"They'll still get the job done," Ty said—from across the room.
I made a total of five, to be strategically hidden around my house. In addition, he had me make a couple of smaller batons that could be tucked into my purse or hidden in a sock. By time I was finished, I was covered in dust. Despite my exhaustion, I sucked in my billionth lungful of the woody scent as I flipped the sander off.
Ty pulled on a glove to pick up one of the bats, doing a double take at my expression. "What are you doing?" he said.
"I can't help it. The smell of freshly cut trees is so yum."
Ty frowned. "I don't smell anything."
The very room permeated with the thick woodsy smell. I grinned. "You're kidding, right?"
"No." He picked up one of the completed bats and sniffed it, nostrils flaring. "I don't smell anything. I didn't even notice until you mentioned it."
This new development led us back to the ash tree between our houses. I pushed handfuls of leaves into Ty's face, but he couldn't pick up their scent. It was only after I held the leaves for a short time that he caught a faint trace of my perfume amidst the void of scents.
"It's barely there," he said. "I honestly don't think I'd pick it up if I didn't know what to search for." He inhaled deeply. "Yep, there it is. Did I ever tell you that you smell like fresh strawberries?"
"No." I tried to ignore the flush of heat that went through me.
"Frankly," he said with a shrug, "I'm...stumped."
I groaned at his bad sense of humor. "I'll call Melanie tonight. Maybe if we put all of our heads together, we can figure out what this means. Plus, I have to find out what happened with Matt."
I waggled my eyebrows and Ty laughed. "Girl talk. Count me out."
He started back toward his house. I jumped on his back and planted a kiss on his neck. "I'll fill you in later."
"Oh, good."
Chapter 28
"Do you see her?" Melanie whispered.
"No." I frowned. "She always eats lunch out in the courtyard, though."
"Maybe she's sick today?"
"No—I'm pretty sure I saw her earlier." Like I could miss her chest walking around.
Melanie sighed deeply and took a seat behind my mother's desk. "Well, I'm beat. You watch, I'll sit."
Standing post at the windows facing the courtyard, I paused in my search for Carrie to study her profile. Faint shadows lined her eyes.
"Late night?" I tried to keep my voice nonchalant and failed miserably. I grinned at her annoyed expression. "Come on! How'd it go?"
She and Matt had gone out again on Sunday night. It put a bit of a monkey wrench in my plans to figure out the secret of the ash tree, but when she casually mentioned she had a date, I insisted she go through with it and forget all about Ty and me.
"It was nice."
"How nice?" I winked at her.
She blushed and shrugged off my question. "Probably not as nice as your evening with Ty—let's put it that way."
God, did it show on my face? Perhaps my perpetual grin gave me away. And dang it if my face didn't go warm again.
"So," I asked, "are you planning on seeing each other again?" A few seniors shuffled through the leaf strewn courtyard and I quickly scanned their faces. Carrie's wasn't amongst them.
"I don't know. He's a nice guy and all, but I'm not sure we have that certain something." She paused. "So, your turn. I couldn't help noticing how you two ditched the rest of us after Homecoming. Did you have a nice evening?"
I started at her abrupt question. "You are frank, aren't you?"
She laughed. "Well, I always feel beating around the bush about something is a waste of time. I like the direct approach. So, did ya? No—never mind. You don't need to tell me. I can see it written all over your face."
"Really?"
"Yep—you look different. Happy."
I smiled softly to myself and turned to glance out the window again. She was right—I was happy. So happy, I could barely believe it.
Movement caught my eye, and Carrie's face came into focus as she walked out a side door and sat down at a bench near the fountain. Alone. Perfect.
"Here we go," I said. "Are you ready?"
