Moonlit Protector (Moonlit Novella #3) Read online

  MOONLIT PROTECTOR

  CRYSTAL-RAIN LOVE

  Moonlit Protector

  By Crystal-Rain Love

  Copyright 2013 Crystal-Rain Love

  Smashwords Edition

  This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

  ONE

  “I’d ask what could happen next but I’m scared of the answer,” Kyra muttered to herself, her cold, frigid hands gripping the umbrella tighter as it threatened to snap and blow away. “And now I’m talking to myself. Great. Soaking wet and crazy.”

  Rain beat down hard against the umbrella barely shielding her as she trudged down the seemingly endless road in the middle of nowhere. The car she’d borrowed from her friend sat a couple miles back, completely out of gas although the gauge had read half full up until about two minutes before it emptied.

  “Jennifer Santiago, you are dead meat next time I see you,” she growled, teeth chattering, and instantly felt remorse. If not for Jen, she’d probably be dead now. Dead or wishing for death. That piece of crap Dodge Omni and a loan straight out of Jen’s savings account were the only reasons she was walking right now.

  Sure, she was sloshing through water up to her ankles and about to lose feeling in her toes, but she was walking. Thank God for every blessing.

  “Lord, you gave me a friend in my darkest hour, you think you could give me shelter from this storm?”

  Another gust of wind slapped her in the face and pushed against the underside of the umbrella, trying its hardest to rip it away. Kyra held on tight with both hands, cursing as she struggled to keep the metal and nylon contraption from escaping.

  The wind dissipated and she checked her hood, making sure it was secure. It was bad enough her feet were soaked, the last thing she needed was an out of control afro, which her hair would turn into if the elements had their way with it.

  A horn blared behind her, and she jumped in response, her heart nearly stalling out. She hadn’t had time to recover before a large truck sped by, splashing her with a wave of filthy water, leaving her completely drenched from head to toe.

  “Jerk!” she yelled at the truck as it left her behind to drip.

  Tears slipped from her eyes as the weight of the day settled upon her. She’d run away for this? To end up dead from hypothermia on the side of some road in God-knew-where, covered in muck. “I should have stayed with Rock. At least I would have had a dry room to clean up in after he put me through a few rounds.”

  Kyra’s head snapped up. A growl slipped from deep in her throat. “Hell no, I did not just say that. That man did not break me that bad that I’m gonna stand here and cry over a little rain.” Ok, so it was a lot of rain. Didn’t matter. She was free, and whether her freedom was cold or warm, comfortable or downright miserable, she had it and that was all that mattered. The pity party ended as quickly as it had begun.

  Invigorated by sheer determination, she marched forward, ignoring the cold settled into her bones, the pain in her thighs and the aching throb between her eyes. When water evaded the umbrella to spray in her eyes, she blinked it out. When it landed in her mouth, she spit it out. When she could no longer see, she kept moving forward because even without knowing where she was going, she knew it was a hell of a lot better than where she’d come from.

  Tyler surveyed the room from the table he sat at in the back corner. From this vantage point he could see everyone who came and left. Not that any were much worth looking at. The men, he disregarded. It was the women he’d come for. The full moon approached and his libido grew hungry in response.

  Like most Weres, he wasn’t very particular about his partners the closer it got to the full moon. If she was warm, willing and woman … she was good enough. The last few full moons had left him feeling empty afterward and now… something was wrong. He didn’t want just anyone. Sure, his body roiled with the familiar need to be sated, but his mind or dare he say, his heart, wasn’t in it.

  A dozen women had sent him signals this night. Some he’d had before and knew they were good for a night of no-strings attached sex. Wham, bam, lock the door when you leave, ma’am. That was the kind of guy he was and it’d been working out just fine for him all these years. Until now. Now it just seemed so boring. Pick a woman. Bang a woman. Go about the day. What was the point?

  “Well, don’t you just look lonesome?” Voice dripping with honey, eyes burning with lust, Barbara settled into the seat next to him, not waiting for an invitation.

  That was Barbara. Direct and to the point. She liked sex, but not with her husband. Tyler liked sex, but didn’t need a girlfriend. They suited each other just fine, but tonight, taking in her expressive blue eyes, full pouty lips, long golden hair, and ample cleavage practically spilling out of her red halter top did absolutely nothing for him.

  “Aren’t you going to greet me?”

  “Hi, Barb.”

  She frowned. He barely registered it out of the corner of his eye as he continued scanning the room.

  “Well, I usually get a more enthusiastic greeting than that.” She leaned in closer, laying her hand on his forearm. “Something with a bit more tongue.”

  The front door opened and a short, dark figure stepped through, dripping wet. The hair on the back of Tyler’s neck stood as he studied the person shivering in the entryway. Even with the bulky, dark hoodie pulled up and cinched at the chin, he could tell the body beneath it was female. From across the room he could feel that she was tired, sore and ready to drop.

  “Tyler?”

  He ignored the woman at his side as the stranger discarded her raggedy umbrella in the bin by the door and lifted trembling hands to loosen her hood, letting it fall back to reveal a beautiful face with mocha skin, dark eyes and a mouth made for kissing.

