Silver Moon (Silver Moon, #1)

by Rebecca A. Rogers

  “Yeah, someone tried killing me. Two nights ago in Hartford. One of your Followers.”

  “Candra, I had no idea,” Ben says. His eyes plead with mine.

  “If Jana and Blake hadn’t saved me, I wouldn’t be standing here right now,” I choke. My throat constricts, forcing me to hold back tears.

  “So it was—” Cameron starts, then stops himself.

  Jana turns her head from Ben to Cameron faster than a human can. She lets out a low snarl. “Get out of my sight,” she growls.

  “Go to Hell, bitch,” Ethan says.

  Without thinking twice, I take the lid off my cup and throw the scalding hot coffee in Ethan’s face. He screams and flails, wiping it away as fast as he can. As the coffee runs down his face, something like makeup rolls with it, like he’s wearing foundation to cover something.

  And that’s when I see it—the red shoe-print marking. It crosses his forehead and stretches down to his chin. I glance at my feet, my shoes, knowing instantly where it came from.

  Me.

  Jana glances over her shoulder. Her eyes expand. She returns her gaze to Ethan.

  “What just happened?” I whisper, barely able to force the words to leave my mouth.

  Jana murmurs only one word.

  “Magic.”

  Chapter Twenty-Nine

  I hold my breath, waiting for something utterly catastrophic to happen right here on the streets of West Hartford. But, despite the fact that we’re in a stand-off—and completely unequipped—a signal of hope pierces the malicious air between Jana and me, and the Conways.

  Livia strolls up, gawking at the two different alliances.

  “What on earth is going on here?” she asks.

  Cameron smirks. I know what he’s thinking: Your ass is saved. For now. “We were just going for a walk, saw Candra and Jana, and thought we’d say hi.”

  Livia doesn’t look convinced. “This early?”

  Ethan wipes the remaining coffee residue off his face. “Early bird catches the worm,” he quickly responds. Too quick. And I don’t like his tone—something implies that he’s not talking about worms.

  “You boys will catch your death of cold standing out here. Better find some place warm.” She sighs. “Jana, unlock this door. Don’t just stand there.”

  Jana eases up on her stance in front of me, unable to redirect her eyes from the Conways. She fumbles around in her purse for the store keys.

  “Ah, here they are,” Jana says. She shoves one in the deadbolt, turns. The other key slides into the bottom lock, making a click before the door opens.

  I slither in behind Livia, and Jana stands in place to affirm the Conways don’t have a trick up their sleeves.

  “C’mon, Jana,” I whisper, tugging on her brown, fur-lined jacket.

  She continues to stare at the boys. “Why don’t you guys take Livia’s advice and warm up?” She dramatically rubs her arms like she’s freezing. “I know how much you love coffee, Ethan.”

  He stomps forward. I take a step toward Jana, unsure as to what I could possibly prevent from happening. To my relief, Cameron latches on to Ethan’s shirt and pulls him back.

  “Another time, ladies. Another time,” Cameron says.

  After his comment, they continue their stroll down the street like nothing happened. Fleetingly, I catch Ben mouth the words, I’m sorry, as he passes by. I don’t know if I can believe him. A month ago, maybe. But a month ago I was a totally different girl.

  “Can you believe that?” Jana foams through clenched teeth. “The nerve of those asshats! And I thought I’d seen it all.”

  “Really? Because I was under the impression they always pulled this lame shit,” I tell her.

  She shrugs. “They do. But to be so obvious about it? Never have they done that before.”

  “Eh, well, there’s a first time for everything.”

  “Girls! What are you doing just standing up there?” Livia claps her hands, like we have the attention span of a five-year-old. “I need you two to come help me pull these boxes out of storage, so we can get the winter clothes on the shelves. Winter is just around the corner, you know.”

  Jana plants her hands firmly on her hips. “And what makes you so disqualified to do this task yourself?”

  I gawk at her. Since when did she grow balls?

  Livia holds up both hands and wiggles her glossy, red-tipped fingers. “Manicure yesterday.”

  Jana scoffs. “Oh, of course.”

  I trail behind them to the storage room. Even though I should be focusing on work at the moment, I think about what Jana said, about the Conways never being that brazen about their antics. It’s because of me. Since I moved here, I’ve done nothing but stir up a boiling hot cauldron of trouble.

  I have got to get out of this town.

  ~*~

  “I haven’t been completely honest to everyone,” I say on the way home from work. Jana’s dropping me off. Just in case.

  “About what?” Her face scrunches.

  “Everything. I feel like I’m hiding something I’m not.”

  Jana takes her hands off the wheel for a split second and holds them in the air. “Whoa. What’s with the riddle?” she asks, replacing them in their rightful spot.

  I blurt, “This isn’t me. The old me would’ve punched them in the face back there. The old me would’ve stood up to Ethan in the corn maze, even if he was under some sort of…influence. Look, I know it sounds crazy, but that day I bumped into you guys at the book store, well, it wasn’t coincidence. I was given a clue.”

  “From who?” Jana slows the car as we pull into the driveway.

  “Would you believe me if I told you it was Maggie?” I cringe.

  She hits the brakes. “Maggie actually helped you?”

  “I know. It’s weird.”

  “She must really like you. She never does that.” She stares through the windshield with a vacant expression.

  “I’m as surprised about it as you are. But there’s a reason she wanted me there, even if she did beat around the bush about it. There are books about magic. Hell, the whole freakin’ store is loaded with books about it. I bought a couple so I wouldn’t look suspicious, and so I’d know what we’re up against.”

  I bite my lip, waiting for her response.

  When she doesn’t answer, I say, “Jana, talk to me.”

