Bound To Moonlight (Sisters Of The Moon #2)

Bound To Moonlight (Sisters Of The Moon #2)

Nina Croft



Chapter One



Anya’s finger tightened on the trigger.

The chill of the metal penetrated her skin, sending icy tendrils curling through her body. She waited for the cold to seep into her mind, to take her to that peaceful place. The place she always went when she had a job to do.

Tonight, peace remained elusive, and she shifted restlessly.

Dusk fell, and the last daylight faded into darkness. Anya lay on her belly, stretched out on the soft detritus of the forest floor, her sniper rifle resting on a rotting tree limb in front of her. Her nostrils filled with the scent of decay mixed with the musky smell of wild garlic crushed beneath her. Above her head, the breeze rustled the leaves in the tree canopy. Aside from that, the woods were silent. She reached out with her mind, but found no one within listening distance.

She was alone.

For a moment, she savored the feeling. She closed her eyes and pressed her forehead to the rough bark of the tree limb. And in the solitude of her mind, she finally acknowledged the truth that had been plaguing her for so long. She didn’t want to do this anymore.

The sound of a door opening snapped her from her thoughts. She raised her head, her movements slow and careful and sighted down the length of the rifle. The scents and sounds of the forest faded around her as all her senses focused on the figure that emerged from the open door.

She recognized him immediately. Sebastian Quinn. Her target.

The man they’d told her was responsible for the death of her sister. The sister she had never known. Would now never know.

The shot would be easy from here. She’d expected him to be wary; after all, she’d captured three of his people over the past week. Instead, he appeared relaxed, standing on the steps in front of the house as though he were posing for her.

She studied him through the scope. She’d seen photographs, but they hadn’t done him justice. Pale blond hair fell over his forehead, framing the face of a dissipated angel. His long, lean body was dressed in faded jeans and a dark blue shirt that perfectly matched his wicked blue eyes.

He raised his head and sniffed the air. His eyes narrowed, and he swung around, his gaze seeming to penetrate her hiding place.

He knew she was here.

Without conscious thought, she reached out to his mind and instantly froze. She probed again but slammed into an impenetrable barrier. He was shielded. Why hadn’t the Agency told her? Did they even know?

For a brief moment, she considered taking the shot but pushed the idea aside. The mission had been compromised. Besides, she would give away her location, and she’d bet he had people watching from the house.

Anya looked down the scope one last time. Across the distance, his eyes captured hers, and she blinked to break the contact.

Wriggling backwards on her stomach, she stayed low until she reached the cover of the dense trees. She came up on her knees, glanced back over her shoulder, and knew that he had sensed her movement. He stared straight at the spot she’d been hidden, a fierce grin spreading across his face.

He spoke briefly into a cell phone then started to strip off his clothes.

What the hell was he doing?

She knelt transfixed as he tore off his shirt and tossed it to the ground. His skin was golden, sleek muscle over bone, broad shoulders, and lean almost concave belly. His hand went to the belt at his waist, and Anya scrambled to her feet and ran.

She raced through the forest, weaving between the huge gnarled oak trees, her boots making no sound on the soft ground. Branches snatched at her clothes, scratching the exposed skin of her face, and still she ran.

In the distance, an owl hooted and a wolf howled. Anya lost her concentration, stumbling over an exposed root. She righted herself as a second wolf answered. Flinging herself behind a tree, she leaned against the rough bark. Panic flared, and she pushed it down, forced her breath to slow, concentrating her mind.

There were no wolves in England, not outside of a zoo anyway. They must be using hounds to track her, but they sounded far away. She had time. She just needed to make it to the wall surrounding the property, and she’d be free.

She opened her mind. There were no people close, and some of the tension drained from her. Stepping forward, she peered into the thick darkness between the trees, trying to orientate herself. She realized she still clutched the rifle in her hand. She hefted it across one shoulder and crept through the forest.