The Waning Moon Read online

  “It’s okay to feel conflicted. It will pass,” Raj said. “I’ll put her with the others and see you at sunset tomorrow.” He grabbed Andrea and took off, disappearing into the darkness.

  “I’m off, too,” Florence said. “Need anything out of the car before I go?”

  “Nope,” I said. “See you. Be careful.”

  I didn’t know what to say after Florence left. I grabbed two beers and sat next to Isaac.

  “What’s on the agenda tomorrow? Shifter battle at Graceland?”

  I laughed, managed to mask the note of bitter hysteria that was trying to take hold, and took a long swig of beer. “Sounds like a plan, wolf.”

  We finished our beers in silence, then put out the fire and went into the camper. I desperately needed Isaac to fill the hollow in my center that grew with every death but didn’t know how to ask. He fell asleep next to me, and I stared into the darkness, trying not to cry.

  Chapter Eight

  WHEN I WOKE the next morning, I remembered that somewhere in the excitement of the last couple of days, I’d forgotten to call Arduinna. Although Isaac wasn’t enthusiastic about the idea of talking to another Fae, he did reluctantly agree it would be a capital idea to see if there was something we could do to prevent a series of Chernobyl-like events along the Eastern Seaboard.

  “I’ll call her when we camp tonight. We should probably prepare to stay a couple of days in case it takes her a while to appear.”

  “If we’re close enough to Nashville, maybe Florence will want to stay in town again. And with Raj off doing his creature of the night routine, we’ll be alone. I can think of a few ways to keep busy,” Isaac breathed into my ear. I shivered.

  “Actually,” I said, straightening up and trying to look serious. “I wanted to talk to you about that.”

  Isaac cocked his head and looked at me. “Yes?”

  “Since we’re not married, but I did agree to be your mate, we should probably hold off the sex stuff until it’s official. You know, come to each other from a place of purity?”

  Isaac stared at me, and I struggled not to crack a smile.

  “What do you think?” I prompted.

  “That is the worst idea you’ve ever had.”

  “It’s only eighteen days away,” I said, trying not to let the proximity of a semi-permanent bonding cause me to hyperventilate.

  “Place of purity? Who are you and what have you done with Eleanor?”

  I couldn’t hold in my laughter any longer. Isaac’s face relaxed, and I realized he’d started to believe I was serious. That made me laugh even harder.

  “You are quite the prankster lately,” he said. “Care to explain?”

  “I enjoy teasing the people I love,” I said. “And I feel comfortable enough with you to mock.”

  “You tease the ones you love, huh?” he said.

  Well fuck. I didn’t want to explain the difference between loving my friends and love-love. And then he took it in the complete opposite direction I’d expected.

  “The coffin prank was teasing someone you love?”

  “Nope. Not doing this. I don’t want a replay of Finn.”

  Isaac ran his right hand through his hair. “I’m sorry.”

  “I know. But we can’t have this discussion again. Raj is here. We’ll need him—especially if he’s right about New Orleans. I can find someone attractive without it diminishing my feelings for you.”

  “I’ll rein it in. I promise.” Isaac kissed me then, but before his apology could get too far along, I heard a car pull up behind us.

  We broke apart and started packing up the camp. Florence got out of the car with coffee and breakfast sandwiches. She looked between us and sighed. “Good morning. I’ve said it before, and I’ll keep saying it until you get it down. Eleanor, you need to work on shielding your thoughts automatically. Your other shields—the ones that prevent anyone from seeing or hearing you unless they’re looking at you—are automatic, aren’t they?”

  I thought about it—which was the first time I’d done that in ages. I reached out with my mind and realized the shields I’d worked on with Finn were not only always there, but being unconsciously extended to cover everyone in my group when we were together.

  “They are there, and I haven’t thought about them in ages.”

  “It’s past time to shield your thoughts with the same instinct. The benefit would go beyond saving me from your sex drive; it will protect you from unscrupulous psychics who could use that openness to launch a mental attack.”

