Lunar Mates 1: Under Cover of the Moon Read Free Page A

Her witchy powers had never been so accommodating. She rarely picked up what she wanted to know.
    Her uneasiness grew, and her sixth sense flared out in awareness. Certain someone was following her, she checked over her shoulder at every stop, but never spotted anyone. Never spotted him . Maybe it wasn't Darius after all. She felt like a mouse to a cat, and that just didn't seem to be his style.
    She felt immediate relief when she entered the shop, and explored with more care than usual for the respite. A small placard in the front window announced new ownership, but the new owner hadn't taken the time to clean up. The usual clerk had her nose buried in a book at the front display case.
    The place was a disaster and had to be in violation of the entire fire code. Meg loved it. Rows of tall metal shelves were crammed into the space, creating narrow aisles, and they were packed with fascinating odds and ends. You never knew what you'd find, and most items had more than likely been buried in the racks for years.
    She would never have found the wolf on one of her usual visits to the shop. It was small and carved in light grained wood. With the base resting in her palm, it was about five inches tall. The wolf sat on its haunches, its head thrown back in a howl. It looked sorrowful. And lonely. The wolf touched some chord of recognition deep within her. She traced it with a finger, loving its pose and the contours and emotions evident in the figure. The carver had captured an elemental knowledge of his subject.
    She had to have it. Turning it over, she had to look twice at the price. She started to put it back when a deep familiar voice spoke behind her.
    “You don't want it?"
    Darius . She drew a deep breath before she could think better of it. She had been imagining his scent for weeks, that woodsy and completely male odor only he carried. He smelled wonderful.
    She turned to find his broad chest just inches from her eyes. Another thing she remembered too well was his body. She wondered how well muscled he was under the loose fitting shirt he wore. Don't go there . Taking a step backward, she tilted her head up.
    “Out of my price range,” she said lightly, still cradling the small wolf in her palm.
    “Ah,” he answered. Smiling a little he asked, “You like wolves?"
    She glanced down at the little statue. Before she'd taken over the bar, she'd followed her cousin, Summer, around the country in search of wolf habitats, but they'd never held the same fascination for her as they did for Summer. For her, they were a vocation. To Meg, they were just another endangered species.
    “Not usually,” she shrugged. She turned and placed it back on the shelf, her fingers protesting the move.
    She caressed it one last time, imagining she could feel the wolf's rough coat under her fingertips. Darius stood silently behind her, a brooding male presence, and she recalled the tension that had pushed her into the shop in the first place. Turning, she crossed her arms over her chest and tried to take a defensive step away.
    “Have you been following me? ‘Cause you can stop it.” She paused. “It's creepy."
    He blinked and drew in on himself, his icy blue eyes sharpening on her face. Had she thought his eyes were cold? They seemed capable of shooting sparks. He moved closer to her in an oddly protective gesture that warmed her insides.
    “This is the first I've seen you today. I was going to your bar, and saw you come in here. Perhaps you are mistaken, and it is ... anticipation that has you so jumpy."
    She arched an eyebrow. How typical. A man couldn't provide an answer, so he fell back on his ego.
    “No, I'm not mistaken,” she said, trying to inject a note of disdain into her voice. “Someone's been watching me for days. I can feel it."
    She felt a perverse urge to egg him on. She had been close to deciding to fuck him and get it out of her system. Now, face to face with his arrogant attitude, she wasn't so sure.
    “You seem the