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

One More Night

RAFF

Long after Thorne left, Raff stood in front of the window, his eyes glued to the pathway leading to the beach. The late evening sunshine imbued the world with a honeyed glow, intensifying the vivid colors of the autumn decor in front of businesses. Pedestrians smiled and waved at one another, tugging their collars higher to ward against the chill settling in as night approached, and he wondered if the first fires of the season would be lit tonight. The air would smell like salt, smoke, and cedar.

Camden was photo perfect right now. All golden and pure. A place for families to grow and thrive. And it made him seethe.

Raff tore his gaze away from the path and looked at the box in his hands. He opened and shut it, the snapping of the lid loud in the empty apartment, but he'd repeated the same motion over and over again until it no longer startled Aurora from her sleep. Opened wide, just enough to glimpse a peak of the sparkling stones, then slammed close. Back into darkness.

During long nights when they couldn't sleep for wanting to touch one another, they'd spent the rare moments between passion catching their breath and sharing details about themselves. No secrets. No lies. Nothing that would put a wedge between them, and yet, fate had found a way to split them apart.

But when they were wrapped in one another's arms, Meribella had revealed her love of the fall season. She said some of the love stemmed from the moderate weather- she knew she wouldn't roast or freeze in whatever shack she was dwelling in, but she'd revealed the truth in a girlish whisper. "It's magic: the crisp smells, the food and drinks, the scarlet forest canopies, and silver breaths that puff into the air." And then, she'd hesitated as if gathering her courage before rushing on to say, "But I think it was seeing the couples that made me really love this season. They huddled together, claiming it was for warmth, but truly it was the perfect excuse to press their bodies together. I wanted that, even if I couldn't admit it until I found you."

Three days from now was the official end of summer- the fall equinox. He'd known that was the day he would ask her to be his forever. Beneath the apple trees in the orchard on his estate, their branches wound with fairy lights, he had planned on dropping to one knee. That image had burned into his brain so deeply that he saw it even with his eyes open. Her turquoise eyes would fill with the only acceptable tears- tears of joy- as a single word fell from her lips, the syllable a sliver of mist in nighttime, just like she loved. He'd slide the ring on her finger, but she wouldn't bother to examine it before pressing her lips against his.

Raff slammed the box closed again and hurled it across the room. Aurora yelped and sat up, her body tense as she searched for the threat, but even after seeing that Raff was unharmed, she remained alert.

"Sorry girl," he said, crossing the room to stroke her soft head. A wave of compassion struck him, and he wondered, not for the first time, if he was imagining it or if she was really communicating with him.

How had things fallen apart so quickly? They were so hopeful, so determined. "I'd rather keep fighting for a miracle" he'd told her that first night after his escape from death, but it was the words that followed that haunted them both now: "than watch you die inside." Because that's what he was afraid was happening. They were both withering inside, tormented by the very thing that brought them their joy: each other.

Sending her away to protect her was the only option remaining, but it wasn't just to protect her from the physical damage he could inflict on her. It was the emotional hurt as well. His nose burned with the scent of her fear and sadness. It was a small thing now, but it would kill him the day it overwhelmed the love and desire.

Raff would deal with the threats against his pack. Once that was done, he could return to searching for a way for them to be together. Completely. Until then, she had to stay away.

The whiskey bottle taunted him, and his wolf pushed against the boundaries in his mind, fighting to rise up. He shoved him down, but nodded his agreement. If there was no way to fix their plight, he would finish what he started during those months he thought her dead. Lincoln could assume leadership, and Raff would go feral. It was the only way they both would survive.

The downstairs door opened, and the outside breeze blew her scent up the stairs and into the room. The jasmine and sea salt belonged to her and her alone, and its fragrance teased and tortured him, drawing his ever present desire for her to the surface.

"Raff," she called, her voice a siren call.

"I'm in the living room." Even to his own ears, his voice sounded strained. Rough. Was this part of the instability caused by the spell, or was he beyond his limits, his body demanding that the line be crossed?

"Are you okay?" she asked, stopping on the top stair, her hand drifting down to rub Aurora's head as the wolf rushed to her side. "You sound odd."

He drank in the sight of her. Cheeks and nose red and splotchy from the cold, her black hair damp and curling, and her eyes shining with supernatural light. She hung her coat on a wall hook, her neck and chin shimmering where her wet hair touched, the salt water remaining in the strands enough to activate the power in her cells.

"I'm fine," he lied. "You okay? You look tense, and where is your mom?"

Meribella stared at the ground, her hands wringing. "She had a date."

"Oh, that's nice."

"Mmhmm."

"Did you have a good day?"

"I did. You?" He tasted the lie on her tongue. They were back to that, then.

"Same." Her eyes narrowed. His dishonesty wasn't missed.

"Good."

They stood across from one another like strangers at a party. She shifted her weight from heel to heel while he shoved his hands in his pockets. So much needed to be said, but all the words had abandoned him.

"Well, I'm tired. I think I might head to bed." She walked past him, her steps slow and burdened.

Raff stared after her, his gaze devouring the lines of her body, from top to bottom. But as he reached her ankles, the black box resting in the corner caught his attention. He counted, his chest heaving as he told himself he was a fool, but on three he unleashed a growl that had her spinning around with a gasp.

One leap over the couch and two steps across the room brought him to her. His arms went around her waist just as her her hands went to the collar of his shirt, shoving it down his back so that she could dig her nails into his skin. They stumbled backwards, a tangle of limbs and lust until her back slammed into the wall.

Raff bypassed her lips, though the sight of them slightly parted as she panted for more nearly undid him, but he wanted to build up to that moment. He kissed her neck, her heartbeat pounding beneath his tongue as he tasted her. Stinging pain ripped across his shoulders as she clawed at him, struggling to stay upright as he worked lower, dropping brands along her collarbones.

"Raff," she urged as his hot breath against her damp top brought her nipples to a peak. "Please."

He pulled back, shuddering as he tried to steady his breathing. In her eyes, he could see himself. Wild, pupils dilated. "What do you want?"

She slid her hands up his neck, threading her fingers through the thick hair at the nape. "For you to love me."

"Gods, Meribella. I will never stop," he promised, drawing her into his arms and kicking the bedroom door open. He followed her down to the bed, knowing this would be it for them. One last testing of their wills. One last night of half fulfilled desires. Tomorrow, he would let her go. Send her away and make her safe.

But for one more night, she was his.