Текст книги "Turn of the Moon"

Автор книги: L. P. Dover

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Текущая страница: 12 (всего у книги 15 страниц)

Bailey

“I see you didn’t kill him,” Sebastian teased.

Ryker chuckled and loaded up Seraphina and Tyla’s bags into the back of Micah’s SUV. “No, but I think I made up for it last night.”

I winked at him. “That you did.”

Tyla shook her head. “Yeah, I’m pretty sure we all got quite the visual with the noises coming out of your room.” She laughed. “I’m just glad this clusterfuck is all over.” She gave me a hug. “I’ll see you when you get back home.”

I hugged her tight. “Thank you for everything. You and Micah helped my mother save me.”

“She did most of it,” she murmured, letting me go.

Micah stepped in front of her and hugged me. “She was a brave woman. Be safe on your way back. As soon as you arrive in Wyoming, I’ll leave to get your sister.”

“Thanks, Micah. I can’t wait to see her again. It’s nice to have my memories back.”

“I bet it is. Now you remember how annoying my brother can be.”

Sebastian smacked him on the head and I burst out laughing. “Nothing’s changed in that respect.”

Tyla and Micah got in the truck, leaving Sebastian with me and Ryker. “Do you remember the times you asked me to have tea with you?” Sebastian asked.

Visions of those days played through my mind. Ryker tried to hold back his laugh, but he failed miserably. “Nice hair bows, Lyall. I never knew pink was your color.”

Sebastian snarled. “Fuck you, Whitemore.”

I put my arm around him. “Hey, you’re the one who brought it up. I can’t help it you fell for my joke. I used to love messing with you.”

“And you wonder why I was annoying. It was payback.”

“Well played,” I laughed.

He winked and headed toward the truck. “It’s good to have you back, B.”

Seraphina came by next. She kissed Ryker on the cheek and then I hugged her. “I’m sorry for losing my temper. You were just doing what Ryker wanted you to do. I know you’re loyal to him.”

“I am, but it was also for your benefit as well. You needed the rest and the stress would’ve worn you down. But I have to say, you snapped out of it a lot earlier than I expected. I’m curious to see what happens when the next full moon rises.”

I glanced up at Ryker. “Me too. We’ve been interrupted the last two times. Hopefully, we’ll find out in a couple of weeks.” Seraphina got in Micah’s car and they headed out. The only people left were Tate’s pack. Tate came over and shook Ryker’s hand while Kami gave me a hug. “Keep in touch with me, okay? Maybe we can get together with Tyla and have a girl’s weekend sometime.”

“I’d like that. I’ll call you soon.” She winked at me and stood by Tate’s side.

“I’m in your debt,” Ryker told him.

Tate shook his head. “No, there are no debts between us. You helped with Kami, and I helped with Bailey. It’s what friends do.”

Ryker slapped him on the shoulder. “If you ever need anything, don’t hesitate to ask. We’ll always come to your aid.” Tate and his pack left and now we were truly alone. Ryker had been busy all morning talking to all the pack alphas. It felt good to finally have him all to myself.

“What are we going to do now?” I asked.

He winked. “Go somewhere special. I want to see if you remember it.”

We got in his truck and drove to the city. The moment I saw the giant snowman on top of the building, I gasped. “Oh my God, it’s Frosty’s Creamery.”

Chuckling, he pulled us into the parking lot. “That’s right. What else do you remember?”

We walked up to the counter and I pointed at the rocky road ice cream. “You always got that. And every time I saw one of the almonds, I’d steal it,” I said with a smile.

“Eventually, I just let you have them all.”

“You were a smart boy. I had the biggest crush on you.”

He brushed a finger down my cheek. “I know. That’s why I wanted you to remember. The world didn’t decide our fate, we did.”

He ordered his rocky road and I got mint chocolate chip, my favorite. It’d been so many years ago and the place still looked the same. We sat down outside at one of the picnic tables and I remembered sitting in that exact same spot. “Your mother used to bring us here. There was one week she did it every day. Kade never wanted to come, he thought getting ice cream was childish.”

Ryker growled. “As much as I hate him for what he became, if it wasn’t for my uncle, I don’t think he’d have turned out the way he did. He had part of my mother in him. It’s just the evil side outweighed the good.”

“What did your father say when Kade started spending most of his time with Rollin?”

He shrugged. “Nothing really. As much as I hate to say this, my father put all his energy into me. He taught me how to fight, how to be a leader. It makes me sick to know my uncle raped my mother without her knowing it. To know it’s possible for witches to do that kind of magic terrifies me.”

