Shadow of the Moon: A Fantasy of Love, Murder and Werewolves

by Kwen Griffeth

  She looked at him, and then said, “This is a request that should be made to your Consenti. This should be said to the Consenti of your clan.”

  “True, and if you refuse, I have no recourse. But, this I believe. If the discussion is initiated by the Consenti of the Xli, little if any attention will be paid to it, and no action will be taken. If, on the other hand, the Consenti of the Unum brings forth the topic, maybe, there is a chance some other mother will not suffer as my Lucia suffers now.”

  Gennadiya shook her head. “Señor Ferreira, I have in no way suggested Alwyn had anything to do with this. Yet, you return to that topic time and again.”

  He held up his hands.

  “Please, Lady Lloyd, it is common knowledge Alwyn will be the Unum of the Lloyd clan, if he is not already. I don’t know that he terminated Eduardo, and frankly, I don’t care. If he didn’t, there is another mother’s son out there, right now, waiting for his silver ball. You and I both know this to be true. You are the mother of the Unum. Your voice in this manner would be powerful.”

  Gennadiya studied Ferreira for several moments, then she said, “I cannot find fault with your logic, nor your request.”

  He bowed his head, partly from respect, partly from gratitude.

  “Allow me time to ponder your request,” the woman continued, “but I tell you now, I believe your request has merit. I will give you my answer prior to the next Pactum.”

  “Thank you, Lady Lloyd, from both myself and my wife.”

  The wolf, hot in his robe and in pain from his wounds, watched the redhead walk along the street and then climb the steps to the apartment building. He was across the street and the breeze was against him, so he caught none of her scent. He smiled as he watched her. He knew he would enjoy her scent. The thought of it excited him. She looked over her shoulders several times. She didn’t feel fear, this he could tell from her movements, but she was cautious. Life in the big city, he surmised. He would like to force her to feel fear. A low rumble vibrated through his throat as desire surged through his veins. He spit extra saliva onto the sidewalk. The redhead disappeared into the building.

  “Andee, Alwyn has sent me to get you and bring you back to the house. He is worried about you, and he feels he has to explain the ceremony, among other things.”

  Andee looked up at Miranda. The agent sat on her sofa, Kelsey in her lap, and scowled at the woman.

  “Why didn’t he come himself? Do you always get stuck running his errands? Miranda, pick up my laundry. Miranda, take my car in for service. Miranda, pick up my girlfriend.”

  Miranda’s eyes went round. “Girlfriend? When did that happen?”

  Andee covered her eyes and lowered her head.

  “Ooh, boy, did that ever come out wrong. I didn’t mean that. I didn’t mean any of that. I was just being snide about your job. I was...”

  Miranda laughed at the discomforted agent.

  “No worries, sister,” she said. “I’ve made my position clear. I’d like to see you and Alwyn together. I was just surprised when you referenced the girlfriend thing.”

  “I feel like an idiot schoolgirl with her first crush. Please don’t say anything to anyone.”

  Miranda smiled and made the motion of locking her lips shut.

  “Especially to Alwyn,” Andee continued.

  “I don’t know if I can do that,” Miranda said. “I am, after all, his assistant, and he has me get his laundry, take his car for service and tell him whenever an FBI agent has the hots for him.”

  Andee smiled. “I deserved that.”

  “Yes, you did,” Miranda agreed. “But not to worry, my allegiance to the sisterhood is more powerful than to my uncle.”

  “That’s nice to know.”

  Miranda stood, “Come on, I wasn’t joking about him wanting to see you.”

  Andee shook her head.

  “No. I won’t drop everything and run at his beck and call. My boss is on my case about this Ferreira thing. Now, with Jerry going down, I have to stay here. I want to stay here and help out anyway I can. I owe it to Jerry.”

  With her hands on her hips, Miranda shook her head.

  “Alwyn is worried about you. Don’t you get that? He tried to warn Detective Meeker, and Meeker didn’t believe him. Now, the man is dead. Alwyn is worried you’ll end up the same way.”