  “That’s it! That’s what we’re missing.”

  “What?”

  “Maggie knows. Of course she knows. What am I saying? She knows everything. She’s an Ancient. That’s to be expected,” she rambles.

  “Wait. Slow down.”

  Jana turns to look at me. “Maggie gave you the clue, so you could do with it as you wish. She didn’t help either side, really. If you hadn’t gone to the bookstore, then you would never have known about the magic. But, since you did go, you’re fully aware.”

  “I knew it existed before I went,” I murmur.

  “What?”

  “She showed me.”

  Jana shakes her head. “We’re in too deep. We have to tell Randy and Beth. They’ll know what to do.”

  “Do you think this has anything to do with the Conways?”

  “I think it has everything to do with them. Maggie sent you there to prove something. Maybe they’re the ones Blake and I sniffed out near here.” She parks the car in front of the house. “Whoever it is, though, has to be stopped.”

  We bail out of the car and jog to the front door. Inside, Beth’s preparing dinner. Randy sits on a bar stool by the kitchen island.

  “Do I know you?” I ask him.

  He grins, flashing me a set of almost-perfect teeth. “I should be asking you the same. Or maybe I should kick you out…stranger.”

  I smile, but notice Jana’s features are dead serious. “Um, we need to talk to you guys,” I say.

  Beth turns around from the stove, equally giving Jana and me glances. “About what?”

  Jana steps forward. “We think the Conways might be using
magic. We ran into them today, outside the store. Candra threw a cup of coffee on Ethan’s face, which revealed her shoe print marking.”

  I chime in. “The same shoe print I used to kick the shadow man in the corn maze.”

  Jana continues. “Anyway, so that cult near here has to be connected to the Conways. Maggie—” Jana starts, but hesitates by looking at me.

  I finish for her. “I went to visit Maggie the other day. I wanted to see if there was a way to stop this mess. Of course she said there wasn’t. But she did warn me that there are greater things than this battle we fight, things I can’t possibly comprehend just yet. Then she showed me magic, and gave me a clue that directed me to a bookstore.”

  Surprisingly, Beth is calm through this.

  “I’m sorry. I lied to you and everyone else. I thought maybe I could be the one to fix this. I stirred up old dust when I came here, so it’s my place to settle it.”

  Beth speaks. “I know where you’ve been, who you’re with and what you’re doing—most of the time. There are some areas Watchers refuse to go to.”

  “Oh, yeah, I forgot about them,” I mumble.

  “Candra, I’m not upset with you.” She takes my hand in hers. “I know you’re curious, and I know you’re trying to help. But the best thing for you to do is to stay safe until your eighteenth birthday. I’m fully aware that the Conways have dabbled in magic before. It’s nothing new.”

  “But don’t you get it? Ethan’s not eighteen yet, which means he couldn’t have turned into a werewolf in the forest.”

  “Yes, he can. I’m afraid they’ve done it for so long, they can do just about anything. With magic, it’s like anything else—the more you practice the easier it becomes. But also, the desire to learn bigger spells.”

  “Even disguise spells?” A long, bone-tingling chill tiptoes up my spine.

  Beth nods.

  Jana takes a seat on the bar stool next to Randy, who’s been very quiet through this conversation. I’m sure he knows. Beth wouldn’t keep anything from him.

  “This is too much,” Jana says, rubbing the sides of her forehead. “I mean, first of all, why would they transform into something different? We know they hate her, but why wouldn’t they show their faces?”

  “They’re toying with me, invading my thoughts and dreams. Eating me from the inside out,” I say.

  “But why?” Jana asks.

  “Because they can,” I tell her. “Why else? Looking back, I thought I was crazy. I didn’t want to tell anybody because I was afraid of judgment, that you guys would think I’m a lunatic. But now I know.”

  “We’ll catch them,” Randy says. Everyone directs their attention to him, since he hasn’t said anything this entire time.

  “It’s going to get tougher now, that’s for sure,” Beth says.

  Jana’s eyes hold concern. “What do you think, Candra?”

  What would I tell her? That everything’s going to be okay and we’ll all make it out alive? It’d be easy to spit out a lie, thinking the world would take care of the Conways on its own. But anyone with common sense knows the world doesn’t work that way. So, I give her my best answer.

  “I don’t know what the future holds. I don’t even know if any of us will be alive in two or three months. I do know that, for now, we have each other. If we can hold out until my eighteenth birthday, then I can help you guys.”

  “Right now the Conways aren’t our only enemy—time is too,” Beth says. “Three months. That’s all we have until she turns eighteen. We have to do whatever it takes to keep her safe.” She cuts me a glance. “I hope you’re gifted with a great power that can help us all.”

  “I hope so too,” I murmur. “I need some fresh air. Jana?”

  Jana nods and hops down from the barstool.

  Outside, I can’t help but wander toward the forest looming behind the house; it beckons me. Eventually, I’ll belong there. Fog has set in, hovering in white wisps above the ground. I can’t see anything past the first tree line. Are they in there now, watching me? If things are already this bad, how am I supposed to make it to my eighteenth birthday?

  As if she can read my thoughts, Jana clutches my hand and squeezes. “We’ll get through this. Somehow. Someway. I just know it.”

  I hear what she says, but my eyes never leave the vicinity of the forest. I’m mesmerized by the faint, green glow radiating from the army of trees. They used to warn me, tell me to leave. But now? Now it’s as if I can hear their voices on the tip of the wind. Come closer, they say.

  ABOUT THE AUTHOR

  Rebecca Rogers expressed her creative side at an early age and hasn’t stopped since. She won’t hesitate to tell you that she lives inside her imagination, and it’s better than reality.