“You should consider the symbol of the vulva if you truly want protection,” she said behind me.
I twisted, peering back at her over my shoulder.
“The triangle,” she said.
“I already have.”
Her hands clasped beneath her bosom. “It isn’t merely your males that require protection.”
I turned back to face her.
“Especially so close to ovulation.” She smiled. “You should protect yourself.”
My pulse soared. How the hell could she know any of that? How could she know about the triangles?
Or that my ovulation neared, for that matter?
I hadn’t menstruated once since being bitten.
“You will.” She nodded with a serene smile as though she’d read my thoughts.
Mumbling my thanks, I backed away. At the door, I fumbled at my rear for the handle. As soon as I’d created a wide enough gap, I escaped the penetrating gazes of the odd couple.
• • •
Striding toward Beth’s apartment building, I took in the blond brick structure before us. Decent security supported the main entrance, courtesy of ‘Holloway and Larsen Construction’, where Beth tapped in a code before using her key to get us inside.
We took the stairwell situated to the rear of the main lobby. On the third and top floor, we pushed through the fire door onto the landing. According to Beth, each floor looked the same with stone-coloured walls, spotless taupe laminate tiles and four pristine, white front doors.
Beth led me to the second on the left, D3, unlocking and pushing it open to reveal warm, neutral colour schemes and orderly rooms.
I wondered how long it’d stay tidy under my control.
“Obviously, this is the lounge.” Beth waved her hand around as I followed her in. She pointed ahead. “Through that door is the kitchen—the best room in here. And bedrooms and bathroom.” She indicated the last three doors situated within the far wall.
I nodded as I stood holding my box of delights.
“Come on.” Beth crossed the room and opened the kitchen door. “I’ll make us a drink.”
The oak kitchen looked like a miniature replica of the one at home. I placed my box on the table for two and leaned back against the counter whilst she filled the kettle.
“What time are you going back?” I asked.
She placed the kettle on its stand and turned to me. “I’m not.”
“No, really,”—my brow lifted—“what time are you going back, Beth?”
“You can’t honestly expect me to leave you alone.”
“That’s exactly what you’re going to do. If you stay here, after just returning home, Nate will be even madder with me than he already is.”
She smiled. “Of course he won’t.”
“And Ethan? What will he think if I snatch his mother away when he’s only just got you back?”
“A few days—”
I shook my head. “I won’t do it to him. I walked out. This is my problem.”
“Why do you insist on bloody dealing with everything yourself?”
“It’s the only way.” I folded my arms. “I’m going to call Jess, find out what I need to do next. That will keep me occupied until she updates me on her meeting in the morning. If I still haven’t got any leads, Jess will be here in a couple of days, and I’ll take it from there.”
“And if I refuse to go?”
I picked up my box. “In that case, I’m out of here.” I left the room, got halfway across the lounge.
“Okay, okay,” she said. “I’ll leave, if that’s what you really want.”
I peered back.
“But, only on the understanding that you don’t go out hunting for them alone. If you get a lead, I want your word you’ll call me.”
“Why? So you can drag everyone else along with you?”
“If you promise to call if you need support, I’ll promise to come alone.”
I faced her head-on, studying her eyes. She appeared genuine—and hurt, as though I’d offended her by not letting her stay.
“Okay,” I said after a minute. “I’ll call if I know anything.”
She breathed out a sigh and nodded.
As I went back to deposit my gear on the kitchen table again, Beth resumed making the drinks, pouring steaming water into the mugs.
“Is there somewhere round here I can get alcohol?” I asked.
“Do you think that’s a good idea?” She placed the mugs on the table, urging me into one of the chairs.
“I don’t want to drink it.” I picked up my coffee and took a sip. “It’s on my list. I need it for …whatever it is I need it for.”
Beth disappeared from the room. Glass clinked from the lounge before she returned brandishing a bottle of vodka. Eyebrow lifted, she presented it to me like an award.
I smiled as I took it and placed it beside the other items. “That should work.”
Beth took the opposite chair as I gave my coffee another taste. “If you get cold, the switch for the heating is in that cupboard.” She pointed behind her head. “There’s some nightwear and bits left behind in the bedroom drawers. If you want to use any, you’re more than welcome. And there are some clothes in the wardrobe …although I’m not sure how well they’ll fit . . .”
Wouldn’t be that big on me. No doubt due to the treadmill in the corner of the lounge, Beth had maintained a pretty good body shape for a woman in her fifties. Though the trousers’ll probably be too long.
“There’s a little food in the fridge. Make sure you eat . . .”
I gave a half-hearted nod. My nose hovered above the warm steam of my drink.
“Do you have any money?”
My lids dropped.
“Jem?”
I jerked up, trying to refocus on her words.
“You’re shattered, aren’t you?”
My shoulders heaved out a shrug.
“You should get some rest. I could stay a while—”
“I don’t have time to rest. I’ll sleep later. After the jobs are done.”
