Harvest Moon (6 page)

“I tried to tell her she had it wrong, but she didn’t believe me.” Adam glanced from my face to hers and back again. “If Nero really is on the way, then you two better get your heads on straight. I won’t put my…family at risk.”

I caught the hesitation in Adam’s voice. Whatever Sebastian had told Kilani, Adam didn’t think she knew we were werewolves. In front of guests we weren’t his Pack, we were family. I gave a subtle nod of my head.

“Work this out.” Adam walked away toward the stairs, leaving me with a very angry Kilani.

“There’s nothing to discuss. I’ll take care of myself.” She went toward the door and I almost reached out to stop her, but given her current frame of mind, I stopped. If she thought I was a Nero spy, manhandling her wasn’t going to help my cause.

“I watched you today because you’re beautiful. It had nothing to do with Nero or spying.” She froze and turned slowly. The sudden spurt of honesty rattled me, but she didn’t run out of the house screaming, so I went a little further. “It was a fluke when I saw you leave the building for the parking lot. I thought you’d get in your car and drive away. When you didn’t, I was curious…”

She came one step closer, staring up at me. Studying me? She had beautiful dark, almond-shaped eyes. Wise. And her sun-kissed skin looked soft, tempting. I closed my hands to keep from reaching out to touch her.

“If you didn’t call Nero, then who did?” A crease marred her smooth brow. “I’ve been here for almost two months and everything was quiet, then I catch you…watching me, and I get a text from Sebastian that they’re coming. Pretty huge coincidence.”

I nodded. Her conclusion was logical. Wrong, too, but now I understood why she believed it. “Can we sit down and start over?”

“No.” She pressed her lips together for a moment. “I bet caring for your father is expensive.”

The pivot in conversation stunned me for a moment. “What does that have to do with anything?”

“That was the only missing piece. Spying goes against everything anyone has told me about you, but paying for in-home staff for your father has got to be pricey, even for a doctor. You might need extra cash. Making a phone call about a nurse named Kilani could be a huge payday.”

“Wow.” I raked my fingers back through my hair. “You think you’ve got this all figured out.” My hands were tied. I couldn’t tell her the real reason my dad wasn’t in a hospital or why we couldn’t risk in-home nursing. I was running out of bullshit. I met her eyes. “It was a doctor from Nero who shot my father up with potassium chloride that day. I discovered he’d been poisoning a friend of mine and he attacked my dad to slow me down while he got away. I had to choose, catch the bastard or save my father. I chose family.”

She watched me for a second and slowly let out a breath she’d been holding. “That’s why Adam said you hated Nero…”

“I wasn’t fond of them before they stopped my dad’s heart, but I’m even more anxious to take them down now.” I raised my hands slightly. “Are we good now?”

She lifted a shoulder. “I might’ve been wrong about you being the spy, but I’m not sure that makes us good…” Her words faded as she came closer to me. I followed her stare to my hands. “Are those bruises?”

I started to drop them, but she caught one, studying it. Something inside me came unhinged. The wolf howled in my mind, deafening my ears for a second, my pupils dilated, nostrils flared, and my lungs filled with her scent as I struggled for breath.

“Gobsmacked” didn’t begin to describe the insanity. What the hell was happening to me?

“Dr. Ayers?” She released my hand and I stumbled backward, blinking hard. Gradually the world came back into focus. She came closer, reaching out to steady me. “Whoa. You should sit down before you fall down. We need to get to the hospital for a CAT scan. You’re probably nursing a concussion. You’ve got all the symptoms, Dr. Ayers.”

“Jason.” I shook my head. This couldn’t be real. There had to be an explanation. “Call me Jason.”

“Fine.” She came closer, reaching up to inspect the cut on my brow, her breasts so close to my chest, the heat of her body warmed me right through our clothes. “Jason, we need to get you to a hospital. Your brain could be swelling.”

Oh, something was swelling for sure, but it was nowhere near my brain.

“I’m okay.”

Her gaze shifted from my cut to my eyes. “You’re saying that lack of balance and coordination, coupled with your rapid pupil dilation, was normal?”

“No.” I shook my head. “But it’s not a concussion.”

Her hands rested on her hips. “All right, then what was it?”

“You wouldn’t believe me if I told you.” Hell, I didn’t believe it, either.