I grabbed his hand. “Maret tried it on me, but I was able to see through it.”

“Were you scared?”

“A little, but not of Kade or Maret. The whole plan from the beginning was for me to have his children and continue the royal blood line. Rollin wanted Kade to be leader of the next royal pack. The thought of being used for my blood scared me, but most of all, I was terrified of not being with you.”

Jaw clenching, he closed his eyes and blew out an angry breath before opening them back up. “I don’t know what I would’ve done if I was too late.”

“But you weren’t,” I murmured.

“What if I was?”

Stomach in knots, I swallowed down the last bite of ice cream. “All I can say is, I would rather be dead than be his whore.” He nodded, but I could see the turmoil in his eyes. “There’s no reason to think about the what ifs. We’re here together, that’s all that matters.”

We finished our ice cream and walked back to the truck. He was about to open my door, but stopped, his expression guarded. “There’s something else I think you need to see. Do you mind making one last stop before we head home?”

“Sure.” I didn’t ask to where, but stayed silent while he drove us to our destination. It took a while to get there and when we did, he drove us down a desolate gravel road. I recognized it almost instantly. “What are we doing here?” We were back in the Yukon’s territory, or what used to be their territory.

He stopped the truck and grabbed my hand. “Don’t worry, it’s safe. I promise.”

Black ash still lingered in the air, smelling of burnt bodies. “Did you burn everyone?”

“No. Seraphina helped conceal the fires so it didn’t alert the authorities. We buried the people in our packs.” We walked past their village and I couldn’t sense any shred of life. It was like a ghost town.

“Where did you bury them?” I followed him to the open field where the battle had taken place. There were mounds of rocks at each gravesite. There were nine of them. “I thought you said eight of our people were killed?”

He led me over to the ninth spot, where the grave was surrounded by flowers. “I thought Annika deserved to be buried with our people. Tyla told me about how she attacked Maret. She saved us all.”

Falling to my knees, I bowed my head with tears dripping down my cheeks. “Yes, she did. When I found out what she and Darius did, I thought I would hate her. When she came to see me, I just couldn’t. I still loved her and saw her as my mother. Even though I wasn’t her real daughter, she’d always been kind and gentle. She had only been doing her duty to the pack. Darius, on the other hand, only loved me because he knew I could bring him power.”

Ryker put his arm around me. “I’m sorry you didn’t get to say goodbye to her.”

“Would you have let her join our pack if she was still alive?”

He tilted my chin up and I looked up at him. “Is that what you would’ve wanted?” he asked. I nodded. “Then yes. There’s nothing I wouldn’t do for you.”

“Good, because now that we’re going down memory lane, there’s somewhere I want to go before going home.”

His brows furrowed. “Where?”

“To the very beginning.”

“Do you remember how to get there?” Ryker asked.

I pointed to the next street on the left. “Just like it was yesterday. We’re not far.”

“What if there’s nothing left? By the looks of everything, it doesn’t appear anyone’s been out this way in a long time.” He was right. The trees and bushes were all overgrown, the branches scraping against the sides of the truck.

“You’re going to need a new paint job,” I said, cringing every time I heard a scrape.

“I’m not worried about it, angel.”

The driveway opened up and I was able to see the house up ahead. Closing my eyes, I could picture the way it used to be, all cozy and bright with the aqua shutters. It was my real mother’s favorite color. The brick was still standing, but the roof had caved in and the windows blown out from an obvious fire.

“I guess the Yukons set it all ablaze before they left. I wonder if my parents were burned along with it.”

Ryker parked the truck. “Most likely, so they could cover their tracks. Want to go in and take a look around?” I nodded and got out.

The door was cracked so we pushed it open and walked inside. Holding in my gasp, I threw a hand over my mouth as I went from room to room, reliving the night that destroyed my family. “I wish I could’ve saved them,” I cried, whispering the words.

Grasping my hand, Ryker soothingly ran his thumb over my knuckles. “I know, angel.”

Our bedrooms were upstairs and that was what I really wanted to see. Glancing up the staircase, I wasn’t too sure the stairs would be stable. Remnants of the roof were scattered all over them. “What do you think?”

“It’s up to you.”

One step at a time, we carefully climbed until we got to the top. Parts of the floor had collapsed, but I was still able to get to my room. Hands trembling, I pushed the door open. The sun shone down through the damaged roof, almost showcasing the total destruction. However, on the floor were the remnants of the board game Faith and I were playing the night of the attack. “It’s still here,” I said, picking up the dice.

