by L.H. Cosway
“I’ll be ten minutes.”
“Also, um, is Wolf with you?”
“No. I thought he was with you.”
“He isn’t.”
“Okay, sometimes he likes to wander off. I’m sure he’ll turn up.”
I chewed my lip. “There’s something else.”
“What?”
“I found a naked man on the beach.”
“Excuse me?”
“There’s a naked man on the beach. He’s unconscious, but he’s breathing. I think he might be hurt though. Can you bring him some clothes? We should probably call an ambulance, too.”
There was a pause from Finn, then I heard him swearing under his breath. “Don’t move a muscle. I’ll be there as quick as I can.”
Finn hung up, and the naked man groaned. He turned over, and for the first time, I saw how handsome he was. His eyes fluttered open, big, deep brown eyes that were peering about in terror. He raised a hand and stared at it, turning it over and back with wonder.
“Are you okay?” I asked softly, keeping my position a few feet away from him. I didn’t want to get too close in case I scared him, although judging from his stature and nakedness, I was the one who should be scared.
Brown eyes found me, and they wouldn’t stop staring. Still, he didn’t speak, almost as though he’d forgotten how. A moment later, I heard the roar of an engine as Finn sped down the beach toward us. He parked and jumped out, carrying a massive blanket. He barely even spared me a glance as he rushed to the naked man’s side and draped the blanket over his shoulders.
The others emerged from the van, all looking like they hadn’t slept a wink. Had they been out all night searching for me?
I went to Finn, joining him beside the naked man, who he seemed weirdly familiar with. “Do you know him?” I asked, perplexed.
Finn met my gaze, tiredly running a hand over his stubble. “In a sense, yes, I know him. You do, too. This is Wolf.”
I gaped at him. “Say that again?”
“This is Wolf, Tegan. He’s a shapeshifter. I’ve only ever known him as a dog, but from the old pictures I’ve seen, I’m pretty sure this is his human form.”
Gabriel, Delilah, Rita, and Alvie all stood close by, their eyes glued to Wolf in shock and awe.
“A shapeshifter?” I questioned.
Finn gave a weary sigh. He looked far too exhausted to be explaining all this to me. “Yes. Wolf is a very rare kind of supernatural creature who can shift into various animal forms. This man’s name is Ira Wolf, and he was a friend of my old DOH superior, Noel. The man who used to own the house I live in. Over twenty years ago, Ira had a run-in with a witch who cursed him to remain in his animal form. Noel had been taking care of him until his recent death. That’s when I took over. Tegan, have you any idea how he got changed back into a human?”
I stared at Wolf in awe. I’d heard of shapeshifters, but mostly in novels or TV shows. “I have a theory,” I told Finn, then glanced at the others. “But you all might want to sit down because I’ve got a lot to tell you.”
In his note, Theodore warned me to keep my mouth shut about his return from hell, but no way was I keeping my friends in the dark. I recounted everything that happened last night, from seeing the red van, all the way through to my dad taking Theodore’s place in hell. I had to hold in my tears at that point, thinking about how he might be suffering, and I finished on the part where I woke up and found Wolf unconscious and transformed. Everybody was completely awe-struck to discover that Theodore was a Girard, which in turn meant Rita was, too.
“Your assumption about how Wolf was changed back into a man is probably right,” Rita said, referring to my theory that the magic of the ritual somehow released Wolf from his animal form.
Delilah rubbed her eyes, her lips were drawn into a thin line as she contemplated the fact that Theodore was back. Everyone else was silent and carrying similar expressions of worry on their faces. What did this mean for us? What did it mean for Tribane? All I knew was that come hell or high water, I was going to figure out a way to fix this.
I was going to send Theodore straight back to hell and bring my dad home, once and for all.
When we got back to the house, Finn helped Wolf, who still hadn’t uttered a word, up to the empty bedroom. I treated myself to a long bath and tried to relax, but it was useless. I wouldn’t be able to rest until my dad was safe.
