Page 53 of Touched By Moonlight

Chapter 15

I’m not usedto being indolent. My life for the past three years has consisted of movement. Running from city to city.Working.

I offered to help out in the kitchen or with chores, but was told to go enjoymyself.

Having time to do as I pleased made me feel odd and guilty, and hell, I’d experienced enough guilt since the day I fled Oregon. It made sense to go home, start packing my things and picking out my next destination on the map. Because if Kallan had found me, it was only a matter of time before he tracked me to my work and myhome.

Since Grayson and his betas knew what I was, why hide it any longer? I decide to indulge my spirit in the outdoors and set out to explore the gardens I’d seen near thehouse.

Barefoot, I walked outside. In the distance a man worked on one of the windturbines.

Drawing closer, I realized it was Nicolas. Up on a ladder, he wore a blue chambray shirt, jeans and was barefoot. With the Stetson on his dark head, he looked more like a cowboy than a werewolf. Until he glanced down and sawme.

The hard look returned to his face as he climbed down, a screwdriver in hand. Brown eyes flashed amber as he stared at me. Wolf eyes, reminding me just who I dealtwith.

Slapping the screwdriver from one palm to the other, he looked over his shoulder at the distant workshop. “Did you apologize toStephan?”

Sensing I had to tread carefully, I lifted my chin. “That’s between your brother andmyself.”

“No, it’s not. You hurt him, you hurt me, Sienna.” He prowled toward me, anger and aggression rolling off him inwaves.

“It’s hard to avoid hurting someone when you don’t even know squat about why they’rehurting.”

He halted, andscowled.

I held my ground. “Grayson told me the story was yours and Stephan’s to tell. Your brother refused to talk about it and I’m not going to drag it out of him. So you’re the only one left who can fill mein.”

He seemed to wrestle with a decision. “Why? So you can use it against him and cause moredamage?”

“You know what Iam.”

More scowling. “Yes.”

Nicolas wasn’t the kind of werewolf you could soothe with pretty words and promises. I didn’t want to use my powers before, but they had leeched out of me as Grayson and I made love. What the hell. Maybe it was time for a harmlessdemonstration.

“You know I have power and can use it. If I wanted to hurt your brother, I wouldn’t use words, Nick. I’d usethis.”

Allowing my powers to surge a little, I gathered them into my fist. My hand glowed white. No choice now, I had to get rid of it. Destroying the wind turbines would ruin my point. Something that was not necessary…there.

A pile of rusted metal parts a short distance away from the turbine farm. “You need that pile of rustedmetal?”

“No. It’sscrap.”

“Good. Step far away from it,” Iwarned.

After he did, I hurled the power at the junk heap. Nicolas winced and clapped hands over his ears as the metal screeched and thenexploded.

When the dust cleared, there was nothing left but browndust.

Eyes wide, he removed his hat and tossed it to the ground, as if symbolically throwing it into the ring. The scar on his left cheek flared white as he ground his jaw. “Shit. Grayson told me you were powerful,but…”

“I hate it,” I said simply. “It’s destructive and tricky, and even when I use it for good, it’s too much for me. Like a weight around my neck. When I gather my powers, they get hard to control. It’s too much for me. My family, and almost everyone in my former colony is dead because of my magick. I destroyed them, Nick. They tried to destroy me first, but that doesn’t assuage the guilt I have to deal with every single day I’mbreathing.”

The tightness in my chest returned, but it wasn’t as constrictive asbefore.

Maybe confession was good for mysoul.

Silent for a moment, he toyed with thescrewdriver.