Between Moons (The Cursed Series Book 1)

by Lilly Cain

  She set down the cup. “Of course I care. I just made partner. I can’t throw that away.”

  “No, of course not. But do you really care if anyone comments on us? They will. Maybe they’ll say it started out business, and maybe they’ll say it started out as sex, but they’re going to talk about it.”

  He was right and it made her stomach churn. But it was already done. The gossipers would have a ball with her latest disappearance and David’s happening at the same time. It was too much to think about.

  “Let’s get moving then. We’ve got a long drive.”

  He held up her keys. “Already packed except the stove and your clothes.”

  * * *

  The Rom’s trail was easy enough to find. With the clues from the blog and a little searching on the internet for gift stores where the Rom might sell their wares, David and Helen found two spots where the Romany bands sometimes stopped. None occupied the open fields or old National Park campgrounds as they located them; but they learned a little each time. The bands were made up of five to nine families linked through marriage and often traveling in RVs. They weren’t always welcomed as they could be a boisterous bunch, but the nearby towns seemed to have accepted the fact that they would be back, sooner or later. And, despite what seemed like an odd way of life, they made good money through their crafts, and several had a growing business in commissioned art. The expensive RVs proved the point.

  David looked at the painting hanging on the wall in the most focal point of the tiny gallery. The price was certainly hefty, but it would look damn good in his office, if Helen didn’t mind him buying it.

  And wasn’t that an interesting turn of thought. She was already starring in all his fantasies; was she about to take over his daydreams of the future, too?

  “The Rom that passed through here last night only stayed a day. I guess that’s unusual.” Helen spoke beside him and he jumped. Second time the wolfgirl had snuck up on him.

  She laid her hand on his arm. “Sorry.”

  Her touch felt good and he returned the favor by wrapping an arm around her shoulders and walking her out the door. “The next town might know more, or we could drive straight through to where we know they tend to meet up and camp at Woodberry Forest.”

  She let the way back to the SUV and held out her palm for the keys. “Let’s just go. It’s my turn to drive, though.”

  He held them out of reach. “Do you think it’s a good idea, just driving up to them when we find them and asking for their priestess or whatever to take off the curse?”

  She turned away and picked up her pace until she was half jogging. “What other choice do I have? There has to be some way we can come to an agreement.”

  He caught her by the hand, made her slow down and look at him. “And if there isn’t? If they won’t take the curse back or stop the attacks?”

  Her eyes filled with tears. “I…I don’t know.”

  They drove for the next two hours quietly. David turned on some music, but neither of them sang along.

  11

  “This has to be it.” They sat in the car and stared up a long private lane. The cultured stone on the edges of the drive and the gates at the street ‘screamed money,’ a phrase taken word for word from the blog. “How did they get an agreement to park here for like three weeks every couple of years?”

  David shrugged. “Hard to say. The gate’s wide open, should we just drive in?”

  Helen jiggled her leg up and down and she shifted in her seat. He’d recognized the signs of growing nervousness as they came closer to what was supposed to be a good-sized gathering of the Rom. She’d barely eaten her supper, and the greasy hamburger and fries had for the most part gone out the window to feed the crows.

  She twitched again. “I don’t know. I mean, there could be a lot of them in there. What if they’re all wolves?”

  “Could they be? Don’t you think someone would have discovered whole bands of werewolves roaming the country every year?”

  “Maybe that’s why they move around. I need out. I need to run.”

  * * *

  The sky had slipped into twilight as they’d sat staring at the estate and he hadn’t noticed, but she had. The full moon had been the night before and it pulled at her now to change and run. That’s what she needed, not all these decisions and worries. She growled lightly.

  “Can you keep it together until we talk to them or do you want to find a place to stay? Go see them in the morning?”

  He was so considerate. It made her want to grind her teeth. No, that wasn’t right. It was good that he was thinking of her. The wolf inside her was impatient and she needed to gain control. Soon. I promise we’ll go running soon.

  When had she started talking to herself as another person? As two people, or rather one person and one wolf, caught in one body? This was so not good.

  “I’m good. Let’s talk to them. What’s the worst that could happen?” She laughed weakly.

  He didn’t reply, just put the SUV back in drive and rolled through the gates.

  The lane led to a large house, one that looked empty and possibly abandoned, but more importantly they could see a number of RVs parked some distance to the side. David took a small, paved side road and drove close to the first RV.

  This was it. Time to demand or beg, depending on their reception, for relief of the curse. Surely, turning someone into a werewolf was overkill for the loss of a camping spot?

  He shut the engine down. “Nervous?”

  “Oh, yeah. Just a bit.” She laughed but it came out a little strangled. He didn’t say anything but got out of the car and came around to her side. He opened the door and held out his hand. Taking it gave her strength.

  Already, a few people had noticed their arrival and had stopped doing whatever they had been doing. They stood around, apparently waiting to hear what the strangers to their little campsite wanted. Some wore nice clothes, some less nice, some wore artists smocks or aprons covered in paint or other things. All favored bright colors. They didn’t seem angry, and Helen couldn’t smell any fear coming from the band. A large number of children scampered and played nearby, or were held by curious mothers. Most of the people seemed young, maybe thirty at most. One held up a cell phone and took a picture of the SUV and its occupants.