  Breath stilled in Tyler’s lungs, his mouth watered, and the traitorous dick that had been flaccid mere seconds ago strained against his zipper. This was why he’d been so unenthused with his conquests lately. This was what he’d been craving.

  “Ewww. Look at what the cat dragged in, swallowed back up, and vomited.” Barbara snickered, snuggling against him. “Wonder where she came from. Not everyday we see someone like her around here.”

  By someone like her, she meant someone of color. Stix sat right on the edge of the state line where Kentucky met Tennessee. The population of fewer than one thousand, comprised of mostly non-Hispanic Caucasians, wasn’t the friendliest place for a visiting black woman. Which explained why not many visited. Judging by the woman’s state, she wasn’t visiting and hadn’t stepped through that front door by choice. She’d done it to survive the hellacious storm roaring outside.

  She ran a hand over her frizzy dark brown hair, attempting to smooth it as her eyes moved from left to right, taking in her surroundings, before approaching the bar and speaking to the bartender.

  John, the surly owner of the bar, grabbed a phone and punched in a number before handing it to her. He quickly moved away, back to business, but not before saying something to the two hefty men sitting at the other end of the bar. Tyler didn’t have to read lips to know the men had been warned to leave the lady alone. John didn’t like trouble in his establishment and those two rednecks were known for it.

  “So… Kevin’s working third shift tonight. We can go to my place if you’d like,” Barbara cooed in his ear. “He won’t be back until seven at the earliest.”

  Tyler jerked his head away, Barbara’s breath along his ear annoying. He watched the wo
man as she returned the phone, shared a short exchange with John and glanced around the room. Her eyes met his and he smiled. Her gaze immediately dropped as she turned away and crossed the room, settling in at a table close to the electric fireplace. She burrowed into the hoodie, despite the uselessness of trying to gain warmth from the sopping wet garment.

  No sooner had she sat down, the biggest redneck from the bar ambled over to her table and took the seat next to her. Tyler’s hand curled into a fist as he watched the man lean in, wink, and say something crude.

  “That’s just nasty. I should have figured Ol’ Chris would rush right over to her. That man would screw a hog if it batted its lashes at him.”

  “What’s wrong with her?”

  “Uh, helllooo. She’s black,” Barbara explained. “If God wanted white folks to mix with them, it wouldn’t have been Adam and Eve. It’d been Adam and Laquisha.”

  Tyler took his eyes off the stranger who was doing everything she could to get away from Chris Richie without actually leaving her chair, to give Barbara the last bit of his full attention she would ever get. “For someone who knows the bible so well, you’d think you’d be sleeping with your husband instead of spreading yourself thin with every other man in this town.”

  Barbara’s jaw dropped as his remark sank in, and Tyler decided it wasn’t worth it to wait for a response. He stood and moved across the room, taking a seat across from the pretty woman who’d made the mistake of getting stuck in the wrong town.

  She looked at him and fear shone in her eyes. He could read in her expression that she felt trapped between the two men. It fed his anger.

  “Hey.” Chris tried to sound threatening and failed. “I was talking to the lady.”

  “That’s right, you were.” He didn’t bother to look at the man, keeping his focus on the woman in need of rescue. “And now you’re done.”

  “Look here, jackass. I—”

  Tyler turned his head to meet the other man’s glare full on and allowed his anger to seep into his eyes, but only for a second. If he allowed too much, his eyes would glow red. “Walk away while it’s still an option.”

  TWO

  The larger man, who smelled of beer and sweat, scrambled out of his seat and went back to the bar. He didn’t bother saying goodbye to her, not that Kyra minded. He gave her the creeps.

  The other man, also large, but large in the sense that he was six-feet tall and broad-shouldered, still sat before her. Smiling. A warm, inviting slash of a smile that promised safety, but she knew better than to just trust anyone. She’d realized her mistake once she walked into the dimly lit bar. Hers was the only non-white face in the room, and the looks she’d received from the others ranged from lascivious to homicidal. Right now, the blonde this man had left behind stared at her with a venomous glare strong enough to peel the skin from her bones.

  “Your girlfriend looks upset. Maybe you should get back to her.”

  “Barbara is a lot of men’s girlfriend, but not mine. She’s even someone’s wife.” He grinned. “I’d rather have classier company at the moment.”

  She glanced at the fuming blonde for a moment and quickly redirected her gaze to the man before her. Tall, green-eyed, sandy blond hair. Thin lips and a sculpted jaw… Masculine and beautiful at the same time. He wore a brown flannel shirt, jeans, and Timberlands. His attire wasn’t that different from the rest of the men in the bar but he was different. Something about him didn’t match these people. “You’re not from here.”

  “No.” He shook his head. “I came here a few months back to get away from the city. Things are slower here. Less traffic and noise.”

  “That’s nice.” She glanced back at the blonde he’d left behind, not surprised to find her still glaring a hole through her. “Look, I don’t want any trouble.”

  “That’s why I’m sitting here.” He shook his head. “This is not the best place for you to be stranded.”

  Kyra sat up straighter, alarmed. “I’m not stranded.”

