Page 17 of Under A New Moon

Galen came up to stand beside her. He tried to keep his focus on anything else but her, and still, his eyes drifted to the soft slope of her shoulder, where he could plant a thousand little kisses. He wondered how her moan might sound, and what her cries of pleasure would taste like. When she looked at him again, his whole world held still.

She blinked and cleared her throat. “So- I think that’ll work. Unless you have a better idea.”

He forced himself to remain neutral. “Nope.”

“Then, it’s agreed.”

Galen nodded, internally berating himself for being distracted. He had to get his head back in the game, or the Lycan Legacy would kill them both. After that- he wondered if it were possible that they might part on better terms.

Could he hope for more?

For now, survival was their only goal. He waved to the broken window, refusing to let her stand behind him again. “Lead the way.”

Fourteen

Darla

She took the lead, chasing down narrow corners and abandoned alleys of the same LA suburban sprawl until they came upon the apartment complex. It was tucked away from the main road, so she almost couldn’t hear the traffic from here. She was running from something else, too.

Galen’s heavy presence behind her was a strange comfort.

Darla didn’t like it. Not his presence- the fact that she was comforted by it. He was a wolf- a rogue abandoned by kith and kin.

Not even his kind wanted him.

Without even acknowledging Galen, she entered like she owned the place. Nobody was there to stop them. She came upon the room, numbered 303, and found the painting alongside the door with the hidden key. It was still there.

She withheld her relief and finagled it until the door cracked open. “Thank Christ,” she murmured, ushering him in while keeping an eye out for onlookers. But the hall was blessedly empty. As soon as the door shut, all the stress melted away.

Galen seemed less enthusiastic, peering around each door with an accusing look until there were no doors left to search.

She had to give it to the agency, this place wasnice.

“We’re safe here. Get settled in,” she said, sitting on the bed with a sigh. “There should be clothes in the closets and food in the fridge. I’ve got to get ahold of some of my contacts.”

He threw open the closet doors. “They’re PEACE agents too, I take it?”

She ignored him, leaning over to pick up the landline. Several calls later—and no answers—she decided to leave a message. “Lily, hi. It’s Darla. Look, I need to figure out what’s going on. If you could give me a call back at-” She glanced to the receiver, where the number was posted in big plastic letters. She read them out carefully. Twice, just in case. “-I’d really appreciate it.”

Galen lingered by the door as she hung up, his brow furrowed, his arms crossed. He wasn’t glaring at her, he just had a resting bastard face, it seemed.

She wasn’t shy. “What?”

He glanced to the landline. “Can I use it real quick?”

Darla stood and moved to the closet, searching for a change of clothes. “Be my guest.”

He didn’t take up her offer right away, waiting.

She tucked an outfit under her arm and paced to the door. “Take all the time you need. I’ll be making lunch.” She closed the door on him while he stared at the phone. Who would he call? He didn’t have a friend in the world.

That put a damper on her already foul mood.

Despite everything, Galen seemed like a pretty nice guy. What could he have done to be kicked out of his pack? They didn’t tend to let theirs go easily.

The new clothes were a blessing.

She was making sandwiches when he came out, looking fresh for the first time all day, still sodden with disappointment.

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