Melanie took a deep breath and stood. "Ready. Let's do this."
o0o
We weren't exactly sly—in fact, we were probably the equivalent to Dumb and Dumber when it came to being covert. Our plan was simple enough. We'd corner Carrie and give her a light tap with the ash baton I'd made, while simultaneously dousing her with holy water. We had no idea if the water would actually work—all of the texts claimed it would burn a werewolf. However, after the tree branch incident, Ty was no longer willing to be our guinea pig. I didn't blame him. It had taken a few hours for the nasty bruise on his thigh to go away—a long time when compared to his Lazarus routine after being shanked in the side.
We got outside and huddled together on the opposite end of the courtyard. It was a cool day, the sky slightly overcast. The smell of a fresh morning shower still lingered in the air, covering everything with a light damp that the mid-afternoon sun hadn't completely erased.
Carrie sat with her back to us and we both hesitated in approaching her. We exchanged a quick glance and went right back to my mother's classroom.
"Maybe we need to wait until she's in the hallway—with lots of people around," Melanie said.
"That might be a good idea. It's not like we can go whack her over the head for no reason at all." Not that it wouldn't be fun.
"Right. Yeah, let's wait. Good plan."
Of course, when we turned back to the window, Carrie was gone.
We rushed out into the corridor, but there was still no sign of her.
"Okay," I said. "You go that way, I'll go this way...and we'll meet in the middle. If you see her, do your thing!" I took off at a light jog.
At every turn in the hallway, I expected to bump into Carrie. But there was no sign of her and I soon met Melanie coming from the opposite direction.
"Did you see her?" Melanie asked, slightly out of breath.
"No." I slumped against the nearest locker and tried to suck in enough air to keep breathing. I had a stitch in my side and a headache to boot. But dang it, I needed to finish this now.
"Let's try the cafeteria." I grabbed Melanie's arm and pulled her down the hall with me.
A vise-like hand landed on my shoulder. I yelped, and swung around, brandishing the baton like a weapon. Quicker than I dreamed possible, Ty's fingers closed over my wrist and stopped my arm mid-swing.
"Are you trying to kill me?" he asked calmly.
"Well, no. Not you, exactly," I said with a sheepish grin. "Sorry."
"Come to join us?" Melanie asked.
Ty snorted. "No. I've come to keep you two from making complete fools of yourselves. Jesus—you two look like you're about to reenact a shower scene from a prison movie." His eyes scanned us both. I held a death grip on the baton, and I saw out of the corner of my eye that Melanie had a similar hold on the bottle of holy water.
"It seemed like a good plan at the time..." I smacked my forehead. "God, what were we thinking?" I said to Melanie.
"Hey, I'm just along for the ride." She held up her hands, the picture of innocence.
Ty tried to hide his amused expression. "Genius."
"And you have a better idea?" I asked.
"Yep. I'm going to talk to her—see if I can get her to confess."
I'd truly heard it all. "And she's just going to admit to it?"
"Will you excuse us for a minute?" Ty said to Melanie before he draped an arm over my shoulders and walked me down the hall. "Have I told you how cute you look today?" he whispered.
I blew an errant strand of hair out of my sweaty face. "Liar. What gives?"
"I just wanted to make sure you'll be okay with my talking to her?" His dark green eyes searched mine. "I didn't want to upset you again."
"You still don't believe it's her, do you?"
He shook his head. I
inhaled sharply.
"But that doesn't mean I'm not giving you the benefit of the doubt, Mac. You know I'll do anything to make sure you're safe."
"You're not really leaving me with much choice here. When will you do it?"
"I thought I'd take her somewhere after school." He raised a calming hand when I started to protest. "It's completely innocent. I'll tell her it's over—that I'm with you. Plus, I'll let her know I won't stand for anyone threatening my girl."
I squinted up at him and tried desperately to keep a straight face as his words sank in. My girl. That had such a lovely ring to it.
"Fine," I said. "Any funny business and I'll ash you. Got it?"
"Yes, ma'am." He brushed his lips against mine.
