Half Moon- (The Crescent Book #2) (The Crescent Trilogy)

by Jordan Deen

  “Something is wrong.” He forced his fingers around mine. The sensations from his skin rattled through my hand, up my arm and into my neck. That was the exact moment he knew I intentionally blocked him. I pushed back Haventon, not willing to dream cheat on Alex when I finally had him back. I couldn’t do it. Not again.

  “Is this about what we did? Do you regret being with me?” he asked with more hurt and betrayal in his eyes than ever before. “You blame me, don’t you?”

  “No, I don’t regret it. But yes, to be honest, I blame you. I hate that we are here, in this stupid place, being forced to work things out with the penalty of death hanging over my head. This was never what I wanted.” I stood from the rock and Emile’s book tumbled from my lap. Brandon struggled to grab the book before it hit the ground while he tried to stop me from leaving.

  “Wait, stop.” He grasped my forearm and whirled me around. “Lacey, we’ve tried it their way. I wanted to try it your way. I love you. I wanted a real relationship with you. It won’t seal our fate unless we let it. We can’t let it rip us apart like this.”

  “That’s not what is tearing us apart.”

  “Then tell me what I’ve done that has made you so mad at me. Tell me why you are so pissed that I wanted to protect you and make things easier. Everything I’ve done is for you. To support you and be here for you.”

  “I don’t care what you’ve done. I don’t want any of this life.”

  Brandon’s head dipped, and his eyes rolled back like he would pass out. In fact, I thought I’d have to stop him from going down when his shoulders slightly swayed towards me then back even again. “You don’t love me?”

  I didn’t answer. I turned and rushed the opposite direction towards the camp. Only a brief moment passed before Brandon was in hot pursuit after me. He never said a word, just silently stalked behind me, pushing passed trees and bushes. His heavy footsteps easily snapped twigs and branches in their wake. It didn’t take long before he had me by the arms and forced my back against the nearest tree. Brandon’s eyes were black as night, just inches from my face. Terror spread through my body seeing the rage in him.

  “Are you done with me? Are you willing to let me die?”

  I didn’t answer. His anger wouldn’t let me.

  “I’ve risked my life for months to be with you. I’ve lived as a dog because I couldn’t bear the idea of us being apart. I’ve relocated my family to the safest place I know of to help you adjust to our life and your responsibilities. I’ve even turned my back on Haventon because I thought that was what you wanted. I’ve shamed my family and betrayed my heritage for you! Damn it, Lacey. All of this has been for you.”

  He pushed off the tree and threw his hands over his head to turn away from me. His knuckles turned white as he raked his fingers through his hair like he was trying to brush away the horrid thoughts he was having. The tight muscles in his forearms were bright red and pulsing with adrenaline.

  “When do you plan on leaving?” he finally asked when he realized I wouldn’t willingly participate in the argument, mostly because he was being irrational, and scared the hell out of me.

  “Why would you ask me that?”

  He turned to start walking away. “Because I want to know how long I have to live.”

  Brandon took three quick strides into the forest then phased into Grant. He was out of sight in no time, but his howls echoed through the valley. In less than five seconds, loud howls from other wolves echoed along with his and faded off into the distance away from camp. He needed the guy time, but I was sure it was just to talk shit about me to everyone else.

  “Hey,” Brea said coming from the stream. “Want some company?”

  “Yeah,” I said and pulled out my broken iPod. The car charger didn’t work to revive the battery, and there would be no way I’d get through the next few days without it. “Do you think we can go into town? I want to try to charge my iPod at the library.”

  “Um.” She turned and looked in the direction that Brandon ran off to. “Do you swear you aren’t going to try to take off on me?”

  “I swear. I just want to get my iPod charged.” I wouldn’t take off on her, but it was coming, and it couldn’t come soon enough. Brandon would be so much happier with someone that adored him; someone like Bailey.

  “I’d like to buy a computer card please?” I asked the Library clerk, and handed her a five-dollar bill for the Internet access. At least I could browse the gossip pages while I waited for the iPod to fully charge. If this didn’t work, I had no idea what to do. It’s not like I could buy another one.

