By the Pale Moonlight (Book One of the Moonlight Series) (7 page)

We walked through the trees for some time and
at last emerged into a small clearing. A blanket was laid out on
the ground, and David bent down to light several candles flanking
it on all sides. A radio lay beside it and he popped it on. Light
strains of one of my favorite Van Morrison songs filled the air. He
held out his hand. "May I have this dance?"

"You're crazy."

"Let's just say I'm sorry for what happened
today. I wanted to make it up to you." He pulled me into his arms
and held me close. We moved to the music and I had to admit it was
all very romantic—a welcome relief from my constant worrying.

"Thank you. Apology accepted." I stared up at
the night sky. It was dazzling with numerous stars dotting its vast
darkness. High up above, the moon shone down on us in its full
glory.

David leaned in to graze my neck, and when
his lips sought mine, I didn't hesitate to return his kiss. His
tongue slid between my teeth, and I moaned softly as his hands
dipped inside my sweater to lightly skim my lower back. So caught
up in the moment, I didn't realize what was happening until I found
myself lying on the ground with him on top of me.

His mouth grew urgent against mine and his
hands freely roamed over my body. His warm touch sent a sheet of
heat through me. For a moment, I believed I might be ready for
this.

My heart began a steady pounding against my
chest. When he pushed his pants down and then helped me shimmy out
of mine, I actually convinced myself I could go through with
it.

Ty's face appeared in my mind's eye, but I
pushed it aside. I was here with David.

I watched through thick lids as David reached
for something in the pocket of his jeans. The tear of the condom
packet ripped through the night air. A thick lump lodged itself in
my throat.

"I-I'm sorry, David. I can't do this." I
began to sit up.

His glowing eyes flashed with anger. "What
are you? Some kind of cock-tease?"

I recoiled as though slapped. "I'm sorry. I
thought I could, but not tonight. Not like this." I started to pull
my pants up, but he stopped me with a firm hand.

With a knee, he spread my legs apart and
pushed me back to the ground. "You can't stop something we've
already started. Go with it, Mac. I know you want me."

I pushed against him. "No."

"You'll love it...now hold still." Pinning my
hands to the ground, he moved between my legs. My strength was
nothing compared to his.

"David—stop." I flailed against him—tried to
squirm away, but couldn't. "No!"

A low growl emanated from the bushes behind
me. David froze, terror slashed across his features. He slowly
moved away. When I was at last free from his weight, I flipped onto
my stomach. I couldn't wrap my mind around what I saw. I screamed
and scrambled backward, bumping into David who sat motionless
behind me.

The creature approached slowly, pushing its
way out of the bushes and trampling on the blanket and candles. Its
large—I guess you would call it a paw—landed on the radio, crushing
it beneath its massive weight. I knew in that instant, beyond a
shadow of a doubt, that this was what had killed Kim Urwin. I knew
it despite what my mother and the rest of the world believed.

A wolf would probably be closest to it in
description. Only this animal was larger, its body nearly twice the
length of any wolf I'd ever seen. It walked on all fours, but more
than once, it reared back on its hind legs and seemed capable of
holding itself upright without the necessity of the front pair.
Sharp claws dug into the blanket with each step the animal took.
They resembled human hands, only larger. I counted five digits.
Images of the wound across Ty's chest flashed in my mind.

Its face was that of a wolf, but almost human
in size. It bared its sharp teeth as low growls continued to shake
the air around us. Long ears laid back against its head and spittle
dripped from its mouth as it moved even closer. When it came within
a foot of David, their noses practically even, it released a
violent, guttural explosion of sound that sent David running with
his pants pooled around his ankles, all thoughts of me seemingly
forgotten in his quest to get away. The creature didn't pursue him,
but instead swung its head toward me.

My entire body shook, but I couldn't move. I
found myself hypnotized by it. We sat there for a long time, simply
examining one another. Something from within the depths of its eyes
hit home with me suddenly. A flood of recognition washed through
me.