  Helen and David took a few steps away from the vehicle and waited. He didn’t let go of her hand. Finally, a young boy with short black hair and a big smile led an old woman to the growing group of watchers. Her back was bent and she had so many wrinkles her eyes were nearly hidden with laugh lines. She wore a long skirt and a tunic, both in vivid shades of purple. She had wispy silver hair and about a dozen bangles on one arm. She stepped forward and smiled at them, raising the un-bangled hand in greeting. “Hello.”

  This was the Rom? The people who threw blood and curses about willy-nilly? Helen had a hard time associating the people in front of her with the instigators of the events of the last few months. She took the lead and a step forward. “Hello. I’m looking for someone.”

  “Many people are. Who are you seeking?”

  Her words felt like a riddle, or a test. Nothing for it but to tell the truth. “Bianca Donceanu.”

  The old woman nodded and smiled. “I see.” She waved her hand in a dismissive flick at the crowd and they dispersed as if what Helen was looking for wasn’t important at all. That, or they did what this sweet old lady told them like she might be the scariest person they knew.

  “I am Eva Badi. Come with me and we will have some tea and talk.”

  Helen looked at David. He shrugged, but they followed the Rom woman as she wound her way through the gathered RVs until they reached a small one near the far edge of the bunch. She was quick for her age despite a slight limp, and they focused on keeping up. The RVs had been drawn into a rough double circle, all the side doors facing in toward the middle, where a good-sized campfire burned brightly.

  “Come in. It’s small but cozy.” Eva stepped inside and held
the RV door open. Unlike most of the other campers, the one they entered was older, and comparatively tiny. It smelled fresh though, like lemon and something…green. Living. A kettle had been left to boil on the two burner stove and it whistled the moment Helen and David took a seat on the built-in benches wrapped around the small table.

  Eva set out three cups with silver strainers balanced on the edges. She carefully measured loose tea into the strainers and poured boiling water over the dried leaves. This was the source of the scent that permeated the camper.

  “Bianca Donceanu is not someone many seek willingly.” Eva took a seat across from them.

  “She… We had a disagreement. A legal one over land.”

  “Ah, you’re that one.” Eva nodded at her. “Helen Mathews.”

  Heat touched Helen’s cheeks. These people had been talking about her. They likely all knew her secret and all about her the beast inside her. She clenched her fists and tried to stop the incessant jiggling of her left leg. The wolf wanted out.

  “I did nothing wrong. The city needed another hospital and the land was mostly swamp and owned by the government. There were no legal claims to it.”

  “But there was a claim. Maybe not legal, but the Rom had an agreement with the government that we could camp there on our travels.” She clearly knew exactly what had happened, and what had brought about the curse.

  Helen closed her eyes and took a deep breath. “I’m sorry you lost the land, but there was nothing to support your claim. No documentation. And like I said, the city needs the hospital. It’ll help thousands of people.”

  “I have no doubt it will.” Eva took her strainer out of the tea and set it aside. “But you took something from us.” She filled a teaspoon with sugar and tipped it into the cup. “So we gave you something else.”

  “You cursed me,” Helen hissed. David grabbed her hand, clearly sensing the strain she felt and the anger. Eva merely gave a half smile and nodded.

  “There are some who wouldn’t consider what was done a curse. There are some who would say it was a gift and that you didn’t deserve it. Either way, Bianca Donceanu is not here. She rides with her band. We have no magic here, just a few families with a little of the old blood, and me.”

  “Ah!” Helen stood abruptly and growled. Her nails were already changing and she welcomed it. Maybe the wolf could get this old woman to talk, to tell her the truth and take the curse away.

  David stood too. “I’m sorry, we need to go.”

  Eva pursed her lips and nodded. “She needs to go. But you should stay. This RV is for guests. I thought, so close to the moon time, you might need a safe place to stay. The band welcomes you…” She raised her eyebrows in question.

  “David Sherman,” he filled in for her.

  “David. We welcome you and Miss Mathews, as long as you keep the peace.”

  That was quite enough. They weren’t going to help her and now David was cozying up to the old Gypsy. Helen yanked open the door and strode out. Darkness had fallen. She headed away from the people, away from the fire and out into the shadows. She needed to run.

  * * *

  David sighed. Eva was more than pleasant, and she’d introduced him to a few of the men and women in the camp. But she wasn’t the woman he was waiting for, again. Seemed like he was always waiting for Helen. And she was always leaving him behind. He couldn’t even chase her, not on two feet rather than four. At least she hadn’t run as long this time, returning after only a couple of hours.

  He took a seat around the campfire with a plate of food in hand. Something called bokoli—thick pancakes stuffed with meat. They ate often like this apparently, sharing meals in a buffet format and singing and dancing around the fire as long as the weather permitted. Not a bad life.

