Moon Thrall Read online

  Kane yawned. “Spit it out.”

  “He’s a vampire,” Skye said and made a face at Kane.

  She was reduced to acting childish with a grown man who despised her. When was the nightmare going to end?

  Court’s phone vibrated. He pulled it out of his pocket and read the text.

  Skye shifted her feet. “Look. I’ve answered your questions, and I’m obviously no help. I need to get back to the city and look for Matthew. He’s never left me before, and I’m going to demand my money back.”

  “Don’t bother,” Court said as he lowered his phone and looked at her with his gorgeous eyes. “Matthew is dead. The police found him three blocks from the club with all his blood drained.”

  Skye blinked, not understanding. “Since when do vampires drink the blood of another vampire?”

  “They don’t,” Minka said.

  Kane dropped his arms, his nostrils flaring as he blew out a breath. “Matthew was human.”

  CHAPTER FIVE

  It was clear to Court that Skye was shocked at the news that Matthew wasn’t a vampire. He took a half-step toward her when her eyes went wide.

  “That’s not possible,” she mumbled.

  That got Minka’s attention. “Why not?”

  As if Skye realized she had spoken out loud, she shook her head. “I need to get back to the city.”

  “Hold on,” Riley said. “What made you think Matthew was a vampire?”

  Court watched Skye closely. He was mesmerized by the curve of her jaw and her amazing mouth. Her smooth skin glowed in the moonlight, making him want to stroke her face again.

  Her throat moved as she swallowed, and she glanced at the bayou again. “I’ve done research.”

  But Court knew it was more than that. By the way Skye refused to look at anyone, he suspected she’d had a run-in with a vamp before.

  “What research?” Kane asked with a sneer. “Movies? Watching them in their club?”

  Court shot his brother a dark look. He understood why Kane had become a hard, easily angered person, but Skye didn’t. Court caught Skye’s gaze. “I’ll drive you home.”

  “I know you all think I’m crazy, but I have to write these articles,” Skye said. “People need to know what’s out there.”

  Minka turned her back to the porch railing and crossed her arms over her chest. “You really think that? How do you think the city would be if everyone knew about vampires and witches? Do you think we would still be a mecca for tourism? Do you think everyone would just continue on as they are?”

  “There would be chaos,” Kane added.

  Riley nodded. “Riots, too. Not to mention murders. Everyone would fear their neighbor, worry they might be a monster.”

  Skye’s spine was straight as she listened to them. She didn’t cower, didn’t agree. Which made Court think that something had happened to her. If he could find out what that was, it would help him understand her and her need to report on the supernatural.

  Kane said, “You need to stop the articles.”

  When Skye didn’t bother to respond, Court held out his hand to Riley for the keys. She sent a troubled looked to Skye as she handed them over.

  Court gave a nod of thanks to Minka and turned to walk around the porch and down the stairs. He would be back to pick up Riley and Kane, unless Kane took to the woods with the Moonstone wolves.

  Once Skye was buckled in the seat of the truck, she crossed her arms over her chest and stared out the windshield. Court started the engine and backed up the vehicle before driving through the grass between the trees.

  “How are you feeling?” he asked.

  “The aspirin has dulled most of the pain.”

  He recalled how hard she had hit the pavement. “You’re likely to have quite the bump.”

  “I already do.”

  Court inhaled deeply and swerved to miss a skunk and her three babies, causing him to drive around a group of live oaks.

  “Thank you,” Skye said. “I didn’t say that back there. I know that makes me look ungrateful.”

  “You were on the defensive. I understand.”

  Her head turned to him. “Do you? Why? Why did you help me? Why were you even at the Viper’s Nest?”

  With as smart of a journalist as Skye was, Court knew he had to answer her or take his chances that she’d find out on her own. Perhaps if he made his case well enough, she might back off. It was a long shot, but one he had to take.

  “I was there because of you.” He glanced at her, the truck rocking as they drove through a muddy section. There was just enough ambient light for him to see her brow rise.

  “For me?” she repeated, shaking her head. She returned her gaze forward. “Let me guess. The articles?” she asked, her voice dripping with sarcasm.

  Court grinned despite the situation. Skye’s annoyed tone sounded so similar to Riley’s. “We’re not the only ones who are noticing you. As you know, New Orleans is a dangerous city.”

  “Why are you interested in my articles? The truth, if you please.”

  “We told you back at the house. You’re bringing attention to yourself that is going to get you killed.”

  “I’ve thought of that. There are contingencies in place for the police to track down my killer – no matter what or who it is.”

  Court pulled the truck onto the dirt road. “Seriously? That’s your answer? You’re a piece of work. We’re trying to help you.”

  “No. You’re stifling the people’s right to know.”

  Court slammed on the brakes, and Skye’s head snapped toward him. He jerked his head to her, tired of playing it nice. It was time she had the hard truth. “If you paid a little more attention to things, you might realize the supernatural extends far past a few sections of the city. They’re inside political offices and every law enforcement agency of the city. So no, Skye, no one would look for your killer. You’d be another statistic in a long line of unsolved murders.”

  She blinked at him.

