Moon Crossed (Werewolf Hunter Series): Season 1 (Episodes 1-6) (Crescent Hunter) (43 page)

“You've always
been a mess.” He laughs in a deep timbre.

Our eyes meet. “Zane?”

“At your
service.” He takes the carafe.

“When did you get
taller than me?” I go for the roll of paper towels.

“Probably about
three years ago,” he answers, smiling.

“Has it been that
long?”

“Longer.”
He's trying to wipe the red juice off his t-shirt.

“Crap, I'm so
freakin' sorry. Let me get you another shirt from one of the boys.”
I look to Locke.

“I got it.”
He turns to Zane. “I've got some sweats you can wear, too, if
you're interested.

Zane looks down at his
jeans that are also covered in red juice. “Yeah, thanks man,
that'd be great.” Before following Locke, he flashes me a coy
look. “Anything to get me out of my pants, huh?”

My eyes widen and my
face turns beet red. “Shut up!” I shake my head, going
into the laundry room and getting one of my shirts out of the dryer,
then get busy making more punch.

“Zane is a nice
boy.” Aunt Rain skirts by me with a food tray.

“Oh my God,
stop.” I avoid her stare, taking the punch outside, and see
that the yard is full. There are mostly just hunters here; my boys
are the only wolves. Everyone has their eyes locked on me. Aunt Rain
gives me an expectant look; oh please no, does she want me to say
something? Shit.

Locke and Zane come
outside, and everyone's out here now. I stand on the top step and
look over all of the people. There are about thirty of us, then my
six boys. Going down the steps, I clear my throat, take in a huge
gulp of air. “Excuse me, can I please have your attention?”

Some of the mumbles of
the crowd die down, but not completely. Rabbit hops down off the
railing and yells, “Hey, peoples, Claire is trying to speak.”

“Thanks, Rabbit.”
My face is completely red.

“Anytime,
Claire.” His face lightens with that enormous goofy grin of
his.

My palms are sweating
and I feel like I just swallowed a pound of rocks. “Everyone, I
wanted to take a moment before sunset to say how incredibly grateful
I am that you are all here.” I look down and try to think fast
about what else I should say. The sensation of Cole being nearby
comes over me. My mood lightens, the planters on the porch begin to
glow, and it comes to me. “Tonight is more than just a full
moon; it's a turning of the tides. Tonight, you are protecting a
fellow hunter. We have gathered together for the second time, and it
feels right. We shouldn't live in isolation anymore.” I think
about camp and how that was the last time I saw Zane, even though he
lives across town. “We need to stay united, always. We need to
forge and keep our friendships. We are the only ones who can truly
understand the challenges we face. I am making a call to hunters to
make an effort to reach out.” Everyone applauds; I'm not sure
where those words came from, but I felt them profoundly. Zane stands
by my side and leans down, “I, for one, would love to spend
some more time with you.”

I smile up at him and
continue speaking to the crowd. “Every one of us has sat around
the campfire to hear the story of our creation. How the elder shamans
knew that something had to be done to protect humans and wolf-borne
from the moon-touch. They carefully considered the solution, to
create a new race of wolf-borne.”

I pause, thinking of
the truth in this. “They wanted us to have compassion, reason,
and the necessary abilities to do what must be done when a wolf
becomes infected.” With my fist over my heart, I continue,
“Faramund, the oldest of the shamans, knew the importance of
the love in what we do and sacrificed his own heart in our creation.
We are meant to love wolves; we are their heart.”

I struggle to hold back
tears, looking at each one of my boys. No human could love anyone the
way I love them. “Let’s continue to be their heart, love
them, protect them, help them when they are sick.” I take a
step closer to Locke, putting my arm around him. “Let's follow
our calling. Let all hunters band together, so that we may unite with
the wolf-borne and live as I believe we were intended. We must come
out of hiding and forge lasting bonds with one another. We don't have
to live in solitude or silence.”

I suck in a preparatory
breath; this is where things are going to get serious. “Tonight,
we may find ourselves in battle with those we love. It is my hope
that it will be quiet, that we will just be gathering, enjoying each
other's company and getting to know one another. But if not, let's
make the battle swift and casualty free. No hunter or wolf has to die
here tonight.”

