By the Pale Moonlight (Book One of the Moonlight Series)

by Jennifer Hendren

  He rested his forehead against mine. "Thank God."

  I waited as he dressed, but soon he was back at my side, both of us reluctant to let the other out of their sight. I didn't know how we'd make it through six nights of this. Just the one had seemed to stretch to eternity.

  We both walked through our day at school on edge and in a state of wary alertness. Whenever we came within any sort of distance of one another, we were together, our hands seeking the comfort of a light touch or caress to know the other was really okay.

  When the school day mercifully ended, Ty and I drove out to the lake again. With only a couple hours of daylight left, we simply held onto each other and listened to soft music as the sun sank lower and lower.

  I expected leaving him to be easier that night. It wasn't. My anxiety grew to a fever pitch as I locked him in. This time, when Melanie offered to stay, I took her up on it. I couldn't be alone again.

  o0o

  Melanie's heavy breathing filled my room as I lay staring at the ceiling. The illuminated green numbers on my clock read one-seventeen A.M., but I couldn't sleep. A knot of anxiety grew in my chest to the point where I felt suffocated by the pressure of it. Something seemed off—a menacing force on the precipice of hurtling toward me out of the dark.

  As quietly as possible, I pulled on shoes and a jacket and slipped out the back door, not bothering to turn on my flashlight. The nearly full moon lit my way as I hurried to the shed, careful to move lightly through the brittle leaves covering the ground. I remained hypersensitive to any noises in the night, and felt sure something would jump out at me at any moment. Nothing did. When at last I got inside, I breathed a sigh of relief before barricading the door from the inside. It wasn't the most secure, but it would have to do.

  I could hear him even before I reached the trapdoor. A steady rumble not unlike an idling car. As I got closer, the sounds grew more agitated, the steady hum rising in sharp crescendos. He was as aware of me as I was of him.

  I swung the door open on its creaky hinges and shone the light down into the hole. I descended a few steps, slowly, trying not to provoke him any further.

  He was bigger than I remembered. His russet body seemed to take up the entire space, the restraints around his wrists and ankles seemingly insufficient to hold his massive form in place. He pulled at them, the sinewy muscles in his arms straining against the chains. They creaked with the pressure, but held firm.

  A low rumble hummed in his chest, occasionally swelling into a forceful growl. His deep green eyes followed my movements as I swung the door closed and locked it from the inside. I swallowed hard and continued to the bottom of the stairs. Once there, I rucked up my sweater and removed the gun. He drew back when he caught sight of it, but quickly calmed when I laid it on a step and moved out of its reach.

  "I don't know whether you'll remember this in the morning, but I had to come." I spoke softly, but loud enough for his twitching ears to hear. In the back of my mind, I wondered whether he could read my very thoughts. His impossible senses seemed capable of such a feat.

  Twice I tried to reach a hand out to touch him, each time drawing back as my nerves got the better of me. I was shaking slightly when I finally pressed my fingertips into his soft fur at chest level. He recoiled slightly, but I wouldn't let him retreat. Moving closer, I pressed my palm flat as I tried not to shrink away from his face, so lethal and close. His lips peeled back, revealing sharp teeth. When his head dipped forward, I willed myself to stand still.

  The end of his nose pressed into my neck and I heard him inhale slowly. I was his for the taking if he so chose. At any moment, I expected the blinding pain to begin as he ripped into me. He did nothing more than trail his nose up to softly nuzzle at my ear.

  Heart pounding, I retreated until I hit the wall at my back.

  With my eyes clenched tight, I said a silent prayer.

  I framed him in a small circle of light and spoke firmly. "Tyler Adam O'Neill. Tyler Adam O'Neill. Tyler Adam O'Neill." I repeated the mantra long after I knew it wouldn't work, each rendition growing fainter as my dry throat forced out the hoarse words. All the time, he watched—my voice quieting him as the night pressed on.

  o0o

  Melanie shook me awake the next morning. I flipped over, my head full of cotton and incapable of getting up yet. She finally yanked the covers off of me and split the curtains so the sunlight shone painfully into my eyes. God, she was worse than any mother.

