Under a Rogue Moon

Chapter 12-1

Chapter 12Flanna found it difficult to join in on the dinner conversation, twirling her spaghetti around her fork in mindless patterns while Jason and her father discussed the events surrounding Mrs. Lange. At one point, Helen attempted to steer the topic toward a less grisly subject, but Colin’s quiet explanation that this would lend clarity in finding Romm quickly silenced her. There was more work to be done. Their dedication to the task at hand was all too clear.

She made sure she was the first to rise, scraping her plate clean before anybody could comment on her lack of appetite. It always managed to disappear when she had a lot on her mind. In spite of the newfound shift in her relationship with Jason, the information he’d shared, combined with her father’s cryptic attitude, left her floundering. The one part of her duty that she had most trusted had been her education, and now it appeared that even that wasn’t as reliable as she would have wished. Hunting werewolves was not a relaxing activity.

Flanna hated being unsure. It was difficult enough to do what she did, to risk her life and sacrifice what she wanted in order to fulfill her family responsibility. The last thing she needed right now was to be second-guessing her every move.

Jason and her father seemed completely at ease, however. When she returned to the table to clear the rest of the dishes, they were joking about Jason’s sleeping patterns, still oblivious to her distraction. Even Helen seemed too absorbed in the plans they made to give her much notice.

“Maybe tomorrow won’t be so bad,” Jason was saying. “I’ll just make sure that Flanna pushes me extra hard when we go out.”

His words made her freeze in mid-reach for the empty plates. “Where are we going?” she asked.

Shifting sideways, Jason was smiling until he saw that her spot at the table was already empty. His gaze flickered past her shoulder toward the bin in the kitchen, then danced to where she was about to take the rest of the dishes away. Without specifically commenting, he rose to his feet and proceeded to do it for her, all the while answering her question.

“I want to check on your other neighbors,” he said. “I don’t think Romm’s ready to show his face yet, but that doesn’t mean he won’t try pulling the same attention-getting stunt he did last night.”

“But that would be foolish on his part,” Flanna argued, trailing after him as he carried the plates to the sink. “Everyone in town is terrified. They’ll be on full alert.”

“Exactly. Romm eats fear up for breakfast. He won’t be able to resist.”

She glanced back at where her father was listening intently to their conversation. “I don’t want to leave my family unsafe.”

“They won’t be.”

“I think I can hold my own, lassie.” She flushed at the stern tone of Colin’s voice. “It’s best if the pair of you see to those who aren’t as fortunate as we are. You don’t want innocents to die, do you?”

Only the sudden firmness of Jason’s hand on her elbow kept her from fleeing the room like a castigated child. “Of course she doesn’t,” he said smoothly. “She just has the strongest protective instincts I’ve seen in a very long time.”

“As do I.” Colin’s face softened slightly, his eyes still on Flanna. “Duty takes many forms. A wise warrior learns how to recognize it before it’s too late.”

Turning toward Flanna, Jason met her distressed gaze with a soothing directness. “Why don’t you go change? I’ll get this cleaned up and meet you out back to pick out weapons when I’m done.”

Flanna nodded, grateful for the opportunity he’d opened for her. Dropping a kiss on her nan’s cheek, she bolted for the sanctuary of her bedroom. It took all her energy not to cry as she changed into a warmer top, and she consciously chose not to dwell on her father’s words as she considered the night ahead. By the time she went back downstairs, she could look at Colin without feeling like a child again and merely gave him a small smile as she hurried out to the barn.

Jason was already there, standing before the wall of knives. “A guy could get a serious complex being around you and all your pointy things,” he said with a grin when she entered. “I guess it’s a good thing I’m a cocky bastard with an inflated sense of self-worth, huh?”

The smile came before she could stop it. Sometimes his way of saying the wrong thing at the wrong time worked its mysterious magic to make it exactly right.

“Do you have a specific plan?” she asked, striding forward to his side. She plucked her favorite silver blade from the display and propped her heel waist-high against the wall so that she could strap the sheath to her calf. “Other than Mrs. Lange, there really aren’t that many people nearby. That’s one reason why Dad picked our house when we moved here. We’re fairly isolated.”

Jason’s gaze lingered on the curve of her exposed calf. She saw his fingers twitch at his sides, but where Flanna expected him to reach forward and touch her, he surprised her by stuffing them deep inside his pockets. “Nothing specific. I just thought if we’re out there, Romm will catch our scents and know we’re on the lookout for him. It’s not much of an advantage, but at this point, I’ll take whatever I can get.”

She straightened, letting her sweats slip back down to cover her leg. “Do you want me to drive? We’ll cover more ground that way and get back home faster.”

“Honestly? No.” His grin was crooked as he stepped closer to her, invading the small circle of personal space she’d kept since walking into the barn. “I kind of like the idea of having a little more alone time with you if we walk. Or run. But if it’ll make you feel better, driving’s okay, too.”

“You and I alone in a car means alone time, too, doesn’t it?”

“Well, yeah.” He ducked his head in that embarrassed little boy thing he did occasionally, and she could’ve sworn she saw a blush steal across his cheeks. “But it’s not the same.”