  “How are Isaac’s shields?” I asked. I am not feeling defensive.

  “Shifters have a natural immunity to mind-reading. I can read his mind, especially when he’s thinking about you, but I have to work to get more than impressions. You broadcast everything. If you’re up against a psychic in battle, that will be devastating. They’ll know what you’re going to do as soon as you think of it.”

  “I only dropped my shields yesterday when we linked up in the cave.”

  “I know, but you shouldn’t have needed to drop them all the way, and they should’ve gone back up to their former strength as soon as the link was broken. Instead, you dropped them altogether and left yourself exposed until I reminded you.”

  I bowed my head to acknowledge the legitimacy of her criticism. “I’ll work on it.”

  “Yes, you will,” Florence said.

  “Can I have coffee now?” I looked up at her through my lashes.

  “Your puppy-dog eyes have zero effect on me. Here’s your hazelnut latte.”

  She didn’t even crack a grin. “You are a goddess among women.”

  “I really am.” She turned to Isaac. “Americano, extra cream.”

  “What did you get?” I asked.

  “Earl Grey with honey and lemon.”

  “Tea? You drink tea?”

  “I plummeted several points in the Eleanor opinion polls, didn’t I?”

  “Of course not. It’s…tea. I don’t really get tea.”

  Florence tossed me a bacon, egg, and cheese croissant. “Eat your disgusting fast-food breakfast and let’s get this show on the road. Where are we headed?”

  “Nashville,” I said around a mouthful of food. I received two pointedly disgusted looks and swallowed before continuing. “Let’s go slow and find a place to camp close to the city. I want to call Arduinna today. We might have an entire month before we open this gate, but I’d like her to have as much time as possible to think about how to keep the nuclear power plants from blowing up.”

  “Thoughtful of you to want to stay close to the city. I’m sure you have no other motivations other than wanting the Green Lady to feel comfortable near her natural environment of concrete jungle?”

  “I was thinking of you. I know you don’t enjoy camping.”

  “Save it for someone who can’t read your mind. Truth be told, I would like to visit the Grand Ole Opry.”

  “Aren’t you afraid we’ll get attacked?”

  “Only by men with fringed shirts.”

  The closer to Nashville we got, the more uncomfortable I felt. “We’re getting farther away. I’m uncomfortable now, but if we keep going too far in this direction, it’ll be painful.”

  “You’re sweating,” Florence said.

  “This is not my all-time favorite feeling. How close are we to Nashville?”

  “We can be there in half an hour.”

  “We need to go west.”

  “Will you be okay tonight? We can skip Nashville and head west.”

  “I want you to have your Grand Ole Opry night, Florence. I’ll be okay as long as I don’t have to stay in the city.”

  Isaac did an exaggerated double-take. “Did I hear you correctly? You’re finally giving up your city girl ways?”

  “Woman,” Florence muttered.

  “My apologies. I certainly do not see Eleanor as a girl.” He waggled his eyebrows at me suggestively.

  “You two will be the death of me,” Florence said.
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  “Are you being prophetic? Or are you annoyed with having to travel with us?”

  “Neither. I was teasing. I’ve never seen my own death, nor do I typically see the deaths of those whose lives intertwine with mine for extended periods of time. That’s how I know the level of involvement I’ll have with someone. It makes dating kind of depressing. The first time I kiss a woman, if I see her die, our relationship won’t last.”

  “That sounds lonely,” I said.

  “It is a bit. But, when I don’t see someone’s death, then we have a good chance of having a decent run. Of course, then it’s confusing when we break up, because wow, did I not see that coming. And I should, you know.”

  “So Savannah?”

  “Is none of your business.” I didn’t miss the way her eyes tightened a bit as she broke eye contact. I wished there was a way to reach Savannah to let her know she was a giant jerk face. “It’s over. My heart aches for her, but I don’t want to rekindle that relationship. You can stop thinking of the various ways you could deliver her—with or without her heart—for my birthday.”

