KILLIAN'S MOON (BOOK 12) (RISE OF THE ARKANSAS WEREWOLVES) Read online

  A gunshot rang out through the building. He jerked his head in the direction of the front of the store.

  Brutus.

  He heard the distinct growl of Brutus. Whoever was shooting at him was going to be in a world of hurt from the Assassin.

  He crouched on the ground and pressed his ear to the floor. He could almost smell her.

  She was here.

  He looked around, trying to find a way to get to her.

  “Fuck.” He growled in frustration. He slammed his fist to the ground. The floor moved under his hit. He hit it again. If he had to dig out the whole fucking floor to get to her, then he’d do it.

  The wood floor moved a little. That’s when he saw it. A seam down the middle of the floor.

  He stood and grabbed a knife off the counter. The sound of fighting and gunshots rang out in the background. He knew Brutus could handle himself. Right now, he had to get to Lilliana.

  He stuck the blade into the seam of the wood and twisted. The floor slid back far enough that he could get his fingers inside.

  “Killian!” Lilliana screamed as she pressed her face to the opening.

  “I’m coming for you. Move back.”

  “Hurry. They are almost out. Killian, they are coming to get me.”

  “Who?” He frowned and stuck both hands in the opening.

  “The red Weres.” She trembled.

  Anger and horror crawled around in his gut until he thought he was going to be sick.

  If the red Weres got Lilliana, they would rape her until they killed her.

  Old instincts and habits rose up in his soul.

  He gritted his teeth and pulled at the opening. Throwing back his head, he yelled as the floor slowly slid apart.

  “Killian!” Lilliana screamed. Her face disappeared from the opening. The stench of red werewolves floated up to his nostrils. They’d grabbed her.

  He cursed and pulled at the opening with all his strength. The floor slid apart, revealing a staircase leading underneath the Natchez Bakery.

  Lilliana’s screams tore through him.

  He raced down the stairs. When he got to the bottom, he found himself surrounded by ten red Weres, each one holding a metal object.

  One red Were had Lilliana by the neck and was holding her in front of him like a shield.

  “Easy, wolf. You don’t want me to hurt this female, do you?” The red Were sneered and slid his dirty hand underneath Lilliana’s shirt to grab her breast.

  “Don’t touch her.” Killian reached in his jeans pocket for a ponytail holder. Rage clouded his vision, and the automatic actions of being an Assassin came back to him like an old habit.

  He pulled his hair back and secured it in a knot, revealing the Assassin’s tattoo to his enemy.

  “Fuck.” One of the reds dropped his weapon and took a step back. “I know who you are.”

  “You will all know who I am before I leave this room.” His words were cool like white lightening. He always killed upon command. Now, for the first time, he wanted to kill because he wanted revenge.

  “Who is he, Sam?” The one holding Lilliana laughed. “Santa Claus?”

  “Fuck no. He’s Killian. The Assassin.” Sam grew pale and tried to make a run for the stairs.

  Killian spun around and grabbed the red Were by the neck. He picked him up over his head and slammed him to the concrete floor. The Were cried out in pain and tried to move. Killian didn’t give him a chance. He pulled his silver knife out of his boot and buried it into his skull.

  Blood spread out of the Were as he was met with instant death.

  “You motherfucker.” One of the Weres took a step toward Killian.

  Killian met his glare and smiled. He charged the Were. He slid his knife along the red Were’s neck. Blood spurted out as the male sputtered and grabbed at his neck. Killian grabbed the red Were by the hair and held him against his chest. He brought his blade back and forth against the Were’s throat. The body collapsed to the floor. Killian stood in the middle of the Weres, holding the decapitated head.

  The red Weres scattered, each trying to get out of the room. Each trying to get past Killian to freedom.

  “You should not have touched her,” Killian said. One by one, he grabbed the red Weres and slaughtered them until only one was left.

  When he looked at the red Were holding Lilliana, Killian threw the knife.

  The knife sunk into the red Were’s forehead. He crumpled to the ground.

  “Lilliana, are you alright?” Killian’s gaze was glued on her.