  “Gossip Lately, huh?” A male’s voice said from the row of computers behind me.

  “What?” I turned to look at the brown-eyed, twenty-something cutie peering at my computer screen. His lips curved into perfectly shaped petals that twitched when my eyes lingered there a tad too long.

  He pointed to my monitor. “You pay to use the Internet at the library to look up celebrity news?”

  “Uh.” Brea browsed some bookshelves less than twenty feet away. I considered calling her over, but didn’t want to look like a total fool. “Actually, my iPod died, and the car charger isn’t working. So, technically, I’m paying to charge my iPod.” Why was I rambling on like an idiot? Someone shut me up. He didn’t want to know all that information.

  “Ahhh, that’s even lamer then.” He smiled and laughed. “I’m Liam.”

  “I’m L…” If I gave him my real name, would it really hurt anything? He looked harmless… and cute. “I’m Lacey. It’s nice to meet you.”

  “So, do you live around here?”

  “No, we are staying up in the mountains. What about you?”

  “Yeah, for now. My parents bring my sisters and me up here on vacation every year. Stupid, I know. Is she your sister?” He pointed to Brea who was completely oblivious to the hottie that had taken sudden interest in me.

  “No, she’s a good friend of mine. We are vacationing, too.”

  “Awesome,” he said just as a young blond girl came into the library. “That’s my ride. I’ll see you around?”

  “Yeah, see you.” I turned, and watched him walk out the door with his head held high. He possessed an air of confidence that would have given James Dean a run for his money.

  “Ready?” I asked Brea when my iPod finally said it was done charging. She checked out four books for herself and played nice by getting three for Lily and two for Nicole. The librarian looked at us funny when we tried to check out nine books, so I took half and she took half. Although, I didn’t plan on being around long enough to check them back in.

  “So.” Brea tuned on the truck and pulled the shifter into reverse, “Do you want to talk about what is going on?”

  “Not really,” I said and thumped on the screen of the iPod. It was seriously dead—as if things couldn’t get any worse.

  “I know you don’t necessarily believe in all this stuff, but I can sense a change in you. I know there’s something wrong, and I just want to help.”

  “If you wanted to help me, why didn’t you tell me just how deep I was in? Why didn’t you give me some hint of what was going on?”

  “Lacey, my point of being here is only to support you. It has nothing to do with the pack.” She reached over and slipped her hand around mine. “Leader or not, that doesn’t affect us. My mom left me this letter that said I’m to stand by you, regardless of the decisions you’ll be forced to make, regardless of your ties to the Amanas.”

  When the tears rolled down her cheek and off her chin, it was obvious how painful it was for her to speak of her mother and the letter. But, it had to be said.

  “Don’t you think it’s my right to know everything so I can make an informed decision?” The hint of another possible outcome escaped my lips. I didn’t know how much they’d told her about my relationship with Alex, but I cared deeply for Brea. She couldn’t get hurt because of me.

  “I didn’t mean to keep things from you,” she said, easing t
he truck onto the mountain road to head back to camp. “And sure, I want you to stay with us. I want you to lead the pack. But the fact is, you were raised differently, and you have different beliefs than we do. This is all new to you, but it’s second nature to us. I just want you to know, whatever you decide, I’m here for you.”

  Hearing someone tell me I could make my own choice was uplifting, no matter what her ulterior motive could have been. I’d take whatever support I could get at this point. If she meant what she implied, she could be an asset in my escape. So, I started to step off onto the limb, putting myself out there to let her judge my confusion.

  “Brea, I have something I have to tell you. Back home, there was this other boy…”

  “You mean the boy Sophie tried to bond you with?”

  “Yeah…” I watched the blurred trees out the window, muddled and blobbed together, like my justification for wanting to turn my back on the pack and take her with me. I lost Jillian, could I really stand to lose Brea too?

  “I know you loved him. But you really have no idea how strong, how powerful you will feel for Brandon.”

  “Then why hasn’t it happened yet?” I looked at Brea with her white knuckling the steering wheel; frustration and aggravation over not knowing the answer pulsed under her skin just as vehemently as my own.

