The Moon Rises by Angela Horn

never do more than ogle the blonde. Ella
figured Declan needed more opportunities to check her out. No matter her good intentions,
she couldn’t avoid screwing with Declan when the opportunity presented itself.
    The male Weres were standing around sweaty and
very macho when Ella entered.  None of them paid her much mind, only because
Declan called dibs on Ella years ago to avoid having anyone move in on his “kid
sister.” For Ella, his protective streak meant she was forever flirted with,
but never dated. Yeah, this alone meant Declan had some punishment coming his
way.
    Declan nodded a hello to her then returned to
talking with Dave. At first none of the males cared about Ella and her guests.
Then Dahlia pushed back her cloak and the gym fell silent.
    “No, Ella,” Declan growled, strolling forward.
“Let the Vamp work out at one of the Vamp gyms.”
    “Vamps don’t work out, Declan. They’re too busy
brooding and being stuck up for that. She needs somewhere to practice her ass
kicking moves.”
    “This is a gym for Weres.”
    Ella put on a pout and sighed. “Oh, that’s too
bad. I was really hoping to train Gigi to protect herself from all the big bads
in the Circle. I guess I’ll just tell her to suck it because she’s not a Were.”
    Declan was an expressive Were and Ella found his
face intensely entertaining. The sudden switch from pissed Alpha to horny
teenage boy was hilarious. The other guys also heard the blonde’s name and paid
attention.
    “You brought Gigi here?” Declan asked, having
regained his manly demeanor. His eyes remained too curious though.
    Ella grinned. “Sara and Justine too. Hey guys,
bad news,” she called out to the three humans who wandered forward nervously.
Gigi didn’t look nervous as she reached up and ran her fingers down the two
ponytails hanging from her head. “Oh, did I mention Gigi has pigtails?”
    Declan laughed Ella winked at him.
    “Happy birthday, jackass.”
    Dave appeared behind Declan and grinned.
“Pigtails, boss.”
    “Yeah, I see them,” Declan said with a sigh.
“Fine, Ella, your friends can stay, but keep an eye on the Vamp.”
    Ella nodded then waved the girls over. Gigi
didn’t seem any more nervous being surrounded by the male Weres here than she
was at the club. She did seem very confused about why they were at the gym. Ella
knew Gigi only agreed to come along because she didn’t like being alone.
    “Dahlia, let’s spar and see if Vamps really are
faster than Weres?”
    Dahlia gave her a lazy smile. “I’m going to kick
your ginger ass.”
    Laughing, Ella jumped into the boxing ring.
“Bring it, Goth girl.”
    Wearing a black shirt, tights, and tennis shoes,
Dahlia looked quite elegant as she danced around the ring. For all her grace
though, the Vamp wasn’t much of a fighter. Ella punched her square on the jaw
and the Vamp simply fell to the mat, staring horrified at her own blood.
    “No wonder you have so many friends,” Declan teased
as he and the other males watched from the sideline.
    “She agreed to the match,” Ella said then helped
Dahlia back to her feet. “Ready for another around.”
    “No thank you,” Dahlia muttered, exiting through
the ropes.
    “Don’t pout,” Ella sighed. “How about you,
Justine?”
    Tossing back her thick brown hair, Justine
snorted. “Screw you. I’m not getting my ass kicked by a dog.”
    Ella grinned then noticed Gigi staring at her in
that way she stared at everyone.  There was something altogether wrong about
Gigi. Something that would eventually get the blonde hurt, if not killed. Ella
pulled the ropes apart then signaled for Gigi to climb into the ring.
    “I want to show you some moves,” Ella said as
Gigi joined her.
    “What kind of moves?”
    “You live in the Circle, so you’ll need to learn
how to fight.”
    Ella showed Gigi how to hold her hands in fists
and told her to dodge any punches.
    “Ella, she doesn’t understand,” Sara said in her
cranky Sara way.
    “She