Six Moon Summer (20 page)

Stupid, stupid, stupid.

Of course he didn’t like her. Why would he? He watched her kill a fawn with her teeth. Rylie barely even liked herself.

But he had been so nice to her all summer, and he was always there when she needed him. Then he took her dancing on the beach…

She sniffled and scrubbed the tears from her eyes with the heel of her hand. It didn’t mean anything. Seth was being a good friend—Rylie’s only real friend, as a matter of fact. It was stupid to try to kiss him. She wouldn’t have survived the last several moons without his help, and she didn’t stand a chance on the new moon without him, either.

Rylie needed him, and she had just driven him off. She had to get past her stupid feelings and apologize.

Jericho intercepted her before she could go out the back door again. “What are you doing?” he growled.

Rylie was too exhausted to argue with him. “I’m looking for someone.”

“Who? Your little boyfriend?”

“Why do you care? I’m not doing anything wrong.”

“As a matter of fact, you are,” Jericho said. “All the campers have explicit instructions not to exit the building. It’s for your safety.”

“I need to find someone,” she said, pushing past him. When he reached out a hand to stop her, Rylie tried to brush it aside. She was so strong that she expected to overpower him easily, but he didn’t budge.

“I don’t think so.”

Rylie glared. “Fine. I’ll wait for Seth to find me.”

“Who?”

Realizing she had finally revealed his name, her mouth snapped shut. But rather than looking angry or delighted at hearing the name of Rylie’s co-conspirator, Jericho looked confused.

“What is it?” she asked.

“There’s nobody named Seth in the boys’ camp,” he said.

Her mouth fell open. Jericho was serious. “He’s taller than me, and he has black hair, brown eyes, and tan skin. He’s always dressed in black. You can’t miss him.”

Jericho’s eyes narrowed. “You must be confused.”

“I guess I must be,” she said faintly. But if Seth wasn’t from Camp Golden Lake, then who was he?

The night before the new moon found Rylie alone in her darkened cabin. The rest of the group was taking advantage of the moonless sky by learning about constellations, but Katie decided Rylie shouldn’t participate in an activity where she could be out after the normal curfew.

“Go to bed,” she had ordered, settling herself by the fire to whittle a piece of wood into a flute. Katie didn’t make threats, but the image of her seated by the leaping flames with a knife was pretty convincing.

Rylie didn’t argue. She was too scared anyway.

The new moon was coming.

She couldn’t even make herself write in her journal. Rylie was going to have to face her first full transformation without Seth to help her, and she was out of time to find a cure. Even though the moon was barely a sliver in the sky, she could feel it pressing down on her as surely as though she carried its weight on her back.

The window creaked open. Seth climbed into the cabin dressed in his usual black shirt and jeans, and her heart jumped into her throat.

“What are you doing here?” Rylie asked, hugging her legs to her chest.

“I wanted to talk to you.”

“No. I’m still being watched.” She turned around so that her back faced him and rested her chin on top of her knees. “Go away.”

“I don’t care if it’s dangerous. Rylie, look at me,” Seth said, sitting next to her. She struggled to keep from crying again. It seemed like all she had been doing since her father’s heart attack. “There’s still a chance. You might not become a werewolf tomorrow.”

That got her attention. “What? How? Did you find a cure?”

“It’s not exactly a cure, but I know some people have been bitten and haven’t changed.”

Rylie finally looked at him. His expression was shuttered. Seth was hiding something. “Where did you hear that?”

“You know, my usual places,” he said.

She finally snapped. “No, I don’t know. How do
you
know so much? I read all of The Legends of Gray Mountain from back to front a hundred times and I never found half of what you’ve told me. You have another source.”

“I told you I’ve read everything.”

“You’re lying to me,” Rylie said. “I can smell it now.” Her nose wrinkled. “That burned smell that follows you around—I’ve come across it before at my aunt’s ranch in Colorado. I couldn’t put a finger on it until I almost got mugged back home. It’s gunpowder.”

Seth reached for her hand, but she jerked away. He hung his head. “Your senses are getting better. I haven’t fired a gun in weeks.”

“Who are you, Seth?”

“You know me. We’ve hung out all summer.”

Rylie’s eyes narrowed. “Yeah? Something funny happened at the dance. One of the counselors told me that there is no camper named Seth. I wonder why he would think that?” She looked at him expectantly, but his expression didn’t change. “You aren’t from Camp Golden Lake.”

“No, I’m not,” Seth said.

Rylie took a deep breath, bracing herself for the logical leap from there. “You’re the werewolf, aren’t you?”

He laughed, and Rylie felt her heart sink into her stomach. She hadn’t made the accusation thinking he would admit to it. When he saw her expression, he stopped laughing and quickly said, “No. I’m not a werewolf.”

“Then who are you?”

“I’m a… well, I’m kind of a hunter,” Seth said. “I hunt werewolves.”

She gaped. “Does that mean… are you going to…?”

“You’re not a werewolf yet. Not for one more moon.” He took Rylie’s hand in his, and this time, she didn’t pull away. His skin was warm and rough. “You don’t have to turn. You can fight it. If you can keep yourself from changing on the last moon by force of will, you’ll never become a werewolf, and I won’t have to…” He trailed off, leaving the rest unspoken.

“Kill me?” Rylie asked. He didn’t respond.

“We both know there’s a werewolf here. A real monster, not like you.” Seth took a small cylinder out of a pocket on his cargo pants. It was the size of his thumb and shiny. A silver bullet. “When I find it, I’m going to kill it.”

A heavy weight settled in her stomach. “What will you do to me?”