  Brea took her eyes off the road for less than a second to look at me. Next thing I knew, both of her feet slammed hard on the brake pedal; the truck fishtailed back and forth across the blacktop. Screams escaped both of our lips as the seat belts tightened against our chest and yanked us backwards into the seats. Brea’s arms locked in place as the wheel started to spin out of control. The truck skidded off the road and into the ditch. The hazed scene finally slowed and allowed my eyes to focus on the trees less than ten feet from the bumper of the truck. Brea slumped forward in the truck, her mouth and nose bloodied. Gingerly, I pushed my door open, and fought the seat belt clip to get the restrictive material off of my shoulder and neck. The edging cut deep into the curvature of my neck causing small droplets of blood to trickle down my shirt.

  My tennis shoes slipped, and I fell trying to climb out of the marshy gutter the truck skidded into. “Need some help?” a voice called from the distance, but no one was around. With Brea’s head and body still slumped forward against the seat; she needed help and fast.

  “Hello? Please help us! My friend is injured,” I called to the unknown voice.

  “Let me help you,” Liam, the boy from the library appeared at the top of the embankment. He came part way down the slick grass and held his strong hands out to take mine. “What happened? How badly injured is your friend? Was she knocked out?”

  “I don’t know. We were talking then she slammed on the brakes. I think she hit her head on the steering wheel.”

  Up on the road, he didn’t release my hand. Instead, he started walking down the road. We were completely alone. “Where’s your car?”

  A wicked grin seeps onto his lips and blackness overtook his eyes. He didn’t smell funny and my hand wasn’t tingling in his. My natural defenses weren’t kicking in, so I didn’t think of him as a threat. Then, he started cackling and tightened his grip. I assumed wrong.

  “Don’t get frigid on me now, love. We had such chemistry.” He yanked on my arm and pulled me further down the road toward the opposite side.

  “LIAM!” Brea screamed from behind us. He whirled me around just in time to see Brea climbing to the top of the embankment. “Let her go. Now.”

  “Brea, can’t say it’s nice to see you again.”

  “You heard me,” she said no louder than a growl through her gritted teeth. “Let her go, Liam.”

  “And what are you going to do if I don’t?” Liam jerked my arm harshly until my feet slid out from under me and I dangled in his hand from my wrist. This brought back memories; bad ones of the night Gavin held me like this as an offering to Sophie, and enticing Alex to fight him. Gavin dangled me like a rag doll, and now, Liam used me to bait Brea closer.

  “No, Brea!” I yelled, trying to stop her from getting hurt, but she didn’t listen. She ran forward, at full speed, until she tackled Liam with such force that we all ended up rolling over one another down the shoulder on the opposite side of the road. Liam’s body, solid as a rock, pressed and contorted end over end onto mine—crushing my entire body into the slushy mud with each roll.

  Brea clasped her hand tight around Liam’s wrist and yanked his hand from mine. “Run, Lacey. Go,” she commanded and blocked me from Liam. “Go as fast as you can.”

  “Brea…”

  “No, Lacey, go. Run now. Scream for the pack. They will hear you from here.” I nodded in silent agreement. Brea, filled with the resolve to honor her mother’s wishes, stood against Liam without fear in her eyes. Liam, now leaning forward poised for battle, waited for Brea to accept the terms of the combat. She had to transform. I watched over my shoulder in awe as she morphed into a delicate, yet fierce, gray wolf. I didn’t want to leave her, but I listened. I ran and screamed the entire way to the truck. I started the vehicle and put it into four-wheel drive. The tires spun, and fear rattled through me that I wouldn’t be able to get it out of the ditch. There would be no way I could outrun a werewolf. If I had my candles, I could transform, but I wasn’t comfortable as a werewolf yet. He’d overpower me easily.

