Moon Child
Chapter 3

She had followed without an argument, because she wanted to and because she knew that if she ran he could easily catch her. At this point she was frustrated beyond belief. She had fallen into the same situation she had escaped not long ago, history repeating itself. As she mentally slapped herself horrific images from the past blinded her vision of the present.

She was in a daze as they walked past houses on the left and right, almost as if they had made a small neighborhood within the trees. She couldn’t see any lights, and though she smelled others around she never saw any. The houses were cute though, maybe big enough for two bedrooms, but they looked like human houses. Brick exteriors, roofing jobs that looked better than most of the houses she had seen growing up, and one window for every building. She wondered how safe it was in those homes.

Safe. It had been a long time since she had felt safe. As he led her to the last house on the left she watched him unlock it and walk in, leading her into what appeared to be a small living room. Was this his home?

It was cute, tan walls and wood flooring made it feel warm and homey. The furniture consisted of a couch, love seat, and two reclining chairs. Did he live here alone? If so it seemed like a large waste of sitting space. The next room, which was separated from the first room by a bar that stopped just enough away from the opposite wall to give space for someone to walk around it, was the kitchen. Again it resembled a normal home, including a fridge, stove, sink, microwave, and even a dishwasher. She frowned.

“You have electricity?”

He nodded, making her acutely aware of how intently he was watching her.

“Each roof is made of solar panels, and we have well systems that the water runs off of. We have backup generators for emergencies, but they haven’t gotten much use.”

She was mystified. Most of their kind preferred to stay as far off the grid as possible, living like nomads in the woods. There were very few that embraced a life within the confines of human society. She wondered how they were able to afford all of this, but he answered her questions as if she had spoken them aloud.

“The solar panels are protected by bullet proof glass, which saves money since we don’t have to repair them as often. Most of us started off in a human life, believe it or not. We all worked jobs like normal mortals. When I began this pack everyone that joined gave up their human life for a more simple one with their own kind. No more hiding who they were, and we all pulled our money together to build this place from the ground up.”

She couldn’t help the surprise she felt, her heart trembling at the thought of so many people coming together for something good that helped themselves as well as the community. They supported one another, something she hadn’t seen in her previous group. Of course you couldn’t really call it a pack, more of a clan of demons.

When she was done exploring the kitchen he led her to a door on the right, which opened up to a bedroom just big enough for a bed and dresser. She hadn’t seen a real bed in so long that part of her wanted to soak in the view so that she would never forget it again. It was a simple structure, handmade from wood. Upon closer examination she realized whoever made it had etched a scene into the footboard, something that resembled a wolf howling at the moon as it stood tall on the edge of a cliff. The cliff overlooked raging waters, looking almost mournful. It was a truly gorgeous piece. The dresser was made from the same wood, and it all smelled of the trees that surrounded them.

She looked back at him, her fingertips slipping over the dark grey sheet that covered a thick mattress. When was the last time she slept in a bed that looked too soft and so perfect? She tried not to remember those memories, because she knew she would never be able to go back. Not now, not ever.

“Did you make these?”

He nodded, his eyes trailing from her gaze to the fingertips barely touching the place where he hoped she would feel comfortable sleeping. They were both still nude, but she was so used to it that she didn’t think twice. She seemed to be so entranced by the furniture that she was able to ignore the obvious. By obvious he meant his clearly huge erection begging for her attention. What he wouldn’t give to bend her over the side of that bed and take her from behind, one hand on her hip and the other in her hair.

She smiled then, clearly admiring his handiwork.

“It looks amazing. I’ve never been that creative, but I use to…”

Her smile fell as her gaze suddenly went blank. What was she about to say? Clearly something had gotten to her, making him move closer as he tried to read her body language. His body calmed, his mind focused fully on her sudden change in mood.

Her hands had begun to tremble, bottom lip caught between her teeth as she tried to hold back something he wished she would share with him. They were strangers in the human sense, but their souls had melded together the moment they touched. He wanted to protect her, care for her.

She was gone for a moment, but when his large hand encased hers in a gentle hold she fell back into the present like a ton of bricks, hard and way too fast. She looked far too close to breaking down, and he knew that she needed a distraction far more than he needed sex.

“I have more to show you.”

His voice was gentler somehow, but he didn’t push for her to explain herself. He knew that if she wanted to share her baggage she would do so in her own time. For now he was content with the fact that she was allowing him to hold her hand without a struggle.

