Moon Cursed (Book 2 in The Star and Her Moon Series)

Before the Storm

MERIBELLA

It caught the fading light and shimmered against her palm. Nothing about it screamed evil. There was no label stating it was made by a psycho, Fae queen with dastardly intentions. There were no noxious fumes wafting to her nostrils when she removed the cap. But if Meribella had learned anything over the last year, it was that hope hid dangerous things.

Raff had let her go when she said she needed to step out; they'd both known she was headed straight for the shore. She smiled. How much they'd both changed since becoming a couple. The man she'd met on the roadside would've pounded his chest and demanded to accompany her, and while she saw the battle waging in his eyes, he'd not hesitated to agree to her request for space. As for herself- a year ago, she'd not have bothered with asking or considering someone else before doing as she pleased.

The vial rolled in her hands, but now she stared out across the navy waters, her gaze locked on the explosion of neon colors melting into the dusky, blue horizon. White slips of fabric were painted against the orange and pink- the boats they belonged to bobbed on a surface stirring to life slowly by an incoming storm. The scent of rain and ozone was just now reaching Meribella, and though the skies looked peaceful now, they would be violent and angry before the morning.

Standing, she stretched and turned back towards town without so much as dipping a toe into the water. The siren call of the sea had lessened since she'd come into the full extent of her power, and she felt it weakening further with every trip she took inland. Perhaps, she'd be able to go without it one day, but she could never see herself actually desiring that.

"Meribella!"

She'd only walked a few steps along Main Street when she heard Lincoln shouting her name, and she stopped to allow him to catch up. He slung his arm over her shoulders, and they travelled the distance to the loft this way. There were a lot of things she considered to be miracles- heck, she'd brought Thorne back from the dead- but the closeness that had developed between herself and Raff's Beta took the number one spot.

"Please tell me that Raff is coming back to the compound this weekend."

"Only if you want me to lie to you."

"Shit, MB. You're so damn stingy with the man."

Meribella reached up and pinched his armpit, earning a howl and a string of impressive curses she tucked away in her memory for later use. "I share him all the time, and you had him for over half a century. I think you can deal with missing out on a few weekends"

The golden haired man tossed back his head and groaned. "Look, I'm cool with it. He can stay here all he wants, but Nichols is pestering the mess out of me about assigning new guards to the Starless holdouts."

"So you want Raff there because they listen to him and not you? Or are you just too much of a pu-"

He slapped his hand over her mouth. "Uh unh. Ladies do not say that word."

She tore the hand away and laughed. "I've never claimed to be a lady, and from what Thorne tells me, you don't have a problem with dirty mouths."

His amber eyes snapped, but Meribella noticed his scent was light and airy- a clear sign that he was pleased with himself. "She really shouldn't be sharing our bedroom escapades with you. I don't want you feeling like you picked the wrong man."

"Stop changing the subject. You're the Beta. If Nichols is giving you grief, put him in his place. Don't wait for Raff to come in and clean up little things like that."

Her chastisement sobered him up, and he crossed his arms over his broad chest. "Meribella, werewolf politics aren't quite so simple. Raff is well respected," he dropped his voice to a whisper, "dare I say even loved by the men, but everyone is on edge after the events of the last year. They want him- not me."