  Wide-eyed, she took a step back. “You lied to me. You’re an Assassin.”

  Chapter 44

  Lilliana looked at the male she loved standing in front of her. He was covered in blood. And his eyes looked different to her. He looked like a lethal killing machine.

  “You told me you were a Guardian.”

  “Actually, you came to that conclusion on your own. My mistake was not correcting you.” He rubbed his neck and looked away.

  She curled her hands into fists. “Killian, an Assassin is way different than a Guardian. An Assassin is…” She swallowed back her fear and confusion.

  “An Assassin is a killer.” He looked at her. Under the blood and anger shining in his eyes, she saw a semblance of the male she’d given her body to.

  She looked away.

  Brutus headed down the steps and stopped at the bottom. “What the fuck happened here?”

  “Just taking care of business.”

  “You feel better now that you’re back to being an Assassin?” Brutus arched his brow.

  Killian looked at him. “Actually, yes. Thanks for asking.”

  Brutus looked over at her and cocked his head. “You okay?”

  “I… I honestly don’t know.”

  “Big boy!! Hey, big boy, where did you go?” A familiar female voice called out from the top of the stairs.

  Brutus cringed.

  “Big boy? Brutus, who the hell is that?” Killian leaned over and peered up at the top of the stairs.

  “That’s Edith,” Brutus muttered.

  “Oh my God. Edith.” Lilliana rushed over to the stairs and looked up.

  Killian looked back at Brutus. “Who is Edith?”

  “I’m big boy’s backup,” Edith called out from above.

  Brutus blushed and shoved his hands in his jeans pocket.

  “She pulled out a .44 when the owner wouldn’t sell her a Hummingbird Cake. She was waving the gun around when it went off.” Brutus cracked a smile. “Those guys shit themselves. That’s when the shooting broke out. Two guys are dead. But the owner is alive and secured upstairs.”

  “And she didn’t get hit?” Lilliana asked Brutus.

  “Edith?” He snorted. “No. She may be old, but she’s as fast as a cat. Plus, she’s a Were.”

  “She is?” Lilliana frowned and looked at the top of the stairs.

  Edith smiled down at her. “Well, hello, honey. What are you doing down in that hole with that cutie pie, Brutus?”

  “Cutie pie?” Killian arched his brow.

  “Fuck off, Killian.” Brutus glared.

  Lilliana drug her gaze back up to Edith. “Edith, how did I not know you were a Were?”

  “That’s because I wear Chanel No. 5. I always heard it brought the men in.” She gave Lilliana a wink. “Apparently it does more than that. It conceals my werewolf scent.”

  “Sounds like she’d be perfect for Lorcan.” Killian shrugged.

  “Ha. No doubt.” Brutus chuckled. “I already put in a call to Barrett. He’s busy at the moment so I left a message.”

  “What happens now?” Lilliana wrapped her arms around herself. “I mean, do we have to clean this up? Do I have to be interrogated?”

  “I’m not cleaning this shit up. Assassins don’t clean.” Brutus started for the stairs.

  She ventured a look at Killian. He turned his head, looking at all the carnage he’d caused. It was then she saw the Assassin’s tattoo on his neck.


  “I don’t think there’s any way to clean this up. Besides, whoever Emmett is in business with will just start business back up. It’s a perfect setup for a meth lab.” Killian looked back at Lilliana.

  “So what do we do?” Lilliana asked.

  “I noticed this is the only building occupied on this block.”

  She nodded. “The other businesses all closed up years ago. Nobody wants to open up a business in this part of town anymore.” She frowned.

  “Why do you ask?”

  “Because I want to make sure there’s nobody in the rest of the block.” He looked at her. “I’m going to burn this fucker to the ground.”

  Her mouth dropped open. “But how?”

  He pointed to where the red Weres had been cooking the drugs. “They are venting to the sewer. Once a fire hits the methane gas, it will go up.” Killian held out his hand. “But first I want you out of here.”

  She shivered and wrapped her arms around herself. “So the building will be destroyed.”

