September Moon by Trina M Lee Read Free Book Online Page B

control.
    “I’m fine, Lex. The Vegas club was intense, and I handled it. Don’t make it something it’s not. Please?”
    The sincerity in his gaze silenced my protests. Giving him a hard time would be hypocritical. So I kept my mouth shut. It wasn’t easy.
    “Sure,” I managed. “No problem. I’m going to go get ready. I should probably call Kylarai back. She’s left like five voicemails about needing me to find a dress.”
    My best friend, Kylarai Kramer, was getting married in less than a week. It was a rush wedding, thrown together very quickly. Kylarai had her heart set on a September wedding so she was furiously planning her ass off while I did my best to keep up.
    Shaz snickered. “I can’t wait to see you in that dress. I hope it’s some insanely ridiculous getup with ruffles and sequins.”
    “Hey,” I protested. “What did I do to deserve that? Ouch.”
    We shared a laugh, and it felt so good. It had been so long it seemed.
    “Ky is going to make a beautiful bride,” Shaz said. “A werewolf wedding. This should be interesting.”
    “I’m a little nervous,” I admitted. “I hope nothing goes wrong. Nothing involving me at least.”
    “Nah, it’ll be a blast. We’ll party. We’ll run. It will be a good time. And you could sure use one.”
    He was right about that. I disappeared upstairs to get dressed, needing to escape the sudden awkwardness that had settled over the topic of discussion. I was excited to see one of my dearest friends get married, yet it created this tension between Shaz and I, this strained awareness that wedded bliss would never be our future.
    A call to Kylarai perked me right up. As I did my favorite smoky eyeliner and grey eye shadow, she gushed all about the flowers she had selected, the rings they’d picked out, and her inability to decide how to do her hair.
    “Coby must be loving this,” I laughed. “I can’t remember the last time I heard you so chipper. It’s nice.”
    “It really is. I have never felt this connected to anyone. It’s like we were made for each other. It’s so funny how things work out.” Joy practically poured out of the phone as she spoke.
    It certainly was interesting how one event led to another. If I hadn’t attacked Coby on the street in a fit of vampire hunger, he wouldn’t be there with her now. I guess good can come of bad after all. It’s all a matter of patience, watching to see how the pieces fall together.
    While I slipped into jeans and a Motley Crüe t-shirt, Kylarai rambled on about the dress fittings.
    “I need you and Jez to try on dresses. We need time if any alterations are to be made.”
    “We’ll be there, Ky. I promise. In fact, I have to call Jez right away. I’ll remind her.”
    When I did call Jez a few minutes later, there was no answer. She would never bother to check her voicemail, so instead I sent her a text telling her to meet me at The Wicked Kiss or to call me back.
    I ran a brush quickly through my long hair, pausing to examine the piece Shya had cut. I frowned in the mirror at the short stubby chunk before tucking it under out of sight. Bastard.
    After gathering my knee-length leather jacket and the Dragon Claw, I descended the stairs to meet Shaz who had made use of the main floor washroom. He was ready and waiting for me. Freshly shaved and casual in jeans and a t-shirt, his platinum hair was slightly disheveled but stylish.
    I paused on the bottom stair and openly gawked. “I never tire of looking at you. Even when we were new wolves back at Raoul’s, I would sneak glances at you, hoping you wouldn’t notice.”
    A blush colored his cheeks. “I noticed. When I wasn’t too caught up doing the same.”
    He swept me off the stairs and into a warm embrace. With a hand beneath my chin, he brought his lips to mine. It was both tender and firm, reminding me of simpler things in a simpler time.
    I was overjoyed that our shared affection had survived the years and the hardship thrown at us.