Blood Moon (Moons of the Wolf Series Book 1) (11 page)

Melody peered out of the kitchen and her face fell, “Kit!  Oh my goodness!”  She ran towards Samantha and Kedar, dropping the hand towel she had been using to dry dishes.

“She saved this child from a group of vampires.  From what I saw, it was too late for his parents by the time she got there…”  Kedar replied, his voice flat.

Melody took the child from Samantha and touched his face.  He was dirty, with stains of his parent’s blood on his clothing.  She frowned and turned to Samantha, “Sam…”

“I’m okay, Auntie…”  She breathed, closing her eyes, “He’s a wolf, but his parents weren’t…  I could smell it.  He’s either adopted or he was kidnapped…”  It took all of Samantha’s energy to speak, and she kept her eyes closed, on the brink of unconsciousness.

Melody looked at Kedar, “I’ll find out from Chantal if he’s in the system.  Can you handle taking care of Samantha?”

Kedar nodded, “You deal with the kid and I’ll deal with Sam…”

Melody nodded and carried the child into the other room.

Kedar carried Samantha up the stairs and into her bedroom.  He made her sit on the edge of the bed, holding her up as he brushed the hair out of her face.  He wiped blood from the corner of her mouth, his hand shaking slightly.  His eyes were full of fury, but his hands were gentle, his delicate movements betraying the emotion in his eyes.  He held her face again, more gentle this time, making her look him in the eyes.

“Don’t you ever do that again.  Do you hear me?  Don’t you ever try fighting them alone again,” He snapped, his voice firm.

She stared at him for a moment, before speaking, summoning more energy from within herself, “What was I supposed to do?”  She croaked, “Leave a baby at their disposal?  I was not going to let them kill him…  Not after I watched them kill his father…”  She tried to stand, instantaneously angry.

Kedar sighed and made her sit down again, kneeling in front of her, “Please, just don’t do it again.  They would have killed you had I not come along…”

“Since when did you care?”  Samantha snapped weakly.

Hurt flashed across Kedar’s face and he pulled Samantha into a careful hug, “Don’t talk like that…  I’ve always cared…”

Samantha sat there in shock for a few minutes, silent and not moving.  Then she wrapped her arms around him, hugging him as tightly as she could.  He held her tighter, almost hesitantly, burying in face in her hair and taking a deep breath.

“Can we please stop fighting now…?  I missed you...”  Samantha begged through tears.

“I don’t know.  Do you promise not to get yourself killed?”  He kissed the top of your head, “Or at least let me save you if you almost do?”

Samantha laughed, “You might want to stay away, I’m kind of taken, and I’m sure my boyfriend would like to do some saving sometime…”

Kedar tensed up a bit, but he just buried his face deeper into her hair, “I couldn’t stay away from you even if I wanted to…”  He mumbled, rubbing her back slowly.  He held her close for a moment longer before pulling away and cupping her chin, tilting her face up to his, “Are you going to be alright?”

Samantha nodded, “I’m going to be fine.  I probably only have a few cracked ribs…”  She laughed weakly, but Kedar was not amused.  “We need to go talk to the pack now…”

“No, we don’t.”  Kedar got onto her bed and laid down, pulling her close to him, “You just need to relax…”

“Kit, you don’t understand, they were less than a two hundred feet away from Alex’s backyard.  What if they were Anastasia and her daughter?”

“They weren’t trust me.  From what Kyle said, Anastasia is at least three-hundred years old.  Those vampires were much younger.  A fledgling, which is a newly turned vampire, is weaker than their sire, the vampire who turned them.  As they get “older” they become stronger, and the longer they’re able to go without feeding.  Until they reach their peak, which is around seven-hundred years old, and then they’re weaker, unless they’ve recently fed.  Those vampires though, they were definitely not a three-hundred year old brood mistress and her daughter.  Trust me.”

Samantha didn’t say a word.  She simply curled up against Kedar’s side.  He wrapped his arms around her tighter and kissed her head gently, starting to rub her side.

“We still have to tell the pack…”

Kedar continued to rub her side, sliding his hand up under her shirt, “Later…  I just want to hold you…  Plus, I know you need the rest.  You won’t heal otherwise…”

Samantha smiled and drifted off to sleep in his arms.

CHAPTER 13

After calling Chantal Melody decided that she would keep the child overnight.  She had provided Chantal with a description of the little boy, and she had determined that the child was a young boy named Daniel, who had been in the system since birth.  The two people who he had been with were his new parents, who had recently adopted him.  Chantal was going to pick Danny up in the morning, instead of sending another social worker out to do it that night.

Melody carried Danny upstairs, rubbing the child’s back slowly.  She went into her room, frowning.  She didn’t have a place for him to sleep.  She put him down on her bed and put her pillows along the edges of her bed so he wouldn’t roll off.  She walked over to her window, looking outside.  The sun had already begun to set even though it was only quarter passed five.  She closed the blinds and went to her dresser.  As she was sorting through her clothes there was a knock on her door.

