Page 28 of A Clash of Moonlight

He steepled his fingers on her desk but gave no indication her accusation bothered him. He’d heard it before, and he’d dismissed it. “Blake suggested I send you to an allied pack.”

She blinked. That was bold. Almost impertinent. You didn’t tell an alpha what to do with his pack. You especially didn’t tell him what to do with his daughter. An older wolf wouldn’t have dared, but Blake was young, especially for someone in his position, and while he was one hundred percent loyal to his alpha, he didn’t always shut up and obey.

“When I told him we were going to test Tate,” her father said, “he changed that recommendation and suggested instead that I let you move to the city.”

Realization chilled her skin. The whole thing with Tate had been a punishment. She remembered thinking he should have been able to shift since it hadn’t been the week of the full moon. He probably would have been able to, but she’d bet her father had the pack rile him up before they reached the cabin. Then he’d let Luke kill the wolf, and Blake had stood there and watched, pretending to be unaffected by it all.

Her father stood. “If you decide to move, I expect you at the weekly Gatherings. All of them. You’ll run with us afterward.”

She started shaking her head before he finished speaking. “No.”

He stared, and the air constricted again—the alpha warning her to rethink her tone.

Nora waited another few seconds, then, seething, she lowered her gaze.

He nodded, accepting her submission. “Take care of the DefenSec matter. It’s important.”

Nora waited until after he left the study and she heard the back door swing shut. When she felt the flare of magic that signaled he had shifted, she grabbed the envelope of money off the desk and launched it at the wall. It hit with a thud but landed innocuously on the floor. Not even a single bill slid out of place.

So she shoved her desk hard, sending it toppling to the ground. That didn’t help either. She had too much frustration in her blood. She needed to fight, to destroy, to break out of the paradox of her life.

An image of Jared clothed in nothing but moonlight entered her mind. He could take this edge off. He could make her forget she was trapped. If she left now, she could make it to Swirl within an hour.

10

It was not Jared’s custom to pursue a woman. They maneuvered their way into his life. They vied for his attention. He had expected Nora to return within a day or two of their last coupling, but now it was Monday, and she had not set foot into Swirl.

He glanced at the clock on the wall behind the mahogany desk, and his scowl deepened. Technically, it was Tuesday.

“Your foul mood isn’t helping,” Deagan said. The vampire sat on the adjacent couch, an elbow resting on its arm and a finger curled under his chin. Deagan was focused on Laila, who had entered the room a few minutes prior and now sat at the desk, going over Swirl’s finances. She had not looked up since she entered, and her jaw was locked tight, not because she was angry but because she was fatigued. Suppressing one’s bloodlust was exhausting.

“You are not helping her either,” Jared pointed out.

Deagan played with the edge of the lampshade beside him. “Tragically, my appeal pales compared to your old blood.”

“You would suffice.”

“I can hear you,” Laila said, still not looking at either of them. “And I am fine.”

“How many nights have you drunk from humans this week? Somewhere around seven?” Deagan asked.

She did not respond.

Seven was… more than Jared had expected. Normally, a vampire fed once or twice a week. Less if they fed on old vampires, more if they fed on humans or if they were injured or under stress. Laila was the latter. He still had not seen to her needs, and proximity to a vampire as Aged as he was tested a young vampire’s self-control.

“It’s not her fault you couldn’t ensnare the wolf,” Deagan said.

“I am only here because of that wolf.”

“As is she.”

Deagan had a point. Jared would not have summoned Laila if he had not purchased Swirl, and he would not have purchased Swirl if Nora had not frequented the establishment.

Deagan stopped toying with the lampshade. “Well, I am not okay. I need a scrumptious drink. I shall be out stalking if you should need me.”

Jared watched his friend leave the office. Deagan tended to see subtleties that others did not, the minor details that could change a mood or situation. Jared valued that quality in him. Deagan kept him from becoming as soulless as Arcuro.

For the most part.