Moon Crossed (Werewolf Hunter Series): Season 1 (Episodes 1-6) (Crescent Hunter) (4 page)

We don't have a lot of
parties, specifically because the less exposure others have to our
“family,” the better. Most wolf-borne really don't
approve, hunters are neutral, but in general groups like ours keep to
ourselves.

If we are too
reclusive, then people will talk. They talk anyway, but who cares if
everyone thinks we're living some sort of sex orgy? Gross.

“Okay, the Solo
cups are stacked, the coolers are full of ice. Now what?” Lili
asks, sitting down at the breakfast bar.

“Are the lights
on the porch plugged in?”

“Yup, it's all
twinkling magic.” She flutters her eyebrows.

“Awesome. I'm
going to go down and lock my office. I don't need anyone getting in
there and screwing with my stuff.” I put down the dish towel
and head for the door.

“Yes, you must
hide your secret lair,” her voice mocks me in a low tone while
she rolls her eyes. “The bat cave.”

“Ha ha. Joke if
you will, but I don't want anyone in there.” Truthfully, I've
invested a lot of cash in the equipment down there. It's where I do
all my research.

I flip the lights on,
then open the door that's hidden by a bookcase leading to my lab. I
check on my latest concoction, picking it up and swirling it around
the beaker. “Are you going to be the magic potion?”

I have a lot of hope
that I'll be able to find a cure for the moon-touched. If we could
stop the blood lust during the full moon, so many good wolves would
be spared. I would love to think of my kind becoming obsolete.

“Hey.” The
voice from the door startles me. “Locke, you scared the shit
out of me.”

“Sorry, I came
down to lock up and saw you in here.” He looks at the beaker in
my hand. “Do you think we're getting closer?”

“I'd like to
think so; we'll find out next full moon.” I offer a hopeful
smile.

He comes to where I'm
standing and studies the liquid in the beaker. “Have you
thought about what you'd do if one of us...you know.”

“I don't want to
think of it. That's why we do what we do on the full moon.” I
shrug. “Besides, I know you guys are all so good at heart; I
doubt you could ever hurt a soul, moon-touched or not.”

Locke inhales a
tentative breath. “I've been giving it a lot of thought and I'm
not so sure you're looking at things realistically.” He worries
the edge of his t-shirt. “I worry for you. I worry one of us
might hurt you.”

“Locke.” I
take his hand in mine. “First of all, I seriously doubt any of
you would ever try to hurt me. Second, I could whoop any one of
y'all's asses.” A nervous laugh rumbles in my throat.

“I think you need
to start taking this more seriously. We're all entering the age of
the moon-touched.” He rattles my hands. “It could get
bad; we've all turned during the last four cycles.”

“I know, don't
think I don't feel it breathing down my neck.” I press my lips
into a thin line. “I just keep praying that it will be okay. I
know it will be; as long as we are all together, we can overcome
anything.”

“At some point,
this place may not be able to hold us. It could get bad.” His
voice trails off; staring at the jail cells, they are locked in
during the full moon.

“I know.” I
drop my gaze. “But I know I'm going to have a breakthrough, I
know
it. I have to for Trevor. For all of you.”

“Hey, are you
guys down here talking about your periods?” Brogan stands in
the door of my office, peering back toward the lab.

“Yes, I'm having
a heavy flow day and was asking Claire what tampons she recommends.”
Locke delivers his smart ass response. Then turns to me, exasperated.
I swear to God he's a douchebag sometimes.
Locke's voice
sounds in my head; he's the only one I've ever been able to speak to
like this. Sometimes it really pisses everyone else off. He gives me
an exasperated look.

I purse my lips and nod
knowingly. “Brogan, all the guys know that this is a mixed
party. No shifting, right?”

“Yeah, of
course.” He nods confidently.

“And if you're
wolf-borne, two drinks max?” It's an order more than a
question.

“Yeah, yeah.”
He looks upward then directly at me. “Hey, by the way, are you
sure I can't hook up with Lili? I really think she's into me.”

“No!” Locke
and I answer in unison.

“Okay, fine. I
just really like her. She's hot and smart. I like that.” An
evil grin rises to Brogan's lips.

