Redemption: Moon Fever Book Three (Redfern Shifters 3) Read online

  Ruby pushed away from the counter, walked around to the stove, and used a cloth to shove the pot off the burner. “Oh no, there are plenty of bad guys in Redfern who aren’t Nightrocks,” she said. “But the Nightrocks are why Redfern has so many bad guys.”

  Stella wondered if she was being misled by Ruby’s relatively youthful appearance and that her brain was decades older, beyond its natural lifespan—and she’d lost it. “What are you talking about?”

  “The curse, of course.” Ruby threw the cloth down. “It’s all because of the curse. Why do you think your father was so pious about the moon and the Fates? It obviously wasn’t because he had a spiritual nature. He was afraid it would come for him someday. And it did.”

  The curse. But unlike the rest of the pack, Ruby wasn’t talking about a recent curse that had struck Redfern when Jasper had rejected Stella at Fever Night. She was talking about something older. “My father never said anything about a curse.”

  “I’m sure he thought his silence might help,” Ruby said. “Not tempting the Fates. He thought he could escape with a full life, unlike everyone else—your mother included.”

  The mention of her mother angered Stella. She had to consciously withdraw her canines back into her gums and take a deep breath before she could speak. “You’re saying there’s an old curse that’s been plaguing all of us for years and years?”

  “A century. Since your great-grand—” Ruby made a choking sound and flung a hand over her mouth. Scowling, she turned away.

  “What’s the matter?”

  Ruby shook her head. “I’ve said as much as I can say.”

  “What happened a century ago?” Stella asked.

  Ruby cleared her throat. “I-I w-was about your age at the time.” She licked her lips. “Nothing was the same in Redfern after—”

  Again, she coughed and fell silent.

  Stella stared at her. A family curse didn’t sound even remotely familiar. Her father had never spoken of the past.

  “Why am I only hearing about this now?” Stella asked. “My father couldn’t have been the only one to know about this curse if it’s what you say.”

  Ruby suddenly smiled—it was sour but not cruel. “Part of the curse to be forgotten. To suffer and not know why—or even better, to blame yourself when everything around you fails and dies.” She touched her throat. “I can’t say anything else about it.”

  In spite of her suspicions, Stella felt herself believing the old woman. It rang true in her bones, filling in the gaps she knew of her family’s story. The Nightrocks really had been unreasonably poor, dysfunctional, and unlucky. “Have you told Jasper about the Nightrock curse?”

  “He’d kill me if I said a word against you,” Ruby said. “He’s already threatened to bite my ears off if I do anything other than completely accept you.”

  Stella felt warm. “He said that?”

  “He did. Your efforts to break the Fates’ will have been unsuccessful.”

  “Or he’s choosing freely,” she said.

  “I doubt that. Until Fever Night, had he ever given you a second glance?”

  Stella swallowed, holding Ruby’s gaze. “But I used the herbs.”

  “Just a small amount so far, from what I can tell,” Ruby said. “And those herbs can have unintended consequences.”

  “Such as?”

  Ruby shrugged. “Who knows? A broken bond within a community can weaken others. Or strengthen them. It’s dangerous to play with powers you don’t understand.” She held out her arms and looked down at herself. “Unless you’ve been properly trained. Look at me. I should be long dead, yet here I am.”

  “Are you a witch?” Stella asked. “I know you’ve got some witch blood, but is it more than that? Are you a practitioner?”

  Ruby shrugged. “I don’t like labels. I prefer to think of myself as a family guardian. My sister would’ve wanted me to care for her descendants, so that’s what I do. Helping others is a purer motive than selfishness, making the magic safer to use.”

  Stella wasn’t convinced Ruby was as selfless as she claimed. “Right. It’s not that you hate me, it’s that you love Jasper.”

  “As well as duty, yes.”

  Jasper was all about duty as well. It made sense that members of the Cross family had continuously been chosen as alphas of the pack, generation after generation. Stella had never thought about her own family having any kind of tradition like that other than scrambling for power and using offense as the best defense. Attacking at the slightest hint of threat. Insults. Violence. Breaking any rule if it served you personally. Survival.