  “Then, in all seriousness, if he’s so worried, why didn’t he come to get me? No offense, but why send you?”

  “He did come to get you. He came earlier, but he had to leave. He had an appointment he couldn’t change. I took him to the appointment, dropped him off, and he sent me back.”

  The agent rose, and with Kelsey in her arms, paced the apartment. She thought about the request, and then shook her head. She turned to face Miranda.

  “I’m sorry, You’ve got to tell him to wait. I’ll get back up there as soon as I can. But I’ve got things that must be taken care of before I go anywhere. Besides my job, I’ve got to get Kelsey into a vet. I don’t know what is wrong with him, but suddenly, he’s afraid to go down the stairs. He refused to go up or down the stairs.”

  Miranda looked at the dog as if she had special knowledge and asked, “What stairs is he afraid of? All stairs? Or just some stairs?”

  Andee pointed to the window and said, “He’s afraid to go down or up the stairs on the stoop. He’s been running up and down them like they were his own property until today. I got home, picked him up from my neighbor, and tried to take him out side. Wouldn’t have any part of those stairs. Refused to get close to them. I had to carry him down and back up after our walk.”

  The redhead tried to suppress a smile, but couldn’t.

  “What is it?” Andee asked.

  “It’s nothing,” Miranda giggled, “don't worry about your dog. There’s nothing wrong with him.”

  The agent frowned, “How do you know? You’re not a vet.”

  “No, I’m not, but trust me, I know. There is nothing wrong with your dog.”

  Andee’s expression became dark. Her sense of humor faded.

  “Tell me what is going on. Right now.”

  Miranda shrugged, “I told him not to do it, but what do I know? I told him you wouldn’t understand, but he went ahead and did it anyway.”

  “Did what?”

  “He was trying to protect you.”

  “What did he do?”

  “He marked the entrances to your building. At least, when you’re in here, you can sleep and not worry about a break-in.”

  “What does that mean? He marked my entrances? Do you mean the doors to my apartment?”

  “Only the outside doors. He didn’t come inside the building. He rang the buzzer and when you didn’t answer, he left his mark.”

  “He left his mark?” Andee’s eyes narrowed, “Left his mark...? Are you telling me Alwyn peed, ah, urinated on my front porch?”

  Miranda shrugged, “I told him you wouldn’t understand.”

  “Is that what you are saying?”

  Miranda sighed. “And your back porch too.”

  “What?”

  “It wouldn’t do any good to just protect the front door, now would it?”

  The snide remark lit the fuse of Andee’s anger.

  “I have never met a family as overbearing as yours. You think you can move into a person’s life and just take over. When I ask questions, I’m told nonsense like, ‘oh, he’s an alpha,’ or other such rot. I’m tired of the bunch of you. I had a life before I met you. Now I’m making oaths, kissing necks and learning secret handshakes. I had a friend. That friend is dead. Jerry was more than a friend; he was like an uncle, no a father. I’m tired of the bunch of you. I’m tired of you telling me to date him, him acting like I’m not good enough, and I’m tired of the old woman telling me to stay away from him. I’m done, you hear me? And when you see your uncle, tell him not to call me, not to come see me, and most important, tell him to stay the hell off of my stoop.”

  Tears of anger brimmed in Miran
da’s green eyes, and she blinked them back. She and everyone she loved had been insulted. She stood tall, and unlike the agent, controlled her breathing and therefore her voice. She had learned much watching her Aunt Gennie, and now that training gave her control.

  “I thought you were different from most of your kind. I thought you were strong, and I thought you would be worthy of my uncle. I was wrong. Both he and my aunt recognized your weakness. I did not.”

  She stopped and studied Trakes, who stood, holding Kelsey. Then, she continued.

  “You are petty, foolish and bigoted. There are things, many things, of which you know nothing. You, like most of your kind, choose to walk through life with closed eyes. You will miss much that is good and beautiful, and never even know it. I feel sorry for you, Agent Trakes.”

