Steal the Moon(52)

“What did you do, brother?” Dev asked with a sigh as he entered the room followed by Padric.

“Well, they are not threatening war,” Declan offered.

“Yet,” Padric added.

Dev sent his brother an annoyed look. “Damn it. I told you how to handle them. You have to treat them with respect. You have to allow them their customs. They will try to push you into showing your distaste. You must never show them.”

“It is hard because I find them very, very distasteful,” Declan shot back.

They were off and arguing about politics which meant my mind was off and wandering. I don’t much care for the politics that directly affect me, much less politics on some other plane. I was busy watching the little furry thing sleep. It was such a sweet little puff ball. It opened its eyes and they were large and blue.

“It is a jalibuit,” Padric explained as Dev and Dec continued to argue. “It is a rare creature found in Faery. We brought two of them as gifts to the wolves. They are good to hunt.”

I made no attempt to hide my outrage. “You’re going to let the wolves hunt that tiny, sweet little rabbit thing? That’s horrible. And it’s rare? No wonder it’s rare. You let wolves hunt them.”

I started to reach through the bars of the cage to pet the poor little thing that would likely be some wolf’s morning snack soon.

Padric’s hand shot out just as the sweet little thing became a rabid fury filled with sharp teeth. It rattled the cage and tried hard to break free.

“It is rare, Zoey, because it is a ferocious predator,” Padric said with a wry smile.

“Zoey.” Dev pulled me away from the cage. “You will not be keeping it as a pet.”

“I don’t want to.” It had gone back to its former sweet state, but all I could see were teeth.

Dev kissed me lightly. “I have to go now. Our ceremony is tomorrow night and there are rituals I must perform to ready myself.”

“Does it involve scraping off half your skin with faery sand?” I asked grumpily because I was still a little raw from my last encounter with that sand.

“Yes, of course,” he replied, not taking the bait. He picked up a bag he’d prepared and started out the door.

“Devinshea,” Padric called. “I believe those rituals are for you and the male members of your family.”

Dev shook his head. “Given the way Declan feels about it, I will be fine alone.”

“I would offer my services, Devinshea,” Padric said plainly.

Dev smiled slightly and inclined his head. “I would be honored if you would accompany me.”

Declan was frowning at the two of them. “Well, if Padric is going I am, too. Besides, if I am left here, I doubt Zoey will be able to keep her hands off of me and then I will be forced to murder my brother in a duel. It is better I take the temptation away.”

I rolled my eyes as Dev laughed and led the other men out of the door. He popped his head back in for one last instruction. “Be careful today, my goddess. That little predator is the second of two brought in for the hunts. The first hunt just began. Stay out of the woods to the north. It will be dangerous.”

I nodded, promising to stay safe as he left with the men.

“Just another half hour,” Sarah said as she walked up with a nervous smile on her face.

“God, I hope he’s all right.” It was going to be a long half hour. It seemed like I’d waited forever to see Neil again.

Sarah stared out the open flap of the tent. Dev had disappeared into the forests. Sarah and I walked outside and I enjoyed the sunshine and the way the aspens shook in the wind. It was a beautiful, peaceful place.

Sarah pointed to the woods in the distance. “Do you think he’s already waiting out there?”

“I don’t know. I hope so.” The woods seemed far away. I hoped Neil wasn’t far. Declan’s words finally penetrated my brain. “Oh, shit, Sarah. Is that north?”

“Yes, silly.” She laughed because I wasn’t known for my spectacular sense of direction.

My heart practically stopped, and I shouted for the only person I was sure could help me. “Lee!”

Lee burst out of the tent, gun in hand. He quickly pulled me behind him and scanned for the threat. He wasn’t happy when he turned around. “Damn it, Zoey. Don’t scare me like that.”

I was out of breath and just short of panic. “Lee, what happens if wolves are hunting and they come across a sick wolf?”

Sarah drew in a shocked breath, turning toward those woods. Sarah and I were both familiar enough with wolf society that we had an inkling of what could happen.

“They aren’t going to take a sick wolf with them,” Lee explained. “Hunts are always a part of gatherings like this. It’s a part of wolf culture. It’s nothing to worry about. From what I heard, they’re hunting some weird-ass Faery beast. Only the strong will be on this hunt.”

