Moonlight Run

Thirty

Isa’s POV

I followed Nikolai down the hall of the annex, but I could hardly keep up alongside his strides. He stopped in front of the elevator, pushing the button repeatedly, grunting in frustration.

“Nikolai,” a voice called to him from our left.

I looked down the hall to see Phineas Blackburn leaning outside his door, motioning for his son. “Isadora, you should come, too.”

Nikolai shot me a hesitant look and took my hand, leading me down the hall to his father’s office. When we stepped into the room I instantly felt nauseous.

Julius was seated in one of Phineas’ red armchairs.

“Good news,” Phineas said with a sigh. “Mr. Petrova and I have reached an agreement.”

I looked dangerously at Julius who raised a brow at me as he took a sip from a tumbler glass of amber colored liquor.

“About what?” Nikolai said through his teeth.

“Well, for starters,” Phineas walked around to the other side of his desk and took a seat. “He’s shared with me some enlightening information about our Isadora, here. Information that strangely no one else felt was pertinent to share with me.”

I could see Nikolai’s chest rising and falling as his father narrowed his eyes at him. His hand grasped the back of the second armchair tightly. Phineas motioned to the empty seat, “Isadora, please, have a seat, won’t you?”

I sat down hesitantly, and Nikolai’s other hand came to rest on my shoulder. I reached up and gave it a short squeeze, taking his fingers in mine while Julius watched on, an amused expression appearing on his face.

“Now that I have heard the story of Miss Petrova’s origins, I have promptly contacted the council—”

“Are you crazy?” Nikolai spat. “They’ll have her killed!”

Phineas lifted a finger to silence his son. “The council has agreed to send an Analyst; one in particular who specializes in unique circumstances. It is said she is gifted herself, she can sniff out an Alpha wolf’s abilities when they come of age. Perhaps she can help us determine what the truth indeed may be regarding Miss Petrova. She will arrive tomorrow so that she will be with us when Isadora turns twenty-one on Tuesday.”

“And him?” Nikolai looked over at Julius.

“Mr. Petrova’s fate relies mostly on what our Analyst can confirm about the girl.” Phineas glanced at me with a smug expression. “But he has been promised a stay on his sentence, for now.”

I let out a sigh after hearing that, perhaps, Julius would not die after all. And yet, I didn’t feel very relieved at this particular moment.

“You know that I can’t ascend if he lives.” Nikolai stepped towards his father.

“Julius has agreed to abdicate, leaving the title available to you. He will leave with us with his life, with his mate’s ashes, and a small parting gift from his sister,” Phineas met my eyes and appraised me up and down with a nod. I sat upright to protest, but Nikolai squeezed my shoulder.

“And what the hell is that supposed to mean?” He seethed.

Phineas put his feet up on his desk. “If the Analyst confirms that Isadora does indeed carry werewolf venom in her blood, then I’ve permitted Julius to take a small sample once activated. Then he can build his own pack. It’s the same deal he tried to offer you in return for my life. But in this version, no one else has to die.”

“No, you would just bleed her out instead,” Nikolai glanced back at me, “...even if she was my mate?”

“Don’t be ridiculous, Nikolai. It’s not as if I would let any harm come to Isadora. But it is because I believe that she is your mate that I have total confidence she would be willing to do this for you, and for all of her people.” Phineas looked past Nikolai and c****d his head to the side towards me now. “A faithful Luna would do as much.”

I swallowed hard, looking over to Julius who raised a brow at me. My brother turned his head to Phineas and at last he spoke, “There’s still the matter of this land, Blackburn. You forget it rightfully belongs to the Petrova people.”

“And it should satisfy you enough that it will again,” Phineas motioned to me. “When my son and his future mate are at the head of this pack.”

Julius opened his mouth to protest, and Phineas glared at him darkly. “I’m letting you continue to breathe my air, boy. Don’t push it.”

Julius’ mouth fell shut with a frown. He drank the last of the amber liquor before slamming the glass firmly on the side table next to him. “Then I would ask instead, Phineas, that you convince the authorities that have condemned your former lands to remove the condemnation, so that you may title the land over to me. Would you agree that much is fair?”