That afternoon, I watched from the shadows as Ty led Carrie out to his car. My breath caught when he opened the door for her, his hand a guide at the small of her back.
"He loves me," I whispered. "Me."
I was still saying this mantra to myself hours later. Ty hadn't shown for our family dinner and the looks of both sets of parents made me excruciatingly uncomfortable. I tried to hide my underlying feelings from them, but I could read their understanding in each glance and attempt to stick to cheerful subjects. The meal ended and I quickly excused myself and concentrated on my mounds of homework.
At ten-thirty, I gave up and went to bed. Sleep proved elusive, however. I tossed and turned, telling myself everything would be okay, but not really certain anymore. Accustomed to the feel of Ty beside me, the expanse of the bed seemed so empty. What could he be doing? I didn't like the possible scenarios that ran through my mind.
I was still awake at midnight. I sat up at the sound of my bedroom window sliding open. Ty quickly undressed down to his boxers and T-shirt before crawling in bed beside me.
"Hey," he whispered. "Did I wake you?"
"No." I plopped back down and turned away from him.
He sighed. "Please don't be mad."
"I'm not mad." And I wasn't. "I just wish...God, I don't even know what I wish anymore. Did you find out anything?"
"Yeah. You may be right."
I flipped over. "What?"
The faint light from outside reflected in his dark eyes. "She lost it tonight. I mean, really lost it. When I told her I didn't think we could be friends—that I didn't think that would ever be enough for her, she went nuts."
"What did she say?"
"A lot of stuff, but the stand-out thing would be the threats she made toward both of us. Jesus, Mac. I never thought she had that kind of anger in her."
The sadness in his voice kept me from letting out a whoop of triumph. I pulled him into my arms and softly kissed his forehead. "I'm sorry."
"Tomorrow we'll make our plans. I'm not letting her anywhere near you."
He held me close and I lay awake for a long time. A ball of dread expanded in my chest until I could barely breathe with the pressure it created. Ty couldn't help me. I was on my own, and I hoped I had what it would take to protect us both.
Chapter 29
It took me a couple of days to pull together the money for Caleb. It hadn't been easy, but once I had it all I didn't know what to do next. Walk up to him and hand him a stack of cash at school? Call the gas station and have him meet me somewhere? A hand-off like this was new to me. It felt like I was breaking the law.
I reminded myself that I probably was.
After sitting on it all day, I finally borrowed my mother's Civic and drove to the gas station after it had closed for the evening. Getting away from Ty and Melanie had been easier than expected. I left them, heads bent together over the computer—something about wolfsbane and a possible cure. Neither of them said much as I slipped out of the room.
The gas station was dark, and I tapped on the window with my keys. It was impossible to tell if he was home, but after just a moment, a crack of light appeared. Caleb, dressed in jeans and a T-shirt came to the outer door. His feet were bare and his black hair was still wet from a recent shower.
He ushered me inside, neither of us speaking, and led me back to his living area. The starkness of the room once again surprised me.
There was an open bottle of Pepsi sitting on the crate beside the couch, and a tattered paperback lay open, face down on the armrest.
I stood awkwardly in the doorway as he moved across the room to kneel in front of one of his makeshift bookshelves. He shifted some of the books and withdrew a gun case, along with a smaller rectangular black case.
Nervous, I closed the door behind me.
Caleb put the Pepsi on the floor beside the couch and placed the crate in the center of the floor. Laying the items on its bottom surface, it served as an impromptu table. He motioned for me to sit. When I didn't move, he studied me for a long beat.
"The money?"
I withdrew the wad of bills from my coat pocket and stepped closer to hand it to him. Without counting it, he shoved it into the back pocket of his jeans.
"Now sit," he said.
When I still didn't move, his jaw tightened.
"If you want to know how to use this thing, sit."
Reluctantly, I removed my backpack and sat down across from him. He unzipped the gun, sliding it from the case. It looked like a semi-automatic, though the barrel was longer, and it had a wooden base where you would normally load the ammunition. From what I could tell, the darts would be loaded on top.
