Read Online Taken by Moonlight by Dorothy McFalls - Free Book Online
Authors: Dorothy McFalls
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the room. “They’re all mad. We can’t stay here.”
Lettie led Lia toward the door. Dimitri lifted a hand to warn the others not to stop her. If Lia needed to run away, if she needed time to accept what she was, he was willing to give that to her. It was the least he could do.
“But what about my parents?” Lia asked. She pulled away from her aunt’s embrace but remained quite an uncomfortable distance from Dimitri. “My father is the Earl of Hawthorn. My mother is the Countess of Hawthorn. You wish to harm them? Why?”
“That bastard isn’t your father,” Misha said before Dimitri could answer Lia. His sister nearly spat the words. “Aren’t you listening? The great Lev sired you. Sasha gave birth to you. They were both wolves. How can you believe otherwise?”
Lia’s hands trembled and the color drained from her cheeks. She stumbled back toward the door as if Misha had struck her. “Aunt Lettie? Is this true? I’m not my parents’ daughter?”
“Of course you are their child.”
“Don’t lie to her!” Misha shouted. “She does not belong to them! She never has!”
“L-Lettie?” Lia’s eyes filled with tears.
“Oh, how I’d prayed this day would never come, my child.” Lettie pulled her niece into a tight embrace. “You’re the child of their heart. Never doubt that. Their love for you has always been real.”
“But I’m not their natural-born daughter?”
Her aunt nodded. “I’m only one in a very small number who know the truth. It happened while your father was serving the Foreign Office, acting as envoy to the royal family in Russia. They’d discovered your mother could not bear children. So they adopted you.”
“Stole you,” Vlad said, much to Dimitri’s chagrin. But, hell, it was the truth. “Ripped you from your dying mother’s arms. But now we have you back. Once more you belong to us.”
“ With us,” Dimitri corrected.
With them? This was all too much for Lia to take. As she shook her head, she soaked in the sight of the gaunt, unkempt men and women surrounding her. Their eyes were hollow with hunger. Why would anyone in such a position want to add to their numbers?
“I don’t know who your true parents were. I was told they had died,” Aunt Lettie said quietly.
“They were murdered,” Misha growled, “by your parents’ hands.”
“No, I cannot believe that,” Lia said, regaining some of her color. “I will not believe that.”
“They are hunters ,” another said as if being a hunter was an abomination. She supposed to them, to a wolf, it would be. “We have rescued you from them. And you will save us from being starved to death by the hunters, as it has been foretold.”
“Rescued me?” She clutched her throat and fought the urge to laugh...or cry. “I have spent the night in a gentleman’s bed who is not my husband. You did not rescue me. You have ruined me.” Hot tears spilled down her cheeks as the reality of last night began to take hold. “Do you think I can help you when you have stripped me of all I have, all I am? Because of last night, no one will look at me. My parents, such as they are, will no doubt cross the street rather than be seen with me.”
“No, Lia,” Aunt Lettie protested. “They wouldn’t. They—”
Lia refused to listen. She flung her hands in the air. “I’ll starve in the gutter alongside you, and no one will notice. You have doomed me to your fate, not elevated yourself to mine. Why can’t you see that? How can you be so blind? How can you sit there and think I would even want to help you? You…you…you don’t understand what-what you ha—”
Warm hands enveloped her, pulled her close to a scent she knew and trusted. Her entire body quaked with the shock of having her world pulled out from beneath her feet. She sobbed into his chest, ruining his finely cut coat with her tears. And still, he kept holding her.
“She is correct. It is time we start using our minds instead of acting solely on
Lettie led Lia toward the door. Dimitri lifted a hand to warn the others not to stop her. If Lia needed to run away, if she needed time to accept what she was, he was willing to give that to her. It was the least he could do.
“But what about my parents?” Lia asked. She pulled away from her aunt’s embrace but remained quite an uncomfortable distance from Dimitri. “My father is the Earl of Hawthorn. My mother is the Countess of Hawthorn. You wish to harm them? Why?”
“That bastard isn’t your father,” Misha said before Dimitri could answer Lia. His sister nearly spat the words. “Aren’t you listening? The great Lev sired you. Sasha gave birth to you. They were both wolves. How can you believe otherwise?”
Lia’s hands trembled and the color drained from her cheeks. She stumbled back toward the door as if Misha had struck her. “Aunt Lettie? Is this true? I’m not my parents’ daughter?”
“Of course you are their child.”
“Don’t lie to her!” Misha shouted. “She does not belong to them! She never has!”
“L-Lettie?” Lia’s eyes filled with tears.
“Oh, how I’d prayed this day would never come, my child.” Lettie pulled her niece into a tight embrace. “You’re the child of their heart. Never doubt that. Their love for you has always been real.”
“But I’m not their natural-born daughter?”
Her aunt nodded. “I’m only one in a very small number who know the truth. It happened while your father was serving the Foreign Office, acting as envoy to the royal family in Russia. They’d discovered your mother could not bear children. So they adopted you.”
“Stole you,” Vlad said, much to Dimitri’s chagrin. But, hell, it was the truth. “Ripped you from your dying mother’s arms. But now we have you back. Once more you belong to us.”
“ With us,” Dimitri corrected.
With them? This was all too much for Lia to take. As she shook her head, she soaked in the sight of the gaunt, unkempt men and women surrounding her. Their eyes were hollow with hunger. Why would anyone in such a position want to add to their numbers?
“I don’t know who your true parents were. I was told they had died,” Aunt Lettie said quietly.
“They were murdered,” Misha growled, “by your parents’ hands.”
“No, I cannot believe that,” Lia said, regaining some of her color. “I will not believe that.”
“They are hunters ,” another said as if being a hunter was an abomination. She supposed to them, to a wolf, it would be. “We have rescued you from them. And you will save us from being starved to death by the hunters, as it has been foretold.”
“Rescued me?” She clutched her throat and fought the urge to laugh...or cry. “I have spent the night in a gentleman’s bed who is not my husband. You did not rescue me. You have ruined me.” Hot tears spilled down her cheeks as the reality of last night began to take hold. “Do you think I can help you when you have stripped me of all I have, all I am? Because of last night, no one will look at me. My parents, such as they are, will no doubt cross the street rather than be seen with me.”
“No, Lia,” Aunt Lettie protested. “They wouldn’t. They—”
Lia refused to listen. She flung her hands in the air. “I’ll starve in the gutter alongside you, and no one will notice. You have doomed me to your fate, not elevated yourself to mine. Why can’t you see that? How can you be so blind? How can you sit there and think I would even want to help you? You…you…you don’t understand what-what you ha—”
Warm hands enveloped her, pulled her close to a scent she knew and trusted. Her entire body quaked with the shock of having her world pulled out from beneath her feet. She sobbed into his chest, ruining his finely cut coat with her tears. And still, he kept holding her.
“She is correct. It is time we start using our minds instead of acting solely on
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