Phineas seemed to consider this for a moment as he swirled the ice cubes around in his own glass. “I suppose I could reach out to the county and see what the process may entail.”

Nikolai shook his head in disgust. “I can’t believe you would even negotiate with this cretin.”

Phineas looked back to Nikolai, “Part of leading this pack is knowing when to fight as wolves, and knowing when to speak as men, Nikolai. You’d do well to know the difference.”

Julius stood to his feet, shooting me a smug grin. “It’s getting late, Phineas. You can show me to my room now.”

“Of course. Guards,” Two men in navy suits stepped into the office, one went to grab Julius under the arm and he brushed him off.

“I can walk just fine, boys. Just lead the way.”

“His room?” Nikolai challenged his father.

“I have given him a guest room in the Alpha wing, heavily guarded of course. But the space is rather empty since you’re not staying there anymore.” Phineas nodded to the guards and they led Julius away.

When the door shut behind them, Phineas looked back and forth between the two of us before directing his next question to me. “And how are you liking your new accommodations, Isadora?”

“I like them just fine.” I said simply, unable to meet his eyes.

“And will you two continue living in this arrangement after Tuesday? Assuming things work out as we all expect them to, that is…”

I looked at Nikolai hesitantly, and he bit his lip before he replied. “We haven’t quite had that discussion yet, father.”

“Hm,” Phineas narrowed his eyes at me suspiciously. “Well, now may be the time. I certainly don’t plan to continue paying for the girl to live there if you’ll be having regular sleepovers anyway.”

“I’m sorry, what?” I asked.

“Let’s go, Isa.” Nikolai said, grabbing me under the arm and lifting me to my feet.

“Nikolai, wait. Stop,” I tried to brush him off, looking back at Phineas. “I never asked you to pay for me. I told you I could manage with the wages you offered in return for my position as his secretary.”

“Yes, well… I told Nikolai I would handle the rent, in hopes it would motivate him to get the space done and get you moved in… in hopes that the two of you could become closer. But that was when I expected we would have a year before we would have our answer.”

Phineas paused, taking a sip from his glass. “I feared your adventure in Pennsylvania would detour that, but I’m glad to see it’s worked out, afterall. But you should understand this, Miss Petrova… should you become Luna, there are no wages, just duty.”

“What? You just can’t—” Nikolai scooped me around the waist, turning me around to face him.

“Isa,” he warned. “That’s enough. Let’s go.”

Phineas said to his son as we exited the room, “I’ll link you when the Analyist arrives tomorrow.”

***

Nikolai’s POV

As we pulled up to the farmhouse, I sighed. Isa was turned away from me in the passenger seat, looking out the window. She hadn’t said a word to me since we’d left my father’s office. I turned the car off and reached over to brush her hair from her face, and she flinched.

“Isadora…” I sighed. “Please, come inside with me?”

“Where, exactly?” She sat up now, throwing her hands in the air. “He makes a point, what happens on Tuesday? I just moved in, are you expecting me to move in with you— to your Fifty Shades of Freak basement?”

I groaned, arching my head back against the headrest. “Isa, if it matters that much to you, of course, you can stay in your space.”

“But I can’t. Nikolai, I can’t afford—”

I laughed now, glancing over at her. “You think I would charge you to live there? Especially if…” I laughed again, shaking my head at her.

“I just… I guess I thought so, yes. I mean, it was meant to be your income property, right?”

“Isadora,” I leaned across the center console and took her face in my hands. “If having your own space is important to you, I want you to have that. Whether you’re my mate, my Luna… you’re still your own person, okay?” I pressed my lips to her forehead and I felt her relax.

“I will find another way to get some extra cash coming in. I think I can manage.”

She nodded slowly and her hands came up to rest on either side of mine. She closed her eyes and nuzzled against my right hand as I ran my thumb over her cheekbone. With a soft sigh, she spoke, “Am I ever going to get my phone back then?”