Caleb pointed out several aspects for this particular model, even pulling out a dart from the black case and showing me how to load it. When he finished, he hesitated before aiming the gun at the wall behind me.
"When you go to shoot—" he said.
"I know how to shoot a gun," I said, gathering the darts off the crate and zipping the case closed again.
I could feel his dark eyes studying me. He lowered the gun. "Then I guess we're done."
"The tranquilizer?"
He stood and pulled a small white box from the fridge in the corner. I stuffed it, along with the gun and darts, into my backpack and zipped it closed.
I stood, slinging the bag over my shoulder. "We good?"
At that, the corner of his mouth lifted. He leaned against the armrest of the couch, his arms crossed. "Unless there's anything else I can do for you, Princess."
Now that you mention it, how much juice do you think it'll take to bring down a werewolf?
"I'm good," I said.
He studied me for a few beats longer, then stood and motioned me out the door.
It wasn't until I got home that I noticed the slip of paper tucked into the case, a phone number scribbled across it. It looked like a male's writing—small and sloppy. Caleb.
I started to throw it away, but hesitated. My mother's voice carried from the other room, and I hastily put the paper in my desk drawer. For now, I told myself.
o0o
After dinner, I went in search of Melanie and Ty.
I found the two of them in Ty's room, exactly as I had left them. Ty jumped up from his chair and motioned for me to take his seat. I sat, sliding the backpack to the floor beside me.
"We have an idea that might work," Melanie said. "We've checked and cross-checked lots of different sources, and they all say the same thing."
"There's a theory that wolfsbane could be a cure," Ty said, picking up where she had left off. "It's a long shot, and may not work, but..."
"And we don't know how to get the wolfsbane yet," Melanie said, throwing Ty a quick look as she interrupted. Both were grinning. "But it's something."
"That's great," I said.
The two of them were so excited, I didn't know how to interrupt. They rambled on about early morning dew and wolfsbane—the two of them picking up each other's sentences and talking over one another. By the time they finished, my head was spinning.
Ty caught my expression and laughed. "Sorry, Mac. That was a lot." He rubbed my neck with strong fingers. "What were you doing?"
Pulling out the capture gun at that point seemed to
dampen the mood. They both stared at it.
"What is it?" Ty asked, picking it up and testing its heft.
"My protection." I held out my palm containing the silver bullets I'd pilfered from Ty's hiding spot in the storm cellar. "You won't be needing these anymore."
"Where'd you get it?" Melanie looked befuddled.
A flash of annoyance shot through me. "Ebay."
Not acknowledging my biting tone, she unzipped the case containing the darts. "I can't believe we didn't think of this sooner. This is awesome, Mac..." Her words trailed off.
Ty said nothing, a frown pulling down the corners of his mouth. She glanced up at him, her brow quirking up slightly. He returned her gaze for the briefest moment before turning to pace the room. Rubbing a hand across the back of his neck, he still didn't speak.
"Don't you see?" I said. "You get free, I juice you. No bullets necessary."
"Yeah, Mac," he said. "I understand how it's supposed to work."
I just stared at him, shocked. "What the hell is wrong with you? Do you want me to shoot you—is that it?"
At my words, he stopped pacing. We locked eyes; at last something inside his seemed to shift. "No."
"Then be happy. Or try, at least." I stuffed the gun and accessories back in my bag.
"I'm sorry," Ty said, placing his hands on my shoulders.
I shrugged away and stood. He wouldn't let me leave, only stepped in front of me every time I tried to skirt around him.
"I'm sorry," he repeated.
He smiled then, trying to provoke the same from me. His green eyes wore me down, and eventually I couldn't help but return it. He pulled me into his arms and gave me a big hug, lifting me from the ground.
o0o
By the Pale Moonlight (Book One of the Moonlight Series) Page 21