  “Were the Nightrocks different before this so-called curse?” Stella asked.

  “Oh, absolutely. Edgar Nightrock was a darling man. Charming, handsome, clever. His wolf was black with white ear tips.” Ruby smiled sadly. “My mother said all the girls had prayed to the Fates to be mated with him on Fever Night. But then—” Her jaws snapped shut.

  “What?”

  Ruby picked up a cloth and began wiping invisible debris off the counter. “I can’t say.”

  Annoyed with the incomplete—and possibly inaccurate—scraps Ruby was doling out to her, Stella fought the temptation to tell her off and walk away. But she reminded herself it was worth the effort to push for more information. If Ruby had been able to detect tiny amounts in the dregs of her cup, she must be powerful. Maybe she knew why Jasper felt moon called and she didn’t.

  “Why were you so angry with me using the herbs to break the bond with Jasper?” Stella asked. “You don’t seem to like me. Why weren’t you happy I might be out of the picture and he’d be matched with somebody you might like more?”

  Ruby slapped her hand on the counter. “Because you risked breaking him. Those herbs could’ve left him bonded to you even if you yourself felt nothing. You could’ve danced away, happy and free as a butterfly, while he suffered alone for the rest of his life. Unrequited love is hell for any human, but for shifters”—she shuddered, her voice dropping—“it’s a lifetime of torment.”

  A chill crept over Stella’s skin. She had the uneasy impression she’d just seen more of Ruby’s soul than the woman had intended. Was that what had happened to her years ago? She’d been bonded for life with another who hadn’t felt the same connection?

  “Were you—?” Stella asked quietly. “Are you—?”

  “Don’t pity me. I’m not speaking of myself. But I’ve lived long enough to see it destroy people I cared for.”

  Stella could’ve been one of those people herself. “I did what I had to do at the time.”

  “You wanted the pain to stop,” Ruby said, “no matter the cost.”

  After a pause, Stella had to answer. “Yes.”

  “Let me guess. You’re just now discovering there’s a cost you didn’t expect?”

  Stella kept her face blank. She didn’t think it would be smart to elaborate on any of her pain and suffering to a powerful woman who disliked her as well as had the power to hurt her further. “Just tell me how to break the curse,” she said. “If you know, which I doubt.” Maybe the dig at Ruby’s ego would get her talking.

  But Ruby didn’t seem to be offended. With a shrug, she reached for the pot and pulled it back on the burner with both hands. “Who knows? But if I were you, I’d welcome every guest who came to my door.”

  The admonition struck Stella like a brick to the forehead. Her father, hardly a generous or polite man, had always insisted they offer refreshments to anyone who came to the house, even the delivery drivers. She’d thought it was something to do with his never-ending pursuit of power and influence. All for show, as if he were running for Congress.

  Stella placed her palms on the counter, her breath coming faster. She felt like she was getting close to something critically important. “Does the curse have something to do with a Nightrock offending a guest?”

  Ruby lifted the lid of the pot and dipped a spoon inside. “Shame. The bottom of tonight’s lamb stew has scorched. I’ll h
ave to feed it to the staff.”

  After a long, irritated pause, Stella realized Ruby wasn’t going to explain anything further—or she’d made it all up to torment her. She walked out of the kitchen with her head high, determined not to let the woman see how much she’d succeeded.

  A curse. On her family and therefore the town.

  And she had no idea how to break it.

  Chapter

  Four

  In the office, Jasper regarded Dee and Rafe over the cluttered surface of his father’s old desk. It had taken them two hours for Jasper, Rafe, and Dee to draw an extensive Hart family tree using the genealogical website they’d found.

  “This confirms everything,” Jasper said. “No wonder they attacked us. They’re dying out.”

  “That makes them really dangerous,” Rafe said. “They’ve got nothing to lose.”

  “Sure they do. Each one of them has a life to lose,” Jasper said. “We just have to remind them of that. Nothing like having teeth at your throat to help you focus on your immediate priorities, like not being dead.”