The floor started to shift, so Ryker stayed by the door. “You’ll see your family again, angel. Once you have Faith back, we can start searching for Colin.”

“True. And at least now he has his memories back.” I took one last look around the room, until something out the window caught my eye.

“You about ready to go? I don’t think this floor is going to hold up much longer.”

Tears filled my eyes. “I just want to see one last thing.” We carefully stepped out of the room and down the stairs. I briefly thought about seeing my parents’ room, but decided I would rather remember it the way it was before. Once out of the house, I hurried to the back where a brick wall separated us from where I needed to be.

“What is this?” Ryker asked.

I rushed over to the stone angel statue and slid open the hidden drawer at the base. Inside was a large, golden key. “Have you ever seen the Secret Garden?” I asked.

He snorted. “Do I look like the type to watch that shit?”

Rolling my eyes, I picked up the key and slid it into the lock. “It’s a good movie. Anyway, it was my mother’s favorite. She always wanted a secret garden, so my father had this built.” The door opened and inside was the most beautiful sight I had ever seen. The house might’ve been dead, but the garden wasn’t. There were no weeds, and the flowers were manicured as if my mother had just touched them. “How is this possible? There’s no way it should look like this after all this time.”

A blast of royal energy shot at me from behind as someone spoke. “Unless there was someone around to take care of it.”

Bailey

Gasping, I turned around and took in the sight before me. “Is it really you?”

He laughed. “It is. I’ve been waiting on you to come back.”

Ryker stood protectively at my side. “Who is he?”

Wide eyed, I stared in awe at the man coming toward us. Everything about him was just as I remembered. But now he was tall, just like our father, with platinum blond hair and strong muscles. His smile, however, was just like our mother’s. “It’s Colin. He found us.” I closed the distance and jumped in his arms. “Where the hell have you been?”

He squeezed me tight and let go. “Not too far from here.” Switching his attention to Ryker, he held out his hand. “I’m her brother, Colin Storm. It’s nice to meet you.”

Ryker shook his hand. “Ryker Whitemore.”

“So tell me everything. Where did you go after that attack?” I asked impatiently.

“Zayne and I went to every royal we could find and got them out before it was too late. We stayed hidden until it was all over. The Yukons wanted you and Faith.”

“What about your memories?”

He sighed. “They were gone, but after seeing the attack, I knew I had to do something. Zayne told me what was going on and I put my faith in him. We got our people out and left. We couldn’t fight the Yukons and live, there were just too many of them. When my memories came back, that was when I knew you had returned. I didn’t know about the battle until I arrived two days ago.”

“And you’ve been visiting here to take care of mother’s garden?”

He nodded. “It was the only way I knew to keep the memory of our parents alive. It made me feel close to them. This land is ours. I just didn’t want to come back here until I knew it was safe for our people.”

“How many did you save?”

“There are ten of us, mainly our childhood friends. Z is with them now, making sure they’re safe. We’ve been training them to fight ever since that night. The kids were sent with me and Zayne to escape, while the adults stayed back to fight. Do you remember your friend, Raelyn?”

I gasped. “She’s alive?” Raelyn’s parents were best friends with ours. She used to always come over and play with us.

“She is. She’ll be happy to know you’re safe. I knew you and Sebastian were with the Northern pack, but there was nothing I could do but wait. Do you know where Faith is?”

“She’s been with Micah all these years. He found us in Wyoming. Now that everything’s over, he’s going to bring her to me. Why don’t you join us? Bring your pack to Wyoming.”

He quickly glanced at Ryker and then back to me. “I don’t think two male alphas in one pack will work.”

Laughing, my thoughts drifted to Sebastian and Ryker. There was too much testosterone between those two. “Technically, there would be five alphas, but I’m not asking you to be a part of our pack. There are other alphas around with their own territories. We’re all united. If you bring in more royals, it’ll only make us all stronger.”

“She has a point,” Ryker agreed.

Colin sighed and then nodded. “All right, we’ll come. It might take a few weeks, but we’ll be there. I’m sure Zayne will be happy to see his brothers again.”

“And they’ll be happy to see him.” I hugged him for the third time and didn’t want to let go.

He tried to pull away and laughed when I held on. “Are you going to let me go?”

“I’m afraid if I do, I’ll never see you again.”

