Alpha's Legacy (Black Moon Saga Book 3)

19. Midnight Intruder

I don’t know how long I’ve been in bed just staring into the darkness that's obscuring my view of the ceiling above me, but it feels like more than an hour has passed when I start to hear a gentle tapping at my window. I’m trying to remember whether there’s a tree or something out there that that the wind might be blowing against the glass, but then I realize that there’s a pattern to the knocks. It might even be Morse code or something like that, not that I would know, but it’s obviously a person out there doing that and not a tree.

Just like every time that something strange and unexpected like that happens to me, my instinct is to freeze with terror. I don’t know who is out there or why they’re knocking like that, but if they’re trying to get my attention, then they’ve got it. The problem is I’m powerless to do anything about it. I’m so scared that I can’t bring myself to move. I don’t even want to look over there because I dread seeing whatever face I might find staring back at me.

I almost can’t breathe anymore once I start to hear the window being opened, and I reflexively squeeze my eyes shut. It’s childish, and I don’t know why my survival instincts seem to be limited to freezing with terror and shutting my eyes as if that can make the threat disappear, but that’s all I seem to be able to do. I also can’t explain why I never thought to check whether the window was locked, but I honestly never expected it to matter since my room is on the second floor. Who climbs up to break into a second-story window?

It’s not intentional, but I start to feel the familiar warmth in my hands that means my magic is activating. It’s like that time in Melanie’s room when I felt threatened and it just automatically responded, except this time it’s some sort of glowing bubble that spontaneously springs forth. It rapidly expands to create a sort of dome-shaped barrier that covers the area around my bed, and I imagine it’s meant to keep my intruder from reaching me.

“That’s so cool,” I hear someone whisper from much nearer to me than I’m comfortable with.

Then I see his familiar face illuminated by the soft light that my barrier is giving off, and look over just in time to see him try to poke at it. It’s Lee, and with that realization, I exhale in relief and my barrier automatically falls away as if my magic is as relieved as I am that it’s only him.

“You scared me,” I complain accusatorily, still breathing embarrassingly heavy as I’m recovering from the fright.

“Sorry. I didn’t mean to, but I don’t have your number so I couldn’t give you a heads up,” he explains apologetically, although the lopsided grin on his face tells me that he’s not sorry at all. He’s amused with himself.

The only reason I can even see him now that my magic has receded is because he’s so close, already climbing across my bed without even being invited. And once he’s all settled in next to me, he starts repositioning me so that I’m snuggled up to him with his arm around me and my head tucked against his chest.

“But seriously, though, that force field thing that you just did is the coolest thing I’ve ever seen,” he whispers again. “It packs quite a punch too. I might have been able to force my way through, but it wouldn’t have felt good. I am glad to know that you have a way to defend yourself even without your wolf, though.”

I’m listening to him, and I agree about the defending myself part, but my mind is also racing with worry. Tian is in the room right next to us, and I know for a fact that he will not be happy that Lee is here. Even if I kick him out right now, his scent is still going to linger in here. I have no idea how I’m going to talk my way out of this or get Tian to believe that nothing happened in here. Or that I didn’t even invite Lee, not to my room or into my bed.

“Don’t you think?” Lee asks, and I’m suddenly tuning back into what he’s saying, though I have no idea what he’s talking about.

“Think about what?”

“About the casters who can summon all kinds of stuff, from the feast of your dreams to, like, I don’t know. Big animals and stuff, like tigers. And they can tame them too, at least I think they can. Honestly, I don’t know a whole lot about casters, but I still think those guys are one of my favorites.”

“I don’t know. I think healers are pretty cool,” I tease, not fully comfortable with the idea of ranking the different caster specializations.

To me, it’s like saying one person is better than another just because they have blue eyes instead of brown. We casters can’t control what type of natural talents we have, or our natural potential to learn and use more spells.

“Well, yeah. That’s what I said, though. After healers, which I love the most, of course,” he says, giving me an affectionate squeeze, “I think summoners would be a close second. Creating something from nothing is pretty cool.”

“Well, I mean, it’s not from nothing,” I start to argue, but immediately change my mind when I realize how in-depth of a discussion about the physics and mechanics of magic such an argument would introduce. “Actually, never mind. Summoners are pretty cool.”

“Eventually, I want you to finish that thought you were just having, but I get that it’s late and now is probably not the time for it.”

“Yeah,” I agree softly, still fretting over whether I should kick him out.

I mean, he’s already here. His scent is going to be everywhere no matter how long he stays, and I was just lying here wide awake anyway. I guess I could at least let him stay so I can enjoy his company for a little while. Tian said he was tired, so he should be asleep for a bit. As long as we’re quiet, it won’t be a problem until later.