“We are going to
be addressing the council and asking them for their help in opening
up peace talks with Amicalola. I want to send emissaries to all of
the other areas, bringing this message to forge peace with all packs.
Peace starts at home.” What I'm saying is making an impact.
Everyone is clapping and smiling. I'm relieved that I'm not the only
one who feels this way and that we can effect a change.

Aunt Rain looks at me
with pride and grins from ear to ear. When the applause dies down, I
start to panic because everyone is still looking at me, expecting me
to go on. “Okay, let's eat!”

The crowd moves toward
the food; a few hunters come and introduce themselves to me. A
shorter girl a little younger than me with hair in her eyes comes to
me. “Hi, I'm Rosalee.” She doesn't look up.

“Hi, I'm Claire.
It's nice to meet you.” I shake her hand and dip down to see
her eyes.

“What you
said...” She looks up at me with huge brown eyes. “I feel
the same way. It's so lonely.”

I'm compelled to throw
my arms around her in a hug. “We don't have to be.”

Zane looks at me with
admiration. “No, we don't have to be alone.” He puts his
arm around my shoulder.

Rosalee is such a tiny
little thing; I wonder if she's ever seen a moon-touched wolf or had
to kill one. She pulls back from the hug and smiles sweetly. “I'm
going to get some food. It's nice meeting you.”

“We'll exchange
numbers before morning, okay?” I call after her. She turns and
smiles in agreement.

I move toward the
trail, looking for Cole. I can still feel him. Locke stops me with a
cautionary glance. “You okay?”

With a nod I tell him,
“I thought I felt Cole.”

“Ah, well, no
going off into the woods alone right now. As a matter of fact, I
think it's time for us to get downstairs.” He studies the sky,
noting that it's nearly dark.

“Yeah, let's go.”
I look around at where all of the other boys are. “Hey, where's
Brogan?” A streak of panic flows through me.

“Brogan,”
Locke calls out.

We look for Brogan the
whole way to where Aunt Rain is putting out more cookies. “Hey,
have you seen Brogan?”

“Not since he
helped with the food. Maybe he's inside.” She looks through the
kitchen window.

“Okay, thanks.”
I start for the door.

“Oh, hey, you
need to wear your gear tonight.”

“Why, I'm just on
desk duty?” I ask.

“Because I'd
rather have you ready. Also, there's a box on your bed. Ki sent it.”

“Awesome.”
I go through the house toward the stairs, looking for Brogan and
signaling to the boys that it's time to go downstairs. Tor and Trevor
are by the pool table, talking with two hunters. I nod silently;
Trevor acknowledges and disengages from the conversation, taking Tor
with him toward the basement.

Being fairly certain
that Ki sent my new bodice, my excitement is bubbling over. I open
the box when I get into my room and sure enough, there it is. A
beautiful thick black leather corset. The craftsmanship is fine, as
always with Ki; there are buckles, straps, and snaps to make sure
that there is a perfect fit. It would seem that there are also some
grommet holes that were put in as a mechanism to allow airflow for
the Georgia heat. I marvel at the brilliance of the design, then don
my normal under armor shirt and black fatigues. It's lightweight,
even though it's thick, making me wonder if it's somehow enchanted.

I run a brush through
my ponytail and go to the window, looking for Cole. “Jesus,
what is this, the eighteenth century? Where for art thou, Romeo,”
I say out loud, laughing to myself. My phone is on the bed, and I
decide to send him a text.

Hey, just wanted to
say that I hope you have a quiet night. ~Claire

Do I say more? Is it
too much? Should I hit send? Plopping down on the bed, I stare at my
phone, agonizing whether or not to send the message. I shake my head
and hit send. It's more important to me to know that he's safe than
to play this stupid prideful game of who cares more. I head down to
the basement, stopping in the kitchen to see Aunt Rain. “Hey,
do you know if everyone went down?”

“I think so. I
told all the boys that I saw,” she says, wiping her hands.

“Okay, thanks.”
I turn to go for the basement.

“So we're on
babysitting duty, huh?” Zane appears at my side.

I shoot a look at Aunt
Rain. She nods with warning, knowing that I won't like anyone,
including another hunter, to potentially see my wolves at their
worst. A moon-crazed wolf is scary as hell. “Yup.”

“Love the gear.
Did Ki make that?” He admires my bodice and modified scabbards.

