Page 25 of Luna Rising

I turned to him and put a hand on his arm. “I care, and so does Winter.”

He grimaced. “Patronizing much?”

“I care,” Birch offered.

Ewan frowned at his best friend. “You don’t count.”

Birch laughed. “Thanks, asshole.”

Ewan let his head fall back and gave a frustrated growl.

“Okay.” I held up my hands. “Let’s start over.” I turned to Winter. “Hi. Things with Tish went… fine. She is speaking with Lucca tonight—that’s her mate, who is also an eternal protector but doesn’t know it. She has Ewan’s cell number.”

I hesitated to mention the bad blood between Walter and the Guerras. It didn’t seem relevant, and Winter had enough to worry about. I did, however, want to talk to Walter, let him know Ewan and I might have exacerbated an already fraught situation.

Winter chewed her bottom lip and nodded. “If you’re sure she’s safe?”

My knowledge of supernatural crime families was super limited. They operated outside the Zodiac system, which was all I’d ever known. But Walter, my one mafia touchstone, went to great lengths to protect his only child. As Lucca’s true mate, his father would protect Tish at all costs. The fact she’d already given birth to Lucca’s daughter made her even more precious.

Does Ewan care I can’t give him a child? I wondered.

To Winter, I said, “Tish may be the safest out of all of us.”

Winter and Birch eventually left. It was dark outside, and the lights from the town below sparkled like diamonds. I stood beside the roaring fireplace and watched them glow, barely feeling the heat of the flames on my arm.

Ewan was on the phone with Charlie, discussing the safety protocols for Mrs. Wynn. The Capricorn alpha accepted their meeting for the following day. With Walter going along, his bodyguards were sure to follow. That both helped and complicated the situation. Such a display of force, particularly with Charlie in attendance, might put the Capricorns on the defensive before anyone uttered a word.

Normally, the pack beta wouldn’t be the first choice of escort. They were too valuable for such a duty. But this was a special case, and Ewan worried anyone and everyone associated with him was a prime target for the Zodiac Councils.

Ewan finally hung up with Charlie. He watched me from the sofa, gaze boring into the back of my neck. Through the bond, I felt his desire stir.

“Don’t stare at me like that unless you mean it.” I turned to face him.

He sat with his legs spread, back leaning against the cushions. The sleeves of his flannel shirt were rolled up to elbows, and with the snow falling outside, I started to feel like we were in a Christmas movie. Like I was an attorney from the big city who’d come out to the mountains to do business things, and he was my hot-as-fuck, tractor-driving client, and our relationship started off with the opposite of a meet cute, but then we managed to get stuck together in this cabin because of a freak blizzard.

I really need to get laid, I thought.

Ewan spread his arms on the back of the sofa. “Keep going. I want to know how the story ends.”

I crossed my arms. “Stop reading my thoughts. That’s, like, abuse of power or something.”

He laughed, looking truly relaxed for the first time in days. This was my Ewan. The guy who didn’t take life too seriously, who cared deeply about others, who loved with his entire heart.

“My power is absolute,” he reminded me. “So, yeah, reading your thoughts is definitely permitted. Stop stalling, tell me how the movie ends.”

“Happily ever after, obviously. Otherwise it would be depressing, and holiday movies are meant to make humans happy, so they spent more money shopping.”

Ewan laughed so hard he snorted. “Who told you that?”

“I honestly don’t know,” I admitted. “Probably Zach.”

Just saying his name hurt. I’d been scared to let him see me without my wolf, and the crimson eyes were so much worse.

Maybe Winter can glamor me again, I thought.

Ewan’s expression softened, and he patted his thigh, a silent invitation to sit on his lap. My feet were already in motion by the time the brain processed the act, my body responding to his command without hesitancy.

He held out his hand. I slid my fingers between his and sank down on his jeans-clad lap. Ewan wrapped an arm around my shoulders and pulled me against his chest. The soft flannel felt oddly luxurious against my cheek. I curled into him and pressed my face against his neck.

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