  I held the wheel as tight as I could and slammed on the gas; fighting the spinning tires and swaying truck all the way back up the slope onto the asphalt. The tires squealed and spun trying to gain traction from the caked on mud and grass clogged in them. With the gas pedal almost to the floor, the truck spun around until it faced down the mountain and the two clashing werewolves framed by the tree line. Liam may have been bigger than Brea by at least double, but she was agile and easily avoided his swipes at her sleek body. Go Brea! I silently said and put the truck into reverse to get the truck turned around on the two-lane road.

  c h a p t e r

  SEVENTEEN

  My hands shook for the next five miles up the winding mountain highway. I shouldn’t have left Brea to fend for herself. Regardless of how strong she thought she was, he still outweighed her. If something happened to her, the pack would have one more reason to hate me and I don’t want to think about how Catch would treat me. And Liam seemed so harmless, was he one of the Mares? Or…what if he was with Alex. That thought hadn’t occurred to me, but Alex promised he would come by himself.

  Just before the last turn into the road to camp, the slender gray wolf landed in the bed of the truck. I swerved from the loud bang she made when her paws connected with the weather-rotted metal. She whimpered and ducked under the window. Two seconds later, she climbed through the back sliding glass window in human form. “Keep going. Hurry,” she panted. “He’s going to the camp.”

  “Who is he?” I asked and tried not to take my eyes off the road. Liam sneak attacked us once—he didn’t need to be given the opportunity to do it again.

  “That’s Liam,” she said climbing into the passenger seat.

  “How come he didn’t smell? Brandon said all my enemies would smell.”

  “Technically, he’s not an enemy. He’s an Amana, or at least, he was.”

  “He was?” I asked and slowed the truck to turn onto the road to camp. I kept looking in the rearview mirror, fully knowing how pointless it was since Liam didn’t follow us in a car. He probably followed somewhere in the woods, tracking us like his prey.

  “I don’t know how much you’ve read in the journals, but the fact is, not all the Amanas and their families were happy or supportive over Serena encouraging, or condoning, the mating of her only son with a witch. Some of the pack rebelled against her and segregated from us completely. Others couldn’t accept you as their future leader and openly opposed Serena as the leader of the Amanas. Those rebellions led to Michael taking over to restore order, but there are still ones that seek to destroy you as an outsider. Liam is part of that. He’s also one of your cousins.�
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  “He’s related to me?” I tried to keep the truck from swerving, but my nerves were shot. To think, just a few hours before, I actually thought that jerk was cute.

  “Robert is one of Gregory’s brothers, and your uncle. Liam is his son and if something were to happen to you, he’d be next in line for the pack. Not Brandon.”

  “Why not Brandon? If he is my mate, then shouldn’t he be in charge?”

  “No, it doesn’t work that way. It’s your bloodline that carries the leadership. Michael only stepped in to restore order after witches were condemned by the Council.”

  “Witches were condemned?” I hadn’t gotten to that part in any of the books yet, there was still too much to learn and not enough time to do it in.

  “Yes, they used to advise the council. But when Gregory and Emma mated, it was said that black magic was used to force the prophecy in the Half Moon Book.” She looked out the window, scanning the trees for our attacker. “Liam and his family knew we were here, but that doesn’t mean they came alone. We have to warn the others, especially Serena. God only knows what kind of alliances Liam and his family have made with the other packs.”

  The truck skidded to a stop in the middle of camp. Brea jumped out of her side, yelling and screaming at all the men working on the houses. Michael was the first to come to her side and once he got the information, he shouted orders to everyone. In the commotion, I rushed to my room and grabbed my bag. This was an opportunity I would not miss; this was the time to make my escape. Even though

  Alex hadn’t come, I’d get far away from camp and then figure out how to reach him. He’d come for me, and we could research all of the books together until we found the right spell. Now that I knew Brandon wouldn’t be in charge of the pack, it made it easier to think I was leaving. Michael would maintain control; Liam wouldn’t be able to overthrow him.

  I grabbed my bag out of the closet and shoved as many clothes into it as I could. I grabbed my mom’s stuff from the bathroom and buried it under the clothes. I slipped on her necklace and tucked my candles and lighter into my pocket, just in case. I put the Half Moon Book on top of my clothes and considered cracking it open one last time, but Brea confirmed the answer I desperately needed wasn’t in there. The Half Moon Council exiled the witches for allegedly forcing Gregory and Emma to mate, so there would be no way they would be the ones to figure out bonding since it went against their natural laws.