Ties to the Blood Moon 2nd Edition (15 page)

There was a small counter just inside the door, but the room was empty except for me. I stood around for a minute, pretending to be interested in the maps hanging on the wall closest to where the phone sat on the counter. When no one came, I promptly jerked up the receiver, and punched in William’s cell number. “Come on damn it. Pick up the phone.” I kept glancing around nervously while his phone kept ringing.

Finally, his voice mail picked up. I waited for the beep and then I started to talk so fast, I’m wasn’t sure he would be able to understand the message.

“William, it’s Genevieve. I didn’t tell Aunt Bev to make you leave. I wanted you to come with me, but they said there wasn’t any room in the plane. I don’t have my phone, so you can’t call me, but I’ll try to call you again soon. We’re on our way to New—”

I spun around to see whose finger had pressed the button on the phone. “What do you think you’re doing?” I spat, angrily.

“What do you think you’re doing? Do you want to die, because I don’t.” Joseph was furious.

“What are you talking about? I was just trying to call William, not the Haven Daily News.” I was extremely hurt and confused. I didn’t know what I’d done wrong.

“What if they have his phone tapped? Or, what if they have him? No phone calls, no telegrams, no carrier pigeons, no contact with anyone! You feel me?” Joseph said angrily, grabbing my arm, and quickly jerking me toward the door. “We have to go now.” He glared at me. “Thanks to you, it’s not safe here.”

He shoved me into the plane and everyone stared, but said nothing. Luna reached over to take my hand, but I jerked away from her, and turned to face the window.

I turned off my headset and closed my eyes. I had a hard time falling asleep, and even when I finally did, it was fitful. I wished I had stayed awake.

I was at the edge of the woods again, watching helplessly while my house burned. This time though, it was different. There were several huge, ferocious beasts circling the house and they were taking commands from William.

When I heard my mother screaming, she wasn’t crying out for me to help her, she was screaming for me to run. I reluctantly listened to her pleas, and bolted for the trees.

Again they followed, and somewhere behind I heard William shouting my name, but I didn’t stop. My lungs burned from the smoke of the flames gaining on me. I was forced to keep running, as every time I glanced over my shoulder they were still chasing me.

I skidded to a stop when I came to the edge of the cliff. I turned around and the beasts emerged from the woods, teeth bared and snarling. Fresh blood dripped from their fangs, and I thought they’d killed William until he emerged from the woods and calmly walked right between them, holding out his hand for me.

I hesitated and one of the beasts leaped toward me. I turned and jumped, but William wasn’t there to catch me. The ground came rushing up fast.

I woke up kicking and screaming, and when I opened my eyes, Joseph was holding me down. “What in the hell are you doing?” I shouted over the plane’s loud engine noise. He was saying something I couldn’t hear.

He pushed a button on the side of my headphones. “You were having a bad dream.”

“Get. Off. Of. Me,” I growled in a low throaty voice that frightened even me. I pushed him off with ease, and it not only shocked him, it shocked me as well. He flew backwards, and landed on top of Luna.

“How did I just do that?” I mumbled and thought about it for a minute before I jerked off my hoodie and looked at the bulging muscles in my arms. But I didn’t have muscles. I mean before moving to Alaska I was just your average skinny, un-muscular type girl. I promptly turned to face Joseph and fought to hold back the tears, but couldn’t. “I’m sorry … I … don’t know what’s happening to me.”

Joseph kneeled on the floor next to my seat and wrapped his arms around me. He pulled me close, stroking my hair. “It’s okay, Gen.” He spoke softly and quietly while I cried into his chest. Unlike William’s, Joseph’s heartbeat was strong and loud, and he displayed a gentle side that I’d never seen before.

I felt safe letting him hold me. It gave me a sense of normalcy. I wanted desperately to hang on to the old Gen. The Gen from L.A..

After I finally calmed down, I gently pulled away. When I peered at him, he had the same weird look on his face that I was sure covered mine, and we both smiled.

For the first time since we’d left Haven I no longer felt depressed. I wasn’t feeling sorry for myself anymore, and I think because I felt better, Luna and the boys felt better, too. We joked around, laughing, and telling silly stories, which made the time fly by (no pun intended).

Joshua, did something, and Maroon 5’s, “She Will Be Loved” started blasting through our headsets. James was trying to dance in his seat, but it looked more like a chicken attempting to fly. We laughed hysterically, but it didn’t bother him one bit.

Of course, Joseph felt the need to really embarrass me. He quickly jumped out of his seat, grabbed Luna’s hairbrush, and started using it like a microphone, singing to me. A burning flush flew over me, and they all laughed uncontrollably.
Mental note: hide Luna’s hairbrush.

Chapter 23

I laughed so hard for so long that eventually my kidneys felt like they were about to burst. I walked down the narrow aisle, if that’s what it was even considered, to the little doorway in the back of the plane. I dreaded seeing how tiny the bathroom was going to be, but I couldn’t hold it until we landed again. I couldn’t even hold it another five minutes. When I passed by Joshua and James, who had taken up residence in the two seats furthest back, they had become engrossed in a map they had spread across two tray tables.

I tried not to be nosy, but caught myself looking as I walked by. I wasn’t a great map reader, but from what I saw we were going to be crossing miles of desert and rough mountains. My stomach tensed, fearing the worst. I had no idea what I was getting myself into, or how I would be of any great value if we encountered more werewolves, except I might be able to slow them down by letting them eat me.

The next time we landed, we were at a small crop dusting airstrip, somewhere in the state of Utah. I caught myself looking out the window for William. My heart ached every time I pictured him.

I caught Luna taking sidelong glances at me so I quickly changed the subject. “I’m starving, but it doesn’t look like we’ll be getting anything to eat here.” I said sarcastically, after looking out the window at a bunch of nothingness.