  "It's time to get up, Mac. We have to go get Ty."

  I bolted upright and scrambled for my shoes. "What time is it?"

  "Eight-fifteen."

  "Crap!"

  We rushed to the shed to find Ty in a very grumpy mood for neglecting him. I couldn't blame him; his muscles must cramp from standing in the same position for so long. Melanie did the honors of unchaining him while I stood back, afraid to meet his direct gaze. I felt his eyes on me the entire time, and I had no doubt he had at least some dim memory of my late night visit. When I finally looked at him, the stony edge in his expression confirmed my fears.

  To his credit, he didn't broach the subject while Melanie was present. Shamelessly, I clung to the poor girl and insisted she eat breakfast before going. Ty invited himself and sat staring me down the entire time. By time the meal concluded, I was desperate to get Melanie to stay. She must've thought me crazy as I tried to cajole her into spending the day. Eventually, I gave up my futile efforts and allowed her to leave.

  "We need to talk," Ty said after her car drove off.

  That was the last thing I wanted to do.

  "How about later? My mom needs me around the house this morning."

  Completely ignoring my words, Ty pulled me upstairs and closed my bedroom door behind us.

  "What were you thinking?" He shook me slightly, his hands firm at my shoulders. "What if I'd hurt you?"

  "But you didn't. You knew who I was."

  "Don't ever do that again. Do you hear me?" Then he was kissing me—my cheeks, my eyelids, my nose, and finally, my lips.

  He abruptly pushed me away to pace the room, his shoulders tense. "You went outside where that thing could get you. Why would you do that?" His eyes pleaded for an answer.

  I didn't have one that was adequate. Finally, I shrugged. "I don't know."

  "That solves it."

  "I just needed to make sure you were okay. Something just felt—off." Of course, that didn't explain my need to cuddle with his wolf-self. "You knew me."

  His eyes flashed. "Yeah, I knew you. But don't for one second believe I wasn't capable of hurting you—that I didn't feel the urge to."

  He scrubbed his face with his hands. "Don't test me, Mac. I may not always pass."

  I reluctantly agreed. "I'm sorry."

  Chapter 32

  The third night of the moon cycle passed without incident. Rather than relieving the stress we were all feeling, this calm only served to splinter our already frazzled nerves. It felt as though our enemy was silently inching closer, waiting for its chance to strike once it lulled us into a false sense of security. Ty, usually a voice of reason, was irritable and prone to snapping at Melanie and me without the slightest provocation. Even Melanie was on edge, outwardly ruffled for the first time since this all began.

  I didn't know how to act or what to say in order to keep us all from slipping over the line into hysterics. In the end, we all did the only thing we could do—wait and hope that we weren't making some fatal mistake that would allow our enemy a chance to blindside us.

  On the morning of the full moon, Ty and I were too exhausted to do much more than veg out in front of the television. We didn't say much, both of us slightly numb to what might lay ahead. I lay curled on the couch beside him, the drone of a football game neither of us was watching in the background.

  "Do you think we're safe tonight?" I said, finally.

  His fingers played lightly against mine. "As long as I stay in the cellar, I think everything will be fine."

  "Th
at's not what I mean, and you know it." I stared at our interlocked hands. "She came after me during the full moon last time. Do you..." I paused, unable to voice my fears.

  "Do I what?"

  "Do you think it's the same for her? The way it is with you, I mean. How you never remember anything—how you completely lose control?"

  Something stirred in his eyes.

  "You've suspected for a while now, haven't you?" I asked.

  "Yes."

  I sat up, careful I didn't put any weight against his chest. "How would that be possible, though? The way you described it, you're losing more control each time. It wouldn't make sense."

  He rubbed the heels of his palms across his eyes. "I think it's time to admit we know very little about what we're doing. For all we know, she may have managed to gain control in some way."

  I furrowed my brow, a thought fleeting in and out of my consciousness before I could grab hold of it. "Maybe."

