Darcy Branwyn

Tangled Moon:

❤️❤️Sorry (not sorry)❤️❤️for all the emojis but Danielle and Lothar ARE the reason I sit down at the keyboard day after day, even when it rips my heart out to do it. I love them, but they make me cry, but I love them, but they break my heart, but I love them. Hahaha.💔💔

…The sound of running water drowned out their voices. Danielle moved to the door, peering through the window. There was nothing to see from that angle. The bathroom was out of sight.

The water shut off and Lothar growled.

Don’t panic, she told herself. Don’t jump to conclusions. He’s probably scaring her off, not playing with her.

She really hated how insecure she could be sometimes, but she also knew how unreasonable their arrangement was for Lothar. He had needs too, and they were not being met.

She heard the girl in the living room. There was a high pitched whine; the temper tantrum of a child who wasn’t getting her way. Danielle ducked from the window, letting out a long held breath.

“I won’t dress,” Elena said, sounding petulant.

The front door opened, and her feet padded quickly over the floor as if she were being dragged out. Then the door closed again.

“Let me in,” the girl said. “At least let me dress inside.”

“You are a werewolf, what do you care where you dress?”

Her voice was low, humiliated. “I’m in the corridor.”

The lock clicked into place as if done as loudly as possible.

Danielle heard a rustling outside the door. Lothar must have tossed her clothing out along with her, because she was dressing there.

The door to the veranda opened next, and Danielle, still leaning against it, pitched onto the floor, landing on her elbow. Lothar looked down at her questioningly. She felt herself blushing.

“Ouch,” she said, shaking out her arm. It didn’t really hurt that much, but she needed a distraction.

He lifted her up and onto her feet with one hand, reached around and closed the door with the other.

“Didn’t like your present?” she squeaked.

“Ne. I did not.”

“Is she pretty?”

“She’s a child.” He scooped her into his arms.

“So was I.” She winced, wishing she hadn’t said that out loud.

“And I had still looked young enough to pose as a student.”

“Yeah, I know.” She sighed. “It was just my elbow. I can walk.”

He carried her into the bedroom anyway. She could smell that the adolescent had been there. The hormonal little imp. She scrunched up her nose.

“Yuck.”

“Neither of us has slept,” he said. “Other than on the plane. I’m tired.” He set her to her feet then pulled back the brocade comforter, stripping off the sheets.

“Wait,” Danielle stopped him. “Maybe you should leave it.”

“No.”

“You need to have the scent of another woman in your room. Yeah, I know that could get you into trouble too, because she’s so young.” She paused, frowning about their predicament.

“I can’t sleep with the scent of another woman in my bed.”

“Um. Is it awkward?”

He cracked a smile. “There should be sheets in the closet.”

“Okay,” she said, admitting defeat.

“Besides,” he continued, “already the girl is slinking back to my uncle.”

Danielle found the sheets and brought a set. “Too bad the only female we can trust is your sister.”

“It doesn’t matter,” he said, taking them.

She stood dumbly while he started making up his big slay bed. “It will if it costs you everything.”

“Define everything.”

“Oh, I don’t know, your life,” she said, her sarcasm kicking in. She was frustrated, and scared. Werewolves were not known for monogamy. That was thanks in part to their unusual fertility issues, and because females were pretty happy to try out male Shifters just for size.

As usual, he was unfazed by her theatrics. “This castle is not my life. The Council isn’t my life. Being used by every female who thinks it’s fun to have an alpha isn’t my life.” Together, they tugged the fitted sheet into place. He flipped the flat sheet over the mattress. “You are my life.”

She sighed. “One day you could change your mind.”

He eyed her as if to say, you still don’t know me at all, do you?

“There’s Vesper to think about too.”

That gave him pause. She watched him pretend it didn’t. He was wearing his mask. As usual, she took that in stride. They pulled the blanket and comforter on then stared at each other for a time.

“I should get some sleep,” she said.

“That was the idea.” He lifted his brows.

She couldn’t sleep there, as much as she wanted to. Danielle tucked a lock of hair behind her ear then turned and headed toward Vesper’s rooms.

He followed her out. “Wait.”

She closed her eyes for a moment, breathing, trying in vain to gather herself. Finally, she turned to face him, feeling guilty about leaving, even if just for the morning. They’d shared living quarters before. They were hunting partners and it made sense to stick together, but they’d always used separate bedrooms. Of course, that had been before she’d told him that she was in love with him.

“I can sleep on the couch,” he said.

“Now that will be interesting if the Trackers come through. Me in the bed, and you on the couch.”

“They will have a laugh over you kicking me out of bed.”

“I really can’t. It’s bad enough that they know I’ve been here.”

“There’s no law against you sleeping with me,” he said quietly.

Well, no. It was all about him not getting too attached. Which he was. And the sex would do nothing to help him there.

Danielle came forward. Taking his face in her hands, she pulled it down to hers and kissed the center of his forehead. “I can’t,” she said, letting go. “You’ve risked too much for me as it is.”

“By my own choice.”

“And it’s my choice to spare you more harm.”

He made a face, but she backed off, turning for the door to Vesper’s rooms…

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