Autumn Moon Read online

  Smiling, she unlatched the metal door of the carrier, and a red wolf pup came waddling out, looked around the room and then launched herself into Cormack’s arms with excited yelps. At five years of age, Melissa hadn’t been able to shift until now.

  Hugging her close, he nuzzled her soft fur. Children were rare gifts among their kind—and new shifters nonexistent until the past few years. Including Melissa, he only knew of two children who could call their wolves. Bittersweet emotions clogged his throat. This had been Taran’s greatest wish.

  Playful and testing, as all young ones were, Melissa gnawed at Cormack’s arm. He growled softly until she calmed, and then he focused on Edward. “You kept her in a dog crate?” Gabriel’s earlier displeasure finally made sense.

  “I can’t control her like this. She doesn’t listen.” In his own defense, Edward held up his bloodied arm. “And she bites to harm.”

  “Wolves are guided by authority,” Cormack explained as anger turned to frustration. If the man had even an ounce of dominance in his personality, he would not be having this issue. Taran had been the alpha wolf in that relationship, and Melissa obviously took after her mother.

  Elen went over to Edward and nodded at his makeshift bandage. “May I take a look?”

  He flinched back, shaking his head. “It will heal. I’m here for my daughter because I don’t know what else to do. She doesn’t listen to me anymore, and I’m afraid she’ll run off and get hurt or attack one of the other children.”

  Shunned yet again, Elen’s hands fell to her sides. “If that’s your wish, I won’t force my help on you.”

  With controlled motions, Cormack placed his niece on the floor before closing the distance, purposely crowding the man and dominating his space. “Melissa lives because of Elen’s care, and you will show her the respect she deserves.” He spoke in a tone that dared refusal. “Allow her to look at your arm.”

  Edward looked both ashamed and lost. He had loved Taran, but she had been beyond help after protecting their child with her own life. Was it his sister’s ultimate selflessness that had granted this rare gift? He suspected it was.

  Keeping his gaze to the floor, Edward submitted to the command. Cormack gestured for Elen to continue. She hesitated only a moment before unwinding the towel and prodding gently around his torn skin.

  “I would like to stitch this up,” she said, “if you will let me. Or if you would step outside, I am confident I can heal it with—”

  “Needle and thread,” Edward interrupted as his legs twitched nervously. “No enchantments. You can do it right here, and then I’ll bring Melissa home. I shouldn’t have come.”

  Cormack gritted his teeth when Elen gave a soft sigh, grateful he’d thought to grab a jacket to hide his shirt. She retrieved a small medical kit from a cabinet on the wall, washed the wound, administered a pain reducer and bent her head to the task without complaint or comment as the man flinched at every touch.

  “You will visit my brother before you return home,” she said while applying a clean bandage. “This news shouldn’t have been kept from him. Cormack and I will follow you there.”

  Cormack’s voice dropped low as he pulled her away from curious ears. “Merin will be there. Are you up for this tonight?”

  “Not really,” she admitted while her gaze dropped to his mouth. “I’d rather go home and be with you.”

  “Don’t,” he warned as selfish need pounded blood through his veins, wanting to feel that mouth under his once again. Now that he knew his niece was safe, his former state of frustration quickly rose.

  She blinked at him innocently. “Don’t what?”

  “Flirt.” Just because he couldn’t resist, he led her around the corner and into a private room, and then pressed her against the closed door. “I’ve already warned you. I will not be responsible for my actions if you do. I’ve waited too long.”

  Damn her if she didn’t arch and run her hands down his chest to linger on his waistband. “And I haven’t?” Her hand feathered down to rest on the obnoxious bulge that now strained against his pants.

  “Elen,” he hissed, “please.” He’d come damn close to spilling his seed at the same time she’d unraveled in his arms—and he would be there again if she continued.

  “Please what?” Her lips curled in satisfaction, and he couldn’t help but lean down and claim her mouth. So soft, her lips were, parting with a sigh. And she tasted of oranges and sweetness, and if she didn’t stop those noises, he was going to take her on a hospital cot.

