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

Together

MERIBELLA

Meribella waited for Raff to respond. His handsome features were frozen somewhere between innocence and terror, and if she wasn't so irritated about Mariah's presence, she'd find it adorable. As it was, she was tempted to rush out into the night and show the shifter she wasn't the only one with claws.

"Man stuff," Lincoln jumped in. He crossed his arms and looked so impressed within himself that Meribella couldn't hold back her snort of laughter.

"Raff?"

"He's not lying," Raff said cryptically. He pulled her into his arms, his lips seeking to distract her. She allowed it for a moment, enjoying the tingles his tongue sweeping through mouth sent to her toes, but she pulled away with a wistful sigh.

"I suppose I'll leave it at that. As long as it didn't have anything to do with Mariah's dramatic exit. Thorne said it looked like she was crying."

"Oh it had something to do with it all right," Lincoln snarled, "but it's nothing we couldn't handle."

"She's lucky." Thorne joined them, her black eyes hard. "You two let her leave here in tears; I would've sent her home in pieces. I love Joe to death, but his daughter is a menace."

"Girls, Mariah has been through a lot. We need to give her a little slack," Raff's lips turned down, and his scent shifted. Beneath the pine and cinnamon, the cloying scent of decaying flowers threaded. It burned her nose, but she recognized it for what it was. Regret and sadness. As much as she disliked the woman, she had been a good friend to Raff. And she would always be family to him.

"So what brings you two here?" Thorne asked, wrapping her arms around the Beta's neck and drawing him into a deep kiss, making a sound in the back of her throat normally reserved for the bedroom.

She turned away when Lincoln's hands dropped below the witch's belt. Clearing her throat, she looked up at Raff and found herself blushing at the intensity raging in his eyes. "I see the wheel's turning," she whispered, standing up on her tiptoes.

"They never stop where you're concerned," he admitted, "but it doesn't help being around those two. Makes me feel all competitive."

"Men," she said, slapping his chest. "But really, what are you doing here? You don't usually come down here when I'm working. Not after the last incident."

Now it was Raff who went red. The supernatural community knew very well who Meribella belonged to, and they kept their hands off. Unfortunately, the human tourists weren't privy to such information, and a man had made the mistake of getting handsy after too many drinks. Long story short: Raff ended up paying to rebuild the entrance, and Joe suggested the werewolf stay far away on night's Meribella worked.

"I just wanted to check on you. We didn't get the chance to talk much after your mom dropped the bombshell on us, and you left for work."

All the warmth Raff's touch had conjured fled, and her stomach turned to ice. "I'm not going to say I'm okay, but we have time. Whether it's to figure out a solution or come to terms with what will be."

His thumb spread a tear across her cheek, and she leaned into the touch. "We will deal with whatever happens. As long as we do it together. If there's one thing I've learned in the last year, it's that disaster strikes when we don't work together."

"Agreed," she said. "Now get out of here before I get fired for not working. Vivian is giving me and Thorne the stink eye."

"Yes ma'am," he said, hoisting Lincoln out of his seat causing Thorne to shriek in protest. "We've got to go."