  They’d already decided they had to keep the Harts’ role in the attack and Stella’s abduction to themselves for now. As long as the Harts thought they still blamed cat shifters, they had the advantage. There were too many people in Redfern with friends and family connections in Millerton. The news would spread within minutes.

  “I’ve been thinking,” Dee said. “There might be wolf shifters in Redfern who knew what was going to happen and helped them.”

  “Agreed,” Jasper said, although it horrified him to think they had a traitor within their own pack. “Another reason we have to keep this to ourselves. The three of us, Stella, Oliver, and Luis.”

  Oliver and Luis were other young wolf shifters their age who had helped rescue Stella from the Harts the night before. Oliver, not by choice, had ended up storing the corpses of Shane and Freddy Hart in a freezer in his garage. Jasper thought offering to return the remains of their “loved” ones might come in useful during peace negotiations.

  “That makes six,” Dee said. “That’s a lot of mouths that might wag.”

  “I’ve used the alpha voice on Oliver and Luis,” Jasper said. “They’re the weak link.”

  “Where are they now?” Dee asked.

  “Luis is working his shift at the pawnshop,” Rafe said. “Oliver is guarding the you-know-whats in his garage.”

  Dee looked at Jasper. “Where’s Stella? I haven’t seen her since we got back this morning.”

  Jasper looked down at the desk and pretended to sort papers. “She had a rough night. She’s resting.”

  “Still? It’s late afternoon.”

  Rafe elbowed her. “Leave it. They’ve got some stuff to work out.”

  “Again?” Dee flopped into a chair. “You two think too much. Trust the Fates. Enjoy yourself. Why is that so hard?”

  “Easy for you to say,” Rafe said. “You haven’t been moon called.”

  “Neither have you,” Dee retorted.

  “Exactly. So we should shut up.” Rafe shot Jasper a supportive smile.

  Feeling guilty for excluding Stella just because he couldn’t bear to be with her without wanting to rip her clothes off and lick every inch of her body, he got to his feet. “You’re right. She should be here.” He strode to the door and pulled it open. “Max!” he called out.

  As he’d expected, the old family servant appeared almost instantly, showing he’d been lingering nearby. If the doors weren’t soundproof—something his father had made sure of during his reign—Jasper might’ve worried he was eavesdropping.

  “Yes, sir?” Max asked.

  “Would you go up to the bedroom and ask Stella to join us?”

  Max’s eyes widened with alarm. “I’m sorry, Alpha, but she’s not in the bedroom.”

  “Wherever she is then,” Jasper said impatiently. “Tell her—”

  “But I don’t know where she is,” Max blurted, bowing his head. “Forgive me. Should I send someone to search for her?”

  Hiding his alarm that she’d left him and might be in danger—his wolf was always afraid his mate might be in danger just because she wasn’t in sight—Jasper shook his head. He could imagine how annoyed Stella would be if he sent servants to chase her down just because she’d had the audacity to leave the house.

  “Forget it,” Jasper said. “She’s not a prisoner. She can come and go as she pleases.”

  Max relaxed a little and managed a small smile. “Excellent, Alpha.”

  “Please—call me Jasper. Like you always have. At least when we’re alone.”

  “Yes, Alpha Jasper,” Max said.

  Jasper pressed his lips together to stop himself from correcting him again. He dismissed Max and returned to the others. “She’s not here.”

  Where the hell could she be? The last time she’d wandered off, the Harts had taken her prisoner. His body began shifting involuntarily, preparing for battle.

  “Easy, Jasper,” Rafe said. “I’m sure she’s fine.”

  “Of course she is,” Jasper said, his voice distorted by his mouth’s partial transformation. Stress hormones flooded his tissues. “I think I’ll go for a walk into town. We’ll meet first thing in the morning and go to Millerton.”

  “We’re going to see the Harts tomorrow?” Rafe asked. “So soon?”

  “Is that really a good idea?” Dee added.