She left the car keys hanging on the hook by the door. They wouldn’t be necessary that night.

* * * *

They ran at first, a gentle, loping pace that was more therapeutic than purposeful. The air was warmer than was normal for this time of year, caressing any and all exposed skin, tempting that which wasn’t to come out and play. The only breeze was that which they created, every step like dancing through the softest of clouds.

For all of Jason’s hints, they didn’t talk. Flanna led the way to the nearest neighbors, a narrow path that led over relatively flat ground, and he followed, a half-step behind but still visible out of the corner of her eye. She kept waiting for him to speak up. His talk of alone time had intimated that was his reason behind wanting to go for a run. But he remained silent, even for the twenty minutes they scoured the property surrounding the Tabb house. It wasn’t until they were jogging toward their second destination that she finally cracked and broke the quiet.

“Dad confirmed what you said about the curses,” Flanna said.

“Did you really expect otherwise?”

She was glad they were having this conversation nearly side by side. It meant he didn’t see the embarrassment in her eyes for her distrust. “He said something else. He said it wasn’t how you start on your path that was important. It was how you got to where you were going. Where that path stopped.”

Jason didn’t reply right away. They’d gone another several hundred feet before he did.

“Is that what you think?” he asked.

His tone was so low that for a minute she thought she’d misunderstood. “I’ve never thought about it before,” she admitted. “Dad’s the philosopher in the family. I just…do as I’m told. It’s easier.”

The soft touch of his hand on her arm diverted her attention to her side. “Let’s walk,” Jason said, slowing his own pace.

She was ready to joke about his lack of stamina when his warm hand slid down to clasp hers, tugging her to match his strides. He didn’t let go. They merely continued to walk side by side.

“What happened to your mother?” he asked out of the blue.

Her fingers must have reflexively tightened around his, because his thumb starting stroking the side of her palm as if to calm her down. “Why do you ask?” Flanna said, desperately trying to keep her voice even.

“Because I’m curious. And I see the way your father looks at you. And I’m curious.”

She took a deep breath before answering. It had been a long time since she’d spoken aloud about this, and the first time since she’d started hunting on her own. “She died. When I was two. We still lived in Scotland at the time.” As if naming the place would make a difference. As if they’d left all their pain behind when her father had moved them away.

“I’m sorry.” His thumb never stopped its gentle strokes. “What happened?”

“A werewolf attack. Dad says he never even knew there was one in the vicinity. He was in Rome, hunting down a wolf that had assaulted someone at the Vatican.”

“And you survived? How in hell did that happen?”

“Because I wasn’t there.” The admission made the breath hitch in her chest. “He left me with Nan because he didn’t want my mother to have to worry about me, too. He didn’t want to leave her alone, but he didn’t have a choice.”

Jason shook his head in confusion. “Why?”

“She couldn’t travel. She was eight and a half months pregnant.”

She hadn’t realized she was crying until Jason reached up to wipe the dampness from her cheek. “I’m sorry,” he murmured. “I didn’t mean to dredge up bad memories. I should really learn to step on that curiosity of mine.”

Disengaging her hand from his, Flanna brushed off the rest of the tears. “No, no, it’s all right. Honest. I just…I don’t think of her very much anymore. I should probably change that.”

He didn’t let her continue walking. Wrapping his fingers around her wrist, Jason pulled her up against his chest before settling his arms around her waist. His mouth found the hollow beneath her ear, pressing a soft kiss there that made her stomach quiver, but it was his breath and the words they carried that had her clinging to him as if he were a life preserver.

“He loves you, you know. You think he’s disappointed, and he’s not. He’s just scared. And proud. Really proud. You should hear some of the stories he tells about you. I know you think differently, but…why shouldn’t he be? You’re an amazing woman, Flanna. You’ve got exactly zero reason not to own that.”

The angles of his cheek ghosted over hers as he spoke, the promise of its warmth inviting her to turn her head to kiss him. She didn’t, though. It was enough to stand pressed against him, hip to hip, chest to breast, the circle of his arms more satisfactory than anything else she could have imagined at that point. The only temptation she succumbed to was the desire to tighten her grip; she wasn’t willing to let him go before she was ready to.

When she felt him harden against her hip, Flanna actually smiled. She should’ve expected it. Though she’d not considered the consequence of being in such close proximity to each other, the fact that he freely admitted to being so attracted to her should have been enough for her to realize that he’d get aroused simply from holding her. She even said so out loud.

Jason chuckled. “You really don’t want to know what I’m thinking, then,” he said.

The sentiment behind his words sent a small thrill through her veins. Biting her lower lip, Flanna slowly trailed her hand upward along his spine, until the bend of her arm made it impossible to go further. She felt him tremble, and his arms tightened almost imperceptibly.

“This isn’t—” he started to say.

“I know.” This time, she did move her head, though her mouth caught only the corner of his before sliding downward to the strong line of his chin. Her tongue darted out to rasp along the slight stubble, the rough texture making her mouth water involuntarily, and she felt rather than heard him groan when she nipped at his neck just above his Adam’s apple.