Keri Arthur - Full Moon Rising

His nod was barely perceptible. From behind us came the sound of clapping

“Well done, Riley.” Kelly’s smooth and sultry voice came from close behind, and a little of my tension eased. If she was there, then my back was safe. “How about you give those sacks an extra squeeze for me? The great Gautier in pain is such a rare but welcome sight.”

Gautier’s gaze went past me. “Watch your step tonight, bitch. You might just hit trouble.”

“Oh, I’m so scared.” Kelly’s voice was dry

I couldn’t help smiling, but resisted the temptation to do as she asked and released him instead. I wasn’t a fool—and if I inflicted too much damage, I’d catch hell not only from the Directorate, but Gautier himself. He wasn’t above lying in wait for someone, and for all my bravado, I had no real desire to go head to head with the creep

I rose and turned my back on him—which, in itself, was an insult of the highest form to a vampire like Gautier. His fury scorched my skin, but I didn’t flinch and didn’t turn around. Just kept on walking

Kelly leaned against the doorway into the eating area, a wide smile softening her sharp features. “In a bit of a mood, are we?”

I grinned and tossed her a meal. “I’m just a little tired of being threatened.”

“So I gathered. I’ll have to pinch that move off you. It certainly immobilizes male quarry.”

My gaze went to Gautier. Dark didn’t even begin to explain his expression. Maybe I was crazy, but it cheered me up no end

“You got any plans for Tuesday or Wednesday night?” I stopped the trolley and opened the sides so the other guardians had access

Kelly shook her head, her black hair gleaming almost blue in the harsh lighting. “Nothing. Why?”

“The full moon is beginning to rise, so if you still want to catch a little werewolf action…” I trailed off and grinned

“Oh, yes please.” Anticipation flicked in her gray eyes. “The male of your species sure can show a girl a good time.”

Ain’t that the truth. “I’ll ring Tuesday and we’ll arrange a meet time.”

She nodded and leaned forward a little. “I haven’t heard any whispers here about Rhoan’s mission, by the way. Jack’s sending me out tonight, though, so if I find anything, I’ll give you a call.”

“Thanks. But be careful out there.”

She smiled and touched my arm lightly. “The great Gautier doesn’t worry me.”

Well, he worried me. And I didn’t like the way he was watching us. “I was thinking more about the disappearances than Gautier. I don’t want you to join the ranks of the vanished.”

“It’s not something I want, believe me.” Her tone was one of dry amusement. “But I will be careful.”

“Good.”

Once the trolley was empty of its packaged blood, the two of us dished out the coffee. But all the while, I was aware of Gautier’s heated gaze. His expression reminded me of the man who’d shot me, and I decided to ask Jack about Gautier’s background when I returned upstairs

Once we’d finished serving, I walked the trolley back to the kitchen. Jack gave me a sweet smile when I got back to the office. “Like the way you handled Gautier.”

I grimaced. “I just hope our bosses don’t mind me roughing up their star guardian.”

“You gotta show the guardians you’re more than capable of protecting yourself down there, or there’ll be trouble.”

I nodded. Guardians seemed to have a whole different set of values than the rest of the population. Show the slightest weakness and they thought you were theirs to do with as they pleased. And while those in charge didn’t condone the behavior, they weren’t above turning a blind eye to it either, particularly if the guardians didn’t kill their “toys.”

I often wondered what would happen if the public or the press ever found out about some of the darker habits of those paid to protect them. Not to mention the true purpose of the guardian force—to kill without recourse to the courts or justice. Would there be outrage? Or would humanity simply accept it as a price that had to be paid for their safety?

Considering the unreasoned—almost instinctive—fear many communities had about the nonhumans in their midst, I pretty much figured it would be the latter

Or that maybe they’d simply call for all of us to be shot. No nonhumans, no problems

I propped on the end of Jack’s desk and swung a leg. “Have you ever run a check on Gautier?”

“I ran complete checks on all personnel when I first came into this position.” Jack leaned back in his chair. “Why do you ask?”

“Because I’m nosy.”

“All wolves are, but that doesn’t explain the sudden interest in Gautier or why you’re now asking me about him.”

I grinned. “I’m asking because you have a little more access to file information than I do.”

A smile twitched his lips, but there was a coldness in his eyes that suggested he not only knew where I was going but had been waiting for it. And I knew in that moment that this was the reason he’d been trying to keep me talking before

Though why he didn’t just come out and ask his questions, I had no idea

“What do you want to know?” he asked

“Has Gautier got a brother?”

“None on record. His whole family is listed as dead, in fact.”

“Well, the guy who shot me last night was the spitting image of him. Except that he was a werewolf rather than a vampire.”

“Coincidence?”

“You don’t believe in coincidence.”

“No.” He hesitated. “I’ve secured what’s left of the body and have asked our scientists to do an autopsy and cell analysis. That way, we’ll know if he is kin, or something else.”

I raised my eyebrows. “So if you knew about the shooting, why not say something when I first mentioned it?”

“Because I wanted to see if you would mention it or want it followed through.” He smiled. “Good guardians always finish what they start.”

“So do good liaisons.” I rose and brushed a kiss across Jack’s leathery cheek. “And thanks for doing the check.”

He actually blushed. “You’re welcome. Now, hadn’t you better get going? You’ve only a half day today, and you know how those upstairs feel about overtime.”

“If it ain’t approved beforehand, it ain’t paid,” I quoted, in my best Jack imitation

He snorted. “Go find that flatmate you’re so worried about before I do find a reason to make you stay.”

With a grin, I bounced back to my desk. After logging off, I grabbed my bag, waved him good-bye and headed out the door

Though it was barely one, the sun had disappeared behind heavy clouds, and the day had become gray. I buttoned up my woolen coat, thankful I’d chosen it over the trendy, but short, leather one I usually wore when I did the club circuits

I caught a tram to Lygon Street, but hesitated once I got out, sniffing the air and reveling in the mouthwatering aromas of meats, spices, and breads wafting down from the street’s famed restaurant precinct. My stomach rumbled a reminder it hadn’t eaten lunch, but I ignored it and walked on. Just then, I had deeper hungers to satisfy

The Blue Moon was situated in a side street just off the corner of Lygon Street. Though it was my favorite club, the name always made me smile. It was such an obvious choice for a werewolf establishment that there were hundreds—if not thousands—of Blue Moons all over the world. Humanity at large probably thought we lacked imagination—but anyone who had ever stepped inside a club would know that definitely wasn’t the case

This Blue Moon was the smallest of the five werewolf clubs in Melbourne and the only one that allowed humans to enter—though it did have restrictions on which days, and no human was allowed to enter during the full-moon phase. The other clubs had a strict nonhumans-only policy, something the wankers in government were currently legislating to change. Which was amazing, really, when you consider that twenty years ago, the clubs weren’t even legal and had regularly suffered raids from the police