Bad Moon Rising - Paranormal Romance (11 page)

It was just a coincidence!

But what had Steve told her about coincidences?

There is no such thing as a coincidence. Everything happens for a reason.

The next several days passed without incident. Mya began to relax, brushing off her encounter with the owl. There were no more murders, and everyone she knew was still alive. She’d slipped into a comfortable routine, and although settling domestic disputes and filing papers wasn’t exactly exciting, at least she was sleeping better at night.

She hadn’t seen David since the day he’d kissed her. It was like he’d disappeared from the face of the earth. When she’d casually brought up the subject to Donny, he told her that David and his friends didn’t visit Window Rock frequently.

It was already the weekend again, but Mya was determined that this Saturday night wouldn’t be nearly as dreary as the last one had been. This weekend there was a powwow in Window Rock. She’d never gone to one of these events and was excited to check it out.

Because she’d never been to a powwow, she hadn’t the slightest idea how to dress. Of course she didn’t have anything traditional to wear, and even if she did, she’d feel out of place wearing it. She finally decided on casual and pulled a white - lacey shirt and a pair of blue jeans from her closet.

Mya stood in front of the mirror trying to decide if she should even bother to style her hair. Sighing, she grabbed the curling iron and plugged it in. Though she knew it would probably be limp by the end of the night, she went ahead and spent the next half hour trying to put a little curl into her hair. When she was done she ran her fingers through the curls to fluff it out.

Mya wasn’t exactly excited about going alone, but it was better than spending another night at home. She had hoped Donny would go with her, but he had to fill in for a patrol officer tonight.

Her drive into town passed faster than usual. Before she knew it, she was only a block away from the powwow and could already hear the singing and drums. The dance arena was set up in the large parking lot of a grocery store. Several vendors had erected booths outside the dance area and were selling everything from Indian Tacos to beaded jewelry.

There was nowhere to park except for on the street, but she was lucky enough to find a spot close to the arena. After locking her car, Mya made her way to the area surrounding the arena where she could view the dancers.

From where she stood, the drums were so loud they seemed to vibrate the earth she stood on. Fascinated by the colorful costumes and fluid - graceful movement of the dancers, Mya had a hard time pulling her eyes away. Hypnotized by their strange - sometimes erratic dance, she lost track of time.

Mya had no idea how long she stood there, but she suddenly felt like she couldn’t swallow. Her throat was so dry it was as if it were on fire. She needed something to drink.

Glancing around, she saw a nearby vending booth. On the front of the booth was a crude cardboard sign advertising soda for a dollar. It was tricky to get out of the way of the crowd, but finally Mya managed to break free.

A short - round Indian woman smiled when she walked up to the booth. “
Ya'at eeh
,”

Mya tried to return the woman’s greeting in
Dineh
, but failed miserably. Giving up, she said hello in English and asked for a soda.

While paying the woman, Mya felt a hand on her shoulder. She turned abruptly, surprised to see Trent Metzger standing behind her. He was wearing a wide grin on his face.

“It’s all in the way you move your tongue,” he told her, referring to her clumsy attempt at the Navajo language.

Mya was on guard instantly. She didn’t know exactly what it was, but there was something about Trent Metzger that made her uncomfortable. He wasn’t outwardly menacing, but there seemed to be something dark just beneath the surface. To be fair about it, Mya wasn’t so sure if it was actually him that put her on edge, or the fact that he was believed to be a skinwalker.

Mya shook her head, pretending to be absorbed with the task of opening her soda. She took a big drink and gave Trent a sideward glance. He was looking good tonight. She liked the way the breeze played with his wavy brown hair.

Mya didn’t respond, but waited for him to continue. She was hoping that he would finally divulge whatever information he’d been keeping to himself.

“It’s kind of hard to have a conversation here,” he told her. “Why don’t we go somewhere that’s a little quieter?”

“My car’s parked on the street. It won’t be so noisy there.” She could tell by the disappointment in his eyes that he had been hoping to go somewhere more secluded, but Mya wasn’t going for it.

Just then she heard the rumbling of motorcycles approaching and her heart leaped into her throat. Mya turned in the direction the sound was coming from, but couldn’t see anything except headlights. It was David; she was sure of it.

As the four bikes passed by, David turned his head sharply in their direction. Mya was shocked to see rage in his eyes.

Trent was watching the bikers closely, especially David. They reminded her of two opposing predators - sizing each other up. David’s three companions continued down the road, but he turned around.

When Mya realized he was coming back, she suddenly felt like a trapped animal. After their last encounter, she wasn’t sure she could face him again. She was still angry at how he’d left her, but mostly she was embarrassed at how easily he’d managed to sweep her off her feet.