I chuckled as I let my hands fall from her face, and pulled the phone out of my pocket. “Here, brat.”

She winced at the word, and I put a thumb under her chin, bringing her eyes to mine. “I think if I’m going to be spoiling you with new phones and furnished apartments, I have at the very least earned the right to call you that much.”

Isadora blushed and tried to conceal her smile, and I closed the space between us, covering her mouth with mine as my hands worked into her hair. I could play with her long dark hair for hours. I continued to pull at it, and she emitted a small whimper. As we prolonged the kiss, she took me by surprise when she swung her leg up and over my lap, straddling me in the driver’s seat.

I pulled away from the kiss just enough to whisper, “Hold on,” as I reached down to pull the seat’s side lever and give us more space away from the steering wheel. She giggled as she fell forward onto my chest. Then she sat back up, situating herself right over top of the growing hardness in my pants, giving a small grind of her hips while she pulled me back into our kiss.

“Oh f**k,” I said after a minute, pulling away from her. I brushed her hair behind her ear and groaned, “Baby, we’ve got to stop.”

She traced her fingers along the back of my neck and tilted her head sideways at me with a small pout. “Baby?”

I reached around my neck to grab her hands, positioning them in front of my chest, securing a firm grip on her wrists, and whispered against her ear, “Did you prefer babygirl, then?”

She shuddered against me and I chuckled, releasing her from my grip. Isadora rolled her eyes at me and grabbed the door handle to my left, stepping out the driver side over my lap.

I followed her to her door and she stepped aside. “So, um, are you ever gonna give me my own set of keys?” She asked, as I turned over the deadbolt and pushed the door open.

I blinked with realization as she walked past me to the kitchen. “Oh. s**t, yeah, I guess I need to make you a copy, sorry.”

Isadora stopped at the fridge and opened the door. “Any chance you’d be able to take me grocery shopping, too?”

I chuckled. “Yeah, I guess I could do that. How about after training tomorrow morning?”

She shut the refrigerator door and turned around. “Training already?”

“It’s best we get back to our usual routines, isn’t it?”

“You mean your usual routine,” she said with a sigh. “You forget that everything’s changed for me now.”

“Hm.” I nodded, leaning over the island countertop on my elbows. “Well, with any luck we’ll get around this issue with Julius and you’ll find a new normal you’re happy with.”

“Is it just me,” she said, “Or did it seem to you as if Julius conveniently left out the part where he suspects my blood could make Alpha wolves? If your father knows about that he didn’t say as much.”

“I noticed the same.” I admitted. “Perhaps it’s for the best that we don't let him know that we know. Especially if it means keeping that detail a secret from my father.”

Isadora nodded. “As much as I don’t care for the idea of Julius out there creating a legion of Alpha wolves… I agree. Right now, I’m happy with this deal.”

I scoffed. “And how on earth is that? You heard what my father said… about the parting gift you’ll be expected to give Julius. He’s going to take your blood, Isadora.”

“And you heard Alvis,” she remarked. “They were taking my blood all week while I slept and I was fine.”

“I don’t think this is going to be just a small vila, Isadora.” I cringed as she walked around the island over to me.

She came to my side and put her hand on my back, resting her forehead against my arm. “It’s sweet, the way you think you have to look after me,” she said.

I turned to face her and pulled her tightly into my arms, resting my head atop of hers. “Lately looking after you is all I think about.”

“I’m sorry,” she said quietly against my chest.

“Hey,” I drew her face towards me in my hands. “I didn’t mean it in a bad way.”

She forced a smile at me, nodding.

“Mm,” I placed a kiss on her forehead. “I’d be happy to look after you as long as you want, Isadora. Okay?”

Again, she smiled. “Okay.”

“Now,” I said, releasing her from my grasp. “Let’s go browse my fridge. You won’t find anything gourmet, and everything is microwavable until I get an oven in there… but there’s at least cheap beer free for your enjoyment.”

Isa laughed. “Ooh, tell me more.”

