Crying for the Moon by Sarah Madison Read Free Book Online

his seat and leaned forward as he opened his mouth to join them. For a startled moment, Alex thought he was going to supply the part of Enjolras, even as a corner of his brain questioned how Nick would know the song. Everyone paused as the song reached the point of Enjolras’s entrance. To Alex’s surprise, Nick sang mournfully, “Mama, just killed a man. Put a gun against his head, pulled my trigger now he’s dead….”
    Tate fell out of the singing with a guffaw of laughter, dragging Tish and Alex with him. Peter, on the other hand, switched gears rapidly, joining Nick in his rendition of Queen’s “Bohemian Rhapsody.” Within seconds, everyone was singing along, taking turns filling in all the parts. It didn’t take long for the song to disintegrate into a lighthearted argument over lyrics.
    Tate looked smugly pleased as Peter and Nick bickered about whether the singer was saying “bismillah” or “makes me laugh” during the “will not let him go” portion of the song. He was sitting closest to the fire; the flames cast a dancing light over his pale skin, drawing Alex’s glance repeatedly in his direction.
    Nick backed down when Peter suggested they Google the lyrics. “What the hell does ‘bismillah’ mean anyway?”
    “In the name of God.” Tish spoke with serene confidence. Alex noted that no one questioned her word on that.
    “Your voice is incredible,” Tate said to Alex, obviously referring back to the Les Mis song. “You sound better than the original soundtrack. Of course, that was recorded sometime in the late eighties, so we know that couldn’t be you.”
    Shit. Way to go, Alex. If he wasn’t careful, he’d give the whole game away.
    “You make a pretty good Cosette, yourself,” Peter said easily, unaware of the undercurrents in the room.
    Tate gave Peter a mocking little half-bow from the waist up. “Well, I don’t think anyone’s going to throw boots at me, but I’m not in the same class as you two.” Tate turned to Nick. “You guys should take this show on the road. You’re frighteningly good. Obviously a misspent youth.” He didn’t wait for Nick’s response but turned to Duncan instead. “So, Duncan. What do you like to do for fun?”
    Alex expected Duncan to give one of his usual, pithy, one-syllable word answers. He did, but his answer was unexpected. “Chess.”
    “He’s damned good too,” Peter said grudgingly.
    Duncan smiled, not quite baring his teeth. “I’ve been playing for a long time.”
    Tish, it turned out, was a violinist. Alex felt a little embarrassed as he watched Tish and Tate hold an animated discussion about music and instruments. Tate had found out more about Nick’s pack in one night than Alex had ever bothered to learn in the years that he’d known them. As Alex watched the interactions around him, he wondered what Tate was like with his patients and whether he was just as good at making them relax so that he could tease information out of them—and presumably their owners as well. It was easy to picture Tate calmly examining a cat, smoothing back the fur on its face as he tilted its head upward. Alex blinked sharply, wondering where all these images were coming from.
    “What about you, Nick?” Tate turned an easy smile on Nick, where he was slouching in his chair once more. The flickering light from the hearth threw the planes of his face into sharp relief and when Alex turned to look at him, for an instant, he could see the sharp muzzle of the wolf overlying his features.
    “I used to be a pilot,” Nick said shortly. The lightness in his mood snuffed out as some darker memory crossed his path.
    “Really?” Alex was startled into asking. Somehow, he’d never expected that.
    Everyone else in the room got quiet. Nick shrugged. “Had to give it up. Can’t afford it anymore.”
    The conversation petered out after that. Nick rose smoothly to his feet, checking his watch. “It’s getting late, guys. We should push off.”
    “I