  “I’m sorry. It has to be. All the evidence about the drugs and werewolves has to be wiped out. The police will think it was a gas leak that led to the explosion and assume these bodies were a result of it.”

  She nodded. “I’ll check the rest of the building for people. There may be some homeless or runaways that we may not be aware of.’

  “I can do that.” A drop of blood dripped off his nose.

  “You’d better not. Anyone seeing you like that will call the police. And that’s the last thing you need.” She started up the stairs. “I would recommend at least washing the blood off your face and hands before you leave. Your black T-shirt and jeans will conceal the blood on your clothes.” She headed up the stairs, leaving the bloodied bodies behind her.

  Chapter 45

  Killian stepped out of the shower at Monmouth and wrapped a towel around his hips. It had taken him twenty minutes to get the blood and tissue of the red werewolves out of his hair. By the time he was done, he was ready for a shot of whiskey and a long nap.

  But he didn’t have time for that. He had to get ready for Barrett’s arrival.

  After calling and updating the Pack Master on what had gone down, Killian had been ordered to stay where he was.

  Barrett was on his way to see him, and he was bringing someone with him.

  Killian towel-dried his hair and looked into the mirror. His gut sank every time he thought about the look on Lilliana’s face after he’d executed the room of red Weres.

  Killian had not mistaken the tone Barrett had taken when he found out about the executions.

  Not only was Barrett pissed at him for rushing in and taking everyone down, now Lilliana wasn’t talking to him.

  He’d fucked things up bad this time, and he wasn’t sure he could talk his way out of it.

  A knock on the door made his heart jump in his throat.

  Maybe it was Lilliana? He looked around for some jeans but remembered he was out of clean clothes. He had not anticipated getting all bloodied up on this trip so he hadn’t packed very many jeans.

  He tightened the towel around his hips and opened the door.

  “Dude, that’s the last thing I want to see.” Lorcan cringed and covered his eyes. He shoved a pair of jeans and a T-shirt at him. “Here, for the love of God, put these on before I go blind.”

  “You wish you looked as good as me, Lorcan.” Killian begrudgingly took the clothes. “You wanna come in?”

  “Only if you promise to get dressed in the bathroom.” Lorcan continued to shield his eyes.

  “You’re such a whiner.” He opened the door and Lorcan stepped in. “When did you get here?” Killian stepped into the bathroom and quickly dressed.

  “About an hour ago. I drove down to where the Natchez Bakery used to be before driving over here.” Lorcan walked over to the window and gazed down.

  Killian stepped out of the bathroom and cringed. “Yeah. I don’t think Barrett is going to be happy with everything.”

  Lorcan turned. “You think?”

  Killian scrubbed his hand down his face. “I didn’t have a whole lot of time to clean up the scene. Blowing up the building to make it look like a gas leak was the only option I had. And I guess I fucked up.”

  “I never thought I would hear you say that.” Lorcan turned.

  “Say what?” Killian sighed. “That I fucked up?”

  “That you chose to blow up a building that makes…cakes.” Lorcan grinned.

  “You’re such an asshole.” Killian chuckled. For the moment, the weight of the world had shifted off his shoulders. He needed the relief.

  “How is Lilliana?” he asked.

  “Ah, yes. Lilliana. I was wondering how long it was going to take for you to ask about the female.” Lorcan looked out the window. “She’s beautiful, isn’t she?”

  Killian gritted his teeth. “Of course she’s beautiful. You’d have to be blind not to notice.” He sighed. “She’s more than that, though. She’s talented and smart and funny.” He grinned. “And she has this annoying habit of being stubborn and not listening to anything I tell her.”

  Lorcan brightened. “Which makes me like her more.”

  Killian slumped into the chair by the window. “Lorcan, I …”

  “You love her.” Lorcan sighed. “Yes, I know.”

  “You know?” Killian shook his head. “But you just got here. How do you…”

  “I talked to Brutus.”

  “Brutus told you.” Killian huffed.

