Kiss of Moonlight (13 page)

“That’s not much of a deterrent, babe. The
boschetta
owns one hundred fifty acres, including all the homes and the surrounding forest and fields. The police don’t patrol here. The roads are listed as private.”

But the wards around the property had alerted the
streghe
to their presence the second the car crossed through them. So when they didn’t show up when expected, the
streghe
would wonder. When they got a look at Tam, they’d know exactly what they’d been up to.

The
streghe
weren’t exactly known for their tact. They’d want to grill Tam but they’d also see her haunted eyes and her youth.

Then they’d want to coddle her, pet her. Take care of her. And Tam wouldn’t want that.

Shit, maybe this was a bad idea. Maybe he should have brought Tira to Tam.

Would Tam be able to handle all the stares, all the women asking questions? Or would it make her clam up? And pull away from him?

With a sigh, he bent until he could rub his nose against her sun-warmed cheek.
And pulled his softening cock from her body.

At least the condom kept her from getting messy, he thought as he disposed of it and cleaned himself off with wipes he kept in the glove box.

“Kyle?”

“Yeah, sweetheart?”
He turned to throw the wipes in the trash bag he kept in the car and when he looked back at her, she wore a bemused smile. “Hey, what’s wrong?”

She shook her head. “Nothing’s wrong. I just… Are you sure you want to do this?”

He frowned. “Do what?”

She rearranged her dress and he caught sight of her naked pussy for just a second. Heat flashed again, and he buttoned his jeans before he got any more brilliant ideas.
Not that he hadn’t enjoyed it.
He just didn’t want her to be uncomfortable talking to the
streghe
.

“I’m not really sure.” She shrugged her shoulders, her gaze confused. “Introduce me to the rest of your world, maybe? I mean, I’m not like you. Your…people probably have rules about who knows what, right?”

Not quite sure where she was going with this, he crossed his arms over his chest and nodded. “Yeah, we do. But you don’t have anything to worry about. None of this will fall on your head.”

She smiled but it was a little sad. “I have no doubt you won’t let anything happen to me, Kyle.”

The pride he felt at her dead-serious tone made him want to puff out his chest.
Which also made him feel like an idiot.

Then she sighed. “But aren’t you worried about what happens when I…leave?”

No.
Because she wasn’t leaving him.
Not ever. She just didn’t know it yet.

Gods be damned, he was a complete idiot for even thinking along those lines. For years he’d told himself he wasn’t about to give over control of his life to another person and now he was ready to roll onto his back at her feet so she could rub his stomach?

Vaffanculo
, he needed to get a grip. Even as he knew he’d do everything he could to keep her with him. “Do you have any plans on selling our story to the tabloids? Do you think anyone would believe you?”

She flinched and he mentally kicked his own ass. He knew what had happened when she’d gone to the police and told her story. Even bruised and battered, there were people who had come to the defense of the rapist, who had called her a liar and a whore. Those people better hope he never came across them.

“
Vaffanculo
.
That’s not… Shit, just forget I said that.”

“No, you’re right.” The wry twist of her lips made him want to grab her but he stayed where he was. “It is a pretty strange story, isn’t it?”

“Yeah, it is.” And she didn’t know everything yet.

Probably past time he remembered that.

Fate really was a bitch.

“Come on, sweetheart. We
gotta
get moving.”

* * * * *

Tam couldn’t believe how much more relaxed she felt.

Which should worry her.

A little sex—no,
great
sex—with Kyle and her stress levels deflated like a pin-pricked balloon.

Still, she couldn’t say she didn’t like it.

Maybe a little too much.

But she’d rather focus on that than on the nervousness gathering like a lead ball in her stomach, because as they crested a small hill, she got her first glimpse of the village in the valley below. The small cluster of homes looked straight out of some history show on ancient Italy, sitting in a clearing surrounded by forest.