When I emerged from the bath, I threw on some sweatpants and a loose white shirt before taking a nap. Hours later I woke up starving, so I decided to go downstairs for something to eat. On my way, I walked right into somebody’s lean, tanned chest. Ira, the man who once was Wolf, stood there staring at me. He was certainly easy on the eyes, but I still mourned the loss of my canine friend. I’d just gotten used to having him around.
“Sorry,” I whispered, looking up into his big brown eyes. His long hair hung down over his shoulders, and he was currently shirtless. He kept looking at me like he knew me. Clearly, he remembered me from when he was a dog. I heard his stomach rumble.
“Are you hungry?” I asked. He didn’t answer. “Come on, I’ll make you something to eat.” Still no answer, but as I started to walk down the stairs, he followed.
In the kitchen, I put some chicken and potatoes in the oven to bake. Wolf stood by the door watching me the entire time. Eventually, I had to take his hand and lead him over to sit at the table.
“Sit here. The food will be ready soon,” I said.
Wolf, or well, Ira, sat obediently. A few minutes later, I heard Finn coming down the stairs.
“Something smells good,” he exclaimed as he entered the kitchen.
“I’m making dinner. You want some?”
“I wouldn’t say no,” he grinned and went over to sit by Wolf. “How’re you feeling, Ira?” Finn asked, but Wolf just tilted his head to the side, staring at him quizzically. “Still not talking, eh? You’ll soon get the hang of it.” Finn opened a newspaper that had been sitting on the table and perused the headlines while I began dishing up the food.
A few minutes later, there was a knock on the front door. “Come in. It’s open,” Finn called out, and Gabriel and Delilah walked in, both looking a little anxious and stony-faced.
“Jaysus, would you look at the two of you, faces like smacked arses. What’s going on?” Finn asked as he surveyed the dhampir half-siblings.
Before they had the chance to say anything, Rita, Alvie, and Noreen came in. “I got your message, Gabriel. What did you want us here for?” Rita questioned.
“We have a proposition for all of you,” Delilah said. “It’s in the best interests of everyone, especially given the current circumstances with Theodore. I managed to persuade Gabriel to agree, so the rest of you shouldn’t be too difficult to convince.”
“What do we need to be convinced of?” Finn asked, looking sceptical.
Delilah cleared her throat. “You’re all aware of what happened at Whitfield’s house a little under two weeks ago. That event had a profound effect on the governor’s long-standing relationship with my brother, Ethan. Whitfield decided to put him on trial for knowingly bringing a spy into his home.”
“But Ethan didn’t know anything about what I was up to,” I said, panic rising. Whitfield had put him on trial?
“We all know that,” Delilah said. “Still, somebody had to take the blame for what happened, and Ethan was the most obvious scapegoat.”
“What was the verdict of the trial?” Rita asked.
“Ethan was declared an outlaw and has been cast out of vampire society, alongside Lucas and Dru since they were under his authority at the time.” I let out a long gasp. This was all my fault. Like I needed any more guilt to be dealing with right now.
“So,” Delilah continued. “I wanted to put a proposition to all of you. I think we should team up with my brother, Lucas, and Dru to protect ourselves from whatever is going to happen now that Theodore has returned. We’ll need their vampire strength to fight what’s coming
.”
“No way!” Finn argued. “I’m a slayer. There’s no chance in hell I’m gonna team up with a bunch of vampires.”
“Finn,” Gabriel said in a reasoning tone. “I understand where you’re coming from. Believe me, I do. No one has more of an issue with Ethan than me, but it is our best bet for staying alive and perhaps saving the city from another long stretch of tyranny. Think about it. We need some vampires on our side. They’re far stronger than any of us physically.”
Finn’s face was in danger of cracking he scowled so hard, but I knew he couldn’t fault Delilah and Gabriel’s logic. His eyes latched onto Gabriel, who appeared to be trying to silently convince Finn to say yes. Finally, Finn let out a long breath and grudgingly answered, “Fine, we’ll give it a try. But I’m not going to make any promises that it will work.”
Relief flooded into Gabriel’s and Delilah’s faces, and I suddenly realised this was what they’d been in cahoots about all this time. Delilah had obviously worked hard to convince Gabriel that bringing Ethan into the fold was a good idea.