“What are you thinking about?” he asks me, apparently sensing my racing thoughts.

There’s no point in hiding what’s on my mind, and it’s going to affect him too if Tian finds out, so I don’t even hesitate to tell him, “I’ve been thinking about how mad Tian is going to be, and how much trouble I’ll be in come morning.”

“Oh, well he’s asleep. I checked,” Lee assures me, and I can hear how self-satisfied he’s feeling about that. “And I brought some scent neutralizer with me so that it will be like I was never here. We just have to be quiet.”

“Does that stuff even work?” I ask skeptically, because it sounds like the sort of half-c****d scheme that Emerick would cook up.

“Your pack has some of the best scouts in the world, and they swear by this stuff,” he assures me.

I can’t help beaming with pride about that, but mostly because I know that it was Pete who started our scout program and designed their training. It’s intense, from what I understand, and I know that everyone says that our scouts are so effective that they’re like ghosts. I guess if this scent neutralizer is part of their toolkit, then it must be pretty good.

“I mostly just wanted to make sure that you didn’t get in too much trouble earlier,” he explains, his fingers mindlessly twirling and playing with my hair now. “And just in case Tian decided to steal you away first thing in the morning and never let me see you again, I wanted to make sure I at least got one last moment alone with you.”

“I think he kind of wanted to,” I admit, chuckling uncomfortably as I remember Tian’s list of demands, and how he wanted me to promise not to see Lee again. “He didn’t want me to hang out with you anymore, but I fought him on it, and I think he relented. For now, anyway. But we definitely need to be careful because it won’t take much for him to change his mind again.”

“It’s so ridiculous how overbearing he is with you. You’re practically of age. What difference does a couple months even make?”

“A lot, when you think about it. It’s the difference between having a wolf and not having a wolf.”

“That difference is irrelevant to how overprotective he is. You’re going to be basically the same person in a couple months. You’ve already matured. He should be treating you like a young woman, and not like a child.”

“Fair point,” I concede softly, snuggling my face against his chest because it feels so warm and inviting.

It’s also soothing and comforting to be close to him like this, especially while I’m thinking such troublesome thoughts.

“I guess it’s just extra hard for him because he’s never really been upset with me before,” I try to explain what I’ve concluded about it after all my time spent staring at the ceiling and thinking it over. “I’ve never really broken any major rules, and I’ve definitely never broken a promise before. This is unfamiliar territory for both of us, and I think what he’s struggling with the most is his disappointment that we even had to have a discussion like that in the first place.”

“Well, what it sounds like to me is that he’s come to take your perfection for granted, and that’s not fair to you,” he rants, though his voice is still no louder than a whisper. “He’s been raising a person, not a robotic little drone who lives to follow commands. Some of those rules are just stupid and unfair. No riding on a motorcycle? Not even if it seems to make you feel the happiest and freest that you’ve ever felt? That’s just not even fair, and shows just how little he and your other parents are willing to look at what you want and what you need before just deciding things for you.”

Hearing him say that takes my breath away for a moment. It’s what I’ve been feeling somewhere deep down that I’ve been burying because I haven’t wanted to listen to it. I don’t want to think about my parents that way, but it is how it feels sometimes. Almost all the time lately, though I’ve struggled to give voice to my feelings about it all.

“I wish I could just stay here with you,” I whisper so quietly that I’m not even sure that I’ve actually said it out loud at all.

“You can, if we tell everyone that we’re mates,” he answers just as softly, reminding me of his plan from earlier.

“But Tian won’t buy it. I actually tested it on him, and he shut down on me. Just like I predicted, he refuses to entertain such an idea until I have my wolf.”

“You told him we’re mates?”

He sounds both surprised and excited about that, and maybe even a little bit flattered.

“I told him that I think we could be,” I explain. “I told him that I felt something when I was with you, and I tried arguing that he can’t know that we’re not mates any more than I can know that we are.”

“And did you? Feel something, I mean?” he questions probingly, sounding hopeful but in a fragile, vulnerable way, as if my denying it might just crush him.

“Yeah,” I admit truthfully, feeling a bit embarrassed to have to tell him that.

I am glad, though, that it’s dark enough in here that he probably can’t see how intensely I’m blushing as I do it.

“Me too,” he says, smiling as he starts turning on his side to face me. “I really wish we were mates. You’d make a good Luna.”

He’s only just now starting to touch me, but his words have as much of an effect on me as his hands. There’s warmth shooting through my body all the way to my toes and back, and the butterflies in my belly are getting so intense that I almost want to giggle. Or puke. Either is just as probable as the other.

