Free Diablo Lake: Moonstruck by Lauren Dane Page A

gasoline on a campfire. Her amusement melted away into anger. She needed to grow up? Her head snapped as she narrowed her eyes at him
    “Why are you blocking our way like a big, empty-headed sack of rocks?” Katie Faith demanded.
    “I heard you’d moved back home.”
    She looked at him, waiting for more until she sighed. “Yes. As you and everyone in town knows, I’ve moved back.”
    He crowded her just a little more, getting in her space. Katie Faith didn’t allow herself to move back. Darrell was playing some sort of dominance game and if she didn’t stand up to him, he’d never let her be.
    He growled a little but eased back.
    “We don’t need to have anything to do with each other. I live here but that’s really the only thing we have in common these days. And I’m cool with that.” Katie Faith added a hand at her hip because what she wanted to do was punch him.
    “I’d been hoping you could finally let go of your grudge. Come on, let’s not fight. We were close once.” He sent his patented guaranteed get to second base on the first date smile her way. “There’s no need to go turn your nose up at any other Pembry wolves because of old history. You don’t need to go lowering yourself to Dooley level.”
    Katie Faith curled her lip. That was what this was about? “You get an A-plus at insulting and patronizing.” Gah , she couldn’t believe she’d actually let him get to second base once upon a time. Probably more than once. And way more than second base. But whatever.
    “Yes, I’m back. No, I don’t wanna be best friends and hold your hair back when you’re sick. Yes, I’m sorry to see you’re still a pimple on legs. Yes, I hope your wife can handle the skid marks you leave on your underpants. Lastly, have a nice day, Darrell Wayne.” She fake-smiled at him and started to move around his body when he shifted, pressing her against a nearby wall.
    His face was a mask of anger, his wolf very close to the skin. It scared her almost as much as it made her spitting mad. Darrell’s nose nearly touched hers as he spoke. “Got anything to say now? Huh? All talk and then nothing? You used to use your mouth for something a lot better.” Sneering, he used his chest to press her back harder, the bricks digging through her shirt.
    Aimee ordered him to stop from where she stood to his right. He ignored her, keeping his attention on Katie Faith. Using his wolf to attempt to control her. Using his size to scare her into compliance.
    That wasn’t going to happen because strength didn’t necessarily have to come from size.
    That’s what pushed past the fear. No one was going to treat her that way, least of all him.
    “Get off! I’m warning you, Darrell Pembry, back your dumb ass right on up. Now!” Katie Faith kept her tone sharp, not letting any of her fear show through.
    “Or what?” He sneered, his face just inches from hers. Aimee was now pulling on his belt loop to get him away from Katie Faith but he was six and a half feet of solid muscle, he wasn’t moving anywhere. Not like that.
    He knew it.
    Before she could think about it, Katie Faith pulled her power up through the soil at her feet. Soil her people had nurtured and fed for generations now. Magic unraveled within her with sweet and seductive strength. It welcomed her back and offered itself up to her.
    She hadn’t even taken a breath after her last warning to get off her. Time snapped back into place as Katie Faith grabbed all that power with sure hands. With a whip of intention, she knocked him back and off the curb, stumbling a few feet and onto his ass.
    The noise from the sidewalk and from inside the café all died away as people gaped at Darrell Pembry picking his sorry butt up off the pavement.
    Wow, well wasn’t that a surprise? Where had that come from?
    Darrell’s face darkened as he stalked back toward her. Fear filtered past her amusement and wonder at her burst of power.
    “You bitch,” he snarled, his wolf leaking