He gradually slowed the bike, bringing it to a stop next to Mya’s car. With one powerful leg, he pushed the kickstand into place before dismounting.

Mya felt her body stiffen. She had no idea what to expect, but she had a feeling it wouldn’t be pretty. Though she didn’t know either of them all that well, their dislike of each other was hard to miss. It was in the way they stared each other down. One was waiting for the other to make a move - give them an excuse to go on the attack.

“You out trolling again?” David directed his question to Trent.

Trent was smiling, but his eyes were as hard as granite. “Just having a little chat with a beautiful lady.”

Mya’s pulse quickened when David’s eyes rested on her. For some reason, she didn’t want him to think that she was romantically interested in Trent, but to blurt that out would give away too much.

Thoughts were firing in her head so fast that it was difficult to grasp onto any one thing. David had told her to leave the reservation and that she shouldn’t come looking for him again, but yet here he was. Twice now he’d approached her.

Her confusion grew every time she saw David Bray. There was an air of danger about him that was difficult to dismiss, but at the same time, she found it intoxicating to be with him.

Mya thought about the last time she’d seen him, and how it had felt to be in his arms. There were moments when she thought that she’d do anything to feel that again, but then common sense would prevail. He’d been the one to walk away that day. There was no denying that there was some major chemistry between them, but for whatever reason, he didn’t seem interested in pursuing it.

“I don’t know,” Mya said, looking away so that he wouldn’t see the reflection of smoldering passion and anger in her eyes.

“I just want to talk,” David told her, spreading his arms wide. “I swear I won’t touch you.”

Great! That’s just what she wanted to hear.

“I don’t.” Trent’s lips spread into a playful - sadistic smile. “But then again … you are not the only one that could get hurt out of this.”

David’s features were shadowed with a dark frown. “I’m smarter than that Metzger. If I were you … I’d be a little more worried about myself.”

Mya was glad that David didn’t react. The last thing she felt like doing was refereeing a fight, especially if she had no idea what it was about.

As they picked up speed, Mya felt herself slide on the seat. She instinctively tightened her arms around his waist and held on. The crisp night air that blew in her face was refreshing - a welcome relief from the blistering heat of the day.

As they flew down the highway, Mya felt such a rush of intense exhilaration that she could only liken it to resurrection. For the first time in as long as she could remember, she really felt alive. It was like she was shedding the old her and was being replaced by someone new and exciting.

Once they’d left Window Rock behind, everything around them seemed to change - becoming almost magical. Mya tilted her head to look at the endless expanse of sky above them. The stars were like twinkling jewels that went on forever. As long as she lived, she was sure she’d never look at the night sky quite the same again. It was literally one of the most beautiful sights she’d ever seen.

A feeling of complete and utter abandonment came over her and she realized that this must be what it felt like to be free - really free. But it was more than the beauty of the night that had her reeling; his nearness was sending her senses into overdrive. The warmth of his body against her chest and arms was electrifying.

Mya was so caught up in the moment that it never even crossed her mind to wonder where he was taking her. As the bike tore through the night on that Arizona highway, Mya realized that she should be afraid, but she wasn’t. The truth was, she couldn’t remember a time that she felt as good as she did then.

She’d lost track of time and had no idea how long they drove, but finally David slowed the bike and turned off onto one of the endless dirt roads that twisted through Navajo country. There was enough moonlight that Mya could see massive cliffs up ahead. They were headed right for them. David didn’t stop until they reached a large rock overhang at the base of the cliffs.

Mya slid off the bike before David so that he would have room to swing his leg over the seat.

Now that the ride was over, Mya felt some common sense returning, and with it came a twinge of fear. “What are we doing here?” she asked.

David reached into one of the bike’s saddlebags and took out a flashlight. “Here … you can use this.”

Without answering her question, he strode to an area beneath the overhang and began to gather some wood that was stacked nearby. While Mya watched, David arranged the logs in a fire pit someone had already built. Before long, flames were shooting up from beneath the logs and it was bright enough she could switch off the flashlight.

David settled in a spot next to the fire and silently stared into the flames.

“You never answered my question,” she reminded him. “Why are we here?”

“We need somewhere private so we can talk. My place is too far … and you didn’t exactly invite me to yours,” he smiled. “Besides, I really like this place. This is where I come when the world gets too crazy.”

“What is there to talk about? I thought you told me you didn’t want to see me … and then you walked off on me the other day.” Mya couldn’t resist jabbing him with that. She still felt a little hurt over the way he had left.