  “Always, the Rom have been hunted.” Eva’s rich voice came from nearby and as she spoke the music died away. “There have always been the people, and the people have always wanted freedom. We travel, and those who do not understand us, they hunt us.” People called out their agreement from around the fire. This story had been told before, that part was easy to tell, but David understood it was being repeated tonight for his benefit, and for Helen’s.

  He’d seen her glowing eyes shining from where she’d crept under the guest camper after her run. She was listening too, although he wasn’t really sure how much she understood. Enough, perhaps, that she might get a better understanding about the Rom, and that would help them in the long run. In the mean time, he’d listen for her.

  “In the old country, we made music and art and healing potions. Much as we do now.” Eva nodded at various members of the band and they nodded back. “Sometimes, we added a little magic to our creations. This was our downfall.”

  David put his plate down. Magic. Now they were getting somewhere.

  “In our pride we flaunted our talent and magic, building masterpieces of art and architecture in our houses, and we came to the attention of the evil one, Vlad, prince and murderer. He hungered for nothing but power and blood. And once he found us he picked us off, one by one, until the first grandmother made the choice.

  “Why do we wander?” Eva addressed the little ones who had gathered at her feet.

  “Because we have wandering feet!” piped one small girl.

  “Indeed we do. But we wander because of the choice that was made. To never be pinned to a home where evil could trap us. We left our houses, our beautiful homes, that very night. We went by foot, by carriage and by wagon. And so we were saved. And our magic became the path we followed. And when the wars came to our land again, we moved the path and left the old country, and sailed to America.”

  “They hated us in the old place,” the little girl claimed.

  “Sometimes people don’t like us here, either.” A teenage boy said, his voice breaking. David followed the voice and spotted a young man staring at him.

  Eva waved her arms and brought all eyes back to her. “In every band there is a grandmother to carry the ways and light the path. I have sensed the path will shift soon and passed this on to the other bands.”

  Muttering broke out among the adults.

  One woman stepped forward. “But Grandmother Eva, I just got that deal at Castaway Art. We could sell a lot there.”

  They seemed to have forgotten David’s presence, but the teen boy refused to let it go. “Are we leaving because of him? Ruv Danior says the woman stole our land.”

  Eva shook her head. “Vano, I told the story tonight of the first path because you and others seem to have forgotten where our magic lays. There would be no ruva if we worried about any one piece of land.”

  The woman who had worried about her art deal spoke again, “Then why did Grandmother Donceanu fight for the marsh camping ground?”

  “The path was set at that time. Now it shifts. Perhaps the path stayed long enough to bring Miss Mathews to us.” She looked at David and the rest of the band followed suit. Not all the faced turned toward him were upset, but many were.

  He swallowed and stood. “I think it’s time for me to say goodnight. Thank you for dinner. And the place to stay.”

  “You and the ruva should go,” the boy shouted at him but was quickly hushed by several others.

  Eva stood. “David Sherman and Helen Mathews have been welcomed.”

  A murmur of agreement passed through the crowd. Even the boy nodded and looked away, apparently ashamed.

  “Thank you,” David said quietly to Eva, “we’ll go in the morning.”

  She nodded. “Before you go I will have another cup of tea with you.”

  * * *

  David held the door open and Helen leaped inside. She’d watched the evening’s events unfold carefully, but wasn’t sure if she’d caught everything. It seemed she could understand body language on a much deeper level but the nuances of tone and language left her in wolf form. She trotted into the tiny bathroom and nosed the door shut so she could change in private.

  He’d had a good meal; she’d hate
to make him lose it if she changed forms in front of him.

  Unfortunately, the change left her naked again. “David? I’m sorry, but would you mind grabbing my clothes from the SUV?”

  “I already did, this evening while you were off sulking.” There was a thud, which she assumed was her bag hitting the bathroom door. Great, she’d pissed him off. Rightfully so, considering she’d left him with a bunch of possibly hostile people, people who were her problem, not his.

  She opened the door slightly but couldn’t see him. The bag was there though so she reached out and grabbed it. There was still fresh underwear, although everything else had been worn at least once. A few minutes later she walked out of the bathroom dressed and found David stretched out fully clothed on the double bed at the back of the camper, one arm thrown over his eyes.

  She cleared her throat. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have left you here with these people. I… I couldn’t help it.”

  “These people were very nice to me.”

  She sighed. “I know. I don’t really understand why they cursed me like this, if Eva is any indication of the way the other Rom behave.”

  He reached out a hand and she put hers in it. When he pulled gently, it was easy to sit, to be near him and take in the simple fact that she enjoyed his company, very much.

  “Did you hear their story about why they travel around?” he asked.

  She nodded. “It explains why they were so mad at the loss of the camping spot. It messed with their magic as well as their way of life.”

  “Yeah. And I think that kid, the mouthy boy, knows some stuff about the wolves.”

  “Ruva means wolves. Ruv is a single wolf.” She ran her finger absently over his arm, felt the strong muscles under her long-sleeved T-shirt.

  “I figured.” He pulled her down for a kiss and whispered against her lips, “Mystery solving done for the night. Be with me.”