Moon Kissed by Aline Hunter

she muttered and took a seat on his couch.
    “No, you have a problem, singular.” Trevor growled and paced the small area. “After our little run-in at the city of the dead, I told you I was done. No more, Arden. No more going into situations half-cocked. Unlike you, I value my life.”
    “I’m afraid you don’t have much choice.” She cleared her throat before continuing, “The lycae who’s on my ass will sniff me out once he passes the Quarter.”
    “Damn it!” Trevor stomped around the room, and his Scottish temperament decided it was time to shine. “It’s no’ enough that ye have vampires, vampyren and demon kind wanting to rip out your throat. Oh no. You had to go and tangle with a fucking werewolf? Are you bloody insane?”
    “He got between me and Taylor. I didn’t have a hell of a lot of choice.”
    “A lycae will tear you apart. You can’t atone for the life of your friend if you’re dead. Did you ever think of that?”
    “At the time, no.” She shook her head and her shoulders slumped. “I wasn’t thinking about anything but finding Lucius.”
    Silence followed, broken only by the ticking of a clock on the wall. She didn’t blame Trevor for being upset. Lycae were something they avoided. With the exception of Greyson, the agreement to stay away from them had never been an issue.
    “You know why I couldn’t leave. I had to do everything I could.” Even though she couldn’t see, she tried to look him in the eye. “I owe Portia that. I gave her my word.”
    Trevor understood her compulsion to risk everything for vengeance, having been there himself. It was how they’d met and formed a bizarre friendship. They reminded each other they were not alone. The death of a loved one left a permanent scar, but the pain of the blow could be eased with the aid of the right person.
    Fucked up relationships. Gotta love them.
    “We can’t stay here,” Trevor announced, wearing a hole in the carpet as he walked back and forth across the room. “We’ll pack some things and drive over to my parents’ place in Violet. No one knows about it. If I mask our scent, nothing will be able to detect us.” He stopped pacing and asked, “How much time do we have?”
    “Minutes, maybe?” She was fast, but she had been forced to make her way to Trevor’s home blind. Wolfe would find them. It was only a matter of time.
    “Damn, damn, damn!” he bellowed, anger coming off him in waves. “You owe me.”
    She lowered her forehead to her palm, listening as he stormed from the room. Things had taken a turn from bad to worse. Her valued friendship with Trevor McAvoy was something she couldn’t afford to lose. His magic let her space apart her feedings and staved off the bloodlust. Without him, she would have to drink at least once a week. Since their relationship wasn’t formed in the most common sense, it meant she had to proceed with extreme caution.
    The past returned, restoring awful memories.
    She’d met her business associate when he’d needed help exorcising a demon that destroyed his parents and murdered his dearly departed girlfriend. Making money on the side was rather boring until they’d taken a job that’d pitted them against a lich—the purest and most disgusting kind of vampire. Both of them had walked away battered and alive, but just barely. Trevor had jumped ship shortly after, severing their professional ties. Not that she blamed him. Her line of work could kill a person. She didn’t fear the loss of her life, but she understood why he didn’t feel the same way.
    Different strokes for different folks.
    He returned and shoved something into her hand. “Take them. They’re not what you usually wear, but they’ll do. Ray Bans never go out of style.”
    Arden happily accepted the glasses, sliding the thick plastic over her nose and ears. She forced her eyes open, blinking rapidly in order to clear tears from her lashes. In an instant, Trevor’s unnaturally beautiful face came into