Moon Burned (The Wolf Wars Book 1) Page 19

  Just when the silence had gone on too long to be anything but awkward, Ryker sighed and ran a hand down his handsome face. For the first time since I’d met him, I could see the weariness behind his blue eyes, and I chastised myself silently when I felt a little bad for him.

  “You’re right,” he said, rather than grown Dogs have gone missing, too. “You’re likely not in any danger. I just… I wanted to make sure you were all right.”

  “In two sunrises and a moon fall I’ll be forced to step into a metal cage and fight another female to the death just so that wealthy people can have a bit of amusement on a summer night,” I said. “So how could I be ‘all right’?”

  Then the Hound said something that floored me, something that left me standing in that cave with my mouth all but hanging open.

  “I’m so sorry,” he said.

  And I wanted so badly to believe that he was lying, that he was just saying the only thing that would keep me from biting his head off… but I couldn’t, because the look on his handsome face was so sincere.

  Hound or not, there was genuine remorse in his eyes, in the slight droop to his wide, golden shoulders. When he turned to leave, I did not call out to him. Despite my physical attraction to him, I did not ask him to stay.

  Because in all the histories of all the realms, sorry made about as much difference as almost.

  33

  The next morning marked the last day before my first fight in The Games, but the subject on everyone’s lips at The Cascades that morning was not the upcoming fights.

  Another shipment of Wolf pups had gone missing last night; another Seller left dead beside his empty, slave-trading wagon. The pups, of course, had vanished. Gone without a trace.

  Every Dog I passed by was whispering about it, a certain electric energy floating in the air. The theories about what was happening, who or what was killing the Traders and Sellers and taking the pups, were as creative as they were endless.

  But I knew none of them were right.

  It was not rival Packs or mountain creatures or conspiracies between the Masters that was causing the disappearance of those Wolf pups. It was two handsome Halfbreed males, brothers named Yarin and Yerik. For whatever reason, this information felt like a burden inside me, something that both begged to be ignored and demanded to be acted upon.

  I sought out Ares as soon as I was able, finally catching him alone so that I could ask him some questions that could easily get us both killed if overheard by the wrong ears. I found him outside the squat, old building the Dogs referred to as the Kitchen, where a Dog could go and get bland but hunger-staving food three times a day. The Wolves working inside the Kitchen were also Dogs, of course, and everyone took turns pulling their share of the labor. Should I survive until then, my shift would begin with the changing of the season.

  Before I approached the handsome, brown-skinned male, I made sure that Kalene and Oren were not around… and then I had to break the awkward ice that still lingered between us from our last conversation, when he’d called me a coward and I’d told him I wanted nothing to do with rumors of escaping slaves.

  I could tell this exchange had left as bitter a taste in Ares’ mouth as it had mine, and I couldn’t really blame him when he gave me a look that was speculative. Nonetheless, I asked him if we could talk, and he nodded his agreement as we carried matching bowls of Dogs’ mush toward an old picnic table that was unoccupied and further away from any of the others.

  We ate for a few moments in silence before Ares said, “What’s this about, Rook?”

  It was now or never, I thought. Keeping my voice low, I said, “What would you say if I told you I know what’s happening with the disappearing puppies?”

  Ares light brown eyes narrowed a bit, and he leaned forward on the table between us, setting down the spoon he was holding without taking the bite. “I would ask you what exactly you know, and how you know it,” he said slowly.

  I swallowed hard, glancing around us again just to be sure. “How about I answer the first part of that, and depending on your response, I decide about the second part?”

  Ares nodded once, his eyes weighing on me as he waited for me to continue.

  I started with what had happened with Amara, leaving out names, places, and even my involvement, calling the story a rumor I’d heard while in Dogshead. Ares listened intently, his bowl of mush forgotten along with my own. Then I told him about another “rumor” regarding the missing puppies from a week and a half ago, about what I’d “heard” might have actually gone down on that mountain pass, where the three headless bodies of a Seller and his two mercenaries had been found.

  When I was done, I felt somehow lighter, having not realized the burden I’d been carrying with me these past months. The knowledge had been weighing on me, and it felt good to share it, despite the fact that I was well aware that I may live to regret it.

  Letting out a small puff of air I hadn’t realized I’d been holding, I waited for Ares to respond. After a few loaded moments, he said, “But where are they going? One male flew away with a pup in his arms, and the other just, what? Portaled with all six pups? Who are these males? Where are they taking the pups?”

  “Somewhere better,” I answered. “Somewhere safe… free.”

  “How do you know that?”

  I bit my lip for a second, then took a leap. “Because I believed both the males when they promised me it was so.”

  I watched Ares closely as realization slowly crossed his face. “So you were the one who helped that Wolf pup from the woods? You were the one who also helped the magic-wielding warrior on the mountain pass… Is that what you’re telling me?”

  Leaning forward so that our faces were only a half-foot apart, in a low voice, I said, “What if I was? What would you tell me in return?”

  A slow smile pulled up his lips. “I would say I knew my instincts were right about you. I would say I’m sorry for calling you a coward and complacent. I would be excited enough to kiss you, Rukiya.”