  “Not here,” he growled when she playfully nipped his bottom lip. Not with family outside waiting, and more at Rhuddin Hall; he wanted their first time to be without distractions. Bloody hell, did they not deserve that at least? Somehow he managed to drag his mouth away. Panting, he rested his forehead against the door above her head. He gave a frustrated sigh and yanked her hand away.

  If it didn’t involve his family, and hers, Cormack would have sent Gabriel, but his pride refused not to be present where honor dictated he should. Walking a distance away for his own sanity, Cormack held up his hand when she would follow. “Give me a minute.” He dialed Porter and provided an update on recent events. After his eager appendage calmed, they returned to the waiting room. He scooped up his niece in one arm and the crate in the other, handing the vile contraption to Gabriel on the way out. “We’re headed to Rhuddin Hall to tell Dylan. Can you burn this?”

  “With pleasure.” Gabriel ruffled Melissa’s ears, and Cormack felt her tail whack against his side. “This is a good day.”

  “Her father is weak.” Cormack didn’t care if the man heard. He would raise her himself, but he doubted Edward would relinquish that role. He may be a passive man, but he loved his daughter.

  “We’ll help him,” Gabriel replied, “for Taran.”

  Nineteen

  When they arrived at Rhuddin Hall from the clinic, Merin was still there, lingering after dinner. Elen felt no hatred toward her mother, just an awkwardness that seemed impossible to breach. They were strangers, made so by almost seventeen hundred years of separation, a greater divide than the violence of their past. Thankfully, the distraction of Melissa eased their reunion, since a good portion of the conversation focused on the child, a balm to soothe their painful history.

  The whole family gathered in the great room, along with Edward and their new shifter. Merin sat on the sofa, leaving a cushion between them. Cormack stood behind Elen, with his hand on the back of the sofa, grazing her shoulders with his knuckles in silent support. Porter stayed by the hearth in arm’s reach of several swords. Dylan and Sophie shared an oversized chair, and Joshua sat on the floor playing with a thrilled child in wolf-pup form.

  It would have been a lovely gathering if not for the topic at hand and the woman leading it.

  “Edwyn is a traditionalist.” Merin offered information on the eight remaining Council members, and she held every person’s attention except for Melissa’s. “Rhys turned cruel after the death of his mate and cannot be trusted. Neira is a tedious woman with a sadistic nature, but do not let her beauty or childlike voice fool you. She is a powerful wolf without a conscience. Her only weakness is the pleasures of the body and the pain she craves. She keeps flesh-slaves to satisfy her needs. When Pendaran meets his death, I predict Neira and Rhys will be the first to fight for his seat, and they are both strong enough to win.”

  The flickering glow of the fire outlined Porter’s stiff silhouette. Silently listening, he turned to face the hearth, keeping his back to the room, but not before Elen noticed his features pinch at the mention of Neira’s name. His Celtic cross tattoo stood out like indigo ink on parchment, stark against his bare cranium that reddened as more Council members were discussed. There was a violent history there, and Elen knew some but not any concerning Neira. However, Porter was a proud man, and if the tortures had been of a sexual nature, he would have kept those s
tories untold. Perhaps it was that experience that kept his wolf dormant, for the Irishman had the full power of a shifter; she’d felt it once on a cursory contact. Porter was whole, and yet he had never called his wolf.

  “Maelor is obsessed with his wife and his castle,” Merin continued. “He leaves only if either of those two things is threatened. William was allowed to live after his betrayal, and last I heard he may have earned his position back. He despises humans and would be content to live isolated with his purity and prejudice intact, but he wants an heir. He will return for the child at Avon, and this one here if he knew of her, to raise her under his control until she comes of age to breed.”

  “And Bran?” Dylan prompted, resting his hand on Sophie’s leg—who looked ready to jump up and scoop Melissa into her protective arms.