“Come in,” She replied quietly.

Samantha stepped into the room, limping slightly, “How is he?”

“He’s fine.  I spoke to Chantal, he was indeed in the system.  She has to fill out paper work, and she’s going to put that he was abandoned.  There might be a police investigation.  You’ll probably have to give a statement, since you were the one that found him.”

“Okay, that’s fine.  I feel responsible for him, anyway, since I did find him.  Can I watch him tonight?”  Samantha’s voice was soft and she shifted her weight from one foot to the other, which she immediately regretted.

Melody was shocked, but she nodded, “Of course.  Is Kit still here?”

Samantha nodded, “Yeah, he hasn’t left.”

“There may be a collapsible playpen in the basement that Danny can sleep in.  I was going to get it after I changed.”

“I’ll have Kedar get it,” Samantha responded.  She picked Danny up off the bed and carried him to her room.

Kedar was laying on the bed and he sat up, running his fingers through his hair, “No more alone time?”

“We’ve been alone since we got back.  We don’t need any more alone time.”  Samantha sighed, “My aunt says there may be a collapsible playpen in the basement.  It’d be hidden in the storage room to the left of my studio if there was one.  Can you go and look?”

Kedar nodded and got up off the bed slowly, “Okay, I guess…”  He mumbled as he left the room.

Samantha smiled at him softly, “Thanks, I appreciate it.”

She carefully dressed Danny in some toddler sized clothing she had in the back of her closet.  She laid him down on her bed, using her pillows as bumpers the same way that her aunt did and she changed into sweatpants and a tank-top in her bathroom.  When she came out Kedar was setting up the old play-pen in the corner of her room with Danny sitting on the floor beside him.  When it was all set up Samantha placed some blankets and a small pillow inside the playpen and she put Danny down for the night.  Kedar sat on the edge of Samantha’s bed and he looked at her.

“Why don’t we go grab something to eat?”  Samantha suggested, crossing her arms across her chest.  Kedar simply nodded in response and followed Samantha down the stairs and into the kitchen.  She started getting the ingredients to make macaroni and cheese, putting a pot of water on the stove to boil.  She got two sodas from the fridge and handed one to Kedar.  He nodded his head once in thanks as he took it from her and opened it.

“So, what have you been up to?”  Samantha asked as she leaned against the counter and took a sip of her soda.

“Work.  Lots and lots of work,” Kedar replied in short.

Samantha hesitated.  She had spent weeks smelling another woman’s perfume on him, she wasn’t so sure if he had really been spending lots of time “working”.  But she wasn’t going to say anything about that.  “I see,” She responded.

The silence that followed was awkward.  It hung in their air, but finally Kedar cleared his throat and spoke, “How are you and Riley?”  His voice was tight when he spoke and Samantha could swear she saw his jaw clench out of the corner of her eye.

“Oh.  We’re okay I guess.  He’s still my boyfriend.  But don’t you have a girlfriend now?  Why do you care?”  Samantha didn’t mean for her voice to be so sharp, but it was and she felt the blood rush to her face as she turned bright red.

“I don’t have a girlfriend,” Kedar snapped defensively.

“Then whose perfume have you been reeking of at pack meetings?”  Samantha retorted coldly.

“Not my girlfriend’s.  You should know best of all that just because you’ve slept with someone doesn’t mean they’re your girlfriend…  Or boyfriend.”

“So she was just a booty call?”  Samantha scowled and turned to the now boiling pot of water.  She didn’t know why she was so jealous, but she wasn’t going to analyze her feelings at this very moment.

“And that was all I was to you.  So where’s the problem here?”  Samantha could hear the hurt hiding under the anger in Kedar’s voice.

“No.  That’s not what you were.  Not at all.”  Samantha whispered.

Kedar was silent.

“I already told you that I was done fighting, okay?”  Samantha scuffed her foot on the floor then poured the macaroni into the boiling water.

Kedar stood and stepped close to Samantha.  He put his hands on her hips and she caught her breath in her throat, “If I wasn’t just a booty call, then what am I to you?”

Samantha was silent for a long moment, trying to figure out exactly how she wanted to word her answer.  She took a deep breath and she stepped away from Kedar, turning around to look at him, “You’re my friend Kit…” She started.  She could see the hurt on his face, but she continued, “I shouldn’t have had sex with you.  But that doesn’t mean that I don’t care about you…”

Kedar stepped back and looked away, “Oh…”

***

In the morning Chantal came to the house to pick of Danny and bring him to a licensed foster home.  Samantha sat in the window sill, watching as she pulled up in front of the house and made her way up to the front door.  She picked Danny up off the floor and brought him to the front door, opening it before Chantal could ring the doorbell.

“Morning Chantal,” Samantha greeted her, smiling and stepping aside so that she could come in.

“Good morning, Samantha.  Where is Melody?”  Chantal asked as she stepped into the entry way.

