The inn has an airless broom cupboard where the summer gear is stored: shade umbrellas, volleyballs, nets; all that shit humans just love to pass the lazy, hot days.
This early in the summer season, no one ever bothers looking in here.Sometimes I head to the storage space for peace and quiet when I’m sick of hiding from the sunlight or when I want to avoid the rest of the coven.It’s dark with no windows and smells funky enough to blot out all thoughts of blood from my mind.What’s not to like?
I was planning to emerge from this room and pretend that is where I spent the day.But it seems Luna got a bead on my strategy.
I’m an apex predator and a loner.Always have been.Even the strong bonds of brotherhood can feel stifling after a millennia or two, and being with those who will judge me for having such an uncontrollable obsession is not what I need right now.
Slumping down on a storage crate full of croquet and tennis balls, I rub my hands down my face.“The weight of my secrets is dragging me down, sister.”
“You reek of her scent.You must bathe before rejoining the others.”
“I happen to adore Aila’s scent, Luna.Reckon the Riders should get used to smelling it on me.And if anyone has a problem with that, well then, I guesswehave a problem.”
Luna smiles.“If you are banished, where will you get fluids?If you have bonded with the chestnut-haired beauty, then you will find no joy feeding from others.It’s a predicament, Hunter, one that we can hopefully resolve together—without anyone getting hurt.”
I think about Aila’s stubborn refusal to even pretend there is a possibility of falling in love with me.That makes me real fucking grumpy.
“She saw my fangs.When I am with Aila, I seem to be in a permanent state of arousal.I managed to cloud her memory of what she saw, but it was… challenging.”
“It’s hard to keep juggling lies around when it would be easier to tell the truth.Don’t forget that every time you throw a glamour over Aila, it can alienate her from you.Believe me when I tell you this, Theron.No woman wants to experience a loss of memory after dating a guy.”
I think Luna understands.She’d sussed Shadow’s secret after he let his guard down for a millisecond.That allowed Luna to see his true appearance without the glamour.She’d guessed immediately what he was—a monster.It didn’t stop her from loving him, though.
“I’ve never been any good at pretending, Luna.And by that, I mean pretending to be one person for any extended length of time.I’m usually in and out before any woman suspects something ain’t right, y’know?”
I have never spent more than half an hour alone with any woman, ever.Sure, the seduction might take a little time if I wanted sex to be part of my meal—the rule that prohibits us from doing anything without asking permission first—but for the most part, I prefer satisfying my hunger with free range fluids.
I would spot my prey on the street and then wait for her to welcome my advances.Every Rider is irresistible.Only women with the strongest wills can say no.
Over easy, in and out.A quick flirtation.A smile, a wink, and a kiss is all she will ever remember.
There is a reason why mothers tell their daughters not to walk alone at night, and it’s me.
Shaking her head, Luna sighs.“Oh, Hunter.I wondered when it was going to dawn on you that living your life alone wasn’t as free and easy as you always imagined it to be.But you can’t go sneaking around behind Shadow’s back.I won’t allow it.”
Yep.There go my hackles rising.Being a biker suits me so well.I was born to rebel against authority.An outlaw through and through.
“I wouldn’t need to sneak around if Shadow wasn’t such a pussy about the daylight.I went out fully covered and then made sure to stay in the shade.No problems.”
A fire flashes in Luna’s eyes.“Shadow is the club’s Prez, and it would be best for you to remember that.Don’t be careless about something you don’t even understand.We don’t know what kind of damage being exposed to the sun might do to us in the long term.As a redhead, believe me when I tell you that even humans are afraid of it.”
A couple of Riders have been caught by the sunlight before, but it was never intentional.For a moment, I wonder what might happen if I got a faceful of sunshine by accident.Could it kill me?
Standing up, I bite back a snarl.“We finished?Can I go now?”I’m grouchy, but I’m not an asshole.Luna is a kind lady who just wants to help.
Luna nods.“We’re done here, Theron.Think twice before you go out into the sunlight again.”
I nod and give a mock salute.“Duly noted.Thanks for the heads up.”
Running as fast as a falling star, I make my way to the marina.Jeans, t-shirt, and boots off, I toss the clothes into the water and watch them sink.Only when I am sure they are fully submerged do I slip silently into the creek.
The inlet’s surface is glossy and smooth.My body hardly makes a ripple as I stand with my feet in the creek’s muddy ooze.
Ducking my head down, I sit on the river bottom, staring up at the silvery circle of the moon.Something happened between my first time meeting Aila and now.If I manage to find out what that is, I think it might help me crack the password to her soul.
We have joined our bodies together in the most intimate way possible.I have tasted her blood, and she is part of me now.I will not willingly let her go.
Rising out of the water, I hear Vince Pruitt, our friendly local neighborhood forger, busy etching a new document.He’s got a nice little setup on his boat moored at the marina.Living on a no-mans-land island in the middle of the Canadian-United States border has its advantages.