“No.” I
leave it at that and push them both out of my lab, then out the door
to my office and lock it.

The sound of many heavy
footsteps above puts me on alert; as a hunter, my sense of smell is
very keen and there's a plethora invading the house. “We have
party guests arriving and I still need to get ready.”

“What are you
going to throw on: a clean pair of sweat pants?” Brogan jokes.

“No, I'm going to
put on a pair of jeans, thank you very much. I may even run a brush
through my hair.” I swirl my ponytail around.

“You know it's
really sad that Locke pays more attention to his appearance than you
do.” Brogan elbows Locke in the side and they exchange a look
of warning.

“I don't think
it's sad. I could never keep up with mister perfect.” It's
true. Locke uses more product on his beard than I do on my whole
body. “Maybe one day I'll be more girly.”

No, you will not
ever be more girly, and no, I don't use more product on my beard than
you use on your body.
Locke smiles at his silent words.

Walking up the stairs,
Brogan starts complaining. “I really hate it when you do that.
It feels like you're talking about me.”

“Trust me, if we
were going to just have small talk, we'd do it out loud,” Locke
says in his cool, deep voice. Locke and I have always been close; we
have a mutual respect for each other and impart some of our deepest,
darkest secrets.

Sometimes it feels like
he's the alpha, but none of the boys have ever really cared about
having or being a leader. Locke has been there for all of us at one
time or another. He would make a good alpha if they ever decided they
needed one.

I give him a knowing
nod. “I'm gonna get ready. I'll be back.”

I run up to my room and
throw on some makeup to hide the dark circles from being up all night
studying. Pull on a pair of jeans, a tank top, and my boots. I give
one check in the mirror and notice the ponytail. I guess I could run
a brush through my hair. I pull the hair tie out and let the black
curls fall down my shoulders. I brush my hair and go to put it back
up, but decide it looks pretty good down. If it gets too hot, I'll
put it back up.

The house fills with
wolf-borne energy that runs through me while I'm getting ready. I can
always tell the difference between my boys' energy, and they are all
here now. There's comfort knowing they are all nearby and safe.

I come down the stairs
and the sound of the house filling with people is a little
overwhelming at first. I have to be just as careful not to use my
power as the boys do not shifting.

“Claire!” I
hear a couple of people call out my name. I wave in their direction
and head for the kitchen. Time to get a drink in my hand so no one
gives me one. It's always safer that way.

“OMG Claire, can
you believe how many people have shown up already?” Lili hops
up and down. “This is going to be epic.”

“Yeah, epic.”
I try to show a little enthusiasm, but it just doesn't come.

“Oh, don't be a
party pooper.” Lili mock sulks.

“Yeah, okay.”
Another eye roll.

Someone runs their
fingers across my back. “Hey Claire.” His touch is
unsettling to say the least.

“Corey.” My
tone is layered with loathing. He was my attempt at dating a hunter.
Yeah, not so much.

“How have you
been?” He makes his way around to face me.

“Good.” I
don't ask how he's been.

“Have you missed
me?” He tugs at one of my curls.

“Yeah, but I've
been working on my moving target practice.” I flash a sarcastic
smile.

“Ooh, still a
little hostile?” He pulls his head back.

“Yeah, my idea of
a fun date isn't you trying to get me drunk and putting your hands
all over me,” I dead pan.

“That's not how—”
I cut him off.

“Look, it doesn't
matter.” I put my hand up. “Who invited you?”

“I thought it was
an open invite?” He shrugs.

“You did not read
the fine print. It said no assholes allowed.” I sneer at him.

He puts his hand on my
shoulder and runs it down to my fingers; my skin is crawling. It's
not that I couldn't handle him on my own, because believe me, I could
snap his neck and have him out the door and in a hole before anyone
notices, but that could be bad. I reach out to Locke.
Hey, get
this asshole off me before I exhibit my amazing and terrible power.

In an instant Locke
shows up behind Corey. “Hey man, I thought the invitation said
no assholes. You've got to go.”

“I'm just here to
have a good time,” Corey protests.

“So is everyone
else. Time to go.” Locke takes him by the arm and leads him to
the door. He's flanked by Kyle and Brogan and escorted to his car.

