Bad Moon Rising (Dark-Hunter #18)(42)
Author: Sherrilyn Kenyon

Ever.

Dev moved to stand with them while Maman kissed the cheeks of her grandchildren.

Once they were gone, Maman turned to the quads. "You will stay safe, non?"

"Oui," Remi said. "But we’re doing it here."

Maman’s face blanched as her eyes darkened with fury. "What?"

Zar stepped forward. "Nothing you say or do will change our minds. We’re not leaving you, Maman."

"And neither are we."

Aimee turned at the sound of Carson’s voice. He came down the stairs with Justin, Jasyn, Sasha, Max, and the Howlers: Angel, Teddy, Tripper, Damien, and Colt.

Tripper Diomedes, who was an Arcadian lion, spoke for the group. "You’ve given us shelter when no one else would and we’re here to stand with you no matter what."

"As am I."

Aimee gasped as she heard Wren’s voice. He’d flashed in not far from her brothers.

Maman was completely aghast as she saw him there. "You hate me."

Wren shrugged. "You’re definitely not my favorite person, Lo. But your daughter means a lot to me and so I won’t stand back and let her family be destroyed. Even if I do think we’re all completely stupid for fighting for you."

Maman shook her head as she looked around at all of them. "You do understand how many will be attacking us? How many enemies I’ve made?"

Remi snorted. "We’ve made, you mean. I think we’ve all had a hand in this fiasco. Me probably more so than anyone else."

Angel nodded in agreement. "And to that, I say bring the rain. We are here and we won’t be defeated."

An amen went up from the others.

Damien flashed a rare grin. "Sanctuary, Home of Howlers and stragglers of the Were universe."

Nodding, Teddy clapped him on the back. "Sanctuary forever."

Maman’s eyes were bright from her unshed tears as she surveyed the men who were willing to not only protect her home with their lives . . . they were willing to protect her. "Thank you. Your loyalty won’t be forgotten."

"And all the free liquor you can hold," Dev said. "We definitely don’t want to do this sober."

That broke the tension as they all laughed.

Aimee shook her head. "Yeah, but you’re going to get your own drinks, guys, ’cause I’m not running it to you. There’s just too many of you."

Maman did what she did best. She took charge. "Very well, mes fils du coeur. We shall keep to our schedules and run business as usual."

Max stepped forward. "I’ll be the muscle. Not many can take down a dragon."

"And make sure you ride herd on the humans," Remi reminded him.

He inclined his head.

Maman smiled at them. Gratitude and pride were bright in her blue eyes. "Let’s show our enemies and doubters that Sanctuary will stand no matter what they say."

She paused beside Wren. "And you were wrong about me, tiger. I’ve never considered the ones here as my dupes. I have bent rules for all of you at one time or another. If loving my children above all else is a crime in your world, then you can hang me for that sin as I would have it no other way."

Wren didn’t speak until she was gone and Aimee could tell that even now he didn’t trust her mother. He walked over to her. "I’m only here for you."

She squeezed him lightly on the arm. "Thank you, Wren."

He inclined his head before he left.

Cherif let out a relieved breath. "Wow, Maman took that better than I thought."

Papa laughed. "She knows how stubborn you boys are and you outnumber her." He stopped in front of Aimee. "You, on the other hand, have to leave."

"I won’t go, Papa. This is my home and you are my family. I won’t hide while all of you are in danger. I did that once and I’ve had to live with that cowardice every day since. I won’t do it again."

He cupped her face in his large paw of a hand. "They gave their lives for you, mon ange. Don’t mock their sacrifice."

"I don’t, but I’m full-grown now and I will stand and I will fight as they did."

His eyes darkened with sadness as he let his hand fall. "I would argue. I know you have enough of your mother in you to make it impossible to win."

She smiled. "You would be right."

He scanned the others. "All right then. Let us all prepare for war."

In wolf form, Fang lay in the sun, not far from where Anya had died. He didn’t know why he kept coming back here. Maybe it was the part of him that longed for the way things had been prior to her death.

Or maybe it was the need within him for some connection to someone else. Because right now, he felt absolutely alone. His relationship with Vane wasn’t what it had been and he’d been staying away from Aimee out of fear of hurting her. The demon was getting worse and more violent.

If anything happened to Aimee . . .

"Fang?"

He lifted his head at the sound of Varyk’s voice. The werewolf appeared a few feet away from him. "What do you want?" he snarled mentally.

"Savitar has issued a warrant out for you."

Fang was aghast at the order. "For what?"

"Murder."

"Are you serious?"

Varyk gave him a droll stare. "You don’t think I came all the way out here to joke?"

Of course not. Varyk had no sense of humor. "This is ridiculous. I didn’t do anything."

"Regardless of that, Vane has been charged with bringing you in or his family and pack will be slaughtered."

Fang jumped to his feet as rage darkened his sight. How dare Savitar threaten his family. "This is bullshit."

"You know Savitar."

Yes, he did. And right now, he wanted that bastard’s throat.

Varyk folded his arms over his chest. "And there’s more. Sanctuary lost its license."

That was the last thing he expected to hear. "What?"

"Because of the complaints of Blakemore and the jackals you attacked, Savitar revoked Lo’s license for six months."

Fang felt ill. He’d ruined everything.

Everyone . . .

"And I just found out something you might want to know."

"Thorn has a conscience?" Fang couldn’t resist asking.

Varyk looked at him drily. "Don’t make me laugh." Sadly enough, Thorn had more of one than Varyk did. "I found out something about the Peltiers and Blakemores."

"They hate each other. We know."

"No. Blakemore blames them for the death of his youn gest son."

Fang turned human as those words hit him. "What?"

