Fox, Morgan - Tempted by the Moon [Moonlight Shifters 2] (Siren Publishing Ménage Amour) (11 page)

He kissed the tip of her nose. “Regardless, I don’t want you thinking like that. I want you to think of only good, positive things. Sebastian is a tough son of a bitch, and he’ll fight this virus. He loves you, and he won’t be able to be away from you for long. Trust me, sweetheart. Ryken and Luken are on their way back, and together we’ll obtain Sebastian, and he’ll be back to normal before you know it.”

He wiped her damp cheeks as she looked up at him, his towering figure and muscular frame surrounding her in a comforting embrace. She wrapped her arms around his waist, pressing her cheek flat against his firm chest.

She whispered, “I hope you’re right, Jonah. I truly do.”

Brie jumped at the sound of pounding steps coming from behind her. In the doorway leading into the cabin stood two tall, brawny men—fierce warriors and men Jonah had known for a lifetime.

Curious to learn why these two men should suddenly appear on his doorstep, he asked, “Reyes. Dominic. What are you doing here?”

Reyes, a wolf and best friend to Sebastian, had short, military-cropped black hair, crystal blue eyes, and shoulders that filled the doorframe. A white T-shirt, dark jeans, and black combat boots completed his look. He acknowledged Jonah with a nod then explained, “Luken called, said things here at McCarthy Ranch were going to hell in a handbasket, and he suggested we come lend a hand.” His gaze wandered over Brie, and Jonah felt his chest bulk up. Sexual desire of weres could be read like the bold print on a newspaper. Jonah read Reyes’s and Dominic’s thoughts, and he didn’t like what their eyes revealed.

“Who do we have here?” Dominic drawled, his eyes casting over Brie.

“My mate,” Jonah growled. “And you’d be wise to remember that.” He glared at Dominic, but his warning was meant for them both.

Dominic grinned. His shoulder-length, dark brown hair pulled back at the nape of his neck, his smooth, sophisticated gaze flickered back to Jonah. “I apologize, old friend. I meant no disrespect.” Jonah shrugged, glancing down to watch Brie stare back at the giant covered in solid black. He wore a T-shirt, jeans, and boots—a walking nightmare for anyone who crossed his path.

Jonah nodded. “Brie, this is Reyes Rodale and Dominic Mercer. They are part of our pack and live on the far side of McCarthy Ranch...that is, when they’re not raising hell in Dallas. Reyes is Sebastian’s oldest friend, while Dominic”—he cleared his throat—“is supposed to be mine.” Jonah gritted out the last part as if forcing the words to emerge.

He glared at the intimidatingly large lycan, the largest of their pack. At six-foot-six, Dominic looked like a god of war rather than just a simple man. A wall of muscle and strength, Dominic was a force to be respected—and to those who were not fast learners that meant pain, lots and lots of pain.

Growing up with the menacing bastard had been interesting. Trouble seemed to find Dominic faster than Jonah could blink his eyes. But even so, there was no other warrior Jonah would rather have at his side if he couldn’t have Sebastian. No matter the hell they caused each other, the torment they forced each other to suffer, the loyalty and respect they shared was always there.

Reyes bowed his head as if he were being introduced to royalty—a complete contrast to his rough, casual appearance. “It is so very nice to meet you, Brie. We’ve heard so much about you already.”

“Yes, we have.” Dominic approached her, lifting her hand to his lips, kissing her knuckles. “It seems unfortunate that it is only now that we should meet you.”

Jonah rolled his eyes. The need to puke pushed up from his stomach and into his throat. He was going to beat the shit out of Dominic the first chance he got. “I won’t warn you again, Dominic. The ladies may find your Casanova charms flattering, but I only find them annoying.”

Chuckling, Dominic said, “You didn’t always think so, my friend. I remember not too long ago when you were begging me to show you the ways of—”

Clearing his throat, Jonah cut Dominic off and said, “Brie is my mate, and I don’t think she needs to hear what you have to say.”

True enough, Jonah had lived a life where he found as many women as he could to spend his nights with, but those days were over and gone. The only woman that mattered to him now was Brie. Having her learn of his oversexed past would solve nothing, and the last thing he needed was for her to question his love and develop emotional insecurities about their relationship. He could feel she already questioned Sebastian’s love for her. Vulnerabilities had a way of digging in under the skin and lingering longer than desired.

Don’t say a fucking word to her about my past, Dominic. Now is not the time. Trust me.
His mind dove deep into Dominic’s, forcing his thoughts to be heard. He felt Dominic’s response with a warm burst of heat that came from the telepathic link between lycans.

Knowing his curious mate, he didn’t flinch when he heard her ask, “What if I’d like to learn about your past?” She held Jonah’s gaze. “I think I’d be interested to discover what you were like before I came into the picture.”

Dominic laughed, dark midnight black eyes rimmed with gold. “Perhaps Jonah is right, Brie. It might be best if some things remained in the past.”

She nodded at him with a soft smile. “Maybe you’re right.”

Jonah cringed as she agreed so easily. Brie didn’t give in without a fight. She was a fierce attorney, for crying out loud, and arguing was her forte. Without a shadow of a doubt, he was going to hear all about it later when they were alone. He’d be forced to share more of the details of his past, but at least he’d be able to do the telling—not his obnoxious best friend.

The sound of a howling wolf jerked everyone into silence. Jonah held Brie at his side. The wailing was coming from Sebastian, and that was a good thing because that meant he hadn’t gone too far. Once Ryken and Luken showed up, they’d all go in search of Sebastian. Everyone except for Brie and those he chose to guard her.

