Moon Dance Read online

  She peered down at the saucepan, a very serious look on her face.

  He got a bowl and a spoon out, spraying and wiping them down as well. Out of one eye, he kept an eye on Piper, who was swinging her legs and still watching the saucepan.

  Maybe he could do this. It wasn’t as if he didn’t know how to take care of little kids. He’d had enough brothers and sisters. And maybe he wasn’t broken. He barely knew this little girl, but he already felt connected to her. He knew he’d never let anything happen to her. She was small and cute and sweet, and… his. He felt it. He liked it.

  “Bubbles.” Piper pointed. “Bubbles, there’s bubbles.”

  “Don’t touch it,” he said, hurrying over. He turned off the stove, and stirred the soup with the spoon before pouring it into the bowl.

  “Soup for me?” She grinned.

  “Soup for you.” He whisked her off the counter and over to a chair at the table. But once she was sitting down, he realized another problem. She was too small, and she couldn’t reach the table. She peered up over it, hopelessly too small.

  He held up a finger. “Don’t move, Piper.”

  “Why?” she asked, wide eyed.

  He whisked out to the living room where Deedee was scrolling through something on her phone. He grabbed several pillows off the couch and then came back to the kitchen. He piled the pillows onto one chair, and then moved Piper over onto it.

  She giggled. “Now, I big.”

  “Yes, you are,” he said. He got the soup and set it in front of her. “Your soup, madame.”

  She giggled more. “I not that.”

  He sat down with her. “No? I think you are. Madame Piper.”

  She giggled harder, the kind of laughter that only small children are capable of, joy with abandon. “You silly.”

  He laughed too. “I don’t think anyone’s ever said I was silly before.”

  She picked up the spoon and thrust it into the soup.

  “You got that?” he asked.

  “Uh huh, uh huh. I do it myself.”

  Right. He settled back to watch her.

  * * *

  Dana awoke to the sound of laughter. Piper’s laughter. She’d forgotten how much she missed hearing it. She wandered out to find Cole and Piper in the kitchen. Cole was pouring soup out of a bowl into a coffee cup.

  “No soup in cup,” Piper said, screaming with laughter.

  “How else are you going to drink it?” Cole was saying.

  Piper scrunched up her nose. “Silly, silly, silly.”

  Cole shrugged. “Well, sometimes, silly things just have to be done, Piper.”

  Dana made her way over to the table. “Hey.”

  Cole looked up at her. “Oh, hi. She was hungry, and—”

  “No, you did good.” She rubbed his head. “You’re doing fine.”

  He laughed. “Am I? I’m not really sure.” He scooted the coffee cup over to Piper. “All right, drink it.”

  “You do it,” said Piper.

  “Me?”

  She nodded. Cole picked up the cup and took a drink of the soup. Then he passed it back to her. “Now you.”

  Piper looked at Dana. “Mommy, do I drink soup?”

  Dana smiled. “You can. Especially if you ate out all the noodles.”

  “I did.” Piper picked up the coffee cup with both hands and put it to her mouth.

  “Are you having fun with Cole?” said Dana.

  Piper nodded. “Yeah. He silly.”

  Dana couldn’t help but smile. The two of them were actually pretty cute together. But then she leaned close to Cole and said in a low voice, “So, why is Deedee still here?”

  “I don’t know,” said Cole. “I think she’s convinced we’re going to change our minds and let her take Piper back to that family who adopted her.”

  “What?” said Dana. “But that’s insane.”

  “She thinks that we won’t be able to keep her safe if we’re always on the run.”

  “Cole, you stayed hidden from the SF for years,” said Dana. “It’s not going to be that difficult.”

  “Well, that’s true.” But Cole furrowed his brow.

  “What?”

  “Nothing,” he said. “It’s just that I did that by staying in wolf form seventy-five percent of the time, and we obviously can’t do that with Piper. She’s not even going to start shifting for another ten years.”

  Dana narrowed her eyes. “Wait, what are you saying?”

  “Nothing. I’m not saying anything. I just don’t have a plan yet.” He looked at Piper, who was slurping her soup. “Don’t worry. We’re not letting her go.”