“How’s it going out here?”

We both turned to find Adam in the hallway. Kilani glanced up at me for a second before sighing. “You’re right. I don’t think Jason called Nero.”

Adam nodded and came over to my side. “I need to talk to you. Alone.”

“I’ll go. I’m sorry Sebastian sent me here. I never would’ve come if I had known you weren’t expecting me.”

“No.” I spun around faster than I intended. She flinched a little. “If Nero is after you, you’re not going anywhere on your own.”

Her shoulders squared. “I admitted to being wrong about you spying. I did
not
agree to you being in charge of my life. I don’t know you and you don’t know me. If Adam can help, great, but if not, I’ll figure something out.”

The wolf’s agitation grew. It paced inside of me until I wanted to scream. “This is no time to go off headstrong and half-cocked. Sebastian sent you here because we’re the only ones who can stand up to Nero.”

“We?” She shook her head and pointed to my Alpha. “He told me to go find
Adam
, not you.”

Hearing Adam’s name on her lips made me want to punch something. My hands flinched at my sides. “Just don’t go anywhere.”

Adam clapped a hand on my shoulder. “Sorry. Our doctor sometimes forgets he can’t order folks around outside the hospital. Can you give me a few minutes before you go?”

Her gaze swept across the floor, but finally she sighed. “Fine.”

“Thanks.” Adam nodded toward her. “We’ll be right back.”

I took a chair in his office as Adam closed the door. He crossed to the desk, leaning against the edge with his arms over his chest. “We can’t get involved here.”

“What?” I got to my feet. “We can’t just look the other way while Nero kills someone on our territory.”

He opened his hands. “We don’t even know if her story about the roommate is true. Sebastian could be counting on us to feel sorry for the pretty little thing, and then he’ll swoop in with a mercenary team to grab Lana and the twins. It’s too risky and we can’t be sure of the facts. Why would Sebastian send this woman to us?”

“So we’re just going to tell her good luck and pretend we don’t see her blood on our hands.” My pulse galloped faster than a thoroughbred, and my urge to punch something swelled. “When did our Pack start being afraid of Nero?”

“Are you questioning my motives?” Adam straightened up, his tone dropping to a menacing growl. “What the hell is wrong with you? There is no reason for Sebastian, heir to the Nero machine, to help us or need our help. This makes no sense.”

“Yeah, it doesn’t make sense.” I went to the door. “But I can’t stand by and pretend she’s not in danger.”

“Jason, she’s not our problem.”

I shook my head, my knuckles aching as I balled my fingers into tight fists. “She’s my mate.”

His eyes widened. “What?”

“It’s crazy, but she just touched my hand and…”

“And the earth tilted on its axis?”

I nodded, staring at my knuckles. “Something like that. It’s not possible, but…” I met his eyes. “But my wolf recognized her. I heard him howling.”

The corner of Adam’s mouth quirked up. “No shit.” He clasped my forearms and chuckled. “You’ve got your work cut out for you.”

“Why, because she hates doctors, or because she thinks I’m a Peeping Tom spy, or maybe because Nero wants her dead…” I let go of him, rubbing my hands down my face. “I’m screwed. Why is everything in my life turning to shit right now?”

He took his place against his desk again. “We still don’t know if we can trust her. Mate or not, you need to find out whatever you can about her roommate. I can’t believe Sebastian cared about anyone other than himself, let alone felt responsible for saving her friend. None of this adds up.”

“She doesn’t think she can trust me, either.”

“Until I understand what Sebastian’s endgame is, I can’t get the Pack involved, mate or not.”

“Shit.” I groaned and reached for the door. “I can’t let anything happen to her, Adam.”

“I know.” He nodded. “Keep me in the loop. If her story turns out to be true, the Pack will stand with you.”

I had to get
her
to stand with me first.

Goddamn fate could stop fucking with me any time now.

Chapter Six

K
ILANI

J
ason disappeared down the hall with Adam, leaving me alone to get a grip on reality. A vision assaulted me the moment I touched his hand and he stumbled away. And it wasn’t a vision of him betraying me to Nero.

I was naked in his arms.

And instead of being repulsed, a flush of heat fanned out through my body. I needed a cold shower. Now. Not only was Jason a doctor, but I’d already caught him lying to me, and I still had all my clothes on at the time.