  I hastily shored up my mental shields and tried to look astonished. “Florence, I don’t even know when your birthday is!” Then I had a horrible realization. “Oh my god, I don’t even know when Isaac’s birthday is!”

  Isaac looked at me. “January tenth. More or less. I’m not 100% sure, but that’s the date I picked.”

  “You’re a Capricorn? Crap!”

  “Is that bad?”

  “I’m a Pisces! We’re terribly incompatible.”

  “We’ll muddle through.”

  I rolled my eyes at him. “Florence, when is your birthday?”

  “November 15.”

  “Oooh—soon. We’ll have to do something super fun for your birthday!”

  “Can I have a stripper cake?”

  I couldn’t decide if she was kidding or not until one corner of her mouth quirked up. “Why not? Of course, we already have this coffin. We could have some kind of theme party with vampire strippers.”

  “I approve of this plan,” Isaac said.

  “Why am I not surprised?”

  All the teasing had taken my mind off of Florence’s weird relationship conundrum as well as my growing discomfort. When the car slowed, I looked up—Nashville was right in front of us.

  Florence left us in front of the Grand Ole Opry.

  “Have fun,” I said. “Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do!”

  “I don’t even know how I’d find something to fit that bill.”

  Isaac and I ended up at a pretty camping area on the Cumberland River near the dam. We set up the camper, and I made us sandwiches—it felt like a lifetime since I’d done that. We were the only ones in the campground—Tuesdays in October are not prime camping season.

  I sat on the riverbank, staring at the water. Isaac sat beside me but didn’t break the silence. I reached out and grabbed his hand and said, “I’m going to try to find Arduinna.”

  “Do you want to be closer to the trees?”

  “This will be all right.”

  I formed a picture of the essence of Arduinna as I understood her. Once I’d fixed her firmly in my mind, I dropped some of my mental shields and tried to send my picture out into the ether with a plea to find me.

  “I’ve made the call. Hopefully, she’ll get it and will find us. Otherwise, I’ll try again tomorrow.”

  “It’s only about 2 o’clock,” Isaac said as we walked back towards the camper. “We are practically the only ones here.” Isaac reached out, grabbed one of my belt loops, and pulled me towards him. I stumbled into his arms. He bent down and kissed me hard, nipping at my lower lip until I opened my mouth to let him in.

  I ran my hands up Isaac’s chest and locked them around his neck. He slid his hands down my back to my ass, lifting me up. I’d closed my eyes at his initial incursion into my mouth but opened them now. His remarkable eyes—more green than yellow today—were looking back at me. The intensity in his gaze caused surges of electricity through me, and I tried to slide down his body a little further. Isaac grinned through our kiss and pulled back.

  “Eager, aren’t you?”

  “You drive me crazy, wolf.”

  “It’s all part of my dastardly plan.”

  I nodded my head as I smoothed out my features and tried for officious. “As far as a first run at the plan goes, it’s not a bad one. However, I can see some room for improvements, especially in efficiency, at a few key points along the project timeline.”

  Isaac growled at me and started walking forward. A few steps later he stopped and dropped me. I wasn’t expecting him to let go. My butt hit the picnic table—I’d only fallen a couple inches. I glared anyway.

  “I was hoping to prove that although my plan doesn’t involve getting from point A to point B the fastest way I know how, there are merits to taking the scenic route.” He unzipped my jacket and pushed it off, then pulled my T-shirt over my head. When I reached forward to return the favor, he stopped me. “This is my show, Princess.” He pushed me back until I was lying on the picnic table, then removed my shoes and jeans. I sat up, reached around behind me, and unhooked my bra. I stopped it before it fell off and held it up to cover my breasts. Isaac seared me with a predatory grin, and a fission of fear jolted my system before I could remind myself not only was he never going to hurt me because he loved me, but I was a dragon and could defend against all comers.

  Isaac pushed me back down and slowly inched my panties down.

