Accepting the Moon: Prequel (Moonrising Book 1) by K. S. Haigwood Read Free Book Online

us to be friends and work together to end a war that has lasted over a thousand years? That is what you‘re saying, right?”
    I shrugged. “Why not?”
    His eyebrows raised a fraction and were hidden behind the loose curls hanging almost to his eyes. “I think it‘s a death sentence for both of us.”
    “So, you would rather be my enemy?”
    He let his eyes slowly sweep down and then back up my body again. After a moment, he shook his head. “No—no, I don‘t want to be your enemy.”
    My heart swelled. Maybe this could work, that was if I could survive being slaughtered by my own pack tonight. I wasn‘t looking forward to meeting them, but the inevitable was going to happen when the moon rose high in the sky. I couldn‘t stay here with Phoenix; I had no idea what I would be capable of after I turned into a werewolf. He had been right: our kind were made to be enemies and hate each other, fight to the death. My goal was to change that.
    “I was hoping you‘d say that.” I looked to the table and the weapons he had put there for me to use to protect myself against my own people. “Load me up. I have respect to earn tonight.”

Chapter 12

Phoenix
    Mena looked like a true, badass warrior after Phoenix put the last sheath in place on her right thigh.
    Stepping back a bit, his fingers came up to play along his chin in thought. There was something missing, he mused, and then took his cell from his pocket and texted Lea a message.
    “Well?”
    “Something‘s missing,” he said. “Lea is on her way.”
    Mena snickered. “I don‘t think anything else is going to fit on my body.”
    Phoenix‘s mouth turned up at one corner as he thought about how fun it would be to take everything back off and not stop at the clothes once he got to them.
    Mena looked to the door when Lea entered with a brush and ponytail holders, but Phoenix kept his eyes on her as his assistant went to work.
    He nodded once, silently dismissing Lea after she finished. She left quietly.
    “How do I look?”
    Sin. A good nightmare. Sexy as hell. The death of me. My ruin. He cleared his throat and walked to the cabinet to put the things he hadn‘t used away. “You look fine,” he mumbled.
    “I look like Lara Croft.”
    “Who is Lara—” Phoenix started, but turned around to find her right in front of him, and all of a sudden his vocals forgot how to work.
    “Am I ready?”
    “No. Not even close.” He walked around her and out of the room. She followed. He could feel her and sense the questions coming. “Lea, is the car ready?”
    “It is,” Lea said, and fell into step beside him.
    “The car?” Mena said.
    Lea handed Phoenix a strip of black fabric without answering Mena.
    “And you know where to take her?”
    “Yes, Master.”
    “Take me where?”
    “Good. Give her an untraceable cell and put my number in her contacts in case she needs backup.”
    Lea nodded and handed the phone in her hand to Mena.
    “But where am I going?” Mena said as they arrived at a staircase, leading up to a single door.
    Phoenix reached back and took Mena‘s hand without giving her eye contact. “What‘s the time?”
    “6:10,” Lea replied. “The sun set twenty-three minutes ago.”
    Phoenix nodded and tried to ignore the tingling sensation he was getting from touching Mena‘s bare skin. “Good,” he said, and unlocked and then opened the door at the top of the stairs. He made brief eye contact with Lea after she issued from the basement after Mena.
    “I‘ll wait in the car,” Lea said, and then left them to be alone.
    “Phoenix—”
    “Shh…” he said, and turned to face her. Why had he thought the urge to kiss her would have simply just vanished in the minute and a half it took to get away from her in the weapon room? If anything, it had only grown stronger. Was he crazy to let her walk out of there without protection from his clan? The pack would kill her. He knew they would. If for some reason he was wrong about that, there was