  She bit her lip. She believed him, but he was right about their not having a plan. They certainly couldn’t stay in this house forever. She sat back in her chair, wracking her brain to try to think of a safe place that they could go.

  And then she heard a sound. Tires on the gravel driveway outside. A car engine. She stood up.

  Cole had heard it too and was on his feet.

  Together, they tore into the living room.

  Deedee held up both of her hands. “Cole, I couldn’t let you guys leave it this way. You used to be so close, and you need to work it out.”

  What was she talking about? Dana ran for the window.

  “What did you do?” Cole growled.

  Dana collided with a chair, knocking over the backpack, spilling out clothing and the tranq guns. She pushed past the chair and scrambled to the window.

  There was an RV in the driveway. As Dana watched, Enoch got out and slammed the door.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

  Cole had never felt terror like this, never once in his entire life. It wasn’t fear for himself. It was fear for Dana and Piper, who he was realizing meant more to him than his own safety. He felt frozen by this fear, unable to move or speak.

  He stood rooted to the spot as he watched Enoch and three other men troop into the house.

  Enoch glowered, his face a mask of anger.

  Cole knew he needed to be doing something, but he didn’t know what, and he didn’t know how. He turned to look at Dana, who was standing next to the window. At the sight of Enoch, she’d started shaking.

  Deedee rushed to Enoch. She put her hands on his chest. “I brought you here to talk, Enoch. You and Cole need to work this out.”

  Enoch shoved her out of the way. “This is past talking, Deedee.”

  She stumbled backwards. “No, there can’t be any violence. There is a child in this house.”

  “Right,” said Enoch, staring at Cole. “Funny thing you neglected to tell me when you brought that bitch to my camp. I didn’t know you bred with that whore.”

  Cole’s fear was melting into anger. He took a step toward Enoch. “Stop calling her names.”

  “I would never have trusted you if I knew,” said Enoch. “You betrayed me. Because of you, we had to step up the attack on the eastern SF. My schedule’s blown to hell now. You have no idea how much you’re fucking this up, and you used to believe in this cause.”

  “No,” said Cole. “I never did. I wanted us to be wolves. I wanted us to be in touch with nature. I never wanted us to be organized terrorists, you asshole. It’s like you never listened to a word I said.”

  “But that’s what we’re doing, brother. We’re taking out the SF, and then we will be free to be wolves. Every wolf will be free to do what comes naturally.” Enoch shook his head. “No, it’s Dana Gray that turned your head. She got you all twisted up. You don’t know what you believe in anymore.”

  Maybe that was true in some ways. Causes didn’t seem very important anymore. What seemed important was protecting her and protecting their daughter. Maybe it wasn’t very rational, but Cole didn’t care. It was more vital to him than any of his philosophies.

  Enoch turned to his men. “Grab her.”

  Cole lunged at Enoch.

  “No, don’t!” yelled Deedee.

  The men surged for Dana.

  Cole tackled Enoch,
wrapping his hands around his neck.

  Dana dove for the chair by the window. She pulled a tranq gun out of the backpack there. Raising it, she shot the first guy coming at her.

  Cole squeezed Enoch’s neck. “Stay away from her, or I’ll kill him!”

  Dana aimed the tranq gun at the next man.

  And then a tiny voice shattered everything. “Mommy?”

  Everyone stopped, turning to see that Piper had just come out of the kitchen. She was still holding the coffee cop she’d been drinking soup out of.

  “Piper, go back into the kitchen, honey,” said Dana hoarsely.

  One of the men turned away from Dana and swooped Piper into his arms.

  Dana let out a little cry.

  “Drop the gun,” said the man.

  Dana dropped it.

  “Let go of Enoch,” he said to Cole.

  Cole scrambled off of him, swearing under his breath.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

  Enoch had Dana tied to one of the kitchen chairs, but she was sitting in the living room. She’d been gagged and blindfolded.

  Piper was off with Deedee somewhere at Deedee’s request. She said she wouldn’t stand for this kind of behavior in front of a toddler, that it would traumatize her.