  Court faced forward, his hands gripping the steering wheel. “You’re up to your ass in a bad situation. Had we not been there tonight, the vamps would’ve taken you. Whether they wanted to feed off you or turn you, I don’t know. Either way, you would no longer be the person you are now.”

  “It happened in college,” she said softly.

  Court swiveled his head toward Skye to find her looking down at her hands. He was silent, waiting for her to continue.

  “I knew my roommate, Jo, was a bit different. I just thought she was goth. I didn’t find out until we had lived in the dorms for almost a year that she was a witch.”

  Skye laughed, the sound forced as she rubbed her hands up and down her arms. “Jo didn’t hide it exactly, but she didn’t announce it either. I kept to myself most times, so I didn’t pay attention to her much. We ran in different social circles too, but she was nice, and we got along.”

  “Until,” Court urged when she stopped talking.

  Skye looked at him. “It was during Christmas break. I had nowhere to go, and she chose to take an extra course during that time. It was late. She was up studying, and I had just gotten back from a date. That’s when it walked into our dorm room.”

  “A vampire,” Court guessed.

  Skye nodded and glanced down. “I was so terrified I couldn’t move. Since I was closer, he came at me first. Jo knew what he was, even if I didn’t. She used a spell, along with silver to keep him from me. But he was determined to have one of us.”

  Court reached over and placed his hand on hers, giving Skye what little comfort he could. It may have happened years ago, but it obviously still affected her.

  “Jo was so brave,” Skye said with a smile. “I could only sit there and watch as she battled him. I never thought he would leave, but eventually she won. For the next two weeks, she told me everything she knew about the supernatural. I made notes, bought as much silver jewelry as I could, and soaked up everything she told me.”

  Skye paused and shifted i
n her seat. “One night, I came back to our room with an armload of books on the occult from the library only to find the room empty except for her silver necklace lying broken in the middle of the room. The police found her body three days later completely drained of blood.”

  “The vamp got her,” Court said. “As powerful a witch as Jo was, she was overtaken by a vampire. That should tell you something.”

  Skye wiped at her eyes and sniffed. “I’ve been focused on the supernatural ever since. I had no idea vampires were real until that day. So many books and movies romanticize them, when in fact, they’re monsters.”

  “They’re beings who were once human. They were turned, whether willingly or by force,” he told her. “Not all vampires are monsters. They do need blood to survive, but there are those in New Orleans who don’t kill. Those vamps get their food supply from humans who willingly give their blood to the vampires. In return, the vamps pay them well and give them protection.”

  Skye made a sound. “Who would they need protection from? The worst monster is now their friend.”

  “There’s the Djinn, witches, werewolves, and more importantly, there is Delphine.”

  “I’ve heard that name,” Skye said with a small frown. “She’s a Voodoo priestess, right?”

  Court nodded as he pressed the accelerator and began driving again. “Stay far away from her, Skye. Trust me when I say you don’t want to be on her radar. She’s lethal and has no compunction about killing you on a crowded street.”

  “Noted.”

  “So you came to New Orleans to expose the supernatural.” He shook his head, still unable to believe it. “That takes some balls.”

  She smiled and faced forward. “I told you my story. You still haven’t told me why you’re so concerned about what I put in my articles.”

  “Off the record?” he asked, glancing at her. She would find out all about his family with a little digging anyway.

  “Off the record,” Skye confirmed.

  He rested one hand atop the steering wheel and put the other on the gearshift. “We keep the peace in the city.”

  “We?”

  “Me and my three brothers.”

  She smoothed a hand over her slicked backed ponytail. “You’re a supernatural being, aren’t you?”

  “Yep.” He spared her another quick look to gauge her reaction. She didn’t seem the least bit surprised. “Figure out what kind yet?”

  Riley shrugged. “A matter of deduction, really. You’re not a vampire or a Djinn. You don’t look the type to practice Voodoo, nor are you a witch. That leaves...werewolf.”

  He was impressed. “Are you scared?”

  “Should I be?”

  Court laughed. “With that attitude, you just might make it out of New Orleans alive.”

  “Who said anything about leaving?”

  He drove onto the highway. “You really want to risk your life to report on the craziness of the city?”

  “I’d be dead if it hadn’t been for Jo,” she argued.

  “You’d be dead tonight if it hadn’t been for me.” Court flattened his lips. “No matter how much you know about the supernatural, you’re still not prepared to defend yourself.”

  CHAPTER SIX

  As dawn came and the sky turned a brilliant pink and gold, all Skye could think about was what Court had said to her. As much as she hated to admit it, he was right.

  She’d assumed because Jo had taught her a few things that she was more than capable of doing research on the supernatural. What the previous night had taught her was that she only knew a thimbleful of what was out there.

  Coffee in hand, Skye stood at the windows of her townhouse and looked out over the streets of the city. Vampires had almost kidnapped her. If not for Court and the others, Skye wouldn’t be standing there now.

  It galled her that she hadn’t been able to take care of herself. She hadn’t looked the vamps in the eye for more than a second, so she knew they hadn’t used mind control on her. No one had spiked her drink. The vampires had touched her, that was the only thing that happened.

