Full Moon Rising

Chapter 13

Qui

“It might be nothing.” At least, I hoped it was nothing. Surely fate would not be so unkind as to betray me twice

“Tell me.”

I took a deep breath and released it slowly. “I’d always thought the name was familiar, and I’ve just remembered why. The second of my two mates had a file on his desk that bore the name Genoveve Confectionary.”

“Did you get the chance to look at it?”

“Why would I bother? It was over a year ago that I saw it, and we were in a mating rush at the time. You’re lucky I even remembered it.”

He released my arms and stepped back. “What is his name?”

“Misha Rollins.”

“The same Misha who was on the phone to you when we pulled up at the cemetery?”

I stared at him for a second, taking in the implications of his words, a cold sensation forming in the pit of my stomach

“There are more than a dozen Camp Roads in Melbourne, and even if he was behind the attack, there is no way they could have pinpointed us so quickly.”

Yet I remembered Talon’s words. Remembered the tracking device in my arm. And he’d said we. Did that mean he and Misha were partners in this madness? But if that were so, why would they set their creatures on us, then shoot them?

It didn’t make any sense. None of this was making any sense

“He had your phone number, and you left your phone on.”

“But they didn’t need satellite tracking—I’ve apparently got a tracker in my arm.”

“Then we had better get it out.”

“Misha’s not behind the attack.” I had to believe that. Had to. Otherwise, I might never trust my instincts again

Qui

“Why don’t we wait for Jack and see what he has to say?”

Though his expression didn’t alter, his anger whipped around me. “Fine.”

He spun on his heel and walked out. I watched him go, though right then all I wanted to do was grab him and make love to him. It wasn’t the moon heat. Rather a desire to hold on tight to something that was good. Something that was slipping through my fingers

With a sigh, I flicked on the water in the shower and stepped under it when it was hot enough. After washing the blood and sweat from my skin, I studied my various wounds. My stomach was tender to the touch, and the rainbow display of colors was broken by three pale pink scars. My arms bore several more healing slashes, as did my shoulders and thigh. Though I couldn’t remember changing shape during the night, I must have, because there was no other way such cuts would have healed so fast

Once I’d dried myself, I went out to check for clothes and discovered my bag sitting at the end of the bed. Liander must have brought it down from the farm. I shoved on my skirt and a shirt, mighty thankful for the extra undies I’d thrown into my bag when I’d packed for the club days ago. Once dressed, I wandered down a wide hallway, through a shadow-filled living room, and found myself in a kitchen bigger than my entire apartment. Through the windows, lights sparkled, testimony to the fact that many houses lay on the slope below us. In the distance, glistening whitecaps pounded toward a shore I couldn’t see

Liander sat at an ornate glass table reading a newspaper, but he glanced up as I walked in. His left eye was black, and bruises littered his pale arms

His gaze raked me, lingering on the healing wound on my thigh. It wasn’t a sexual look, just a concerned one. “Feeling better?”

“Much. How about you?”

He shrugged. “I think my ego is bruised more than my body. There were only four of them, yet they got the better of me.”

“Only four? Gee, you’re slipping.”

My voice was dry, and a smile tugged his lips. “Once I could have taken double that number.”

“It’s a long time since you were in the military.”

“It shouldn’t matter. I do keep in shape, after all.”

“But not fighting fit—you’ve had no reason to, after all.”

“True.”

I walked over to the fridge to grab something to eat, but there wasn’t much more than old-looking fruit. Obviously, despite what Talon had said, he really hadn’t intended to stay there long. I picked out one of the better-looking peaches and slammed the door shut. “Where’s Qui

Liander nodded toward the French doors to my right. “Out on the patio, calling someone to get some information on Misha.” He hesitated, his expression tightening. “He’s using us all, you know.”

“Yeah. All he’s interested in is finding out what happened to his friend.”

“His friend being the DNA provider for these clones?”

I nodded and bit into the peach. “I gather Rhoan filled you in on what’s been happening?”

Liander’s gaze met mine. “There are no secrets between us, Riley.”

I remembered what he’d said to Qui

Though I doubted Rhoan himself was fully appreciative of the fact

Liander folded the newspaper and leaned back in his chair. “Rhoan also told me about Qui

I swiped a hand at the peach juice ru

He smiled, but the concern in his silver eyes remained. “You’re generally one of the most sensible people I know, but emotions rarely have anything to do with common sense.”

“I haven’t known Qui

He shook his head, his smile telling me he wasn’t fooled by the change of topics. “Wolves.”

“And their smell?”

He shrugged. “Like wolves. Men.”

Not clones or lab-created creatures then. Which I supposed was a good thing—at least it suggested Talon’s madness was just the common, everyday type, not the “I-will-dominate-the-world” variety

“And Jack’s been informed of events?”

“Yes.” He glanced at his watch. “They should almost be here.”

I raised an eyebrow. “That wise? I mean, these people keep on finding us, so it might be better if we remained in a couple of different groups.” Though, if I had a tracker in my arm, maybe I was the reason they kept finding us. Talon might have inserted it, but there was no telling if anyone else had discovered the signal

“Probably, but I’m not calling the shots. Jack is.”

And Jack would do what Jack wanted. Maybe he wanted to bring them to us. It would certainly be one shortcut to finding out who was behind all this

I finished the peach and tossed the pit in the nearby rubbish bin. From outside the house came the sound of an approaching car. Liander rose, then moved with deceptive casualness to the window and looked out

“Jack and Rhoan,” he said after a moment

He went to the front door, and I looked around as Qui

“Not yet,” he said. “They’ll get back to me in an hour or so.”

I crossed my arms. “Are you going to share what they find with Jack?”

“Yes,” he said

No, he meant

I smiled grimly. “And do you intend to kill whoever has held Henri captive all these years?”

“Killing is not my style.”

“Tell that to the clone in the toilet.”

“He was a clone. That’s different.”

I wanted to ask how, but my brother chose that moment to walk in. His glance took in the two of us, and his gaze narrowed slightly