  Cole was sitting on the couch next to Enoch. He wasn’t tied up, but one of the guys had the tranq gun trained on him, so he was cooperating. For now. Internally, he was going over every possible way he could think of to get out of this. He had to come up with something.

  Enoch was talking. “Deedee wants us to work this out. And even though she left me, I still love her, so I want to make her happy. Anyway, I really should just kill you, brother, but I’m willing to give you a chance to make this right.”

  “Make it right? If you think I’m ever—”

  “Shut up,” said Enoch. “Just hear me out. You got problems. You know it, and I know it too. The SF is looking for both of you, and if they find you, they’ll lock you up in a little cell for the rest of your lives. That makes the SF your enemy. You should want to fight them.”

  “All I want from the SF is for them to leave me alone.”

  “Well, when we crush them to smithereens, they will leave you alone.”

  “I’m not going to help you, Enoch.”

  “Not even if I offer you want you want? You and this bitch and your little whelp can all live out your lives together, safe and free.”

  “What are you talking about?”

  “Help me take down the SF, and I’ll try to deal with Dana fucking Gray.” Enoch glared at her. “You can have her. You two can get a white picket fence somewhere and live out the rest of your days in domestic bliss.”

  Cole gave Enoch a wary look. He wasn’t really saying this, was he? Because if he was, Cole had to admit that he was tempted. The SF was a real problem, Enoch was right. And Cole didn’t exactly have warm, fuzzy feeling towards them. He wouldn’t mind helping Enoch take them down, if it meant that he, Dana, and Piper were safe.

  Dana probably wouldn’t like it, of course, but she’d get over it. If he did this, it would be far from the worst thing he’d ever done to her.

  “That simple?” Cole said. “I help you, and all is forgiven?”

  “Well,” said Enoch. “We’d have to keep her prisoner until the SF was entirely wiped out. You’d have your daughter right away, but Dana would have to stay locked up. I couldn’t trust her running around free, and I’d need leverage to keep you in line. But it would only be for six months. Maybe a year. And I’d let you visit her. Supervised, of course. I don’t mind watching you fuck her.”

  Six months of Dana being a prisoner? “No way,” said Cole. “Forget it, Enoch.”

  Enoch let out a sigh of frustration. “God damn it, brother. I’m trying here. If you don’t work with me, I’m going to have to kill you both.”

  Cole sneered at him. “You want to kill me, why don’t you do it like a wolf? Shift, and face me. We fight it out the way we’re meant to. Wolf against wolf.”

  Enoch snorted. “You and your wolf duels, Cole. No, I don’t think so. What you don’t ever seem to understand is that being a werewolf doesn’t mean we’re only animals. We’re men, and I’ve got you by the balls. I’m not going to give you any advantage.”

  Dana made a noise through her gag. It was something like a growl, and they all turned to look at her.

  Her hands twisted, changing shape as wolf claws ripped through her fingers.

  Cole’s heart leapt. Smart, beautiful, he thought.

  She ripped away at the bonds that tied her to the chair.

  The man with the tranq gun shifted to cover her.

  Cole jumped up and drove his shoulder into him, knocking off his aim.

  Dana tore the gag out of her mouth. She was half-wolf, half-woman, and Cole had never seen anyone else do that besides himself and Jimmy. It took an incredible amount of control and concentration. Cole didn’t know she had it in her.

  “Being the animal is the advantage, you dumbfuck,” she growled at Enoch, and then the rest of the change flowed through her.

  Cole shifted too, giving in to his wolf, feeling strength surge through him. He tackled the man with the tranq gun first. He used his jaws to rip it away from him and then he used his jaws to tear into the man’s flesh.

  Dana was on top of Enoch, but Enoch was shifting. His face squirmed and elongated as his muzzle took shape.

  Cole bounded to help her—

  And he was tackled from the side by one of Enoch’s men, who’d shifted as well. The wolf sunk his teeth into Cole’s flank.

  Cole yelped. He twisted, getting his teeth into the other wolf’s fur, and they were locked like that, moving in a circle, growls emanating from both of their throats.

  Cole brought up his paws, trying to push the other wolf off.

