Filed To Story: Chasing the Rejected Luna's Heart (Clara & Liam) Book PDF Free
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When I woke up wrapped around someone strong and warm, skin to skin, I assumed I was still dreaming. My one night each with Marcus and Alexander aside, that really wasn’t a typical part of my routine. Then, I remembered the night before and realized where I was, which in turn meant I was naked in bed curled up with…”Fuck!” I cried, scrambling back from Cole’s sleeping form. He was shirtless, and even though his well-tailored clothes made it clear he had a great body, they really didn’t do any justice to the sight before me.
This was not how I wanted to see my boss.
He opened his eyes, and bleary-eyed confusion soon turned to an irritation I knew well as he propped himself up on his elbow. “Guess you made it through the night.””You’re not wearing a shirt,” I said, pointing like an idiot. Somehow, I might’ve shifted back into my human body, but part of my brain was still out there somewhere in the atmosphere. I didn’t want to even entertain the possibility that I was flustered and stupefied by the sight of abs, let alone Cole’s.
He cocked an eyebrow, sitting up fully. “It’s my bed. Anyway, that’s kind of the cat calling the kettle nude, isn’t it?”
I snatched a pillow to my chest to cover what my hair wasn’t and felt my face turn red hot. “When did I shift back?””No idea,” he said, running a hand through his shaggy hair. “FYI, you were the one who initiated the snuggling, and you were a wolf-thing at the time.””I’m not a ‘thing,'” I muttered. That did raise another question, though. Before I could ask, Marcus came into the room looking like he’d just fallen asleep, considering the dark circles under his eyes.”You’re awake.” He sounded relieved, his eyes flickering over me in concern. He cleared the distance between the door and the bed in a few short steps and reached out like he wanted to touch me, but he stopped short. “Lavinia, I’m so sorry. I had no idea-“”I know. It’s okay,” I said, trying to smooth my hair back since there were tendrils falling all into my face. I pulled a dry leaf out of my side part. “I know you didn’t do it on purpose.””You’re not supposed to be able to shift,” he said, searching my face for answers I didn’t have any more than he did. “What happened?””I wish I knew,” I muttered, hugging the pillow a little tighter. “I was outside the bar taking out the trash, and these three vampires came up and started harassing me. One of them was there that night.”
A look of recognition across Marcus’s face, and he exchanged a glance with Cole. “One of the vampires who attacked you?””I guess he made some new friends. Anyway, he said they were trying to get at Alexander. Apparently, being rescued by the blood duke puts a target on your back around these parts.””Duke?” Cole echoed, raising an eyebrow. “They still have those?””Apparently.” I chewed my lip. “As much as I’d like to continue this discussion-and trust me, I have some questions of my own-is there a shirt I can borrow?” I plucked a twig with a few leaves attached to it out of my hair and frowned. “And a shower would probably be good.”
Cole snorted, standing from the bed. He went over to his dresser and pulled out a shirt to put on before tossing me one. “Just come out when you’re done.” He paused to scowl at Marcus. “I’m gonna put on some coffee.”
I gladly got into the shower and took a deep breath, trying not to think about too much of what had happened. Every time I did, I felt like I wanted to scream. There was too much unanswered, and I had to take it one step at a time, for my sanity’s sake.
Once I finished showering, I pulled on Cole’s shirt, hating myself for the instinctive reaction I had to the other shifter’s scent. Wearing a guy’s clothes was fundamentally intimate under most circumstances, and evidently, there was still enough wolf in me to be flustered.
All I could do was shake it off and comb my hair out with my fingers so it wouldn’t dry tangled. Once I was ready, I walked out into the main area of the apartment and took it in for the first time. It was spacious and tidy, which wasn’t a surprise, given how anal-retentive Cole was about things around the bar. He might not like to lift a finger, but he was sure had strong opinions on how other people did shit.
He and Marcus were both in the kitchen when I came out, standing at opposite ends with their arms folded as if to put as much distance between themselves as possible. They were dead silent, like making small talk would have been too much of a concession. They had to make it clear they hated each other at every possible turn.
I resisted the urge to roll my eyes, but when they both turned to look at me, I felt more vulnerable than I had when I was buck naked in Cole’s bed. I was used to the way Marcus was looking at me, even if there was a hint of agitation in his gaze that hadn’t been there a second earlier for reasons beyond my comprehension.
The way Cole was looking at me, on the other hand…that shit was new. His eyes were fire and ice as his gaze traveled down my body to where the hem of his T-shirt stopped at my mid-thigh. If he was literally anyone else, rather than the guy who’d made it clear from day one he viewed me as lowly as something he’d scraped off his shoe, I would’ve been sure it was the same as the way Marcus was looking at me.
Whatever was going on with him, he stifled it quickly enough and looked away. “Coffee’s on the counter,” he muttered.”Thanks,” I said, reluctantly slipping past him to pick a mug off the tree on the counter. Once I had a steaming cup of coffee, I took an empty chair at the table and looked between them expectantly. When I realized neither man was going to offer any explanation, I decided to be the first to break the silence. “So. Someone wanna tell me what the hell is so wrong with my wolf form?””It’s not wrong,” Marcus said carefully. “It’s just nothing I’ve seen before.”
I frowned, not sure if that was much better. “What did it look like?”
He opened his mouth to answer, then stopped as if he’d thought better of it. That, or he didn’t know how to explain, which was far more concerning. Instead, he looked at Cole for help. “How would you describe it?”
Cole seemed to be considering his answer for a few moments before he shrugged. “In a word? Weird.””Gee, thanks,” Marcus said flatly. “That’s real helpful.””Well, I’ve never seen anything like it either,” Cole said defensively. “Your fur…””It was just bluish from what I saw,” I protested. “That’s not that strange.””No, but your markings were,” said Cole. “They were glowing.”
I blinked at him. “Glowing?” I echoed, turning to Marcus.
His silence was confirmation. He finally said, “Kind of like my tats, yeah. It could’ve been phosphorescent paint, but…””How would I have gotten paint on me?” I cried. “I shifted in an alley and ran nonstop until I met you in the woods.””I know. It doesn’t make sense,” Marcus said, raking a hand through his hair.”That wasn’t all,” said Cole, watching me with a hint of curiosity in his eyes. I wasn’t sure if he saw me as a puzzle or a lab rat. “Your eyes weren’t normal. They were solid white. Actually, they glowed like Marcus’s, too.”
So Marcus had fed from him at one point or another. Guess he knew about the runes, if not the hunting.