“She went to work already.  But Kedar has been here with me helping me watch Danny,” Samantha said, “He was good, he didn’t fuss at all last night.”

Chantal nodded and looked around, “That’s good.  Very good.”

Kedar came into the room and shook Chantal’s hand, “What’s going to happen to him?”  He asked.

“Well, he’s going to be put back into the system and then someone will either foster or adopt him,” Chantal answered frankly.

“He’s a wolf Chantal.  He can’t be placed with a regular family.”  Samantha retorted.

“I can take him in for a while at least,” Kedar offered as he shrugged his shoulders.

“Melody is looking into getting her foster license so she can foster him,” Chantal responded, taking Danny from Samantha.

“Can we visit him until then?” Samantha asked.

“Once Melody sends in her background check and she’s been cleared.  But after that of course you can.”  Chantal responded, then she looked at Danny, “Say bye, Daniel…” She prompted.  He simply hid his face in her curly blonde locks.

“Bye, Danny.  Be a good boy,” Samantha said.  Chantal walked out the door and went down the driveway to her car.  Samantha watched out the window as Chantal got Danny into a car seat and then drove away from the house.  She frowned to herself and she turned back to Kedar.

“We have to go talk to the pack.  I’ll call Alex and have them set up a meeting.”  Samantha said softly, going to walk passed Kedar.

He placed his hand on her hip and stopped her from going passed him, “I want to talk about us, first.”

“We already did, Kit.  Come on.”

“Sam, come on.  I just want to know if you mean what you said last night.”

“Kit…”

“You were cuddled up against me when I woke up this morning, with your head on my chest.  I know you were sleeping…but you looked so happy and peaceful…”

Samantha looked away from him and he touched her cheek with his fingertips, “I really care about you, Sam…”  She still didn’t say anything so Kedar pressed his lips lightly against hers.  She leaned into the kiss and wrapped her arms around his neck.  He smiled, but he continued to kiss her.

***

Two hours later Samantha and Kedar were pulling up in front of Alex’s house.  Samantha had called an emergency meeting to inform the pack about her run-in with the vampires.  They let themselves in, Kedar walking close behind Samantha.  They went straight into the den, where the pack was waiting for them.  Samantha quickly scanned the room and noticed immediately that Charlotte was not there.  Samantha pursed her lips and sat down, Kedar putting himself beside her before Riley could.

“Your aunt told us that you were attacked, why did you wait until now to call a meeting?”  Colin asked as soon as Samantha was sitting.

“She was injured, she needed her rest…”  Kedar snarled, responding for Samantha.

“Both of you need to hold on.  We aren’t going to wait for Charlotte?”  Samantha interjected.

“No, we are not, Samantha.  If she isn’t going to be here when we tell her to be, then it’s her own fault if she misses anything important,” Colin responded, “Now Samantha, explain yourself.”

“As Kedar already said I was injured and I needed rest.  I took the boy I found to my aunt and was sleeping the rest of the day.  I could have died, Colin.  My first priority was not calling you.”  Samantha responded bitterly.

“And what of the vampires?”  Colin inquired, annoyance plain as day on his face and in his voice.

“I killed them.  Had I not shown up Samantha would have been dead, as she was patrolling alone, which I had advised you all not to do,” Kedar grumbled.

“And did you learn anything from the encounter?”

“They were fledglings, but they were cocky.  Very cocky.”  Kedar replied.

Just then Charlotte walked into the room.  Everyone turned to look at her and she stepped further into the room, hanging her head.  She took a seat on the floor and Colin stood up.

“Why are you late?”  He asked, his voice so calm it was clear that he was very angry under the façade.  He raised his eyebrows when she did not answer right away.

“Zach is missing…”  Charlotte responded in a soft voice.

Everyone jumped up and started talking at once, the room erupting in a loud roar.

“Everyone, quiet!” Colin snapped, and the noise died down quickly, “That is not an excuse, Charlotte.”

“My boyfriend has been missing for two days and I was talking to his parents because we’re all very concerned.  You’re telling me that it isn’t an excuse?”

“Hold your tongue and show some respect to your superiors.  The pack comes above all else.  Now don’t speak for the entirety of the meeting.  We will discuss the consequences of your disrespectful behavior afterwards.  Do you understand?”  Charlotte nodded slowly in response, “Good.  Anyway, Kedar, how do you two know that these vampires are fledglings?”

Kedar explained to Colin and the pack what he had explained to Samantha, who was watching Charlotte intently.  While Kedar spoke, Charlotte received a text message.  Samantha did her best to peak around Kedar and over Charlotte’s shoulder, hoping to read the text.  All she could see was that the text was from Zachary.  Samantha pressed her lips together in a thin line and she sat back.

“
That little lying bitch…
”  Samantha thought to herself, folding her arms across her chest. When the meeting was over Samantha and Kedar hung around, waiting for Charlotte to leave.  When she did Samantha and Kedar got into her car and the followed her.