Page 31 of Luna Rising

This life wasn’t about me. It was about him—Mat. All the dreams Zosia had showed me before I turned pointed in that direction. Rising with fangs had complicated things, and I didn’t know if these longer memories were messages.

The glitches started. Images flashed in my head: Tish standing in a doorway; Diana and I sitting together by a lake; Stavros’ angry face; Hero and I waltzing around a ballroom; Stavros and I kissing in the shower. None lasted more than a split second. I squeezed my eyes shut and grabbed the counter for balance, out of habit rather than need.

It’ll pass. It’ll pass, I chanted in my head.

The next thing I knew, hands gripped my shoulders and then powerful arms wrapped around me. Ewan pulled me against his chest and held me until the chaotic slideshow stopped.

“Do you have, like, a Zara’s-in-distress alarm?” I looked up into his bulging eyes. “Woah. Hey. I’m okay.”

He squeezed me tighter and peppered my face with soft kisses. “Our bond is my alarm,” he murmured.

“I’m fine.” I wiggled my arms free of his grasp and cupped his cheeks. “Once I get my full memories back, these glitches will stop. They’re more annoying than terrifying.”

This was the moment to tell him about my Bettina dream. Ewan would know the ending to my sister’s tragic story. I chickened out. A part of me really didn’t want to learn the truth. What had I done?

Outside, the sun rose. Neither Ewan nor I returned to bed. He drank a bottle of blood marked Pure Blood, found a pair of sweatpants, and then dug his cell out from the couch cushions. The number of missed calls and text messages gave me more anxiety than the memory fragments.

“Duty calls, literally.” He sighed. Gold crept in at the edges of his irises as he caught my eye. “And you look so good wearing my shirt. Do you have anything on underneath?” He shook his head. “No, don’t tell me. I’m not strong enough to handle the truth.”

I still stood in the kitchen, sipping my delicious, super caffeinated beverage. “You’d rather spend the day wondering?” I slid the fabric up my leg with my free hand.

A low growl rumbled in his chest. “You’re a bad influence.”

I hiked the flannel higher. “Isn’t that what you love about me?”

The cell vibrated. “Just one of many reasons,” he teased.

I lifted the shirt, stopping right above the money shot before letting it fall again. “Answer your phone. It must be urgent.”

His eyes cut to the screen. “Walter.”

“Ugh. Put him on speaker.”

Ewan hit accept.

“Finally,” Walter snapped.

Ewan’s hackles rose. I pitched my voice so Walter would hear me and called out, “Do you need something, or are you just so used to being the most important person you know?”

He chuckled. “Most people answer my calls before the first ring ends.”

“An alpha wolf with a liquid diet isn’t most people,” I reminded him.

“Neither is a lady alpha,” Walter fired back.

My eyes met Ewan’s. “You heard from Di-Drake?”

“Yeah. She’s got some very specific instructions for you.” Walter sighed heavily. “You’ll leave at 6pm tonight. That’s 1am her time. She is very new to her position and doesn’t want vampires—or another alpha—seen in her mountains.” As if an afterthought, he added, “She gave us coordinates, too.”

“Whatever is best for Drake and her pack,” Ewan said.

“I’ll let her know.”

Ewan hesitated before hanging up. “Look after my mother today, yeah?”

Walter actually sounded like a gangster when he replied, tone gritty and raw. “You have my word, Ewan. No one will harm a hair on her head. Keep your phone on you. Talk soon.”

Ewan’s face twitched as he glared at the screen, clearly annoyed by the fae’s parting command. I sipped more of my bloody coffee and debated whether to soothe his wounded ego. It was my job as his mate to make him happy and keep his temper from unleashing unnecessarily. This had been established from the beginning of pack life.

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