“He did.” I
open the basement door and can hear the flurry of activity. I get
downstairs and the boys are making their cells ready or have started
playing whatever game they're going to play tonight. They are all
here except for Brogan.

“Locke.” I
look at him cautiously. “Brogan?”

He pulls his lips to
the side while smoothing the sheet on his cot. “No, I haven't
seen him.”

“Which one is
Brogan?” Zane asks.

“He's the scrawny
one with the shoulder length curly hair, blue eyes, and crooked
smile.” I'm trying not to let my uneasiness affect everyone
down here. “I'm going up to look for him one more time.”

“Okay.”
Zane looks at my desk, which is a hot mess. “I'll just sit over
here.”

Upstairs is quiet;
everyone is back outside, and I overhear Hayden. “We know they
are coming for her.” He pauses, blowing out a breath. “If
we let her fall, we let our future fall. After we seal the perimeter,
nothing in, nothing out. Any questions?” He pauses, giving
folks enough time to formulate questions.

“If any wolves
get through, are the orders to kill?” A male voice sounds from
the yard.

“No, disable,
unless they are moon-touched. But remember, we are going to be
dealing with stronger, more aggressive wolves; it's the full moon,”
he warns. “Okay, everyone, let's get the perimeter set up. I
want a three-tier protection wall and hunters posted every five feet
inside the shield. Hunters who are not standing guard on first watch
should get inside and get some rest. Let's go.” Hayden stands,
watching over the hunters who are now all taking positions around the
perimeter. Aunt Rain is next to him. They intertwine their hands and
exchange a look. Hmmm. I thought I saw something in their eyes
before. Good for them.

“Aunt Rain?”
I say quietly, hating to disturb their moment.

Immediately she pulls
her hand away, hoping that she wasn't caught. “What's up?”

“I still can't
find Brogan.” My fear for his safety is growing.

“I haven't seen
him, hun. If he's not in now, we're not going to be able to let him
in after the perimeter is created.” Her tone is heavy with
sadness, knowing what it could mean for him.

“Can I make one
quick sweep before we close it up?” I don't give her time to
answer, running at top speed across the yard to the trail head.

“You have ten
minutes,” she calls after me.

With the boys, it's
always tough to discern how long it's been since they've been in an
area just by scent. There's at least five different sets of tracks on
the trail. I bend down to a print that looks fresh. It's big, much
bigger than any of the boy's. I remember having felt Cole's presence,
and wonder if it's his. I can smell him in the air, but it's faint.

I continue down the
trail, trying to pick up Brogan’s or Cole's scent. Flashing
movement catches my eye just off the trail. Butterflies. There's a
small swarm of the brilliant purple butterflies that Cole conjures.
Slowly I walk toward them, watching the swirling motion. When I get
close to them, they slow and form into words. “I'm sorry.”

What the hell is that
supposed to mean? They mix together in a spiral and dissipate into
nothing. I snarl a little and wish that he would just be upfront. The
butterflies are sweet and all, but his other actions are the ones
that matter.

I feel it before I hear
it. The presence of a wolf-borne, then the subtle snapping of pine
straw underfoot. I wheel around to find Brogan in wolf form.

He's closer than I
should have ever let anyone get in this situation. “Hey Brogan,
we've got to get back.”

His eyes are black and
vacant; he's baring his teeth. “Brogan, it's me, Claire.”
I put my hands up to him in a soothing manner. He lunges forward at
me, knocking me to the ground, snarling and snapping. I'm holding his
head inches from my face, feeling the spray from his mouth. There's
blood on his muzzle. “No, Brogan. No!”

I channel my energy and
throw him off. He yelps when he lands, but he doesn't stay down for
long. With my magic, I keep pushing him back while reaching for my
dagger to disable him. He breaks through the temporary shield I've
made around myself and knocks me down again. I scream at him to stop,
that it's me. He doesn't have all of the tell-tale signs of being
moon-touched; there's hope that he may just be moon-crazed. I jab my
dagger into his ribs, puncturing one of his lungs. He goes limp for a
moment but comes right back, having healed faster than normal. He
slashes, ripping open my flesh and exposing muscle and bone on my
arm. He catches me off guard again, knocking me back while I'm
holding my arm and trying to heal it to the point of being able to
use it again. He's strong, stronger than usual, and it's proving to
be a difficult fight because I'm trying not to hurt him.