They headed to a door on the adjacent wall they had come in on, making her smile return as he opened the wooden barrier to reveal a wash room. She held back her squeal of delight as he released her hand to allow her space to explore. It wasn’t a large room, spanning the length of the bedroom and just wide enough to allow a tub/shower, toilet, and sink to reside within the four tan walls.

“You have a shower!”

She rushed over to it, making him smile as she turned the knob and water sprayed down on her from the ginormous shower head that was installed into the ceiling above. She gasped, catching him off guard as she pulled back giggling and wiping water from her face. Something in his chest tightened, his smile soft as he watched her look up to watch the water fall before her.

When she turned to face him her smile was big and warm, those gorgeous eyes a bright green that shown with innocence and a joy that he didn’t realize she held within her. How had such a simple thing caused such a drastic change in her? He couldn’t hold himself back, closing in on her and cupping her face between his hands before gently claiming her mouth with his own. She was too sweet, too lovely to resist.

When he pulled back she looked dazed, no longer smiling as their gazes met. She hadn’t fought his touch, part of her embracing the warmth of it. Still, she felt the strongest urge to say something. Anything that would make him mad. This wasn’t right. The reality was that all people of his kind were monsters, taking what they wanted and killing anyone in their way. He was the same. He had to be.

He may be gentle now, but it was all just a fake front. It had to be. If she let her guard down he was bound to turn around and take her like the bloodthirsty animal he truly was. He would hurt her, claim her, and then use her as he pleased until she was no longer interesting to him. After that he would hand her off to the others, and they would use her until they got bored and threw her out.

“Towels are under the sink, I’ll let you shower. If you need me I’ll just be on the other side of that door, which leads to my bedroom.”

He pointed to a door they had yet to open, one that was etched out of wood and placed opposite the door they had come in. She nodded, watching him leave as she turned to look back at the shower. She wanted so badly to use it, but if she was smart she would take this time to make a run for it.

Her gaze moved back to the door she had entered through moments before, then over to his bedroom door. He would expect her to come to him tonight, she was sure of it. He would use her body, and if she didn’t run now she may never get another chance.

She left the water running, grabbing a towel from under the sink to wrap herself in before escaping out the way she came. She only had so long before he realized she was gone, and then what? She just hoped she had a good head start.

She moved to the back of the houses on the left, trying to stay hidden in the shadows as much as possible. She had to move quickly, but she also had to be cautious of her surroundings. One wrong move and she might…

She didn’t even have time to blink when his figure appeared before her, arms crossed over his chest and eyes dark as night. She was frozen in place as he closed in on her, a predator stalking its prey.

“You would rather run than stay here?”

She couldn’t speak, couldn’t think straight. This place was amazing, homey and warm, but how could she trust it? The houses were cute and looked safe, felt safe, but she was scared. She could imagine staying in one of them, meeting her soulmate and raising a few kids. A simple life. A life she would never be able to have because of the damned curse hanging around her neck like a noose that tightened year after year.

“Answer. Me.”

She looked down at the ground, hand tightly holding the towel to her body as her most private parts grew wet between her thighs with lust. His aura, his scent, and the way he carried himself made her whole body react. It was insane and something she had never felt before, which had her heart pounding and the fear in her veins running through her timid form like poison. Her hands trembled as she tried to think of something to say, or what she could do to remedy the situation.

“Dawn.”

He stood in front of her, one hand moving into her hair as the other slipped down her side to rest upon her waist. She felt trapped, but not necessarily in a bad way. As he forced her gaze up to his own she thought back to the men in her past. The monsters.

She wanted to believe this guy was different, but how could he be? He was afflicted with the same curse as the others, making him a monster as well. Soon enough he would hurt her, she knew it. Her gut clenched as she tried to hold back her emotions. The wolf within her form howled, begging for the reigns of control she held so tightly they might snap.

“Can you not feel what I feel? Do you not desire what our bodies beg for?”

The deep timbre in his voice was practically melting her within his hands. His face leaned in, dipping until his lips were a breath from her own.

“Do you not know what this means?”

She shivered, his lips touching hers ever so lightly. Her eyelids drooped to half mast as his hand on her hip slid under the towel to brush against her feminine opening. Her heart sped up, a gasp escaping her as her body leaned into his touch. She wanted him, craved him, yet she fought her most basic desires in an attempt to keep a safe distance between them.

“Please…”

Her voice was a breathy moan, and before she could finish he had her in his arms and moving back toward the house. He wanted her like she was the last glass of water in the longest drought of the century. Did she truly not understand their connection? It must have something to do with her origins. She was not born into this, but now that he had found her he was never letting her go.