even Luna wasn’t impressed with his actions at using her for bait. It didn’t matter that she wasn’t seriously hurt; it was that he hadn’t warned her. She could feel a bubble of resentment rising in her chest.

Michael swallowed the contents of his glass in one go before handing it back to Chase for a refill. “Right, let’s get things organised. Tomorrow, I’ll get your dhampir to come over and help reinforce the house. You’ve got training with him in the morning anyway, sis. I’ve put the word out that I’m looking for a sorcerer or a wizard, so just waiting on hearing from someone.” Taking another glass, Michael echoed his sister’s movements, swirling the amber nectar around, breathing in the flavour.

Setting her glass down, Luna looked at her brother. “What’s the difference between a sorcerer and a wizard?”

Baby blue eyes glanced upwards to meet her own, a small smile forming on his face. “Price, mainly. Wizards and sorcerers both practice magic but they gain their powers through different methods. Wizards gain their abilities through long hours of studying and meditation, whereas sorcerers tend to be able to pull out magical energy that surrounds us, or something to that effect. There’s quite a class distinction between the two, with sorcerers snubbing wizards because they’re not natural magic users like they are. Frankly, it’s a pain in the ass listening to them bitch when you get two in a room.”

Luna groaned and threw her hands up in the air in exasperation. “For crying out loud, Michael, I seriously need to learn more about this world. How am I supposed to live in it if no one teaches me?”

Michael’s face softened, sadness creeping in on the edges of his face. “You were never meant to live in this world. We thought you’d be safer if you didn’t know and no one was expecting for you to come back here.”

Picking up her glass, she raised it in a toast to her brother. “Well, here I am. Cheers.” Tipping it back, she downed the contents in one gulp, trying her best not to splutter, but failing. After a moment of coughing and forcing her eyes not to water, she met his eyes again. “So, Chase and I had an interesting night. What about you?”

Michael’s body stilled under his sister’s gaze. “Now that you mention it, I did have an interesting night myself. Wait here.” Quickly rising from his seat, Michael hurried out of the kitchen with Chase’s eyes following him, his forehead creased in puzzlement. 

Sliding into the seat next to her, Chase slipped an arm around her shoulder, the warmth of his body heat enveloping her. Sighing once more, Luna rested her head against him, wanting more of that heat for herself. Only an hour had passed since she’d been tackled to the snow-covered ground, but the bitter cold still coursed through her veins. It was as though she had ice flowing in her body. Goosebumps broke out over her arms underneath her jumper, and it was all she could do not to snuggle in closer to Chase’s body heat. What she wouldn’t give to unzip him, jump into his body, and zip him back up again, languishing in all his glorious warmness.

Then she remembered she was still mad at him. “Why didn’t you tell me what you were going to do?” she asked, her voice growing cold as she pulled away from his warmth.

“What?” Chase asked.

Luna glanced upwards, her eyes narrowing slightly at his confusion. “You should have told me what you were going to do, Chase.”

Brown eyes stared down into hers, his mouth opening as if to say something, but the reappearance of Michael stopped him. His sandy blonde hair was ruffled, as though he had been running his hands through it continuously, his jaw tight. He’s starting to look just like dad whenever he was troubled, Luna thought suddenly. Whenever her father had joined her in France, every so often he’d get a phone call from back home which would cause his jaw to remain locked for several hours afterwards. No doubt pack business. Michael’s jaw will stay locked unless he does something about it.

Sitting back into his seat, Michael tossed down another creamy envelope. “After you left, I went through the mail and found this. Read it,” he told them, his tone harsh.

Luna picked up the envelope. The creamy material was thick and textured underneath her fingers, the same as the other had been. A faint scent of dying roses wafted through the air as she pulled out a single sheet of paper.

They are coming. They will kill you all. Prepare yourselves.

The blood running through Luna’s veins was already cold but reading the words written on the paper turned it instantly to ice. This was bad, very bad. “Mon Dieu!” she whispered, the words trembling as they fell out of her mouth. “When …”

Giving her a look that worried her to the core, Michael released a sigh. “It’s backdated to a few weeks ago. Judging from the scents, and the handwriting, it’s the same person who warned us last year. The postal system isn’t that great here during the winter. Frankly, I’m surprised the postman bothers trying to deliver the mail to us here. It’s a long way from town when you’re dealing with eight inches of snow.” 

Chase snatched the paper out of Luna’s hands and began sniffing at it. “Lavender hand cream. Has to be a woman,” he told them.

Curling her fingers into a fist, Luna could feel the thumping of her heart against her chest. Only when she felt the first pricks of pain she realised she had been digging her nails into her tender flesh. Luna could feel the urge to panic, but she desperately tried to force oxygen in and out of her lungs in a calm manner. Fear threatened to engulf her mind, knocking all rational thought aside, but she pushed back against that fear. It would do her no good, nor anyone else. She had to remain calm, in control. “If this was sent a few weeks ago, then it means it was sent before the werewolf arrived. If we had received this on time, then we could have been more prepared.”