Chuckling, he squeezed me again. “Just wait until I start jumping out of trees to scare you. You’ll change your mind about wanting me around then.”

I pushed him away and smacked his arm. “I used to hate it when you’d do that. I’m surprised you didn’t do it today.”

Ryker snorted. “There would’ve been a fight on his hands if he did,” he stated.

Colin nodded. “Exactly. I’d hate to have to hurt your mate,” he said with a wink. Thankfully, Ryker chuckled along with the joke. If it was Sebastian, there would’ve been a brawl.

“Speaking of mates. Do you have one yet?” I asked.

“Nope.”

I winked up at Ryker and then turned back to my brother. “There are a ton of eligible women in our pack. I bet they would love to meet you. They swooned over Sebastian and Micah.”

A sly smile spread across his face. “I’m sold. Are you two heading back home today?”

I nodded. “I just wanted to see our house first. We have a long drive ahead of us.” We walked out of the garden and I locked it up, putting the key back in its hiding spot. “Did you run all this way?” I asked, not seeing another car other than our own.

“Yeah, I keep a change of clothes here for when I work in the garden. If anyone were to pass by, I’d hate for them to see a naked man walking about. We’ve had a few trespassers come by to check the place out. They think it’s haunted.”

“Humans?”

He grinned wide. “It’s been nice scaring them. They usually only come by on Halloween. The others usually come with me on that night.”

“Always the trickster,” I laughed. We stared at each other for a few more minutes but then I knew it was time to say goodbye. “I’ll see you soon.”

Ryker and I got in the truck and slowly pulled out of the overgrown driveway. Colin watched us leave and then shifted into his wolf. For the first time in my life, everything was working out perfectly.

Bailey (Three Weeks Later)

“It looks like you have a lot to celebrate tonight,” Tyla squealed. It was the night of the full moon and I had just found out I got a teaching position at the local high school.

“Let’s just hope there isn’t another emergency to distract us this time.”

She laughed and grabbed the bags out of the backseat. “Nothing will stop Ryker this time, the man’s way too focused. Now let’s get you dressed. I want you stunning for tonight.”

The sky turned pink and I knew we didn’t have much time. Ryker was nowhere to be found so we rushed up to my bedroom and I changed into my brand new dress. It was white, with crystals along the bodice. I wanted it to sparkle in the moonlight.

“You look amazing,” she gasped.

We walked down the stairs and with each step, my heart thumped harder and louder. Tyla went to the refrigerator and pulled out a bottle of wine. “Trying to get me drunk on my bonding night?”

She giggled. “No, it’s to calm your sporadic nerves. I can hear your heart all the way over here.” She handed me the wine and I gulped it down.

“I’m not nervous, well, maybe just a little. I think it’s more excitement than anything. I don’t know what it’s going to be like once we complete the bond.”

“I wish I could tell you, but I don’t know either. I just know it’s the best feeling in the world. Maybe one day, I’ll know what it’s like too.”

“You will,” I promised.

The sound of Ryker’s truck could be heard coming down the drive and Tyla squealed, grinning from ear to ear. “He’s here. Good luck tonight! I’ll see you tomorrow and you can tell me all about it.” She started for the door and then stopped. “Well, maybe not everything. I don’t really want to know how you decide to do it.”

“Goodbye, Tyla.” I laughed, pushing her out the door. She said some words to Ryker when he got out of the truck and he laughed. When he looked at me, he froze, eyes glowing for a split second.

“You look beautiful,” he murmured, closing the distance. I thought he’d be in his ranger uniform, but instead, he was dressed in a pair of khaki pants and a white button down.

“You look handsome yourself. I thought you were at work?”

Grinning mischievously, he shook his head. “It’s a special night, Bailey. I wanted to make it perfect.”

“Oh yeah? How so?”

He held out his hand. “Come and find out.”

“Let me put my glass down and get my shoes. I’ll be right out.”

“You don’t need your shoes, angel. We’re taking the scenic route.” He nodded toward the woods and smiled.

I quickly put my glass in the sink and took a deep breath before walking back outside. Maybe I was nervous. I couldn’t stop from shivering . . . but in a good way. Taking his hand, we began our trek through the woods, the sky growing darker with each passing minute.

“How far are we going?” I asked.

He pointed to the clearing up ahead. “Just up to the lake.”

Once the lake appeared, I stopped to catch my breath. The moon had the most magnificent glow over the water, but that wasn’t all. “Ryker, it’s amazing.”