“That guy is such
a creeper.” Lili snarls her lip.

“Tell me about
it.” I roll my eyes.

“Whatever
happened between you two?” She asks, coming around the
breakfast bar.

“We went out a
couple of times, but he kept trying to get me drunk and he was way
too aggressive. He thought his dick was made of candy and that if he
whipped it out I would magically end up wanting it.” I shake my
head, taking a bite of a carrot stick. “So gross.”

“Did he know you
were a virgin?” she asks in a scandalous whisper.

“Yeah, told him I
was interested in staying that way, too.” I go to the fridge
and notice the calendar counting down the days until the next full
moon. My mood makes a thud as it drops through the floor.

“What's up with
you tonight?” Lili asks.

“I'm just tired,
I guess. A lot on my mind.” I pop open a soda and take a sip.
“I'm going to get away from the noise for a minute. I'll be out
back.”

“Sure thing,
babe. Let me know if you need anything,” she says, heading
toward the parlor. One thing I love about Lili is that she knows me
well enough to pick up on when I need some time to myself and when I
don't want to talk.

“Will do.”
I do a quick once over through all the rooms, saying hello before I
get out the back door and onto the porch. I sit in my rocking chair,
prop my boots on the railing, just look up at the stars, and listen
to the energy in the house.

I'm always on edge,
looking for something. It revolves around what I am. If only I could
reach into my past and just be normal. I seek forgiveness for the
lives I've had to take, for the ones I couldn't save. A cure for the
touch, some sort of approval from my dad for my lifestyle. Even
though I know he would never approve. His last words ring in my head:
“Stay away from wolves.” And here I am, living with four
of them. He doesn't approve and I'm sure my mother doesn't either.

Sometimes I feel like
my whole life is one big disappointment to anyone who's ever loved
me.

My life is dedicated to
finding a cure. Making the madness stop, and maybe we can all live
together and stop the killing.

The chain of crescent
moons tattooed on my wrist burn when I think of it. One for every
kill. It has to stop before I run out of arm. I shake my head.

A bolt of something
inexplicable runs through me, yanking me out of my pity party. A new
wolf has just arrived, one I'm unfamiliar with. I sniff the air
trying to identify him. With all the people around I can't smell much
of anything but booze, Listerine, and BO. No wonder I don't date.

My stomach lurches with
a peculiar nervousness I've never felt. The scar on my arm burns and
my tattoos tingle and itch. I run my fingers over the symbols, blow
out a breath, and look back up at the sky.

A deep resonant voice
from the doorway brings me out of my trance. “Anything new up
there?”

I turn toward him,
somewhat bewildered. He's leaning in the doorway holding a glass -
not a solo cup - of bourbon, if I'm smelling it correctly. I'm
captivated by his light blue eyes that flash from narrowed lids. I
say nothing for what seems to go on forever; we're both trapped in a
never ending gaze.

Trevor comes running
through the door, knocking the man out of the way, “Hey!”
He's winded and takes a minute to catch his breath while he rests his
hands on the stranger's shoulder.

“Trevor? You
okay?” I ask with a chuckle.

“Yeah,” He
gulps a breath. “I just wanted to introduce you.”

“Okay?” I
question. This is out of character for Trevor.

The man puts his hand
on Trevor's back. “It's okay dude, take a moment.” He
looks at me, flashing a cool smile. I return a shrug and bewildered
head shake.

Trevor rights himself.
“Okay, sorry. Claire this is Cole; Cole, Claire.”

Cole offers his hand.
“Nice to meet you, Claire.” His southern drawl rolls over
me like caramel.

I take his hand,
noticing how big it is, how big he is. Tall and broad, he takes up
most of the doorway. His hand is rough and worn. It makes me wonder
how old he really is, even though he only looks to be about twenty.
“Likewise.”

“
This
is
my sister.” Trevor brims with warning.

“I get that.”
He gives Trevor an innocuous smile, then flashes me a sly one,
arching his brows.

I purse my lips. “Thank
you for protecting me from the big bad wolf.” I've handled many
a wolf in my day and I'm sure this guy is no different.

“Hey Cole,”
Rabbit comes out and gives him a hug; Cole's giant frame completely
swallows Rabbit's slender body.