  Without asking her husband, Sophie leveled a look toward the girl’s father. Edward remained in the far corner, waiting in timid silence for an appropriate time to leave. “I want you to move into Rhuddin Hall. It will be good for Melissa to be around other shifters, where she’s directly protected. Joshua can help her adjust to her change as well.”

  Edward looked to Dylan for approval, not entirely displeased. It was a great honor to live in the alpha’s home.

  “There are rooms in the east wing.” Dylan supported the decision, and Elen felt Cormack’s sigh of relief ruffle her hair. It resolved his worry, she knew, without separating the child from her father.

  A calculating smile of approval tugged at Merin’s lip before she answered her son’s question. “Bran wants to survive like us all. He and Gweir are similar in their opinions, although Gweir hides his better. I don’t believe either will initiate an attack. They are comfortable in their territories. If confronted, they will annihilate any threat without mercy.”

  “We should kill them all.” It came as a quiet admonishment from Porter. His shoulders rose and fell on controlled breaths. “Every single one. We should gather our allies together and attack them in their homes—before they come after ours.”

  “You would lose,” Merin said without censure. “You are greater in numbers, but they are far greater in strength. Plus,” she offered on a sardonic laugh, “we are wolves, even those of us who are more human than not; we’re compelled to fight for our territories. There is no winning this war. Even if you kill every Council member, others of our kind will seek dominion. It is the instinct of the animal that rages in our blood.”

  Unchallenged because of its truth, her opinion cast a heavy silence in the room.

  Elen was the first to speak. “What would you suggest we do?”

  Merin’s gaze held such sadness. Like rain in winter, it had the power to melt ice. It wreaked havoc on broken trusts. This was the first time Elen had spoken to her directly, and the hesitation in her answer was almost . . . vulnerable? “Your territory is rich with power. Cherish it. Protect it. And do what you must to strengthen your children.”

  “And when they attack us here?” Elen challenged, having been directly involved in all three assaults.

  “That is when we kill them,” Merin said, “as I would have done if not for Taliesin’s interference. I will not grant another mercy. When they come to us, they must die.”

  His voice thick with frustration, Dylan interjected, “How are we to fight a sorcerer who attacks on grounds that we can’t see?”

  “I don’t have an answer for that.” Merin sighed with remorse. “Your safety came at the price of me playing his game, and now my greatest move has been revealed. Moreover, I don’t think you have the heart for such deceit, or the guilt that comes of it.” She looked away briefly. “I have done things that haunt my dreams so that yours could be free.”

  “If some of those dreams are of me, then put them to rest.” Elen reached over and gently placed her hand on top of her mother’s. For a moment, she thought Merin would withdraw, but then she turned her palm up and squeezed. “I know,” Elen shared quietly between them. “Pendaran told me it would have been him if not you.”

  “He would have mutilated you,” Merin said on a broken whisper.

  “I understand.” It was enough, Elen realized, or a precious beginning. Anger poisoned the giver more than the receiver, did it not? And forgiveness unburdened dark emotions. The fire crackled in the hearth in response.

  Clearing her throat to announce her presence, Sarah entered the room and whispered something to Dylan. “Excuse me for just a moment,” he said, and left with the female guard. He was gone but a minute, leaving the room in curious silence. When he returned, his gaze was guarded. “It’s a local incident,” he shared. “Nothing concerning the Guardians. But the night is growing older than me. And Elen has had a trying few days. I would like a private word with you both in my office before you leave.” He nodded toward Elen and Cormack. “Porter, you as well.”

  “Indeed.” Merin stood with everyone else. Speculation entered her winter gaze, but she accepted her dismissal with grace. “I will return to your lake house and travel in the morning.”

  “Wait here,” Dylan told her. “This will only take a minute, and Sophie and I will drive you there when I’m done.”

  Merin gave a slight nod. “Then I will wait.”

  Elen lingered. The words she wanted to say clogged her throat, so she settled for a simple, “Good-bye, Mother. Maybe one day you will come to my cottage for tea.”