As they got closer, she saw they were all one-story buildings. Most were plastered, painted white and roofed with terracotta tiles. A few were made of beautiful natural stone, their roofs also made of tile.

Each house sat back from the road, equidistant from each other.
Like soldiers at roll call.

The road continued through the houses until it dead-ended at the forest at the far end of the village. A large two-story barn sat there, its doors open while a few cows grazed the field to the left. And a large building that reminded Tam of a lodge house at summer camp rambled right up to the forest to the right of the barn.

She saw no other cars as they passed through the village but several women worked in huge gardens behind a few of the houses. Not every house had a garden but they were all beautifully landscaped.

“
Better Homes and Gardens
would have a field day here.” She shook her head. “This is beautiful.”

“The village itself is about a hundred and fifty years old.” Kyle’s voice set off little warning tingles in her belly as he pulled to a stop in front of the lodge. “The houses are passed down from mother to daughter.”

“Do any men live here?”

“Not usually, no. Only Dan lives here now.”

“You’re kidding?”

“The
boschetta
is strictly female.” He turned off the car and turned to look at her. “The
streghe
usually have only one child.
A daughter.”

“Can they actually control that? What happens if they have a boy?”

“They raise him until he’s old enough to live with his father if the father doesn’t live here. But none of the
streghe
living here now
have
had a son. Many of the women don’t take mates. Only Margie and two others have partners. And up until a couple months ago, all of the
streghe
lived here in the village.”

“So what changed?”

He shook his head. “That one’s a little complicated. If
Nica’s
here, you can ask her yourself.” His gaze slid past her shoulder toward the lodge behind them. “Cavalry’s arrived. You ready?”

Glancing over her shoulder, Tam saw Margie and Cat standing only a few feet away from the car. Behind them another woman stood in the doorway of the building.

Ready?
Probably not.

“Sure.” She took a deep breath. “I’m ready.”

* * * * *

A half hour later, Tam wanted to eat her words.

The blonde bombshell sitting across from her wore a sympathetic expression, her warm blue eyes kind.

And Tam couldn’t decide if she was glad Tira hadn’t allowed Kyle in the room while she did her reading or whatever the hell she’d called looking into Tam’s future by holding her hands and falling into some kind of trance…or if she wanted Kyle sitting there telling her everything was going to be okay.

“
Tamra
, I really think you need to talk to Kyle,” Tira said.

Tam shook her head, but not in denial. More like trying to get her brain to function in some kind of rational manner.

But the fear she thought she’d conquered was making a comeback.

Tira sighed. “
Tamra
—”

“So you’re saying Kyle’s in danger because of me?”

Tira grimaced. “That’s not exactly what I said.”

Tam held
Tira’s
gaze. “But that’s the bottom line? The person who’s after me is going to hurt Kyle trying to get to me?”

Tira sighed again, biting at her bottom lip. “Look, sometimes foretelling is like trying to see through fog. You can make out shapes but what you thought was a person might really be a tree.
Or a bear.”

“But you
saw
Kyle get shot standing in front of me. How can you mistake that?”

Tira’s
grimace made Tam’s heart race. “Well, yes, but that may not have anything at all to do with you. You may just be in the wrong place at the wrong time.”

Tam’s gaze narrowed on the other woman. Tam might not have known this woman longer than a half hour but she could read people. It was part of what made her a good nurse. “You don’t believe that.”

Tira frowned then shook her head. “You’re right. I don’t.
Fine, no more bullshit,
Tamra
.”
Tira sat back and crossed her arms over her chest. “He’s going to take a bullet for you.”

“Will
he
…” She had to take a deep breath or risk throwing up. “Will he be okay?”

Tira shook her head, her gaze locked on Tam’s. “I don’t know. I only saw him get shot. That’s the problem with foretelling, especially at my level. I usually only get bits and pieces. I rarely ever get the full picture. Yes, it’s frustrating. No, there’s nothing I can do about it.”