  Skye jerked so hard the coffee spilled over the rim of the mug and burned her hand. She hissed and rushed barefoot into the kitchen to set the coffee down and wipe her hand.

  Then she ran to her desk and tapped the keyboard to wake up her laptop. She might not know Court’s last name, but she had enough skill to find him.

  Thirty minutes later, she sat back with a smile on her face. “Court LaRue. Looks like I’m going to be paying you a visit at Gator Bait.”

  Skye got up from her chair and was headed into the bathroom to take a shower when her cell phone rang. She glanced at the phone to see it was her editor, Helen.

  “Sorry, Helen. I can’t talk right now,” she said as she declined the call.

  Turning on her music through her phone, Skye started the shower. She was taking off her sleep shirt when her phone dinged with a text. Skye tossed her sleep shirt on the bed and hurried into the bathroom where her phone rested on the counter.

  She read the message, frowning as she did. Helen never demanded she come into the office when she was writing a story. What was going on?

  Skye quickly texted back that she was in the middle of research and would try to get there later that day.

  “Before lunch,” Skye read Helen’s reply aloud.

  What the hell was going on?

  Skye showered and got ready. Forty minutes later, she was walking out the door and headed to the newspaper. A short fifteen-minute stroll and she was at the office.

  No sooner had Skye entered Helen’s office than her editor rose and closed the door behind her. “What’s going on?” Skye asked as she took one of the two chairs.

  Helen sat down behind her desk and shoved her reading glasses on her head. She let out a long sigh. “Where were you last night?”

  “Observing the supernatural.” Skye didn’t feel the need to lie to Helen. Yet, anyway.

  Her editor leaned back in her chair and smoothed down her navy and white striped blouse. “Were you alone?”

  Shit, shit, shit. In all the turmoil, Skye had completely forgotten about Matthew. She kept her expression blank. “Matthew went with me to a club, but he left me there.”

  “When did you arrive at the club?”

  “About ten-ish.”

  Helen nodded. “And when did Matthew leave you?”

  Skye shrugged, not liking the questions. “It was about midnight, I think. He always stays in the background. He could’ve left much earlier than I noticed. Why?” she added since she didn’t want to admit what a failure she was in spotting supernatural beings.

  “What did you do when you discovered that Matthew was gone?”

  Skye scooted to the end of the chair. “Why does this feel like an interrogation?”

  “Please answer me, Skye.”

  “I stayed until it became uncomfortable and then I left.”

  “Alone?”

  There was something about the way Helen said it that made Skye aware her boss knew something. Once again, she decided on the truth. Mostly. “I tried to leave on my own, but two vampires attempted to get me to go with them. Two guys and a girl helped me out. They walked me home, and here I am.”

  “Good. Those are good answers. You’ll do fine, Skye,” Helen said as she leaned forward and rested her arms on the desk.

  “Do fine?” Skye repeated. “What’s that mean?”

  Helen’s face pinched in worry. “I hate to be the one to tell you this, but Matthew was found dead this morning.”

  Even though Skye knew he was dead, hearing it again was like a punch to the gut. She looked down, feeling sick. “How?” she croaked out.

  “The police are calling it a homicide. They think it was an attempted robbery, and assume Matthew tried to resist. His attacker used a knife.”

  Skye could only stare at Helen. The police were covering it up. Aside from saving her, Court had given her no reason to trust him, but what he’d said about
the supernatural in law enforcement made sense.

  “They’re going to want to talk to you,” Helen was saying.

  Skye mentally shook herself. “How do they even know my connection to Matthew?”

  “Someone at the club said they saw the two of you enter together.”

  Just freaking wonderful. Skye wished she had remained in the bayou with Court instead of insisting that she return to the city.

  “I see.”

  “I wanted to let you know so you wouldn’t be surprised.”

  Skye ran her hands through her hair. “Should I go to the police?”

  “There’s no need yet,” Helen said. “They’ll find you if they want to talk to you.”

  Skye stood then. “I need to finish some research for the article.”

  “Stay in touch,” Helen said.

  Skye walked out of the office on shaky legs. Not even the fresh air calmed her. She spotted a patrol car driving slowly down the street, and she remained where she was, waiting for them to come for her.

  It drove past.

  She released a relieved breath and turned to the left. It was time to visit Court. Even in late September, the streets were crowded with tourists. October was a truly crazy month for New Orleans since everyone equated the city at Halloween with the supernatural.

  It was all the innocents walking around that had prompted her to write the articles. The college kids just looking to get lucky, the high schoolers looking to score some alcohol, the families just wanting to make lasting memories, and the business professionals wanting to have some fun.

  Those were the people the supernatural hunted.

  Or so she’d thought before last night. Court had said some of the vampires didn’t kill. The thought boggled her mind. A vampire that didn’t kill? How was that even possible? And who made the laws?

  Court mentioned that his family enforced the laws, but how could four brothers control an entire city of supernatural when a thousand policemen couldn’t govern the humans?

  Skye spotted the LaRue’s bar situated at the corner of the street. The wooden sign hung above the sidewalk with a bite taken out of the side, as if by an alligator. The lettering was done in a deep green with a gator below the name, its mouth wide open.