"Ty?"

At the sound of my voice, the creature reared
back on its hind legs and let loose a howl into the night air. I
watched, transfixed by the image before me. It turned and
disappeared into the bushes.

"Oh my God," I whispered.

o0o

Loud shouts rushed toward me. I scrambled to
pull my jeans on before they reached the clearing. Despite other
appearances, apparently David hadn't left me to my own demise. Or
at least he was making every effort to contradict the idea—far
after the point of his actions being able to make a difference.

He burst through the trees, a baseball bat in
hand—the perfect image of a knight in shining armor come to rescue
his fair maiden from the clutches of a fire-breathing dragon.
Others followed behind him, their movements slow and clumsy in
their drunken state.

"My heroes," I said softly.

When David spotted me sitting cross-legged in
the clearing, he fell to his knees and pulled me into a tight
embrace. "Are you okay?"

I shrugged him off. "I'm fine. It didn't want
to hurt
me
."

Not far behind, Vince let out a low chuckle.
"You sure you two weren't smoking some shit out here?" He took
David's baseball bat and swung it haphazardly through some nearby
bushes. "Come out, little wolfie."

The idiot would be lucky if he didn't take
somebody's head off by accident.

"It's gone." I stood and brushed off the seat
of my pants. With a calm façade in place, I started back toward the
drive-in, the others following close behind. My mind raced as I
replayed the event over and over. It all seemed so surreal and
fantastical. Was it even possible? Had the...creature, whatever it
was, really been Ty?

"So what was it?" Vince clapped an arm around
my shoulders and pulled me close.

His breath reeked of alcohol, and I turned my
face away.

"David said it was like some giant wolf or
something." His disbelieving tone rang loud and clear. "My dad
helped kill one, you know?" He seemed to search for something more
to say, but couldn't grasp the ends of his thoughts.

"David's drunk. It was a dog. I threw a rock
at it and it ran away." The lie came easily, the instinct to
protect Ty strong.

Vince roared with laughter. "A rock? He made
it sound like you were being attacked by the Wolfman or
something."

He hung back, allowing David to catch up.
"You let your girl one-up you with that thing, man? What are you, a
girl?"

The group seethed with laughter and the
good-natured ridicule continued after we got back to the drive-in.
The rest of the waiting gang, some too drunk or reluctant to chase
a wild animal through the woods, crowded in around us to hear about
the "attack" as it was now termed. I walked straight to David's car
and climbed inside. Without a second thought, I put the car in gear
and drove off, thankful he'd left the keys in the ignition.

He could find his own damn ride.

Several people shouted at me to stop, but I
gave them only a passing glance in my rearview mirror, their shapes
backlit by the fire behind them. If David pursued me, I didn't see
him.

For good measure, I parked the car in an
abandoned field about a mile from my house. I left the keys inside
and the door open. Hopefully, it'd be gone before he discovered it.
It would serve him right for trying to force me to have sex with
him.
Asshole
. And of course there was the little matter of
him leaving me behind. What kind of boyfriend did that? An
ex-boyfriend, I decided.

Taking off at a brisk jog, my way was led by
the full moon overhead. It wasn't long before my house came into
view. The lights were out except for my parents' bedroom on the
second floor. When I reached my front porch, I bent at the waist
and sucked in deep breaths of the night air. It burned against my
lungs. Once my breathing was back under control, I quietly crept
inside and retrieved our emergency flashlight from the pantry.

Before I could change my mind, I went back
outside and pushed through the trees to Ty's house. It was also
dark as I made my way past it to the shed in the back. The door to
the building creaked as I pulled it open and closed behind me. The
interior was completely black. I flipped on my MagLite—brought
because it could double as a weapon should the need arise.

I crept through the building, carefully
skirting several medieval looking contraptions with sharp blades
gleaming in the shaft of light. I reached the back table where I'd
last seen Ty working and saw no sign of the parts he'd been
laboring over. I swung my light around and found doors leading to
other areas—storage. Carefully peeking in, I found nothing of
interest. On the verge of giving up, something caught my eye on the
floor.

