Page 12 of Broken Moon

“Yes.”

“My mother is very religious,”she said, and something shifted in her voice. I doubted she was aware of it, asher expression didn’t change at all. “So I’ve grown up hearing about demons,angels, God…but toseeone.” She shook her head. “How did it go with thethree summoners? I’m really worried about Jessie and her baby.”

That reminded me. I still neededto visit Jessie’s ex. Tonight on my way to the Gray Shadow Clan, I’d stop byhis house and encourage him to leave Jessie and her kid alone. It was none ofmy business, and I was well aware there were two sides to every story, so I’dtread carefully. But if he’d been abusing her…

“Did she tell anyone?” I askedLucy.

“I don’t know. I do know thathe hit her a few times before she left him for good. She said the baby gave herthe will to stay away from him. She adores that child. Also, she has the fullsupport of her parents. That helped her when she made the decision to leave.”

I nodded. “All right. What areyou doing today?”

She made one last swipe at thesparkling countertop. “Nothing fun until tonight, then I’ll quite possibly hookup with one of my “friends with benefits” friends.”

“Want to take a little trip tothe country?”

She didn’t even hesitate. “I’mup for that! What’s in the country?”

“My mother.”

“Oh.” Something flashed throughher eyes, there and gone. She straightened her shoulders and grinned, and thesunshine was back in her face. “I would love to meet your mother. And I’m sureshe’d like to meet your new roommate slash cook.”

“Potentialroommateslash cook,” I said, but my voice was weak and we both knew she’d already wonme over with breakfast. Manipulated me over, more like.

I had myself a housemate.

I wondered if eventually she’ddream about my wolf, and if, when she did, she’d regret moving in with me.Hell, I might regret letting her move in if she kept having dreams about me.

I had my secrets, and no desireto share them with Lucy. Not yet, anyway.

“I have a car,” she told me, asI drove us out of the city and toward Huntersburg. “Drop me at my place when wecome back into the city and I’ll start packing my belongings. I don’t have alot, so I can have everything in your—our—house by tonight.”

She’d forgotten that I’d toldher to wait before moving her stuff in, but it seemed inevitable, so I didn’targue. I’d already given her the spare key to my house. Might as well get hermoved in. “Do you need me to help you pack?” I asked, hoping she’d say no.

“No thanks. As I said, I don’thave much.”

“Where do you live, Lucy?”

“I’m currently living in apiece of shit rental close to my mother’s house. And it’s time…past time,actually, that I moved on.”

I shot her a glance. “She goingto be unhappy with that?”

She grunted, then turned tostare out her window, her sunny mood darkened. “She is always unhappy.”

“You must have gotten yourcheerful disposition from your dad.”

“No. I just…” She shrugged. “Ijust got it from myself.” She made an obvious attempt to push away her suddenblues, taking a deep breath and forcing a smile that soon became real. “What’syour mother like?”

I grinned. “She’s a little bitof everything. Wise and strong at times, overly dramatic and teary at others.She takes in strays…”

“Dogs?”

“People.”

“Oh,” she said, nodding. “Youtake after your mother, then.”

I laughed. “You’re not a stray,Lucy.”

“You never mentioned yourfather,” she said. “Are he and your mother divorced?”