"Yeah. It’s a blood feud. Apparently, junior broke the eirini laws of another sanctuary and was to be banned from them forever."

The eirini were peace laws put in place by Savitar. To break one left the offender on his own for eternity.

"Not long after the Peltiers opened here," Varyk continued, "junior came running to them for protection and the bears refused to admit him. They were upholding Savitar’s laws and I’m sure the fact that junior Blakemore was a bully and an ass, and that he was being chased by a group he’d provoked, didn’t help matters. He and his running buddies were killed out in the same alley where Wren was attacked. Apparently that’s why Stone keeps going there. He’s hoping to find one of the Peltiers in the same place his brother died so that he can return quid pro quo."

"Then I’m sure the Peltiers are aware of the situation since that would have been . . . what? A hundred years ago?"

"Close, and on the anniversary of junior’s death, Blakemore plans to kill every bear and animal there and to torch that place to the ground."

Fang ground his teeth in helpless frustration. "So what you’re telling me is that I can stay and protect Aimee from the psycho and my brother dies. Or I can save my brother and Aimee dies."

"Yeah, basically, you’re screwed."

"What else is new?" He met Varyk’s gaze as impotent rage scorched him. "I need to know where you stand in all of this."

"Blakemore’s my paycheck. Nothing more than that."

"And Aimee’s my life . . . if I leave everything I have to you, will you protect her for me?"

Varyk snorted at his offer as his gaze went to Fang’s bike and the backpack he carried that held all of his belongings inside it. "What do you have to bribe me with?"

"Two hundred million, plus some change."

Varyk choked. "What?"

Fang shrugged over it. Money had never meant much to him. It was as intangible as friendship. "Vane’s real good with investments and I don’t spend much. You take care of Aimee and I will make sure every cent of it goes to you."

"For that kind of money, I’d do a lot more for you than just guard your woman."

Fang snorted. "I don’t want to go there. Just uphold your word." He jerked his backpack up from the ground.

"Hey?"

Fang turned to look at him.

Varyk’s face was stoic, but his gaze burned with sincerity. "I will keep her safe. You can count on it. And you don’t have to pay me for it."

Fang inclined his head in gratitude before he flashed himself from the swamp to Sanctuary. The one thing he’d learned these past months was how to merge his powers with the demon inside him and use them to his advantage. It allowed him to walk invisible and to do other nifty things-some bloodier than others.

Even with those powers, he’d avoided doing this. Mostly because it hurt too much to see Aimee. Instead, he’d relegated himself to visiting her room just so that he could feel her presence there. Breathe in her scent and remember the nights when they’d been together.

But he didn’t want to die without one last glimpse of her. No matter how much it hurt, he had to see her.

Like a whispering breeze, he made his way up to her room. She sat on her bed, holding the leather jacket he’d left behind a few weeks ago. The same jacket he’d wrapped her in on the day they’d met.

Her beautiful blue eyes held so much agony that it carved her pain into his own heart. He hated the torment she caused him. Most of all, he hated the torment he caused her.

"Where are you, Fang?" she breathed.

Unable to stand it, he materialized in front of her.

Aimee gasped at the sight of Fang in her room. He dropped to his knees and laid his head in her lap, then wrapped his arms around her waist. Her hand trembling, she brushed his hair back, amazed that he’d finally come to her. "What are you doing here?"

"I had to see you."

She tightened her hand in his hair, reveling in the softness of it. "We have to run, Fang. I’m ready."

"We can’t. I could never be happy knowing I’d cost my brother his mate and child."

"It’s not fair."

He pulled back to look up at her. Those dark eyes singed her with sincerity. "I didn’t do it, Aimee. I swear I haven’t killed anyone who didn’t attack me first."

"I know, baby."

He nodded. "I better go."

She held his hand, preventing him from leaving her. She knew what he was going to do. It was written on his face.

He intended to turn himself in and save his brother.

When he turned to her with a frown, she stood up from the bed and pulled his lips to hers.

Fang growled as her kiss seared him. He twisted his fists in her shirt, wanting her with a need so desperate it tore him apart. But he couldn’t stay and he knew it. "Don’t start this fire, Aimee."

She answered by lifting his shirt up. Her warm hands skimmed his chest, making him so hard he ached. "Everything is falling apart. But the one thing that hasn’t changed is how I feel about you. I won’t spend another minute of regret where you’re concerned." She removed her own top.

Fang struggled to breathe as he stared at the light blue lace bra . . . his favorite on her. "Are you sure?"

"Absolutely."

Fang pulled her against him as he ravaged her mouth. Nothing had ever tasted sweeter. And for once, he wouldn’t be settling for second best. Even if they were mates, at this point, it wouldn’t matter. He was about to die and that would free her to find a more appropriate male.

Fang pulled back to look down at her. "How do we do this?"

She arched a sarcastic brow. "You need instructions?"

He laughed. "No, but I don’t know what bears do."

She laid her gentle hand on his cheek. "Make me yours, Fang. However you do that."

Dipping his head down to nuzzle her neck, he reached around her to undo her bra and pull it off. Her ni**les puckered, and he moved to give them all the attention he’d been dreaming of.

Aimee cradled his head to her as he played. The one thing she’d learned about wolves and Fang in particular was that he loved to taste and to lick. The one thing he’d always been was thorough.

And as he unzipped her pants and dipped his hand down to stroke her, she knew tonight would be no exception. Her body trembled as he touched her. It’d been so long. . . .

How had he stood it? She had spent night after night, aching for him. It felt so good to be touched again.

"I’ve missed you, Fang." She pulled his shirt over his head so that she could touch him.

Fang felt his powers surge. The one thing about sex and Were-Hunters was that it empowered them. Made them stronger and sharper. And right now, he was more alive than he’d ever been before.