“Okay, what about the rest of you?” Gabriel asked the room.
Rita looked to her mum and Alvie. The three huddled together and whispered to each other for a minute before Rita turned back to the room and announced, “We’re in.”
“I’m in, too,” I blurted while my heart twisted at the prospect of seeing Ethan, not knowing how he was going to react to me. Negatively, probably, given that he was put on trial because of me. Still, I was desperate to see him. Call me a masochist, but I wanted to know how much he hated me. I wanted to know what it would take to gain his forgiveness.
“Right, so I guess we’re all in agreement then,” Gabriel said before glancing at Delilah. She pulled her phone from her pocket to make a call.
“It’s a yes. You can come over now,” was all she said before hanging up. A few minutes later, there was a knock at the door and my insides felt like they were being tied up in knots. Ethan was here already? No way, this was too soon. Yes, I wanted to see him, but I also thought I’d have some time to prepare.
Delilah left the room to get the door. Seconds passed before she returned with Ethan, Lucas, and Dru. Finn’s kitchen was suddenly far too crowded. My focus immediately latched onto Ethan. He looked handsome as always, wearing jeans and a dark shirt. My eyes practically drank him in, but he didn’t spare me a single glance.
He was intentionally ignoring me, but given everything I’d put him through, I knew I deserved it.
“Hello, everyone,” he said, still carefully avoiding my gaze. Wonderful. This wasn’t going to be awkward at all. I returned my attention to dishing up the food while Ethan, Lucas, and Dru mingled with their new allies. I sensed someone watching me, but when I glanced at Ethan, his eyes were nowhere near me.
Must’ve been wishful thinking.
I handed a stony-faced Finn his dinner. Other than me, he was the only other person being awkward. Having vampires in his house was obviously going to take some getting used to. Next, I served Wolf, and seeing as no one was particularly interested in talking to me, I took my food and retreated upstairs to my room. Ethan’s cold aloofness cut me to the quick, and it made me sad that he clearly wasn’t going to forgive me any time soon. I steeled myself and my aching heart.
I could handle this.
As I sat in bed and ate, I tried to clear my head and get my priorities straight. I didn’t have time to be depressed about Ethan. I had a lot to achieve in the coming weeks. First, I had to figure out how to save my dad. Then I had to come up with a way of replicating my mother’s spell for Rebecca. And perhaps most importantly, I had to help in any way I could to prevent Theodore from taking over the city again. Yes, all of that would keep my mind off my feelings for the hostile vampire who hated my guts and who I was now going to be seeing a whole lot more of.
Thank you for reading Moonglow. The story continues in Witching Hour, book #3 in the Blood Magic Series. Read on for a sneak peek of chapter one!
1.
The fighting sprang out of nowhere.
One minute I was walking down the street minding my own business, and the next I was standing in the middle of a riot.
Turning the corner onto Campion Row, one of the main shopping districts in Tribane, my eyes were assaulted by a fist making contact with somebody’s face. Then, when I had the chance to scan the area, I realised it wasn’t just one fist and one face. Hundreds of people were fighting each other. Just going at it like they were taking part in a giant MMA tournament.
What fresh hell was this?
A thin brunette who looked like she wouldn’t normally harm a fly yanked on the hair of a blonde woman, spouting angry profanities into her face, spittle flying from her mouth.
Was there some sort of controversial protest happening today that’d gotten out of hand? It was the only logical explanation that came to mind as I took a step back, edging away from the chaos. But when I turned back to go the way I came, the riot had spread.
Had the entire city taken crazy pills?
This was too bloody weird.
Only a moment ago shoppers were wandering casually about the street, and now they were kicking the living crap out of each other.
A group of teenagers banded together, throwing bricks and smashing the windows of an electronics store. Several employees came rushing out to try and stop them, which only created more fighting. The teenagers kicked and punched at the polo shirt wearing employees.