  I dropped his gaze and looked down at my small, scarred hands where they rested on the table between us. “Don’t apologize,” I said. “You were right. I was afraid and I was complacent.”

  Ares didn’t argue. He said, “What changed your mind?”

  I shrugged, letting out a sigh. “I guess I finally came to the realization that there’s no reason not to try. We’re already their slaves. We’re already at the mercy of their whims. I mean, what more could they do to us? How much worse can things get?”

  The answer to that, as it would turn out, was a whole lot.

  In exchange for the information I had shared with him, Ares shared some interesting things with me as well. I could tell that I had gained back some of his trust, and I could only pray that he deserved mine.

  He’d told me that the number of pups being taken had increased heavily in the past few moon cycles, and that the loss in monetary form was high enough that all five Pack Masters were somewhere between trying to work together to stop the culprits and accusing each other of being the culprits. All five Masters swore and held that they had nothing to do with the disappearances, that they each had been affected themselves. To this, one had responded that of course they were all being affected because whoever was doing it wouldn’t leave themselves out for fear of looking suspicious. Then they had all looked at each other suspiciously all over again. Or at least that was the rumor.

  This had made a smile tug up my lips, the expression so foreign that for a moment it felt funny and strange upon my features. Ares had also said that he’d been able to confirm the stories about the few adult Dogs that had disappeared as well. When I’d asked how he’d managed that, all he’d said was that everyone—even those as lowly as Dogs—left trails behind them as they moved through life, and that he’d always been good at following those trails. Since I had kept some details about my stories from him, I decided this answer was good enough.

  “That means…”

  Ares nodded and
touched a hand briefly to the thick black collar around his neck. “That there must be a way to get these off,” he finished for me.

  And, figuring out how to do that, we agreed, would be our top priority.

  Oren and Kalene had found us then, and Ares and I pretended as though we had not been discussing top-secret information only moments before. I felt mildly guilty keeping these things from them, but until Ares and I knew more, we agreed that there was no reason to bring anyone else into it. The more people who knew what we were searching for, the more risky the task was. So this was just the way it had to be.

  As I watched the slowly setting sun paint the sky with bright pinks, oranges, and purples over the Western Ocean that evening, my legs dangling over the ledge of a cliff near The Cascades, I considered the possibility that this could be the very last sunset I ever got to witness. Unless I somehow found the answer to the collar removal mystery in the next ten hours and also figured out how to hitch a ride to wherever Yarin and Yerik were taking those pups, I would need to once again fight another Wolf to the death for the right of survival. If ever I’d been completely willing to take my chances and run, it was this moment.

  I was so tired of the killing, so weary of the death.

  About halfway through our conversation, after Ares and I had both told our respective stories, he’d made a comment that had made my face go instantly hot, a blush creeping up from my neck to my cheeks.

  “You know who might have some useful knowledge?” Ares had said, slowly, carefully. Then added with just as much caution, “A Head Hound.”

  My jaw clenched, but I’d had to agree. “Yes, maybe… but why, exactly, are you telling me that?”

  Ares had given me a slightly pitying look that had made me want to slap the expression from his face. “People seem to believe you and Ryker have… formed a certain relationship,” he said.

  I’d pursed my lips together and nodded. “And what kind of ‘relationship’ is that?”

  Ares sighed, realizing I was intent on making him say it. “They say you share his bed.”

  Rolling my eyes, I let out a long breath, thinking that it was more like I’d shared his blanket on a cave floor. What I said was, “So you’re suggesting I use my body to get information out of him?”

  Ares recognized this as the loaded question it was and had only looked at me. After a moment, I’d let my ire drop and begrudgingly mumbled that I would see what I could find out. We’d left it at that.

  So that evening, after watching the painted sky go from day to night and returning to my cave in the forest, it felt like fate that Ryker the Hound should be waiting there. He was not wearing a shirt, every inch of his carved, golden chest on display, and water droplets glittered in his golden brown hair, as though he’d just taken a dip in the ocean that his skin still smelled of. His gaze—the same color of the sea in the daylight—fell upon me as I approached, and I felt a bit of heat stir in my stomach at the idea of allowing him to touch me again. At the predatory gleam in his eyes and the incredibly short rope I seemed to be balanced on.

  That was how it felt—as though everything were hanging in the balance, as if things had been set up specifically for a coming fall.

  With a sigh, I stopped before him, but didn’t say a word. I just couldn’t seem to find any.

  After a moment, Ryker said, “I know you told me to leave, and I told myself not to come back here…” He let out a huff of air and ran his hand over his golden-brown hair, which I knew to be one of his few tells when he was nervous. “But I couldn’t stand the idea of not seeing you before… Before your first fight in The Games. If you want me to leave, I will.” His sapphire eyes held mine as a shadow of pain crossed his face. “I just wanted you to know that I’ll be routing for you… that I pray to the gods that you’re victorious.”

  Still, I didn’t speak. My throat felt too tight for words to get past it. I swallowed once, twice, and again. Ryker ran a hand over his short hair once more.

  “Will you please say something?” he said.