There was a blanket on the ground with candles all around, and a basket of food. It smelled heavenly. We both sat down and he picked up one of the flameless candles. “Kami got these for me. Using real candles out here wouldn’t have been the best decision.”

I laughed. “Smart thinking.”

“Are you hungry?” He opened the basket and pulled out the food, including a cooler with mint chocolate chip ice cream inside.

“It’s scary how well you know me.”

“We can hear each other’s thoughts, angel. I’m sure there are things you hear in my mind that you wish you couldn’t. I’m working on not butting in on your thoughts all the time.”

“I have nothing to hide. Besides, if I don’t want you to listen, I block you out. Easy enough.”

Chuckling, he passed me a plate full with a steak, potatoes, and asparagus. “Same here. You’d be scared to know what I think about every second of every day.”

“Enlighten me then.”

He pointed down to my food. “Why don’t you eat and then I’ll tell you all about it.” We both ate our plates of food and topped it all off with our favorite ice cream. Once everything was cleared away, we laid down on the blanket and looked up at the moon.

“Why would I be scared to know what you think about?” I whispered the words.

Turning on his side, he lifted up on his elbow and I did the same. He stared at me with those emerald eyes of his and I couldn’t help but get lost in the depths of them. “I think about you all the time. No matter what I’m doing or where I’m at, you’re always on my mind. I don’t know if it borders on the line of obsession, but I can’t help it. I love you, Bailey.”

“I love you too,” I murmured, leaning over him for a kiss. The time had come and I was more ready than ever. Slowly, I unbuttoned his shirt, exposing his smooth, hard chest. “Make love to me, Ryker.” I pulled the straps of my dress down and he finished, sliding it the rest of the way.

“You’re sure this is what you want? Once we do this, it can’t be undone.”

Nodding, I helped him out of his shirt and unbuttoned his pants. “I have never been so sure about anything in my entire life.” Lowering his pants to the ground, a satisfied growl rumbled in his chest. Keeping his gaze on mine, I watched how they shifted back and forth as he kissed his way up my body. “We’re not going to have any surprise visitors tonight are we?”

He flicked his tongue over my clit, making me jerk. My body tingled and I ached to feel more. His warm breath blew across it as he spoke, making the yearning worse. “They know to stay away. I don’t want to share this moment with anyone other than you.” He licked me again and I grabbed a handful of his hair and squeezed when he plunged his tongue inside.

“That feels so damn good,” I moaned.

“And you taste good too,” he said.

I was so close to losing control, but he stopped and chuckled as he licked a trail up to my breasts. “I see you want to torture me tonight. What do you think about this?” I reached down between his legs and wrapped my hand around his arousal, stroking his length. He sucked in a breath and pushed himself up and down inside my hand. The tip of his cock grew wet and I wiped it away with my thumb. Licking my lips, I brought it to my mouth and closed my eyes, moaning as I tasted him.

Groaning, he lowered his mouth to my breasts and sucked my nipple. “You’ll be the death of me, angel.” He grazed my skin with his teeth, but he didn’t bite.

“Why won’t you bite me?” I asked silently.

Looking into my eyes, he bent down and kissed me. “I don’t want us to be lost in a vision tonight. I need you right here with me.”

I nodded and wrapped my legs around his waist. “I’m not going anywhere.”

“Are you ready for me?” he asked, reaching between my legs. Slipping a finger inside, he groaned with how wet I was.

I bit my lip and grinned. “Is that answer enough?”

He spread me wide and aligned himself at my opening. The moon glowed down, its magic swirling like invisible threads all around us. As soon as we completed the bond, those threads would be inside us, tethering us together; Ryker felt it too. Slowly, he pushed, until he was as deep as he could go. I gasped and squeezed my legs tighter around his waist, pushing him deeper. We moved together as one, our bodies and minds fully connected. The bond we already had opened up to a whole new level. Our power merged and whatever magic was in my body transferred to him and his to mine.

My insides tightened and I felt my release coming quick. Fisting his hands in my hair, Ryker grunted with his thrusts, his cock pulsating inside me. I cried out as I finally reached the edge and trembled from the best orgasm of my life. Ryker groaned and pounded his hips into mine as he chased his release, arms clutching me tight.

When he reached completion, I gasped as those magical threads bound us together. His soul was inside me and mine in his, unbreakable. Only death could break us apart. Leaning up on his elbows, Ryker leaned down and kissed me, our bodies still connected. “You’re mine now, angel.”

I kissed him again. “Always.”