  The wolf released his jaws, but brought up his paws as well.

  They swatted at each other, yipping, snapping at the other.

  The wolf’s teeth bit into Cole’s neck.

  Pain shot through Cole, and he was momentarily motionless.

  The wolf tackled him, knocking him onto his back, a submissive posture.

  Panic shot through Cole, because he felt beaten.

  The other wolf loomed over him, baring his teeth.

  Cole flailed out with his paws, trying to connect with the other wolf, but he didn’t have the strength on his back.

  The wolf reared up, preparing to strike Cole’s vulnerable belly.

  Behind him, Cole heard Dana cry out, a yelp of pain. No. Nothing could happen to her.

  Cole snarled. He shot up, stretching his jaws. He clamped down hard on the other wolf. He tasted blood—bright and coppery. The blood made him frenzied, and he shook his muzzle, shaking the other wolf as more blood flowed over his pelt. He shook until the other wolf was lifeless. And then he flung the carcass away.

  He whirled to see that Enoch had Dana pinned. She was sprawled out on her back, just like Cole had been. And she was bleeding.

  Cole sprang onto Enoch’s back, digging in his claws and teeth.

  Enoch reared back, trying to throw Cole off.

  Dana righted herself. She barked and growled, and then launched herself at Enoch.

  Enoch struggled, yipping.

  He wasn’t a match for both of them.

  Cole and Dana attacked him from both sides, sinking teeth through Enoch’s fur.

  Enoch whimpered. He lashed out with his teeth and claws, swiping Dana across the face.

  She yipped, but didn’t draw back.

  Cole and Dana latched onto him again, both on either sides of Enoch’s neck. Working together, they twisted.

  Enoch’s neck snapped.

  He fell to the floor, dead.

  Immediately, his fur began to recede, and his human form reappeared.

  Together, they lapped at his blood.

  * * *

  Dana was thinking one thing: Meat.

  When Deedee’s hand grabbed her by the
scruff of the neck and tugged her away from the meat, Dana growled, turning to snap at Deedee.

  But then Dana remembered that Deedee was supposed to have Piper. Piper. Pup. Daughter.

  And Dana shifted back to human form as quickly as she could.

  Deedee wrestled with Cole, still in wolf form. “Get off of him.” She was crying.

  Dana looked around the room. “Where’s Piper?”

  Deedee was slapping at Cole’s muzzle, sobbing. “You monster. You monster.”

  “Cole,” said Dana. “Shift.”

  Cole looked up at her, whimpering. But then he shifted too.

  Deedee threw herself onto Enoch’s ruined body, wailing.

  Cole yanked clothes out of the backpack, throwing them to Dana.

  She shrugged into a shirt and pants. “Where’s Piper, Deedee?”

  “He’s dead. You killed him. You killed him,” moaned Deedee.

  Dana took her by the shoulder. “Where’s Piper?”

  “She’s gone,” Deedee spit in her face. “I took her away from this place when I knew there was going to be violence. And if you think I’m giving her back to you after this, well, you’re insane. You can’t raise children. You two are barely human.”

  Dana’s nostrils flared. “He was trying to kill us. We were protecting ourselves.”

  “Tell yourself whatever you want,” said Deedee. “The truth is obvious.”

  Dana’s gaze skittered over Enoch’s body, which barely resembled a body anymore. His chest cavity and stomach were open and bloody, spilling out Enoch’s insides over the floor. A minute ago, it had been appealing and appetizing, but now Dana felt as if she was seeing it with different eyes.

  It was… well, it was horrifying.

  She backed away, touching her face, realizing she was covered in blood.

  Deedee staggered to her feet. “You want your daughter to see you like this?”

  Dana looked down at the floor.

  “Deedee, I know you cared about Enoch,” Cole said in a quiet voice.

  “You shut up,” she snarled. “I’m old enough to remember what you did to Tasha. I saw it.”

  Cole flinched. “Jimmy made me—”

  “You didn’t try to fight it,” said Deedee. “This is what you’ve always been, Cole. You wanted us all to turn into animals, but that’s only because you’re an animal.”