  Miranda turned away from Trakes and stepped to the doorway. Her hands shook as she opened the door. In the doorway, she turned back, her hand on the knob, and looked at the agent.

  “We opened our house to you, our hearts to you, our lives to you. Out of pride and ignorance, you throw it all back in our faces.”

  She turned and without another backward glance, walked through and closed the door behind her.

  The wolf watched the redhead exit the building and descend the steps of the stoop. She was beyond pretty. She was ripe. The lust to possess her rose in him. He smiled when she turned and headed toward an alley. While the woman had been in the building, he had searched the area and found her car. Found it by her scent. It was an intoxicating odor, and he knew he had to have her. Have her in as many ways as he chose.

  Miranda continued to silently lecture the agent as she stormed to her car. She had such high hopes for Alwyn and the woman. Alwyn was lonely and passed the age when he should have found a mate. Alwyn, always taking things to extreme, had to find the perfect woman, just like his whole mantra about not eating greens.

  “What a jerk you are,” she mumbled to herself. “What a fool.”

  People she passed on the street noticed her, partly due to her beauty and partly due to her strange behavior.

  “Why must you continue to buy into all the nonsense your mother feeds you? Most Unums gave up the monk’s life generations ago. Why not Alwyn? Oh, no, you have to please your mother. Andee was a beautiful woman who adored you, and you messed it up.”

  She stopped and looked back the way she had come as if trying to see the agent. She shook her head and continued on her way.

  “And you, Andee, what kind of fool are you? Can’t you see how special Alwyn is?”

  She turned into the alley, and her nose caught a strange odor. An odor out of place in the city. It was a woodsy scent with the promise of nature, wild game and room to run. It didn’t belong. She stopped at the door to her car. She didn’t see the man behind her. She sensed the danger much too late.

  “Hello, pretty lady,” the wolf said.

  Chapter 12

  “Andee, are you with Miranda?”

  The phone ringing had woken her, and she looked at her clock. Twenty minutes after eleven. Almost midnight.

  “No, Alwyn, I’m at my apartment. Miranda left hours ago. You woke me up.”

  The FBI agent was fighting to force the fog from her brain. Why would Alwyn think Miranda was with her?

  “You’re not on your way to the house?”

  “Your house?”

  “My mother’s house.”

  “No. Miranda came by, told me I was to go with her, and I told her no. I have stuff to do here. She...”

  He interrupted.

  “She left without you?”

  “Yes, I can’t...”

  “She left alone?”

  “Yes...”

  The phone was disconnected.

  “Alwyn?”

  Silence.

  “Alwyn?”

  Nothing.

  Two hours later, an NYPD desk sergeant called Andee.

  As soon as the phone was dead between her and Alwyn, she had called all the nearby stations and asked about the woman named Miranda Morris. At the time, no one had any information about her. All promised to get back with the agent if they heard anything.

  She paced the apartment, Kelsey following her, with his face raised to watch his person. The little dog sensed something wasn’t right, but had no idea what it was. She stopped pacing long enough to heat water for instant chocolate. She splurged and added whipped cream squirted from a pressurized can. She turned off the lights and sat by the window overlooking the street. People walked by, laughing, talking enjoying life. Cars drove by, many of them playing music too loud. She fought the urge to scream at them. Didn’t they know her friend was missing? No, of course they didn’t. She felt very alone.

  She was on her second cup when the phone rang. She looked at the number. A police station. One of the sergeants did as promised.

  “Hello, this is Special Agent Trakes, FBI, please tell me you have information for me.”

  “It would seem I do. How did you know it was the PD calling?”

  “I used to have a friend who worked out of this station. I recognized the number. In fact, it came up with his name.”

  “Did the guy retire?”

  “No. He was killed. Murdered. His name was Jerry Meeker.”

  “He was a friend of yours?”

  “Maybe my best friend. You know him?”

  “We were rookies together when Christ worked the desk.”

  “That was a long time ago.”

  “Jerry was a good man. You the skinny kid whose old man was killed in Oklahoma City?”

