Free Moonlight Kin 4: Tristan by Jordan Summers Page B

become
habit. Aidan’s parting words to him came rushing back.
    Once the wolf makes its decision, there’s
nothing you can do to change its mind.
    Tristan shuddered. It would not happen to
him. He’d make sure of it. Contrary to what the Alpha believed,
Tristan controlled his wolf, not the other way around.
    The cabin came into view, or at least what
was left of it. Like a lot of structures built in and around New
Orleans, this one had been lifted off the ground to protect it from
flooding. Too bad the move didn’t protect it from the elements.
    There was no paint left on the walls, except
a thin strip of haint blue around the windows and on the front
door. He’d bet his fur that the front porch roof had also been
painted the same aqua blue color. Something clinked in the tree
beside him. Tristan glanced at the branches. They were covered in
bottles.
    Like the haint blue painted on the house, the
bottle tree was there to ward off evil spirits. It was a Gullah
tradition, but obviously the Kin saw no need to get rid of it.
Tristan stared at the blue bottles covering the tree and shook his
head. He’d never been superstitious. He should remove them, but
they could use all the help they could get.
    Tristan turned off the engine. A frown marred
Isabel’s soft features as she stared at the shack.
    “I’m sure it looks better on the inside,” he
said, hoping it was true. Wolves were used to roughing it. In their
beast form, indoor plumbing and lighting wasn’t a concern.
    Isabel glanced at him. “Doesn’t matter. I
won’t be here long.”
    What did she mean by that? He wanted
to ask, but was afraid of her answer.
    Just like on the night Aidan warned him about
his wolf, Tristan felt as if someone walked over his grave.
    His wolf snarled inside him. Tristan ignored
his beast and opened the truck door. He climbed out and immediately
sank two inches into the mud. Lovely, he thought, then raised his
nose to the wind.
    Tristan wanted to get a good scent of the
area so he’d know the second something entered his territory. He
smelled stagnant water, along with fresh. The rich aroma of green
plants and lurking predators came next.
    His gaze moved through the trees to the water
beyond. Beneath that surface lurked at least one gator, quite
possibly a few. He glanced at Isabel.
    “Stay away from the water,” he said, then
grabbed his bag and hers from behind the seat and headed for the
cabin.
    The place looked as if a strong wind would
bring it crashing down upon their heads. Izzy didn’t want to think
about how many creepy crawlies had made their way inside.
    Did it even have a bathroom?
    The thought of having to traipse into the
woods to do her business left her uneasy. Tristan may be a woodland
creature, but Izzy was not.
    He climbed the stairs. The sweats molded to
his tight butt like a second skin. There wasn’t an inch of fat on
him. Everly was right. Tristan did resemble one of the
Avengers.
    Izzy sighed. It would be so much easier if he
were an eyesore. As much as she wanted to hide out in the truck,
she had to go inside. Tristan opened the front door and disappeared
into the dark interior.
    She waited, but he didn’t come back out. Izzy
pulled her phone out of her purse and quickly dialed Stone. The
phone rang and rang, but he didn’t pick up.
    “Where are you?” she muttered. Her eyes
remained locked on the front door.
    Izzy saw a flash of white and quickly turned
the phone off and put it away. She didn’t want Tristan to know that
she had it. No doubt he’d take it away. She’d just have to try to
get in touch with Stone later, when Tristan wasn’t around.
    That thought brought her up short. What if he
was serious about not letting her out of his sight? It didn’t
matter. He had to go to sleep sometime or take a shower. Izzy would
figure something out.
    She shoved the door open and climbed out of
the truck. Izzy tiptoed through the mud, though it didn’t do her or
her shoes much good. She glanced at the