Page 28 of The Red Moon

Nervous.

Aroused …

There are no secrets between me the organ pumping life through her. I know every bit of her intimately. Until now.

When I told her what she’d become, there was nothing. Fear, and maybe confusion twisted her features, but her heart rate didn’t change a single beat. It was calm. No more disturbed than it is now sleeping off the curse filtering through each vein. That’s when I knew. How I know now she’ll never see a full moon through her own eyes again. She’s going to survive the curse my brother forced on her, but at a cost. The lunar cycle will be something she tracks regularly. Chains will become her new friend, keeping her from doing something she’ll regret. Natalia’s going to turn, and I’m going to do everything in my power to make sure she’s ready for it.

Stumbling out of the lobby entrance, Alexey waves us in, his face a mixture of pain and triumph. Dimitri is the first to get out, leaving the SUV to teeter to one side until it settles on all fours. I don’t move. No, I sit there and watch her, studying every mouth-watering line of her face like it’s the first time. I could carry her to our room, but I’m also willing to bet a man carrying an unconscious woman past the lobby staff in nothing more than a fuzzy green blanket would draw suspicion. More attention than we need right now. There’s no telling how far my father’s influence reaches, especially in a city this close to his den.

“Natalia,” I whisper, shaking her shoulder first, then, a soft caress on her cheek. Gods, this woman is going to be my undoing. She tempts the most primal parts of me even in her sleep. I’ve fought for years to gain control over my body, but my training could never prepare me to be this close to something so fucking irresistible. I fight the urge to trace my finger over her partially open mouth, round lips full and begging to be touched. Kissed. It takes everything in me to suppress these cravings. “We’re here.”

She winces, arms and legs stretching uncomfortably. When her eyes flutter open, there’s a flash in each iris. It’s bright. Beautiful, even. Then, the faint glow is gone within seconds. I stare at her intently, taking in how she lifts herself from a slouched to a seated position. She doesn’t strain. Doesn’t bark in pain or exhaustion. No, she simply sits up and adjusts her brown eyes to the SUV interior.

“Where are we?” she asks through a yawn.

I glide my thumb down her lower lip out of impulse and tilt her chin until our eyes meet. The subtle glow is gone, and in its place are the deep browns I recognize. “We’re safe. For now,” I say and open the driver door.

She doesn’t say much as we walk together to the third floor, passing what seems like every hotel guest in the building on our way to the room Alexey reserved. They all do the same thing as the couple ahead of us does now. They glance at Natalia first, because how could they not, and then, a gaping stare at the man walking alongside her.

Me.

Shoeless and in nothing more than a faded-green wool blanket. I earn more than my fair share of raised eyebrows from the lobby to this part of the building, silently cursing Alexey and his lack of awareness the entire way. Did he even ask if a first-floor room was available? I can’t remember, but all I know now is I’ve never experienced this level of embarrassment.

Embarrassment is a human emotion, the wolf starts, but I put up my mental shields and cut him off. Not now. I’m too drained for another lecture from the wolf taking residency in my head.

“They probably think you’re a stray,” Natalia whispers with a smirk and nods to the couple. Only after returning the gesture does the couple’s stride increase from a casual walk to a dash for the elevators.

I force a laugh. “They might be right.” Because what else am I at this point? My family tried to kill me. My best friend. Worst of all, they came for her. I’m not a part of their pack anymore. No, I’d rather die than live the rest of my life as a Vostik.

I have no den.

No wolves watching my flanks.

I am, for the first time in my life, alone.

Seeming to sense my unease, Natalia closes the small gap between us and interlocks her scalding hand with mine. Is this the same warmth she feels whenever I touch her? An inferno throughout her entire body? Gods, it’s almost unbearable and tempting at the same time. If she lets go now, I’d only be left wondering why ice had suddenly taken over my skin.

“You’re cold,” she says, a curious glint in her eyes, probably thinking the same thing I am.

How?

We’re still healing. Not that hard to figure out. Of course his smart-ass remarks would break through my mental blocks. But that doesn’t explain why Natalia is not just hot, but searing. It’s odd being on the receiving end, and for some reason, I don’t have the wherewithal to pull away from it. If anything, I long for it to warm every part of me. Add a blistering singe to the wounds still hours away from healing at my chest.

Most surprising of all, she doesn’t even seem to notice.

The four of us take turns showering. Alexey somehow took the longest, and judging by the curses coming from the bathroom, the water was nothing if not lethal to the claw marks on his ribs. Dimitri was next, then Natalia. I’d be lying if it didn’t cross my mind to sneak in there while my friends argued over who had the most kills. Dimitri made a strong argument that over half of Alexey’s were unconfirmed, and that didn’t stop Alexey from criticizing his aim with a rifle. I paid them no mind. I did little else than sit in the chair next to the desk and listen to her. Lusted for her scent as she coated it with generic hotel soap. She couldn’t hide it from me if she tried. Sure, the dirt swirling the pipes might’ve made it difficult for Viktor to find her, but not me. Adding soap to something so alluring is like putting a piece of tinfoil over a satellite. The signal will still go through, and my little wolf’s delicious fragrance is no different.

The shower knob twists and the water cuts off.

“Nik?” she calls out, forgetting she’d only need to whisper my name before I’d come running.

A heavy cloud of steam rushes out when I open the bathroom door, and as I take two steps in, my chest seizes. Standing with one arm cupping her breasts, and the other hiding the most decadent part of her, Natalia stares at me, water streaking down each side of her face. My entire body stiffens, intense desire circling the drain in my own stomach. I’ve been deprived of her body for far too fucking long and resisting it now is somehow harder than fighting off a shift during a full moon. I glance away, not just out of respect, but because if I keep looking at her, I’m not sure how much longer I can control myself. Control the urges cording the veins in my forearms and tightened fists.

“Are you okay,” I ask, scanning the blood stains Alexey left on the sink.

“Are there any more towels?”

I glance at the rack and see the plain white towel with red splotches and thick black body hair sticking to the fabric. An unexpected grin creases my lips. Maybe having her shower third was a bad idea. Reaching under the sink, I grab a fresh towel, wrap it around her, and pull her closer. She lets me. She doesn’t even flinch when I dry the droplets on her cheek using one exposed corner.