  “Sweetheart, you are soaked right through so you didn’t come here by car. The minute you asked to use the phone, you announced to everyone in here that you either don’t have a cell phone or yours doesn’t work. Not a good move. I guarantee you that when you walk out of here tonight, you’re going to be followed.”

  Kyra reached for the ring on her right hand that she always twisted when nervous, but it was no longer there. She’d pawned it before leaving Louisville. “There will be a car waiting on me when I leave here tonight,” she bluffed.

  The man grinned again, amused by her reply. “John dialed a number before he handed you the phone. One can easily deduce that you were not calling someone you know to pick you up. No, John would have dialed the only person in this town on call to help a lady whose car broke down. That would be George Henry, the owner of the only gas station-slash-repair shop in this town. Ol’ Man Henry is seventy years old and has already gone to bed. You could be delivering a baby as we speak and that crotchety old cuss would still tell you he’d be out to help first thing in the morning and not a minute before.”

  Kyra groaned. “Fine, so I’m stuck here until morning.”

  “Yea, but this place closes down long before Ol’ Man Henry wakes up. You don’t want to be standing alone outside when these drunken rednecks leave out of here. They’re already curious about you, and not in a good way. Let them get more alcohol in them and they’re going to be even more trouble for you.”

  “So I guess I’m supposed to trust you to protect me?” She snorted. She’d learned her lesson in trusting men. She’d trusted Rock right up until he started using her body as a punching bag.

  “My name is Tyler,” the man finally introduced himself as he reached into his back pocket and pulled out a wallet. He extracted his driver’s license and set it in front of her before returning the wallet to his pocket. “You now have my full name, date of birth, address and picture. Keep it if it makes you feel safer. If I do anything to you, you know exactly who to tell the cops about.”

  “Unless you murder me and take the license back,” she muttered, studying the card. His name was Tyler Lowe, thirty-four years old just like her.

  He laughed. “Tell you what. I will let you use my cell phone to take a picture of it and send to anyone you like. Even a psychopath wouldn’t be stupid enough to harm you then.”

  Kyra smiled despite her reservations, the action hard to fight against while looking into Tyler’s green eyes. They were honest eyes. She felt it in her gut his words were sincere. She’d trusted Rock, but in the back of her mind, she’d always felt something a little off. He’d just been a master manipulator, but the man before her spoke the truth. Or so she hoped. She didn’t really have any option but to get help from someone. He was the only one in the bar not looking at her with contempt or a twisted kind of lust. Even the bartender who’d allowed her to use the phone and sit near the fireplace gave the impression he wanted her out of there. Granted, she’d dripped water all over his floor.

  “All right. My car isn’t broke down. I ran out of gas.” She paused when his head cocked to the side and she could imagine the thought running through his mind. “I’m not some idiot who doesn’t have the sense to fill up the gas tank. The gauge was on half full until about two minutes before it ran out. I barely had enough time to get off the expressway before it died on me.”

  He frowned.

  “I borrowed the car from a friend. She didn’t tell me the gauge was broken.”

  He nodded, as if now understanding how someone could have made such a stupid mistake.

  “I just need gas. If you can take me to the gas station, and then back to my car, I’ll be out of your hair.” Your soft, beautiful sandy blond hair, she thought, biting her lip. Now where had that thought come from? The last thing she needed was a man in her life. At least not until she got enough miles between her and the last one.

  Tyler’s face fell a little, he almost looked disappointed. He shook his head and the look was gone.
“Right.” He nodded. “I can take you now or…”

  “Or what?”

  “Don’t take this the wrong way, but you kind of look like a drowned rat. Wouldn’t you like a warm bath and a hot meal before you set out again?”

  Kyra smoothed her hair with her hands, knowing it was probably useless, but doing it anyway. She glanced down at the soaking wet hoodie and the jeans she’d probably have to peel away from her legs and could only imagine how horrible she looked. She didn’t even want to know what that truck had caused to slosh on her. Judging by the brown streaks coloring her jeans, it wasn’t all water. “I just need to go.”

  “I live near here. You can clean up and I’ll fix you something to eat. It’s no big deal. Honestly, I’d feel like an ass letting you leave like this.”

  She smiled. Being taken care of sure would feel good right about now, but she’d allowed Rock to take care of her and that had turned into a nightmare. It was time she took care of herself. It was safer that way. “Thank you, but I really just need gas. I need to get going.”

  He frowned, studying her for a moment with what looked like a hint of sadness in his eyes before nodding. “Let’s go. Unless you want to sit by the fire a little longer.”

  She shook her head, sliding the driver’s license back over to him. He arched an eyebrow. “I trust you not to mutilate me,” she explained, earning a smile.

  “I’m honored.” He helped her out of the seat, where she left a wet spot, and they walked together toward the door. Her feet made squishing sounds with each step she took, but he said nothing as they left the bar.

  Stepping into the cool night air, she was relieved to find the rain had let up. “I apologize in advance for whatever mess I make,” she said as Tyler guided her toward a red truck, hitting a button on his key fob to unlock the doors.

  A dark car with tinted windows screeched to a stop in the parking lot and two large men jumped out. “There she is!”