Beneath the Broken Moon: Part Four
The time has come for Carmela to face the consequences of her secrets, but she never imagined she’d be dragging Derek and Brendan down with her.
The more Carmela Santiago thinks about her vampire lover and her alpha werewolf, the more she realizes that she can’t let either of them go. However, the last thing she wants is for her secrets to drag them down with her.
Derek Ashmore has lived for many centuries, but even vampires can get stressed. Not only does he need to rescue his longtime friend from the Cazador, but he also needs to keep Carmela safe all the factions threatening them.
The clock is ticking for Brendan Kelly. His Alpha and father has given him a deadline for bringing Carmela to a werewolf safe house, but when Carmela doesn’t budge on the issue, he’ll have to find a way to convince her before it’s too late.
I couldn’t suppress my relief that Carmela hadn’t fled to Derek because she hated me. But I still seethed with anger that her father had almost raped her. If I’d known things would get so bad, I could’ve done something to prevent her pain... Maybe I should’ve pressed to visit her sooner, or talked my father into bumping up the mating ritual. No, I couldn’t second-guess myself. What William did wasn’t normal. You didn’t expect your future mate’s father to do something like that.
“M-mate? S-so soon?” Carmela met my gaze with slivers of panic in her eyes.
READ MOREDamn. The last thing I wanted to do was scare her. My words had just slipped out in my desperation to draw her close, although I meant them from the bottom of my heart. What if they drove her away from me? I’d been unable to protect her before due to our customs, but now I could change that. My father was the Alpha of Alphas. He could ensure her safety and bring William to justice once we were mated.
The only other thing that bothered me was how she looked at Derek.
“The sooner the better, babe.” Glancing up at the balcony, I caught Derek watching us from the shadows. He wasn’t trying very hard to conceal himself. Emotions warred within me. She was my future mate, but the two of them seemed to have feelings for one another. I was grateful that Derek watched over her while I was injured and at home, but I couldn’t let him take her from me. I was falling in love with her.
She chewed on her lower lip. Memories of our kiss shoved all other thoughts aside. The only thing that kept me from leaning in to claim her mouth again was the worry in her eyes. I brushed a strand of hair from her cheek, tucking it behind her ear. She leaned into my palm.
“I—”
“You don’t have to make that decision right now, love.” Derek walked toward us, stopping mere feet away, and much closer than I’d have preferred.
Every muscle in my body tensed. “She was going to say something. Let her speak.” The hair on the back of my neck rose, and a low growl trickled up from my chest. I must’ve been so caught up in being close to Carmela that I hadn’t remained aware of our surroundings. Vampires were stealthy, but I was the Alpha of Alphas’ son; my keen senses were sharpened from an early age. He shouldn’t have been able to sneak up on me.
She placed a small hand against my chest. “It’s okay, Brendan.” She leaned up and brushed her soft lips against mine.
I gently cupped her cheeks, not wanting just a chaste peck. After everything that had happened, I needed more than that. I needed her. Her hands covered mine, and she softly moaned as I swiped my tongue over her lower lip.
Derek cleared his throat. “As I said before, you should be going.” His power surged toward us in a hot wave.
Carmela tried to turn to look at him, but I kept her gaze on me. “I can protect you. Just say yes.” My wolf wanted to rip the vampire’s throat out, regardless of the help he and his friend had provided us. That would resolve some of my problems, but it went against the kind of man I was. Besides, he’d taken care of Carmela when I could not. Regret twisted my stomach in knots.
Derek took a couple steps closer. “You had your chance to talk with her. Leave us.”
I grabbed the crutch from beside me and stood. Our eyes met, and I felt the soft tug of his power as he tried to mess with my mind. Even though I was injured, I wouldn’t put up with this. He might have feelings for her, but she was a werewolf, and my destined mate.
“Guys, please.” Carmela looked between us and sighed. “I need to talk with you both.”
COLLAPSE