Tam opened her mouth to ask more questions, to find the answer she needed.
The one where Kyle wasn’t hurt because of her.
But she closed it again when she realized Tira was near tears. And that wasn’t fair.

This wasn’t
Tira’s
problem. This was Tam’s problem.

And she knew what she had to do. But, Jesus, she didn’t want to.

“
Tamra
?”
Tira’s
voice sounded so very far away. “
Tamra
, are you okay?”

She nodded and lied through her teeth, though she couldn’t quite control the rolls and dips her stomach was taking.
“Yeah.
Yeah, I’m fine.” At least, she would be.
When she’d had time to process.
But she needed all the facts before she could start. “So the reason this woman wants me is because my great-grandfather had power like yours? But he married someone who didn’t and the magic just kind of dissipated through the generations?”

Tira
nodded,
her expression rueful. “That’s the simple version, yes. But dissipated isn’t exactly the right word. The magic is still there in your blood, it’s just more of a latent gene.”

“Like I’m a carrier but I don’t have the disease.”

“Again, simplistic but basically true.”

“And you think whoever was behind your kidnapping a few months ago is now after me?
Because of the trace of magic in my blood?”

“Yes, that’s exactly what I think. But I don’t have any idea why she’d go from trying to kidnap a full-blooded
strega
to taking someone with almost no power at all.”

Tira was right. It didn’t make any sense.

Tam took a deep breath, trying not to wish Kyle was there holding her hand. Tira had sent everyone out of the room before she began so she could concentrate on seeing Tam’s future.
Which didn’t seem as weird now as it would have yesterday morning.

What Tira had seen had been pieces of her past and that one brief glimpse into her future.

“So now what?”

Tira shrugged. “So now you let Kyle figure out what’s going on.”

Yeah, that really didn’t sit right with Tam. She’d been raised to take care of herself, to solve her own problems. She wasn’t about to give up control over her life to someone else. Especially not to the man who might die for her.

But she wasn’t going to tell that to this chesty, blue-eyed blonde who looked like she didn’t know the meaning of self-sufficiency.

Shaking her head, Tam rose, trying not to let her knees shake. “Thank you for… Well, just thanks, I guess.”

Tira rose too, reaching out but not quite touching Tam. “The man who came after me had power. He was strong enough to hurt my friend
Nica’s
mate with a spell. Yes, there are other magical races out there like the Etruscans but only one or two have managed to keep bloodlines as pure as we have.

“That man’s bloodline wasn’t pure and we still don’t know how he acquired that much power.
Tamra
, I can see you’re used to your independence, but you’re not equipped to handle this situation.”

True, but if she stayed, Kyle would be hurt. He could die. And she couldn’t live with that on her hands.

Tam forced a smile, knowing Tira probably saw right through it. “I know that. Thanks, really. I just…need to talk to Kyle.”

She turned and headed for the door, trying to compose her expression even though her brain spun like a top.

She didn’t want Kyle to even suspect what she planned to do.

Taking a deep breath, she twisted the knob. Before she even had the door halfway open, Kyle stepped into her field of vision, those gorgeous topaz eyes laser-sharp on hers.

She started to reach for him but pulled back, biting down on her bottom lip. And those eyes narrowed down to slits.

“Tam.
Are you—” He cut off what she was sure was going to be “Are you okay?” and she blinked back the quick tears that spring to her eyes. “What happened?”

Damn it, what the hell did she tell him?

If she told him everything, she feared he’d never let her out of his sight. And she’d never be able to run.

She had to get away, go somewhere and hide.
Away from all of this.
Away from the people who could get hurt if she stayed and let them take care of her.

She refused to be the cause of Kyle’s death.

“
Tamra
!”

Blinking, she snapped out of her haze when Kyle’s hands landed on her shoulders and lifted her gaze. His expression held a tinge of fear that looked so out of place on his strong face and she hated that she’d put it there.