At first, the polo shirts tried to stop the teenagers from doing any more damage, but it was like a flip switched in them and violence took over as they fought back. I stepped away, backing myself up against the concrete wall of the building behind me. Two men fell to the ground a foot or two away from me. The man on top pummelled the other man’s face, bloodying his nose.
“Hey, stop that!” I shouted.
The aggressor paused his pummelling, and my heart pounded when he turned and glared at me. There was a rampant, crazed look in his eyes. Not good, not good at all. He wore a wool coat, corduroy trousers, sensible brown shoes, and his balding dark hair had speckles of grey in it. He looked as straight-laced as they came, like an accountant or a financial advisor doing some shopping on his day off. Not some mental case who would randomly beat on a passing stranger. He let go of the man he’d been punching and advanced on me.
“You little tramp,” he seethed. “What did you just call me?”
The anger and hate in his words were odd, since I didn’t actually call him anything. I only told him to stop what he’d been doing. The fighting and looting were still going on around me, but all I could focus on was this man’s bloodshot eyes and the saliva that began to drip from his mouth, like a rabid dog.
I pressed my entire body even harder against the concrete wall as he came towards me.
“I didn’t call you anything,” I said in an even tone.
“I heard what you said, you fucking bitch! You’re going to pay for that,” he spat.
“Seriously? Are you deranged?”
Okay, that probably wasn’t the smartest thing to say, but I tended to get rude when I was frightened. If this man were a supernatural being, like a vampire or a dhampir, I’d have no hesitation using my magic to fight him. But he was only a human, so I didn’t know if my sparks would simply incapacitate him or kill him. I couldn’t saddle the death of a stranger on my poor, abused conscience. I already had enough to be feeling guilty about.
“I’ll show you deranged,” the man retorted, his hand fisted as he brought it down on me, punching me right in the face. Fuck that hurt! Sorcerers and ancient vampires might be psychos, but humans could be violent dickheads when the mood took them.
“Stop! You’re hurting me!” I begged as he lifted his leg and landed several kicks to my shin and one in the ankle. Right, well I’d been trying to save my conscience the addition of murder, but this prick had it coming. Without much effort, I summoned my magic. Sparks tickled my palm, which I raised and smacked
directly into his forehead.
Immediately, he cried out, a look of pure, undiluted rage marring his features. He called me a see you next Tuesday before backing away several yards.
“Well, that’s not very nice,” I muttered as I glanced at the electronics store just as the teenagers fled. They were laden down with looted items. One of the employees grabbed a fleeing looter by his collar and pulled him to the ground, punching him hard in the ribs.
Someone stepped in front of me, blocking my view. The man who attacked me was back, his bloodshot, crazed eyes informing me he was ready for round two. Was he nuts? I’d just burned his forehead with my hand, and he’d decided to come back for more?
Something seriously wasn’t right here.
He advanced on me, and I dodged out of the way, dropping the shopping bag I’d been carrying. I turned on my heel and dashed through the mêlée of combating shoppers. The man gave chase. I could hear him grunting behind me, so I ran faster, my lungs burning.
I ran for at least ten minutes and the bastard was still chasing me. This was getting ridiculous. I abruptly stopped and turned around to face him.
“Back the fuck off,” I warned, voice hard. My tone seemed to shock him out of his anger.
He blinked and shook his head, as though trying to rid himself of a daydream. He peered at me, at my face that was likely sporting a bruise thanks to his fist, and his expression clouded with confusion.
“I—I’m so sorry,” he mumbled. “I don’t understand ...” Then he trailed off, shaking his head and running his hands over his face.
“Sorry for what? For beating on a woman you don’t even know, or for the man back there who you almost killed?” My indignation consumed me as I took a step forward to confront him.
“I don’t know why I did that, why I hit you … I just felt so … angry.”
Something definitely wasn’t right about all this. Something was rotten in the state of Tribane, and I’d be hard pushed to believe it didn’t have something to do with the Sorcerer Theodore being back on the scene.
“You’re lucky I haven’t decided to call the police. Go home and say a prayer for the man you beat up. Oh, and perhaps call an ambulance for him while you’re at it.”