Page 131 of Moon Cursed (Nightcreature 10)

“Aye,” he agreed, and that was all. He made no excuses, and she liked that. There was no excusing a lie, and trying to do so only made the untruth glare ever brighter.

“You should go. I need—” She rubbed her forehead. “To think.”

As if thinking would make her mind stop whirling and her heart stop hurting. But having him here wasn’t helping, either. Having him here made her remember every kiss, every touch, every thought and hope and dream, followed by the knowledge that they had all been a lie.

And that she would never kiss or touch him again.

“I’ll be close by.”

“You always are.” Which should be creepy but somehow wasn’t.

Then he was gone, leaving behind a great big empty Kris wasn’t sure she’d ever fill.

*

The middle of the night and Kris surfed the Net. Probably something she’d be doing a lot of in the middle of the night from now on.

When she couldn’t sleep. When she was long gone from here. When she woke up missing him.

“Idiot,” Kris muttered. “He’s a moon-cursed lake monster. What kind of future did you have?”

Another water-soaked laugh erupted. How was that for a star-crossed romance? Next time she’d pick a man who didn’t shape-shift.

Kris shook her head. She couldn’t believe she was having this conversation with herself. But then, could she really have it with anyone else?

“He said he’d never seen Nessie,” she muttered.

To be fair, he hadn’t seen her. He was her.

“He seduced me.”

How horrible. He’d encouraged her to have great sex. He’d made her scream. What a bad, bad man.

“Not a man.”

In that case, at least he wouldn’t leave her like almost everyone else she’d ever loved.

Love? Kris rubbed her face. She didn’t love him. She couldn’t love him. He definitely didn’t love her.

But Kris remembered Liam’s face when he touched her, and there’d been something there. Something that had made her insides flutter.

She’d felt things for Liam she’d never felt for anyone else. She’d told him things she’d never told anyone else. If she was honest, and considering her policy on honesty she’d better be, she didn’t want to run away and never see him again.

But she still wasn’t sure if what she felt was real, and if her feelings had been brought about by magic, weren’t they just another lie?

Her e-mail binged. Kris clicked on the icon. When she saw the e-mail address, she leaned closer.

[email protected]

“Where have you been?” Kris murmured, and opened the e-mail.

HEAR YOU’RE LOOKING FOR ME. COME TO THE STORE BEFORE I OPEN. JUST YOU AND ME. WE NEED TO HAVE SOME GIRL TALK. I’LL BE THERE AT 5. BEHIND ON THE PAPERWORK.

Kris glanced at the time. Only a few hours to go.

What could Jamaica have to tell her? Kris didn’t think the woman would break her vow and reveal Liam’s true identity, not that it mattered, since Kris already knew.

However, once Jamaica heard that, then maybe she’d be able to shine new light on Kris’s dilemma. As a guardian, the woman must know a lot about the being she guarded. Perhaps even if he could make someone fall in love.