  “You’re a little overdressed for the occasion,” I said before coherent thoughts were lost in a wave of pleasure as he bent down between my legs and delivered a long, leisurely lick. He moved up my body, tasting and biting until he got to my breasts. I was still clutching my bra over my breasts, and he pulled it away, cupped my breasts in his hands, and took my left nipple into his mouth. He rolled it around on his tongue, biting down gently while his left hand gave a similar treatment to the other one.

  He went back and forth between them until I was gasping in pleasure, and then one hand slid down and found my wet and aching core. He slid his hand down to cup my sex and rub my clit with his thumb until I was writhing under his touch. He slid two fingers inside me and brought his mouth back down to continue the onslaught. Mindful that we were only almost the only campers, I tried to mute my screams of pleasure, not sure how much my automagic shields would contain.

  In minutes, I was limp with pleasure as Isaac brought me to the brink of orgasm over and over again. Finally, when I was nearly mad with pleasure, he bit down gently on my clit as he slid three fingers inside me. My world grayed out a bit, and when I came back to myself, Isaac was standing in front of me, completely nude. I’d totally missed the stripping. I let my gaze roam over his body, and when he stepped closer, I reached forward. “I want to return the favor.”

  Isaac stepped back out of reach. “Not today. Lie back.”

  I did as he asked, and he stepped forward and plunged the entire hard length of himself into me. I gasped. For a second, when he was fully encased, we reached the fine line where pain and pleasure meet. “Okay?”

  “Don’t stop.”

  He didn’t. He moved against me slowly, but before long, he lost the slow, careful rhythm, signaling he was close to the brink. I lifted my hips up, allowing him even more access. Seconds later, we came together. After a moment of recovery, Isaac pulled out and helped me off the table.

  After getting dressed, I sat on the ground and pulled him down next to me. “You’re my favorite wolf.”

  “You’re just saying that because of the amazing sex.”

  “That’s only part of it.”

  “I’m honored.” Isaac planted a gentle kiss on my lips.

  “I’m nauseated.”

  Isaac and I jumped. Arduinna was standing at the edge of the campsite. She did look a bit nauseated, but although that might be due to the green cast of her skin, she couldn’t lie. Maybe we did make her ill.


  “Glad you could make it.” I fought the urge to stand. Royalty does not stand in the presence of servants.

  “Next time you ask me to visit, could you not immediately go into rut? This place reeks of congress.”

  Isaac growled. “She is not an animal.”

  Arduinna waved her hand.

  “It matters not. What do you want?”

  Isaac stood and stalked off. I had a moment of giddiness when I realized he was trusting me to take care of myself with this formidable Fae. I watched him walk away, unable to take my eyes off that ass.

  “Please, Your Highness, tell me what you want.”

  “Three things,” I said. I counted them out on my fingers. “One: A report on how things are with you, including any contact you’ve had with my father. Two: information on how to break the link you told Finn how to forge in my mind. And three: Your word you will recruit some Fae to protect the world’s nuclear power plants as the gates open.”

  Arduinna sank to the ground in front of me in a cross-legged position. She mimicked the counting I’d done. “One: I’m well, thanks for asking. I haven’t talked to your father of late, but the flow of time is different here than in the Fae Plane, and it hasn’t been long since last you and I talked. Two: That will not be possible. And three: I don’t understand.”

  I smirked at her admission. I bet she didn’t say that often.

  “I have a question for you,” she said. “How come this place reeks of vampire and witches?”

  “It’s been a few weeks since last we chatted, hasn’t it?”

  “You need to tell me everything.”

  “You need to tell me why you think it’s okay to sit in my presence without permission.”

  She sprang to her feet looking furious and mortified—and a little scared. “I beg your pardon, Your Highness. I forgot myself.”

  “You’re forgiven.” I was feeling magnanimous. “Please, sit.”

  She eyed me carefully and then sat again. “Your father would have removed my head for that.”

  “And the Dark Queen?”

  “She would not have removed my head. She would’ve started elsewhere and saved decapitation for last.”