Page 57 of Total Eclipse of the Moon
When he disappeared into the cockpit of the private plane without saying a word her gaze went bleary. The thought of never touching or kissing him again crushed her.
She had several hours to pull herself together before they landed somewhere in the Mediterranean to face Shane's mother and the brothers she cursed. That was a lot of hate about to come her way. And a lot of people who couldn't know how much she felt for Shane.
Be tough. Be tough. Be tough.
Pull yourself together.
Easy to say. Hard to do.
Chapter Seventeen
Madeline heldan umbrella pointed at an angle in front of her against the wind as she exited the powerboat onto the dock. The private island where they were to meet the rest of the Lanzo clan was located between Athens and Crete. Only a few dwellings stood at the top of a long line of steps up a steep hill. Much of the island remained natural. Yet security cameras were everywhere.
Wind whipped around her and pushed rain under the umbrella. She caught the nylon fabric before it blew backward.
The clouds and rain made it gray to almost dark outside, even though the sun wouldn’t officially go down for another half hour.
"Rains all the time down here this time of year." Shane led from the dock up the winding stairs. "Stay near me when we go inside."
"As if I have anywhere else to be," she muttered. Louder she asked, "You sure Antonio will be safe in the little storage area of the boat in the storm?"
Shane had stuffed him in there wrapped in a blanket. "I think he was coherent when I woke him up and told him where he was."
"He’s practically naked and alone."
"He’s going to be mad we burned his shirt. He loved that one. But I think what I found for him at the tourist shop will make him happy. He’s not completely naked."
She hadn’t seen how he dressed the vampire, but based on his tone, Antonio wasn’t going to be thrilled with his choice.
She rushed to keep up with him as they navigated the slippery stone stairs. At the main entryway, underneath a pergola, she brushed off water that had gotten past the umbrella. She was decently happy with her choice of jeans and the dark sweater she found at a store, but their only shoe options had been beach sandals. Shane tried to get her to go with a gaudy sweatshirt with a bedazzled Parthenon, which was a no in her book. There were moments in your life when you got judged based off appearance, and this was about to be one.
He gave her a soft, reassuring smile before he knocked on the door. Her chest squeezed.
The main house had a contemporary minimalist design with floor-to-ceiling glass windows.
He pointed toward the back of the house. "There’s a swimming pool out there and six or seven bungalows in the woods for staff and guests who want privacy."
"Is this truly your mother’s place or did she borrow it from some rich human?"
"It’s hers. She’s got a lot of places like this. She collects properties that are private and off the beaten path, but extravagant. I don’t know if she’ll be here. We usually have a family dinner on full moon nights." He glanced through the windows, distracted. "I haven’t seen her in a long time."
The last thing she wanted was to meet the mother of the sons she’d cursed.Don’t be here. Don’t be here."Super bad plan for me to meet her, don't you think?"
"Probably so." He paused at the front door. "I don’t know what to expect, but I’ll keep you safe."
"I know you will." She took his hand and squeezed.
He closed his hand tight around hers.
The front door opened. He dropped her hand.
A lycan with curly, dark hair and a manicured beard dressed in a dove gray blazer over a dark shirt and jeans met them with a sour glare.
"Efrem," Shane said neutrally.
"We were expecting you alone. Not with her." Efrem’s lips thinned as he stared at her without inviting them inside. "We thought you would secure her somewhere before arriving here."
"That’s not what I discussed with Roman."
