Blood Moon by Ellen Keener

The time for being afraid of her father was over. Her father may have died, but the Council still intended to exact payment for disobeying their wishes. It was just a matter of when and how now.
    “What were you doing in town anyway? Not the most inconspicuous place.”
    Aria frowned. “Well, I wanted a real bed. Sleeping outside loses it appeal after the first three months. I also needed to stock up on supplies. I honestly didn’t realize where I was. I knew I was in West Virginia, but I didn’t keep very good track of what town.”
    “So, happening upon this friend, what was his name?” Lukas sounded like he was gritting his teeth hard enough to wear away the enamel. His hands gripped the arms of his chair a little tighter.
    She couldn’t help, but laugh. “Lame. You can do better than that.”
    He shrugged with a slight blush. “I can’t help it. Jealousy isn’t a comfortable feeling.”
    “Don’t be jealous. Cern is about three or four hundred centuries too old for me.”
    “What did you say his name was?” The smile faded from his face.
    Obviously, the name wasn’t as unfamiliar as she’d hoped it would be. “Cern. That’s what he’s calling himself right now, anyway.”
    “The one whose been hanging out with the Council and Haemon?”
    Now came the tricky part. “Yes.”
    He exploded from the chair. “What on earth is wrong with you? Are you trying to make it easy for him?”
    “You are sexy when you’re angry.” Her words teased, but she also meant them. Watching him stand there, breathing heavily, the muscles of his arms bunching and relaxing as he clenched his fists, gaze sparking with disbelief and anger—she shook her head. What was she thinking? Alone with him for all of two minutes and she was already focusing on his body?
    “You are going to drive me completely out of my mind.” His gaze caught hers, and she saw the edge of something that looked suspiciously like desire. She wasn’t the only one getting distracted. Good. If he focused on her, maybe he’d give up on probing too deeply about Cern.
    “I can’t explain why Cern is staying with Haemon. I only know he isn’t quite what he appears. I doubt anyone really knows him that well.” The last was muttered more to herself than Lukas.
    “Is that supposed to make me feel better?”
    She sighed. “No. All I know is that my mother trusted him. That’s a pretty good recommendation in my book.”
    “Baby, your mother ran off and committed suicide.” The words cut a little, but he tried to soften them with a smile.
    “She ran off with the man who was her real True Mate. My father had them both killed and set up to look like suicide. I heard him give the order.” She bit her lip. Her mother wasn’t a coward like everyone assumed. Maybe a little misguided in thinking she could get away from her father, but Aria would never believe her mother voluntarily killed herself. Her only fault was for marrying her father.
    Lukas stiffened in stunned shock. Finally, he released a breath. “I don’t know why that surprises me so much.”
    “Because my father did an excellent job of making the story stick.”
    Before he could ask anything else, she interrupted him with her own questions. She needed answers, too. “You’ve told me everything and nothing about the Pack. The last I heard, your father had died and you were returning here to deliver the news. What happened after?”
    “I’m pretty certain he was murdered, though I can’t prove it. When I came back, the few of us here decided that the only option left was to become a Pack. At least that way, the Council would have to deal with us as equals, rather than poor country cousins.” He shook his head with a short chuckle. “Of course, nothing has really changed much.”
    “Why is Haemon so intent on destroying you? Why would he send his Pack to hurt yours?”
    Scrubbing a hand over his brow, he leaned back in the chair. “Besides the fact that we have a mutual interest in