  “Invite me and I will be there.”

  “Then make sure we know how to find you.” It was an offer she hadn’t planned to make, but it felt right. As she rounded the corner, Joshua said something that made Merin laugh, and the sound brought memories of her childhood to the surface, earlier ones, when her father still lived. Merin had been happy once, before the Council forced her hand.

  Perhaps she could be again, Elen thought as she followed Cormack and Porter to Dylan’s office. She waited until Porter closed the door, knowing her brother wouldn’t have separated them without a purpose.

  “That was Luc on the phone,” Dylan said without further delay. “He needs you in Avon.” Their youngest brother held no memory of Merin before their father’s death. He only knew her as the Guardian who’d shunned him from birth. No doubt he’d asked Dylan to keep his situation between them, which explained this private meeting. “It’s urgent, or I wouldn’t be relaying the message so soon after your recovery.”

  “What’s happened?”

  “Mae’s had an accident,” Dylan said with measured calm, a tone that indicated trouble. The calmer it became the more she knew to worry. “I know what she means to you, Elen. There was a fire in her bedroom, and she was trapped.” He paused. “It’s not good.” Mae was the first born without the ability to shift, a fact that hung in the room without needing to be said. Worse, human hospitals were out of the question because even non-shifters of their kind healed at a rate that would attract dangerous attention. “Since Mae is their healer, they had no one else to call.”

  He didn’t insult Elen by asking if she was okay to leave. Mae was one of her few friends before Cormack and her teacher before Ms. Hafwen. More than a teacher, really; Mae had comforted her when her own mother had done the Council’s biddings. Burns were the worst form of injury, even if Mae healed faster than the human rate. She didn’t have the ability to shift the damage away. If conscious, she was in excruciating pain.

  There was no question of Elen going. “I’ll need to gather a few things from my cottage,” she said. Like a pixie.

  Dylan nodded with understanding. “Porter will drive you.”

  “I have my license,” Cormack mentioned in a defensive tone edged with annoyance.

  And Elen was all too aware of why he wanted to be alone.

  “All the same,” Dylan replied, “I would like Porter to check Avon’s equipment and make sure all is working well. According to . . .” He cleared his throat, pausing to amend his instructions. “According t
o what I know of spirit traveling, we have a few days before Pendaran has fully regained his strength. You will be protected at Avon, but I don’t want you traveling after tomorrow. Stay with Luc or come home, but make a decision within the next twenty-four hours. Porter will return either way in the morning.”

  Twenty

  The men rode in the front of Porter’s SUV, while Elen sat in the back with their bags. Having been in a hurry, they’d grabbed a few changes of clothes and her medical bag. Plus a pixie. But Ms. Hafwen seemed content to remain hidden in the tote that rested by Elen’s feet while she slept off her earlier indulgence.

  The vehicle smelled like leather and man, and a dark scent that was distinctly alpha. Yes, Porter had secrets, but they were not hers to know, so she wouldn’t pry.

  Making good time, they arrived in Avon well before midnight. A crisp wind traveled off the White Mountains, and the night offered clear skies. A waning moon cast a shimmering glow on jewel-colored woods. Elen couldn’t help but admire the lush island as it came into view, with a castle hidden behind a healthy forest. A river acted as a natural moat, and a stone bridge provided the only entrance to the island. Not long ago a battle had raged on that bridge, and the island had been nothing but broken trees and death, once starved and now whole as rightness replaced imbalance.

  After parking next to a stone carriage house, Elen snagged the bag at her feet and walked to the back of the SUV. Understanding her intent, Cormack distracted Porter with conversations about Avon’s defenses.

  Turning her back, Elen said softly, “It’s clear.”

  Ms. Hafwen fluttered out and perched on the back bumper. “I will be leaving you for three days in your moon phase, but I will return.”

  Elen bent as if to tie her shoe, and whispered, “Where are you going?” Though she had her suspicions. The newest gateway to the Land of Faery was on Avon’s island.