***

I awoke in the morning to my 6:45 alarm ringing on the coffee table next to my couch. When I sat up I chuckled. Isa was at the other end of the couch, curled up under a blanket, practically drooling on one of my throw pillows. A now empty case of beer sat on the floor beside the sofa, and the BlueRay menu reel for the third Conjuring film was looping on the tv above my fireplace. I turned it off, smiling as I relived the last night in my mind, taking notice of the pair of jeans curled up into a ball on my rug. I folded her jeans up for her and set them on the coffee table, realizing her underwear weren’t with them.

I looked around the room, wondering if I’d tossed them further than I’d recalled. When I didn’t see them, I gently pulled the blanket back from her legs and chuckled. I saw that she was in her t-shirt and underwear, and I knew she must have put them back on despite my best efforts.

As I looked down at her, Isa began to stir awake. Her eyes slowly fluttered open and I watched as she arched her back with a small moan. “Good morning,” I said, unable to stop grinning at her.

Her eyes went wide a moment when she noticed I was standing over her, and she yanked the blanket out of my hands to cover her lower body again.

I chuckled at her as I walked off to the kitchen, “You’ve really got to get past whatever insecurity you’ve got happening there, Isadora.” I opened the cupboard above my sink and took out a k-cup, glancing back at her on the couch. “I assure you, you have nothing to be embarrassed about.”

She peered at me from over the back of the couch. “That’s easy for you to say… You’re not the one who keeps ending up pantless.”

“Oh, I’ll happily take off my pants for you anytime you want, darling.”

She frowned doubtfully at me as she buttoned up her jeans, and opened her mouth to speak—

“After tomorrow.” I corrected myself.

“Mmmhmm.” She said, with a coy smile. “In the meantime you just get off from torturing me then?”

It was the way she said get off that stirred something in me, and I slammed the coffee maker’s top down on the k-cup just a bit too hard. I saw her jump a little out of the corner of my eye. After I pushed the button to begin brewing, I made my way back over to her in a few short strides and scooped her up into my arms across my chest.

“You think I’m torturing you?” I raised a challenging brow at her. “Because I can happily torture you,” I said, carrying her over to the basement stairway. “What was it you called my bedroom again…? That’s right, my Fifty Shades of Freak basement.”

“No!” She squealed with a giggle. “Nikolai, we have to get to training.”

“Oh, we’re gonna train today.” I said, carrying her down the stairs, through the short hallway and into my room. I tossed her on the bed and she landed with a laugh.

“You think this is funny?” I asked with a grin, opening my closet door. I took a belt that hung from the inside of it and looked back at her.

Her eyes went wide and she let out another nervous laugh. ‘Okay, okay.” I snapped the belt in my hands and her laughter stopped abruptly, she sat up on the bed, tilting her head at me. “Niko… we have to get going.”

I licked my lips as I slowly walked back over to the bed, holding each end of the folded-over belt in my hands. “Do we, though? Who’s the person who sets the training schedule? I feel like I should probably give them a call and let them know we're gonna be late.”

She bit her lip and shook her head at me, rising up from her knees to meet me at the end of the bed. “You’ve made your point, Nikolai.”

“Mm,” I shook my head, setting the belt down on the bed beside her. “I don’t think I have.”

As I stood flush against the bed, Isadora put her hands on the side of my face, running her fingers through my beard. I groaned at the sensation. I put my hands on the small of Isa’s back and pulled her tightly to me, kissing her with every bit of need that ran through me. She smelled delicious this morning, and it was driving me crazy. I knew I had to put an end to this now.

I broke the kiss, narrowing my eyes on her. “Don’t think I won’t be using that belt on you eventually,” I warned.

Her eyes lit up gold upon my words, and I grinned back at her. “I saw that.”

Isadora gasped at her body’s reaction. “Yeah… I felt that.”

I laughed at her embarrassment as she sunk back down onto the bed with a sigh.

“Alright,” I said, “Let’s get a move on then.”

She hopped off the bed past me and ran up the basement steps ahead while I called after her. “That cup of coffee is for me!"

"Not if I get to it first..." Isa yelled back.