“Is it possible to reject someone without saying the words?” I ask him, trying to give voice to the hopeful thoughts that have been swirling around in my head since earlier.

“A shaman can perform a severance ritual, but I really think that if I just talk to my mate, she’ll understand and allow me to meet with her privately so that we can just quietly reject each other and be done with it before my dad even finds out about her.”

“That’s not what I meant. I mean, could it be possible that you’ve already rejected her, or that you’ve both rejected each other, just based on how much you both dread the idea of your union and don’t want to be mates?”

He inhales sharply, mulling that over for a few moments before answering me.

“I don’t know,” he finally admits, bringing his face close enough that he can rest his forehead against mine. “It kind of makes sense, though. I know that chosen mates can drift apart and sever their connection without rejecting each other formally. But what I don’t know is whether it can happen with fated mates.”

Something about the darkness and how close and warm he is seems to be making me a bit bolder than I usually am because the confessions of my silly, hopeful inner thoughts just keep pouring out of me.

“I was just wondering whether it was possible that we could actually be mates, like maybe I'm your second chance,” I explain somewhat shyly, feeling a tickle on my face where my breath is being pushed back at me because of how close he is. “I just don’t understand why I feel what I feel if we’re not.”

He pulls his head back abruptly as if I’ve just slapped him with my shocking words, but a smile slowly starts to creep across his face as he ponders them.

“That’s actually a good point that I haven’t considered because I didn’t think through how it could be possible,” he acknowledges, sounding cautiously hopeful. “But now that you say it, I’m wondering the same thing.”

He leans toward me again, bringing his face so close this time that our lips are practically touching, and my ability to breathe on my own evaporates. My entire body is tingling with anticipation, waiting for him to press his lips to mine again.

But to my surprise, it’s his tongue I feel next, swiping a quick path across my top lip. He giggles softly, obviously amused by how that made me jump slightly because I didn’t expect it.

“I licked it, so now it’s mine,” he whispers, his breath entering my mouth through my parted lips.

“Ungh,” is the only response I can manage, my brain overwhelmed by how intensely I suddenly find myself wanting him.

I don’t know exactly what I want from him in this moment, I just know that I want it. I want him, all of him. I want him to touch me, to kiss me, to possess me, and I want him to be mine.

“Is that so?” he drawls teasingly.

He brings a hand around to grasp me by the hair and hold me in place as he slams his lips against mine, causing me to gasp in both shock and delight. And when I feel his tongue pushing its way into my mouth again, I can’t fight back the moan that escapes me.

He pulls away slightly, grinning and holding a finger to my lips.

“Shh, shh,” he says softly. “If we were anywhere else, I’d love to hear it, but we don’t want to wake the overprotective vampire next door.”

“Sorry,” I mutter sheepishly, feeling my face flush with heat again.

“Don’t be. You’re perfect,” he murmurs, using his finger to trace my face as he studies me. “But I should probably go, even though I don’t want to. Rumor has it that vampires don’t sleep much, so who knows how much longer we have until he comes and checks in on his little girl.”

“Shut up. I’m not little,” I complain, though I’m only kidding. I know he was just being dramatic.

“Yeah, I know that. That’s what I’ve been saying this whole time,” he reminds me playfully.

Then he leans in for another kiss, though it’s only a quick, soft peck this time.

“I’ll be looking forward to seeing you at breakfast, Anna Jade. Sleep well, my beautiful little witch.”

Somehow, it feels completely different to hear him calling me beautiful instead of how I’m used to only my parents doing it, or Anya. I guess it’s because he’s not required to love me and the way I look, so it feels more real. Plus he called me his, and it warms me to my core to think that it could be true.

He rolls himself out of my bed and starts spraying that scent neutralizer everywhere, including all over himself so that he won’t start depositing his scent in the places he just sprayed or leave any trace of it on his way out. I will say that it does seem to do a pretty good job of erasing all hints that he was ever here, though I’m also kind of sad about that. If it wouldn’t risk Tian finding out about him, I’d have had him leave his scent at least on the pillow he used so I can enjoy it for the rest of the night. But that’s a risk I’m not willing to take.

I watch with interest as he slips out the same window he used to get in here, listening and waiting with bated breath as he climbs back down to the ground and slips away into the night. There’s not even a single peep from Tian’s room, so I guess Lee managed to get away without disturbing him.

Now I just have to figure out how to make myself finally go to sleep after the eventful night I’ve had. It’s even harder now that I’m starting to feel like an excited kid who’s still wide awake on Christmas Eve, though it’s Lee I can’t wait to see in the morning. I’ve never looked forward to breakfast so much in my entire life.