  “No, he didn’t. He did tell me about the carnage he saw in the basement of that bakery.” Lorcan turned and faced him. “You are an Assassin, Killian. And you’re good at what you do. Whenever we have had our assignments, you do your job without fail. And you do it nice and clean and without a lot of emotion.” Lorcan cocked his head. “What Brutus saw in that basement was a lot of emotion. You killed them all because they threatened to hurt Lilliana. Only an emotion that strong would make you do what you did.”

  Killian buried his head in his hands. “It doesn’t matter that I love her. She won’t ever have me now. Now that I lied about who I was.” He looked up. “Lorcan, you didn’t see the way she looked at me after I killed them.”

  “She’s never been around an Assassin. And I’m willing to bet she’s never been around a werewolf who would kill for her because of his love for her.” Lorcan shrugged.

  “I don’t think she’ll look at me like before. She’s scared of me, Lorcan.”

  “Then she needs to make a choice.” Lorcan walked to the door. “To be with you or not.” He shut the door behind him.

  Chapter 46

  “I’m so pleased to have you as our guests.” Mrs. Spell handed him a glass of sherry. “Mr. Welbourn says you’re from New Orleans.”

  “Thank you, Mrs. Spell. I appreciate your hospitality. And thank you for the room on such short notice. I’m actually from Arkansas. Just moved to New Orleans a few months ago.” Barrett Middleton took a sip of the drink and tried not to grimace. He’d arrived in Natchez a few hours ago. He had called Jack Welbourn and informed him of what had happened. Jack was waiting for him at Monmouth Plantation with a few of his Mississippi Guardians.

  “Barrett is actually from the state of South Carolina.” Jack slapped him on the back a little too hard. “I invited him down here for a little visit and to do some business.”

  “Thank you so much, Jack, for choosing Monmouth.” She smiled and patted her hair. If Barrett wasn’t mistaken, the older woman blushed when she looked at Jack.

  “Of course my dear.” Jack grinned. “So is there a private room you can offer us for a quick meeting?”

  “I’ll show you to the library. No one will bother you in there, and please stay as long as you like. A lot of our guests checked out this morning.” Mrs. Spell led them through the house to the library. She took a key out of the pocket of her sweater and unlocked the room. “With all that smoke from the fire of the Natchez Bakery, a lot of people didn’t w
ant to stay.” She shook her head. “I told them it would be clearer in the morning and just to give it a day. But they wouldn’t listen.”

  “Well, you’ll have guests for tonight my dear. I hope you have a dinner planned?” Jack smiled.

  Barrett wanted to roll his eyes. The Pack Master might be old, but he certainly still had it when it came to the ladies.

  “Of course. And our cook is just amazing.” Mrs. Spell frowned. “You know she up and quit on me this morning, but I guess she changed her mind. I was worried for a while, but she came back, and I agreed to give her a raise and more time off.”

  “How good of you, Mrs. Spell. There’s no one that can match your generous heart.” Jack smiled warmly.

  Barrett stepped inside the library and waited for Jack.

  “I’ll leave you two alone. Help yourselves to the bar. There’s whiskey and bourbon and scotch. All top shelf.” She closed the door behind her.

  Jack turned and faced Barrett. His good mood was gone, and the smile slid off his face.

  “Before you say a word, I want Killian in here. I want to get his side of the story,” Barrett said slowly.

  “Killian is an Assassin. Not a Guardian.” Jack shook his head. “You should have sent someone else.”

  “I sent who I sent.” Barrett walked over to the door and opened it. Two of the Mississippi Guardians were standing outside. They briefly nodded in submission to Barrett.

  “Can one of you go bring Killian to me?”

  “Absolutely,” they said in unison. One stood guard while the other headed off on his mission.

  He closed the door and walked over to the bar. He set down the sherry.

  “I don’t see how you drink that shit,” Barrett groused and reached for the bottle of bourbon. He poured two fingers in a glass and took a sip. He looked at Jack. “Now see, that’s good.”

  “Give me that sherry. You don’t waste alcohol. No matter what kind it is.” He poured Barrett’s sherry into his own glass.

  There was a quick knock on the door.

  “Come in,” Barrett said and took a sip.