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“And you just let her leave without even asking where she was going?” I demanded.
He sneered — he actuallysneeredat me. “I’ve never stopped your flavor of the week before. Why should I start now? I was hoping that would be the end of it.”
My vision bled red and the world lurched around me.
Before I knew what was happening, I was on all four paws. Remus was next to me, his hands knotted in the thick fur of my ruff when he tried to restrain me from savaging the man in front of me. My claws scrabbled across the floor as I tried to inch closer.
My father hurried past me, kneeling next to Damon where the man crouched. I could see red against his skin, but I didn’t remember shifting, much less touching him.
“Eli,” Remus said, trying to edge me back from the other men. “Eli, can you hear me?”
There was a hint of red in my father’s eyes now. “Eli, take a breath,” he commanded, before turning back to Damon. He got the man to his feet. Damon’s wound must not have been too bad because Nic was already escorting him back towards the door. “Get back to London,” my father snapped. “Immediately.”
I growled again, my muscles tensing even as the door closed behind Damon. I didn’t want him toleave— I wanted topunish himfor talking such absolute shit.
“Eli,” Remus said again, his voice low and steady. “He’s gone. Let him go.” I growled, but my brother only shook his head. “No, he’s gone. We aren’t chasing him.”
I huffed, but finally relaxed my posture, my hackles lying flat as I took in a deep breath. My ears pressed forward, and my tail was no longer arched high above my spine. As I sat back on the tile floor, I found myself back in my human form, staring at my hands as the adrenaline started draining from my body.
“Sorry,” I said breathlessly, pressing my hands into my hair. I felt like I was out of control. “I…yeah. Wow. Sorry.”
Remus shook his head. “If anyone spoke about Luna that way, I’d have done the same thing.” He snorted. “No, Ihavedone the same thing.”
I didn’t say anything. Luna and Remus were mates. Iris and I were…what? Working on a case together? Had really great sex one time? It wasn’t the same.
“Take a deep breath, and then let’s get back to planning,” Remus suggested, standing up and offering me a hand. “We at least have a little more information now, and we can’t afford to be distracted by someone else’s bad behavior.”
I nodded again. “Yes. Right.” He was right. I could sort through all this emotional crap once we found Iris. I had to get my priorities in order: Iris’s safety first, everything else after.
IRIS
Project Night Moon Facility
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The stars hung low overhead. I was so glad Eli suggested we go for a run — it wasn’t even that hard to pull my wolf forward this time.Maybe I’m getting better at this.I was afraid to voice my thought out loud, lest I jinx it, but I felt quiet pride that I hadn’t struggled so hard this time. It wasn’t perfect. I couldn’t run as fast as Eli, and not as long, but I didn’t feel like I would trip and fall at any moment.
I didn’t feel like I would lose him at any moment.
It was an amazing feeling, only heightened by the scenery. I had no idea Texas could be so beautiful when you got away from the big city. I couldn’t remember why we had left Austin at this particular moment, but I didn’t care. Most of the wildflowers were past prime in the end of summer, but not all of them. There were brilliant blooms in orange, red, and yellow. Even under the stars, they seemed to glow.
The stars came down all the way to the field we were running toward, except they weren’t stars at all. They were fireflies. Dozens — no, hundreds of fireflies, blinking and flashing as they communicated wordlessly with one another. I was almost reminded of the plains where I used to run. I could remember the Alaska fireweed, their beautiful shade of warm purple. I could remember the fragrance and looking up at how vast the sky was. It felt like that.
And for once, the memory didn’t make me sad. It was a pleasant backdrop as we enjoyed one another’s company, Eli slowing down occasionally to bump his shoulder against mine. I kept leaning into it, trying to nip at his ears, but he usually ducked his head out of the way, speeding back up.
This time, I changed my tactic, grabbing onto his ruff instead. He skidded to a halt and I slowed down, barking my amusement as I circled back, breaking into a trot. I slapped my forepaws against the ground, my tail swooshing behind me as I pricked my ears forward. Eli gave a pleased rumble, his tail starting to wag as well. He mirrored my play bow, his blue eyes sparkling before he bounced forward.
It was a brief tussle that ended with me breathless and on the grassy ground, panting as Eli loomed over me, his whiskers tickling my ears. As I rolled onto my back, I let go of my wolf, spreading my arms and legs out as I returned to my human form. Eli followed suit, a breathless smile on his face as he leaned down. I tipped my chin up, unable to contain my smile as he pressed a kiss to my lips.
It started soft and sweet, but it didn’t stay that way. Eli nipped at my lower lip and I hummed quietly, deepening the kiss as I wrapped one hand around the back of his neck. He groaned softly as he licked into my mouth, our tongues tangling in a brief battle for dominance. In reality, I was content to let him have it. Let him lead the way.
When he pulled back to flop against the ground, I made a disappointed noise, propping myself up on my elbows to look at him. Eli flashed me a bright grin, wiggling his eyebrows in suggestion.
I couldn’t help but laugh, enjoying this playful side of him. It was more than enough to tempt me into getting up and crawling over to him, placing my hands on either side of his face as I leaned down to kiss him again.
“You’re trouble,” I teased, kissing his jawline next. As I straddled his hips, I moved my hands again, sliding them down his chest. The smell of him this close made me shiver, and I inhaled deeply as I traced my fingers over his chest, slipping them back under his shirt.
“What’re you going to do about it?” Eli asked, clearly relishing the attention.