Upon closer inspection, I realized it was the
handle of a trapdoor leading to their storm cellar. As kids we used
to play down there. Every part of my rational mind said to run the
other way, but I bit back my fear and pulled the door open. It
swung on rusty hinges and opened with a loud screech.

Shining my light into the hole, I saw wooden
stairs leading down into complete darkness. With a surge of bravado
I didn't know I had in me, I went down the steps slowly, jerking my
head back up to the shed every few seconds, completely convinced
I'd heard something. All was quiet though.

I reached the bottom, my feet landing on soft
dirt. I swung my beam around and knew this was the place. Several
canned goods lined a shelf to my right, but my attention focused
across the small space. Attached to thick wooden support beams were
the beginnings of what I knew to be Ty's handiwork. Tears came to
my eyes when I realized what he'd been up to.

Large metal rings hung from the posts with
chains dangling from them. One side was complete, with a large
metal cuff open at the end. The other was still a work in progress,
perhaps explaining his absence that evening. Drawn to it, I ran my
fingers lightly over the restraints and imagined the hard metal
pressed to Ty's skin. Would he struggle to free himself? The
thought of the unrelenting steel tearing into his flesh made me
cringe. How alone he must feel.

A creak came from the direction of the
stairs. I whipped around, praying it was just my imagination. When
a pair of gleaming eyes peered down at me, I scrambled backward
against the wall. I searched the room for another means of escape
and soon realized there wasn't one. I had unwittingly walked into a
trap.

The...he...took slow measured steps down,
walking on all fours. Terror gripped me as I watched his descent.
Would he know who I was? Or would he see me as an invader of his
territory and rip me apart with his sharp claws and teeth? I didn't
want to believe he'd do that, but the low growl coming from him
made the possibility all too real. Pressed against the wall, I took
in deep breaths, willing myself to remain calm.

He reached the bottom, just a few feet away.
He moved closer and a sob escaped me, the flashlight slipping from
my hands and landing at my feet with a hard thud. With a violent
growl, he reared back on his hind legs and approached quickly,
pressing his long snout into my face. I bit my lip as silent tears
of agony slid down my face. His breath smelled rancid, and I
cringed beneath him.

A low rumble sounded from deep within his
throat, reminding me of an idling car. He pressed the tip of his
nose near the side of my neck, stirring my hair with each
exhalation.

He sniffed me slowly, moving up and down my
body with deliberate speed. Perspiration broke out on my forehead
and my clenched hands grew slick. His nose pushed into my sternum
through the thickness of my sweater.

He let loose a loud growl and I thought for
sure I was done for. He moved his face close to mine, his teeth so
sharp and dangerous. And then he was gone. He moved quickly and my
knees gave out. I slid to the floor as he paced the room,
eventually curling up at the foot of the stairs.

With a shaking hand, I patted around until I
found the flashlight. The beam fell on his russet colored body and
his fierce gaze bored into me. How I had failed to recognize him
immediately was beyond me. I'd know those deep green eyes anywhere.
He watched me for only a moment before he allowed them to close,
his breathing slowing to a steady rhythm.

I pulled my knees into my chest and watched
him through the night. He didn't move and, at some point, sleep
took me as well.

I awoke to a rustling noise. Memories of the
night before flooded through my mind, and I bolted upright. The
room was dark, but faint rays of light poured in through the open
cellar door, highlighting the area at the bottom of the stairs.
Dust particles floated through the air just above the now empty
floor. Panicked, I scoured the musty room. Then I remembered my
flashlight. Fumbling around, I at last laid hold of it and bounced
the beam across the room.

"Turn that off, please."

The sound of Ty's voice just about stalled my
heart. I flipped the switch and pressed against the wall. I didn't
know what to say. Somehow "What's up?" or "How are you?" seemed
inappropriate. I settled for, "Are you okay?"