Red Moon Secrets(42)

"The girls don't," Zee says, motioning toward the howling beasts calling to the red moon from the basement.
"They couldn't hear?" Alyssa asks, proving how new to this world she still is.
"Not while under the influence of the red moon," I answer.  "They understand names and certain words, but they don't retain much when they shift back."
"Good," she mumbles.  "I don't want Amy knowing.  She'll fucking love it," she says, whispering the last part so low that I don't think she wanted anyone to hear it.
Her lips pucker like there's a bitter taste in her mouth, and I hold back a sigh.  I know she still questions this stupid thing linking Amy to me.  I hate it—fucking hate it.  I wish I'd never met Amy.  If there's a way to prove to Alyssa I'm never going to be with the lycan bitch, I'll find it.
"I love you," I murmur against her forehead when she leans into me more.
She lets free a genuine smile when she feels comforted by those three powerful words.  At least I can do that much.  I'll tell her as often as she needs to hear it.
"I love you," she utters softly, kissing my chest as she snuggles against me.
Gage's jaw clenches as he grinds his molars, but he doesn't vaporize from the room like he normally does when she shows me any sort of affection.  Damn.  I was looking forward to him being gone.
"Let's get some rest.  We still have Thad's memorial tomorrow," Gage murmurs quietly, letting his eyes only gaze at the floor and not us.
The spell of temporary relaxation Alyssa had is broken with the reminder of her friend's sad fate.  I'm starting to wonder if Gage didn't deliberately do that to crush the moment between us.  If he did, that's low—even for a dark user.  Even at my cruelest, I wouldn't have done such a thing.
"Aye," Dice says, yawning.  "I've had my ass thoroughly kicked, so a night of rest will do me good."
His eyes move to Alyssa, expecting an apology, which she doesn't offer.  She doesn't know what she did to him.  I intentionally left that out.
He frowns when he realizes she's oblivious, and his eyes come to meet my warning ones.  I shake my head once, letting him know not to bring it up.  I'll tell her eventually, but not now—not tonight.  The fact she hurt Gage was upsetting enough to her.  She doesn't need to know she hurt Dice, too.
She stands first, and I follow, snaking my arm around her waist and feeling the thin sheet of silky material that covers her body.  As soon as we're alone, I'm startled by her pulling me down to kiss her.
Her kiss is needy, not hungry.  I'm not sure what's going on, but I pull her closer, letting my tongue slip in and tangle with hers before picking her up and dropping to the bed with her in my arms.
"Thank you," she murmurs when she pulls back.
"For?" I ask, still reeling from that powerful kiss I want to go back to.
"For being here for me—again.  You—it's like you—I don't know.  I don't deserve it.  You have no idea how harshly I've judged the bitten fey, especially night stalkers.  I don't deserve to have you—someone who is so understanding of the monster I really am."
A few tears creep out despite her attempts to restrain them, and I wipe one away with my thumb before kissing her softly.  Her robe has fallen open enough to show me her veil has resumed, covering the scar that goes deeper than the surface.
I stroke the smooth skin that holds a tragic secret, and then I lean down, kissing her there.  Her breath hitches for a minute and she stiffens, but not because she's scared of me.  She's insecure because of what that son of a bitch left behind.
"I'll always be here, Alyssa.  I've told you that before," I murmur before dragging my lips up her neck in a slow, sensual motion.
Her chills make me feel rewarded by telling me I've said or done something right.  Her fingers start running through my hair as she lets me continue tracing the line of her jaw with my lips.
I smile when I see her smiling with her eyes closed, relaxing completely under the promise of my words and the love in my touch.  She's mine, just as I'm hers.
 

Chapter 9
 
Alyssa
 
There's nothing worse than waking up with a vicious headache while the sun blares through the wall of windows in the room.  I know what my first housewarming gift to Kane will be—curtains.
A hushed but heated argument is going on just outside the door, and I climb out of bed to listen.  I scoop my robe up from the floor and tie it into place as I strain my hearing to hone in on the exact words being shared.
"I won't fucking do it.  If you try to put her in a cage, I'll rip your head off your shoulders!" Kane yells in a whisper.