“You need to trust me, and you need to fight harder than you’ve ever fought in your life. I’ve seen the first transformation before. It’s hard. When the moon rises, the curse will take you, and it’s overwhelming. But if you’re strong enough, you’ll stay human.”

“How do you know?” Rylie asked.

His face was very serious. “My brother was bitten on a hunt last year. He almost changed, but he didn’t. He’s fine now. Human.”

She was silent for a long time, processing this new information while his thumb rubbed tiny circles over her knuckle. Rylie thought nothing could shock her anymore. The Legends had mentioned a few hunters, so it was no surprise people went out of their way to kill her kind.

But why did one of the hunters have to be
Seth
?

Rylie retracted her hand from his. “So that’s where you got all your information. You know all about werewolves because you kill them.” She swallowed. “You kill
us
. How many have you hunted before?”

“You don’t want to know,” Seth said.

She got off the bed and paced the cabin. He watched her move back and forth.

“Why would you try to be my friend if you knew you were going to hunt me down, too?” Rylie asked.

“It’s hard to explain.”

“Give it a try.”

“I guess… well, I was there that night. When you were attacked. I tried to stop the werewolf, but I didn’t make it in time. I had tracked it to that thicket of trees. I wanted to help you, but it was too fast.”

“Is that why I survived?”

“Yeah,” he said. “Maybe I should have let you die. You wouldn’t have had to do any of this.”

She grimaced. “Do you really think death is better?”

Instead of answering, he went on. “I wounded it, but I didn’t kill it. You healed as soon as the attack ended, so I knew you had the curse. My brother would have killed you then and there, but I was weak. I didn’t do it. I carried you back to your cabin instead,” Seth said. “I didn’t think…”

“That I would be weak, too? That I would kill Amber?” Rylie demanded.

“That I would care about you this much,” he finished.

Her heart skipped a beat. “Oh.”

“Amber wasn’t your fault. You couldn’t have done it. I lost track of you after you crossed the trail, and I know you didn’t double back.”

She didn’t hear any of that. “You care about me?” Rylie asked, feeling light-headed.

Seth started to reach a hand toward her again, but seemed to think better of it. “Forget about it. I was too late to save you that night, but it’s not too late to stop the change now. I swear I will do everything in my power to save you, Rylie.”

“Is this why you wouldn’t kiss me at the dance? You don’t want to have to kiss me and then kill me?”

He stood, taking her by the shoulders. “Rylie…”

She drew back her hand and slapped him as hard as she could across the face. As it turned out, Rylie could hit really hard now. Seth’s head snapped to the side. He staggered and barely caught himself on the wall of the cabin.

He wiped the back of his hand over his mouth. There was blood on it.

“Careful,” he warned. “I won’t let you do that again.”

“I want you out of my sight. Now!”

“What will you do? Bite me?” Seth lifted his hands, palms out, in the universal gesture of peace. “You have to fight the anger, Rylie. That’s not you. That’s the beast.” He took a step toward her. “Fight it!”

“I said you need to leave, and I meant it,” Rylie said, fists clenched at her sides.

“Do you even want to live if it means being a werewolf? I wouldn’t. You experienced the attack yourself. They’re animals! The fact you survived is a miracle, because most people end up like Amber. Do you want to do that? Do you want to become a murderer?”

“I didn’t say that! God, what kind of person do you think I am?”

“I don’t know,” he said. “What kind of person are you?”

She folded her arms to keep herself from lashing out again. “Why did you come here tonight? I know you’re not going to apologize.”

“No. I guess I’m not.”

“Is this some kind of bargaining? You want to give me the choice between becoming a werewolf or… what, a mercy killing?”

“It would be a mercy,” Seth said softly. “You don’t want to live like that.”

Rylie grit her teeth. “You don’t know me.”

“I know you better than anyone, Rylie.”

Anger swelled within her again, but Rylie struck the side table instead of Seth. It shattered with a crack and her belongings spilled across the floor. He took a step back before be caught himself and straightened his shoulders.

Rylie’s eyes narrowed. Showing a glimpse of weakness had been a bad idea. It made the wolf want to pounce. “I’m not going to let you kill me,” she growled.

“Werewolves are dangerous. Worse, they’re contagious. I’ve spent my whole life hunting with my family, and there aren’t many packs left. This remnant is one of the last, and one of the worst. Tons of kids come through these camps. How many more could die, or end up like you?”

“I don’t have to be like the one who changed me. If I didn’t kill Amber—and I
really
hated her—I won’t kill anyone,” Rylie said. “Would you still hunt me?”

“My family is sworn to end the werewolf threat,” Seth said.

“Including me.”

It took him a long time to respond, but eventually, he nodded. “If you change tomorrow, then yes. Including you.”

“Get out of my sight,” Rylie spat.

He didn’t argue this time. “Fine. I’ll go. But you have to fight it, Rylie. You
have
to. Don’t make me do anything I don’t want to do.”

She stepped up to him and jabbed a finger in his chest.

“You listen to me closely, Seth. I’m not making you do anything. If I change tomorrow night and you pull the trigger, then it will be
you
who killed me. Not your family. Not me. You.” Rylie’s chin trembled despite herself, and her voice softened. “Can you really kill me?”

Seth reached up and brushed his hand over her cheek. For once, all his emotions played out on his face simultaneously: fear, anger, betrayal, and maybe even love.

He took a long, shaking breath. “Goodbye, Rylie,” he whispered. She didn’t watch him leave. Rylie couldn’t see him without getting angrier, and she didn’t want to strike him again.