I pointed to the woods. “Neil is in those woods, Lee.”

He went slightly pale. “Oh, god. They’ll tear him apart. If he’s weak and those wolves have their bloodlust up, they’ll kill him without a thought.”

Sarah bit back a cry. I ran into the tent and back to the master bedroom. I quickly located my suitcase and rifled through it until I found the lavender polo I’d brought along in case we needed Neil’s scent. I’d packed away all of his things when I moved into the penthouse, but I kept a few items with me in hopes I would need them. I hadn’t washed the shirt so it should still smell like him.

Time was of the essence so I opened the drawer and pulled out Dev’s gun, shoving it into the pocket of my denim shorts after I checked the clip. I forced sneakers onto my feet and then raced back out to Lee.

I passed him the shirt and Lee put it straight to his face, breathing in the scent. He let it wash over him, unwilling to hurry it even though I was impatiently pacing, waiting on him. He took one last long inhale and when he tossed the shirt at Sarah, his eyes were already wolflike.

“I can track him.” He was looking toward the tree line, searching for something.

“Then let’s go,” I replied, starting to move toward the woods.

Lee pulled me back, his hand on my arm like a vise. “Zoey, it’s dangerous out there. Those wolves are hunting. This is serious. You’ll smell like food to them.”

“If you go without me, I’ll be right behind you.” Neil didn’t know Lee. He would run and hide. I had to be with him.

He growled at me, got right up in my face and tried to stare me down. He had a good half a foot on me, so I had to stare up at him. I didn’t let the height difference intimidate me. I held my ground and refused to break eye contact. I did a fairly good growl right back at him to let him know I wasn’t going anywhere. When he bared his teeth, I bared mine right back.

“You’re the most frustrating woman I’ve ever met.” He finally stepped back, throwing his hands up. “If you get your ass killed out there, it’s not my fault. I’m going to move fast, so you better hang on.”

Lee kneeled down and offered me his back. It was strange, but I was willing to go with it. I jumped on and wrapped my legs around his waist, locking my feet together. I steadied my hands on his shoulders as he stood up.

He used one hand to pull my arms around his neck. “Don’t let go.”

I glanced at Sarah. “I’ll bring him back.”

She nodded and then we were off.

I held on for dear life as Lee galloped through the valley toward the tree line. I had to close my eyes and bury my head in the back of his neck because watching the world go by at that pace made me dizzy. The wind whipped my hair and did crazy things to my hearing. It was like when a dancer twirls without a spot point. There’s only so much the human senses can take, so I shoved my face into the flannel of Lee’s shirt and prayed I could hold on.

Lee stopped on a dime and suddenly we were in the forest surrounded by aspens. Despite the fact that we were on a steep incline moving up into the mountains, Lee was steady as a rock. He breathed in and then took off again without a word, veering sharply to the left and then the right. I could hear wolves growling now. We passed some small groups of wolves and they barked out warnings to others of their kind. Some took up pursuit, but none of them could begin to keep up with Lee even though he had a passenger.

Lee stopped again, and he slapped softly at my thigh, letting me know I could let go. I dropped to the ground, my feet crunching into leaves and dirt. A cascade of low growls pulled at my attention. Up ahead something was happening. Something menacing. Lee started climbing and I followed, pulling the gun out of my pocket, flipping the safety off.

As we moved closer, I caught the sight of a small group of wolves. They stalked in a circle, at least eight of them. They prowled, their four legs moving in time to some predatory instinct I couldn’t understand, circling what I knew would be Neil. Lee’s senses didn’t lie. He wouldn’t have brought us to this place if he hadn’t known Neil was here. My heart caught at the thought of him sick and hurt and surrounded by ravenous wolves.

Picking up the pace, I followed Lee, leaving my fear behind.

One of the wolves stopped and in an instant he was back in his human form, a sneer on his familiar face. “Well, well, well, not so tough now, are you, Neil? Where’s that fucking vampire you whore yourself out to? Did he get tired of you? It was inevitable. Everyone gets tired of you. No one wants you for long, you pathetic piece of trash.”