  Jasper fought to keep his body in human form, which was making him break out in a sweat. “I’m the new alpha. It’s tradition to visit the neighbors, say hello. It would be more suspicious if I didn’t go. We’ll visit the Riveras too, just for show.”

  “You’re the alpha,” Dee said, sounding unimpressed. She was somehow immune to his alpha powers. “When should we meet?”

  Jasper wiped the sweat off his brow. He’d already forgotten what they were talking about. Every part of him was now fixated on making sure Stella was all right. “I’ll get back to you,” he said as he strode out the door.

  Chapter

  Five

  Stella popped the last bite of her sandwich into her mouth and looked around the diner. She sat in a corner booth with her eyes on the door, ready to leave if she had to. After her abduction, she was even jumpier than usual.

  At least she wasn’t hungry anymore. With Ruby camped out like a hostile troll in the kitchen, getting a relaxing meal in the Cross house had been impossible. What a relief to be on neutral ground, just enjoying an hour of freedom—and maybe that last almond turnover in the pastry case—at the main restaurant in town, the Redfern Diner.

  Ruby’s story about a Nightrock curse had really gotten under her skin. Her thoughts kept returning to her childhood memories of their recurring bad luck. There had been a flash flood that only affected the Nightrock house. The unexplained electrical short that set a toaster on fire, nearly engulfing the entire kitchen. She and her brothers were always the first to catch every stomach bug or respiratory illness at school, and once, a tree fell on their only car during a light rain.

  Those were the disasters a child would remember, but with age she learned her father was constantly battling financial problems that seemed incongruous with being the wealthy alpha’s loyal, right-hand man.

  And of course her mom had died young, as had her father’s first wife, Kyle and Junior’s mother.

  Was it all ordinary bad luck simply exaggerated by bad choices—or was it a curse?

  Stella sipped her tea, poking the soggy tea bag on the saucer, deciding it was the latter. There was a Nightrock curse that had haunted the family for generations and was now haunting her.

  So what could she do about it?

  “Mom, please stop touching my shirt,” a woman exclaimed in the booth next to her.

  Stella glanced over the top of the red vinyl seat between them. Two dark-haired women sat with their backs to her, side by side—mother and daughter. In the curve of the booth with his profile to her was a man with a large nose, probably the father.

/>   Stella looked away and continued drinking her tea. She was in no hurry to go back to the Cross estate, but she didn’t feel like being forced to listen to family bickering. They weren’t anyone she knew, maybe visiting shifters from the Rivera pack, which made her even less curious about them.

  Maybe she’d skip the dessert. If there was a Nightrock curse, the turnover was probably burned or stale.

  She turned and eyed the pastry case anyway. How bad could it be, really? The worst apple turnover would still be pretty good. Better than witch hair toast…

  “You’ll need to get some new clothes for Fever Night,” the older woman said.

  “If he’s fated to be my perfect mate, why does it matter what I wear?” the daughter asked.

  “Marcus, will you please explain to her why she has to take this seriously?”

  The daughter’s voice got even louder. “I am taking it seriously! It’s all I can think about. Trust me. I feel like… I can’t believe I’m talking about this with my parents, but I feel like I’m going to die if I can’t—you know—if I can’t…”

  The mother made a shushing sound. The father cleared his throat.

  “You’ll wear whatever your mother tells you to wear,” he said. “No more discussion.”

  “But I’m just trying to understand why it matters.” The daughter’s voice softened, becoming more agreeable. “You want me to be matched with somebody who makes me happy, right? That’s not going to be a wolf who needs to see me in a sexy dress to love me. Whoever the Fates choose for me is going to like me as I am. The way you guys love each other.”

  The father turned, giving Stella a view of the tender expression in his eyes as he regarded his mate and daughter. “And he will.”

  A wave of pain overwhelmed Stella, forcing her to look away. She’d felt exactly the same way on her own Fever Night last October. She’d wanted to wear her usual jeans and a T-shirt, but her father had insisted she wear a cocktail dress that was a few sizes too small and ridiculous for midnight in a mountain forest. Although Stella had thought she’d looked damn sexy in it.