Midnight Moonrising (Moonrising #2)(27)

"Will steel protect me against a werewolf?"

Pressing his lips together, Phoenix picked up the empty packaging from the gauze I had used to dress his wound and wadded it in his fist. "No," he finally said, and I knew he was thinking the same thing I was, that there was someone on the inside watching and just waiting for the right time to take me out.

"Well, I will just have to be careful when I handle them then, right?"

He turned and took my arm, encouraging me to look him in the eyes. Any sign of joking had faded from his expression. "Make sure you do, Mena. As much as I would like to be with you and protect you twenty-four-seven, it's not possible. It kills me to think something might happen to you during the daytime, and I won't be able to get to you. Maybe it's not a bad idea for Alex to be here during the day."

I started to protest, but he held up his hand, silencing me instantly.

"Can you honestly tell me that you trust your pack? All of them?"

My shoulders slumped in defeat. "I'm not sure."

"I'll consider that a no. You are their Alpha, Mena. You shouldn't fear anyone who is beneath you."

"They aren't beneath me—"

"They are, Mena. If you don't act like you are their Alpha, someone will step up and take it from you; they will take you from me. It isn't a game, and it won't just be a brawl. If you are challenged, you will fight until you or your opponent is dead." He shook me a little. "Do you understand?"

Hot tears stung my eyes and I fought them back as I nodded. I wanted to say something, but I didn't know what; nothing would come to me. It wouldn't have mattered anyway, with the massive lump in my throat constricting my vocal chords.

Phoenix pulled me to him and wrapped his arms around me. One of his hands came up to rest on the back of my head and he kissed my forehead sweetly.

"I won't force you to do anything you don't want to do, but I am begging you to stay with me at night and allow Alex to stay with you during the day, at least until we find and destroy the killer. I honestly believe, with him being here, none of them will try to hurt you for fear of being exposed. I'm not going to say they won't try to kill him, but he's the one who offered to protect you."


"A human, Phoenix. He offered to protect the human Mena, not a werewolf. He has no idea what he's getting into."

He shrugged. "He'll find out soon enough. You know as well as I do that your wolf plans to make him hers…" He grimaced. "…in every way."

I didn't know when I had actually made the choice to be more than friends with Phoenix. Our situation was more complicated than a Rubik's Cube, but I guess I had, at some point. I had no doubt the man would have been able to talk me into doing anything. And kissing him was no hardship, but a relationship? I knew if I gave in to him and agreed to stay at his compound at night that we would end up being more than what we are now; we just had too much chemistry for that not to happen. But I was leery to let anyone get too close. I had trusted Marc, and he had hurt me. I knew no two people were the same, but the wounds were still fresh. What was wrong with taking things slow? We barely knew each other, for cryin' out loud!

I shrugged out of his embrace and took a step back. "Phoenix, I—"

He huffed as he ran a hand through that beautiful hair of his. Damn it, I was getting distracted again! "What is it, Mena?"

I flung my arms out toward him. "You! I'm a little freaked out with how fast this is all moving between us. I can't do this right now—"

"Don't do this. I won't let you shut me out—"

"Phoenix, I am not ignorant to what will happen if I stay with you. We are too attracted to each other for something not to transpire between us. I just don't think I'm ready for the next step."

"What if I promise not to touch you? My only concern is your safety."

I walked back into his personal space and placed my hand on his cheek. He reached up and covered my fingers with his. "It's not you I'm worried about, Phoenix. I don't trust myself not to come to your bed."

Phoenix's hands came up quick and grabbed my face as his eyes bore into mine; they dilated until only a sliver of blue could be seen around the pupil. The sweet scent of him overwhelmed me so much that I swayed on my feet a little. My eyes were drawn to his mouth as his tongue slid out to wet his lips. I thought he was going to kiss me, but I couldn't have been more wrong. Those magnificent eyes glared into mine as if he were looking through them. "Come out, wolf," he growled. "We need to talk."

I gasped. "No!"

My wolf smiled with my lips. "You called me, vampire. Now, what are you going to do with me?"





V''''V





Alex





Brady Lancaster, another of Montgomery's medical examiners, zipped up the black body bag over what remained of Mena's friend. There hadn't been much left of the body to put in there.

"Damn," Alex said quietly. Not giving that girl a rematch would haunt him for the rest of his life. Maybe if he had played just one more game the cops wouldn't be knocking on the door of her next of kin right now.

His job was done here, for the moment. Waiting for forensics and lab results to come back could take days, but that wouldn't stop him from finding the SOB who had murdered this girl.