Not to mention catching him watching me while I ate lunch.

But my visions of the future usually came to me right before they occurred. Ending up in bed with him in a few minutes wasn’t going to happen. No way. Maybe it was a mistake? Just a jolt of lust. He was intelligent and good looking, if you could overlook the god complex and the secrets.

Until now, all my visions came true unless I chose to do something to change the outcome. This vision made no sense.

I got up and went to the window. The barn was still lit, and the horses in the pasture grazed in the moonlight. Peaceful. But their peace couldn’t distract me or get Jason out of my head. I kept seeing his eyes when he admitted he thought I was beautiful. He’d bared himself, even though he was well aware of my distrust and less-than-friendly attitude toward him.

My thick emotional shields faltered. He was sexy when he told the truth.

Too bad he didn’t do it often.

“Hey.”

His voice brought me back to the present. I glanced back over my shoulder. “Where’s Adam?”

“He’s got some things to take care of.”

I turned to face him, my mouth going dry. “He’s not going to help me?” When Jason didn’t answer, I nodded, hoping I looked braver than I felt. “That’s okay. I’m sorry Sebastian was mistaken.”

I walked to the couch to grab my bag.

“I’m going to help you.”

“Excuse me?” I slid my bag over my shoulder.

“Just for now. Adam can’t get our family involved until he’s sure of Sebastian’s motives. I’ll protect you while we get a clearer picture of why Sebastian sent you here.”

He stood tall—of course everyone was tall to me, but his broad shoulders were rolled back, his bruised face raised in defiance, and his banged-up hands balled into loose fists. I’d never met such a rugged doctor. He almost looked like he could protect me from anything.

Anything but himself.

I sighed and shook my head. “I appreciate the offer, but I can handle this. If I see anyone out of the ordinary, I have the police on speed dial. I’ll be ready.”

He tensed but pulled in a slow breath before he spoke. “I get that you don’t trust me, or doctors in general, but this is serious. There’s a detective in Reno who might be able to help us contact Sebastian and get some answers.”

“Give me his name and I’ll call him.”

“Her name.” He shook his head with a humorless chuckle. “And there’s no way she’d get involved if you called her.”

I walked over to him, trying not to let the vision of us naked into my consciousness. Too late. “Tell me something… Be
honest,
if possible. Why are you offering to help me? What’s in it for you?”

This close, his light hazel eyes were almost golden, hypnotic. His gaze never strayed from mine. “Let’s get something straight.” His voice was deep and rough, intimate. “I wish I could tell you everything you want to know, but there are parts of my life I can’t share. The truth could hurt those I love, so I protect it. I don’t know what kind of asshole, lying doctors you’ve known, but I am
not
one of them.”

Ignoring the annoying flutters in my belly, I shook my head slowly. “You still didn’t answer my question.”

He didn’t miss a beat. “You helped save my father’s life. I want to return the favor.”

I swallowed the lump in my throat. This was no lie, no agenda. “Thank you.”

His shoulders relaxed and he pulled his keys out of his pocket. “Let’s grab your things and get out of here.”

I bristled. “I’ll just follow you. I’ve got all I need in my car.”

“Nero could already be looking for your car.”

“Fine.” I sighed, glaring down at my shoes to keep from seeing his face. “But I want to be sure we’re clear. We’re not sleeping together.”

He chuckled and I couldn’t help but peer up at him. Damn, he had a great smile.

“I was thinking more along the lines of taking you to see the detective who might be able to contact Sebastian.” He raised a brow. “But I’m flattered.”

“Flattery wasn’t my intention.” The image of our naked limbs entwined together on a king-size bed flashed through my head again as I brushed past him toward the door. I needed to get a little self-control. I wasn’t about to let this vision become a self-fulfilling prophecy. Jason had baggage and secrets.

And I had enough of those on my own.

J
ason made a call on his cell and then started the engine. “She’s at her sister’s place, but I told her this wouldn’t take long.”

“She couldn’t just give you Sebastian’s number?”

He glanced my way. “Contacting him isn’t something you pass along over the phone. Nero has ears everywhere.” He stared out the windshield at the dark road ahead. “Plus Sasha will want to hear this directly from you, or she won’t get involved.”