Nodding his head, Michael sipped on his whiskey. “Yep, that’s about the size of it. We knew it was coming.” Fist slamming down on the table, Luna’s glass shot several inches into the air before falling on its side, making her jump herself. “Damn it! Why couldn’t the fucking postman deliver it yesterday? Why the hell didn’t I read it this morning?”

After setting the glass upright, Luna reached out and touched Michael’s hand. His skin was warm, as were all werewolves, and she gripped it tight, trying to reassure him. “Mon frère, it is not your fault. You did not know they were coming tonight, no one did. You cannot blame yourself.” As he glanced upward, she gave him a small smile, one she hoped was comforting but the iciness coursing through her veins wilted it somewhat.

Michael took back his hand, shaking his head. “You don’t get it, sis, I am the alpha of the Silver Moon pack. I am responsible for everyone in my pack. Yeah, yeah, I know you’re not a werewolf, but you’re still my sister and, as long as I’m breathing, I am meant to protect you. But I didn’t protect you tonight.”

“Neither did I.” Chase’s voice was tight, strangled, as though he was forcing the words over a sharp rock in the back of his throat. “I’m sorry, Michael. I don’t know what I was thinking.”

“Neither do I,” Michael retorted, flashing him an angry look, a hint of amber peeking through the baby blue of his eyes. “You do that again, and you won’t like what happens.” Chase inclined his head, his expression tight.

Luna reached for her empty glass. “May I have a refill, Chase?” she asked him, deliberately lightening her voice. Werewolves’ tempers ran as hot as their body temperature; Michael was on edge, and Luna didn’t want to see her brother angry now he knew he didn’t have to hide what he was from her. Chase took the glass from her and headed to the other side of the counter. Silently, he poured another few inches into the glass before returning to the table. Taking it from him, Luna sipped on the amber liquid. She didn’t want it really, but it gave them all a chance to breathe and calm down so they could think.

“So what now?” she asked after a few minutes silence. “What’s the next step?”

Michael dragged a hand over his face, weariness etched across his face. “The next step is to finish your drink and go to bed. I’m going to make a few phone calls, set the alarms, and hit the hay.”

Luna flashed him a dirty look. “Am I your sister or one of your wolves? Don’t tell me what to do, Michael. You aren’t my alpha, just remember that.”

Michael pushed away from the table, getting to his feet. He threw up his hands, then downed the remaining contents of his glass and threw it on the table. “Whatever, Luna. You’re not going anywhere without an escort from now on. That’s my decision. I’ll be in the study making sure we’re all protected while you’re asleep in bed. Get some sleep. Training first thing in the morning and I’m telling your bloodsucker to up his game with you.” With that, he strode out of the kitchen, a scowl on his face.

“Great, just great,” Luna muttered under her breath. “Brothers.”

“He’s got a point though,” Chase said quietly. “You need rest.”

Luna turned to face him, a grim expression covering her face. “No, I need answers.”

“Answers to what?”

“Answers to why you went into those woods alone and didn’t tell me what you were doing.”

Chase sighed, his eyes closing. “You weren’t meant to follow me.”

“So you said, but you should have told me what you were planning.”

“But I didn’t really know what I was planning, princess. All I knew was that I smelled something strange while we were on the ice and then it disappeared. A few minutes later, I smelled it again. I thought I should check it out while you were changing out of your skates and then be back before you knew it.”

Luna slammed a hand down on the table, the sting from the contact racing up her palm and past her wrist. “But I did know it, and you still should have told me, Chase! For crying out loud, there are werewolves out to get me.”

“Yes, there are. That’s why I went out to check.”

“But by not telling me what you were doing, you put me in danger. I could have chosen to stay in the crowd, or we could have gone into those woods to check things out together. But you took that choice away from me.”

“I don’t -”

“And then you deliberately used me as bait, Chase. Bait! You knew I was in those woods looking for you, but you didn’t come out. You left me in the dark. Literally. I couldn’t see a damn thing.”

“I was trying to lure him out,” he started to explain, but Luna held out a hand to silence him.

“I know, but you should have told me before you went in there yourself. I don’t mind being bait if it helps catches one of these guys. Heavens, we could use as much information as we can get from them, but you do not take my choices away from me, Chase. You are not my alpha, just like Michael is not my alpha. Do you hear me?” Luna took a step forward, standing in front of him, staring up into those chocolate brown eyes, anger and resentment flashing within her own.

“I hear you,” he replied, his voice soft and remorseful.

“Good. I’m going to bed.” With that, she strode out of the kitchen, leaving Chase behind.