Black Moon (23 page)

“Let’s exit this disgusting joke of a home,” says Mrs. Conway, her family and Followers silently following suit. “And Benjamin,” she purrs before her grand exit, “don’t bother following.” Inhumanly, she kisses his cheek in farewell.

Cameron and Ethan appear pained for a short time, but their faces return to the way they always look—conniving and unsympathetic.

So, Ben just lost his family. That’s fine; let them find out what Alaric has in store for them. Let them show up tomorrow. I
want
to see them murdered.

Do not trouble yourself with them, Candra lovely,
says
Daciana
.
None of what happened today will matter tomorrow, and nothing that happens tomorrow will matter afterward.

What are you talking about?

Because of Maggie’s plan, all of this will be changed.

Then this conversation will never happen, and Ben will have his family back.

Precisely.

My heart cracks a little at seeing Ben put up a good front. Nobody makes a noise as we all stand around, watching him, waiting for a fit of laughter, an epidemic of tears—anything. He doesn’t peel his eyes from the front door, even though his family is long gone.

“Ben,” I murmur, touching his arm. “Why don’t we go upstairs so we can discuss tomorrow’s events?”

He barely nods, like his mind is vacant, and drags his feet following me to my room. I usher him toward the bed, lightly pressing against his chest so he’ll sit down. Staring at the carpet, he doesn’t acknowledge me when I take my place beside him. This is going to be a boring, one-sided conversation.

“If you want, we can wait until the morning to discuss—”

“No!” he blurts. “We need to get this over with, Candra. Whatever idea Maggie flung into your head . . . I’m in.”

Startled, I respond, “Good, because I can’t do it without you.” I grin in hopes it’ll alleviate his grief.

Beth steps into the doorway. “Sorry, dear, but is there anything we can do?” I know she’s artfully prying on what the plan is, and undoubtedly because Ben and I are in my bedroom, on my bed. If this situation occurred in a normal setting, I’d be flushed with awkwardness, maybe even a little giggly.

Using my most compassionate smile to remove all misgivings from Beth’s mind, I reply, “The only thing I need you guys to do is stay far, far away from the Town Hall tomorrow. Other than that, I think we’re all set.”

Beth, pursing her lips, turns and disappears from sight.

“So, let’s hear it, then.” Ben delivers a sidelong glance. “Since we might die tomorrow, I’d like to know how it’ll all go down.”

~*~

After long discussions all day with Ben, my family, and friends, I’m exhausted. My mind won’t stop playing numerous scenarios which might occur tomorrow, all resulting in an altered ending. Either we live or die, but the second of the two is what speaks to me. Hands down, we can’t expect to fight Ancients and win.

Jana seems to be the most hard-hit out of everyone, for some reason; she’s cried non-stop, and just when we think she’s kaput, she surprises us again. The adults, however, are taking the news extremely well. If I’m going to die in less than twenty-four hours, I want to spend every last second in happiness, with those I love. Thank the heavens they’re all under the same roof.

“I just d-don’t understand why it has to be
youuu
,” Jana states, which brings on another surge of tears. I’ve consoled her as much as I can, but nothing I say seems to do the trick. So, I hug her tighter.

“Just think . . . if it works, I’ll see you again. If not, well, it’s up to you guys to end him.”

Jana buries her face on my shoulder, and my shirt begins to dampen.

“It’s okay,” I tell her. “Ben and I—we’re going to figure a way out.”

“But w-what if you don’t?” She looks up at me, sniveling.

“Then we don’t,” I state matter-of-factly. “Jana, you have to realize that you all need to be strong enough to carry on where Ben and I left off if something goes wrong.” And I’m fairly certain everyone in this room knows that the plan
will
go awry, because we’re screwed.

“All right, everyone. We have a long day ahead of us tomorrow, so we’ll need rest,” Beth says, shooing everyone out of the living room. She makes her best argument about Ben and I sleeping in the same bed, but in the end, he and I win. We simply tell her that she can’t separate us, even when we’re apart. That’s a downside—or is it an upside?—of being marked. Also, Beth’s run out of guest rooms to sleep people, what with Blake and Jana, my parents, and Jana’s parents staying with us tonight. Luckily, Mom and Dad didn’t attempt to join the minor argument. I think they detect Ben and I need to be alone for our final evening together.

Settling in under the covers, Ben asks, “Who would’ve thought I’d be under Randy and Beth’s roof, let alone sleeping in the same bed as you? Crazy.”

“Times are changing, I think.” I lie on my back, head resting on my palms, staring up at the ceiling.

Ben snorts. “Weird how everything relates to time, isn’t it?”

I smirk. “I guess I never really caught that.”

“So,” he says, rolling on his side, “what are we going to do on our last night together?”

“I don’t know. Is there something you had in mind?”

He runs his index finger from the base of my stomach, past my bellybutton, up to my neck, where he stops and reverses. “I can think of a few things.”

Involuntarily, I shiver.

“Cold?” he asks.