“Ryken wasn’t very gracious with the details. What’s going on, Jonah?” Reyes stepped into the room, closing the front door at his back. “What’s happened to Sebastian?”

Jonah sighed hard as he led Brie to stand at the counter in the kitchen. He quickly explained the situation with Mason Levi and the mutating virus. “Somehow Sebastian’s been infected with some kind of virus, but none of us knew about it until about an hour ago.” He squeezed Brie’s hand, sensing that hearing this story repeatedly was taking its toll on her fragile nerves. “I’m assuming Ryken called you to help us capture him, which was actually kind of smart considering the source,” he smirked. “We could use all the help we can get.”

“We’re glad to lend a hand,” Dominic said, glancing around the cabin. “Sebastian did all this?”

Brie nodded, leaning into Jonah’s side, her arm around his waist.

“Mating heat?” Reyes questioned.

Brie nodded again, her face reddening.

Reyes ran a firm hand over his face, stroking the black goatee on his chin, he bit out, “Shit, man. Mating heat and some wacky damn virus...When Sebastian gets fucked, he really gets fucked.” Leave it to Reyes to speak bluntly. No need pussyfooting around.

Reyes shifted uncomfortably, as if embarrassed by his choice of words in front of a woman. Meeting her gaze, he said, “Pardon my language, Brie,”

She offered him a shy smile.

Jonah spent the next hour catching up with Reyes and Dominic, explaining that Sebastian had gone to Scotland to ask Brie’s family for her hand in marriage, and also shared that he had been tracking Mason Levi. Jonah left out the important details of Brie’s mysterious abilities and that Sebastian had discovered more about her past.

Damn, of all the times for Sebastian to keep shit to himself, now was not the time.

Jonah heard Ryken’s truck and glanced to the door as the golden-haired twins rushed inside, clad in only blue jeans and no shirts—as always. Jonah should’ve felt grateful that the wonder twins had managed to put on a pair of shoes.

“We miss anything?” Ryken blurted out.

“Like what?”

Ryken grinned as he reached his hand out to Reyes. They gripped each other’s forearms in a warrior-like fashion. They hugged, slapping each other on the back, stepping away after a moment of greeting.

“Good to see you,” Reyes told the twins.

Luken followed suit, embracing his old friend. Neither one hugged or embraced Dominic.

“Do I have leprosy?” Dominic snickered, and the twins laughed.

Shaking his head, Luken said, “No, but if I remember correctly, the last time I hugged you...you grabbed my ass and told everyone present that I was your gay lover.” Luken made an exaggerated shiver. “That’s not right, man. That night I was embarking on spending the evening with a voluptuous redhead, but thanks to your convincing joking, she went running as fast as she could. She actually believed you and thought I was gay.”

Chuckling, Dominic reached his hands out in a groping fashion and said, “Oh, don’t be such a baby. Come give your old friend Dom a great big, sloppy hug and kiss.” He puckered his lips, looking like a fish and blowing obnoxious kisses towards the twins. This proved that even grown men, who appeared to look as though they were in their thirties, could still act the part of silly children.

Ryken and Luken shook their heads and stepped back. “No, we’re good, Dom. But it really is great to see you,” Ryken finished with a smile.

Brie looked from Dominic to the twins and then back again, she pressed into Jonah’s side, whispering, “I don’t think I want to know.”

“That’s probably best where these guys are concerned,” Jonah joked. “I could tell you stories that would make that beautiful, blonde, straight hair of yours curl.”

Ryken leaned against the broken couch, his arms folded over his chest. “I thought you might want to know that we saw Sebastian running away from the house as we pulled up. He seemed to be pacing along the east end of the cabin.”

“That’s where Brie’s room is,” Jonah announced. “I bet he’s waiting for her to go to sleep for the night.” Locking on her gaze, he said, “He’s going to try and sneak into her room again.”

Jonah hated thinking about using Brie as bait, but it was the only way they were going to get Sebastian to come to them without having to use force. With five adult lycans, surely they could capture one alpha male.

Jonah took the next hour to put a plan of action together using Brie as the main source of attraction and distraction for Sebastian. Ryken and Luken would stay with Brie, while Ryes and Dominic joined him to search the woods. He knew that Sebastian would be close by, and they wouldn’t have to search far to find him.

Brie was to go into her room and wait with the light on for thirty minutes. Ryken and Luken would wait in the hallway to keep their scents from blending with hers.

Jonah knew it would be difficult for her to do, but he’d asked her to try and stimulate herself so that Sebastian would scent her arousal—driving the mating heat wild inside him. There was no way he could resist. Sebastian would be unable to stay away from her the moment he caught her scent.

“Brie, are you up for this?” Jonah asked, holding her by her shoulders. His gaze was soft, but inside his heart pounded with worry. He swallowed hard, his mind racing with thoughts of everything that could go wrong. And damn it, a lot of things could go terribly wrong.

“I want to help Sebastian, so if that means I have to be bait, then I have to be bait.” She popped to her toes and pressed a sweet, gentle kiss to his lips. “Just make sure you do it without hurting him or yourselves.” She wrapped her arms around his waist, and he rested his chin on her head.

“You are an incredible woman, Brie. Always thinking of others before yourself,” he whispered against the top of her head.

He wished he could guarantee that he would bring Sebastian home in one piece, but if his brother tried to kill anyone, especially Brie, he’d be forced to take drastic measures. Normally Sebastian wouldn’t allow anything to happen to Brie, and damn it, neither would he.