  "What's wrong?"

  I shook my head. "I had a thought, but I can't remember it."

  "It's because you're sleep deprived. You should go take a real nap."

  "I'm fine. Besides, without you there I wouldn't be able to sleep anyway."

  A tight smile curved his lips, and he ran a finger down the side of my face, gently tucking a loose strand of hair behind my ear. Our eyes locked and held.

  A door clicked shut down the hallway, a reminder that we weren't alone. I snuggled back into his shoulder and his arms tightened around me.

  I must've dozed off for a while. I distantly remember hearing a phone ringing in the background and my mother's voice rising in volume, but it wasn't until she burst into the room that I came fully awake.

  "One sec," she said, her face flushed. She cupped her hand over the receiver of her cell phone and whispered, "Aunt Lynn is having her baby!"

  "Now?" I said, trying to shake myself awake. I couldn't believe I had fallen asleep. "I thought she wasn't due for another month.."

  She held up her finger and listened, a slow smile spreading across her face. "Okay, we'll be there."

  My mother beeped the phone off. "She's just now going into labor, so we should be able to make it before she gives birth."

  The reality of her words sank in.

  "But I have school tomorrow." I flashed a glance at Ty who appeared just as tense as I felt.

  My mother gave me a dubious look. "I'm a teacher, Mac. You can miss a couple of days."

  "A couple of days?" I scrambled for an excuse. I couldn't leave Ty. "I don't know—I haven't been feeling very well. I wouldn't want to be around the baby when I'm sick."

  She pressed a cool palm against my forehead and frowned. "You do feel a little warm."

  My face faltered for a micro-second before I pulled it back in line. What were the odds? "See—not good to be sick around a newborn. Besides, I'm exhausted."

  "I don't know... We probably wouldn't be back until Wednesday—Tuesday at the earliest."

  "I'll be fine. Besides, I have a biology test tomorrow," I said, pressing my advantage. "I can always visit once they're at home."

  I could tell she was caving, and my promise to visit was the final reassurance she needed.

  "I'll have to talk to your father first," she said, and hurried out of the room. I let out a relieved sigh. She would let me stay.

  "That was close—" I said, my words faltering when I turned back to Ty. Rather than the relief I expected to see, he wore a deep frown.

  "What's wrong?" I said.

  Rather than answering, Ty heaved himself off the couch and left the room. I waited there for a long time, but eventually peeked out into the hallway to find him leaning against the door opposite the family room, our cordless phone in hand. He wouldn't look at me.

  "What's going on?" I said.

  Ty had called Melanie, and not twenty minutes later, her car pulled into our drive. My house was alive with noises as my mother and father prepared to set out to visit my aunt.

  I eyed Ty as he paced the room. Whatever he had to say to Melanie and me, it couldn't be good. His lips were pinched into a firm line, and he had a determined stiffness to his posture. I'd seen him this way before. It was the look he had every time he walked onto the football field. Only this time it was worse because it was aimed at me.

  Once Melanie was seated on the couch beside me, he began.

  "Mac—you're going with your parents." He said this with such authority that I actually began nodding my head in agreement.

  "What—no!" My stomach plummeted into my feet. "I'm not leaving you."

  "Yes, you are." Ty said. "It's the only way to keep you safe." He fixed me with a stern eye. "I know this wasn't our plan, Mac, but you have to see it's the only way. I can't protect you and it's what we should have planned for all along. Your parents leaving made me see that."

  I breathed sharply through my nose and counted to ten. Unable to look at him, I stared at the carpet at his feet. I wanted to scream, to yell, to do anything to change his mind, but I knew it would be useless. Logic would be the only thing to get through to him, and my emotions weren't running in full-logic mode just yet.

  When at last I had control, I raised my eyes up to his. The determined set of his jaw nearly made me back down. But I couldn't.

  "I'm not leaving," I repeated, slowly, making sure to enunciate each word. "It isn't safe to leave you alone."