  So I took him by the hand and led him inside the cave.

  34

  I kissed his neck, and his hard body went utterly still beneath my lips. I paused, pulling back a fraction and looking up at him beneath dark lashes. His eyes blazed Wolf-Gold, as bright as duel rising suns over sapphire skies.

  I leaned forward again and placed another soft kiss on the spot between his shoulder and throat. Then another, this time letting my tongue dart out and taste his golden skin. His unique scent of sunshine and seaside surrounded me, and I let it sweep away any reservations like a tide rolling out.

  Taking a short, single step forward, I closed the gap between our bodies, and soaked up the warmth of him, letting it seep into me while I nipped at his neck.

  A low, rumbling growl came as response.

  I nipped again, my lips and teeth grazing his chest, and then cupped him in my palm with a firm grip. The big, scary Head Hound trembled beneath my hold.

  I grinned and stepped back, watching him shudder at the loss of my touch, warning him with my eyes to stay put when he went to move forward. I stripped my shirt over my head and then slid out of my skirt just as smoothly, so that I stood bare before him. Then I removed the band from around my hair and shook it out, letting it fall in long, auburn waves over my shoulders.

  Ryker was on me before I could blink, closing the gap between us, forcing my back to the cave wall and crushing his hard body against me, grinding his hard length against me.

  With a very Wolfish snarl during which I was sure my eyes were glowing gold, I shoved him back hard, using a good portion of my supernatural strength in doing so. The Hound stumbled back, and a smooth sweep of my feet knocked his legs out from under him. He fell back and landed center on the blankets spread out over the cave floor.

  Exactly where I had wanted him.

  I pushed my hair back over my shoulders as I crawled up him, giving him a stellar view of the toned and curvy body all those exhaustive trainings had earned me.

  “I could eat you right up, little Wolf,” Ryker said, and his voice came out more beast than man.

  In response, I took him into my hand again as I held my body poised over him. As I began in slow strokes, I leaned down and bit not quite gently at the golden skin of his neck. In his ear, I whispered, “I still hate you, you stupid Hound.”

  The contracted muscles in his toned midsection mesmerized me as he laughed. “And that’s still a lie,” he replied, the words coming out between clenched teeth.

  Hyperaware of the fact that I may very well die tomorrow, I sat back, tightening my grip just a bit as I grabbed Ryker at the base of his impressive shaft. Hoisting up on my knees and arching my back, I eased down on him, savoring every inch as he entered me.

  The Hound tipped his head back and growled while I tipped my head back and felt the ends of my long, soft hair brush the top of my backside. Delicious fire burned wildly through my stomach, and I placed my hand at Ryker’s neck as I rode him, thinking about how I could rip his throat out right then if I so desired.

  The challenging, hungry way he looked at me gave me the feeling he was aware of the general direction of my thoughts. I let my fingernails dig into his skin a little with just enough pressure to avoid drawing blood. This made him growl again, his handsome face flashing with unchecked pleasure.

  I dug in a little harder, and his rough hands came up to my hips in a vice grip. He lifted himself deeper into me while using his hands to hold my hips hostage.

  I took every bit of it, not allowing him to take the dominant position even once, just like the last time we had done this. When the carved muscles of his stomach and chest contracted with his climax, I slowed my body on top of him, watching as his handsome face contorted with his release.

  After, once I’d reclaimed my clothing and tied my hair up off my neck, the Hound lay motionless atop the blankets, watching me. When I looked back at him over my shoulder, the look in his eyes revealed that if there
was ever a time to attempt to gather sensitive information from him, it was right now.

  I did not feel bad about this, because I knew that before all was said and done, every conscious creature does a shameful thing or two to survive. And, on top of that, Ryker was right about one thing: My hatred for him was a lie. In fact, in a different world, I thought I might even be able to learn to love him.

  But this was not a different world.

  And there could be no learning to love.

  Broaching the subject was easier than I thought it was going to be because the Hound was the one to do it. As usual, he’d brought wine and food for us to consume as we spent the night together, and we were sitting on the blankets doing just that when Ryker said, “You never told me what happened to the pup from the woods. What you did with her?”

  I had to tell myself not to stiffen, wondering how I’d gone suddenly from investigator to investigated.

  I took a sip of my wine. “I have no idea what you’re talking about,” I said.

  Ryker rolled his eyes, leaning back against the cave wall and crossing one ankle over the other. “If I was going to turn you in for it, I would’ve done so a long time ago… I’m just curious as to how the child is faring… if she made it somewhere… better.”

  Sipping more wine, I narrowed my eyes at him. “I have no idea how she’s faring. She just disappeared into the night… like all the others.”

  Ryker’s blue gaze pinned me. “What do you know about the others?”

  I shook my head. “No more than anyone else. Just that pups are going missing.” I chose my next words carefully and spoke them as casually as I could manage. “What I don’t get is why they can’t be tracked by their collars.”

  The Hound shook his head at this, still pinning me with his azure gaze. “The pups that are going missing have yet to be collared.”

  “Oh,” I said, though I knew this, of course. I swallowed. “All of them?”