Joshua grinned broadly, but didn’t say anything. James climbed out behind the pilot, and when James returned, he brought back a different pilot, who just happened to be carrying a large brown basket.

As soon as the doors closed, my mouth started to water. I stuck my nose high into the air and sniffed. The smell of fried chicken filled the air.

Not only was there chicken, but also biscuits, French fries, and fruit. James passed out sodas and when I finished eating, I was stuffed to the point I could hardly hold my eyes open. I was determined to stay awake though. I just don’t think I could take having another nightmare like earlier.

“I uh, I … okay. What happens to your clothes when you transform? I mean, it’s obvious something happens because I have yet to see a werewolf in pants,” I giggled. A warm flush washed over me and I smiled sheepishly.

“That’s a really good question. Unfortunately, I can’t answer it.”

I scrunched my brows. “What do you mean? You don’t know?” I wasn’t sure at that point if I would ever transform. “Are you naked afterwards,” I whispered. I could tell by the way she smiled she knew I was freaked about her brothers seeing me in the nude. I wasn’t awkwardly shy, but I didn’t want to parade around naked. Not in front of the whole world and definitely not in front of the boys.

“Your clothes go into a state of limbo sort of. And when you transform back, you’re dressed.” She shrugged and cocked her head to one side.

“Stop messing with me, Luna,” I said a little too loudly, and quickly glanced around at the guys to make sure they hadn’t heard.

“No. I swear,” Luna seemed completely serious. “Grandfather said each Adlet is under some kind of inner secret spell. Well, it’s not a spell, but it’s kind of like that. It has to do with our pack tattoos. Transforming and clothing and healing. Joseph can explain it better than me,” she said and started to get up.

I yanked her back down. “No! I mean, no. It’s all right. As long as you swear I won’t end up naked I’m good.”

I moved back to my seat and tried to think about what Luna had told me, but quickly grew so sleepy. Even though I tried my hardest to stay awake the last thing I remembered was glancing around in the dark at Luna and James still eating. Joseph had fallen asleep first, and was snoring so loud I easily heard him over the plane’s engines.

A couple hours later I woke up, my head felt like lead, and I had an awful taste in my mouth. It was cold and the wind was blowing. I cracked my eyes open and glanced around. Everyone was still asleep, except the pilot. His seat was empty and the back door was wide open. It took longer than normal for everything to register. I even looked behind me, thinking he might be in the bathroom, before it finally hit me … we had been drugged. “Oh Jesus, Joseph, wake up,” I screamed, but he didn’t budge.

I promptly shot up from my seat wondering why the pilot would bail on us. The suction coming from the open door pulled at me, and I grabbed onto Joseph’s arm.

“Help me,” I shouted, mere inches from his ear. “Joseph, you’ve got to wake up.” I held on with one hand and slapped him hard with the other. Finally, he stirred.

“Oh my God.” Joseph held his hand to his forehead. “My head is killing me.

“Forget about your damn head for a minute, and help me.” My feet weren’t flying in the air or anything, but there was a strong suction pulling me toward the open doorway. I couldn’t hold back my tears any longer. All I could picture was getting sucked out and falling thousands of feet.

I guess Joseph saw my distress and promptly pulled me into his lap. I was so relieved, I threw my arms around his neck and squeezed tightly.

“Shh, you’re all right now.” He held me for a minute until I calmed down, then pushed me back just enough to see my face. “Where’s the pilot?”

“Uh, I’m thinking out there somewhere.” I replied sarcastically, but didn’t mean too, and pointed toward the open door.

Without a word, Joseph sprung into action. He slid out from under me, and carefully made his way to the back where the open door was. I wasn’t sure he’d be able to get it closed. I held my breath as he pulled on the door handle. His face turned deep red as he strained and his muscles flexed. Although I cared deeply for William, watching the taut muscles in Joseph’s chest and abdomen ripple underneath his tight shirt, stirred something deep inside me. He let out a loud grunt and gave a final hard jerk, latching the door.

I ran to him and threw my arms around him. “You were so brave. Thank you.” I kissed him on the cheek before I even thought about it. Afterward, I let go, lowering my eyes. “Uh … we better wake the others.

Joseph had managed to stir Joshua awake, but so far hadn’t had any luck waking Luna and James. I suddenly remembered that they had eaten a good bit more than the rest of us.

“We were drugged. It must have been in the food. That would explain why Luna and James aren’t waking up.” I thought about it all for a minute, then turned to Joshua who’d climbed into the pilot’s seat. “I thought your grandfather knew these people.”

“He does. I just don’t understand what could have happened.”

I furrowed my brow. “I guess he doesn’t know them like he thought he did, or we wouldn’t be thousands of feet in the air without a pilot, would we?”

“Stop it! Both of you, just stop it,” Joshua shouted incredulously. “I really don’t think it matters who is responsible at this point. Right now we need to concentrate on how we’re going to land this plane without killing ourselves.” By the time he’d finished shouting, a vein poked out in his forehead, and his face was blood red.

James and Luna woke up right in the middle of Joshua shouting at me and Joseph. Just like the rest of us, they had terrible headaches and Luna had a confused look on her face.

“We were drugged,” I said flatly. “The pilot bailed on us too. Isn’t that just great?” I spouted hatefully, and pointed at Joshua sitting in the pilot’s seat. I was being sarcastic but I was really only trying to mask my own fear of dying.

“What about the radio? We can call for help. Somebody will rescue us,” James said, optimistically.

“Nope … not gonna happen.” Joshua said, holding up the severed microphone cord. “But what you can do is look in the outside pocket of my back pack and hand me my cell phone.”