  A muscle jumped along his jaw line, and his eyes bored into mine. It was a low blow, but a necessary one. If it was a battle of wills he wanted, then that was what he'd get. I wouldn't back down on this. Ever.

  I had no idea how many minutes passed with us facing off in silence. It was only the sound of Melanie shifting on the couch beside me that broke the spell. Ty threw a glance in her direction, looking as though he had forgotten she was there at all.

  "Back me up here, Mel," he said.

  I shook my head and looked at the petite girl beside me. "Don't tell me you're in on this."

  Melanie swallowed and glanced from me to Ty, a slight blush creeping across her freckled cheeks. "I think he might be right, Mac. I mean—" Her eyes darted to Ty again, as though seeking her own back-up. "Look. We don't know who or what we're up against. Maybe if we had a little more time—maybe we could figure it out. But we don't. And so far the shackles have worked..." Her words trailed off as she watched my expression. What had started out as mild annoyance was now full-fledged anger.

  "If you think I'm going to leave him here alone, you're crazy." I stood and pushed a finger into Ty's chest. "You'll be in just as much danger. You know that, right? More even—because you'll be chained to a goddamned wall. How the hell do you expect me to just walk away?"

  He towered above me, but just then there was no difference between our heights. We stood eye to eye, neither of us willing to back down first. A heavy weight pressed against my chest, cutting off my air supply. He had to know this was stupid. He had to.

  "I want you to go," he said at last, softly.

  "No." My voice broke on the word.

  We both knew he had won.

  o0o

  Melanie came up to my bedroom while I packed. I couldn't look at her. Ty's decision was one thing, but for her to take his side was quite another.

  "I'm sorry," she said, picking up a T-shirt I had dropped on the way from the dresser. I snatched it out of her hand and balled it up before throwing it into the suitcase laid open on my bed. She sat down and watched me move about my room.

  "I'm not in the mood to talk," I said. With that, I wrenched open my closet door and scanned my hanging clothes. Nothing registered. Figuring it didn't matter what I brought, I simply grabbed a handful and threw them on the bed.

  "Come on, Mac."

  I ignored her and started pulling sweaters and jeans off their hangers. I didn't have the energy to fight with her, but that didn't mean I wanted her comfort or help. Not now. Not after she had conspired against me.

  "I promise nothing will happen to him."
/>   I glanced at her sharply. "So it's safe for you to stay, but not me?"

  She shook her head vigorously, relief flooding across her features. "No. I have to leave, too. That's part of the deal."

  "Oh." Admittedly, her admission made me feel better. But the fact the two of them had planned this behind my back only ratcheted up my anger another notch. I didn't really want to label my feelings as jealousy, but that was what it all boiled down to. I wanted to be the one Ty turned to for help. The kind of person he could depend on. Clearly, he didn't see me that way at all.

  "I'll stay to make sure he's locked up, but then I'm splitting until morning."

  I nodded and pulled a cardigan loose from the pile, folding it slowly. "You promise to take care of him?" It cost me some pride to pose the question, but I had to ask.

  Melanie laid her hand on mine, stilling my movements. "I promise, Mac."

  I licked my lips and nodded, drawing my hand from beneath hers. "Thanks."

  An awkward silence hung between us. I busied myself with my clothes, and Melanie sat there, clearly unsure of what she should say or do next. Eventually, I couldn't stand it any longer.

  "Listen—I need to be alone for a while..."

  Melanie jumped up. "Of course." She threw her arms around me and we exchanged an awkward hug. I closed the door behind her and pressed my ear to it until I heard her soft footfalls retreat down the hall. The stairs creaked beneath her slight weight, and only then did I turn and flip open my cell phone.

  "Leave town," I said, dialing a number I never thought I'd dial in this lifetime. "My ass."

  Chapter 33

  My aunt's house was a split-level monstrosity, filled to the brim with kids. The amount of noise they generated could rival any screaming mob of children on a playground. To think another voice would soon be added to the mix was too much for me to take. As soon as possible, I retreated to the back bedroom, claiming I had a headache. Normally, I enjoyed my time there, but today was definitely the exception.