I swallow to mend the dryness in my throat. “No, I’m fine.”

But Ben being Ben, he won’t take no for an answer. Curling up next to me, he tugs at my waist until my body lies parallel against his. I snuggle my head in the crook of his neck.

“Better?” he says.

I nod. “Much better.”

We’re mute for a while, and just when I believe he’s asleep, he murmurs against my hair, “If something happens to me tomorrow, I’m going to miss you.”

I frown, even though he can’t see my face. “Nothing’s going to happen to you or me. We’re going to make it through this, Benjamin Conway. Don’t let anybody tell you otherwise.”

He sighs gently. “You don’t know—”

I silence him with a kiss. My hands find the sides of his face to hold it steady. At first, he stills at my sudden affection, but his lips and muscles and body liquefy. He runs his fingers through my hair, pulling lightly so that my head falls back, neck arching. Bending his head, he trails kisses so featherlike, so
tender
, it’s like they don’t exist.

“Ben,” I say, which sounds more like a moan than a word.

He doesn’t respond.

 
“Ben, we can’t . . .”

“
Mmm
,” he hums, transmitting vibrations against my skin. “And why not?” He pushes against me until I’m on my back, and he’s on top.

The werewolf in me says,
Don’t stop, keep going
, but my human self, the one that’s barely able to comprehend my own name at the moment, is telling me not to go through with this. We need our strength for the battle tomorrow. I understand that Ben wants me; we’re marked and we have a connection that most people dream of. But we can’t be together now, not when there isn’t a real cause to celebrate.

I attempt to shove him off me, but it backfires. He crushes me under his weight, pinning both of my arms above my head. All of our vital body parts converge. Heart pounding wildly in my chest, I feel as if I’m suffocating underneath him—and ninety-eight percent of me isn’t complaining.

Ben dips his head so his lips grace mine. Against them, he whispers, “Tell me no. Tell me you don’t want me and I’ll leave you alone.”

“I do want you, but not like this, not right now. Please, Ben,” I plead. “Uncle?”

“You can only call uncle if you’re being tickled.” One eyebrow rises in mock suspicion.

“Don’t even think about it!” I warn him, but it’s too late. He releases my arms so he can use his hands to tease my sides. I erupt with laughter. “Uncle! Uncle!” I shriek, but he’s relentless.

“Nope. Not going to stop,” he says.

“Please, Ben! Uncle!”

Finally, after oodles of hilarity, he ends the
ticklefest
and pulls me up to him so we sit face to face. Brushing away strands of my untamed hair, he says, “You’re so beautiful.”

I can’t help it; I blush and lower my eyes. “So are you,” I joke.

He smiles, but doesn’t answer with witticism. In its place: “You’re right. We’re going to need our strength for tomorrow. If we’re not refreshed, we may not make it out alive.” Laying me back down, he nestles beside me under the covers.

With a light kiss on my forehead, he says, “Goodnight, Princess.”

“Night,” I mumble, closing my eyes.

Chapter Sixteen

I
swear my eyes aren’t closed fifteen minutes before a voice enters my head. Yes,
enters
. As in: takes over my psyche.

Come to my house, both of you. I’ve had a premonition,
says Maggie, her voice more imperative than I’ve ever heard.

Ben rises before I do. “
Seriously?
It’s, like, after midnight,” he complains.

“Must be really important if she’s contacting us this way. She’s never done
that
before. I didn’t even know she had the ability.” I force myself to sit up, though my body begs me not to do this.

Ben, sliding of the bed, says, “She’s an Ancient, so what do you expect?”

“What if it isn’t Maggie?” I think aloud. “What if it’s a trap?”

“Nobody can enter our minds except Ancients.”

“Right. So, it might be
him
.”

Opening my bedroom door, Ben says, “It’s not, Candra. Can’t explain it, but I know it’s her.”

The house is dark, excluding the lights outside the front door and over the back porch. Ben and I decide it’ll be faster if we shift. I remember walking everywhere a few months ago because I didn’t have a car or werewolf capabilities—which totally sucked in the cold weather. I am
so
glad those days are over.

It takes all of five minutes to arrive. Maggie waits for us on the front porch. With a quick snap of her fingers, we’re human, and clothed.

“No time to waste,” she says, quickly closing the door. She guides the two of us to her kitchen table, while she stands by the sink. Same as the last time we were here.

“What’d you see?” Ben asks.

“Many things,” she says. “All of them good, to a certain point.”

She pauses, so we wait for her to continue.

“I can only see to a specific area,” she explains. “I can’t view the past.”

Ben’s eyes squint. “What are you talking about?”

Maggie twists one of her wipe cloths between her hands. “I know how the fight will happen tomorrow, every move he and his friends will make. But I can’t see further than that, which means you two will go back in time.”

“We’ll survive that long?” My eyebrows ascend in amazement. “I’m shocked. Didn’t see that one coming.”

“Yeah, neither did I,” Ben chimes in. “So, what do we do?”