Page 40 of Luna Rising

Winter rolled her eyes. “I never made an exploding volcano, either.”

I took her hand. “Look, a lot of shit is probably going to float to the surface in the coming weeks, and I don’t think any of us will like ourselves much by the time this is all over. Maybe we were the villains. But in this life, we have a chance to rewrite our story.” Squeezing her fingers, I made a decision that would surely bite me in the ass later, and not in a fun way. “I’ll drink your blood, so we can get the memory about Cassius. Ewan can’t know, though. And I won’t bite you. You’ll have to, like, put in a cup.”

“When?” she asked.

“Soon,” I said, not wanting to commit to a specific date and time until I worked out how exactly I was going to keep this secret from a mate who read my thoughts.

Silence filled the room, both of us turning our attention to the caster in the hospital bed. Even with the awful stench of death painting the walls, I was reluctant to leave. I hated the idea of Webber stuck in that room alone and vowed to visit regularly going forward, no matter what my growly husband thought.

Birch tapped softly on the door and then opened it just enough to poke his head through. “Alpha asked me to take you home, Zara.”

“We all know Ewan didn’t ask.” I gave Birch a small, polite smile. “But it’s fine. I’ll be good and go with you.” Turning to Winter, I heaved a dramatic sigh. “I’ll see you later. If you see Webber, tell him I said hi.”

Ophiuchus Part 2

Snow fell outside the windows, the sky growing darker gray by the second. Winter, Ewan, Birch, and I stood in the living room of my new home. Walter and the others had yet to return, but he’d sent Winter the coordinates for her to open a portal to the Snake Mountains.

“Are you sure about going alone?” Birch asked for the third time.

I finished the bottle of blood in my hand and set it on the coffee table. “Drake gave very specific instructions. We’ll be fine.”

Birch didn’t look convinced. “The Ophiuchus aren’t just any pack.”

I adjusted my leather jacket, one of my favorite new items of clothing. “Drake isn’t just any alpha. She promised we’d be safe. I trust her word.”

“So do I,” Ewan added, surprising me only because I felt his uncertainty.

The Ophiuchus were strong potential allies, which he appreciated and was the reason he agreed to the meeting. Still, we could have very well been walking into a trap, and there was always the chance I would drink one of Drake’s wolves dry for dessert. So, yeah, I supposed Ewan had cause to worry.

“You’re in charge,” Ewan told Birch. He turned to Winter. “Whenever you’re ready.”

She waved her hands, opening a portal directly in front of the fireplace with no effort. “Call when you’re ready to come back.”

Ewan slipped his hand in my mine as we entered the bands of swirling magic and stepped out into the snowy clearing. A man in jeans and a flannel leaned against a pickup truck. His face was familiar, something I recognized in the recess of my memory.

“Stavros.” The man inclined his head and then turned his penetrating blue gaze on me. “Hello, Zosia.”

“Lucien,” Ewan said in greeting.

“You can call me Penn.” He jerked a thumb toward the truck. “Hop in. Drake’s at the house.”

Most people would’ve at least hesitated before putting themselves in a confined space with two members of the undead. Penn, however, had no qualms. He also didn’t have much to say as he navigated the icy mountain roads like a pro.

At this altitude, the stars seemed so much closer, so much brighter. Even the pull of the moon felt stronger. The snowcapped peaks stretched high all around us. A sense of peace that I didn’t quite understand settled over me as we drove.

We reached a small town. The streets were silent, all the shops having closed hours ago. Lamp posts lit the way as we climbed higher. In the distance, a large house came into view, with lights on in several of the windows.

“The alpha’s mansion,” Penn said when he noticed me looking.

Ten minutes later, according to the clock on the dashboard, Penn parked the truck in front of the mansion and turned off the engine. The front door opened, and a slim figure came to stand on the porch, her long blonde ponytail appearing almost silver in the moonlight. A slow smile spread across her face as Ewan and I emerged from the truck.

Her gaze remained on me as we approached. The glitches started, filling my head with disjointed memories of Diana and me through the centuries. Ewan reached for my hand and intertwined our fingers. His power washed over me as I fought to remain in the present.

“I can’t believe you guys are here,” Drake breathed.

“Thank you for meeting with us,” Ewan replied, sounding very formal.

“Of course.” Drake beamed at me. “It’s the least I can do for–Zara, right?”

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