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She considered drinking it, but a healthy caution held her back. There was no telling how her body would react. It might kill her. It might do nothing at all. She needed one of the wolves and time to experiment and prepare. Immortality would be hers.
She tilted the vial, watching as the blood-red droplet hit the surface, spreading outward. “Blood to blood. Mirror to see. They can no longer hide from me.” The blood raced toward the edges of the shallow dish, as if trying to escape to rejoin its host. “Blood and silver, present and past, guide me to them now at last.”
An image began to reflect in the metal. It was murky. Even now, what had belonged to the lone wolf fought her. She lusted for that kind of power, for immortality.
The candles flared skyward and then went dark. On a cry of fury, she fell forward. “You can’t hide from me.” She hadn’t seen much but enough.
She quickly closed her circle and grabbed her robe on the way to the door. Charles leaned against the wall, waiting. “Any luck, my dear?”
“They’re in Brooklyn.”
Chapter Fifteen
Luna’s heart ached, and her soul was bruised, her confidence shattered. Kade’s accusations rang in her ears. The worst part was she couldn’t blame him. There were too many coincidences. Everything between them had happened too fast, been too intense.
There was no denying she’d been manipulated. That left her cold and shaken. Then there was the stark realization that Kade had had her investigated, had uncovered every childhood secret she’d done her best to hide and forget. That made her wary and uneasy. The sad part was she wanted him to put his arms around her and assure her everything would be okay. But no one could guarantee that, least of all him.
“Let’s go back to the kitchen and talk. You need to eat.”
Was he serious? “I can’t eat.” Her stomach was too churned up. As much as she wanted to bolt, it wouldn’t be smart. Not with powerful enemies scouring the city for any sign of them. And there was a part of her that didn’t want to leave him. If that made her an idiot, so be it.
They were both dealing with volatile emotions and too many disruptions outside their control. She wasn’t making excuses for him. He damn well should have trusted her.
He hovered beside her as they made their way back. “For God’s sake, I’m not going to make a run for it.” He’d catch her if she did. She was no match for him physically.
“I messed up.” He got two bottles of water out of the fridge and handed her one.
“You did.”
The corners of his lips quirked up. “You don’t have to agree quite so readily.” His self-deprecating humor made it difficult to hold on to her anger.
“You hurt me.”
His slight smile vanished. “I know, and I’m sorry for it. I’ve spent almost a hundred years unable to trust anyone.” He took a swallow of water, the strong column of his throat rippling. “I’ve had lovers try to kill me.”
“What?” She set down her bottle without drinking.
He shrugged and took another gulp. “In the early days, we had a couple of alphas put bounties on our heads. They weren’t thrilled there were three lone wolves. They could never get it through their thick skulls that none of us wanted to lead a pack. It doesn’t work that way. We need to be free to hunt when the call rises within us.”
To have a lover, someone who shared your bed, try to kill you… It was little wonder he had such a suspicious nature. It had kept him alive. She ignored the frisson of jealousy twisting her stomach into knots. He’d lived a long time. Not like he’d been a monk. He was too gorgeous, too earthy and masculine not to have drawn the attention of many women—wolf and human. All he had to do was crook his finger. Hadn’t taken her long to fall into bed with him, had it?Don’t think about it.
“What happened to those alphas?” She wrapped her hands around the bottle and rubbed them back and forth, spinning it slightly on the countertop.
His brows lowered. “I eliminated one of the threats. Devlin took out the other. It was a reminder, a warning that the lone wolves aren’t to be fucked with.” He rubbed his chest and cursed under his breath. “Not now.”
“What’s wrong?” He was rubbing the tattoo over his heart. “Are you in pain?” Worried, she pressed her hand over his. “Is it magic?” She barely kept from looking over her shoulder, searching the shadows. She didn’t want to say Solange’s name aloud. That seemed too much like tempting fate.
“It’s similar to the urge to hunt but not quite.” He shrugged. “Whatever it is, it’s gone.” When she started to sit, he gripped her hips and tugged until she was standing in front of him. The heat from his hands penetrated her clothes, spreading like warm molasses throughout her body.
She might be upset about his accusations, her feelings hurt, but her body didn’t seem to care. “Kade, this isn’t smart. We don’t need to muddy things with whatever this is between us. At least not more than we already have. You don’t fully trust me, and I can’t fully trust you, but we have a common foe.”
“The enemy of my enemy is my friend, is that it?”
“No.” She should step back, but she couldn’t make her legs follow her commands. “It’s more we’re friends with a common cause.”
“Friends.” His voice was flat and emotionless, but his eyes burned hot, the gray flashing as if lit from inside. “After last night, we’re more than friends.”
“Fine, we’re lovers. It’s semantics. You’re an immortal wolf. I’m human. Never gonna work. Let’s focus on staying alive and figure the rest out later.” Honestly, she couldn’t deal with any more emotional roller coasters.
