Page 23 of Moon Destiny

My beast stirred, attuned to her emotions. She’d lost the aura of distress that had hovered around her back at the house. Now she was…intrigued. She was also gnawing at her lip again, her white teeth pressed into the plump, pink flesh. She’d scraped her golden hair into a low ponytail, and her profile was limned in afternoon sunlight. Her dark brown lashes were long and curly, and there was a smattering of freckles across her nose and cheeks. She was dressed for the summer heat in a thin T-shirt that clung to her high breasts. Her black shorts had ridden up when she sat, and now her long, toned legs stretched in front of her in a glorious display of tanned skin. There was a charming spray of tiny freckles on her upper left thigh.

And I was staring again when I should be driving.

I focused on the road. “What would you like to know about Rayne Corporation?” Delano dealt mostly in real estate, which he used as a legitimate front for a multitude of illegitimate secondary businesses.

She angled her body toward mine, her voice brimming with curiosity. “Honestly? Like everything. Because the book made Rayne sound shady as fu—” She caught herself. “Really shady.”

I grinned. “I think anyone who knows anything about sorcerers would agree with your assessment.”

“Is it true they’re all men? Why is that? How do they”—she twirled her hand in the air—“you know, make new sorcerers?”

“Daughters are born occasionally, but they don’t inherit any magic. In previous eras, sorcerers simply abandoned their female offspring.” I shot her a quick glance. “There were a few with just enough residual magic to attract the attention of human authorities, though. Many were burned at the stake for practicing witchcraft, but it’s more likely the women were either unaware of their gifts or simply couldn’t control their magic.”

She sucked in a breath. “That’s awful. Did the sorcerers try to help them?”

“No. Rayne and his ilk are nothing if not ruthless. They were more than happy to let females bear the brunt of human ignorance. In modern times, they use surrogate mothers and science to ensure their offspring are male. And powerful. Rayne oversees a sprawling breeding program.”

“Okay, sprawling breeding program are three words I never needed to hear together.”

I gave a reluctant laugh. “It’s dystopian, I know. Everyone thinks so. But the interesting thing is Delano actually does have a daughter. Livia Rayne is one of just a handful of sorceresses ever born.”

Brooke’s eyes widened. “Does that mean she’s crazy powerful or something?”

“That’s the rumor. It’s hard to know for sure, though. Delano doesn’t let her out of his sight.”

“Ugh. That must be fun.” Brooke fell silent for a moment, and I could sense she was thinking over everything I’d told her. She worried at her lip again, and now she twisted a bright lock of hair around her finger.

In an instant, I was hard and aching. I shifted carefully in my seat, hoping she wouldn’t notice.

“Is something wrong?”

“No.” I cleared my throat. “You were an investigative reporter, right?”

She gave me a startled look. “I still am.”

Abruptly, tension filled the space between us.

Fuck. Of course I’d chosen the worst possible thing to say.

I hadn’t intended to pick this fight with her. On the other hand, it was time to stop sidestepping conversations we needed to have. Concealing information could only lead to more near-disasters like today.

“We’re here.” I pulled into the restaurant parking lot and turned off the car. “And we need to talk.”

CHAPTER NINE

BROOKE

The restaurant was Greek, which was the last thing I expected to find in rural southern Washington. There was a charming bakery in the front, a busy dining room in the main section, and a small private area in the back. The hostess escorted us to the latter, which boasted a single table with a battery-operated candle in the center. The rear wall was one big window that made it look like we sat in the middle of the forest.

“This is beautiful,” I said while we waited for the server. The scent of bread reached my nose. My stomach growled loudly, which made my face heat.

Hugh handed me a menu. He looked like he wanted to smile. But maybe I was just imagining it.

“I have no idea why I’m so hungry.” My cheeks grew a little warmer. “I ate six pancakes this morning.”

“It’s shifter metabolism. You’ll have to eat a lot more than you’re used to. It’s dangerous to let yourself get too hungry.”

“Is that what you wanted to talk to me about?” I wasn’t letting him off the hook for his comment in the car. He’d spoken of my career in the past tense. “Because I’d like to talk about when I can return to Seattle. I need to check on my apartment.”

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