  “Yeah, Jerry kind of adopted me after that. He and my dad went way back.”

  “Yeah, Jerry used to tell me lies about all the stuff the two of them did while in the service.”

  Andee wanted to ask about Miranda, but she was afraid too. Was the sergeant hesitating to tell her the news everyone hated to hear? Finally, she asked.

  “Sergeant, can you give me any information about Miranda Morris?”

  “Oh, yeah, I’m sorry. I got a little sideways when you told me who you are and the fact you knew Jerry.”

  Andee waited.

  “Yes,” the sergeant said, “of course, Miss Morris is in Mercy Hospital. She’s in a bad way, I’m told. I don’t know more than that.”

  “She’s alive?”

  “She was when the desk was notified. That was... twenty minutes ago.”

  “Thank you. Do you know if her family has been contacted?”

  “That, I don’t know.”

  “I have their number. I’ll call them.”

  “Be kind enough to call me back with notification information.”

  “I will, and thanks again.”

  She hit the recall button next to Alwyn’s number.

  “Alwyn Lloyd.”

  “Alwyn, this is Andee.”

  “Yes, I saw your number.”

  “We’ve located Miranda.”

  “She’s in Mercy Hospital. I’m with her now.”

  “How is she?”

  “She’s fine.”

  “I’m on my way...”

  “Don’t be. I’ll be signing her out in the next ten minutes or so. She needs to be home.”

  “Alwyn, are you...”

  The phone disconnected.

  The door to the Lloyd family estate opened, and Andee was surprised to find herself looking at Miranda.

  It had only been three days. The woman who stood in the doorway looked radiant. Her red hair was combed and styled. Her green eyes surveyed the agent with cool assessment. The smile was functional. Andee realized it wasn’t Miranda after all, but obviously a close relation.

  “I’m sorry,” Andee stuttered, “I thought you were Miranda Morris.”

  “She’s my older sister,” the woman said, and made no offer to introduce herself further.

  Andee extended her hand, “I’m Special Agent...”

  “I know who you are,” the woman interrupted and made no move to take the offered hand.
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br />   “How can I help you?” she asked coldly?

  “I came to see Miranda. How is she doing? Is Alwyn home? Is he available?”

  “Miranda is how you would expect. She is recovering. Alwyn is home. I’ll see if he is available.”

  “Thank...” The door closed.

  She turned her back to the door and looked over the gentle rolling hill on which the house stood. The grass was tended, the few bushes trimmed and the trees healthy and in full leaf.

  A smile crept to her face when she looked at the ribbon of asphalt that showed the slight curve back to the highway. It was on that stretch of road that her feelings for Miranda had actually started. After the wild ride through traffic, the high rate of speed, the reckless way she ignored traffic laws, upon hitting that stretch of road, the woman slowed the car and drove with absolute discipline. “My Auntie would ground me,” she had said, and Andee knew that while the redhead was a carefree spirit, she was also a dedicated member of her family.

  “May I help you, Special Agent Trakes?”

  The voice startled her, and Andee turned to face not Alwyn, but Lady Lloyd, who stood in the doorway. She had not heard the door open. The woman dressed in an off-blue summer dress stared at the agent with hard eyes. Eyes that showed no welcome. She waited the moment it took Andee to focus.

  “I’m sorry. I expected to see Alwyn...”

  “Alwyn is in the garden. Anna has gone to inform him you are here.”

  “Anna is the young woman who greeted me?”

  “Yes, she is Miranda’s younger sister.”

  “She’s very pretty.”

  “Yes, she is. How can the Lloyd family help you, Agent Trakes?”

  “I came to see how Miranda is doing. I was surprised she left the hospital so soon.”

  “My niece is recovering, and she will heal faster at home than in a hospital. Is there anything else?”

  “I’m sorry...I...”

  “Mother,” Alwyn’s voice came from behind the woman. “It is not our way to be rude to people who are concerned.”

  Lady Lloyd stepped aside, and Alwyn appeared beside her. He looked at Andee.