Concern filled her eyes. “You’re going to crash if you’re not careful.”
I swiped a hand across my face. “I’m fine.”
Beth sighed, giving a slight head shake. “Do you have any money? I can leave you—”
“I have a credit card.”
Her hand slipped inside her bag. “I’m going to leave you some cash. That way you can at least get a takeaway.”
“No, Beth, I . . .”
She opened the kitchen drawer, took notes and coins from her purse before dropping them in and closing it. “Just in case.”
“Thanks.”
• • •
Beth hovered over me until I’d eaten a bacon sandwich. Only then did she allow me to nudge her out the door with the bottle of mandrake water and instructions.
Within the welcomed silence, I tugged off my trainers and padded into the kitchen, where I placed each item from the box onto the table. A large, white paper bag held a whole load of iron beads, the woman had given me more red thread than I’d asked for, and I discovered gum Arabica came as a ground substance in a storage tub.
As I studied them, I tugged out my phone and called Jess.
“Hello,” she answered.
“I’ve got the stuff.”
“Any problems?”
“None. But the woman was weird with a capital W.” I picked up a bead, rubbed my thumb over it. “So, what do I do now?”
“Mandrake water. Sprinkling that should be your priority.”
“I’ve sent it with Beth.”
Silence met me for a second. “Beth?”
“Sean’s mum.”
More
silence, followed by, “I thought she was—”
“She was …until I called her.” I put the bead down as I sat. “It’s a long story. The shortened version is that Beth came home because of me. I’ve walked out because the men are refusing to stay safe whilst I do what I have to do. And I’m now staying at Beth’s recently vacated apartment which she gave me the keys to.”
“Well …shit!”
“Yeah.” I scrubbed at my cheek. “That pretty much sums up how I feel. But there’s no time for moping. What do I need to do?”
“Grab a pen and paper and take notes.”
• • •
In Beth’s cupboards, I found what I needed in the form of a pestle and mortar, a jug, a sieve and a sewing kit. With them all set out beside my ingredients, I prepared to protect the pack.
It took a while to grind down the dragon’s blood resin. Once done, I put it into the jug and poured over a healthy dose of Russia’s finest, adding in Jess’s recommended dose of the gum Arabica. As that needed time to infuse, I turned my hand to a little jewellery making.
Burdock roots resembled fat sticks in their bought form. Sliced, they became nuggets. A stab of a skewer created a central hole and landed them the new title of beads. I pushed the red thread through an iron bead, tied a knot, and threaded it through a burdock root bead before tying another knot. I continued on. Iron, knot, burdock root, knot, iron, repeat. Working through constant stabs to my fingers, I produced a necklace big enough to circle Ethan’s wolf-sized neck.
By the time I checked on the ink solution, the hour neared four. No wonder strain had visited my tired eyes. As I crossed the kitchen to flick on the light, pain coursed through my lower abdomen. I gasped, my hands clamped over it. From the initial pain came a dull ache which intensified as though spreading deep within.
I returned to my chair, doubled over at the waist, arms cradling the affected area whilst my brain ran through possible causes. Stress? Could the bacon have been off? When did I last have a bowel movement?
The sensation seemed alien enough for me to dismiss as I concentrated harder on the twinges inside my stomach. When the slow trickle into my underwear began, I could no longer mistake its source. The words of the goblin-like woman bounced in my head. How the hell could she have known it would happen?
Hands still clutched at my middle, I headed for the bathroom. A little clothing removal confirmed I’d begun menstruating.
“Shit!”
Didn’t I have enough to worry about?
I had no sanitary protection, no clean underwear—nothing.
I tugged at my hair. “Shit!”
I’d have to borrow something of Beth’s. Borrowing a nightgown didn’t fall into the same realm as using her knickers.
With little other choice, I sucked it up.
After cleaning myself and redressing, I grabbed some of Beth’s change and headed to the store.
• • •
It neared six p.m. by the time the apartments came back into sight with my arms laden with pizza and necessary supplies. Eager to dry my soaked-through feet, I picked up my pace. I’d barely taken a few steps when my phone vibrated in my pocket. I snatched it out to see Ethan’s name, cut it off and hit the power button before I key-coded my way inside.
Via the stairwell, I ascended with shopping bags in one hand, pizza box balancing atop the other. At the third floor landing, I backed in through the fire door, leaving it to bang shut as I spun away and took a few steps.
I halted the second I spotted Ethan parked on the floor beside the apartment door. “What are you doing here?”
His face held nothing but relief as he climbed to his feet. “I thought you’d run off somewhere when you weren’t here.” He strode the few metres to me and took my shopping. “You okay?”
“Yes.” I squeezed past to the door and unlocked it. As Ethan followed me inside, I took my bags back from him. “Why are you here?”
“I couldn’t stand the thought of you sitting alone. Not after last night.”
“I’m fine.” I used the same response I’d given Beth.
I headed for the kitchen, took out the paper bag from the chemist and my new underwear, and turned to find Ethan in the doorway.
Nose twitching, he snared my arm as I went to walk past. “Why do you smell different?” His eyes darkened as he inhaled deeper.
I shoved out the room. “Excuse me.”
“Jem?” His footsteps followed me to the bathroom and stopped only when I closed the door in his face.
Brilliant.
Another complication I could do without. Hadn’t I read somewhere that wolves had issues with menstrual blood? Maybe it only referred to real wolves. I knew the shine in Ethan’s eyes hadn’t been imagined, though.
Beneath the spray, I scrubbed with toiletries Beth had left behind. Once I’d dried off, I saw to my female needs, redressed and edged open the door a touch.
“You supposed to smell this strong?” Ethan asked, suggesting to me he’d figured it out.
I peered away into the bathroom before turning back to him. “If this is going to be a problem for you, maybe you should leave.”
He took a step away. “I’m not leaving.”
When I ventured out and headed for the kitchen, Ethan followed. Ignoring him, I flicked on the kettle. “Are you staying for a drink?”
“I’m staying, permanent.” He folded his arms across his chest, leaned into the doorframe. “I owe it to Sean to make sure you’re safe. He’s not here to do it himself, so somebody’s got to.”
Pausing as I reached for mugs, I opened my mouth to protest.
“What the hell do you think Sean would say if I left you out here without even checking on you?” Ethan continued over me. “He’d kick my arse if I left you here alone. I know he would. And that’s not something he’s normally capable of, so he’d have to be mad to accomplish it. You can’t be left alone, Jem. That’s all there is to it. I don’t care if you’re unhappy about it. It’s what Sean would want.”
I stared at him. I would say he’d used Sean to get me to agree, but Ethan only said what he thought. If he said he’d done it for Sean, he had.
I resumed the drink making. “Does Nate know you’re here?”
“He will by now. Mum will have told him.”
I breathed a heavy sigh. “He’ll be madder than ever with me.”
“He’ll get over it.”
I handed him his coffee and leaned against the counter to sample some of my own. “You hungry?” I asked after minutes of quiet.
He shook his head.
“You should eat. You look pale.”
“So should you.” His head inclined toward the table and my ingredients I’d left strewn across it. “What’s all this?”
“The bits I went shopping for this morning. Sit down.” My lips twitched. “I made you something.”
He cocked an eyebrow as he took one of the chairs at the table.
Standing behind him, I strung the necklace I’d made around his neck and secured it with a reef knot at his nape.
Ethan tugged at his new adornment, peered down at the beads with flared nostrils. “You made me a necklace out of a plant?”
“Humour me.” I planted a kiss on his crown before I sat opposite. “I’ve still got to make some for the others. You any good at threading?”
He chuckled. “You going to make me thread beads?”
“You may as well be useful if I have to put up with you.”
“Okay.” He gave a single nod. “Show me what to do.”
• • •
I set him to work on a necklace for his dad, telling him to knot the thread after every added bead. When I reminded him for the fifth time, he told me to shut up and insisted his intelligence didn’t match how dumb he lo
oked.
Zipping it, I checked on the ink solution. After giving it a stir, I poured it through the sieve into a second jug, taking it to the table with me as I went across to sit.
Ethan’s gaze lifted a touch. “What’s that?”
“Ink I made.”
He nodded and he continued his task.
I slid a sheet of parchment from the protective sleeve and picked up my quill. Five letters across, five down, Jess had said, until the words formed a square. “Okay,” I murmured and began to write.
Ethan paused in his handy work. His eyes followed the scratch of the quill to its dip in the ink and back again. Once I’d finished, I studied it.
SATOR
AREPO
TENET
OPERA
ROTAS
The words formed a complete boundary.
“What’s that for?” Ethan asked.
“It has to be on display and Jess said it will prevent evil entities from entering a room.” I looked from the Sator Square to him. “So, I’m doing lots …for all the rooms. Just in case they come back for more of you.” My hand fisted around the feathered pen. “I’m not going to let that happen.”
We retained eye contact for seconds before Ethan broke it and returned to his beads.
“You can take these for me tomorrow.” I slid out a second sheet of parchment. “They need to be somewhere visible.”
“You can bring them yourself.”
I ignored him, writing again.
“This vodka yours?” His finger pinged against the bottle.
“No, it’s your mum’s.” A sweep of my hand formed an inked ‘A’. “Just used it to make my ink.”
He scraped back his chair and got to his feet. “You want some?” He opened cupboards until he found the glasses.
“Sure, you can pour me one. Just make it small. I haven’t drunk in a long while.”
“The joys of a high metabolism, Jem.” He turned with a smile, two tumblers in his hands. “Unless overindulgence is truly your goal, we’re mostly only capable of getting tipsy.”
I cocked my head, uttered, “Hmm-mm,” as he poured the drinks.
The clear liquid swirled in the glass as I took a sip, followed by another, and we both went back to focussing.
Blue Moon Page 21